Today…

Outside my window: It’s just beautiful out. The 50 degree days that New England was enjoying last week has finally arrived here and I am loving it. We went outside to the apartment playground twice today – once after breakfast and once after lunch. There’s still a bit of a chill in the air that kept me from wanting to stay out for an extended period of time with the baby but it was nice to get out. They repaired most of the playground from the fire damage we got last summer, but parts of the damage are still visible. The structurally poor areas though have been repaired and that’s the important part.

I am reading: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I just finished reading about her time in Italy and will start reading about India tonight. I really, really love her writing style and this book is so much better than I ever thought it would be – and I had fairly high expectations. If anyone else is late in the game like me and hasn’t read this yet, I really recommend it.

Last night: Dan made pizza for the first time in what feels like forever. We picked up some cannolis and fresh fruit and made fruit and yogurt parfaits and cannolis for dessert. Delicious. Have I mentioned that the book I’m reading makes me want to go to Europe in the baddest way?

In the kitchen:

• Monday: Spaghetti with a Homemade Marinara Sauce and Italian Bread
• Tuesday: Mac and Cheese (Blue Boxing it) with frozen veggies
• Wednesday: French Onion Soup
• Thursday: Mexican Rice Bowls
• Friday: Fish and couscous with glazed carrots

I am really excited about: MM’s birthday party next month. I need to make the invitations ASAP and get them mailed out. I spent way more time than seems sane looking for construction paper and gel pens yesterday. Seriously? How is that difficult? But I’ve got my supplies, I’m brimming with ideas for the party and yeah, April 10th can’t come soon enough – I can’t wait!

I really want to make: this go with the flow water bottle experiment with MM although I think it might be over his head for the most part…

This weekend we: made the executive decision for only like the 80th time in the past few months to wait, wait, wait at least another year before even considering buying a house. We keep saying that and then getting excited by some good deal we see and then think, “maybe just maybe” but the sheer idea of trying to buy a house, pay for it and move in the near future was becoming overwhelming. Just saying out loud, “Not now,” was like lifting a huge weight off my shoulders. I want a house – I want a garage. I want a back yard. But I’m a grown up apparently and I have to be sensible about it. I won’t settle for an “okay” house that I can barely pretend to afford and then be stuck with it for the next god only knows how long. I’ll wait.

Some other links I think you should click:

• Why Computer Engineer Barbie is Good For Women in Tech by Mashable
• How To Help Your Child Embrace Food by Simple Bites
• IKEA Subway Display in Paris by Freshome.com
• Honey, Don’t Bother With the New York Times. They’re Too Busy Slamming Your Mommy by Mama Kat
• A New Way To Search Etsy by How About Orange

One last thing I want to tell you about before I go: little Miss BB is getting insanely mobile! She crawls, she climbs, she’s practically cruising the furtniture right now and this weekend we had to buy her some 12 month sized pajamas – seriously?