In Through The Out Door

Without Valentine's Day, February would be... well, January.

2012-02-01T22:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so...I am a holiday freak. I go overfreakingboard for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas...you name it. Except for, sadly, Valentine's Day. I totally phone it in on Valentine's Day. Our wedding anniversary is December 23rd, Christmas on the 25th, Emme was born on the 29th, my birthday on January 18th-by the time we get to February 14th, I am out of gift ideas and over it. However, I am married to this little love:

and as he is a totally swoon worthy Valentine, I've got to pull something out. Thankfully, I've got Red Envelope on my side. Full of unique and personalized gifts, I knew that they would have something my hubby would love. And what do you know, I found something great!

Personalized Pub Glasses. We do love beer in this house, and how better to serve our guests than with these fun personalized glasses? The set of four costs $49.95, and ordering could not have been any easier. There was only one easy to understand short form to fill out for personalization and ordering. The glasses were personalized and delivered to my door in three days flat! They were insanely carefully wrapped and arrived in perfect condition. I just know Mr. Floren is going to love them!

No matter who your Valentine is this year, check out Red Envelope for the perfect unique and personalized gift!

Red Envelope was kind enough to provide the pub glasses to me free of charge for my review, however, all opinions contained within this review are unbiased and 100% my own.

Introducing....

2012-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

Emerson Claire Floren

photo by Melissa Miksch Photography

Born December 29, 2011 at 9:04 PM

photo by Melissa Miksch Photography

5 pounds, 15 ounces and 18 inches long

photo by Melissa Miksch Photography

We are all totally in love. :)

EB Awareness Week

2011-10-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of EB-Epidermolysis Bullosa? Via Wikipedia, by definition Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is an inherited connective tissue disease causing blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes, with an incidence of 1/50,000. Its severity ranges from mild to lethal. It is caused by a mutation in the keratin or collagen gene.

As a result, the skin is extremely fragile. Minor mechanical friction or trauma will separate the layers of the skin and form blisters. People with this condition have an increased risk of cancers of the skin, and many will eventually be diagnosed with it as a complication of the chronic damage done to the skin.

I had never even heard of EB until I came across the blog of Courtney Roth, "EB"ing A Mommy. Courtney is the mother of Tripp, an absolute angel who has one of the more severe forms of EB, Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa. Tripp has to live every day with the painful aspects of EB. He has to be constantly bandaged, fed via tube, and breathes via a ventilator-just to name a few of the symptoms the poor guy faces. His mother is his very dedicated and loving 24 hour a day caregiver, and I am blown away by their strength.

Courtney has been steadfast in her dedication to Tripp and to helping raise awareness and finding a cure for EB. She has never asked her readers for any help for herself, just for helping to do something to fight this awful illness. October 25-31 is EB Awareness Week, and my friends at PersonalizedFree.com wanted to do something to help the cause. There are several different ways you can get involved in raising awareness for EB. Via Courtney's blog:

"EB" a part of the Cure by joining the Facebook page HERE.
Create your own awareness page.
Post about EB on your Facebook page or blog.
Share the awareness video at the end of this post.
Educate yourself about EB (Debra.org is a great way).
Simply tell another person about EB.
Educate your children about EB so that they will be able to recognize it.

PersonalizedFree.com has also come up with one more way. From now until Christmas, we've given Tripp his very own promo code- "TRIPP". We will donate 10% of the purchase price of every single personalized Christmas ornament purchased with this code to DebRA.org to help raise awareness for EB and fund research for a cure. It's a win-win situation-you can get some goodies for your tree and potentially help save lives in the process. Also feel free to head over to "EB"ing A Mommy and give Courtney and Tripp some love-we want them to know they are not alone!!

DaGrosa Naturals Review and Giveaway

2011-10-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

The human body is a very complex thing. A complex, yet well oiled machine-that is, if you give it the things it needs to run well. I think there is more than just one key component to keeping your body running at an optimal level. Healthy diet, appropriate medical care, getting enough rest-these are the things most people already know about. But I think there is even more. I have been a believer in aromatherapy for a long time.

Aromatherapy, by definition, is the practice of using natural oils to enhance psychological and physical well-being. Today's featured company, DaGrosa Naturals, is an expert in the practice of aromatherapy. In the words of Diana, the owner of DaGrosa Naturals:

"DaGrosa Naturals is a small, privately owned company that makes small batches of natural skin care products that do not contain artificial preservatives, colorants or fragrances. Diana and Angela Da Grosa started DaGrosa Naturals in 2000. We had been experimenting with making potions since we were 6 years old. We had always hoped to learn more about making products that are enjoyable but also healthful. We began creating blends for our patients' ailments and watched for specific changes in their mental, emotional, and physical health while receiving feedback from each person. We observed remarkable changes in using these blends from clearing up acne, skin infections, bug bites that would not end, clearing up staph infections, stopping toe nail fungus, reducing inflammation before our very eyes, reduction of grey hair, and clearing up sinus infections to name a few. This clinical information proved to be the best type of learning for us.

After 10 years of practice, our patients encouraged us to start selling these blends as they themselves wanted to continue the beneficial effects they had experienced from these blends. In 2000, we decided to create Da Grosa Naturals. We have now created this website that offers a sampling of some of the products we use in practice. We also custom create blends for health and wellness - you can contact us for personal blends and consultations on whatever ails you. We hope you enjoy the use of our products and begin experimenting with some of these essential oils in your own health and healing. We LOVE using Aromatherapy in our daily lives - it brings happiness, health, and healing on so many levels. We wish this for every person in the whole entire world."

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try out some of the wonderful products from DaGrosa Naturals!

Sleeping Beautty

Yes, with two T's-for the double beauty that you are! This product is GREAT! A customized blend of essential oils in a base of jojoba in a convenient roll on bottle to keep by your bedside. It truly helps sleep and is one of DaGrosa Naturals' most popular products. Men, women and children ALL LOVE this. Great to take also when you travel!

Pure Botanicals Facial Treatment

This fabulous product keeps your face nice and blemish free. It helps naturally lift out black heads and you can place it on any acne spots-even those that appear when PMS sets in. It takes away the redness and swelling and you can see them shrink and start to disappear immediately. The scent is wonderful! It is a wonderful step in truly healing your skin!

Beautiful Hair Oil

A treat for the hair and scalp. This yummy blend of essential oils is non-greasy, stimulating, and smells great! A little goes a long way. Place a few drops on your finger tips and massage vigorously all over your scalp just 5-10 seconds and you are good to go. It is highly anti-oxidative and may help keep gray at bay and also may help normalize problems with the scalp. You can even place a few drops in your shampoo to help wake you up in the morning. When used daily, this bottle should last you at least 3 months.

Brain Power Inhaler

An essential oil blend of peppermint, rosemary, sage dalmation, and cardamom. It comes in an easy to use applicator. Just open the tube and place the inner tube at the entrance of each nostril and breathe in…you will instantly feel more awake, in-focus and rejuvenated. A MUST have at your desk especially if you have a position where you must read and focus and need to be on the ball.

Do any of these products sound intriguing to you? DaGrosa Naturals is kind enough to offer a discount exclusively for In Through The Out Door readers...enter the coupon code GVAWY20 for 20% off all products at DaGrosaNaturals.com!

Now here's the best part-FIVE lucky winners are going to win the 7 Products Package from DaGrosa Naturals! Including all the products I mentioned above, plus Lavender Spray and Lavender Essential Oil, these packages have a retail value of $104.75-and FIVE of you will win one!

To Enter: Please go visit the DaGrosa Naturals website and tell me in a comment here about one product that you would love to try!

Additional entries (Please leave one comment for each entry you complete):

-"Like" DaGrosa Naturals on Facebook

-Share this giveaway with your Facebook friends

-"Like" In Through The Out Door on Facebook

Most importantly, have fun and good luck! This giveaway will be open to all residents of the US that are 18 and over until 8 PM PST on November 7th. The winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond.

26 Weeks.

2011-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

photo credit

Today, I am 26 weeks pregnant. I believe this marks my entry into the third trimester, but it holds much more meaning than that to me.

The morning that I turned 26 weeks pregnant with Katelyn, I awoke not feeling well. I waddled into the bathroom and was shocked at what I saw-my face was so swollen I was almost unrecognizable. My hands were so swollen that I could not take off my engagement ring. My blood pressure was sky high...180/100.

That day marked the beginning of a nightmarish journey, one that thankfully ended well but nearly killed me getting there. An ultrasound showed dangerously low amniotic fluid, and a sick baby with a hole in her heart. My bloodwork was awful, with my kidneys and liver already showing signs of trouble. I ended up being admitted to the hospital that day, with a neonatologist warning me that if anything got worse in the next 48 hours, I would be delivering an extremely premature baby.

Somehow, I managed to hold on, spending four out of the next seven weeks hospitalized until I finally met Miss Katelyn Jayne at 33 weeks and 3 days. After three weeks in the NICU, she came home happy and healthy.

Me? Not so much. I told myself I had nothing to deal with-after all, all's well that ends well, right? Wrong. I was damaged, and it took me two years to fully deal with all the ramifications of what I went through. Suffice it to say, PTSD is a dirty whore. It didn't help that I refused to admit that I had anything to be post-traumatically stressed about-I didn't die. My kid didn't die. Hell, she didn't even have any lingering issues. So I had no room to whine about anything.

After totally fucking up everything in my life, I realized that whether I thought it was legitimate or not, something was going on in my head and I needed to figure it out. It was a long, painful road, but I came to terms with the entire situation and put the PTSD behind me.

That is, until I went and got myself knocked up again and the anxiety and stress and worry hit me like the proverbial freight train. I've been a hot mess the last 26 weeks, but have been hiding it. Keeping it to myself. Refusing to admit that I have anything to worry about. But last night was nearly unbearable. I had myself convinced that I was going to wake up today with the same fate I experienced the last time I was 26 weeks pregnant. Or worse.

Luckily, I did not. No swelling, blood pressure stable, Baby Floren happily kicking the crap out of me. As "fixed" as I like to think I am, I don't know if I could have handled any other outcome. Fragility is not something I do well, but damn it if I don't feel like I could shatter into a million pieces right now.

Hopefully another happy, healthy little girl will be the glue that holds me together.

Breathing Deep.

2011-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

I rest in child's pose in yoga yesterday, attempting to do the hardest thing about yoga-shut my damn brain up. The physical stuff seems challenging at times, but the real difficulty is getting over yourself and out of your head.

I feel like I've been drowning in my brain lately. About a year ago, when I was at the height of my quest for physical fitness and at the best of my mental health, I deemed myself cured. I foolishly declared to myself that I was done being anything else but absolutely fantastically healthy and high functioning.

Enter pregnancy, hormones, anxiety, and loneliness. I'm a wreck.

I have many things going for me that will keep me out of the dark abyss. I'm not self medicating (yay for a healthy fetus), I'm still exercising (kind of), and most importantly, I'm aware of what's going on and I refuse to feel helpless.

I have the luxury of choice. We all do. There are a lot of things that are out of control..circumstances, the behavior of others, karmic events. But we can always control how we react to them, how we handle them. So, as my wise, wise yoga teacher says every time we are deep in a challenging pose..."You can freak out, you can panic, you can bail. Or you can just breathe deeper. No drama, just breath."

So, I'm not going to freak out or panic about how I'm feeling. I'm just going to breathe a little deeper.

HankOrange Review and Giveaway!!

2011-09-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Confession time. I am the least domestic housewife on the planet. My floors are not vacuumed half of the time, I cannot bake a pie from scratch, and, worst of all-my sewing skills are so subpar that I cannot even sew on a button. Seriously-I have had to throw away perfectly good pairs of pants because the top button came off and they just sat forlornly in my closet for months. Pathetic, I know.

I love for my girls to have custom, special, handmade baby gifts for them to keep always, but I'm obviously not capable of producing them. My saving grace is that I am surrounded by crafty friends. And one of them, who I am SO excited to share with you today, is Amy at HankOrange.

In Amy's own words: "HankOrange was created out of a love for sewing and creating unique, personalized items. I am a proud Army wife and a stay-at-home Mom with one little boy. Sewing is a creative outlet and a 'happy place' for me. HankOrange is the combination of two of my favorite things: my son 'Hank' and my favorite color."

And create unique, personalized items she does. One of Amy's favorite things to create are her super special personalized "feely" blankets for baby.

Covered with a multitude of different textures and colors, as well as embroidered with any personalization you desire, these are destined to become your baby's favorite lovey.

Anything from bibs to burp cloths to Halloween onesies to birthday shirts to the custom crib bedding she's making for Floren Baby Tres, HankOrange has got it all. If she doesn't happen to have it in stock at her Etsy shop? No prob, she does custom orders. I had just painted our guest room a lovely shade of yellow when I discovered we were expecting the new little one. In love with the paint color and not wanting to change it, I decided to go with a "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" theme for the nursery. I searched and searched and searched some more, but just could not find the bedding I was dreaming of. Lamenting my lack of sewing skills and ability to find the nursery decor of my dreams one night on Facebook, Amy came to my rescue.

In addition to creating the beautiful bedding, HankOrange also made a matching outfit for my baby girl.

Isn't it the best? I seriously swooned when I saw it. I can't wait to get a yummy, snuggly baby into it! And even better? You can win one of your own!

Up for grabs today is this adorable unisex "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" onesie in 3-6 month size! And to sweeten the deal, I'm throwing in a $25 Visa gift card. Obviously with the intention that you use it at HankOrange (I mean, what else would you want to do with it?) but it's really all for the winner to use at their discretion.

The Giveaway: One HankOrange Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 3-6 mo. onesie and one $25 Visa gift card.

Mandatory Entry: Please visit the HankOrange store and tell me in a comment what your favorite custom item is!

Additional Entries: (you may complete one, all, or none of these additional entries, just please leave one comment for each action you complete)

-Like HankOrange on Facebook

-Follow the HankOrange blog via Google Friend Connect (located in the right sidebar of this page)

-Share the link to HankOrange's Facebook page with your Facebook followers!

-Like In Through The Out Door on Facebook

-Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect, email, or in a reader (all options available in the right sidebar)

This giveaway will be open until 9/29/2011 at 8 pm PST to all residents of the US 18 years and older. One winner will be chosen by random number generator, and notified by email shortly thereafter. Have fun and good luck!

Pizza Conspiracies

2011-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at our favorite spray park Sunday evening, watching the girls splash around and run off some energy. After a long, cloudy, somewhat lame summer, we are finally getting some warm sunshiny days and are determined to suck every last drop out of them. So I'm sitting there, ~~playing Scrabble on my phone~~ keeping a watchful eye on the girls and minding my own business, when a family walks by in obvious picnic mode. Camping chairs, coolers, kiddos....but instead of the typical boring picnic basket of sandwiches, they were carrying boxes of fragrant pizza. From Garlic Jim's no less. That definitely piqued my interest.

My pregnant taste buds were all in an uproar. I'm very suggestible these days-a smell, a sight, heck, a commercial will send me into a craving frenzy that will not end until I get the food I am lusting after. I was convincing myself that I should stay seated and not go invite myself to some random family's picnic when what do I see? Another family. Completely separate from the first. Carrying picnic supplies and boxes of pizza. Surely, this had to be a conspiracy. An evil, devious conspiracy intended to drive me insane and make my butt grow even larger than it already had this pregnancy. Well, I'm on to you, you pizza terrorists! I refuse to give in to your spicy, cheesy, delicious plot! You will not win!!!!!

Text sent 30 seconds later: "Mr. Floren. Spray park. Now. Bring pizza. Tell the terrorists they may have won, but they'll never take me alive!!! Bwahahahaha!"

*********

Looking to celebrate a successful first week of school? Or drown your sorrows after a rough one? Or do you just not want to cook and are craving some carbs? Going insane and imagining terrorists are after you? No matter the reason, Juice in the City Seattle is on it with today's great deal-$8 for $16 worth of hot, delicious pizza from Garlic Jim's, my favorite local pizza chain. I can testify, based on the way too many slices I just ate this last weekend, that they are worth the trip and this deal just makes it that much better. Get it now before it's gone!

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

2011-09-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

I sent this beautiful girl off to first grade on Wednesday. She was in half day kindergarten last year, and Pre-K the year before that, but this was the big time. All day, lunch in the cafeteria, ride the bus, gone for eight hours a day big kid school.

We have been very excitedly anticipating this day oh, since kindergarten got out last June. But a few days beforehand, *I* started to get nervous. What if she didn't know where to go when she got off the bus? What if she didn't have anyone to sit with in the cafeteria? What if she didn't have enough time to eat all of her lunch? What if some bratty kids were mean to her on the playground and I wasn't there to ~~knock some sense into them~~ have a watchful eye on her? Thanks to the pregnancy hormones, I worked myself into quite the frenzy, tears and all.

Leave it to my wise beyond her years six year old to ease my fears. "Mom, I will be fine. I've got this under control. Chill out." Thanks, babe.

Alas, she was just fine. Better than fine, actually. She loved the bus ride, that little girl on that big ol' bus. She made it to her classroom, and had a great time. She ate all of her lunch, and made four friends just in the first day and played with them at recess. I was a bit wistful that she didn't need me at all-she wouldn't let me follow the bus to school or check on her or anything-but more than that, I was proud. Of her, and myself. This means I'm doing my job right. This is my main goal as a parent-to prepare her for life. To give both girls the stability and security and confidence to venture out into that big bad world and kick it's ass. Rock on, sisters.

So while I miss her when she's gone all day long, it's been a blessing as well...it means I get to spend a ton of one on one time with this little cutie.

I don't often get the luxury of having either girl on a one on one basis, so we've been living it up this week until her half day Pre-K program starts next Tuesday. Trips to Target (complete with icees), front yard picnics, many, many, MANY games of Memory, and of course...making some cookies.

And no, I don't even want to talk about sending her off to first grade. I'm staying firmly in denial for the next two years, thank you very much.

The Big Picture

2011-09-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

Photo by Melissa Miksch Photography

I decided to get some family pictures done this last weekend. One thing I hate is getting photos of myself captured. With someone else behind the lens, I don't have the control of angles, lighting, and all the other tricks I have at my disposal to portray myself in the best possible way.

But we were running out of time to capture ourselves as a family of four, and I definitely wanted some memories of this special time together-before our new little one completes us and makes us a five person unit. My friend Melissa takes beautiful and affordable pictures, and is local to me here north of Seattle, so I took the leap.

And she did not disappoint-the pictures I've seen so far are GORGEOUS. We chose a waterfront location at sunset, and it was everything I wanted out of a family shoot, without any of the cliches you'd run into with a lesser photographer. The only problem (which had NOTHING to do with her photography skills)? Me. And my self-consciousness. The photos captured us absolutely genuinely, and unfortunately for me right now, that includes ~~a little~~ a lot of extra padding around the hips and booty area, a baby belly that's not an obvious bump quite yet and more reminiscent of someone who needs to lay off the cheetos, and just some other flaws that I'm not completely thrilled about.

My first reaction was to not share the pictures that weren't exactly how I like to show myself. Or to beg Melissa to crop my fat butt out. Or to caption the pictures "Holy Baby Belly, Batman!" just to make sure everyone knew I'm indeed pregnant right now. That's what I would have done in the past. But you know what?

Fuck that.

The pictures show exactly who I am right now, and I'm okay with that! I own it. The padding around the middle? That's cause I'm baking a baby, damn it. The extra large booty? Due to having to spend a lot of time on the couch thanks to pregnancy induced headaches and vomiting. Why should I hide that, or edit it out? Because some random friend on Facebook might look at it and think, "wow, girlfriend needs to hit the treadmill!" Well, I don't care what random Facebook friend thinks. I know that I do hit the treadmill, and that I'm trying my best right now, and that is good enough for me. Caring too much about what others think of my appearance is what got me in this position in the first place-my obesity and difficulty in losing weight is tied directly to the many, many years I spent in a nasty cycle of starving myself for days, then binging for days, and on and on.

I refuse to do that to myself any longer. I refuse to think my family is any less amazing because I don't currently own the body that I would like to. I refuse to edit my reality so others may think I'm perfect.

I'm not perfect. But I love me. And for the first time in my 29 years, I can say that and believe it.

Holy Estrogen, Batman....

2011-09-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Despite this little one's best efforts to keep her private parts hidden from view, (good girl, baby! please keep up the modesty.) the ultrasound tech was able to give us the news on Friday that we are indeed having another girl!

Important stuff out of the way first-baby girl is totally healthy and perfect. All fingers, toes, limbs, and important organs accounted for. Less importantly? I'm a huge jerk. I was totally disappointed initially. Not even so much because I wanted a boy (because I did) but more because I really, REALLY wanted a son for my husband. I mean, the guy deserves it! He blew off work to be at the ultrasound after my guilt trip via blog post last week, he puts up with all our crap with nary a complaint, and all the dude wanted was a son to carry on the family name. I was just heartbroken for him.

Thankfully, a long weekend and a lot of talking have soothed my soul, and I am thrilled about our baby girl to be. We were just meant to be parents of three girls. I know how to do little girls. I'm a little overwhelmed at the challenge of dealing with three of them, but I know we're up to it. I better stock up on the vodka, hair spray, and guns to scare off potential boyfriends now. Also, a bigger garage and another car for my dear hubby.

He's going to need somewhere to hide.

The Engineering Widow

2011-09-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

I try not to be an asshole. Seriously, I do. I'm very conscious in the way I portray myself via social media, my blog, and my interactions in the world. Conscious, not to be confused with fake. I don't alter my behavior or falsify my personality, but I try to be very considerate of others feelings and the way that things I might say or do will impact opinions of me.

That being said, one thing I keep to myself is how hard it is to be married to my husband. Well, not my husband so much as his career. He's a peach. You know, when I actually get to see him. It's hard being married to a guy that works 50-60 hours a week, travels half of the month or more, and will, 95% of the time, choose his job over anything else going on in our lives.

But I don't want to be that asshole whining about "wah, my husband works SO much," when there are so many people out there who are unemployed or underemployed. There are benefits to his profession-we get to live a very comfortable lifestyle, and I get to be at home with my girls 24/7. His dedication and work ethic are ensuring that his job will be very secure for a long time to come. I appreciate it, I sincerely do.

Sometimes, however, I just want to whine. I want to get pissed and scream about how unfair it is that even though he was on the east coast all last week and half of this week and I was on single mom duty, that he can't take a couple of hours off tomorrow to come to the one of the most important events of this pregnancy-the 20 week ultrasound. That I will be doing it, and the subsequent doctor's visit, all by myself. Like I do pretty much everything. The girls' sporting events, trips to the park, meet the teachers, all the memory making details in their lives...it's always just me. I got so jealous today at Madeline's school-so many dads there, straight from the office, collars freshly unbuttoned, reveling in their children's excitement.

I don't think it's Mr. Floren's fault. I truly think he does what he has to do. He doesn't purposely work to avoid being with us, or blow us off because he doesn't want to be there. He finds the majority of his identity and self worth in who he is at the office-engineer, project manager, provider, money maker and ass kicker. Sometimes I feel like he could balance a bit more if he really wanted to, but I don't know if that's just my heart talking or reality. I wonder if it's easier for him to tell me "sorry, I can't be there, I have people relying on me and things I need to take care of" than for him to tell people at work "sorry, my family needs me, this is going to have to wait."

I set myself up weeks ago for tomorrow. He had been promising since day one that he would be there for this ultrasound, but I knew better than to get my hopes up. I knew it would just be me and the girls, and I even figured out a cute little way to reveal the results to him at the office. Maybe it's just hormones talking, but frankly, now that I know he's not coming, I don't even want to bother. You can't be there for me? Then fuck you and your stupid ice cream cake saying "It's a ____".

That's just silly, though. I need to put on my big girl panties and realize how lucky I have it. I mean, it's not like he's on the other side of the world for a year risking his life in battle. At least I can afford to get good prenatal care and have the ultrasound in the first place. I know how blessed I am.

Then why am I so bummed?

How can I control my life when I can't control my hair?

2011-09-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I was left to my own devices quite often. Partly because my parents were preoccupied by my three other siblings and jobs, partly because I was ~~a know-it-all~~ precocious and capable of taking care of myself, and partly because it was the 80's and if you listen to today's hyperbolic crazy overly safe society, I don't know how any of us made it out alive.

I remember one summer in particular, the summer before 6th grade. I was set to attend a new school, and I wanted to ditch my weird smart girl reputation for something decidedly much cooler. In a book I had read, the heroine had dreadlocks, and touched on how she maintained them. Obviously, this was the perfect solution-what better way to look like ~~a drug dealer~~ a mysterious, new, grown up 10 year old than by transforming my overprocessed permed hair into dreadlocks? I tried skipping a few days of showers, but pretty soon I was informed by the parentals that I was stinky and I needed to get thee to a bath-stat. So my new plan was a modified one....I would leave the majority of my hair normal, but work on creating a few dreadlocks along the bottom of my hairline in the back and under my monstrous poofy bangs. Then, once my parents saw how AWESOME they were, they'd have no choice but to go along with my plan! Right? RIGHT?!?!?!

Wrong. There was only one possible outcome to this situation-epic failure. It involved a dip in the pool, me coming out from under the water, and in a reflex, sweeping my wet bangs out of my face, revealing a huge nasty mat of hair to my mother. I still remember the sting of defeat as she took her huge sewing shears to my beloved "dreads". Remind me to tell you about the time I decided to shape my eyebrows with a razor sometime. Yeah, I'm full of the win.

Well, I'm determined to ~~be obnoxiously involved with my kids~~ save my girls from the same fate. Luckily, today's Juice in the City Seattle deal is PERFECT for my quest. For only $10, you get a haircut worth $30 at Dooz for Kidz in Bellevue! Not only is this a SOOPER SEKRIT SQUIRREL deal that is only being released to special peeps like you all, it's a killer bargain-a high end, stress free haircut experience tailored for your kids at a 66% discount. Do the right thing-say no to tween dreads-and pick up this deal today!

Household Security...aka, I will cut you!

2011-08-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Last week when we were in Colorado, we dodged a HUGE bullet...one of the other houses on our very small, very secluded private street was broken into. After all was said and done, it appeared that our neighbors must have been targeted by a contractor or vendor that had done work in their home..they knew exactly when they wouldn't be home, exactly how long they had before the police would be signaled by the alarm and would arrive, and exactly what they would steal.

I'll be honest, it creeped me out more than a little bit. One of the reasons we purchased this home in the first place were the advantages in security it had over our other home. With Mr. Floren working and traveling so much, our safety is of utmost concern. While I am creeped, I still feel very safe, though. We have a state of the art security system, I haven't had to let any subcontractors in the house because I make my husband fix everything, and my schedule is completely random and unpredictable-if someone was staking me out, they would never be able to figure out when I'm coming and going. Perks of being an ADD-riddled stay at home mom.

Some of my other neighbors are totally rattled, and I don't blame them one bit. More than losing valuables in a break in, I think that what really gets to you is the violation of your privacy. Someone knew your schedule. They checked out what in your home would be worth taking, and sentimental value be damned, ripped it out of your possession only to be pawned or sold in a back alley somewhere. So in addition to the security systems all the homes on our street have, quite a few of my neighbors have gotten "Beware of Dog" and "This Home is Under Surveillance" signs. These are a great idea-Mr. Floren used to work as a low voltage contractor, and a big part of his business was designing and installing custom security systems. In one seminar he attended, a study was shared that showed that security system, dog, and surveillance signs would deter over 50% of potential burglars.

However, I'm way too ~~bitchy~~ ~~crazy~~ sassy for your typical "Dog Crossing" signs. I'm thinking of having some for my home custom made. My ideas:

"Beware: My Dog Will Eat You Up Like a T-Bone Cooked to Perfection"

"Smile Asshole, You're on Camera, and This Ain't Big Brother"

"Steal My Shit and I Will Hunt You Down and Cut You Like You've Never Been Cutted Before"

"Warning: Crazy Pregnant Lady with Tazer Lives Here, and She's Not Afraid to Go Back to Prison"

"This Car Fits Three Dead Bodies In The Trunk-Break Into It and You'll Find Out How I Know That"

Hee hee hee. Anyone know a good sign maker?

You better cut the pizza into four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.

2011-08-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

My baby bump has grown by at least three inches this week. While the scale is not reflecting a gain, I can't attribute it all to just fetus growth. It may also have something to do with the fact that for a three day stretch, six of the nine meals I consumed consisted of pizza. We ordered out on Tuesday, and I made darn sure to get enough for leftovers for everyone. I just forgot to share. Whoops.

Cheesy, warm, delicious pizza. Filling, affordable, easy. It's great, because no matter how many picky eaters you have in your family (*ahem* everybody I live with except for me *ahem*), you can please them all by just adjusting toppings and crust varieties. The only thing better than not having to cook is not having to cook multiple meals for one family.

So, it's Friday, you've had a long week, those peeps you live with are expecting to be fed again, take it easy on yourself-go snag today's Juice In The City Seattle Deal.

For only $10, you can pick up $20 worth of pizza deliciousness at one of my favorite local joints, Round Table Pizza. Valid at either the Woodinville or Issaquah locations, you can get your fam some of the healthiest, tastiest pies around. This deal will be around all weekend, so make sure to grab it before it's gone!

Double Standards

2011-08-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a stay at home mom. When people ask what I do, or what field I'm in, that is what I answer despite any freelance or side jobs I have going on. Mostly because being a stay at home mom is the role that takes up most of my time and is also the one I care the most about. Unlike some crazies, I don't think that being a mom is more important than being a brain surgeon-I mean, yes, there was a mother successful enough to raise a brain surgeon, however, I'm thinking the number of successful mothers in the world FAR outnumbers actual brain surgeons, therefore making brain surgery a bit more of a needed practice.

But I'm also not ~~high enough~~ in denial so far that I only spout, "Being a Mom is the BEST! THING! EVER! It is all sunshine and daisies and fluffy bunnies and anyone who doesn't want to spend their entire life cleaning up poop and refereeing bickering siblings is el loco guano!" Um, no.

I like to think that I am happily in the middle of reality somewhere. Being a stay at home mom is admittedly pretty awesome. I can put my bosses in time out if they are being shitty, I can take lunch whenever and wherever I want, and pajamas at work on a ~~hungover~~ rough day are totally acceptable. Just like any job, it does have its downfalls. And one of those are the double standards.

Mr. Floren is one of those evolved males that considers himself a team member in our family, not just the boss. Yes, he has the stereotypical role of the breadwinner and provider of our household, but he's also not afraid to pitch in with cleaning, diaper changing, or child rearing. But there is one area in which I get totally screwed: sick days.

Mr. Floren began to get sick the night before we left Colorado. By the time we got home, he was pretty ill. He had to tough it out the next day as he had a business meeting in Sacramento, and I felt so bad that he had to fly all the way there and back in one day when he was suffering from the cold from Hades. Luckily, the next day, he was able to take a sick day and sleep until noon, waking up to head over to the urgent care (sans children) and get some antibiotics and a lollipop. And good for him! I'm glad he was able to take some time to get on the road to recovery.

I'm just bitter that I don't get the same luxury. That night, I started feeling pretty gross, hoping that I wasn't going to wake up the next morning with the same fate. Alas, I did, but when I asked for the opportunity to sleep in until noon and head to urgent care without dragging the kids along? "Sorry, babe, I already took a day off yesterday, I can't miss today too." Awesome. Not to mention I'm pregnant and can't take any of the cold medicines he can take to get some relief. When I protest, I get a response of "Well, you're just a stay at home mom. You don't have to go into an office and do SUPER IMPORTANT engineering things." Granted, I can lay on the couch here and there and don't really have to have my brain fully activated like he does when he's at work, but still. If I tried to let the kids run wild while I took a nap, I wouldn't have a house when I woke up. This isn't the first time that he's gotten sick, taken a day off work, then when I catch HIS illness, I'm on my own.

I don't know that there is a really great solution to this problem, other than me just accepting that this is the way it is. I may never get a sick day again. Unless I hire a super hot young male nanny to come take care of things and wipe my brow while I take my sick day. Hmmmmmmm......

I'm sorry, Martha.

2011-08-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Monday evening, we arrived home from a lovely long weekend in sunny Colorado. (full recap of our vacay to come soon.) It was a long, late flight home, after a long, lovely day, and all we wanted to do was get in a shuttle bus, grab our car, and drive home to our beds. I was a little nervous about getting back to my car, however, because I had been cheating on Martha the Altima while we were gone.

With this sexy hunk of metal.

I don't know how we lucked out, but somehow, when we arrived at the Hertz counter in Denver to pick up the midsize vehicle we had reserved, this gorgeous creature was waiting for us. Not too shabby for a free rental, thanks to Mr. Floren's frequent flier miles. I absolutely adore Martha the Altima, and have been very faithful to her in our 160,000 miles together. But wow-the Charger is an amazing car. Mr. Floren had recommended one of these to me in the past, but I turned it down, figuring that something so mean and fast looking wouldn't make a good family car. I was wrong-this thing was HUGE on the inside. You could easily fit three adults across the back bench, and at least three dead bodies in the trunk if necessary.

She drove like an absolute dream, my only complaint was that we got the practical 6 cylinder versus the blow your panties off Hemi V8. The design, inside and out, was beautiful and extremely functional. It was a sad, sad day when we had to turn her back in.

So I was concerned that Martha would smell the new car on me and do something vengeful like run herself into a wall or seize up on the freeway. I know this sounds totally crazy to give a car a name and a personality and assume that it can make choices, but I swear to Oprah they are capable of this. My first car, Betsy, an adorable white Dodge Neon that I drove forever, got really mad at me once when I looked into upgrading to a black Honda Civic. (She had better sense than I-who the hell upgrades to a Civic anyway?) I looked at the car, decided to make some phone calls to the bank and my Daddy to see if it would work out, and the next time I got into Betsy to go somewhere-nada. Nothing. She would start, but the engine would just shut off. I had my brother the mechanic look at her, and he could not find a single reason for the complication. Sure enough, as soon as I got word that someone else had bought the Honda, Betsy started right up. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyhow, Martha was a good girl, and forgave me for my transgressions with the Charger. So I am going to reward her with today's awesome Juice in the City Seattle deal-$13 for TWO ultimate car washes at Clean Planet Car Wash in Woodinville. I love that the deal includes two washes-because, inevitably, when you wash your car in the PNW, it rains the next day. So with 2 washes, you might get a whole week or two of shiny car, and I think Martha deserves that after my betrayal. What have you done for your car lately? Not only is this a 50% discount, but Clean Planet offers a completely eco-friendly service to make your car shiny and happy. Check it out here!

What doesn't give me a concussion, could possibly be fun.

2011-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have ZERO athletic ability. None. Heck, most days I can barely walk without running into inanimate objects or tripping over my own feet. (Hence the nickname Tumbleweed, example here.) During my formative years, I was much more interested in reading anything I could get my hands on versus honing my physical abilities, or lack thereof. I became very comfortable with my non-existent skills, and didn't pursue anything further.

Until I started pursuing this whole fitness thing, that is. And, I won't lie, it was getting kind of embarrassing not even being able to throw a football around with my husband, mostly because every time he'd throw it my way I'd close my eyes and duck and end up getting hit with the ball. Not smooth. I began working with a trainer at my gym, and one of our main goals was getting my core into shape. After two pregnancies ending in c-sections, and a couple of years of inactivity afterward, my core was definitely in need of serious help. So my trainer (who, herself claims to be evil) threw me on one of these things:

and started chucking one of these things:

at my head. This was a very effective workout for two reasons. 1-I did not want to get hit in the head with an eight pound medicine ball, so that really turned up my motivation to learn some hand/eye coordination. 2-Catching heavy medicine balls while trying to keep yourself balanced and upright on a bosu ball is killer for your core. And, dare I say it, even fun! As long as you don't get hit in the head, that is.

I'm feeling much more confident in my core strength and my hand/eye coordination these days, enough so that I am tempted to check out today's Juice In The City Seattle deal! For only $14, you can get a half hour of batting practice and a free soda from Field of Champions in Issaquah. Whether you want to take the hubs on a play date, or let the kids swing for the fences, this is a fun activity that won't even feel like physical exercise.

**Disclosure: I am compensated by Juice in the City Seattle every time I post about one of their deals. However, the compensation does not sway my very positive opinion of JITC or their great deals. I also try to incorporate their deals into posts I would write anyway so I don't annoy you guys too much. Feel free to leave any questions or concerns in the comments!

Swimming like a fishie.....

2011-08-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

My girls have been veritable fish so far this summer. Madeline is now a swimming prodigy, even accomplishing the feat of passing the deep end swimming test so she can now use the water slide at our gym's pool at her abandon. Katelyn *can* swim, per se, but girlfriend is ~~lazy~~ stubborn, and prefers to paddle to and fro with the assistance of a life jacket. And I'm cool with that, because even though there are multiple lifeguards keeping watch and myself just a few feet away, I still worry. Isn't that what moms do? You hear so many horror stories of "I only looked away for a minute.." and it just freaks me the hell out. So life jacket it is for the near future.

But anyhoo, so far, our summer has been filled with activities based around the water. The indoor pool at the gym on the crappy days (which have, unfortunately, been way too many so far this summer) and either the wading pool in the driveway, the splash pad, or the lake on the nice ones.

Another water based activity for my little fishies that we will have to try out very soon is the Seattle Aquarium. It is a fabulous venue, with a great variety of pretty, awe-inspiring tanks, creepy crawly little amphibians, and otters galore. The girls and I went once, probably three years ago, but I asked them about it this weekend and they were too little to remember much. We will have to remedy that very soon-Juice in the City Seattle has a great deal going on today and tomorrow-only $15 for one adult and one child admission to the Seattle Aquarium! That's a $31 value and a very rare discount on a super fun day. I love the waterfront location, and they have the cutest little gift shop! Make sure to grab this one before it is gone!

Beef=testosterone?

2011-08-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

When asking an expectant mother what gender she is hoping her baby to be, you usually get the standard, "Oh, I don't care, as long as it's healthy!" That's the politically correct, appropriate response, right?

Well, I won't lie. I want a boy this time. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my girls and wouldn't want them to be anything other than exactly what they are. In fact, I prefer girl spawn-I understand them. Coming from a large family with mostly sisters and only one brother, I just know how to work with females. I get the crazy, I have the same parts as them, I share the flair for the dramatic.

But in speaking of the dramatic, well...we've got plenty of that around here. In fact, just this morning, there was a screaming match, complete with tears, because Madeline had the audacity to sit in Katelyn's spot on the couch. You know, the spot that she had sat on for five minutes. Yesterday afternoon. How dare Madeline not remember! Good lord.

I know fighting and bickering and tears and drama isn't just exclusive to sisters, but really-three female children might just be the end of me. I could really go for a boy baby, one that loves his mother unconditionally, that just wants to eat, sleep, and break things.

To that effect, my friends and family are convinced (or possibly just taking pity on me) that this child is most certainly a boy. I'm not an emotional mess this time around, nor am I vomiting every five minutes, which apparently attests to a lack of estrogen in my womb. The Chinese Gender Calendar concurs...the fact that I conceived in May during my 29th year assures a male heir. (Please note my extreme sarcasm.) And the fact that I cannot get enough beef...major cravings for anything meaty and delicious....hamburgers, steaks, you name it-must be a boy.

So the boy in my womb and I are super excited about today's Juice In The City Seattle deal. (You like that segue? I know, I'm awesome.) $20 for $40 worth of steaks, beef, and more beef at the Flat Iron Grill in Issaquah.

Found in the lovely Gilman Village, Flat Iron Grill serves up delicious steak and seafood fare in a lovely atmosphere, complete with mountain views. This deal is running through the weekend, so don't miss out!

You scream, me scream, we all scream for ice cream!

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Confession time. I'm not a huge fan of ice cream. Much unlike my husband, who puts down, at minimum, half of a 1/2 gallon a night. (Yes, he still wears the same size that he did in college. I hate him too.) Because he eats so much of the stuff, he's not too picky-he definitely has his favorite flavors and brands, but in a pinch, he'll eat anything remotely icy and creamy.

I'm the opposite. Since the ice cream bug only bites me once in a great while, when I do decide to indulge, it has to be good. No off brand rocky road nonsense for me. Nuh uh, I go straight for the top shelf-Ben and Jerry's. Their flavors are out of this world! A few of my favorites:

The new Bonnaroo Buzz: coffee and malt ice creams with toffee chunks and a whiskey caramel swirl

Boston Cream Pie: boston cream pie ice cream with yellow cake pieces, fudge flakes, and swirls of pastry cream

Brownie Batter and Cake Batter: self explanatory

Imagine Whirled Peace: caramel and sweet cream ice creams swirled with fudge peace signs and toffee cookie pieces

Ok, now I'm in the mood for ice cream for sure! What about you?

If so, Juice in the City Seattle has got you covered. Today's deal is a "cool" one....only $5 for a $10 credit to Ben and Jerry's Kirkland location! Half priced Half Baked, discounted Dublin Mudslide, cheap Chubby Hubby...you can't beat it! Make sure to head over and snag this great deal before it melts!

Carpets and Contractions and IV Fluids, Oh My!!

2011-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was a car widow this weekend. This weekend? Never mind. I've been a car widow for the last handful of weekends, and will probably continue for the rest of the summer.

He's got a new engine ready to go into the race car, and he's on a deadline to get it in and running before summer ends. (Which is a tight timeline here in Seattle-I think we've only had something like eight nice days so far this season.) So it's all good-the quicker he gets this stupid thing done, the quicker I can actually have my husband back.

So Sunday he was itching to get out to the garage, and I decided I should be productive and shampoo my carpets. This may or may not have been spurred on by the remnants of my midnight snack the night before, a bowl of Cocoa Krispies, knocked to the floor by a cat with a sweet tooth.

This beast.

Besides, in the family room, we have a large leather sectional. It's been driving me absolutely MAD that I can't just nudge it out of the way every day when vacuuming to get underneath it. You have to separate the pieces and move them one by one to suck up whatever dust bunnies may be colonizing underneath, and I was determined to do that. I spent about four hours moving the furniture to and fro, vacuuming everything, then going over it all with the carpet shampooer. I also took care of the substantial living/dining rooms in that time.

To be honest, it didn't really feel like that much work. As any of you can attest to, four hours of manual labor to get a house clean is kind of par for the course. But, apparently, my fetus did not appreciate my efforts and my beautiful, luscious carpets. As I was putting away the shampooer and vacuum, I felt a contraction. Holy shit! It's been six years since I've felt one of those, but there is no forgetting what that pain is. Yikes.

Long story short, despite laying down, chugging fluids, and doing all those good things expectant mothers should do, I continued contracting and cramping all night long. Now, at 15 weeks, there's not much to be done. I didn't go running off to the hospital because I knew they wouldn't stop my labor, and at this early gestation, if the baby was indeed coming, it would be considered a miscarriage. Sounds cold, but I've had this odd peace about me lately. This feeling of, it is what it is. As long as I'm making good decisions and trying my best at life, everything is going to unfold exactly as it shall-so worrying seems like a silly waste of time.

Speaking of decisions, I did call the OB's office Monday morning when I awoke and was still in a considerable amount of pain. After talking with a nurse and explaining my symptoms, she advised me to go to the ER. Now that is when I did a bit of panicking. Only because my pregnancy with Katelyn was chock full of trips to the hospital, and I was really trying to avoid any drama this time around. After my traumatic experiences with that peanut, anything out of the ordinary with this pregnancy arouses my PTSD and gets me a bit upset. While part of me assumed that everything was fine and all a trip to the hospital was going to accomplish was wasting my afternoon and a considerable copay, I decided to be responsible and follow the advice that was given.

To sum up my trip, I spent over six hours in that place basically being blown off. I got put into an ER room pretty quickly, but it was an hour before a nurse came to start my IV, take some blood, and hook me up to fluids; another nurse came in, and scared the ever loving shit out of me by looking for fetal heart tones with a doppler, not finding them, and walking out of the room without saying a word, sitting my bed back up, or wiping the ultrasound goo off of me; yet another hour before a doctor finally came in and deduced that "huh, I guess we should get an ultrasound to see what's really going on." I'm no MD, but-no shit, Sherlock?

Another hour waiting for the ultrasound, and finally a blessing-the ultrasound tech was the first person I came across in that hospital that was kind and compassionate, and she found the heartbeat right away. She took her time checking out all the baby's anatomy and explaining everything, and even tried to discover the gender for us (no dice, too early). At this point, at least we knew the baby was okay, even if we had no idea why I was still in so much pain and what we could do about it.

Two hours pass. Two full hours, with nary a visit from a nurse or a doctor. We had flagged down the nurse a few times to inquire as to what in the hell was going on, but he just blew us off and said he'd be back in a bit, never to return. Stellar.

Finally, Mr. Floren lost his proverbial shit. It takes a LOT to make my husband run out of patience, but finally, he had had it. He flipped through my registration paperwork and found a standard letter to all patients stating that they could call the administrative supervisor if they were having problems with their care. And bless him, that is exactly what he did. Picked up the phone, got a supervisor on the phone, and enlightened them to the fact that I had been there for six hours, was still in pain, still clueless, and had not been helped in the least-and that if these things didn't change, he would take me home where he could provide the same level of care that I was receiving, and that there would be several jobs in jeopardy if he had to do so.

Voila! Before he could even get off the phone, nurses and doctors were running in to take care of me. It's not that I expected to be waited on hand and foot, I just wanted a basic level of care. Leaving a scared pregnant woman in severe pain in a room without any information for six hours is totally unacceptable. Not that we ended up getting any information-basically, the doctor told us he had no idea why I was in pain (awesome), that it was probably normal uterine and ligament stretching (um, no, I'm pretty sure contractions at 15 weeks are not normal and this is not my first time at the rodeo, homeboy-I wouldn't run to the ER for some ligament pain), and that the best he could do is give me some medicine for pain and tell me to follow up with my OB.

Which is fine. If he didn't know, he didn't know. But why keep me waiting around all day if the eventual outcome is nothing? He could have come in two hours earlier, after the ultrasound showed the baby was okay, and sent me on my merry way. Grrrr.

So now I am home, resting somewhat comfortably. I'm still feeling some pain, but the severity has lessened immensely and the contractions have stopped. I've got three bruises, a bottle of pain meds I won't use, and a large bill to show for my adventure.

The moral of this story? Nothing good comes from cleaning. Ever. I should have sat my pregnant ass at the pool all day.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

2011-07-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Something crazy happened this weekend. My parents were kind enough to call me, out of the blue Friday night, and ask to take the girls Saturday-Monday for some quality grandparental bonding time. Um, duh? Are you sure you want to wait until tomorrow? I could pull them out of bed and bring them to you now if that works!

I excitedly filled Mr. Floren in on our upcoming child-free weekend, and we began running down a list of all the things we wanted to accomplish in those magical 48 hours. Out of the things that are appropriate to mention in a public space, our number one wish was going out to dinner. By ourselves.

We usually go out to dinner once every other week or so as a family, and it is a nice change of pace (aka-I don't have to cook. Heavenly.) However, as all you parents know-taking the kids with you just isn't quite as fantastic as going with just your partner. Rather than languishing over conversation and ordering "just one more" glass of wine to keep the fun from ending, you spend your time encouraging children to "finish eating your dinner-I spent good money on that!" and "stop kicking your sister under the table" and "I don't really think you need to go to the bathroom, you just went ten minutes ago".

One of our favorite dinner out locations used to be just a walk across the street, before we moved into our new house. Wild Vine Bistro in South Mill Creek/North Bothell was literally a two minute jaunt from our old place, and while it is family friendly, it was one of our top destinations to enjoy great food, wonderful local wines, live music, and each other. The best part was, if one enjoyed the wine a wee bit too much, there was no worries, other than making sure you paid attention to the crosswalk signals.

Even though we are not quite as close anymore, we will still be trekking to enjoy Wild Vine...especially with today's Juice in the City Seattle deal! For only $10, you will get a certificate worth $20 of fresh, organic fare and top notch drinks (the ambiance and music is free!). This deal is only available until midnight tonight, so make sure to head on over to JITC and grab yours!

Ice Cream and Pedicures.

2011-07-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'll take two of my favorite things for $200, Alex?

The little ladies and I are all about girly indulgences...especially those which involve others painting our little piggies. Example:

And I presume the ice cream part is self explanatory. Who doesn't love ice cream-seriously?

So if you're a multitasker, Juice in the City Seattle has got a deal for you today. For only $22 (a 51% discount off the normal $45 price tag!) you can get an ICE CREAM PEDICURE at Sweet Feet Salon in Redmond. Oh yes, my friends, something this sumptuous actually exists. Treat yourself to a full spa pedicure using ice cream scented scrubs and lotions. There are only 100 deals available until midnight tonight, so run over to Juice in the City now and pick up a dessert for your tired tootsies!

One down, two to go....

2011-07-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Second Trimester.

It's the stuff dreams are made of, if you are a totally sucky pregnant lady, such as myself. I'm just not good at it. Don't get me wrong, I totally consider myself blessed that I am able to carry children and consider it a privilege, but geez. I imagine that being infected with a parasite is easier than pregnancy is for me.

For as awful as the first trimester is, however, the second trimester is great. My energy returns, the nausea is reduced by at least 75%, the headaches are lessened from murderous rage inducing to only stabby, and all is generally right with the world.

As long as this belly stops growing at a weedlike pace.

Before knocking up:

Oh, look, there's almost a waist.

9 weeks Post Knocking Up:

Thank the good one upstairs for maternity jeans.

The crazy thing is, I haven't gained a single pound yet. It's all baby. I just wish it looked a bit more like baby...I'm in that awkward not obvious belly bump stage where it just looks like I need to lay off the cheetos or something. I'm trying not to obsess over the weight thing, but for health reasons + my own selfish desires, I really don't want to gain any pounds until the third trimester. It's hard for me not to obsess, though, because even with the lack of weight gain and my continuation of exercise, my waist is becoming more rotund (duh, there's a baby in there, idiot) and it's messing with my head. Yay body issues!!

On that note, I think there's some cheetos in the pantry calling my name.....