This Week in Entertainment

What Mr. Bo and I have been watching lately....

Shame on me. I have been sucked in, and boy am I in deep. I'm talking about the first ladies of Bravo t.v.; The Real Housewives. More specifically, The Real Housewives of NYC. These women are some of the nastiest, meanest, most terrible and self centered women I have ever seen...and Monday evenings you can find me soaking up every over the top, dramatic, wonderfully addicting minute of it. While in the past I have been known to catch a random Housewives marathon episode here and there, never have I watched an entire season from beginning to end. But alas, the NYC season finale is next week, and I have yet to miss an episode. Perhaps this season's redeeming factor has been that, among all the cray-cray chaos that is Real Housewives, there has risen a beacon of light: Carol, a Housewife after my own heart. She portrays a sense of class that puts every Housewife from every other season to shame. LuAnne may be right, money can't buy you class, but even the countess could learn a thing or two from the princess. Ah Carol, so calm, cool, collected, and wonderfully forgiving, she is the one and only housewife I truly admire. Then there's Ramona, the Housewife I love to hate, and Aviva, the Housewife I used to love but now I just hate.
If the phrase "Ramonja" means nothing to you, good. You should probably keep it that way. But if you feel like joining me on the dark side, then meet me Monday night for some Ramona Pinot Grigio, some Sonja in the City hors d'oeuvres, and some good ol' fashioned cat fights!

Because I fear I may have writer's remorse soon after posting this, I feel I need to redeem myself by telling you about my other most recent obsession: Dowton Abbey. A little more refined, yes? Although I was pleased to see the show did get some Emmy nods, and even a win for Maggie Smith as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, I still think this is the most underrated show on television (perhaps because it is on PBS). I just finished watching the first season on Netflix, but will be a little more hard fixed to find a way to watch the second season as it is not on Netflix yet. As it is described on the Netflix menu, this show "chronicles the comings and goings of the upper-crust Crawly family and their assorted servants" throughout the WWI era. It touches on such topics as social class, women's rights, and even homosexuality, yet is not nearly as sensationalized as most drama on television (maybe why Mr. Bo chooses to watch Breaking Bad instead). If you're not already watching the show yourself, you should be. Take my advice and don't give up after the first episode, because (in my opinion) it was a bit slow to start....but it's about to get so good, so give it chance. Plus, if you're like me, you will have fun imitating their English/Irish accents when talking to your children, and saying fun things like "good sir" and "mu' lady."

The Adventures of Baby Bo: 10 months

Last week our not-so-"Baby"-Bo turned the big One-Oh...months that is. He is so active, so animated, so darn smart, and it is hard to believe how much he changes month to month.
Two weeks ago BB went in for his 9 month check up with the pediatrician. He is still as healthy as can be. He weighed 22 lbs (85th percentile) and was 29 inches tall (75th percentile). We didn't have to get any routine vaccinations or booster shots this time, however I did go ahead and get his flu vaccination over with, which he handled incredibly well (unfortunately he did not handle me accidentally pinching his neck in the car seat buckle a few days later with as much stride).
 I have started stocking up on some fall/winter clothes for him, and have been surprised to find that he is already wearing 18 month clothing. Finding pants has been particularly difficult, because while the 18 months pants may fit around his Michelin Man belly (and sometimes they are even to small!), they are way too long. I am also having a hard time finding shoes for him. I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but BB has never worn shoes. During the winter he always wore socks, but I can't even say that much for him this summer. He's been bare-footin' it since May! If anyone has any suggestions for finding well fitting shoes for a beginning walker with fat feet, I'm all ears.
While BB is still crawling, he really wants to walk. I spend more time than I would like, hunched over holding his hands so he can walk around, even going up the stairs. He definitely does not like it when I let go, and he isn't shy about letting me know. He also has a push toy that he can pull up on and walk around with when my back is about to break.
Now that Mr. Bo has gone back to work, my days with BB can seem pretty long and lonely. I try to keep busy, and get out of the house at least once a day, even if it's just going for a walk around the neighborhood. We visit my grandparents about once a week, and I try to schedule some play dates as well. I have also been attending a Conscious Discipline study through the church where I work part time. I have to leave BB in the nursery, which is great with wonderful sitters and lots of fun toys, but BB's separation anxiety keeps him from enjoying any of it. Talk about feeling like the worst parent in the word for wanting two hours of adult interaction! Sheesh! So, if anyone has any suggestions on dealing with that, once again, I am all ears!
A majority of our week is spent at home, where "we" play and explore all day long! We are having fun learning parts of the face, like nose, ears, and mouth; simple words like "mama" and "daddy," and a few meal time sign language phrases like "more" and "all done." BB loves playing with his music table, anything electronic with buttons (i.e. remotes and cell phones), chasing his Spider Man ball around the house, and his best friend is still the cat.  He also loves getting dirty outside, and incidentally dislikes taking baths.
 Oh to be young and care free...

 

Morning bottle

Giving kisses through the window

Say "Cheese!"

Belly laughs

                                             

Tuesday Tidings

It has been awhile since my last update, so here's the "Bo-lowdown," a.k.a. what's been going on around here lately...

Friday night Mr. Bo took me out on a much needed date. We don't have much money these days, and as much as I love sitting on the couch in front of the T.V. eating frozen pizza every night, sometimes it's nice to get out. We went to see the new movie "Celeste and Jesse Forever," starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg. I thought it was really cute, but I think it took a few too many "real" turns for Mr. Bo, as he was expecting a more lighthearted comedy. Regardless, it was an undeniably well written movie (Rashida Jones was actually one of the writers). Afterwards we decided to get a bite to eat, where our dinner conversation took a turn for the worse when we began discussing our current personal financial crisis. Ugh.

On a related note, I am still looking for a job. In case you are wondering why I am not yet working, it is not because I am completely unemployable, nor is it because I am being lazy and unmotivated. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. I really really want to work. More importantly though, I really really want to work at a job that I will enjoy. Therefore, I have been a bit picky and selective about the jobs that I apply for. I am also pretty cautious when discussing the jobs I am applying for and looking into because I do not want to get my hopes up, or anyone else's for that matter. That being said...SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB!

On yet another, somewhat related note, Mr, Bo and I spent a large chunk of our Labor Day weekend preparing our house for football season. Explanation?.... Mr. Bo and I live in a college town, and with that comes college sports and a large fan following. College football is HUGE in our town, and it is for this reason that this fall Mr. Bo and I will be renting our house to returning alumni for a few home game weekends for around $1,200 for Friday and Saturday night. This coming weekend we have our first renters, and along with a thorough cleaning, we have been busy jumping through all of the city and state ordinance hoops to get our house "renter ready" (like installing smoke alarms in every bedroom. Seriously?!). This afternoon BB and I took a trip to Target to pick out, among other things, sheets and towels for our guests.

Last week Mr. Bo and I acquired a large piece of furniture for our home. A family heirloom to be exact.

Antique hutch for our dining room

In it's place used to hang a decorative mirror. Since I relocated the mirror to the living room I decided to change the color of the frame.

I changed this...

To this...

By doing this...

Covered the mirror with a plastic bag and spray painted the frame

I love it.

BB has been a super picky eater lately. We don't even dare spoon feed him puree anymore. It's his way or the highway, i.e. he eats what he wants to eat or it ends up all over the wall. And what he wants to eat is fruit. While fruit is better than nothing at all, I sure do hate wasting our precious earnings buying the vegetables he used to love, only to have them end up on the floor, on the wall, or as "paint" for finger painting. This morning he did manage to scarf down a whole grain waffle with a peach puree smear; At least not all of my frozen puree cubes are going to waste. And even though it seems like he has been eating next to nothing, he still seems to be packing on the lbs...must take after his mom : \. 

On that note, I will leave you with this...

My friend posted this on her blog about a month back, and I have kept it in mind ever since. As much as I love being a mom, it's not always easy. Like on the days when all I want to do is lounge around the house in my jammies, and BB is fussing from boredom...Or when I really need a night out with friends after a long week spent with just me and BB by ourselves, and we can't get a sitter. On the other hand, there are times I feel the need to remind others of this thought, like when our friend's without kids (which to be honest, are pretty scarce these days) can't understand why we would actually choose to spend an evening at home with our little one instead of going out with them. While "mom" does not equal "martyr," being a parent does require sacrifices. Which is ok with me, especially when it means I get to hang out with this guy....

Happy Tuesday!