Musical Dresses

Watching the Grammy's and loving:
1) Adele - she is so beautiful and smart and SUCH a great example to girls everywhere. I heart her. And desperately want to know her baby's name, because I'm pyscho like that. Also I'd like to be her best friend. And sing like her, obvs. Basically, I could at any moment become crazy stalker-y over her.
2) Neil Patrick Harris - of course. Who doesn't love him? I would ALSO like to be best friends with him. And if we're making a list, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, too.
3) fun. - I've documented my love for them before. They sing with such enthusiasm and emotion, even if they are a little on the odd side.
4) Mumford and sons - how is the lead singer singing, playing guitar, and playing a drum with his foot? And do they really NOT have a drummer? I never would have known.

NOT loving:
1) Taylor Swift - something about her bugs me. She's too choreographed. It doesn't look like she has real, actual fun on stage
2) L.L. Cool J's monologue - though luckily I was able to fast forward through a bunch after I paused to TV to attend to a persnickety Lucy who insisted her blankets weren't arranged correctly.
3) J. Lo's dress - She'll be topping all the Worst Dressed lists, for sure.

But this is not a live-blogging of the Grammy's, this is a post to document Lucy's new clothing purchases from this weekend. While we were out (at Target, naturally), we kept an eye out for a dress that Lucy might be able to wear to my cousin's upcoming April wedding. We found one, and somehow in the process, Lucy conned us into buying not one but THREE new dresses for her. She is in seventh heaven. This is a prime time for adorable fancy girl dresses, what with the upcoming Easter holiday. We struck out in the boy's section, though - we'll have to hunt another day for a shirt/tie/vest/pants ensemble for Finn (he is less than excited about this, but I will prevail). Without further ado, Lucy's new dresses:

This dress is the contender for the wedding:

Sorry for the blurry photo - this is an adorable purple dress that might see some action on Easter sunday:

Here is Lucy showing off the purple dress in a video of her "swirling," the entire reason she likes wearing dresses:



And here is the one Lucy INSISTED we buy for her. She wore it today to a birthday party and got lots of compliments, mostly from adults wondering if it came in their size. I kind of agree, I'd wear it in a heartbeat:

Finn may not have gotten new finery to wear this weekend, but because of some stellar behavior at school over the past two weeks, he scored himself the Clone Trooper alarm clock that he's been begging for. He insisted on using it for Sunday morning, but apparently he was so excited that he was already well awake before it went off this morning:

And finally, bonus photo of Lucy snuggling with M. this morning. Dads are comfy:

More Quickies: Sibling Affection and New Things

1) I hefted a sleepy, spaghetti-noodle-limbed Finn into Lucy's bedroom this morning so I could work on rousing both kids at the same time. (Goodness they are hard to wake up, every day EXCEPT Saturday or Sunday of course). I rubbed backs with that vigorous "I love you but get out of bed already" rub that one does, I talked in a sing-songy voice and cajoled, I even tickled a little (just Lucy, at Finn's suggestion). And then Finn crawled off my lap and climbed up onto his sister's bed to lie down next to her. She protested with a "Hey!," but Finn just said "I want to hug you." And her Hey! turned into a smile, just like that. Finn hugged Lucy and kissed her on her hip (it's both adorable and frustrating that kids seem to plant kisses on whatever is at mouth level, with no thought to whether it's an appropriate target) and called her "Lucy Goosey," a name that hasn't surfaced in a long time. Lucy kissed his head and responded with a soft "Finny Bo Binney." And they cuddled and smiled satisfied smiles, and I didn't have the heart to dump them out of bed.

Well, at least for another 60 seconds or so.

I just wanted to write that down so I'd remember it. I love how they love each other.

2) In other news, we got a notice last week that Finn's school has been approved for funding to hire another Kindergarten teacher. All of the 5 existing Kindergarten classes are over the allowed limit of 25 students, with all of them sitting at 27 or 28 kids. The notice we received stated that the school has hired the new teacher, and they will be forming a new Kindergarten class by the end of January. This means that a few kids from each existing class will be pulled out to go to a new classroom, with a new teacher and new classmates, 5 months in to the school year. This seems... not right to me. We don't know yet which kids will be pulled from their classrooms. Finn seemed excited at the prospect of having a new teacher, but I don't think he's really given much thought to the idea that it would mean, a) he would no longer have his current teacher, whom he has written little love notes to, so I'm pretty sure that means he likes her, and b) that he probably wouldn't have his very best friend from class with him anymore. As a parent, I am worried about what it would mean to have a new teacher that needs to get to know Finn from scratch - the continuity of learning will be interrupted to at least SOME degree, and we are JUST starting to figure out with his current teacher how to encourage good "green" behavior from Finn (the new year has been rough, with mediocre or poor behavior reports every day from January 2 until this past Monday, when he finally managed a good rating for the first time in 2013). I don't want to start all over again.

I'm also a smidge worried (and tell me if this is stupid - it's probably stupid - maybe?) that the new class will be formed by kids the current teachers recommend for the new classroom, and perhaps the teachers will conveniently recommend those kids that have given them the most trouble (well, *I* might do that!), and the new class will be a class of, um, kids with disruptive behaviors, shall we say. Which might then include my son, who is not exactly the king of good behavior, as I've documented a time or two on this here blog in the past. So then my son might be moved to a class full of kids with behavior issues, and well, I think that might be a less than ideal learning environment. One or two Finns in a class is manageable, but a class of Finns would be pandemonium.

Of course, I also don't want class sizes that are over the limit. But they've been over the limit since school started in August, and I can't for the life of me figure out why they are implementing this change now, so late in the year. If this had been done in September or even October, I would have been far more supportive. Teacher friends (and any parents out there), have you heard of adding new classrooms halfway through the year? When new classrooms are created, how are the students chosen?

Anyway, ack! Hand wringing! We'll find out more tomorrow night, when there is parents' meeting with the principal, and I think we'll know next week whether Finn's class assignment will change. Then I'll know whether I need to ratchet up my concern some more or let it retreat toward complacency.

3) And finally, a more positive new thing (I hope) - a new shirt:

(If you click to enlarge, this is less blurry, but also my eyes look scarier. You've been warned.)

This was an impulse buy from Kohl's when I dashed in (literally - fastest shopping trip ever!) to grab some new pants for both Finn and Lucy, since Finn has apparently passed on the "rips a hole in every right knee" trait to his sister and they both needed new pants. I saw this on the rack and grabbed it (in my defense, I did have the coveted 30% off coupon) without trying it on. It's a bit hard to see in this photo (can I tell you how lame I felt photographing myself? I tried setting up my tripod and using the automatic timer, but those shots were even worse. This was AWKWARD, but would have been even more so if I tried asking M. to snap photos - "and you want me to take these pictures for what, again?" - so camera in the mirror it was). Anyway, it's a chiffon blouse layered over a matching tank (and, um, no bra...). I thought it might be drapey and long enough that I could justify wearing it over leggings, but after trying it on I don't think it's long enough. Or drapey enough. Anyway, here is a link to the item at Kohl's, where you can probably see it better:  http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1229210/apt-9-essential-roll-tab-chiffon-henley.jsp

What do you think? Is it a keeper? Well, I should rephrase that, since I've already worn it once and I thus MUST keep it. Is it something you would recommend wearing again? I wore it with some dangly gold earrings:

Sorry for the blurry photo. I really LIKE the earrings, and I think I like the shirt. It feels flattering when I'm wearing it, though it's not very figure-shaping. So I FEEL like I look good in it, even if in reality (or, for example, in these pictures) it makes me look a bit boxy. What I'm worried about is that the look might be a bit too... early 90's?? Big gold earrings, bright color, chiffon... Help! Am I dressing like I'm in the wrong decade? Thx!!

Fall and Fashion

I'm letting an early Fall bug get ahold of me today. A rain storm just came through, bringing cooler temperatures with it. Chili is cooking in the crockpot, filling the whole house with heavenly smells. The kids and I did a little baking, trying out our new doughnut pan by baking our first batch of doughnuts ever:

We also went on a nature walk/scavenger hunt today, crunching through a few leaves that have already fallen to the ground:

The kids couldn't spot an acorn or a squirrel while we were out (I hadn't realized how few oak trees there are in our neighborhood!), but found everything else, and brought many of the items home, including at least two dead worms. A simple/fun activity to do with the kids - I highly recommend!

And now I'm relaxing on the couch with my first Octoberfest brew of the season, wearing my brand new "jewel colors are trending" wine-colored chinos that I bought yesterday:

I bought a pair in mustard, too, but haven't decided if I'm brave enough to keep them.

Let's talk fashion for a moment, shall we? I'm in the mood, because yesterday I conducted a shopping outing where I tried on at least two thirds of the Kohl's inventory. Minus a lot of the Daisy Fuentes, Lauren Conrad, and J. Lo lines because really, who am I kidding? And also avoiding as much of the Chaps and Dana Buchman clothing as possible, because I'm just not that old yet.

Which in essence means I tried on just about every piece of Sonoma and Apt. 9 brand clothing in the entire store.

In my defense, I took yesterday off, and unlike other recent days off, I actually felt WELL (have been battling consumptive, coughing illness from hell for the last week). So I was kid-free, and had the time.

Anyway, back to the fashion itself, and a few things I noticed along the way. First, there is just NOT enough of a selection of clothing in the Petite section. Not a novel observation, I know - I've made it myself many times in the past. But there were a few things that, after trying on in a "regular" size, I REALLY wanted to find in the Petite section. And couldn't. So frustrating! Short people must unite and demand fairness in clothing, so none of us have to sloppily hem our own pants (or roll them up, as you can see in the photo above) or wear tank tops that show underarm/side boob ever again.

Here is a list of trends that just need to go away:

1. Shirts with banded/elastic bottoms - unless you have very narrow hips, these shirts are NOT flattering
2. Shirts with wide sleeves/sleeves with huge openings/dolman-type sleeves - prone to the whole "exposing the side boob" problem mentioned above, and also do more to make one look like a boxer than to camouflage problematic upper arm areas
3. Anything that ties in the back - shirts or dresses. Seriously, why is this a thing? This should not be a thing unless one is in the under 12 crowd
4. Animal print - this needs to go back in the fashion closet for another 30+ years

I tried finding photos of all these things to show you, but it's impossible to save photos from most clothing websites to a desktop these days (probably because they are all formatted to allow you to zoon in without opening a new window). So you'll have to use your memories and imaginations when picturing these trends. What are some recent clothing trends that you could do without? Or how are you starting to enjoy the fall season?

Next up for us - a trip to the D.C. zoo to check out the new sea lion exhibit. Should be a fun Sunday!

What Would Stacy and Clinton Say?

I still have one final entry of our Disney vacation to write and post, but I've been distracted by work, life, and the distressing and totally not foreseeable news that Katie and Tom are breaking up. If those two crazy kids can't make it...

Anyway, I have a more pressing issue at the moment. Despite my vows to buy nothing more than is absolutely necessary over the next few months (a vow I haven't blogged about yet, but it sums up as "we will only go to Target once a month. And stop buying ALL THE STUFF."), we went shopping today. Mostly to entertain ourselves during this blazing heat wave. Apparently the entire greater D.C. area had the same idea (probably because many of them are without power after Friday's crazy storms), so it was crowded. But we soldiered on, and bought out Old Navy. The kids came home with new clothes, some items of which were actually needed, and I came home with two new outfits. M. sacrificed himself on the alter of good shopping mojo and entertained the kids, thus ensuring he would come home with nothing for himself. Alas.

Anway, this post is about ME, and what I bought. I need to know how to wear my outfits. Each one involves a skirt and a shirt - they are very similar (the skirts are actually the same, in two different colors/patterns), but I only have pictures of one outfit. The skirts are a little poofy, so I decided that I needed something to accentuate my waist while wearing it. People, I bought a belt.

I never buy belts. I never wear belts. I have a fear and loathing of belts. Belts = tucked in shirt, and any girl who ever grew up chubby knows that tucked in shirts are the devil. But belts seem to be in style, and I'm starting to learn that you only look as large as the largest item of clothing you are wearing, and maybe it's OK to forgo a shapeless shirt in favor of a belted/tucked in waist, even if that waist is thicker than you'd like it to be.

So as I mentioned, I bought a belt. But having tried it on with the skirts, I'm not so sure. Actually, I'd probably be surer if M. didn't look so questioning when I tried it on in front of him. He likes the outfits better with the shirts untucked. I'm leaning toward tucked in. Please help! How would you wear this outfit:

Option A: Shirt tucked in, with belt (please ignore the white shopping tags that I hadn't removed yet, for fear the whole outfit would need to go back to Old Navy)

Option B: Shirt tucked in, no belt

Option C: Shirt untucked, no belt

Option D: Shirt untucked, with belt (perhaps you can tell by the expression on my face, but this is the version of which I am most skeptical)

Alright, lay it on me - how would you wear this outfit? One of these ways, or something else altogether? I am completely open to suggestions.

Also wanted to show you Lucy's hair today - she requested "Tangled" hair. I'm no Disney animation artist, and wasn't working with 50 feet of long hair. But I gave her "lots and lots and lots of braids," as she requested, and then attempted to braid them all together. She loved it, and is currently sleeping with all those braids still in her hair:

Finally, I took the above photo on my Nikon D90 using the manual setting. Not, of course, that it's a great photo. I point it out because the first couple of times I tried to take a photo using the camera's manual setting, each one was completely black. I thought the camera was broken, but it turns out I just had no idea what I was doing. But I took a class! Last weekend, in fact. A 5-hour long crash course in how to take digital photographs in manual. I need to practice, a lot. But the class was really interesting (I took a crapload of notes, and reminded myself yet again that I would do a much better job at college if I was doing it now), and I can now take a recognizable photo in manual. I even know what things like ISO and F stop mean, and how to change them on my camera. Of course, now I want to buy lots of things, like different lenses ($$$) and Photoshop. But first up is lots of practice - I'll share any good ones I take here. And then maybe learning about flash photography, about which I am still in the dark (pun intended). I vow, one day, to be able to take a photo using flash that doesn't suck. Really, why do flash photos (at least the ones I take) all suck so much? I guess I'll find out!

Dabbling in Decorating

OK, OK, so I haven't been great about following up on my series of "Holiday Gift Ideas" posts (the first, and only to date, post can be found here). I've been collecting ideas on my toughest Christmas shopping challenge - gifts for guys - and I hope to share that soon. But in the meantime, I thought I'd update you on a few home improvement projects we've recently done, and in the process, share at least one gift idea.

The pictures I'm about to show you fall under the "making the house look prettier" category. I'm not going to bore you with pictures of our new furnace and air conditioner, the new basement carpet, or the new windows in the kids' bedrooms. Even though *I* think they do wonders for the house (and better make some kind of difference when we sell this thing, whenever that may be), I realize they don't make for the most interesting blog material. Instead, I'll show you what we've done in our dining room area since we moved the kids' toys down to the basement (pictures of the new playroom are here and here).

First, I'll try to give you an idea of what the "Before" looked like - difficult, because this whole effort has taken place very gradually over the last 3 months. Also difficult because I never actually thought to take any official "Before" photos. I dug through my photo archives find pictures that sort of displayed the area, but they are definitely not perfect.

Our living room and dining room are actually one big room. A set of built-ins abutting a bump out/post-thing demarcates the end of the living room and the start of the dining room. The ceiling in the dining room is your typical 12-foot ceiling, but in the living room, the ceiling is lofted and rises probably 20 feet high. Because of this, we haven't attempted to do any painting - it's way too high/too much space to paint the whole thing, and because of the open floor plan, there wasn't a way to paint just one part of the space (we would then be faced with the "where do we stop" dilemma). Thus the whole area is a sea of off-white blandness.

Here are the built-ins in the living room "Before" (although this is after our yard sale, so I had already cleared a lot of the trinkets that used to sit on these shelves out - trust me, they were much, much more cluttered at one time).



The picture with the black picture frame is hanging on the bump-out/post thing, and to the left of that is the dining room (out of view).

This is the dining room without any furniture in it, the way it looked after we sold our dining room set at our yard sale and cleared all the kids' stuff out:





The doorway and cut out lead to the kitchen, and the stairs in the bottom picture lead down to the basement.

This is what our dining room table looked like, the one we sold:



We sold it because it wasn't meeting our needs anymore - too small, too rickety, etc. This is how crowded it looked when we had only two dinner guests - and THAT was when Lucy was still sitting in a high chair (Hi Jen! Hi Daniel! Sorry for the crappy quality of this photo!):



OK, here's what everything looks like now. We painted one wall in the dining room and the inside of the built-ins a bold color to break up all the overwhelming off-whiteness. My inspiration for painting the built-ins came from a project over on Young House Love. Ours doesn't look quite as stylish (and it's also not 100% finished, as you can see from the empty upper shelves and a few spots that need to be filled in a bit). But I'm pretty happy with it! Much credit goes to my mom, who helped me shop for and display some of the accessories that are on the shelves.

Here is the space after painting, but before accessorizing:






And here are the built-ins now:





I especially like my new owl picture (from Target) and the off-white wooden @ sign (TJ Maxx).

We have a new server to house our wedding china, which my parents were kind enough to haul around on their latest vacation so they could deliver it to us, 8 years after we received it. I love the server, I think it looks great, but the top of it already seems to be slated as the newest "miscellaneous crap goes here" spot. I'll have to try to do something about that, I suppose.

Up-close view

Wide angle

We actually ordered the table that matches the server from Target. Unfortunately, it arrived at our house broken, and it was such a pain in the ass to return it (mail return only, super heavy, unhelpful customer service, etc) that we decided not to try again/re-order it. We instead decided to use the extra dining room table we've always had. It's a drop leaf table, so it's been tucked away in our kitchen with the leaves down, mainly used as a place to hold my stand mixer and a couple other awkward kitchen items. The table is old, scratched, watermarked, and rickety, but with a few placemats and/or a table cloth, none of that is noticeable. Also, it seats 6 people, so it gives us more table space to work with. We purchased some simple, cheap chairs from Target (in person, at the store) to go around the table, and it has been working out pretty well. It's not a long term solution, as the table is less stable than we'd like it to be, but it's fine for now.





I hung up two ceramic bird pictures painted by my great-grandmother by the window, our prime bird watching spot in the house since it overlooks the woods. I love having them there, as it makes me think both of my great grandmother, who I remember, as well as my wonderful Papa (and Mimi) who gave them to me.





And the final touch, just completed this past week:









A sunburst mirror, framed on either side by wonderful canvas-printed photos of each of our kids. These canvases are the "holiday gift idea" I wanted to mention. They are GREAT! We got them from Canvas on Demand - I found a Groupon deal for something like 65% off. Each canvas was only $45, shipping included. They are 16" X 20", so definitely large enough to make a statement. The Groupon deal is not uncommon, I've seen it a few times, and there are typically other deals you can find, too, even if the Groupon isn't being offered. Of course, the canvases are only as good as the photo you send in, and for that I have to send out a huge thank you to Julie Blum for the wonderful, wonderful photos she took of us. We were so lucky to spend a morning with her and get those photos!

If you do decide to get a canvas done for a loved one's holiday gift, just note that Canvas on Demand is EXTREMELY popular right now - it will probably take about 3 weeks to get them printed and shipped out. I know other places offer a similar service (including Costco, apparently), but I can't speak to their quality. I can safely and highly recommend Canvas on Demand, though.

There are a couple of other details (moved the rug from our former office up and stuck it under the dining table, bought two extra fabric dining chairs), but basically, that's it - our big "Take Back Our Dining Room From the Kids" remodel, completed!

And finally, just another quick little decorating update to show you, this one in Lucy's bedroom. Lucy still sleeps in her crib, for now. We'll probably change that in the Spring when she turns 3, because she is starting to look ridiculously large lying in that crib. But we did get rid of her changing table, since it hadn't been used in over a year. To fill the space and provide a place for non-closet-appropriate clothing like socks and underwear, I found this adorable little table at TJ Maxx that Grammy immediately insisted she buy for me (erm, Lucy). I am not normally into shabby chic that much, but I must admit that I have a bit of a crush on this table. Its aqua color (the color in the picture doesn't do it justice - it's more aqua than it looks below) perfectly complements Lucy's hot pink curtains, and it's just so fun and girly!





In addition, my mom insisted on buying some decals for Lucy's walls that we found at Kohls. Since they have perfectly coordinating colors and have plenty of owls and birds, I heartily approved. Aren't these adorable?





Lucy, per usual, was not a willing participant in these photos, but she does love the new "big girl" touches in her bedroom, all appearances aside:



That's it for now. New gift post... soon-ish? Tomorrow?

Decisions Are the Worst*

Hi all. I seek your advice.

This morning, driving in my car on my way to work, I lamented the stupid humid weather that has been messing with my hair and sweat glands and wardrobe choices to my sister on the phone (hands-free bluetooth, por supuesto). I mentioned that I was trying to encourage crisp fall weather by wearing a sweater/skirt/boots combo for the first time this season. I thought it was a harmless comment.

My sister paused, and squeezed out the response, "Well, I kind of think 34 is to old to be pulling off the skirt/boots look."

Gasp!

Am I too old to wear high-ish boots with skirts to work?

For reference, I work in an office on an Army post in a rural-ish area, where many people wear Army uniforms (as befitting their status as Army personnel), and the rest of us are instructed to wear "business casual" dress. And our handbook (yes, we have one) has lots of helpful hints on what defines business casual, such as "does not include blue jeans, but colored rinse jeans such as black jeans, or denim skirts, are allowed." That's not a verbatim quote, but it's very, very close. I have seen much in the way of "business casual" in my office that indicates to me that our definition of "business casual" likely differs from the definition other organizations might use. With our group falling on the more "casual" end of the "business casual" spectrum, clearly.

But the setting doesn't really matter, does it? It doesn't get at the heart of my question, which is "Am I too old to wear boots and a skirt to work?" Should a 34-year-old professional (can I call myself a professional?) with two children retire this look? My sister seems to think so.

For reference, this is the outfit I wore today:


I'm too lazy to figure out how to create some sort of poll, so please, answer me in the comments section. My fall/winter wardrobe is depending on it.

I am not too lazy to post a bonus video for you, where M. and I try to get our cat to take a little jog on our treadmill. Enjoy. Spoiler: It didn't work.



*Can my sisters and childhood friends name the movie referenced in this blog title? You'd better be able to...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Picture Day is next Tuesday - the day where each kid at daycare gets to sit in front of a grumpy, underpaid photographer and either slap the largest, cheesiest, most painful looking smile/grimace on their face, or cry.

I, being the sucker that I am, usually buy these pictures. Mainly because I am too lazy to arrange for a time on my own to bring the kids to a professional photographer to document their growth. In my defense, if some are truly crappy, I don't buy ALL of them, just the semi-decent poses.

And for the last round, I bought NONE. Finn's were actually quite good, but Lucy was lying on a sheet-covered boppy pillow with her dress around her waist and as much as I love her, I had to acknowledge that it was one of the worst photos I have ever seen of her. They made no effort to have her sit (she could, a little, with assistance), or even to STRAIGHTEN HER DAMN DRESS. Seriously, it was all tights and an angry round face peeking over a few inches of bunched up dress. So of course I could buy neither set, since it can't look like I love Finn more than Lucy. I made myself feel better by promising that I would take them to a photo studio and get some nice 3 year/6 month old photos done just in time for Christmas. But see above re: too lazy, etc etc.

So, yes, Tuesday. New round of pictures, new opportunity to get some painful poses of my kids to hang in all their 8X10 glory on my walls (which, of course, I have never actually done but I swear I WILL. Geez, shut up). Lucy can at least sit up like a pro now, but I'm sure she will also try her darndest to scoot away as fast as possible. And also cry. Finn will present all and sundry with his cheesy picture smile, which looks like it hurts, and then move his head 2 seconds later, likely ruining each shot. Whatever, I'll probably buy them.

Of course I bought some new clothes. Because, hey, shopping opportunity! Any chance I can get to troll the aisles and Kohls and Target (big spender, right?), I take. I let Finn pick out his own shirt, and he surprised me by selecting a polo type shirt with BUTTONS, and a COLLAR. And also a train and a lobster, so that explains that. Lucy will be wearing an overall dress thingy. You know, overalls, but they end in a skirt instead of pants. And probably a simple long-sleeved onesie underneath. Along with tights.

Which brings me to a question, and my entire purpose for writing this post. I'm new to this "Mom of Girl" thing, and some things I've been kind of winging. Like cleaning during bath time and diaper changes. Yes, I know, front to back, front to back, I'm not stupid. But there are so many folds! How many really need to be cleaned and excavated? We muster along, and there have been no issues, so I think I'm doing OK on that front. I've been doing the same with tights, but thought I would actually stop to clarify my uncertainty before I am presented with the possibility of capturing the majority of Lucy's tights for all of posterity during this picture round (though I will leave EXPLICIT instructions with the teachers to do their best to give her a little modesty this time around).

The question is... Do tights go under the onesie, or on top of it?

I usually skirt the issue (ha, ha, no pun intended) by just putting her in a dress and a pair of pants. Like a hip, long shirt outfit. But occasionally we need to go the onesie route, usually with a jumper-style dress such as the one she will wear on Picture Day. In those instances, I put the tights on over the onesie, not under it. But it has occurred to me that this might not be the accepted practice. So please, enlighten me, fellow moms of girls. Or really anyone, as each of you likely have more of a clue about this than me. Except you, Men. Dad, M., Andrew, I'm talking to you. You're off the hook on this one. Is it over, or under?

She's a Maniac

File this under "Baby Products I Didn't Know About While Finn Was Teeny-Weeny": Babylegs


OK, these are really knock-offs from Target, because I'm too cheap to buy the name brand. Target calls them "Leg Warmers." Which is all Babylegs really are, anyway. Brings back fond memories of dance class and Benetton sweatshirts. I like them because you can pair them with a onesie, and you get warm covered legs and easy access to snaps for diaper changes. Plus, if my little chunky monkey was actually crawling, these would protect her knees. Genius!

Now we just need a ripped sweatshirt and a headband to complete the look...