Packing.

We leave tomorrow morning, and as of right now, I haven't put a single thing into my suitcase. Yeah, so I'm totally not stressing.

Also, I am always so amazed how much stuff one little toddler needs for a trip. I'm not just talking clothes and car seat. Stuff like, portable DVD player, cartoons, snacks, diapers, sippy cup, books, her baby and blankie.

This is just stuff I'm thinking off the top of my head too. There's probably a few things more. You may think I'm obsessive, but the other travelers on the plane will think I'm amazing when I keep my kid quiet. If I'm lucky, it might be for few hours or so.

Missing In Action.

Well, hello there.

Remember me? I used to be a blogger and post here quite often. I'm sure I've lost all my blogging friends by now, I completely understand. It's a consequence that happens when you sudden drop of the face of the blog-o-sphere.

Things in my household have been quite busy these past few weeks, but the thing keeping me the busiest is this:



By busy I mean too nauseous to want to live, by busy I mean to tired to do anything but nap, by busy I mean occupying my time by shoving lots and lots of low sodium saltine crackers into my body. I don't think I've done anything productive in like, a month. There are some women who are fantastic pregnant. They either don't get sick, or their sickness doesn't affect them much. Me? I'm a complete mess the first trimester.

Super moody, extremely tired and ridiculously picky about the food I put into my mouth. It seems like so many things make me want to hurl. This of course, explains my Crock Pot Challenge disaster of 2008. Unfortunate for me, my morning (okay really, it was all freaking day) sickness kicked in during the middle of that challenge. Now it's all I can do to keep myself from gagging whenever I see a slower cooker.

Also, needless to say I never even started my quiet book challenge. Oh, and don't ask me the last time I'm tried writing something to get published. (Me in the first trimester also makes a bad freelance writer.)

But thankfully I'm feeling much better now after my first three months. Which is good, because I have a pretty filled summer ahead of me. Our family is headed out East for an internship for Axel at the end of the week. He starts Monday in D.C., and I'm not even remotely close to getting the house in order or packing for 10 weeks. I suppose it's fortunately that I'm already with a chubby belly, because this limits the wardrobe I'll take. Also, now I have a great excuse to hit up the H&M Mamma section.

So, I promise I'll be a much better blogger from now on. I don't have any more first trimester excuses, so I should be back quite regularly.

We are so excited for our growing family ... I'm starting to think baby stuff all over again. You can bet I'm already dreaming about double strollers.

Challenge: Quiet Book

I've been planning this lil' project for awhile now, and now I'm finally committing. For my challenge this week, I'm going to make Mugga a quiet book of her very own. The best part of my design so far? Minimal sewing! (I'm embarrassed to admit I have a fantastic machine I hardly use.)

I'm making up my own story and pattern, but if you want a few ideas of your own here are a couple how-to links:

Martha Stewart

HowtoMe (this one looks much too complicated for me)

Here are two bloggers I found that made their own quiet books too:

Fowler Family

itybtyfrog's ideas

Since I've done nothing but buy materials, I don't have anything interesting to post right now. I'm aiming to do an 8 page book, so maybe I can whip up two or so pages a day (including cover). Hopefully the book I have pictured in my mind will be the book I see finished on Friday.

Us.

Sorry I've been absent from the blog this week. I'll make up for it more come Monday ... because I'm doing a challenge! (More on that later)

If you've been wondering what my little family looks like, here is the most recent photo of us documented by the most wonderful Cindy at friendly gathering last night:

{there is me. Then Axel. and Mugga. One day, I will think of a clever alias name to give myself. Feel free to offer any suggestions.}

Mike and Kim were great hosts. They even supplied a trunk full of toys for Mug. Oh, and Rock Band for us older kids.

Twilight Trailer.

I admit it, I'll be in line to watch this come December 12th.

Rite Of Passage.

It kills me that she is trying to erase her permanent marker mess off the Magna doodle.

Six Reasons to Love Gossip Girl.

I just got my copy of New York Magazine yesterday (I always get mine a little late since I'm not living in NYC), and much to my surprise, the cast of Gossip Girl was on the cover!

{Insert happy squeal here}

Inside is a 5,000 word article on why you should openly love this show and not be ashamed of it's teenage plot. True story. It's a great article, check it out for yourself:

The Genius of Gossip Girl