i guess its official...

it is fall.

sigh.

summer is over.

boo


I will mourn the loss of the 30 degree weather.

I will NEVER complain about it being too warm.

fall makes me sad.

it kills summer.

every year.

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh


the only redeeming thing about fall is the excuse to wear big cozy sweaters, scarves and boots.

that's about it.

and lets face it... I wear those in the summer too.

You'll always be my baby...

Hugo...I know that I may have complained about your less than ideal napping requirements but one day you aren't going to want to be held to nap and I think we will miss it. A lot. 

I'm sitting on the couch nearing the end of nap time today and I am a bit sad thinking about your 2nd birthday sneaking up in just under a month. 

How are you almost 2?! 

It's been an amazing time but does it have to go by so quickly? 

Houston, we have a problem.

Well we did have a problem.

You know all those little packets of condiments you get with takeout? Well my fridge is where they go to die. 

The cheese drawer was full of them. They just got tossed in there. I was just in the fridge a little while ago and I realized just how many were stashed in there. 

Holy crap. 

A LOT!

Happy to announce I went through the drawer and cleaned house. Said goodbye to some vintage ketchup and soy sauce. 

Seriously some of them expired in 2007! 

And the really scary ones... Didn't have expiry dates. 

You think oh, how many can you fit in that little drawer?? 

A LOT!

Almost a quarter of the garbage can under the sink. 

How did they get that out of control?! 

I have a new system... Keep a few for packed lunches but they have 2 separate dishes and if they don't fit in the dish they don't get to stay! 

I'm not going to let that happen again!

And since you might not grasp the severity of this situation... 

Proof. 

there just aren't enough hours...

in just over a month Hugo will be 2

OMG how did that happen?!?!

I know that in the beginning that I thought things would work themselves into a new routine and all the things I used to fit in would all be back on track in just a matter of time.

I
WAS
WRONG.

so very wrong.

I wouldn't give up the time I spend with hugo for anything but holy hell some days I need at least another 8 hours to even pretend I could get all the things I wanted to accomplish done.
seriously.

some things I am realizing....

1. one kid has more stuff than 3 adults.
2. houseplants will suffer neglect. they are always on the bottom of the to-do list and it shows
3. you clean up one mess and another one replaces it.
4. a shedding pug loses more hair than I do. I thought I shed a lot... draco should be bald according to the hair that accumulates on the floor in a matter of minutes.
5. your standards get lower. for a lot of things.
6. sometimes things stay on the to-do list for weeks. it happens. obviously nothing life threateningly important.
7. DIY projects only get done if you decide you need less sleep. I am currently starring at a chair that is hideous. it needs to be sanded and painted. ha! I didn't find time for it pre-Hugo and now I'm thinking it will be damn near impossible to get done. fingers crossed.
8. things like this blog are often on the to-do list for weeks. I miss it though so i'm making an effort to post at least a couple times a week from now on. I guess we will see how long that lasts.
9. I used to do laundry a couple times a month. now I do it every couple days. at least. sucks up a lot of time. folding laundry is overrated and so is putting it away. I am guilty of using it straight out of the laundry basket more often than out of drawers.
10. its a good thing i'm not stinky by nature. I just bought a new deodorant. for the first time since the summer before hugo was born. oops. that's something that apparently takes longer than i'm willing to spend applying. I forget to put it on a lot. or think of it once I've already left the house. no way i'm going back in just for that!

I think that's enough. I can't give away all my secrets in one post!

what has changed for you since kids?
what did you do before that never happens now?
I can't be the only one like this!

It's a miracle!

I have been terrible about toenail polish this summer. Like almost embarrassing bad.

I have painted my toenails once and gotten them painted twice. Lets just say they were less than glamorous most of the summer. 

Well it's taken me 2 days but I made them pretty. My goal is to add a layer of top coat but no guarantees that will actually happen. I'm pretty proud of myself even that I actually got this far. 

I used to always make sure my toenails were nice... Now I look down to make sure I don't have toe claws and choose shoes accordingly. Today I wore peep toe kitten heels to go to the library and grocery shopping just so I could look at my toes!

I put that shit on everything.

No, I'm not on another hot sauce kick... Though I do miss cooking spicy food. Why don't I you ask? 

Well that will be another blog post on its own. Soon. 

But back on topic here.... 

COCONUT OIL

I've been using it for years. 

Didn't love it, didn't hate it...

Now I want it to marry me. 

I occasionally use it for cooking. Not as often because I find it adds that coconut flavour a bit too much for my liking. 

Baking... It has pretty much replaced butter/margarine, oil/shortening in most of the muffins, cakes and cookies I make. Some still get their exact recipe because certain things are just sacred.  Like ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies that I have always made with margerine... They don't get messed with. 

Moisturizing. Yes I guess I've gone hippy. I started using it as lotion/cream. My hands and nails haven't been this happy in ages. Works like a charm and smells yummy too. 

Hair. The last month or so I've embraced beachy wavy/curly hair. Coconut oil has been a big part of this. Best thing I've ever put in my hair. Tames frizz without weighing it down, keeps it super soft and happy... Which makes me happy. 

Draco! 

Yes. The pug. 

He gets coconut oil added to his food every time he's fed and omg the difference is ridiculous. He's suffered from allergies his whole life and since Hugo came along and started leaving a trail of Cheerios behind him I've had a really hard time keeping Draco from eating those blasted little wheaty O's. 

so Draco ends up wearing the cone of shame. His face has been so much better since he's started on the coconut oil. Like has only worn the cone of shame  once in the past 2 months. For just a couple days. Only because I rushed when I was doing his nails and they were still sharp. But normally he'd have had the cone on 50% of that time because his allergies get worse when it's hot (I'm thinking sweaty wrinkles are more sensitive perhaps?) so 2 days in the cone as a proactive thing since it took me two days to actually file down the edges that were going to be an issue.... Kind of a miracle. 

So hippies that I have previously made fun of for your obsession with coconut oil... I apologize. And though I will continue to shave my legs and armpits (time permitting of course) I would like to humbly request a spot on team coconut oil.