Riddle me this May 6, 2008

Why is this famous 2-year-old still walking around with a bottle? What the?

http://popsugar.com/gallery/520921?page=0,1,0

And why is her mother wearing a sweater and trench coat while Suri is wearing a tank top dress?

And as if the New Kids on the Block Summer Reunion tour weren’t enough for all of us…why…why…why….is this model wearing tight-rolled jeans???

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod87573171&catId=cat90230

Oh – and finally – just when I really thought I couldn’t be surprised by ANYTHING – I learned of this company B.Y.O.G.

That would be “Bring Your Own Gown”

But not so fast, kittens, not the kind of gown you are thinking of – this time we’re talking about DELIVERY GOWN.

You got it. Apparently two women cooked up the idea to create stylish – and here’s the kicker – REUSABLE – gowns for delivery, so you can avoid the drab generic one the hospital provides. Turns out Jessica Alba plans to B.Y.O.G. for her big day.

SO just when I thought two-year olds with bottles and tight rolled jeans was confusing…it turns out someone out there thinks they want to WEAR AGAIN the gown they delivered a child in????

Huh?

http://www.shopbyog.com/products.html

I am, for once, speechless.

Happy Birthday To Me March 31, 2008

Hello Kittens –

I’m so sorry that I’ve been MIA the past week or so. Work has been eating up all my time, sadly. But today is my birthday…and though I don’t look a day over 23, I’m 33 today. I like this number, I feel good about this number. It has a good ring to it. Good things will happen in this 33rd year. But, really, the best way for me to start off a new year is to have a few rants. I mean – what gal doesn’t feel better when she gets a few things off her chest?

With that, I would first like to complain about the DVR. I believe the DVR is ruining my life.

Why? You ask.

Well, let me tell you.

As you know if you are blessed (and cursed) with this technology in your home, if you just tuned out, you can rewind.

Get caught up in your thoughts, debating the pros and cons of a skinny cow vs. quart of ben and jerry’s for dessert? Then realize you missed a few crucial minutes of “Lost” – ok, then, rewind.

Get caught up reading “Star” or “In Touch” – rewind, fast forward, whatever you want, you can control what you know when your mind wanders into the deep territories of food, celeb gossip and spring fashion, as mine does.

Always a deep thought going on here in KT.

But see, the trouble is, you can’t rewind or pause anything else in your life, as I’ve learned.

So suddenly you realize your husband is 15 minutes into telling you something really important about his day and while your important thoughts on “did i really put enough cheese on top of that burrito? and do we have enough in case i want more?” – are also valid – well – you can’t pause or rewind your husband.

Or better yet, fast forward to the end bit about work and get back to important matters.

HA!

So this plays out in my life frequently, it seems. I can’t rewind a work convo, I can’t rewind the radio, I can’t pause, I am just, well, screwed.

And I blame the DVR. The DVR is enhancing my adult ADD. What is a gal to do?

Fortunately, nodding reassuringly along with a few “Oh, definitely” and “absolutely you should be fired up about that” have helped me skate through thus far. But things aren’t looking good…we all know I’m not getting any younger…and my DVR isn’t going anywhere….so this predicament is bound to just get worse. I really can’t be held responsible for it. I blame the DVR.

My second rant is against sidewalks in Washington, DC. Perhaps all over this country. I am most familiar with sidewalks in Washington DC.

I think it’s time for some women to get involved in the planning and execution of the cracks between sidewalks because no one who has ever worn a kitten heel has ever built a DC sidewalk. If they had, they would know that the cracks are just wide enough for your beautiful kitten heel to get caught and torn up. Not to mention the embarrassment of getting caught and trying to walk forward and not going anywhere.

Do I smell a conspiracy?

Are the urban planners in bed with the shoe repairmen in this town?

Is it another example of the Bush administration trying to keep women down and certainly dowdy in practical pumps?

Can I get more of a tax rebate to cover the expense of getting my shoes fixed..or better yet..having to replace them because I look like a poor kid who just graduated from college walking into the office with ripped up heels? What gives, sidewalk maker? Cut a gal a break.

And finally, I am not really ranting against my DD, I am almost proud, though tired. My DD is almost 2.5 years old and her communication skills continue to expand and improve daily. We all know this is a double edged sword. Take, for instance, our doctor’s visit on Friday.

Doctor enters the room, DD immediately tells him she has an owee. He asks her where and she says “Ears.”

I was quite pleased. It was the first time she had communicated so clearly to a doctor what was wrong with her. And it turns out, it was her first ear infection. Fast forward 20 minutes later to the enormous tantrum in the foyer of the doctor’s office and the nurse who ends up helping me because my child refuses to leave or put her coat on. At this moment, why can’t I use the DVR to fast forward my life?

Then progress to the 20 minutes in the parking lot of her telling me she is “not” getting to the “Carseat” because she “wants to sit only on mommy’s lap.”

I mean, I get it. Everyone wants to be close to me but I’m a law abiding citizen, not Britney, so into the car seat she eventually went. Meanwhile I aged 10 years and the parking lot attendant didn’t charge me for parking out of pity, trust me, I could see it in his eyes.

Then came our entrance to the CVS parking lot 15 minutes later. My dread of having to get her out of the carseat to get the prescription to only have to load her back in after the ordeal we just went through only escalated when I opened her car door and she looked at me and said very steadily “I’m not going anywhere.”

Secretly, I loved it. I mean – who does this kid think she is and god love her sass. At least I don’t have some lame door mat of a kid.

But she sure as hell isn’t making anything easy along the way.

With that kittens, I won’t make you wait so long to hear from me again, and please, send all the rest of my gifts to my home, it’s so much trouble having to make so many trips to my car today.

I’m great in 2008…… January 4, 2008

Happy New Year Kittens!

First, let me apologize for my long silence. You know that you are always on my mind but sometimes there are a few hurdles in my way. It seems that with parenthood, I am still learning and re-learning the lesson that the best laid plans are, well, just that. In fact, rarely does something actually play out how you imagine it would.

Example? Well, my darling daughter, husband, parents, nanny and myself were all struck with the horrible Norovirus the week before Christmas (I swear that trip to that hideous Elmo Show with the terrible fight with my husband is the culprit. I swear we picked it up there). If you’ve experienced this drama, well then, you know what kind of hell we endured. I had the best intentions, that week before Christmas. I had so much work to do, I had errands to run during my lunch hour, I had presents to wrap, cookies to make, cards to send, manicure, pedicure and haircut appointments to enjoy, I was a gal with things to do. None of those things included laying on the floor next to the toilet, wishing for death, and thanking God for Elmo who kept my daughter quite distracted while I puked my guts up, hoping someone would come home soon.

So that’s why you didn’t hear from me before Christmas. And I’ve yet to get that manicure, pedicure or haircut.

Then we went to my parent’s house for Christmas and it was fun. Until the night of Christmas Eve. When the Norovirus struck my parent’s house. And tore through me, all three of my sisters and my mom again. You got it. Twice in the span of one week. Fortunately it spared my darling daughter and husband the second time. So, again, that same dreaded lesson reared its ugly head again. I imagined a really fun Christmas day, watching my daughter REALLY enjoy Christmas for the first time, sipping coffee, laughing and joking with my family. I didn’t quite imagine all three bathrooms in the house being occupied with an adult female body laying next to the toilet, wishing for death.

But really, who does imagine that when they think of Christmas?

Probably me next year. I’ll imagine it.

So what’s my point? Well, my first point is that this is largely why you heard nothing from me for so long. My other point is, maybe it’s best not to really internalize the reality that the best laid plans are well, just that, because then you’d walk around being all negative and Debbie Downer for the rest of your life. This is parenthood and life, right? It just sort of happens, whether you like it or not.

Many really sweet things still happened over Christmas. My two-year old was pretty oblivious to the misery and sickness that was happening around her and she still loved Christmas. She graduated from a sweet, innocent request by calling Santa before Christmas and asking him for a “gingerbread house” to calling Santa after Christmas and just saying “Bring presents.”

Now that’s what I’m talking about, a gal who appreciates gifts and knows how to state what she wants.

The other fun thing to discuss is the fact that it’s, well, a new year. I, for one, am opposed to New Years Resolutions. It’s like giving up something for Lent. Haven’t I given up enough already? I mean, what do they say, in the first year of a baby’s life, you lose like a year’s worth of sleep. Need I get into what happens to our bodies from pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Isn’t that enough?

So instead, I will resolve the following:

1. I resolve to make sure my husband completes all of his assignments on his “to do” list every weekend.

2. I resolve to make sure I am equally, if not, more, pretty and funny by the end of 2008 as I was at the end of 2007.

3. I resolve to still drive like a maniac at the end of each work day and honk and swear and wave my fist at any annoying slow driver who’s delaying my efforts to get home quickly to play with my darling daughter.

4. I resolve to continue to be as dedicated to fashion and shoes and accessories in 2008 as I was in 2007.

5. I resolve to remain steadfast in my commitment to celebrity gossip and spreading it around as fast as I can.

See, kittens, it’s 2008, we’re great…….what else is there to say?

Uninspired September 26, 2007

Kittens –

I’ve just been uninspired lately. There’s really nothing going on and nothing has fired me up. These are good things. I seek out an uneventful, drama free life – but it means that I have nothing to rant about on KT. Boring, I know.

I haven’t even had any deep thoughts lately to share with you. Shocking, I know.

As for the world of celebrities and fashion, I’m even moderately bored there. We can wonder, is JLo preggo and if so, is she pregnant with twins? Her fashion choices lately certainly suggest she is pregnant.

http://perezhilton.com/?p=6143

How about Salma having a baby girl – who LOVES the name Valentina? Fabulous. Love it. Fabulous.

http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2007/09/salma-hayek-wel.html

Britney’s body guard actually became a heated discussion in my house the other night. We are really smart.

My husband questioned the body guard’s motives and why wouldn’t he reveal these things in private. My counter-point is that there is no way it would be kept private. Britney plays her life out on a public stage for us all to see therefore her divorce and custody battle is a public spectacle and so why would her body guard handle it any differently.

As to his motives – are they really as simple as he is concerned for the children? Is he getting paid? I guess I don’t really care. I predicted a while ago that one of these young Hollywood ladies would end up dead within five years (Britney, Lindsay, Paris, Nicole) and at this rate, it seems that it sadly might be Britney if she doesn’t get the help she needs:  http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20058350,00.html

And then there’s Jenny Garner. She’s all over the press now due to her movie “The Kingdom” and the new play she’s starring in with Kevin Kline. I love her. I consider her my celeb twin in that I think she is a mother much in the way I would be if I were a famous star and had gobs of money, I’d always be at the farmer’s market and park as well. I just like how much she talks about loving motherhood, how fabulous Violet is, how she kept weight on while breastfeeding, she just strikes me as so normal. And again, unlike ridiculous Katie Holmes, she is not dressed for a Vogue fashion shoot whenever we see her out and about with her daughter. For more on Jenny Garner:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297921,00.html

And then how about shoes. You know how I love me some shoes. Well, one of my dear friends sent me a link to some shoes on sale at Nordstrom, which then sucked up like an hour of my time as I perused all the shoes on sale. And I was left feeling in a quandary. I need new boots, we’ve covered that before, but there are so many fabulous summer shoes on sale for practically nothing.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2958229/0~2376788~6002242~6007715~6007726?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6007726&P=3

So – instead of the boots, do I purchase a few pair of fab shoes for next summer at a great deal? I mean, I’m only thinking of my future self here.

And I am always faced with this dilemma. I LOVE starting a new season off with a pair of shoes in my closet that I’ve had tucked away for months and purchased for a great deal.

BUT – will metallic still be in in Summer 08?

How about espadrilles? I mean, if you are tracking the publicity shots of the S&TC girls shooting the movie, it might suggest that the shoes SJP is wearing in this shoot are going to be the summer look of 08:

http://popsugar.com/gallery/138423?page=0,0,18

Or these:

http://popsugar.com/gallery/137190?page=0,0,1

So what does a gal do? Shop now on discount for next summer or focus on this fall? I could purchase under the guise of timeless fashion pieces being added to my wardrobe? I think Tim Gunn would concur.

I’ll love you the most if you say “Do both!”

And finally, while I was looking for links to include, I stumbled up on this news on the disappearance of that little British girl Madeleine:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20058636,00.html

Bone to pick September 18, 2007

I’ve got a real bone to pick with some celebrity mama’s. This is something I’ve been chewing on for a few months now but the interview with new mom Jamie Pressly on Sunday night’s E! Red Carpet Show about threw me over the edge.

Obviously one of the main concerns when pregnant is the dreaded idea of losing the baby weight. When pregnant, we all suffer from these mis-guided notions that it will just “fall off” and we’ll be back in our pre-pregnancy clothes by the time we’re done with maternity leave. Sure we might not say these things out loud but we think them. We’re not going to be like “that woman” with her wide child-bearing hips and muffin top! Mais non!

But then reality hits and we have this baby and sure, a lot of the weight does just sort of fall off. But then there’s that last 10 pounds or so. And there’s that way your body changes, in particular, that way your hips widen, after you give birth.

But see, there’s more. Then there’s that reality that you are at this baby’s beckon call, every few hours, day and night, feeding her, changing her, bathing her, tending to her, calming her when she’s fussy, that time warp that is new mommy-hood.

Which brings me to celebrity mom’s. Not all are guilty – but some are. And Jamie Pressly is the top of my list. She is back to her pre-baby body a mere 4 months after giving birth and I am not saluting her.

You know why?

Because it’s NOT NORMAL PEOPLE.

How DARE she get on the red carpet and tell the nation that she worked out two hours a day every day around day 10 of her kid’s life? And furthermore, drone on and on about the cabbage soup diet as a cleansing diet?

GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK.

Last I checked, when I had a 10 day old, I was going on minus zero sleep, I had trouble walking around the block, and lord knows the last thing on my mind was hitting the gym. So let’s be clear – if you are working out 2 hours a day with a 10 day old at home, you have a BABY NURSE (or two or three) that is tending to the needs of your child while you get the precious sleep you so badly want, while the rest of us do not. The rest of us are up dealing with and tending to our babies.

So instead of lauding this woman for so swiftly returning to her pre-baby body and holding her up on a pedestal, let’s just stop. OK – because it actually just makes the rest of us feel bad even if we know she’s doing it for her professional career.

And then there’s the cabbage soup cleansing detox diet.

Umm..hello….for those breastfeeding mothers out there, exactly how does that diet benefit the health of them and their children?

So once again, we are sending terrible mixed messages to mother’s out there – the first is that you are a lousy mother who doesn’t care about your child if you don’t breast feed, but the other is that you should be lauded and held on a national pedestal for returning to your fabulous pre-baby body within months and sacrificing and having the discipline to diet and exercise so fastidiously after you’ve birthed this child.

I don’t know about you but it really fires me up. I am so sick and tired of reading about all the praise heaped upon these women for how thin they are post-baby – it is depressing and a kick in the face to the rest of the new mom’s out there who are sleep walking through life.

I’m tired of it.

TV, Movies, Clothes…..oh my! September 13, 2007

Lions, tigers and bears might have cut it when you were a tyke…but let’s forget them….today let’s gab about TV, Movies and Clothes, if for no other reason than I’m tired and well, don’t have the energy to bang out something thoughtful. You know, cause blogging about Brit-Bot is so deep.

So first, a new movie is opening in mid-October complete with an all-star cast: Mark Ruffalo (LOVED him as Jenny Garner’s love interest in “13 Going on 30”), Joaquin Phoenix (hot), Mira Sorvino (cool) and Jennifer Connolly (totally my body double). It’s called “Reservation Road” and it just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival:

http://buzzsugar.com/tags/Reservation+Road

The movie has the right ingredients to motivate me to schedule a date night out with beloved husband: hot cast, tragedy, parenthood, drama. I’m totally there.

Also, for you TV junkies out there, the fall season debuts in less than two weeks and more specifically, Grey’s Anatomy premieres two weeks from tonight. If you want to catch a sneak preview, check it out kittens: http://buzzsugar.com/622533

I’m sure I’ll tune into the new Grey’s spin-off, I think it’s called “Private Practice” but I’m not real thrilled about it going into it. I watched the sneak peak episode last season and it really annoyed me how they’ve morphed Dr. Montgomery Shepard’s character. She started off on Grey’s as this very strong-willed, intelligent, successful doctor who happened to cheat on her husband with McSteamy. I think all of us could kind of see how that could happen. I think those were all the reasons we loved her. She’s brilliant, successful, independent but still totally flawed and knows it. We could relate.

But by the time we saw her in the “Private Practice” teaser, they had her tripping over a man, acting like an idiot in an elevator and basically, a desperate, mess of a woman who needs a man. How, pray tell, did that happen? In case you’re not up-to-speed, here’s a link about the new show:

http://www.greysanatomyinsider.com/2007/05/kate-walsh-to-officially-enter-her-own-private-practice-next-fall.html

Moving on, Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style is on tonight on Bravo at 10pm:

http://www.bravotv.com/Tim_Gunn/index.php?__source=GGLS|CAMP013TimGunn_Brand|ADGP018TimGunn_GuideStyle|KWRD023tim+gunn+guide+to+style&sky=GGL|CAMP013TimGunn_Brand|ADGP018TimGunn_GuideStyle|KWRD023tim+gunn+guide+to+style

Don’t forget to tune in so we can all be fashion forward this fall.

And finally, how could I possibly end an empty-souless substance-free entry without revisiting Brit-Bot. Oh Brit-bot. How much you’ve changed, how far you’ve gone backwards, how sad your situation is…….our fascination with how she blew it at the VMAs persists, four days later. Frankly, I’m a little perplexed by how into this story I am. Why in the world do I care? But I do. It seems that not only is everyone still wondering why she blew it and what went wrong but people are now fighting about whether she’s fat or not.

Look, I go back to my original thinking – NO! Of course she’s no where near fat and most of us would kill for that body, especially after having two kids. BUT when you build your empire partly around your body and being sexy, when your body doesn’t look like it used too but you wear LESS on stage than you used to, you’re going to get criticized and you deserve it. Look – Brit makes $700,000 A MONTH (I heard that on Access Hollywood) and what, exactly, does she do?

Still feel sorry for her?
I didn’t think so.

I think the two pieces of her disastrous performance on Sunday night that continue to fascinate me are these: First, that she had the gaul to fire Ken Paves before going on stage. Who does she think she is? The woman who shaved her head, fired her hairdresser? Come on now. No wonder she was moving her hair out of her eyes the whole performance: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20056088,00.html

And finally, again on Access Hollywood last night, I learned that KFed hosted a joint first bday party for Jayden James and 2nd bday party for Sean P. at his home that Brit-bot’s MOM attended…but no Brit-bot. Wow. That’s bad. That’s about as bad as it gets. Wild horses couldn’t keep me from my kid’s bday party.

With that kittens, I’ll work on something more thought-provoking next time.

A potpourri of things September 7, 2007

Hello Kittens –

I apologize for my dead radio silence all week. Alas, Congress is back in session and my work load and stress level have been through the roof this week. Sadly, the idea that I will need to work all day long, every day, instead of goofing around online and blogging, will likely persist for the remainder of the year. Apparently working is what I’m supposed to be doing and we all know that I love to take little breaks here and there to entertain you. To give you an idea of the stress level here, I actually cried in front of my boss yesterday. C’est vrai. It’s the first time in about 4 years of working in my office that I cried at work – and cried in front of my boss. For the record – I’m really not a crier. So, let’s blame the man and be patient with me kittens and know that I will get to you as soon as I have a free second…..

With that, and because I am essentially brain dead today, I’m going to cover many of the things that have been on my mind this past week.

First – it’s September. Ahh….we can all breathe a sigh of relief and know that there WILL FINALLY be an end to this hideous summer heat. When that will be, I’m not sure, but at least we know it will happen. If you are anything like me, you are busily obsessing over your new fall wardrobe and what key items you might have to add to it. I’ve been OBSESSING over boots this week and keep reminding myself that it’s still 90 outside so I don’t need to rush into any purchases. A dear KT friend once pointed out that she thinks I dress my daughter how I would have dressed myself at her age. Naturally she’s right and while I’m anti-matching mommy-and-me outfits (kill me first) – I might co-opt the style I’ve already laid in place for daughter’s fall wardrobe: mini-skirts, fun tops and funky tights.

For myself, I’ll lose the funky tights and stick with solid patterns and instead add in boots. I’m thinking a pair of low heeled more casual brown boots is a more practical addition for my casual weekend wear seeing as how chasing after the toddler is much more difficult in thin 3 inch heels with pointy toes. Frankly, I’m a lot more Jenny Garner weekend-kid style than I am Katie Holmes.

Another item on my mind is Vera Wang’s new line that she’s debuting in Kohl’s this weekend. I will admitt, I am really intrigued. Kohl’s isn’t a store that really enters my repetoire when I think of places to shop. But it’s a brilliant marketing move on their part – and time will tell if it’s good for Vera – but I, for one, will make a point to visit a Kohl’s in the next few weeks to checkout this “Very Vera” line. Stay tuned on that.  OH – and the final thing is that due to my hellacious week, I completely forgot to DVR Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, which I am sure is going to be my new favorite show. If you tuned it, tell me about it!

So the other thing that’s been on my mind this week is a new appreciation and understanding for parents who have children that are total brats. NOW – let’s be clear – I will not tolerate this behavior in my household but you know they say you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked in their shoes. Well, I have a deeper understanding of how it happens now. Example – darling daughter really loves popsicles. You know, the kind you make at home by just filling up some OJ and then freezing it? Yes well, she LOVES them. I often wish that I could be so happily satisified by 2 ounces of  frozen juice.  Recently, she has decided that she wants a “pop-cle” in the morning – in lieu of breakfast.

Well, we all know that we don’t eat “pop-cle” in the mornings, do we. And yes, I realize that it’s just a frozen version of the very small glass of juice she would otherwise receive but it’s the point. You can have a “pop-cle” after lunch or after dinner, but not instead of breakfast.

But see, screaming fits in front of the freezer demanding “pop-cle” repeatedly before you’ve as much as had a cup of coffee – isn’t fun. And the thing about toddlers is this – they are persistent and they don’t forget. You can think you can distract them and change the subject with a fun toy or “Diego” and the crying subsides.
But then think again – they just get that bee in their bonnet again a few minutes later – and bam. We’re right back to screaming in front of the freezer for a “Pop-cle.”

Meanwhile, over in KT’s head, I’m left wondering if someone can get me an IV pumped with some coffee while I dip into my vast well of patience, again point out that we don’t have “pop-cle’s” at breakfast, and ignore the fit.

My point – I get it now. It would definitely be EASIER to just cave in and give her the “pop-cle” but I can see how that is a slippery slope and once I put even a toe on it, down we go.

And finally, I really haven’t had time to keep up with celeb gossip to the extent that I like – but I was saddened to hear that Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger broke up. What will happen with their sweet little girl? And speaking of babies, how about Halle Berry getting pregnant? Love that.

That’s all for now kittens, I will do my best to give you more attention next week.

Plaid Shoes….can you ever have enough? August 15, 2007

I know that I was trashing people that wear fall clothes before it actually FEELS like fall outside – but that doesn’t mean I’m not obsessing over fall clothes. More specifically, SHOES.

My feeling is, if I’m going to be working fulltime, then I’ve got a reason to continue to splurge on ridiculous and impractical things, like heels.  Sure, the minute I get home I’m chasing after a toddler and might look as ridiculous as Katie Holmes wearing heels on the beach but still – what’s the point of working if I can’t make myself feel better with high fashion items, right? Right.

So, my current obsession is plaid shoes. Totally impractical but they really hit the spot for me. Sort of like bags. You better believe I do not own ONE black bag. Nope. No thank you.

Orange? Suede or leather, I ask.

Red? Which one?

Green? You got it!

But black, over my dead body. Black bags are just SO BORING to me.

And so it goes with shoes. I rarely have a decent pair of black heels and I know we all need a good pair of black heels but again, snore. I get so bored shopping for them.

But leopard print flats? hell yes! Pink heels? you got it!

And now….now…plaid shoes.

I have one pair of plaid mules that I purchased a few years ago, they were a splurge at the Off Fifth outlet but worth every penny. And during the July Nordstrom half-yearly sale, I purcashed a pair of plaid, open-toed wedge heels. Again, not really that practical of a move because plaid implies cold while open-toed implies WARM..but again…this is moi and sometimes impulse buys really wet my whistle.

Oh – and in case you were wondering, yes, I did order them online, along with two other things, both of which I returned. And don’t tell my husband but I’m pretty sure the plaid shoes that I kept will rub and give me a blister but I couldn’t part with them…and I couldn’t admitt that ONCE AGAIN I was returning everything I bought online. So here are the newest plaid addition to my footwear collection (mine are in brown):

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2940825/0~2376778~2372808~6004875?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6004875&P=2

I will wear them and secretly cringe at the pain but they are fantastic shoes.

And then..the other day…what did my wandering eye see but THESE:

 http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2956164/0~2376778~2372808~2372940~2376188?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2376188&P=2

Be still my beating heart.

Are they not beautiful and gorgeous?

But see….what I’m left wondering is (as I add them to my online shopping cart and leave the screen up all day), how many plaid shoes does one really need?

Or rather, can you really ever get enough?

KittyTime True Confessions August 10, 2007

I don’t have it in me to bang out a full entry – so to kick-off your weekend, I thought I’d just tick through some things I’m thinking about lately, deep thoughts by KittyTime:

1. I can’t wait for Halloween and started obsessing over what my sweet girl will be dressed up as – about three weeks ago. I love that I can still decide what she’ll wear but I also love that she’s older now, so I will pick something I know she’ll love. Yes, I know it’s like three months away.

2. I am OBSESSED with Christmas cards and you better believe I’ve already started thinking about ours this year. Trust me. I have. And yes, it was 120 degrees this week with the humidity but I was still thinking about Christmas.  Bet you thought it was strange that I was obsessing over Halloween until you read this!

3. I cannot wait for fall clothes but despise people who bust out in fall clothes before it’s time for it. For example, short sleeve turtlenecks. We have record breaking heat in DC – why are people wearing them? It’s still August – though I still don’t find it appropriate in September until it’s cool enough. You might be able to wear white any time of year now, but I don’t want to see people in fall clothes until well after Labor Day.

4. I think I have an internet shopping problem. Who has time for real stores anymore? So I shop online. But I either fill up my online basket with like $2K worth of goods and ultimately never buy any of it – but really – isn’t there some satisfaction in going that far and actually believing you will buy those things? What would a shrink say about me?  Or I buy online and ultimately return 3/4 of what I buy. And yet still don’t learn my lesson that online shopping is not, in fact, the smartest way to go. There’s just something so satisfying about filling up those virtual shopping carts.

5. And finally, here’s the whopper. My husband claims that we can afford to live on just one salary and I could stop working any day – but as the rubber hits the road – I’m not entirely sure I’ve got the nerve to pull the trigger and instead have a host of reasons why now is not the best time for that. I’m also not convinced we could really afford to live on just his salary and maintain our lifestye.

So there you have it Kittens, deep thoughts of mine.

Velcro is a Mom’s BFF May 22, 2007

Ok summer bathing beauties, gather round. With Memorial Day Weekend upon us, let’s talk swimsuit fashion for our little tykes today.

Caveat: The brightest among you might quickly notice that my links are taking you to girls clothing. That’s because I’m a mom of a girl. And frankly, let’s be honest, girl clothes are more fun.

But for those of you with sweet little boys, fret not. We are still linking to some of KT’s fav places for kids clothes, so you can just link yourself over to the boy section, I have great taste and have honed in on the best of the best, so really, you’re still in good hands.

Never doubt moi. So with that. First up, swimsuits:

I am a big fan of mini-Boden clothes. They are adorable, not everyone has them, and well, they hail from Britain. Everything is always cooler when they cross the pond. Here’s a link to a suit that I swooped up for darling daughter way back in March when it first caught my attention – we have it in strawberries and pink, of course:

http://www.bodenusa.com/col.asp?segname=Mini&styid=36024&segid=5&gpname=Swimwear&desname=Girly+Swimsuit&gpid=21&gen=1

JCrew also makes clothes for kids and I’ve noticed that they run really small. Darling daughter could fit into the size 2T back when she was barely 1, and well, at that time she was still just wearing 12-18 month sizes from Baby Gap. So caution – they run small. My biggest beef so far with the Crew Cuts clothes is that they are just mini-reproductions of adult sized clothes. And frankly, I think it’s a little weird to have a 2 year old wearing the same thing a 35 year old would wear, for the most part. So – I’m not loving most of their swim wear for girls but here’s a link anyway, I think it makes my point:

http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod88368381&catId=cat180957

Should my 18 month old really be prowling the beach, channeling her inner-sexy leopard?

Here’s where my inner-sleeping Republican rears its ugly head.

No. Quite plainly, is the answer.

Now, moving on. Baby Gap has always been a tried and true favorite. First of all, the quality is good and the price is right, particularly because it goes on sale really quickly. Secondly, the sizing is really well done. You can actually buy an 18-24 month size, for example, and it will fit your 18-24 month old. At least it does mine and always has. Sure I had to buy them a little bigger for a while when she was growing like a weed as a 6 month old, but more often than not, they are sized really well. I think this one is particularly cute:

http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=35362&pid=484217

Now for beach accessories for tykes. Hats are a must-do for all of us, particularly the little ones, every day of the year. We all know that most children rip the hats off their heads faster than you put them on. Oddly, my darling daughter loves an accessory and actually seeks out her hats in our house so she can wear one as much as possible, but she’s the exception. And even with her fierce love of hats, if it doesn’t have a Velcro attachment to keep it on the head, then forget about it.

It’s difficult to find the velcroe attachment but I’ve found Janie and Jack, also one of my fav places to shop, particularly for dress-up clothes, is good about the velcro attachment under the chin. Here’s an example:

http://www.janieandjack.com/shop/dept_item.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443452877&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374303716283&bmUID=1179840509119&productSizeSelected=0

Note the wide brim which is also very important. If you’ve ever tried to apply sunscreen to a toddler, you know it’s no small feat, so any added help you can get with a wide brim to block the sun from their precious face, the better off you are.

While we’re on the subject of wide brimmed hats, I’m particularly pleased with the Hanna Andersson selection. The only flaw is that you have to tie the string under the chin – no velcro.

Velcro makes a mom’s life easy.

But still the amount of shade this particular hat provides from the sun makes the extra pain of having to tie the strings together, worth the effort:

http://www.hannaandersson.com/Style.asp?from=SC|5|1|156|47|8||&simg=22568_D42&mwc=D42

Now the only thing left is footwear. This is an area where I could really get carried away. I mean, the options are endless and adorable. But again, the inner practical mom in me comes out as I feel myself moving towards the cash register at Nordstrom holding an adorable pair of $60 shoes for my daughter.

I remind myself the following:

a. it is impossible to get a pair of shoes on a toddler to begin with. If your kid isn’t walking yet, then you might still think shoelaces work. If your kid is walking, you know better. I’m here to tell you – shoelaces – forget about it. No matter how cute the shoe.

b. Velcro is again your best friend.

c. So are crocs.

And so, of course you could spot my darling daughter strolling down the beach in these this summer, if you’re on the Delaware shore by any chance:

http://shop.crocs.com/pc-21-4-kids-cayman.aspx?reqid=21&reqProdTypeId=41p&subsectionname=footwear&section=products

I can get them on her feet in a jiffy, they stay on, and they’ll protect her little toes from the burning hot sand better than sandals.

But, speaking of sandals, how adorable are these:

http://www.janieandjack.com/shop/dept_item.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443452874&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374303093469&bmUID=1179841826749&productSizeSelected=0

And note – no latch that you have to waste time trying to get hooked while your toddler moves a mile a minute.

And so, dear kittens, go forth and enjoy purchasing swimwear for your tyke. The beauty of it is this – they look good in anything. They don’t have to be tortured by glaring at themselves in changing room mirrors with unfriendly lighting. You can just buy it, go home, put them in their little suit, and melt when you see those chubby little legs moving around in their new summer 07 swimsuit.

But don’t forget – velcroe is your best friend.