Addiction to The Company Store Catalog

Has anyone else gotten "The Company Store" catalogue in the mail?? I love this catalog with an unholy desire. I love EVERYTHING about it, and I always peruse the pages lovingly. Looking over each page of sheets and comforters and blankets, the color choices, the fabric choices... the patterns.... And depending on the weather outside, I change what fascinates me. Right now I'm interesting in anything that seems "warm". Down comforters, flannel sheets and fleece throws - I look over each page and examine the different "degrees of warmth" that they have, the "good" vs "best" pillows, and I ignore the insanely high price tag of everything I want. I know I've posted before how much I want the puppy dog flannel sheets, but right now I am longing for the following:


North Pole Flannel Bedding















Doesn't that look all lovely and warm and soft?? God I want to climb into the pages and get under the covers...

Down Blanket Throw

We already have one down blanket on the sofa and Jeff and I fight over it during the winter - we need another one.

Over-Sized Down Comforter

The description for the down comforter in particular is almost pornographic in detail:

Our exclusive Double Diamond™ comforter / duvet is filled with 600-650 fill power goose down for a more luxurious comforter / duvet.
300-thread count cotton cover is stitched through in diamond pattern.
Machine wash.
Made in La Crosse, Wisconsin, of fine imported materials.
What does supersize mean?We've taken our traditional comforter / duvet and given it a few extra inches to create a supersize, super luxurious comforters / duvets with a generous 15 in. drop (that's 4" wider and 10" longer on a queen size bed). As lofty and billowy as our traditional versions, only grander because you can never get too much of a good thing.

Doesn't that make you want to buy the comforter and curl up underneath it wearing some over-sized flannel pajamas and a nice mug of hot chocolate?? Because damn do I want to do that very thing. In the wintertime I LOVE getting into bed. I love the flannel sheets, the soft blankets, the thick comforters and burrowing under all those blankets until I am nice and snugly warm. Do I need to mention that Jeff HATES that I pile our bed with all those blankets?? He gets too hot and when we first started dating I had this SUPER thick comforter and Jeff would actually throw his leg OUT THE WINDOW because he was so hot. Out the window, and I lived on the THIRD FLOOR!! I also worry about Nathan not being warm enough... right now he's wrapped in his "Baby in a Bag" comforter thick sleeping bag and I worry that it's not thick enough. Maybe it's time to break out the fleecy baby footie pajamas as well?? Oh, and don't think we've forgotten Monty, because he just got his new fleecy jacket from:

http://www.nonudehounds.com/. So he's nice and warm too!

I've Come To Realize

I've come to realize...
1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size ... is always fluctuating!
2. I’ve come to realize that my job …is sometimes just a means to a paycheck, and sometimes gratifying
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving …I like to sing along to the radio, preferably Octane on Sirius
4. I’ve come to realize that I need …more sleep than I ever thought possible.
5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost …my sense of humor when I am bone tired
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when …people aren't straight up with me.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk …I've had one glass of wine and will really, really regret it at 2am when Nathan wakes up
8. I’ve come to realize that money …can bring freedom
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people …are not worth the effort.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always …be slightly insecure
11. I’ve come to realize that my sisters....is an intelligent, funny, amazing person who I am blessed to have in my life.
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom …is human.
13. I’ve come to realize that my dad … is always there for me.
14. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone …is my lifeline.
15. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook …I love reconnecting with people from my past.
16. I’ve come to realize that today …is over way too soon.
17. I’ve come to realize that tonight …is always going to be long.
18. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow …holds much promise.
19. I’ve come to realize that I really want to …write a novel.
20. I’ve come to realize that life …goes very, very fast and not always in the direction you would like.
21. I’ve come to realize that this weekend …can't get here soon enough!
22. I’ve come to realize that marriage …takes work and patience and laughter
23. I’ve come to realize that my true friends …amaze me with their kindness all the time.
24. I’ve come to realize that this year …was not what I expected it would be.
25. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should …have gone into the medical field
26. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified …of being a bad wife/friend/parent
27. I’ve come to realize that I love …being a Mommy
28. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand …why people can be so nasty
29. I’ve come to realize that God …is everywhere
30. I’ve come to realize my past …may not be perfect but is not something I would ever change.

Adorable Baby with Santa

And yes, we took Santa to the mall to get his picture taken. Jeff said that he wouldn't do it every year, but I definitely would. Nathan was very good too I must say. He smiled and let Santa hold him and there were no water works. Of course next year that might be different when he figures out that he's with a STRANGER and that Mommy and Daddy are not there - but for now he was perfectly content being held for his picture. In fact the hardest part was getting him to smile AT THE CAMERA. He was fascinated by all the other boys and girls waiting and kept looking to the side and smiling at them. Cute - but slightly frustrating as we tried to drag his attention back to us. Oh, and the photographer kept calling him a baby GIRL. Ah well... at least the picture is beyond cute!

Christmas Shopping for now

So my friends, for Christmas shopping this year, where have you spent the most money? For me, it's Amazon.com. I've been getting some pretty great deals on Amazon.com and I've even found promotional codes for that site - something that I never thought I would find, and I've USED THEM! By scouring the web and looking at tons of gifts ideas and deals I've really made use of my dollars this year, and made use of the internet. In fact, I've used the internet so much I can't even imagine what my life was without it! Remember when there was NO INTERNET?? When we would pick up the phone and call someone? Or put pen to paper and write a letter? A REAL letter that got sent through the mail with stamps and an envelope. It just blows my mind how acclimated we all are with the internet and shopping and reconnecting with friends and reading stories, I just love it! Anyway, where have you all spent the most money on presents to date? Amazon.com is it for me, but if we're talking clothes for me - Old Navy. It's all about the most bang for my buck!!

Day 4 of Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Remember how I couldn't do the "no take out" challenge? Well it's amazing just how well I can stick to a challenge when I have NO MONEY. My bank account has exactly $35.00 in it until next Thursday. Yes, $35. Yes, I realize the slight irony that I have my age in money in my account, ans the sad reality that as an adult of 35 I still have such a pathetically low balance. On the plus side - all the bills are paid. The bills are paid, Nathan has clothes and diapers and food and is EATING BANANAS!!!! I KNOW..that's like real people food and while he still seems to think that we're crazy for giving him something other than formula...he's actually kind of chewing it. But back to money.... I'm lucky that everything is paid for, there's gas in my car to get to work, and there is definitely food in the pantry. And it's been peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day this week. I like peanut butter and everything, but it is getting a little old. Now the Katharine with more than $35 in her account would pick a day and perhaps go get chicken parmesean and ziti for lunch one day, or peking ravioli, or pick up take out one night. But this Katharine is BROKE..and still has some presents to get so it's been easier to "stick to the rule of no take out". But is it really sticking to the rules if I HAVE TO???

So I'll leave you all with this because even though I've seen it a million times I still think its highly entertaining:

Christmas Present Buying

I was going to attempt and head out this past Friday for my first ever Black Friday shopping spree. Unfortunately Nathan had other ideas and was a fussy, fussy baby the night previously. We can't blame it ALL on Nathan as we were staying with Jeff's father and step-mother in Randolph for the night and Nathan has been fighting a cough for the PAST TEN DAYS!! As a result, Nathan was an ANGEL all day at Thanksgiving dinner. He was passed from person to person and he only fussed slightly, and everyone marveled at what a "perfect baby" he was. Well that night, there was payment demanded for his wonderful behavior. He had NOT napped during the day - 31 people all oohing and aahing over him was WAY too over-stimulating for a 5 month old, and he was WIDE AWAKE. Needless to say he didn't sleep that night, and in fact he was so awful that Jeff did something he has only done twice before.

He brought Nathan to bed with us. Now if you know Jeff you know how strongly he feels against NOT bringing Nathan into the bed with us, so for Jeff to cave in on this issue means we were past the point of rational thinking. So the next morning there was no way in hell that I was waking up at 4:30am to shop. AND.. well we're broke. We're broke, broke, broke. Yeah, I know... what else is new???

But the whole broke thing really got me thinking about Christmas. As I get older I find the less I truly want under the tree, and instead I've been looking at several different sites and checking out toys for Nathan. So far Nathan has about 5 different toys and we've decided to stop there - after all, Nathan IS a baby and its not like he's keeping a score card about what he's getting. I plan on getting a few more books for his library, and that's about it. But for Jeff it's a different story. I just ordered two gifts for him and I've limited my budget to $150. Now that may seem like a lot, but in the past I've tended to go a little crazy with gifts at Christmas. I just like buying things, I like the whole process of thinking about what the perfect gift is, where to find it, and buying it and wrapping it. And I especially love watching people open the gifts. This time round I'm going to be looking for great gifts for Jeff that also don't cost a lot. It's going to require a lot more creativity from me, and I'm paying more attention to sales/bargains and the such so I can not only get more ideas about what to get him, but the best prices as well.

I've also crossed some people off my list. My sister and I for example decided last year not to exchange gifts and instead go out to dinner with each other. Karen is in London right now, so getting time with her is infinitely more precious than something material. I don't really exchange gifts with friends anymore (I think we're all in the same boat right now money wise!!), so the gifts also go to the following:

• My cousin
• My father
• My mother
• Jeff's mother
• Jeff's niece Alli and nephew Brian
• A $20 gift card for our postman (if you saw the hill of death we live on, you'd know the man deserves a little thank you for hiking up here to deliver our mail!)
• And I also need to get little gifts for the women who watch Nathan at Daycare. I'm thinking Dunkin' Donuts gift cards.... Though Jeff thinks this isn't necessary since we pay a LARGE sum of money for the privilege of taking him there....

Here's my question? What's your budget for the holidays? Do you exchange gifts with certain people, or with everyone? Who makes the list??

Thoughts on Spanking

I read a pretty interesting article on spanking, and according to the poll, about 49% of parents do spank their kids. You can reference the article here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?blogid=46&entry_id=51890). Now, I'm not a huge fan of statistics in general because personally I feel that statistics can be skewed to show favor to just about any argument, it's all in the way the numbers are presented. BUT, I did find it interesting to read all the different thoughts. Since I work in a pediatric dental office I see all manner of children. Well behaved, badly behaved, really badly behaved and so on. And the really badly behaved are bad. Real bad. I'm not talking about our special needs patients who obviously have reasons behind their behavior and different standards of behavior, I'm talking about kids who get away with EVERYTHING. I had one kid bat a balloon over my head repeatedly.. it bounced OFF my head several time IN FRONT OF THE CHILD'S MOTHER WHO SAID NOTHING! Not a word, not a peep, not even an ATTEMPT to discipline or correct her child. You know, that half assed "No Johnny, that's not nice" comment when the parent very obviously DOES NOT MEAN IT. Nothing. This parent let their little terror run rampant through the reception area, and she did it because hey! It's not HER house.. and what does she care if little Johnny causes havoc and destruction somewhere else. Because dammit, she's going to sit and read People magazine and find out all about the stripper who apparently had an affair with Fergie's husband and really there is nothing more important than that!

And I confess, I have thought in my own head that perhaps a spanking is something the demon child needs. But I'm not really a fan of spanking. As a child, I WAS spanked, and I have to say that my memories of it were not pleasant. And yes, I am completely aware of the fact that spanking is a punishment, and NOT supposed to be pleasant. But there seems to be something so undisciplined about spanking, that anger is getting the best of the parent and they are lashing out. So for now, I'm not on board with the spanking as a discipline method. Of course it's so easy for me to say something like that when I have a 4 month old and of course it's not even on the radar screen anytime soon, but Jeff and and I have discussed it and we're both pretty much in agreement that there will be no spanking in this house. Time outs, loss of privileges, of course. And perhaps a visit from Super Nanny if the need ever arises!!!

So my friends, what are your thoughts on spanking? Yes? No? Maybe???