Must-read Monday

My sweet friend, VodkaMom, wrote an awesome book. 

Every one of my teacher friends will relate to the hilarious stories and anecdotes in this masterpiece.  Even if you're not a teacher, you will laugh your ass off!!  If you've never checked out Vodka's blog, you have no idea what you've been missing.  She is hysterical!

If you have any teachers in your life, this is the PERFECT little gift for the holidays.  Actually, it would be a great gift for any parent.  Hell, it would be an awesome gift for anyone with a sense of humor!

I'm so proud of my girlfriend.  This was a true labor of love.  And, damn it, she makes me miss being in a classroom with her stories about her babies!

I was blown away when I opened my copy, and got to the third page of her "Acknowledgements."  She included me in a list of Bloggy Buddies that she was thanking! I'm still a bit weepy over it.

Please go check out her blog, and her book!!

Better late than never...

I've been planning to make my Monkey a tutu for ages now. I actually started buying the supplies right before her birthday. Well, this morning, I finally bit the bullet and got busy.

I may come back later and tell you about the cluster fuck of a morning I had, but suffice it to say, I found my ass at Walmart at the crack of dawn, gathering craft supplies. They didn't have everything I wanted, but they did have the missing item for the tutu. THIS is what's giving me happiness right now.

What do you think so far? (I wasn't sure if you could see the full cuteness, so I taped it to my wall. You're welcome!)I actually only used 1/3 the tulle I bought, but I think I'm going to use all of it, and make 3 layers. I think it'll be super cute and fluffy. What do you think? I'm definitely adding a second layer, so I'll be back when I'm done.

~~Update~~

Ok, so for the past 30 minutes since the last post, I've been adding the second layer. Was it worth it?
I really don't know if it made that much of a difference. I'm definitely not adding the 3rd layer. Instead, I'm going to use that tulle to make a tutu for a friend's granddaughter, who is exactly one week younger than Monkey. Here they are at her party.
Little Miss Ally, there, has had THREE haircuts in her first year of life (really just trimming her bangs, but still!) while Monkey still has NO HAIR!!! Maria, you commented once that she has a lot of head gear. Well, THAT'S why!! We're trying to cover up her bald little head. :(

My Mother's Day gifts to myself...

I just ordered these on Amazon as a Mother's Day gift to myself. I can't wait to read them both. There's only 5 weeks of school left, so I may have to wait til then to dig into these. I can already picture myself on my deck, in my anti-gravity chaise lounge, with a big tumbler of iced coffee, reading these by the light of the morning sun. Ahhhh....I'm feeling relaxed already. Happy Mother's Day to me!

Oh no, she di-in't!

My sister, who makes SO much fun of me for my crock pot obsession, got me this little cutie for Christmas (bringing my total to 14!). LOVE IT!!!(She and Stud spend hours making fun of me. HOURS! She even makes fun of me with her friends at work. They've decided I "need to open a Crock Pot museum." Charming, aren't they? I know it's all done with love, though, so I let her live.)

11/25/11

Friday, November 25, 2011
Do you like to buy presents ahead of time or right when you need to give them?

I prefer to buy gifts ahead of time. I used to be one of those people who would be finished Christmas shopping, with all gifts wrapped and stashed, before Halloween. I would shop all year long, grabbing things when I found them, usually on sale. Now that the kids are older, there's almost no point in even shopping. All 3 of the teens prefer to receive cash these days.

Thankfully, this Christmas will be a little different, now that the baby is here. Actually, I spent several hours today shopping for her. Well, I guess maybe it was more for my brother. I picked up a really cool bouncy seat that vibrates and has a toy bar across it. It's a jungle-themed seat, and has a cute little monkey hanging from the bar. I don't remember if I mentioned it, but pretty much everything the baby has is monkey-themed. It's what her daddy wanted, and we are having tons-o-fun with it.

I also got her a Johnny Jump Up. I can NOT wait for her to try it out. She has been trying to stand up since the day she was born. I'm not even kidding. She stands up now every chance she gets since, apparently, she doesn't know she's only 4 months old! This thing is gonna be right up her alley.

Naturally, I had to get her a bunch of cute outfits, including one with the most adorable little penguin shirt (it says "I love dancing with Daddy"),and these cute jeans, with the ruffles at the cuffs and pockets.
I couldn't pass up this adorable little dress (It says "Santa Baby" in the middle),
or this cute Christmas-y outfit.

There was NO way I was leaving without this ornament. I mean, seriously?! A monkey ballerina?!


This one is for my oldest niece, The Diva. I tried 10 times to post a picture of the ornament I got for her sister, but Blogger is being a bitch. It's just a sterling silver initial, studded with crystals.

There are a few other goodies that I picked up today, but since I'm not sure who may or may not read this, I'm going to keep those under wraps for now. ;-)