A Few things to Share

this has nothing to do with this post. just like this picture.

You probably already know how important I think natural/organic/safe products are.  Here are some quick tips I feel like sharing.


Plastics - I try to avoid buying plastics when possible, but I am not ready to live a plastic free life. If you do use plastics, pay attention to the numbers found on the bottom of the plastic item. #2, #4, and #5 are considered the safer options because they are least toxic and can be recycled easier.  Never microwave plastics and avoid storing fatty or acidic foods in plastic containers.

Food- Eat less meat and more whole grains. Obviously eat more homemade food and avoid canned food **especially canned tomato products - even organic**  they can be lined with BPA.  If you can afford to buy some organic produce, aim for celery, spinach (ALL leafy greens), ALL BERRIES, peaches, nectarines, apples, potatoes and grapes. Be careful of the fish you eat. Try to AVOID: Tuna (bigeye and Ahi), Shark, Mackerel, Orange Roughy, Tilefish and Marlin.
Look at labels!  Avoid the following ingredients: Artificial Colors - anything beginning with FD&C, Chemical Preservatives: BHA, sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate. Artificial Sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame-k, saccharin. Added Sugars: High frustose corn syrup, dextrose, etc)

Gemetically Modified fruit and veggies are all over the place.  It is hard to avoid them these days (heck, i even read that they may be releasing GM mosquitoes in the keys soon) but here are some tips to avoid them: Buy Organic, Look for Non-GMO certified seals, Avoid at-risk ingredients including
soybeans, canola, cottonseed, corn, and sugar from sugarbeets, Get a Non-GMO shopping app on your smart phone. I have this one: Shop No GMO and The Non GMO Project.  Both are free and easy to use.

I have a lot of other tips to pass your way next week. In the meantime, watch this funny video.  I know they are a little played out, but this one - It's like they were following me. :)

Another NC Christmas



Our Tree



Yep. Christmas came and went as expected.  I didn't feel a lot of Christmas spirit this year AND I even listened to Christmas music during work BY CHOICE!  I dunno, it just comes and goes so quickly. Maybe when the boy is older it will be more Christmasy.  NC was great though.  As always I had a wonderful time with Josh's family.  There were a lot of cousins for Sonny to play with and he loved it.  We all loved it.

Josh's Mom planned a live nativity with all the cousins, it was hilarious:

Every little girl needs a round brush stuck in their hair at least once

What's Christmas without a fruit cake?

Grandma's famous bicuits

I've been busy

But who hasn't?  That is no excuse not to blog. Truth be told, I have three posts drafted just waiting for pictures to be added and published.  But I can't finish those right now.  You don't even know about Sonny's birthday, or our trip to Chicago.  At least I can tell you about Thanksgiving.
My parents are in the last stretch of construction at their place and have no kitchen, so obviously we couldn't have Thanksgiving there!  My sister offered to host at her house in Orlando, so after flying into Ft. Lauderdale Tuesday night we drove 3 1/2 hours to Orlando Wednesday afternoon.  Not sure if I mentioned this before, but the boy HATES car seats - although by the end of the week, he matured enough to accept that sometimes he has to man up and sit in the car seat. He gets it.

It was a treat to spend some time with my sister and her new husband in their home. They are happy and wonderful and I am so happy for them- and their house is fantastic.   I only get to be with my parents and sister a few days out of the year so the times we do have together seem to go by way to fast.

All the food was Thanksgiving-y, my Dad helped Cicely make the Turkey and he made is signature cranberry sauce (it isn't Thanksgiving without it).  We (the Maready half of the dinner) dined on a Quorn Tuk'y log (it was a little dry- my fault).

My sister has two dogs and two cats. As much as Sonny liked the dogs, they were chopped liver compared to the cat. Man, he loved Ira.   He would follow (ok, chase) him around the house and whenever he would catch him, he would just try to hug and kiss him.
Speaking of kisses - the boy is all about kisses.  He just started really going for it.  He will walk up to us, pucker his lips and give kisses and even make a MUAH noise!  He kisses all the stuffed animals he can find (even in the airport gift shops), the animals in his books and even the stuffed santa in the lobby of our building. He is such a sweet boy.   After Orlando we headed back to Ft. Lauderdale where we spent 3 days in the sun with Grandma and Grandpa.  All in all a successful vacation (we always joke that i judge a vacation based on the tan I get- I have a little bit of a glow)

(this list is more for me to remember than for you to read through, since I don't keep a journal or a baby book, i have to document these milestones somewhere right? you can skip all this and go to right to the pictures if you want) He is growing so fast and is definitely developing his own unique personality. He is funny and loves to laugh and make us laugh, he is social and loves an audience, he is a great dancer and has rhythm I could only dream of having, he loves to sing and can even sing (lalalala ) a couple real songs, he talks all the time and he really thinks he is having a conversation with you. He says Momma, Dada, ball, more and will try to mimic other words and sounds we say.  He signs please, milk, more, help, no and all done.  He makes less of a mess eating, uses a fork and spoon, washes his hands after dinner (no soap), brushes his teeth (by no means is he an expert at any of these, but he tries and improves daily). When ever he sees a dob he says woof woof, he roars when he sees lions and will try to make any animal sound given him.  He is very helpful when we are cleaning and loves to sweep and wipe things.  If he sees a paper towel or a sponge he will pick it up and start cleaning the nearest flat surface smiling the whole time.  He is just great and I love him.

People get Married

I don't love weddings. I like the concept behind weddings. I like that people unite their lives when they fall in love and want to spend eternity with each other. That part is nice. I like the happy feelings associated with a new marriage and potential it brings.

I don't like the hoopla of wedding planning. I don't think weddings are the best use of the money spent on them.  I don't like the stress that everyone involved feels at some point during the planning.

I eloped and do not regret it. My family on the other hand were not so pleased with that decision. Hi, Mom and Dad  :)

I've been to two weddings this year and both were executed very well. First, my sister got married in March, **I failed to add pictures, so I will do that in this post** and then my friend Manisha got married this past weekend.

My sister's wedding was traditional in the American sense. She wore a beautiful ivoryish dress and had her wedding party onstage with her and then had the reception soon after.  She looked stunning and was a beautiful bride. Manisha's wedding was traditional (I think ) in the Indian sense.  She looked like an Indian Princess. She could have been in a Disney movie. Her dress was HEAVILY bedazzled and it sparkled like an open treasure chest on a pirate's ship.  No offense to my sister, but I don't think I have ever seen a more radiant looking bride.  She was just so shiny from head to toe.

The ceremony was long, but meaningful (like my sister's).  The food was delicious (Indian food), but my sister's cake was better (sorry Manisha).

I wore a nice bridesmaid dress to my sister's wedding - maybe someday I will have the chance to wear a floor length brown satin type dress. I was excited to get to wear a saree to Manisha's wedding - maybe I will have the chance to wear a saree again (I hope so).

If you are not married, but would like to be one day, may I suggest an Indian Wedding?  If you invite me, I promise to like it.   If I was not married and planning a wedding, I would forgo the Traditional American getup and wear an Traditional Indian getup.

Favorite's from Cicely's wedding:

From Manisha's Wedding: