Just so you know...

Isn't it funny that the absolute worst thing you can say to a woman with PMS is that she has PMS? Especially if you are of the male gender-(that's one for you boyz-no charge.)

When I saw this I had to laugh. I vividly remember doing that to a boy in high-school when I may have been a tad irritable, and he chanted "gimme a P! gimme an M! gimme an S!". Except since I have opposable thumbs, but am unable to roar with any great force, I grabbed his lapels and pinned him to the wall despite the fact that he was considerably heavier and taller then I. (PMS=Super human strength when angered), and told him in dangerously quiet tones to never ever say that to me again. He looked exactly like that there unfortunate lion. It is a pretty satisfying memory.

My magical Mary Poppins bag

My friend Aunt Lolo was inspecting the contents of her purse (or as we say in my language-hand-bag, since a purse is the little thing that holds money), the other day which prompted me to share the wonders of mine.

I usually carry a small and compact Kate Spade (knock-off) bag, which my sweet sister Shona bought for me as we emerged from the theater in New York City. The guy selling them was acting stressed and we naively asked if what he was doing was illegal. He laughed, "of course not". Umm...yeah. But we sinned in ignorance so there ya go. I think my sister paid about $60 for two of them, so I'm fairly certain it is not an original as the not engaged in criminal activity man claimed. But I have had Kate Spade oficianados say they could not tell the difference so there ya go again.

I love this bag because it goes with most of my wardrobe. It has a pink stripe in there, it has a red stripe so we're good to go. I like the structure, it stands up straight and ready to serve.

But the most marvelous thing about this bag is how much you can fit in it. It's pretty amazing. When I turned out my bag to report everything in it, even I was astounded. It really was like that scene in Mary Poppins when things just keep coming out of it

Let's take a peek inside, shall we?
Brace yourself now..



As I made an inventory I broke things it down into related groups:

Grooming:
1 small hairbrush
3 small bottles of perfume
2 lipsticks
emery board (not photographed)
package of blotting paper (not photographed)
Tube of hand-cream
Contact lens drops
Mirror


Dental care:
1 box of floss
2 toothpicks
1 package of gum
1 mint
I tin of tiny mints in a tiny-mint tin my sister brought from Australia
1 coupon for mouthwash
2 dental reminder cards (for my kids)
There was a whole lot of dentist going on in there. I am obsessed with not having stuff stuck in my teeth which explains most of it.

Random paper things

1 invitation to a friend's trombone recital (which was amazing)
2 thank you cards to give to people when I see them.
1 receipt to submit for something I bought for church.
Coupons for toilet paper. Nice!
Pass-along card
My business card (with an outdated phone number! Excellent!)
And of course, a pen

Mom stuff:

1 horse for when Finny accompanied me to lunch with a friend (there were 3 matchbox cars and a sheep in there too which he re-claimed)

Money stuff
super cool license/credit card/coin holder thingie which Julie gave me, you can attach your keys too, for those occasions when you do not wish to carry your magical handbag
Dollars and change 'cos there's a money pouch in my magical handbag too! Wow! (I also discovered during this exercise that my license expired on my birthday). Awesome.

Keys
1 big set for church (with a big beaded key-chain in the shape of a K)
1 big set for my car and home (with a big beaded key chain in the shape of a goldfish) AND Leatherman.

Oh and don't forget the CELL PHONE (no photo of that but fits in there too, snug as a bug.

That be a lot of stuff peeps. But the bag wasn't bulging, it never feels heavy either. It is a marvelous bag indeed.

Sooo what it's in your bag?

AMAZING Giveaway! Lots of sleep and no more crying!

I go back and forth on this as hormones dictate, but right now I have to admit to being so delighted to be baby free. Don't get me wrong, I think yours are completely delicious, and I want to eat them. I just don't want one of my own anymore. Every day I am gaining in freedom and sanity, and enjoying the independence of my kids and the new things we can do together as a family at this stage.

But perhaps the main thing which makes me think I am over the baby stage for real, is remembering the sleep issues. They were profound in my house. I could never let my babies cry. Consequently I spent about 9 straight years being incredibly sleep deprived. I needed sleep, my husband needed sleep, my babies needed sleep and everyone around us needed us all to sleep because we were getting more crazy and weird every day. (I used to be quite normal). But I could not figure out how to get them to sleep without letting them cry, and I was just not wired to be able to tolerate the sound of my baby's wails. Oh how I wish I'd had access to these books during those very tired years.

By mentioning them here, I may have the opportunity to give one of my readers an autographed set of these books by bestselling author Elizabeth Pantley who wrote the famous "No-cry Sleep solution". If you win, your prize will include an autographed copy of all of the following books:

The No-Cry Nap Solution *NEW*

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers

The No-Cry Potty Training Solution

The No-Cry Discipline Solution

More about the No-Cry Nap solution:

Will your child only nap in your arms, in a swing, or after elaborate rituals? Does your child take cat naps -- or none at all? Let world-renowned, trusted parenting author Elizabeth Pantley help you. She’ll guide you with the same sensitive expertise and gentle approach used in her other No-Cry bestsellers about sleep, discipline and potty training.

Research proves that daily naps improve health, mood, growth, intelligence and well-being. Yet children often resist the naps they need and parents don’t know how to make them happen. The results are fussy, crying babies and cranky, grouchy kids who also have trouble sleeping at night!

In The No-Cry Nap Solution Pantley explains to parents of children ages newborn to kindergarten the importance of napping to both behavior during the day and sleeping during (and through!) the night. She then shares with you her gentle, loving child-friendly techniques--tested on families of all sizes and circumstances--and shows you how you can customize her solutions for your own family.

Pantley addresses issues such as children who resist naps, dealing with schedule changes, turning short naps into longer ones, helping a child go from needing motion for sleep to “stationery” sleep, nursing at naptime, daycare-related napping problems, newborn “in-arms” or “in-sling” napping issues, and much more.

The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems
Foreword by Tim Seldin, President, The Montessori Foundation; Chair, International Montessori Council
Introduction by Meir H. Kryger, MD, Chairman of the National Sleep Foundation.


If you want to qualify for this prize, leave a comment below this post before February 25th,2009. If I am chosen by Elizabeth(fxfx), I will then draw one of the comments here, and if that comment is yours, you will be the most fortunate beneficiary of this magnificent library of No -Cry books- sure to solve your every parenting dilemma. Wow!