Miguelina

I laughed. I cried. I thought. Not bad for a lazy Sunday.

This makes me laugh:

This makes me cry:

And this makes me think.

Have a nice Sunday, everyone.

Fit to a tee

I've been on the lookout for summer clothes that are easy to wear and even easier to care for. (Remember the Great Dress Search? I may be a bit too obsessed with "machine-washable" clothing.) I just worry that caring for two kids and working from home makes it way too easy to fall into the t-shirt+jeans+flip-flops rut. I want to look decent - even if I don't have to!

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like wearing jeans and tees. I figured that there has to be happy medium; so I went shopping the other day and was delighted to find these t-shirts:

They're exactly what I needed! They're literally as easy to put on as a regular tee, but they're so interesting that they can't help but dress up my jeans and skirts. And I can look decent, even when all we have planned is an afternoon at the park. AWESOME.

(Purchased at Anthropologie.)

(Like you couldn't tell.)

Hello! Are you bored?

Wanna see pictures from my wedding? I just posted some at Aisledash.

Belt tightening: It's all relative

You're probably aware of the economic gloom gripping the world - unless, of course, you're not. It seems that no one is immune, not even Vogue, my beloved purveyor of guilt-free frivolity. Whenever I feel guilty for buying something for myself, all I have to do is pick up the latest issue and tell myself, "At least I didn't spend $900 on flip-flops," and go on with my life.

This month's issue has a helpful piece called "The Economists" where their editors show us that "being chic without breaking the bank is, indeed, possible." I was intrigued (how could I not be?) so I took a look at it. DUDE. Do you know what they call "budget" shopping? A $500 per item limit. That means that you could spend $495 on sunglasses and $350 on flowers and $310 on a cuff bracelet and $475 on (gorgeous) green flats and they'd still consider it "budget shopping."

I love you Vogue, I really do. But don't jump on the frugal bandwagon when you don't have a clue. I'll stick to looking at your pretty pictures for inspiration and go elsewhere for budgeting advice, thankyouverymuch.

The video below gives you a taste of what they're talking about. It's unintentionally hilarious.

At the other end of the spectrum is Target. I'll confess, I'm not a big fan of Target (too much stuff and way too many people in one place.) But it was hard to miss the 5-piece luggage set on sale for $49 on the cover of their Sunday circular:

$49! What a deal! Too bad you'd have to be an idiot to travel with so much luggage these days. Don't you have to pay a check-in fee of $15 per bag - each way? Better spend your $49 towards one decent carry-on. Because - surprise! This set is nothing but junk.

Super Zinnias

I bought a packet of zinnia seeds the other day. (I swear this isn't going to turn into a gardening blog.)

Let me explain why I bought seeds: My husband was out of town and I thought that planting them and watching them grow would be a fun educational activity for my three-year old. And I was desperate for something to do with the kid, so a $5.99 packet of seeds seemed like a great idea at the time. (The time being at the grocery store with two hungry kids and an entire afternoon to fill. All by myself. Did I mention that already? WOE IS ME.)

This may come as a shock to you, but the kid lost interest in planting the seeds after 3 minutes - coincidentally, the amount of time it took me to open the seed packet. He got bored with the seed-plant-flower life cycle and became fascinated with an earthworm. I wouldn't let him torture it with a twig, so he got angry and emptied the entire packet of seeds in one spot. And then we went inside the house because his screaming tantrum was scaring his little brother, and two screaming kids in the hot sun is No Fun At All.

What happened next? Nothing. I completely forgot about the flowers...until yesterday that is, when I noticed a bunch of seedlings growing in the general area where Sebastian had emptied the packet of seeds. I was honestly surprised that the seeds managed to thrive since I never watered or fed them or even bothered to cover them in dirt. Since those seeds survived such neglect, I figured the least I could do was thin them out. And that is how I spent a lovely Sunday morning: Carefully digging the seedlings out, prepping the earth, and replanting them in neat little rows. I then watered them and admired my handiwork for a bit.

It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. They looked so happy now that they could breathe!

My hands were already dirty, so I thought I might as well go back and tackle the scary corner of the yard that has become overgrown with weeds. (I should tell you, that's where the brown hairy spiders have made their home. Funny how that works.) However, I'd been such a gardening rockstar all morning that I wasn't going to let some furry insects stop me, no matter how scary and jumpy.

So I took a deep breath, got on my knees, and go to work.

It didn't take long for me to notice that the weeds looked...familiar - VERY familiar. I ripped one out of the ground and headed to my "zinnia" patch.

It was a perfect match.

I've either spent a perfectly fine Sunday morning lovingly and carefully thinning weeds or the spiders have been growing zinnias, and they're better at it than me. I'm pissed off either way.

The movies

So, I saw Sex and the City a couple of weekends ago. (My review is here if you want to know what I thought. Here's a hint: Meh.)

What's interesting is that I went to see it all by myself. I had agreed to review it for work, but my husband absolutely refused to go with me; not only because he wouldn't be caught dead watching SATC, but because the thought of paying $80 in babysitting fees to watch a chick flick wasn't enticing to either of us. And I had to go on relatively short notice, and since all my local girlfriends are moms they need about a week's notice to secure a sitter before they can have a night out. So I just took my keys and drove myself to a 6:00PM showing on a Sunday night. I was a little nervous about becoming the type of person that goes to the movies by herself, but what else was I going to do?

I'd never been to the movies by myself, and boy have I been missing out! It was AWESOME. I didn't have to make conversation with anyone - so ironically I ended up talking with other people at the theater. I got to enjoy the movie and think my own thoughts for 2 hours. The best part? I got to eat a movie-sized Kit Kat - ALL BY MYSELF. That's huge people. I think I'll go out by myself more often!

Also? I went to this local movie house - where they serve wine and beer. Loved it! If you live in Boston you should check it out. It's as old as West Newton and as quirky as the Coolidge, but with a coat of fresh paint and plenty of parking. I highly recommend it as well.

The Perfect Red

Tuesday mornings are the one day a week I have a sitter - i.e. the only mid-week day I can get some work done. Some days I'm so spent I just greet her in my PJs, hand over the kids and let them fend for themselves as I collapse back into bed and pay an exorbitant hourly rate so I can get some sleep.

And then there are days like today, when I greet her at door ready to leave the house in a black 50's skirt and B&W striped tee (my husband said I look like a cross-dressing mime - I do not!); days when I leave the contacts in the case and wear my nerd glasses (-6.5 right eye, -5.75 left eye - yes I'm blind) and I head out the door to get my first pedicure of the year.

Is there anything more decadent?

Probably. But I have small kids, and at this stage in my life it's about as good as it gets.

I always spend WAY too much time reading the names of the OPI and ESSIE bottles at the nail salon - tempted by new colors and funny names like "Argenteeni Pinkiny," "High Maintenance," and "My Chihuahua Bites!" But I always go with my favorite color, a red so sexy and classic and candy perfect that today a stranger at the coffee shop where I'm working asked me for the name of the color.

Because we're friends, I'll tell you guys too: My go-to fail-safe pedicure color is Opi's Chick Flick Cherry (see it on another woman's toes here because I don't have a camera with me.) Trust me, it'll look awesome on you.

Tell me, what's your favorite polish? Maybe I'll try it next time I get a pedicure...