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07 December 2012

7 Quick Takes

It's that time of week again ... holding e-hands with the rest of Jen's followers and pounding out some mediumish takes.

1. Did you see Cari's super juice recipe? Never one to turn down anything involving Chia seeds or the promise of more energy, I made it ... sort of. I used carrot juice to make up for the fact that I threw a cheater banana in and couldn't find wheat grass powder so I used Trader Joe's "green nutritional powder" (wheat grass powder was the 9th listed ingredient so ... it counts) instead. It wasn't as terrible as she claimed (thank you, banana) and I fully expect to be energized enough to make it past my usual expiration time of 3 minutes into a Hulu show tonight. I'll keep you posted.

2. Simon and I went to the hospital Christmas party on Wednesday night and much to Simon's delight I asked our sitter to take a photo of us in our finery. Sebastian watched for a second before jumping in the shot and backing his diaper up right next to me. I don't know why I found it so endearing ... maybe because his one (tiny) sign of intelligence these days is to blow on his food if it happens to be too hot to get in his teeny tiny belly immediately. (We can't even get him to say the requisite monosyllabic words that I'm guessing most 13-month-olds speak fluently).
 Anyway ... we let him bomb the picture with his double chin, look of badassery and all.

3. Another week another hair product share! Kelly Jo told me about this stuff many moons ago and I just now got around to ordering and using it. If your hair doesn't hold curl or style ... I highly highly highly recommend it. To be fair, I had been using a can of cement hair spray that I bought for 50 cents on the clearance CLEARANCE shelf at the grocery store five years ago.

4. Please tell me I'm not the only mom here: When I was little and my mom bought the generic bags of cereal as opposed to the fancy boxes of the name brand stuff I vowed to my future self and my future children that I would definitely be buying the fancy boxes of the name brand stuff (this is before I had any concept of dinero or nutritional value, obviously). Then before I had kids I vowed that my kids would never eat poisonous refined sugary cereal. Now ... I have kids and I just really need an entertaining appetizer that allows me to julienne their soy dogs and steam their locally grown squash in peace ... and I'm kicking myself for not making this purchase a million months ago ...
generic poison!!!!! Don't judge. Julia is totally solidifying her knowledge of colors
 and Sebastian doesn't reject and throw them on the ground by the handful ... yet.

5. Simon says it just comes with the territory and I mostly agree but this week has been especially bad in the comments from strangers - "you've got your hands full", "you look busy", (stomach stare) "you're going to be busy" department. A lady purchasing multiple cases of cheap champagne at Trader Joe's this morning asked with great incredulity, "what are you going to do with a third?!" -- I cannot take full responsibility for my eye roll that followed because call me totally crazy but I just don't think having 3 kids is that bizarre. I don't know.

6. The adorable wife of a gentleman that I used to babysit kindly emailed me earlier this week. It turns out we have all sorts of crazy connections but let's go back to the fact that someone I used to babysit (when he was little and I was olderish) is MARRIED ... with a baby on the way. Fastest path to feeling downright geriatric? Most certainly ... that fact.

7. Did you enter the giveaway for the Happy Baby Wrap and the giveaway for the Blowfish Shoes? I hope you did.



Go see Jen for all the betters.


28 comments:

  1. can we please see more videos of your babies? they are too darling!!! #creepalert

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  2. I think I need some tootsie frooties. My kids throw everything on the ground!

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  3. Re: #5 I don't know what the territory is exactly anymore. I heard it ALL. THE. TIME. growing up in a large family. We have a wee little family of 3 bambinos at this very moment and I still get "wow, you sure have lots of help". . ."I bet you're tired at end of a day!". . ."I bet you're busy" every time we go into the public eye. And even if I only have one or two kiddos with me, still the comments find me. I think it's one of two things: 1) maybe I do look like I have and/or need lots of help. . .maybe I look tired to others. . .and maybe I am busy OR 2) some folks see a big person with a child and need to say something. I'm going to wish and hope and bet the whole farm on the latter.

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  4. Froot Loops - even the generic ones are THE.BEST. They are MY personal favorite and get demolished within a day or two in our house! Love your party dress - you look lovely as usual. And I get the "hands full" comment all the time with 4 boys. I just nod and say "mmm-hmmm" and move on.

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  5. #3: Big Sexy Hair "Dense" works many wonders on my never ever hold a curl stick straight baby fine hair. Makes it pretend to be thick (er) and actually holds a curl for more than 5 minutes. Wunderbar in my book.

    #5: I'm glad you eye-rolled her. Skank. Too bad there will be enough of our kids to civilize the future while her presumptuous, rude, cheap-champagne drinking genes are being unapologetically weeded out of existence.

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  6. Adrienne's #5 comment (above) just really made me laugh. Sugary-cereal-ingesting Sebastien looks like a blonde Simon. And thanks for the shout out. I'm honored, as is Jacob, of course.

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  7. Seb looks like a future politician in that first pic, and I totally agree with Martha...J may be mini-you, but Bash is totes mini-Simon, shocked "another picture" look and all :)

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  8. OMG his expression in that photo cracks me up. :)

    And three kids is totally not bizarre, but three kids under three (wait, is Julia three or four?) is insane in my mind. You are a brave, brave woman.

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  9. Sassiest preggers ever with that sassy little jacket that I love. And when did Mr Sebastian get so big and handsome? That is a beautiful picture! He looks just like Simon there!

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  10. If you have 3 kids, then you have to give up the white picket fence... and well, people just can't imagine how you live without a white picket fence!

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  11. With you on #5, although now that I am expecting our fourth (our oldest is four) random people have upped the ante from the "hands full" commentary to a wide-eyed look of horror and asking, "You're done after this, right?!" I usually just smile and say, "I hope not!" That usually renders them speechless. I do live in Washington state, the land of legal pot smoking, so I try to not let it bother me that my family doesn't exactly blend in around here :)

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  12. I don't think I'll ever get over my shock at how outspoken people can be when it comes to fertility/ pregnancy. Literally just this week people have said to me: "You must be Catholic- pop those babies out!", "You guys got started quickly!" , and "I hope she stops after this!" (re: a co-worker who had her 3rd babe in about 10yrs.) Thankfully my eyes did not get stuck from all the rolling they've done. Does tact exist anymore?

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  13. The addition of banana renders my super juice ineffective. Did I forget to mention that?

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  14. Ugh...#5 ("you've got your hands full") drives me crazy. I honestly don't think people know what to say. Here's some advice for people who say, "you've got your hands full"--- when you see a mom with 3 or more children, say, "you have a beautiful family," and then hold open the door for us (or some other helpful gesture) or just smile and say "hello."

    Give us the details on the jacket/cape/wrap? you're wearing in the preChristmas party pic.

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  15. I remember my mom (who had 5) telling me that #3 is the one that most people rudely comment on. After that, they figure you're a lost cause and leave you alone. So you have that to look forward to...

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  16. Re #5: I just went to my husband's company Christmas party last night and the fact that we have three children three and under seemed to be the talk of the table. Most of the other "couples" have been dating for several years, aren't married, living together, and party like it's 1999. So they made the idea of even having kids sound horrid. They couldn't seem to even wrap their brains around my opinion that having 3 is actually much easier than having only 1. The older two entertain themselves and help significantly with the baby (entertainment while I make dinner, grab a diaper from the closet, etc.) Yes, it's total chaos, but my knee-jerk response when I hear the obligatory daily comment of "you sure have your hands full" is "yes, full of love." :)

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  17. Charlotte didn't speak AT ALL until she was 15 months old. And even then, it was like five words until she was almost 2. Now she's almost 4 and totally coherent. No worries. Speech development is totally different for all kids. My husband didn't say a single word until he was 3. 3! Then he began speaking in full, complex and grammatically correct sentences. I think this is proof that he had a stick up his ass about proper grammar before he was even able to wipe his own ass. Maybe Sebastian is just waiting until he fully understands all the rules of grammar so he can correct you for the rest of his days.

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  18. Oh, and I used to be a total snot about cereal at all. "Parents who give their kids cereal might as well give them poison! It's just processed crap! It's not real food!" Then Sienna started having to be at school at 7:45 am and now we might as well buy stock in General Mills. Further proof that all standards vanish in the face of Reality.

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  19. 1. I am impressed the the height of your heels given how soon another little Patton will be arriving! You guys looked great- I hiope that it was fun!

    2. People tell me that I have my hands full and I have a 4 yo and a 23 mo old and am not pregant.

    3. That cereal looks yummy! Don't forget about the fine motor skills they are developing while eating!

    Have a great weekend!

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  20. Maybe a strange comment but... Sebastian's hair looks so cute in that last picture! Perhaps I'm fixated on kids' hair since for the past three+ months I haven't been able to get near my toddler with scissors/clippers without excessive screaming (except for sneaking a clip off the developing rat-tail, ugh). Nice work!

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  21. Those kinds of comments make me hate everyone in the world. But I am just grumpy.

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  22. YAY! So glad you liked the Redken stuff!
    Also, Sebastian looks SOOO much like Simon in that last photo!

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  23. I love Sebastian's fat little fingers clutching his Tooti Frooties in that last picture!

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  24. Babies are a blessing! And inheritance from the Lord and blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them! There are a lot of things I do that seem crazy to the world, but I know it pleases God. It gives me a little bit of needed encouragement. What a great mama to take on all the joys of parenting ( and the tantrums and chalenges too :)

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  25. sniff sniff. bash looks so grown up!

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  26. #5 - Not looking forward to hearing those comments (when the time comes).

    #4 - No kids yet, but I've said similar things about pregnancy and I've had to go back on them. You really have no idea until you are in that position.

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  27. #4 Malt O Meal cereal is the best kind of cereal! Don't forget another great think about colored O shaped cereal, it can be strung on a string and made into a necklace.

    #5 I never know what to say back to people that say things like "you have your hands full" or "wait until they are teenagers". I have four girls ages 8,6,3,and 1. I usually just smile and keep on moving if possible.

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  28. I only have two, hoping for a third and I've told no one I'm hoping for a third. Everyone wants to know "why?" Or "oh but you already have a girl And a boy, isn't that perfect" or "yay, you have a boy and a girl! Great place to stop!" Everyone thinks 3 children is outrageous!

    Ps. I have a 14.2 month a lot who speaks in nothing but "ehs" in different frequencies and pitches to get his message across. And occasionally he tries to quack! I tried to tell him other children his age can at least say mama and no, but I guess not.

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