The Kept House

Summary: A few housekeeping notes and photos and videos and links.

Goal: To spread holiday cheer in the form of Benjamins and my son’s silly little face in a Santa hat.

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Note the first: On Monday afternoon just as I was congratulating myself on pulling things together after an extremely busy few days coming off the relaxed holiday weekend (dinner party away, dinner party and game night here, cocktail party and ugly sweaters away, sleepover babysitters here), daycare called and said Wombat had a fever of 101 and was refusing to eat and blammo, tailspin into madness (me, not him). Wombat had to stay home from daycare today too (must be fever-free for 24 hours, blah), which puts me now a day and a half behind on work during a short week that includes a big band practice before a big band show, my first crack at a live Nutcracker in I don’t know how long, and my parents arriving in town on Friday to celebrate Wombat’s birthday, which I’ve sort of kind of been in denial over, as evidenced by the fact that I didn’t send out invitations to his party until six days before the actual event. (Needless to say, we went with Pingg instead of repeating last year’s handcrafted invitations of magic and wonder and glitter glue.)

So: I AM BUSY. There is simply no room in my schedule for fake fevers. (As per usual, he wasn’t actually sick. Unless it was a sickness that gave him tons of energy and superhuman powers of flight. Well, superhuman and brief.)

(At his two-year checkup last week, the pediatrician asked if he could jump. HE CAN JUMP. She also asked if he was speaking in two-word sentences. I told her he said to me earlier that day, “Mama! This morning…when I woke up…there was a dragon…outside my window…and it was pink…but it was nice. Mama? Can we go to Lucia’s house? Ooh, let’s play the piano!” Etc. I probably should have just said yes, but if you can’t brag to your pediatrician, who can you brag to? Oh. Yeah.)

Note the second: If Simon had a personal blog, he would probably tell you that he is also extremely busy, and he might even cite the example of today, when he was awakened (and I was awakened) by a phone call at 4:45 a.m. from the night watchman of the building he (Simon) runs who was just then standing in a flooded room with a mop and some late Donnie-Darko-definition “feces,” and was in need of some help. So Simon went to work at 5 a.m. and worked a ten-hour day and then came home and took Wombat grocery shopping for a carload of food while I worked and then ate a quick dinner (that he made) and then went off to band practice, where he’ll be until probably sometime around midnight. But Simon doesn’t have a personal blog, so you’ll probably never hear that story. Instead, though, you should go read what he has to say about the The Last Airbender‘s similarities to Citizen Kane on MamaPop, where he’ll be writing (and hopefully Photoshopping, because he’s a natural) every Tuesday morning forever and ever. Look, they let him have a bio paragraph and everything.

Note the third: I’m giving away a $100 gift card from BlogHer and Olay (this is separate from last week’s contest and from next week’s contest, so click on over), and later this week and next I’ll be giving away two more $100 gift cards and a $50 gift card and a book and some undergarments–yes, undergarments–and maybe some other stuff as well (need a discount on your holiday cards? I have one just for you!), so you’ll just have to wait and see. This is how I’m using my blog for good instead of evil.

Note the fourth: If you haven’t visited Style Lush lately, there’s a ton of great holiday stuff there these days, and not just stuff stuff, but ideas (although the stuff is really good too). My favorites: Jennie’s sweet and simple advent calendar, Sara’s solution for storing boots, these Gap shirts (I bought two and am living in them; see below), and pretty much every gift guide and covet list but especially Elizabeth’s massive 125 for under $25, which inspired my favorite giveaway to date. (It’s too late to enter, but the sentiment and prize are too wonderful not to share, just for a smile.)

Aaaaaaaaand, speaking of the Gap (which I did, up there, I think), they’re in cahoots with BlogHer and me to give away yet another $100 Visa gift card this week, so check back tomorrow for the details and more more more pictures of my Baby Who Is Not a Baby Anymore (but is still extremely scrumptious, as evidenced below).

I hope you guys are all doing well and surviving the holidays with your jolly good humor intact.