Life in a Movie

It should come as no surprise to many of you that I have a very difficult time separating how REAL life is vs how it appears in a movie. It is a fact that if we all lived Movie lives we would be stupidly happy because it always works out. (well 90% of the time, I have noticed an increase in Debbie Downer movies of late and I am not happy about it) But as I watched The Italian Job for the 80th time, the one part that stood out to me that I absolutely LOVED was how the men in that movie are constantly doing hand shakes and hugging each other. They literally could have JUST seen each other an hour earlier, and when they meet up again they do the cool man hand shake and chest bump as if they have been apart for years.

This does not happen in real life, and even more than that, if it DID happen I would think it was freakin weird! If I ever saw Jeff and his buddy Brian do a handshake and a hug even though they see each other twice a week I would think what in the world are you doing. Girls make this exchange look normal, we can hug each other bounce up and down and be totally outlandish, but guys, they can't do it. It makes me wonder if they are itching to get a hug in. If they are dying to let their friend know they are super excited to see them. I know in sports there is the old butt tap but I secretly think Men want more than that.

After hearing about the languages of love I have self diagnosed me as knowing I am loved by people doing things for me, and Jeff is touch. After surveying a few of my friends I found out that most of their husbands languages were touch. This isn't all about sex, it is about touching them to let them know they are important to me....so why don't they do it with their friends? Give them a chest bump and cool man hand shake to say hey dude, I am really happy you are here. Maybe Mark -E- Mark should teach a class or something, or maybe Jeff should start planning elaborate crime sprees involving really cool friends with special talents. I don't know, but I would really like to see a little more man love around our circles, it tickles me so that Men can be that vulnerable to another friend and let's be honest, it would take a little pressure off me... :)

What I want for my Birthday....by Jaime Menold

My 35th Birthday is right around the corner and I am starting to field questions regarding what I would like for said Birthday. If my Kids had their way I would be receiving anything with a Star Wars logo on it or possibly something by Imaginex from Josh....to be clear I do not want either of those things. So what do I want. This is not typically a problem for me, in fact, I believe the problem is I want too many things and I can't focus on what I really want. Or perhaps the problem is I don't want to tell people what I want for my Birthday, I want them to figure it out. I want them to know me, love me and pick out a gift that will surprise me and make me wonder how I was able to live without it. Those are seriously high standards, until I realized that some of the best presents I have received have been pretty "basic" things. My Mom got me a hand juicer once and I thought that was so thoughtful. I love receiving anything makeup related as I am totally clueless in this area, so a fun new lip gloss makes my day. Buy me a purse and I will love you forever, I have a bag obsession and can not have too many! Faux jewelry, stationary, home decor, soap for my bathroom...all of these things I love!! Bottom line, I am not picky, I am not difficult to buy for, but, I want you to think of it. I want to be surprised and I want to know that when you saw said item you thought to yourself, "Wow that makes me think of Jaime".....that is what I want for my Birthday! :)

Skillz I don't have....

Number one on the list of Skillz I don't have is pulling off sounding ghetto...it does not keep me from trying though. Fo shizzle!

Number two on the list, Cooking, I do not cook well. Even following a recipe I manage to screw something up. This may stem from another thing I don't do well....

Number three, I don't read directions. I am too impatient and think I can figure things out on my own when History will show I NEVER do.

Number four, I don't handle spiders, rodents or any other creepy, crawly, flying, gnawing thing well. I am seriously paralyzed by these creatures which is absurd as I am 5000 times their size.

Number five, I don't like to be wrong, especially with Jeff, seems like I can admit I am wrong pretty much any other time...but with Jeff I really want to be right.

Number six, I don't like paying bills, not that anyone DOES, but I don't even like looking at the bill. I honestly hate getting the mail because typically there are a few bills in there that require attention that I am not willing to give.

Number seven, I don't like disciplining other people's children, I can manage my own, but I don't like to come across as the mean guy in any situation. (This is coupled with Adults too, but it is called conflict and I avoid it like the plague)

Number eight, I don't research ANYTHING, I am an impulse consumer to the core.

Number nine, I am a pack rat. I have stacks of crap everywhere, Jeff threatened to send me into Hoarders and I kind of cleaned things up, but I am back in the habit.

Number ten. I am scared to try new things, or anything I have the potential to suck at. These include but are not limited to the following: Golf, Sikiing, Snowboarding,Water Sports, Scooter Riding, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Football, and Zumba.

I am stopping here, 10 seems good, but I have to tell you I could keep going AND this took me less than 6 minutes to pound out. Why is it so darn easy to pick out your shortcomings, I am not sure I could post 10 things I am actually good at, I am thinking that list would top out at 5. I think it is important though to focus on the things we do well...and I guess it is good to be aware of our shortcomings and either embrace them or try to change. I know a few of the things on my list will probably remain shortcomings for me.....but I am definitely working on pulling off my ghetto lingo....I honestly believe I can make that happen!! Peace out Hommies....

What a week, and it's only Thursday....

Okay so I don't know what is up with this week but it is absolutely NOT my favorite. Jaxon has been the devil re-incarnate. I have serious thoughts of busting out some holy water and possibly a crucifix to see if we can manage the demon inside. I once heard that the "half" ages are the most difficult, you know like 5 1/5, well I am a believer. Jaxon has been the epitome of Jekyll and Hyde, one minute he is a darling child who loves his parents, his brother, school and pretty much life in general, the next minute his head is spinning around and he is talking back and blurting out Potty talk obscenity's at me left and right. Couple that with Jeff changing jobs, me on a diet and cutting wine out during the week and it is the makings of a pretty sticky situation.

You know what the WORST part is....the WORST part is we are going to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow. Possibly one of the BEST places for a kid and we are treating our 3 year old and devil child to this amazing experience. I know some of you would say, take it away and don't go, but this is our first time going so they would have NO idea what we were taking away and what they are missing. Not to mention I am so flipping excited to go, I LOVE doing family stuff like this, I swear I get more excited to go to Disneyland then the kids. I want to go down the water slide and see it snow 4 times a day and hear the crazy wolf stories and try not to think of Jacob from Twilight...I want to go. So, this adventure to Great Wolf Lodge is for ME, for me having to endure a crazy week sans help from Jeff, wine or sweets. For ME having to go through Jeff switching jobs and being a mental train wreck for a month, For ME, For Me, For Me! (Gosh and we just went through a Selfish Chapter in our Bible Study, guess I know my short comings) Wish us luck!!!!!

Conversations with my Scale...

This is an actual conversation I had recently with our bathroom scale. I was going to take a picture of it, but realized cleaning it to make it "blog worthy" would take more than 4 minutes so that was out.

"Hi scale. Haven't stepped on you in a while. I know you see Jeff daily, even twice a day sometimes, but I have not been brave enough to take that first step. The last time we did have a conversation I wasn't thrilled with what you told me. I even shared it with the world wide web and that was a big step for me. The past few weeks have been pretty good. I was on track the day after our last meeting for at least 15 days... and then I got weak.

A friend had us over for dinner and I couldn't turn down the Chips, Salsa, Guacamole and wine....oh how I have missed my wine. Truly I thought I could be strong but I was mistaken. Next came the Shower, oh the shower, so many sweet treats (all made and provided by me mind you) but around none the less. Most of the food had Gluten in it, BUT that did not stop me from enjoying the things that did not. I am pretty sure the icing on the cake was from my trip to Costco where I fell victim to a rookie mistake and purchased my top 3 favorite foods, Sweet Chili Brown Rice Chips. They are amazing, they delicious and yes they are addictive. I had to actually THROW the bag away because I have no discipline around them. Such a waste, but it had to be done.
So...here we are.... 15 days of following the rules, and three VERY BAD DAYS of indulgence. Time to face the music. Time to take that "second" first step..."

Scale: "159.5" or what I like to think of as "hahahahhahaaaaahahahaaaahaaahahahaaaaaa"

The year of the DIET

After a season of my "La Nina" Diet, where I actively tried to put on weight for the freakishly wet and windy winter we were supposed to have, I am left with an unwanted layer that needs to go. I am embarking on a ritual that I have not taken part of in 7 years....a Diet. I have been working out since Jaxon was born, and always sort of watched what I was eating but never ACTUALLY put myself on a diet.

I don't like limiting myself, I hate being the one who turns down food or drinks because I am trying to loose weight....that person seems weird and too focused on their appearance, but that person also looks good, and she fits nicely into skinny jeans and form fitting sweaters, none of which look nice on me. So I need to try this. When I see myself in pictures I am ALWAYS shocked as to how big I look....I know big is subjective, but go with it....I think I actually believe I am thinner than I am. I have no clue where this comes from. Kind of like I have blinders on and just kind of "la la la" through life, without looking at the hard stuff...or the stuff I don't want to deal with. Money and budgets fall into this category but that is for an entirely different post.

So here it is. I weigh 160lbs. I am "Moderately Overweight" according to the Calorie Counter website that I plugged my numbers into. I have a Goal to loose 20lbs by May. I am doing this by cutting my caloric intake each day to 1500 and am going to cut Alcohol out of my daily life, and when I do add it in it will be in EXTREME moderation. I am going to continue to workout and hopefully start running or walking when the weather gets nice. I pray that you do not judge me or think bad of me when I turn you down for food or drinks. Please do not think I am rude or too focused on myself, because I promise you I am not. When I get to my healthy non "moderately overweight" self I will put a few things back in my diet, but I am hopeful that all of you will support me and just kind of GO with it....Oh and don't forget to tell me if I get TOO skinny, we defintely don't want that to happen!!!!!! ;) xoxoxo

Lonely time of year

I went lunch and the mall with my Dad today. It is an annual Father Daughter thing we do, we have lunch and then shop for my Mom. I love hanging out with my Dad, we certainly do not get as much time together as my Mom and I do, so I cherish the little moments we have and enjoy listening to a refreshing perspective on a lot of my life's little challenges (ie: Jaxon and Josh). We went to Macy's for the first gift and the sales clerk who helped us was a little...different. Jeff always teases me that I start conversations with the oddest people, and maybe he is right, but I swear I don't start them, the conversations find me. So we are in a conversation with this woman, who is spilling a little too much about her life mostly through envying my Parents marriage of 37 years, my family and my kids ages and of course the fact that she is there working and we are there shopping. I didn't think much about this conversation and my Dad and I parted ways while I did a little more shopping. A few stops later I am in the ladies room at JCPenny's with a woman who was changing her baby. I mentioned in passing that her daughter was so cute and turned to walk out and was immediately stopped by an ongoing conversation I had apparently solicited. I found out that this woman's Mom had just left and she was with her baby alone, she wasn't all that sad about it because she loves her baby, but she missed her Saturday nights out to look for a man. We chatted for a bit and after a long pause on my end I wished her a Merry Christmas and headed out. I was on the way to my car and was stopped by a man who was looking for the entrance to the mall. I pointed him in the right direction and he asked if I knew where the Microsoft store was, I told him the route to take and then he asked me if I wanted to join him for some coffee. I was totally thrown off guard at first, I politely thanked him and declined.

On my drive home I was really amazed as to how many total strangers I had encountered during my Mall experience, and honestly, I felt really sad. I felt sad that these people clearly need someone to talk to, a friend, a spouse, a family member, someone to just make them feel special, needed and loved. It made me think about my life and how much my children need me and love me, how I have amazing friends to talk with and that love me and that I have a Husband who might not always like me but deep down I know he loves me.

So Thank you...anyone who is reading this, not sure anyone does, but THANK YOU for loving me and being there for me... AND next time someone starts talking to you randomly remember they may not have someone special like you do and help make them feel a little special if only for a minute. Merry Christmas!!! xoxoxo

Tis the Reason....

I love Christmas, I love the music, the smells the decorations the hustle bustle and I love having kids and watching them LOVE Christmas. I am however having trouble with my children believing that Santa is the one we celebrate and I know I do not do anything to help that. Don't get me wrong, we go to church, we read about Jesus, tell the story of Joseph and Mary, talk about Jesus birthday and NONE of this seems to trump the man in the red suit. Looking around my house I have Santa's and Snowmen EVERYWHERE, we have two Christmas tree's a Santa Train and a Lego Advent Calendar....and we do have Jesus in a Nativity Scene, but he is small and in the Living Room where we don't spend a lot of time.

I know decorating is not the problem, it is more how Jeff and I are living and teaching our children....but apparently we need some help. I love that Jaxon is going to a Christian PreK right now, he comes home and tells me the bible verse of the month and will talk about Jesus, well until we talk about Christmas and then his focus changes to presents and Santa. I know there are some Missions we could get involved with to teach our kids about the true meaning, but I am afraid they are too young and it just wouldn't sink in. For now, I will rely on our Church and friends to help out and possibly get a few more Jesus decorations for next year.

I want your Sympathy

The other day someone asked me how old Josh was, and I told them he was 3. This is the truth he is 3, but he is actually 3.5 and the reason I told them he was only 3 was because he was doing something truly amazing that most newly 3 year old's can not do. I wanted the person to be proud of him, and of course look at me in adoration as though I actually played a part in him learning this skill. Now the opposite is also true. After an extremely loud melt down in Fred Meyer someone asked me "How old is he?" and I said "He is ONLY 3".....I realize Josh is a giant and knowing that I fear that people think he is actually older than he is, therefore expecting more out of him....in that moment I wanted to tell her he was almost 3, but I figured that would be too far of a stretch.

So why do I do this? Why do I feel like I need to label my child in efforts to feel good or okay about myself. I do it with Jaxon too, when he is having a good day he JUST turned 5 in August and on the bad days he is a really YOUNG 5 in Pre-K. I even do it with the age difference between the boys....sometimes I really want the sympathy that they are ONLY 18 months apart, I really want you to say "Oh wow you have your hands full", I do, I shouldn't need anyone else to tell me that I do....but wow it feels good when someone recognizes it.

I guess that is the bottom line of my need....I have a need for people to recognize me. If I am being honest I want people to feel sorry for me and put me on a pedestal for doing this AMAZING thing of raising two boys. Maybe the lack of performance reviews has really taken it's toll on me. I truly have no hope of getting a raise with this job. Promotions are pretty slim, unless you count the promotion of getting out of diapers or transitioning to each school year. I felt like I should have received an award or some kind of cash prize when Jaxon finally went poop on the potty....and sadly I got nothing, because truly it was HIS accomplishment not mine.

I am hoping that one of these days I can be more selfless and just look at my kids in awe and not need to have validation or sympathy for raising them. I will say that may take a while, remember I am an only child and pretty used to it being "all about me!"

The "Crap" Part...

I love being a Mom. I want that statement to be concrete in this message, I love being a Mom, but, as I was picking dog poop out of Josh's shoe yesterday I started to think; This job has a lot of "CRAP" Part's. I knew going in that there were going to be challenging moments to being a Mom, but I didn't realize I would dislike a few of them so much. Below is my current list of things that challenge me with being a Mom:

1. Picking Poop out of their shoes. I remember getting poop in my shoe once when I lived in California and instead of taking the time to pick the poop out I threw them away. Wow, how wasteful was that girl? But truly, I had thoughts of throwing these shoes away too. I don't even like to clean mud off shoes. It is messy, it never really seems to work and I don't feel like I have the proper skills to do the job well. There should be a class in college that helps you deal with the "crap" part of life that is going to happen. Maybe they did this in Home Economics, I did not take that class so I guess I am to blame.

2. Wiping anything. I am so sick of wiping butts, noses, faces and digging wax out of their ears. At the same time, I am not willing to let my 4.5 and 3 year old wipe their own derrieres as I have NO FAITH they will do it right. I understand there will come a time when they will do this on their own, and then my post will be "I hate having to deal with skid marks on my kids underwear".

3. Cleaning the toilet after my boys pee. I thought I made it clear that the pee pee goes IN the potty, however, you would NEVER know that was even brought up as there is so much pee around the seat, on the floor and even the wall.....they just go willy nilly wherever their little guy is pointing at the time. I am diligently working on this, and will follow my kids into the bathroom if they are ever at your house, but for now, Clorox wipes are on every grocery list and they are truly a saving grace.

4. Getting ANYTHING out of carpet/couches/fabric. Again, probably should have enrolled in that Home Ec class, but my gosh, I spend a lot of time trying to get stains out of things and I don't like it. In my youth, ie. a few years ago, I would give away outfits if they had stains on them. NOW I feel the pressure that if I can get the stain out, Josh could wear it next year, or in his case a few months from now, AND if I can get the stain out of the carpet or couch we won't have to have it professionally cleaned or replaced. THE PRESSURE OF THE STAIN REMOVAL IS TOO MUCH. SOMETIMES THE CRAP JUST DOESN'T COME OUT!!!!!

5. Waking up with kids. I do feel a little more compassionate about this one when my kids are actually sick. I get it. They need the love, support, help in the middle of the night WHEN THEY ARE SICK. What I REALLY don't like is when they are totally healthy and they just pop in my room to make sure I am still there or tell me they need a drink of the water that is sitting right next to their bed. I tried to do a tally once of the number of nights I actually slept through the night. In a month's time I averaged 3 nights per week of actually sleeping through the night. I stopped the tally because I started to get agitated and figured it was not helping anyone. Mommy needs her sleep, I keep reading that if you want to loose weight all you have to do is get 8 hours of sleep a night...to that study I say YEAH RIGHT!

The list is long and I could go on, however after thinking about a few of my additions I realized they were more pertinent to just "being a home owner" or being a "wife" . At the end of the day I feel very blessed and lucky, but if you take my blog griping away from me there will be blood. (that I won't want to clean up by the way).......

My Resume

Going back to work has been a topic of discussion the past few months and I was thinking about my Resume and how much it has changed. I am not sure I will ever be able to convey to a prospective employer just how much work I do in a day. Here are a few things I would like someone to give me credit for and consider as an actual JOB I do:

1. Negotiating. From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed I feel like I am a master Negotiator. I have taken classes that talk about giving your child a "choice" when it comes to something small so they feel empowered. Well...that little piece of advice, while helpful, has also come back to bite me in the a**. My kids now ask me questions like "Mom, you can either give me the cookie OR the cupcake for lunch, you choose". Hmmmmm.....I of course have to drop the hammer and let them know who is boss, while simultaneously making sure either or both child do not have a melt down over something so small.

2. Conflict avoider. I like to think that I have reached a level of conflict avoidance that could rival the Canadian government. For example the other day the boys had two friends over and they all wanted to paint. I had four paint brushes but here is the kicker, they were ALL different colors. Some people may not know the importance of this fact. If something is not the EXACT same my boys will LOOSE it and it will be bad for everyone. I happened to know the two friends we had over and knew that one of them loves the color yellow, AND I also know that Josh loves the color black. Now this doesn't mean that said siblings don't also love those colors, I just know that Josh and our little friend cared that much more. So what to do...Red-Camryn, Yellow-Casey, Blue-Jaxon, Black- Josh....BOOOYA problem solved. (I would also like to mention that this entire thought process played out in my head from the time it took me to walk from the kitchen sink to the kitchen table.) Possible conflict AVOIDED.

3. Leaving the house Readiness. No one knows more than Jeff that this could be a full time job. I will have to come up with a more elaborate title for such an amazing task. During the week I am 100% in charge of what goes in and out of this house, on the weekends Jeff will sometimes step up to the task and , sorry honey, FAIL miserably. "Did you grab, water? No, Snacks? No, Extra set of clothes? No, Paci Blankey? Yes...oh good, how bout Krusty? No, Did you think to bring a toy, color book/activity for when we get to our destination? No." One could argue that our kids do not need these things, but I don't want to be caught somewhere without them, and quite frankly if you are around us neither do you!

I realize that I will need to come up with some additional skills prior to writing my actual resume, but I believe these three highlight a few of my amazing attributes that I could bring to any company.

YOGA! YOGA! YOGA!

It's all the rage. It is an amazing workout...and I don't think I can commit. It is really difficult for me to grasp the concept of working out with my friends and NOT talking to them. I went to hot yoga this morning with two of my girlfriends and we said 14 words to each other pre and post workout and that was just not enough. Apparently I am in the season of my life where I am combining two great things, exercise and socializing.

I actually blame Stroller Strides for this phenomenon. The class teaches you that you can workout with your child, AND your friends AND get results. There are not many classes out there that mesh the three so effortlessly. Even now our running group meets and you are able to chat with the few friends that are around you, but unless you are staying for coffee you are missing out on all the other things going on with your crew.

I am sure there will come a time when I will be able to balance Family, Friends, Health/Fitness in a way that I am able to fully focus on the task I am doing, but until then I need the multi tasking workouts that provide me with at least two of the three. Yoga, I will see you again another day......I see what you can do and I want to be there, but I am just not mentally ready.

Even Steven...

It is absolutely amazing that our wedding vows do not include "will promise to remain "Even Steven" once we have kids and we both feel as though we have no time for ourselves". That should be in there. Sick, done......Poor, done.....but "tit for tat" or "even steven" that should be in there. I honestly don't love the concept, however, it has been my reality for the past 4 years (Jaxon will be 5 in August) that if I get to do something then Jeff will get to something of equal or lesser value. In the end I think we are left with an emptiness regarding our actual marriage or partnership to one another. We are so good at doing something for ourselves, we forget about trying to do something together. If I were to catalog this weekends events it would go as follows:

Saturday-Jaime goes for a run with friends

Jeff goes for a run with a friend

Sunday -Jaime goes shopping with her Mom

Jeff gets to have night off and work on his Fantasy Baseball team with his friends

So how can the cycle be broken? My guess is Even Steven has been around a long long time. I think as long as two people feel as though they do not have time to do the things they want to do, there will be a need for a sense of equality regarding time spent doing those fun activities. The sad part is, my sense of fun and Jeff's sense of fun are not the same right now. Isn't that weird? We found a way to say that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but, we can't decide on an activity other than watching TV that truly satisfies BOTH of our needs. He wants golf, I want to shop. He wants to watch sports, I want to go wine tasting. We both enjoy running, but we are on different training schedules.......we are at a loss for things in common....and this is scary/strange/baffling to me. Does it come around? Will our tastes mesh? Does someone just GIVE in....(like Jeff will start liking coffee and shopping) I don't know, I hope so...it must?!?!

Until then, I love my girlfriends for sticking with me during these crazy times and I guess I love Jeff's guy friends for doing the same for him....and my prayer is that we will meet in the middle someday soon.

TV Executives LISTEN UP!

Okay who was the brainiac in charge of the TBS, TNT and FX weekend movie choices? On a weekend where the majority of the male community will be sitting in front of the TV watching Basketball, I would think it would be a GREAT idea to put a slew of Chick Flix on the secondary Network channels so the women of this world who could give a rats patootie about Basketball have something else to watch.

Sadly my choices today have been : "A Bronx Tale", "Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift", "Last Holiday" (and yes I know that a Queen Latifa movie is generally in a chick flick category, but that movie is just POOR) and "Four Brother's". I did just come upon a classic chick flick that is coming up shortly, "John Tucker must Die"....so I may have spoken too soon, but really let's get on the ball people and think about the women of this world.

For those of you who say...."Gee Jaime, must be nice to have so much time on your hands to just sit around watching TV movies", or "Gosh what are your children doing?"...I say to you, Sunday is my day off and I do what I enjoy most after the morning church and now mid afternoon Choir practice, I VEGE! I am an excellent vegetable on Sunday's...and I don't feel at all guilty....okay maybe a little...but I am trying not to.

P.S. For those of you concerned about the "Choir Practice" mentioned above, it is Jaxon singing, not me!

Lack of Fashion Sense...or Lack of Fashion?

While I admit that the choices for Fashion I provide myself with are small and very economic, I am really at a loss for words with the Fashion options out there right now. After visiting two of my favorite places (Old Navy & Target) I found nothing to get excited about, and in fact, I was VERY put off by more than one outfit at both locations. This makes me wonder if I am 1. Completely out of the fashion loop and this is the beginning of the end for me (insert Mom jeans and cat sweatshirts) or 2. I am not shopping in an age appropriate location.

I am sure more than one of my fellow Mommy friends would find themselves in a similar conundrum, stuck in this place where some things are truly "too young" to pull off, and yet we are not ready to only shop at Chicco's. I do not have the money to shop at boutiques or even Nordstrom right now, and I have never really fit in well at Banana Republic or the Gap. Macy's is "fine" but I have a hard time concentrating in there...too many options in various locations, where still I struggle to find my niche. I have never been an Anthropology girl, and while at one time I was totally sold on Anne Taylor Loft, I am beginning to see them for what they are...oddly made items for a select group of Petite gals.

I used to love a store called Janeville. They seemed to truly understand the POST baby, Middle,middle age woman with curves and a need to cover all the goodies and not so goodies. Sadly Janeville went out of business to focus on their baby brand Janie and Jack (where I never buy anything because I refuse to pay that much money for my kids clothes when I shop at Target) I am sad that Janeville is no longer around, it is a travesty to the "Post Baby Middle Middle age" gal who is looking for a good deal and a great outfit that actually looks put together.

Maybe if we come into some money I will try Nordstrom again, the quality is good and the service is fabulous...but that doesn't help my wardrobe now. Until then, expect very little from my attire and you will not be disappointed.