hello squirrel

I've been working on the photo albums and came across this photo from last May. It seems like our yard is a long way from this right now, but this squirrel sure is curious. I'm also so sad to report that none of my plants made it through the winter in our house. I had to get rid of three huge palms and two gorgeous ferns.

no secrets

I have no secrets, apparently. For starters, I share all of my treats with Elsa, however, she has not grasped the concept of moderation AT ALL. For every Mint Milano, coffee drink and cheese fry that I eat, there are many carrots, blueberries and salads. When N spotted my hidden Mint Milanos, he started to question it until I gave him the look. I was hiding them for a very good reason. Elsa would try to make them her lunch instead of having 1 or 2 as a treat, so I am putting the kibosh on her chocolate intake for a while until she develops healthier eating habits. I know this sounds harsh, but she is getting ridiculous and will not touch a thing on her plate if it doesn't look acceptable to her.

I'm thinking I need to set more boundaries around here. There are 1 or 2 mornings per week that we don't have somewhere to be so I get to poke along and take my shower after N leaves. This means 22 minutes of Backyardigans or Miss Spider's Sunny Patch for E. We have an agreement, she stays put while I shower. This is what I came up with after the pack 'n' play no longer worked. Lately, she has been ignoring our agreement and wondering in for a good chat while I'm in the shower. I didn't think too much about it until out of the blue, she decided to give N a detailed description , luckily she didn't see too much. I can't really escape her. She wonders in while I dress, we take every bathroom break together and apparently she pays too much attention to detail and has also shared with him the color of my underwear. I need to create some distance before she is scarred for life.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's day. I always get neat little presents that are a total surprise. He just had to deal with Christmas and my b-day so I'm pretty sure he's had enough of the gift giving by February 14th. I always stress out trying to reciprocate. N does not get excited about it and I never know what to get him. I am making crispy crab cakes with mango salsa, spiced tomato glaze and cilantro-avocado emulsion. It takes an hour to prep so I'm sure I will be going crazy before the night is over, but it's the least I can do. I'm also making an appetizer so they can hang out and eat while I cook. I just hope we don't end up ordering take-out.

car service or vacation?

I know this sounds crazy, but I love getting my car serviced. I had to spend about 2 hours there yesterday, it's so great and I'll tell you why. First, they have this very open, enormous lounge with tons of magazines, People, Elle, InStyle, Time and many more. Then, there's the fancy toy selection. An awesome little kitchen with a picnic table, a Thomas the Train station and a little wooden car frame with all the gadgets to start, roll the windows etc. Elsa is busy the entire time and feels like she's on a playdate. My favorite though is the Starbucks, cokes, muffins, danish, doughnuts and popcorn selection. They kind of force feed us and it's so fantastic. The very cheerful attendant makes sure we have what we need and I have the best time talking to her. She remembers me coming in when I first became pregnant with E, but we didn't actually start talking until about 2 years ago. I leave there feeling like I just had coffee (and breakfast) with a friend. The only part I don't love is paying for the service. I feel very uneasy about no longer having a warranty.

Then I got to meet my fantastic friend for a movie while N and E did some shopping. It worked out well for me!

the not yet perfected Bicerin

I have declared today a snow day since our activity for the day was rescheduled and the roads are not that great. I was wondering what we could plan to do since I was not prepared for this. I knew we'd be ok when E made me laugh right away with her crazy get-up this morning. It consisted of a tiara that I brought back from my beauty pageant girls' night in (so much fun!), her stick pony and new valentine jewelry and handbag that she received in the mail from Grandma yesterday. I also forgot to add that she insisted on wearing the only pink pants she has - way too short yoga pants.

So far it's been, not too shabby -

I actually got to watch some of the Today Show which I love! Heidi Klum is adorable and looked fantastic in her skinny black pants, there was a blue man (didn't see what that was about) and I'm very surprised at what Americans are doing only 85 times per year!

Then -

decided to break the no-caffeine rule for preg. women and made my own Bicerin (beech-err-een). I'm sure it was no match to the real Caffe al Bicerin version, but it definitely hit the spot for me. Apparently the ingredients are often duplicated in the U.S, but it's the technique of just the right esspresso, chocolate and whipped sweetened cream (not the supermarket version) that is hard to perfect. The layers all hold their own space but come together with each energizing sip. I did not master that, but it worked for now. I'm very, very, very excited to enjoy the real thing with my lovely Italian friend (S) one day soon (and by soon I could mean more than a year, but I'll get there).