thanks maux!

visiting from just say maux? this blog exists because of her inspiration and insistence!

thanks for stopping by - hope you find things you love, can learn from or relate to. enjoy!

auntie mo-mo with Scarlett on day ONE of life!

le chic bebe

styled and photographed by auntie K

flower headband by lollitop bought online at babysteals
alligator shirt by beestorms at local SF design store RAG
thirfted leopard print leggings found at chloe' closet
maryjane socks by trumpette gifted from tia katy

rainy day

rainy days can be a scary prospect with an infant. stuck inside all day? oh my!

but we made do though with the following things...

i wore my new black boa hunter boots during a walk in the rain. first time, loved 'em, yay!

we read the perfect have-fun-on-a-rainy-day book, the cat in the hat.
{you already know now that i love rhyming books}

and we ate something warm, hearty and filling for dinner...

i thought about making turkey chili, but my taste buds and stomach led me elsewhere in the store. i bought what looked and sounded good and then threw it all together in the le creuset. don't know what to call this, but find out how you can make it too below. very simple.

side note: poblano peppers are my new fave. i like the rich but not too spicy flavor and the texture is softer/better than bell peppers.

ok, so here is what you do: saute garlic and shallots in olive oil. add about half tablespoon of each: basil, thyme and italian seasonings, whatever you fancy, cook until fragrant. add crimini mushrooms, zucchini and poblano peppers. saute until browned/softened.

add sausage {that was previously browned in the same pan but set aside while veggies were sauteing}. i used bulk italian sausage from the whole foods butcher counter, half mild pork and half spicy chicken {so i could convince myself it was somewhat healthy by having less fat than all pork}. add one large can peeled tomatoes and one regular can of diced tomatoes. i poured the liquid out of the diced first and just added the tomatoes because i wanted it to be thick.

add salt to taste. bring to boil, turn heat down to simmer, cover and sim for 15-20, or until the pasta is ready or you are too hungry to wait any longer. serve with the pasta of your choosing. i picked medium length semi-curly, semi-macaroni looking ones.

uumm, would it be inappropriate to say this creation was delicious? 

hope not, because, seriously, so good. enjoy!

hope these things bring warmth and smiles into your next rainy day

llama llama loves her mamma

our new fave books:

llama llama books by anna dewdney

llama llama is sad on the first day of school without mama

llama llama is mad at mama while at the shop-o-rama

they seriously are so cute. and fun to read. Scarlett is only interested in trying to eat the pages, but dave and i absolutely love them! they are lighthearted and sweet, and are written in the only suitable way to write a children's book; strict rhyming verse. {i much prefer reading the sing-songy-rhyme-y books to unmelodic prose, don't you?}

we've integrated the llama llama tune into our vernacular. on the days i work, i'm gone from 6am until 830pm {ugh} and Scarlett is asleep already when i get home {double ugh}, so i love getting iphone pic updates of the babe from daddydave during the day. these are a few of the llama llama messages i've gotten recently.



llama llama dreams of mamma

llama wanna play with mamma

happy happy llama llama

see you manana mamma llama

Scarlett's got skillz

i know it's cliche to say, but Scarlett really has gotten so much bigger and changed so fast this last month. she seems like a for-real kid now, not an itty bitty anymore. she sits up on her own, spots a toy across the room and army crawls towards it, pulls herself to standing (though doesn't know how to get down just yet), blows bubbles, interacts and plays with her toys instead of just trying to eat them, squeals with laughter from belly raspberries and peek-a-boo games and can do lots more super cool tricks. it is amazing watching her develop new skills and discover new things each and every day.

it is almost incomprehensible how fascinating babies are! who couldn't stare at a baby for hours? the things they learn sound so mundane, like clapping their hands, but it appears incredible and magical when a baby who has only been in this world for 7 months does it for the first time...you may not be in complete awe from this video of Scarlett "clapping," but I was sure one excited mamma when she did it!  

feeling the love

for some reason, this valentine's i've really been feeling the love more than i can ever remember. maybe it's because i am so in love {slash obsessed} with Scarlett that my heart is just bursting with amorous joy.

but i know there's more to it; it also has to do with the hubs! maybe it's because david and i are loving being parents and having a family together that we feel a closer-than-ever love. maybe it's because it was actually a luxury to go out on a date alone, whereas pre-baby valentine's was just like any other dinner out. maybe it's because of the ten day plan, but i'll only give you the deets about that if my mother and my mother-in-law promise not to read. either way, we had a great date out for valentine's. 

we made a rule on the way to din that we couldn't talk about the baby or work. we spent way too much money at a fancy french restaurant, but it was worth every penny. we ate delicious food - oysters, escargot, duck confit, pork tenderloin, shrimp risotto with lobster sauce and finished with french toast and carmel ice cream. we flirted and laughed and complimented each other on how good the other one looked - it was wonderful!

valentine's has historically been a mostly useless holiday. it's too high pressure to have a special night that it can end in disappointment. lameskis. yes, it is a hallmark made-up holiday, but this valentine's we actually took it as a moment/day/time to really stop and remind each other why we love the other. cheeseball, i'm aware, but it's true. kind of like how thankgiving and christmas holidays might be the only chance for many people to spend time with their families, valentine's can be a needed break to spend some qt with your partner/spouse/baby daddy. with a busy life of two working parents and a newborn, sometimes you need that holiday reminder. i'll take it!

i feel so lucky to be filled with so much love this valentine's. hopefully we were able to send and spread a little love to many others too. love, love, love...

easy peasy homemade valentines

i had a vision for this idea from fellow fantastic mamma, meghann, who sent homemade christmas cards using stamps. for valentines, i'd cut out heart shapes, stamp a foot or hand print on there, write happy valentines, and viola, easy peasy homemade valentines.  then i went to papersource to gather materials, and my idea got even easier. they sell pre-cut heart shaped cards! when i saw the "happy valentine's day" rubber stamps, i was sold. much easier and prettier than my handwriting. done and done. 

directions:
ink up child's hand or foot
stamp hand or foot print on pre-cut heart shaped cards
ink up rubber stamp
stamp on "happy valentine's day"
let dry
mail
wait for gushing responses from delighted valentine's recipients

i brought the supplies up to tahoe and we had arts and crafts time with four babies {18 months, 14 months, 7 months & 5 months}. it got a little messy, but the ink pads cleaned up off the table and the babes without a prob. i used red, white and pink hearts with white and pink stamp pads. can i say again how easy this was? but that doesn't mean there wasn't tons and tons of love put into each one!

we hope you have a wonderful and loved filled valentine's! 

~smooches and lovies from mammamags and baby S~

valentine's prezzies

have a friend who is a new mamma? are you a new daddy in need of a valentine's gift? or are you a mamma who wants to buy yourself a pretty prez for being a fantastic mamma?

i love these birthstone necklaces by viv&ingrid 

fellow fantastic mamma, shelley, gave me the june pearl for baby S and had it sent to me before we even came home from the hospital. love it! it came gorgeously gift wrapped from viv&ingrid with a special hand written love note. so many options too. you can pick the single birth stone paillette charm, or birth stone with monogram or even multiple birthstones for those lucky mammas with lotsa babies. i've worn mine every day since. just simple, delicate and perfect. and of course Scarlett loves to play with the charms these days. who wouldn't?

enjoy!

happy valentine's weekend!

i have the best nanny in the whole world!

she also happens to be my sister.

besides the fact that she is obsessed with baby Scarlett and takes such fantastic care of her,  i get some extra special sissy perks too. without even asking!

i came home from work tonight to grilled chicken ceaser salad with homemade dressing and homemade garlic croutons. this recipe was up on my laptop, but i'm pretty sure she added secret improvisations as she usually does while cooking. seriously, the best ceasar salad i've ever had. amazing and deelish!

and then as she was walking out the door, carrying a sack of dirty diapers to take out for pickup in the morning, she stopped to say the following, "oh, if you separate the clothes tonight {referring to the clothes that are still in suitcases from our tahoe trip last weekend} i'll do the laundry tomorrow. leave any projects you want me to do for you. g'night!"

amazing. 

music to my ears.

what did i ever do to deserve this, sister k? 

oh yeah, that's right, i spent my entire childhood, adolescence and beyond raising, whoops, i mean babysitting you.

LOVE YOU KER!

mamma's morning out!

 

skiing at heavenly in tahoe! The dads watched the babes while charlene and i had a fantastic morning skiing together. beautiful day, sun shining, no lines, great weather. couldn't ask for more, it was perfect! of course all we talked about on the lifts were our little loves!

snowpocalypse!

snow my goodness

snowmaggedon

snowtorious b.i.g.

tsnownami

 everyone in chicago (where i grew up) is freaking out over the blizzaster of 2011!

this is the view out my dad's front door

my uncle john snow-blowing the whole neighborhood

{they are actually in grand rapids, but close enough}

action shot of my uncle ryan in mid thunder-snow outside his house

my mom in front of the fire department where she works. 
{i think she is trying to act out the windiness that we can't see from the picture}

well, we are enjoying sixties and sunny over here on the west coast. but just so we don't miss out too much on the snowpocalypse, we are headed to lake tahoe this weekend for skiing and wintertime fun!  

 send me some wild SNOW.M.G. pics and i'll add to the post.  
 stay safe chicagoans!