APPRECIATE YOUR MAN... or learn to appreciate YOURSELF!

I'll keep this short because by now (this is my second blog),  I've read all the rules on blogging. Shorter is definitely sweeter. All I want to say before I go to bed and snuggle up with my sweetie is this --- APPRECIATE YOUR MAN! Or, I invite you to go peruse the thousands of self-help books aimed to help women meet the "man of their dreams." Good luck there snookums - because men, just like women - are not perfect. So stop looking for the perfect man, and start looking for the perfect YOU! Men are instantly attracted to confident, positive women. I know the economy is in the crapper, but that is affecting everyone. If you have a decent husband or boyfriend, go that extra step to show him that you care. And if you don't, invite a friend out for a fun, engaging dinner - and split the check. Oh my. What a concept! Show someone tomorrow, and everyday, that you can think outside of yourself and your little perfect word. Because if he leaves you for someone who notices when he goes the extra mile (roses for no reason, washing your car, just because) your world, as you know it, will come crumbling down faster than you can scream "but what happened?" Give him that back rub. Make his favorite dinner. Unless he is a complete selfish loser (whom you shouldn't be with anyway!), he'll notice, and he'll love for you it.

Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!!!

So - Thanksgiving and Christmas have both officially come and gone, and honestly, I feel down right joyful. My little baby is now a non-talking one-year-old, and 2010 is over in two and a half days. We will be moving soon (hopefully), which makes me very happy, of course, because the size of this two-bedroom apartment literally makes me want to pull my hair out! We definitely need a full-sized washer and dryer and a back yard and a basement. I've enjoyed living here with my two lovies, but I'm pretty sure that a 6'5" guy, a 5'7" woman, a puppy, and a very curious baby need more space!
Overall, it has been a wonderful year - while looking at the forest and not the trees.
I started 2010 with a two-month old infant; and now I have a walking toddler who communicates her feelings very well. (She just doesn't actually form any sentences yet – or words, for that matter.) Therefore, I’m becoming an expert in deciphering baby-talk! We have survived sooo many sleepless nights and three or four family colds while Alivia was teething. She has twelve teeth now, and I can still remember writing my blog entry when she got her sixth tooth! That was back when teeth were rare. Now those suckers are popping up usually once-a-month. And knock-on-wood, she has stopped using her crib as a teething ring, and she has graduated from Similac Sensitive formula to 2% milk. So far, she seems to like it! Baby food is such a thing of the past, and we discovered that one of her favorite foods is berries (she likes raspberries the best!). She also eats tons of Cheerios. I'm convinced that General Mills could stay in business based on the sale of their Cheerios alone. We all know children die for those round, perfectly-sized, finger foods. Alivia is eating them even as I type this (and I’m pretending I don’t see that she is getting more on the floor than into her mouth). And they are so convenient! She eats them every morning with berries and a "surprise" cereal of the day. Regardless, she always eats all of her cheerios and the others, one by one, get thrown onto the carpet. And then, depending on the size of her mess - I clean up the entire playroom and vacuum. She runs away from the vacuum cleaner, and we both laugh together as I chase her while magically making her leftover cereal pieces disappear. We've made progress though; about three months ago I had to hold Alivia on my left hip with my left arm and vacuum with my right arm. I was burning some major calories back then! Nowadays, Alivia eats her delicious cereal and berries while I eat the cereal that contains 57% of the daily needed fiber. Only, I eat double the dose - 1 cup - giving me a total of 114% of fiber in just one bowl of cereal! I also add berries. Since we only ever have chicken or fish for dinner, I would think that logically, I would have dropped weight like crazy. Not really. I also only drink water, too. Ugh. Its soooo boring! But I enjoy our little breakfast routine, and if the non-talking baby would try to say a word or two - I'm sure that she would agree with me. Even when she is throwing blackberries onto our carpet and looking back at me for signs of disapproval, I just politely ask her to stop, and then I tell her that I love her. Children love to throw things at this age - especially food. I'm just stating the obvious, of course. She's really just learning, and she always eats more than she throws. She is a very pleasant little girl, and she is super cute with a purple face with a few cheerios stuck to it! So, bring on the berries, I say! We all know that my husband works for a Restoration company :)

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you Alivia, I could walk forever in my garden...