melted smoosh

the last Friday before returning to work next week! here's what i've been enjoying during my time off... -- Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus protein shakes. the chocolate tastes just like a chocolate milkshake, and the vanilla version has a hint of nutmeg reminiscent of eggnog (a good thing in my book). they're the perfect sweet pick-me-up for the middle of the afternoon with staying power to quench the nursing-mama hunger!  -- Scandal, starring Kerry Washington and created by Shonda Grimes (the master of drama behind Grey's Anatomy). i've never been too interested in politics, so when people would rave about this show i never thought i'd enjoy it. but one fateful afternoon, it popped up on the "Popular" list on Netflix and i decided to give it a go. and.... oh ... em ... gee. i can't stop watching it. not only are the storylines tight, fast-paced and intriguing, but the camera-work is fantastic and i want to own Olivia Pope's wardrobe

dear sweetest-of-all-the-peas, you're sleeping in your bouncer right now, and as much as i'm cherishing the quiet, there's a part of me that misses you when you're in dreamland. how is it possible that you've been with us for two whole months already? and how is it possible that there was ever a time when i didn't know you? you smile so much now -- at me when i get you out of your crib after a nap, at Daddy when he comes home from work, at the cats when they walk past you (and sometimes tickle you with their tails). every once in a great while, you let out the cutest squeaky laugh and then look surprised at yourself. you absolutely love having your diaper changed, which is weird and cute at the same time. you've discovered your hands, and you like to wave your arms and kick (sometimes with glee, and sometimes because you're mad and not in the mood for a nap). you still love your pacifier especially when you're falling aslee

since i've been on maternity leave for the past 8 weeks, friday doesn't come with quite the same sense of TGIFFFFFF!!!, but it's still friday. and deserves celebration. and there are always new favorites i'm discovering (or old ones that merit acclaim)! this week i'm focusing on my beauty must-haves. i'm sure there are better, pricier products out there, but for drugstore prices, and for my skin, this is where it's at. --Aveda botanical kinetics toning mist. okay, this isn't a drugstore product and it costs $18 per bottle at my salon, but it's worth every penny (and a bottle lasts me about 9 months). i use this after washing my face and it has made a world of difference in evening out my combination skin.  -- Neutrogena healthy skin SPF 15 moisturizer. the alpha-hydroxy is key to this moisturizer that truly sinks into the skin and leaves it feeling soft and refreshed. so many moisturizers i've tried in the past are either too heav

one of the great things about nursing is that it all adds up to several hours a day to snuggle Greta and ... catch up on Facebook, google my latest crazy mother question (recent searches include "is desitin cloth-diaper safe?" [ no ], "wonder weeks", and "nursing strikes" [just out of curiosity]), watch an ungodly number of Roseanne episodes, and READ. for the first few weeks after Greta was born, i did no reading whatsoever. it felt like an insurmountable task to focus on anything longer and more in depth than a Facebook status. but now that things have settled into a routine, my Kindle Fire and the Kindle app on my phone are my near constant companions!  (full disclosure: the Kindle Fire has mostly been used for watching Scandal, my recently-discovered Netflix addiction. but i digress.) so here's what i've enjoyed reading lately: Sharp Objects , by Gillian Flynn. i absolutely could not put down Gone Girl  by the same author, and while Sh