Bear Down, Chicago Bears!

Upon moving to South Jersey a little over two years ago, we made the conscious decision to go with Comcast cable instead of DirecTV satellite TV. We had ALWAYS had DirecTV up until that point in time. And, it was good. It wasn't perfect, but nothing is. It was also expensive. VERY EXPENSIVE! It was our fault that it was expensive, though, because we ordered every sports package known to man so that we could watch all of our college and professional football games no matter what!

Well, with Comcast we can still watch MOST games without issue. College games that is (of course, I think we are paying for a snazzy package for that). But, professional games are owned by DirecTV. (Game-hogging-bastards!) So, without DirecTV...I live most Sundays without being able to watch my beloved Bears. I can stream the audio of the games through my computer, of course, but it really just isn't the same. So, I suffer. In silence. (ok, not in silence...but it is hard to suffer in silence, people!)

But, today is one of those rare and beautiful days. One of those magical days where the Bears were actually selected to play on Monday night. And, Monday nights are all about national broadcasting. And, this Monday night...I am all about my BEARS!

And, so is Finnley. She is (unbeknownst to her) the biggest new Bears fan on the scene. And the cutest one, too.

So, on this Monday.....Finnley and I say....

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS!!!!!!!!!

Men are from Mars...

And, on Mars they don't like decorative paper towel holders (just like they don't like decorative tissue holders).

Who knew?

Captured Moments of Awesomeness

The fourth annual reunion of the fertility warriors is over, but the memories will live on forever. There is no way to sum up what our friendships have ever meant, or what they have evolved into over time. We have a special bond. There is no question about it. And, our time together is never anything short of amazing. I can see gathering for these brief respites for years and years and years. I truly hope they "never" end. I am blessed to know such an interesting, unique, and fantastically terrific group of women. The pictures can tell the rest of the story...

Lon-guy-land

A destination, not just a funny word! The fourth annual REUNION of my fertility buddies is taking place this weekend in Greenport, NY (Long Island). A fun time had with friends brought together by perseverance of painful experiences and tough-traveled journeys. A weekend full of laughs, food, wine, food, talking, food, shopping, food...did I mention the FOOD???

And, for Finnley this means a daddy-daughter (and dog) weekend full of potentially interesting outfits and more interesting food introductions.

Back again next week...

Charlotte's Web is a LIE!

I killed Charlotte. Phew, there...I said it. I didn't actually know it at the time as I was heavily and sadistically dousing her with Home Defense insect killer and then watching her move, fall, twitch, curl up, and eventually die. Nope. That particular knowledge came later.

After a relaxing and lovely outing to the Treehouse Cafe for some mommy and kiddo time (and a decaf, non-fat gingerbread and marshmallow latte'), I brought Finnley home for a good old turkey hot dog, goldfish, and grape lunch. As I stepped out of my car, I couldn't help but notice a HUGE wheel and spoke shaped web within a way-too-close foot of me. And, in the center of that very web was a nasty, hairy, surely-human-face-devouring devil of a creature.

I kept Finnley strapped safely in her car seat, because I am her guardian and protector after all. I could not put her in harms way. So, I quickly sprang into action grabbing the insect killing spray that Matt handily keeps right near the entrance to the screened in porch. I pumped up that bad boy spray, aimed, and started shooting. No prisoners here. No sir. I dominated. I killed the nasty beast. Victory was mine! My child was safe. I was proud.

During Finnley's nap time, I chose to go back to the murder scene and investigate the victim. I found and brought the victim into the house so that I could properly identify her with the help of my little buddy, Google. Turns out, this particular spider is known as a BARN SPIDER. Delving a bit deeper, I also discovered that this barn spider was the same species portrayed by CHARLOTTE in Charlotte's Web.


Ummm...forgive me if I fail to see the resemblance, folks. I took pictures. And, as you can see...MY pictures look nothing like the honey-sweet-voiced animated mommy spider in the movie. NOTHING at all!!! And, also forgive me if I can't imagine myself (or a silly little pig) sitting having stimulating, life-changing conversations with the monstrous version of "Charlotte" that I saw in colorful reality.

So, today I learned that Charlotte's Web is a lie. And, I killed that lie. With lots and lots of chemicals. And? It felt good. And my little world is a seemingly safer and more truthful place for it.

What truths have you discovered lately???

Oh what a beautiful morning...

Out and About

Now that Finnley is getting older and getting her feet a bit more steady underneath her, we are able to take her more places. This past weekend we took her to Smith's Play Place and Playground in the Fairmount Park section of Philadelphia. It is an amazing place: a mansion built in the 1800s specifically as a place for children to gather and play. It now also boasts 6 acres of playgrounds, all sectioned off into age-appropriate areas. The best part about this place? It is FREE! FREE! FREE! Don't you just love non-profit organizations?!?

We decided to check the whole place out since it was our first trip to Smith's. So, Finnley got to explore the play rooms in the mansion first...but that came to an abrupt end after she tried to eat the 500 year old gray plastic piece of bologna in the grocery area upstairs. That little moment sent daddy right over the edge and convinced him that the outdoors was the place for our sweet toddler. Well, it would be...right after we completely sanitized her hands. ha!

So, outdoors we went to the tot-lot. And, as you can see, our little independent explorer got to have some fun. We look forward to taking her back over the coming years and letting her enjoy all that Smith's has to offer. But, I do think we will primarily stick to the outdoor playgrounds where at least the rain can sanitize the equipment from time to time (and there is no gray plastic bologna with which to contend)!

One of these things is not like the others...one of these things does not belong...

I have to be careful now. Well, really the collective "we" at this household needs to be careful. VERY careful. Careful when it comes to Finnley and certain common items that can she can find around the house. As of late, our sweet girl has become extremely enamored with keys, jewelry, brushes, books, yogurt snack cups, lotion bottles, tank tops...well, you get the idea.

Once she has her hands on something, you really need to follow her around and keep a close watch on her. If you don't, you never know where these items might wind up...or when you might find them or see them again. For example, I didn't realize that I was missing my leather and silver engraved "Mother" bracelet UNTIL I found it in Finnley's toy bin today. And, even though I DID know that she was wandering around chewing on her yogurt cup that she had stolen from the pantry...I DID NOT realize what she had done with it until I saw her playing with her Little People carriage and blocks. See, the cup was hitching a ride in the carriage. (ummm...duh! of course it was!)


The good news with all of this is that Finnley does "put things away" when she is "done" with them. The bad news is that her place in which to put things away can be totally random. Hopefully we will continue to find all of these items. You just never know with that little one, though. She is very busy and very silly. So, I will just keep doing occasional checks of the toy bin, the book crate, the toy containers in general, the dog's water bowl (apparently a good place to put a home phone and battery-operated toys), and all sorts of other nooks and crannies that a wee one can reach. I might just be pleasantly surprised with what I find!

Toddler at Play

Finnley used to not love playing. She didn't hate it, either. She really just didn't know what to do. I could hand her a toy, and she would be interested in it for a minute or two, but that was it.



Now SHE seeks out her own choice in toys, and she engages in her own play for a long period of time. She loves to unstack the plastic Little People blocks that I put together on her carriage. One stack at a time. Over and over again. She has figured out how to put the colorful balls into the holes of their coordinating Fisher Price toy, and then she pushes the balls through to the other side to make the silly lion sing her a congratulatory song. She pulls out book after book and then sits with them on the floor. She flips the pages and "reads" (using a silly whispery babble that she has created just for her story books).


And, she LOVES to empty her toy bin one toy at a time. She surrounds herself with her emptied collection and then plays with individual toys that capture her attention.



You can just see her coming more to life every day. Her eyes brightening with new discoveries. Her developing more of a personality. Becoming more of a little person. It is a joy to witness. A messy joy, but a joy nonetheless!