Right Now

1. Eating Reduced Fat Triscuits with Lil
2. Watching Baby Charlotte walk back and forth between the living room and study
3. Listening to Wizards of Waverly Place in the background
4. Praying Mary Claire sleeps for one more hour
5. Wishing I did this more often...

Reasons I Haven't Blogged in Two Months

1. We spent four weeks in Texas eating our favorite foods, catching up with family and friends, getting our teeth cleaned, shopping at Target, and celebrating Christmas.

2.Since we returned home in early January, the temperature here in Shanghai, has rarely risen above 2C. Not exactly balmy and the perfect opportunity for me to stay indoors, make good use of our 42" plasma and find out what all this Oscar buzz is about. Some of my favorites are An Education (love that Carey Mulligan), The Lovely Bones, Hurt Locker and Up In the Air. I also thoroughly enjoyed It's Complicated, and if you're looking for something fun and quirky, 500 Days of Summer might be the movie for you. And no, I haven't watched Avatar. A dear friend of mine from college summed it up as

"Dances with Wolves" in outer space. Yeah it was pretty, and thought provoking, and a huge condemnation of the "modern" way of life. But three hours? Three hours!

Enough said. I'll take your word for it that it's a fascinating movie and before James Cameron can make it up the steps to claim his prize, I'll have turned off the tube and retired to my bed.

3. After being away for a month, I've been spending much of my spare time catching up with this cute girl...

things I'm concerned about

1. the green stuff coming out of Mary Claire's nose
2. the gunk running out of Lillie's right eye
3. the soreness in the back of my throat
4. how to fit the Littlest Pet Shop Cozy Care Adoption Center in my suitcase
5. whether or not we'll make our connection in O'Hare
6. the fact we have to leave for the airport in less than 23 hours and I haven't packed a stitch of clothing for myself (yes Mother, I realize I've known we were leaving for more than a month)

Reasons I'm glad Scott is home

1. Chicken fajitas, guacamole, and refried beans
2. homemade chocolate chip banana bread
3. five little words..."No, no, no Mary Claire"
4. homework - since when did you need a graduate degree to get your kid through second grade?
5. "Honey, can you wipe Mary Claire's nose?"

Mary Claire's Symptoms

1. runny nose
2. hacking cough
3. fever
4. loss of appetite
5. cranky
6. lethargic
7. raspy breathing
8. loose stools

What the girls and I had for dinner while Scott was in Europe

1. Cheesy Chicken and salad at the Kirkpatricks
2. Mac n' Cheese, canned corn, bread sticks
3. Take-out from Simply Thai
4. a Lean Cuisine for me and T.V. dinners for the girls

Sunday "Sites" - Volume 1

Because every girl should dream...

1. I can't help thinking I might sleep a lit bit sounder in these sassy little bottoms from Anthropologie.

2. One of my favorite bloggers, The Nester, had a Red Letter Day on Friday and I fell in love with this. And yes Nester, if it were hanging in my house, I would leave it up year round.

3. I bought these slippers for Juliet last summer more for the fact they were so stinkin' cute than for their practicality. Imagine my delight to see she has nearly worn a hole in the bottom of one of them from wearing them so much this Fall. I can't wait to see which pair Santa brings me this Christmas (hint, hint.)

4. My full-time housekeeper Xue Fung (yes let's just get it out there, I have both a full-time and a part-time housekeeper and a husband who cooks - I would probably hate me too). Anyway, she's a big fan of these all-purpose kitchen towels, but I nearly flipped when I saw these! One word...precious.

5. Who cares what you're wearing when you've got this little number slung over your arm.

6. My girls love the many advent calendars we do each year at Christmas so kudos to Pottery Barn Kids for coming up with this delightful Thanksgiving Countdown Calendar.

And on that note, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say I'm so thankful this post is done!

things I need to tell the part-time housekeeper

1. I realize I'm no duster (that is in fact why we hired you.) But should you feel inclined to do so, might I suggest actually picking up the knickknacks and tchotchkes, instead of merely dusting around them.

2. If you see my husband's empty coffee cup sitting on the bathroom counter, please feel free to take it to the kitchen and place it in the dishwasher. Ditto when it comes to replenishing the empty toilet tissue holder.

3. Please stop unplugging the power strip and converters in my bathroom. They're all tucked away neatly in a drawer anyway and at 6:45 AM, it only results in me silently screaming obscenities at you.

4. We can agree that Estee Lauder Pleasures is a delightful scent. Hence the reason my darling husband picked me up a bottle the last time he passed through duty free. What we don't seem to agree on is that it smells twice as nice on me as it does on you. Please try to keep in mind there is no "Sephora" sign above my bathroom door.

5. Thank you for noticing my recent weight loss. However, I haven't fit into a 4T pantie in nearly three decades.

what I bought today

1. 4 pairs of tights and 2 sweaters for Juliet
2. a new coat and a pair of leggings for Lillie
3. 2 things of toilet bowl cleaner
4. 3 dresses from the Gymboree "outlet"
5. 4 packages of bread sticks
6. 1 bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos
7. 2 boxes of S'mores pop tarts
8. a set of three pastry brushes
9. 2 packages of juicy fruit
10. a tall Vanilla Frap from Starbucks

to do in the next two days

1. make our reservations for Thanksgiving dinner
2. bake for the bazaar on Saturday
3. decide what the girls will wear on Saturday for their pictures with Santa
4. book a room at the Hyatt for the Friday after Thanksgiving
5. find four vegetable bouillon cubes
6. order the girls Christmas dresses
7. go to the fabric market...have a new winter coat made...cashmere?