A Letter To Burglars

There have been a string of break-ins in my town (and surrounding towns) recently. I decided to write a letter to the burglars. I'm just not sure where to send it. I'm hoping, maybe they read my blog.

Dear Burglars,

I wanted to let you know that you can skip my house. There's nothing here worth anything, trust me. When I leave the house, I usually take my laptop with me. My television is a 17 inch, non-HD, non-flat screen, heavy, clunky, old television. If you come into the bedroom, looking for a tv, you'll find an even smaller one, again, non-flat screen, non-HD. However, it DOES have the added bonus of a built-in VCR. I'm sure it would catch big bucks if you tried to sell it on the streets. If you're thinking of taking my jewelry, don't. My entire collection is valued at about 80 cents. If it's worth something, I'm usually wearing it. I also read that you're stealing prescription medications. I'm not sure if you'd be interested in my Collitis medicine or my allergy medicine. If you do steal those, rest assured you will have no blood in your stool and you won't be sneezing. Good for you.

I do have something worth value though. It's a nightstick that my grandfather made years ago. It has a place of honor beside my bed. If you do decide to break-in when I'm sleeping, I will be using this to smash your brains all over my white walls.

Again, feel free to pass right by my house.

Best personal regards,

Loopy

Coastin'

My dad calls sledding, "coastin". Maybe that's what they called it in the old days. I love doing it, no matter what it's called.

My sister and I took the kids yesterday to the local country club. My dad met us there. Of course he had to take a few runs down the hill, you know, "for the kids." Here are some pictures of our sledding/coastin' adventures:

Gramps & Meg

(He brought his coffee with him sledding. Who does that?)

Gramps & the boys

Bargains? Not So Much

My sister and I headed out early on December 26. We were in search of post-Christmas bargains. We were extremely disappointed. Our first stop was Target. I got some wrapping paper and holiday themed paper towels, both marked 50% off. Some of their other holiday items were only 30% off, some were still full price. What the heck?! Next we headed to Pier 1. We're not really regular Pier 1 shoppers, so we weren't sure what to expect. I ended up getting some cute gift bags for $1. They were the reusable bags (think grocery store reusable bags).

Next we went to Michael's. We saw lots of signs like this:

Again, I picked up some holiday gift bags. I noticed a real shortage of gift bags when I was wrapping this year, hence the need to stock up for next year.

My sister was in search of crafts to keep the kids busy for snow days and for next year at this time. She did end getting a few things, but nothing to sing about.

As we were leaving Michael's it started to snow. It was just a quick squall and boy did it come down fast.

After navigating the snow covered roads, we headed to Crate & Barrel. It was a mad house! They had some really great ornaments and other Christmas items priced at 50% off. Trouble is, I didn't need any ornaments. I was looking for little "gifty" items to put in my gift closest for next year.

After that we headed to Ann Taylor Loft. Upon entering the store, we were greeted with this lovely sign. Doesn't it just make your heart go pitter-patter?

After searching through all the racks and checking out all of the merchandise, including clearance, we both left empty handed.

In the end, we got a few things for Christmas next year: wrapping paper, gift bags, plates, napkins.

I'm still holding out for the January sales. I'm really looking forward to the Target toy clearance, Old Navy winter clearance, Gap clearance and any other clearance sales I can sink my teeth into. What about you? Did you get any good deals after Christmas.

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

Sometimes I get extremely nauseous just before I menstruate.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay

Blizzard 2010

It's been a windy, snowy 24 hours here in the Boston area. It's so pretty...

but, boy is it heavy. There's a layer of slush on the bottom which makes it difficult to pick up. I went out my front door to shovel and I couldn't find it. Turns out the wind knocked it over and then it got buried under a pile of snow.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started to shovel. The snow wasn't nearly as deep as I thought it would be.

That is, until I went out my back door to shovel the walkway back there:

Wherever you live, I hope you're staying warm and safe.

Christmas Wrap-up

Ahhh, it's over. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday. I love giving presents. I also love getting presents from my nieces and nephews that they pick out for me. The look on their faces as I'm unwrapping them is priceless. They're so proud of themselves. It's great.

My tradition is to go to my sister's on Christmas Eve day and bake to get ready for the next day. I also bring presents for her and the kids and we open them then.

Here's one of my favorite gifts:

Yes, that's a pack of toilet paper. I just love practical gifts.

After we get the baking done, I head home (for a nap) and head off to my BFF's in-law's for Christmas Eve.

Here we are with her youngest child. It's her first Christmas. She looks pretty excited about it.

Here are the stockings at my parents house. Notice that the cats stocking is bigger than mine.

I had a great Christmas. How about you?

Special Day

Yes, I know it' s "Christmas Eve Day" but it's a special day for another reason. Exactly two months from today, I will no longer be 39. YIKES!

I have a new list of goals to reach before the big day:

• Learn to fly a 747
• Learn how to board a 747 without vomiting
• Learn how to drive a standard
• Lose 46 pounds
• Grow out my new bangs
• Learn to cook
• Finally realize that there is such a thing as eating too many brussels sprouts
• Go to a casino
• Clean under my bed
• Meet Jon Bon Jovi
• Forget about George Clooney since he won't return my calls.

I have a feeling that 2011 will be a great year. Who cares if I'm going to be 40? It's just a number, right? Yeah, right! You know who says that? The people who aren't 40 yet!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

So Sorry

Dear Reader(s),

It may feel as though I'm ignoring you lately, but I'm not. I think of you often. It's just that I, like you, have been very busy with shopping, wrapping, working, shoveling, etc. I know that my 4 readers look forward to reading my blog and I feel bad that I haven't delivered. Once the holidays are over, I'll be back, better than ever! I'm going to be adding video and doing lots of shopping posts. I simply cannot wait for the January clearance sales! I may or may not be more excited for those than I am for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell Santa.

Happy Holidays!

Wordless Wednesday

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I have an unnatural fear of revolving doors. I often jump in with the person before me.

10 Minutes of My Life That I'll Never Get Back

The other day I was hangin' at my parents house (aka The Fossil's). They bought some recordable gift cards for my nephews and niece in Texas and they needed help with them.

Since you can only record one message they had to think of something to say together. I wrote a script for them, it read: "Hi (child's name), it's Mere & Grampy. Merry Christmas. We love you!" Simple, right? My dad decided to ad-lib. He added "buy anything you want" at the end. Well, I had already let go of the record button, so it came out as "buy anyth". I said to him, "easy Old Man, no ad-libbing!"

On the second gift card, I said, "okay, here we go" and pressed the record button. They both looked at me with blank stares. I said, "uh hello". They said, "you didn't say 1, 2, 3, go". UGH! Fossils, they're precious, aren't they?

The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Training Camp

If you haven't seen this, it's a must for small children. My kids love it!

Happy Holidays!

Elf on the Shelf

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf at your house? We do. His name is Jingle.

If you're not sure what the Elf on the Shlef is, it's an Elf who comes to visit your family from around Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. Every night the Elf flies back to the North Pole to report how the children behaved during the day. When he returns to your home, he's hiding in a new spot for the children to find him. On Christmas Eve when Santa delivers his presesnts, the Elf flies back to the North Pole in Santa's sleigh.

Shortly after Jingle came to see us, he forgot to find a new hiding spot for a couple of days. The boys were very concerned that Jingle was sick. I jumped at that and quickly agreed that Jingle must not be feeling very well and maybe we could think of something to help Jingle feel better.

The boys thought that maybe a blanket and some rest would help him feel better. It worked! Jingle flew home to the North Pole that night. He left a note for the boys thanking them for the use of their blanket.

I love this age...watching the wonder and excitement in their eyes.

"It's Fine"

"It's fine!" This is what my mom says when you bring to her attention that something in her kitchen is expired.

Me: "This salad dressing expired in July 06.

Mom: "It's fine"

Me: "Ewww, this cheese is completely moldy."

Mom: "It's fine!"

Me: "I think this soda is flat. Oh, look at that, it expired in 2004"

Mom: "It's fine!"

Meanwhile, she won't eat/drink any of the expired stuff, she'll just let someone else eat/drink it.

The scariest part of all? I find myself saying "it's fine" to my sisters kids all the time. Isn't it weird how we turn into our parents?

Gift Ideas

Are you struggling to find a gift for someone in your life? Something that won't cost you small fortune? Well, Loopy to the rescue!

Children:

For a child 2.5-5 I picked up some cookie cutters that spell out the child's name. Pair that with some Play-doh and you've got a cute, personalized, gift. Cost: around $8, depending of length of child's name

If they're under a year, stationery makes a great gift. Personalized notecards are the best! Moms (and Dads?) love seeing their baby's name on things.

Adults:

Magazines always make a great gift. It's a gift that keeps on giving. You know, like herpes. I kid, I kid. People don't always have time to sit and read an entire magazine, but it's great to get mail that isn't a bill.

Crate & Barrel has great inexpensive, holiday themed, gifts. You can pick up some cute hand towels or mugs or a yummy treat. Click here to see their $10 and under gifts.

Happy shopping!

Wordless Wednesday

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I have a huge, purple birthmark. On my bum.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay

They Call Me Sick-a Claus

Tis the season....for the stomach bug. It seems like everyone has it or had it. Some haven't had it yet. Fortunately, I'm hearing that it only last hours and not days. That's the good news. The bad news is, it's awful. First, you're throwing, then you're going (if you know what I mean). In my sisters family, three of the five of them have been stricken with it so far. First her youngest, then her husband and today, her. Luckily the kids were all fine today and headed off to school. That meant that she and her husband could stay home and rest. When I heard that they both had it I decided to drop off a "sick box" for them. I left it on the front porch. I'm not stepping foot in that place until it's been completely decontaminated! Here's what I left:

If you know someone who is stuck at home with the dreaded stomach bug, please consider dropping off some supplies. The last thing you want to do when you (or your little one) are sick is go to the store. I included: ginger ale, saltines, Coke, soup, Gatorade, bread (to make toast) and a few craft items to keep the kids busy when they got home from school.

Some other items to consider adding would be Pedialyte, Jell-O, hand sanitizer and Lysol (to disinfect surfaces).

I'm hoping that the virus stops with my sisters family. I'd really like to have a Merry Christmas not a Merry Sickmas!

Things I've Learned Recently

You know the old saying, "you learn something new everyday"? I truly believe that. I DO learn something new everyday. For example, today I learned not to pick up a poopy diaper hastily or your fingers/hands will end up covered in poo. Not good.

This is me pondering life's lessons.

Recently I learned not to judge a book by its cover. I do this a lot. Case in point, my new blogging friends. When I first saw Kim and Ida, I thought, "who are those two skinny girls? And why are they standing by the food? "I automatically don't like anyone that's in better shape than I am (which is 90% of the population). I happened to sit down next to them and they could not be nicer. There were no condiments on the table and they, smart girls that they are, suggested using the ranch dip as a condiment. That was the moment that I knew I liked these two. They're also funny and smart. I adore them.

I was also nervous to meet Robin from Masshole Mommy. I thought, "with a blog name like that, she's got to be a loudmouth with a big personality." First of all, she's adorable. Second of all, she's so nice. I don't want to ruin her rep, but she's not a Masshole at all. She's a super cool blogger and mom. She really is one of the cool kids.

As I approach my 40th birthday (in 77 days) I'm looking forward to learning lots of things.

LoopyLeaks

In the spirit of Wikileaks, we bring you LoopyLeaks. The following information was found in top secret documents. It was leaked to us by an unnamed source. The facts are as follows:

• Loopy has to sleep with a fan on.
• Loopy wears socks to bed but kicks them off in the middle of the night.
• Loopy is addicted to carbs.
• Loopy snores.
• Loopy dyes her hair.
• Loopy hates to shave her legs.
• Loopy prefers showering at night.
• Loopy has joint custody of a cat named Pepper. Her mom is the other joint owner.
• Loopy is obsessed with the 80's band Bon Jovi
• Loopy likes free things.
• Loopy hates exercising.
• Loopy waits far too long between eyebrow waxes.
• Loopy likes leggings.
• Loopy wants George Clooney to return her calls.

Again, this information is classified. You must not share it with anyone. If you see Loopy, try to resist giggling at her behind her back. She's unaware that LoopyLeaks even exists.

Wordless Wednesday

Are You a Lurker?

My friend Robin over at Masshole Mommy recently posed this question to her readers. A lurker is someone who reads your blog but doesn't comment. I'm not sure if I have any lurkers or not. I'm pretty sure I have three readers. You know who you are.

I admit that I lurk on a few blogs myself. If I am regular reader, though, I do leave a comment here and there. Comments to bloggers are like tips to waitresses, we live for them.

So, if you read my blog regularly, or you just popped in today, leave me a comment. Just tell me your first name. Don't be shy. I'd love to know how many readers I really have!

My Parents Called Me Fat Today

They didn't actually use the "f" word. I believe they said "chunky". As if that's somehow better. I can't understand it. Hold on, my bag of chips just fell off my lap. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, the fat comment. It reminded me of the time that I was in Florida with my parents (aka The Fossils) a few years ago. I emerged from my room in a bikini to head to the pool. My dad asked "are you sure you should wear that with all your hangy-over things?" I believe he was referring to my muffin top. I stormed out of the condo in a huff, wearing my bikini proudly. I grabbed a bag of Tostitos on my way out the door.

In my defense, I'm wearing yoga pants today. They make everyone look fat, right? Right? Hmm, all I hear is crickets.

Perhaps I should think about eating better and exercising more. I can't do it right now though because I just put some brownies in the oven.

TMI Tuesday

It's TMI Tuesday. I'm warning you now, it's not for the faint of heart. Don't blame me if you can't handle it. You've been warned.

I go through Charmin Freshmates at an alarming rate.

TMI Tuesday. Love it or hate it, it's here to stay

Fondue=Fundue

Last week I attended an outing at The Melting Pot in Bedford with some friends from Boston Parent Bloggers. I've never been before and I have to say, I think I'm in love. Check out this melty goodness:

They gave us a number of cheese fondues to sample. I wish I could say that I had a favorite, but they were all so good, it's hard to choose one that I liked the best.

After we had our fill of cheese, they brought out the dessert fondue. I was so excited, I nearly passed out. Not only was it delicious, the presentation was spectacular. They had Yin & Yang, Bananas Foster, Flaming Turtle, Chocolate S'mores and many more.

As I said, I really, really liked the chocolate.

Photo courtesy of Robin at Masshole Mommy

As I was walking through the restaurant, I didn't notice any children. This is a great place for a date night or a girl's night out.

Photo courtesy of Robin at Masshole Mommy

A special shout-out goes to Kristen from The Melting Pot for hosting us. She's a fun gal who knows her way around a fondue pot. I'd also like to thank Christy from Boston Parent Bloggers for putting this whole thing together.

Tuxedos

*The following post was written by Kelly, Loopy's sister. She is a (somewhat) regular contributor to the blog*

A couple of weeks ago, I dragged my boys to the store. We have a couple of Christmas events coming up and they needed something to wear. Needless to say, they weren't thrilled. I was looking for some khakis and collared shirts and they were basically running amuck in the store. That's when something caught their little eyes and I heard them exclaim: "TUXEDOS!"

"Please can we get them Mom? Please, please, please!" My boys don't usually beg for clothes. Toys-yes. Clothes-not so much. I told them that we could try them on see how they fit.

I have to admit, they look pretty darn cute. Like little business execs. In the end, I did buy them. They were on sale and I also had a coupon. Now, let's see if they'll actually wear them.

Free Stuff

Today was a great day! I picked up more than $50 in free products. Everything in the photo below was free.

How? Well, my first stop this morning was the Hallmark store. They were running a promotion on their Freaky Pets. If you were one of the first five people to say a specific phrase at the register, you would get a Freaky Pet for free. They retail for $14.99. They call the promotion "Free Freaky Friday's". It looks like they might do some more in the future, so keep an eye out for it. (Click here for more info)

Freaky Pets are these two-sided stuff animals. One side is cute and one side is cranky. Here's the monkey:

It's an online, interactive game, as well. You can also tuck one side into the other. Here's what it looks like with just the cranky monkey showing.

After the Hallmark store, it was off to the mall to hit another participating Hallmark store. At the first one that I stopped at, in my home town, I was the first person to get the Freaky Pet. At the mall, I was the second.

My second stop at the mall was Victoria's Secret. Did you get this little gem in the mail?

Thanks to having two mailing addresses and a friend that wasn't going to use hers, I have THREE. I have to admit, as soon I got the coupon in the mail, I ran to VS to scope out their products. I'm familiar with their bras and panties, but I wanted to find something for exactly $10, so that it would be free. This is what I found:

A big, honkin' tub of body butter. It's called "Luscious Kisses" (gag). It smells really pretty.

After all this excitement, I needed a snack. Off I went to Godiva to get my free chocolate.

After hitting a couple of other stores in the mall to pick up some gifts, I headed home. On my way, I stopped at another Victoria's Secret. This is what I picked up:

"Kissing in Paris" body lotion. Doesn't that just sound so romantic? Personally, I think the name is a little Cheez Whiz, but that's just my opinion. It smells pretty.

After a few more errands, and heading home to regroup, I went out to get a salad for dinner. I went to my favorite place: The Fruit Center. They have the best salad bar. It's an entire room. Literally, a room. Everything is super fresh and yummy.

They send out an email newsletter once a month and they always include a coupon for a free gift. This month it was Stonewall Kitchen's Holiday Jam. It looks mighty tasty and I can't wait to try some on toast.

Phew, that was a lot of free stuff. I just love days like this, don't you?