Mommy's Dirty Little Secret

So...I've been living a lie for the past 8 months. I've been masquerading as a stay-at-home-mom, but in reality I've been working in a variety of ways: taking on freelance work, working on a political campaign, then taking on projects as a consultant. I just couldn't stop! Poor little Max (and Karol and Patrick) have not really had 100% of mommy since we moved to New York.

I realize now that I may have been exhibiting early signs of workaholism. But today I am turning over a new leaf! I've finished my last project (okay that's a little bit untrue but the other clients are so small/easy, it doesn't really count) and I'm excited to throw myself full-force into my new role as Executive Director of Maternal Affairs at the Plomin Household (still debating between "Maternal Affairs" and "Family Affairs," actually).

Maximilian and I have a full day planned for tomorrow: laundry, bath for Max, grocery shopping, reading, cooking dinner, swings, a trip to Carters or Target for a couple new outfits in the 9-12 month range, and maybe even a nap with Max!

So be expecting cleaner, healthier, happier Plomin children from this point forward.

Missing the Baby Gear

I'm getting way too attached to the kid's baby gear.

It's not that I'm afraid I'll miss it. I'm afraid the kids will. Do they really have an attachment to these things? Or am I projecting that on them? Being too attached to 'stuff' is the opposite of what I want to instill in them, but I don't want to inadvertently rip something away from them that they feel emotional about, either. With the move coming up, a lot of things are going to change.

It's really getting hard for me to come to terms with giving up our lovely apartment, but only because of the convenience it affords. I know I'll be fine emotionally. But are the kids going to miss it? I remember growing up in two houses - and the second one was my grandparents' house before we moved there, so it was already 'home' to me. I can't imagine what it would be like to up and move to a whole new city.

On the other hand, Karol and Patrick are still very young - Karol's not even 3 yet. Will she even remember? I have no idea. And who knows how much we'll end up switching apartments in NYC, as the family (and hopefully the income) grows.

So why am I feeling this way today? Well, it doesn't help that it's a gloomy, crappy day overall, but I'm thinking about selling our double stroller. It's a monster of a stroller, and has served us very well. But now I'm looking to trade it for something smaller and more maneuverable for the city. And with Patrick walking really well already, we probably won't need a stroller for every trip in New York. Plus I don't really like the idea of having them locked up and lazing in a stroller for extended periods of time while I wheel their butts around. So I want something light-weight, easy to fold and easy to get around on skinny sidewalks.

But that means I'll need to sell ol' reliable. It's been like a second home for all the lovely long walks we take in Arlington...but am I the only person who's really getting sentimental about it?

We might go stroller test-driving at Buy Buy Baby this afternoon after work (I'll probably actually buy it used) to see what brand/model works best. I figure I'll be wearing Max for the first 6 months or so. I'm looking at the Jeep Wranglerthe Combi Twin Sportand the City Minibut who am I kidding? Should I just skip straight to the Triple Threat?

Thanksgiving Day

Matt and I have an enormous amount to be thankful for. The only things I'll bother to mention, though, are our children and each other. Even though we decided not to shell out the dough for a trip home (saving that for an extra-long Christmas visit), we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Arlington. I made the extra special effort to dress up the kids even though 75% of the time they were bedecked it was just the four of us.

Well, Karol was dressed up. Pat's 'dress up' clothes are so restricting, I gave him a break. But he did sport a nice "Baby's First Thanksgiving" bib.

Matt spent the entire day - from 7am until 4pm - in the kitchen. Our new apartment has a phenomenal kitchen compared to the tiny set up in our place in Silver Spring, and Matt really enjoyed flexing his culinary muscles. He didn't have to go it alone though - our college buddy, Dan Wanke, stayed in town (for the same reasons we did - he's from Wisconsin); we were thrilled to have him over and he helped Matt with all the side dishes, of which there were many.

Besides an incredibly juicy, flavorful, delicious turkey, we had creamed corn, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed spinach, chestnut stuffing, traditional stuffing, apple-topped sweet potatoes and traditional sweet potatoes (my personal Thanksgiving fave). Matt, did I miss anything? Dan brought over two pumpkin pies (I just polished off the leftovers of that while typing this, actually), I made a rather bland pumpkin bisque and a family recipe Irish coffee cake and Matt's friend Cherub brought an Indian dish (thankfully for me not too spicy!) as well.

We had a full house this Thanksgiving, since we had the honor of hosting Dan and three of Matt's friends from GWU-Anand, Ritwik and Cherub. They are from India, so not surprisingly they can't make the trip home either (and I thought we lived too far from home!). My favorite part of having friends over is seeing the interaction they have with Karol and Patrick. Karol used to be a frequent visitor to group meetings, classes, and the like, if I was on military duty, if someone was sick or if childcare fell through, so Karol is especially familiar with the GW MBA class of 2010. I love that she is comfortable playing and talking to Matt's classmates and that they are open to playing "Uncle" to K&P every now and then. And they loves the extra attention, of course!

Dan & Pat

Cherub & Karol

Ritwik & Pat

Anand & Karol

The next day we hit the Black Friday sales! I know what you're thinking, "Black Friday sales with two kids, is she nuts?" Actually, we didn't really start our shopping until after 8, and the craziness is pretty much quelled by then. We hit Target, Staples, and Guitar Center, all of which were only a little livelier than normal. Best Buy was the only place we went with any Black Friday rush left, so Matt dropped me off at the door and I grabbed what we needed while he drove around with the kids.

After that, we went to Uncle Joe and Aunt Judy's house at Karol's insistence. She absolutely loves going over there, especially when she gets to brush Dusty and give him treats!

The next day, Matt and Karol wanted to check out all the new decorations at the mall and maybe get some of our own for the apartment, so we spent all day at Springfield Mall and Tyson's Corner. The kids were both so good the whole day through (hint, hint, St. Nick) and we all had a great time. We crossed a few people off our gift list, got some cute new Christmas shirts for Patrick, and Mommy got a couple things from her new favorite store, New York & Company. Everyone except Matt has their Christmas socks for Louisville Christmas, which I'm told is a necessity. We'll have to pick up some for Daddy today.

So after a pretty packed long weekend, this Sunday we are chilling at home, writing letters to Santa, and maybe taking a long walk before Mass this evening. We are getting really excited for Advent and Christmas, and looking forward to a week and a half in Indiana. Next on the holiday to-do list: get a Christmas tree! I have no idea where we'll put it though!

I can't even count the many ways God has blessed us this year. I just pray that our good fortune continues and that we keep growing together as a family.

Happy holidays to everyone and we can't wait to see you at Christmas!

"Hold still and smile!"

A Shout Out to Costco

After reading about (and commiserating with) BusyMom's exasperated comments on the worthlessness of typical coupon clipping, I felt the need to say that Costco, where we shop for pretty much everything, is an exception to the coupon rule.  They send out coupon books once a month or so that are awesome because:

1. They are full of items we actually want and need, for everyday use or even gifts.
2. They are worth something, usually $2-$10 dollars, rather than your typical 25 cents off 5 boxes of cereal X.
3. Costco is already usually the cheapest way to buy food; coupons make it even cheaper.

I usually don't make a big deal about the Costco coupon book, but this month it's loaded with stuff we needed - Oxy Clean detergent, two of our favorite cereals, a gift we've been meaning to get for someone ($10 off!), replacement toothbrush heads, and more.

I've already busted into the Oxy Clean to do laundry and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch - yum!  We're going to stock up later in the month after Matt's school starts.

Aunt Toni Arrives!

My sister flew into BWI yesterday evening to provide me a little bit of relief.  After a trip to CostCo and some pizza and Very Berry Sundae, Karol and Patrick were very ready for bed.  But Patrick couldn't sleep before a little cuddling with his godmother, of course!  Here's a pic she took on her phone.  Doesn't Pat look thrilled to be staying up late with Aunt Toni?

As for me, I was up late working on a paper and watching The Great Debater (Denzel Washington) with Toni.  Not a bad movie, but still one of those didactic racial-issue movies I would definitely expect to see from an Oprah/Denzel collaboration.

It made me wonder at the end of the movie: was the Harvard-Wiley debate staged for political purposes?  I know none of the history, and have no desire to research it, but I would not be surprised at all if it was a politically constructed event the way that Rosa Parks' bus move was.