cheater, cheater, sushi eater!

So I'm back from Japan, and just letting you all know... we cheated! But it was scheduled, planned cheating, and pretty much a necessary evil. We had to bring back presents for our nieces and nephew, moms and dads, brothers and sister-in-laws. Well, we didn't HAVE to I suppose, but it's always good to bring back a little something so everyone knows they were being thought of from across the world.

We also had to get something for baby and for... US! I haven't bought anything new in so long, and I forgot that shopping "high" that I get. Not pretty. It's that edge of greedy, greedy, mine, mine, mine feeling that lasts until you unload the bags from your car. I have to say I didn't miss that feeling. I do love the feeling I get when I pick out gifts for other people, though. That's a fun one. Because you get to feel the pleasure of trying to choose something you think they'd enjoy, and then the pleasure of giving it to them. We kept the souvenirs for ourselves to a minimum, and chose to take a ton of pictures instead. We got a wall hanging that we are planning to put over the bed, and we got husband and baby matching happi coats, which are festival wear. Just in time for baby's first birthday!

But I think that will be the end of new things bought for us for quite a while. I have to go get baby some toys for his first birthday- Once Upon a Child style.

p.s. the pictures above include one of the busiest shopping areas in Tokyo, and a couple of beautiful gardens, which I preferred to be honest.

foot note

So this whole endeavor has me overthinking every purchase I make. I am going on a trip to Japan next week, and according to everything I read, I will be taking my shoes off everywhere I go. That's fine, I lived in Korea for a while, so I know the drill. But unlike Korea, the peeps of Japan seem to be sticklers for the details. In other words, no holey socks. This is a problem since I haven't bought new socks since the Clinton era. Just kidding, but barely. My theory is, you wear them INSIDE your shoes, so who cares about the holiness of your socks? And I just double up if the hole is somewhere a toe might pop out. (Geez, I sound like a hobo, but I'm not, I swear!) Long story longer, I need new socks. And no, I am so very very sorry, but I am not wearing used socks. But I really did have to think twice about whether I could buy new socks!! I went with my parents to Target and as we were checking out, my mother says to me: Maybe I should buy your socks and underwear (didn't have to think about that one, people!) so you don't break your rules. That is a direct quote from my mother. Please! I need a little leeway here. I have to be able to buy socks with a clear conscience!

p.s. aren't these socks cute?

p.p.s. don't judge me for buying underwear from Target. cause i know that some of you do. you know who you are.

I REMEMBER.

I always will.

forever in blue jeans, babe... well, not yet.

So the masses have been clamoring for a new post. Here ya go. I'm just going to warn all of you that this is a very controversial post. You have been warned.

The controversy is this: I don't like jeans on babies. I know, I know. People are passionate about this one way or another. I don't mean to stir up trouble, so I apologize in advance for those of you I may offend. And for those of you out there scoffing, you obviously aren't a mom.

Here is my defense- babies that don't walk yet should not wear jeans. ESPECIALLY not overalls, for God's sake!! It just looks so incredibly uncomfortable, I cannot explain the personal pain it brings me to see a poor little 3 month old all scrunched up in stiff overalls stuck in their car seat. UGH!!!! So I didn't put my baby in jeans. At least not until recently. He is not walking independently quite yet, but is cruising (walking while holding onto something for you parental neophytes) so I have conceded to let him wear one pair- one very soft comfy looking pair (see pic). And that is it!! When he is walking independently, he can wear them all the frickin' time for all I care.

Where does this fit into our rules? Well, let me just tell you that all those people who I know (and love despite their wrongness) are pro-babyjeans bought our baby jeans. And so our poor little babe had about 20 pairs of jeans and overalls size 0-9 mo that he never wore. I sold them! That is the point of my story. Just more STUFF that we had to get rid of.

tax day b-day

So my husband has the unfortunate birth date of April 15. Yes, tax day. Usually we wait until the last minute to do our taxes, but this year we had a new baby and were excited to see what that child would rake in for us! It was a decent amount, but I don't think it even covered 2 months worth of diapers. Oh well.

To keep on point with our rules, I had to think of something to get my husband that would be used or consummable. He is currently rebuilding our deck, and to go with the deck, I thought we could use a "new" grill. We currently have this little crappy webber grill that has one broken wheel. It is sad. Burgers just slide right off the side with the missing wheel. Our dog loves it. What makes it worse is that when we moved our STUFF out of storage, this little strange grill showed up INSTEAD of my husband's golf clubs. So I spent a lot of time looking on Craigslist for a new grill, but that was boring. And I don't know anything about grills. Really, there's a whole different language for grill talk. Long story short, I told my husband to look for himself and get the one he likes. I know, I know. A cop out. Instead, I took the consummable route.

As you can see from the photo above, a good bottle of bourbon was the best idea. Yes, this picture was taken just a week after his birthday. For the record, I also got him a bottle of wine. No, my husband is not an alcoholic, but he does like his booze. And a good bottle of bourbon lasts in this house about as long as cake lasts around a fat kid.

goodwill hunting

So back in high school, my favorite store was Goodwill. Now, this was back when the whole grunge scene was going strong. And I thought it was really cool to dress like a homeless person. I bought lots of flannel, old man sweaters, and corduroy pants with random holes. Yes, an occasional hole in the crotch did nothing to deter me. And all of these for about $1 a piece! Such a steal to buy used clothes some stinky old man used to wear! I will give the caveat that I made sure to WASH these clothes. I may have wanted to look homeless, but I didn't want to smell homeless. And while I wore these awesomely fashionable clothes, I still did my hair and makeup, and bathed every day, so I can't say I was a "true" follower of the grunge movement. My mother actually told me that I would "look so butch" if it weren't for my "pretty face." Whatever mom. Okay, so she was right as it turns out. So to sum it up, I loved Goodwill and pretty much shopped there at least once a month. But I stopped going once I graduated from high school and haven't been back.

Until recently, that is. With our new rules firmly in place, and feeling not so new anymore, I realized I could really use a new pair of jeans. I won't even mention my post-baby body, but let's just say the old jeans just aren't as comfy. There is a brand new Goodwill right down the road so I decided to check it out. Let me just say that this store is miles away from what I remember in high school. Gone is the acrid smell of smoke, cats, and old man. The clothes smell fresh, and apparently they are laundered on site. The store is arranged in a very easy to navigate fashion, and sizes are clearly marked. I started perusing the racks and found a gold mine. I found a gap shirt, old navy jeans for me AND my husband, a couple of summery tops, and a cute shirt from new york & company with the tags still on (see picture)! I also got a couple of brand new jewelry sets (still in the box) as presents for the future. All of this for.... $50. It's true. And there was a lot more I could have talked myself into buying. I could not believe some of the name brands - if you are interested in that sort of thing. Seeing as how I shop at Target a lot, it really doesn't make a difference to me. But it's amazing the amount of clothing I came across that still had the original tags. Unbelievable!

On the other side of the store were racks upon racks of STUFF. I stayed away, I promise.

p.s. Oh, also, I still have my old man Izod sweater cardigan that I bought at Goodwill when I was 16. And yes, I still wear it all the time. And yes, it is back in fashion again. And no, it no longer smells like old man.