Ladies Lunching... Er, Breakfasting

One of my favorite Royal Oak haunts used to be an adorable little cosmetics store called Poppy Beauty Bar. Unfortunately I preface this with 'used to be' as with the downturn of the economy and all it's negatives, Poppy also became victim to financial crisis and closed. I was crushed as I had become fond of Poppy's owner, Theresa, who fed me all my Royal Oak gossip and always encouraged me to try new products.

One of the other things I admired about Theresa was her love for new breakfast nooks on a weekly basis: It became common practice for her to snag the New York Times crossword puzzle and venture to a new restaurant for breakfast every Sunday (her only day off from Poppy mind you!). And it was with this same inspiration in mind that our ladies Breakfast Club was born: Once a month Laura, Katie, Melissa and I get together for breakfast, lots of chatting and some delicious eats. We take turns selecting a place to meet (in rotating order by birthday), and escape for a little girl time. So far our adventures have taken us to:

• January: Cafe Muse in Royal Oak. May I suggest the Mascarpone-Stuffed French Toast?
• February: Beverly Hills Grille in Beverly Hills. Carrot cake pancakes... say no more!
• March: Pete's Broadway Cafe in Ferndale. Challah French Toast (which Laura lovingly pronounces with the 'ch')
• April: Toast in Birmingham. Yummmmm. Grand Marnier French Toast (are you sensing a theme here?)
• May (today!): Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes in Detroit. The "Kay" crepe was to die for!

So be inspired! Try something new this week. (And it always helps to bring a few good girlfriends along to share in the fun!)

The President Is Coming! The President Is Coming!

Photo from 4/27/2010 AnnArbor.com article "What deficit? Obama's University of Michigan appearance boosts Ann Arbor economy" by Nathan Bomey


I mean seriously. I had a Pultizer-Prize winning journalist whose speech was on par with the dull bore that is Clint Eastwood's 'acting skill' (sorry). PJ's class was entertained (and I use that term loosely) by the likes of our current Michigan governor attempting to rouse the crowd with her vapid cheers of 'USA! USA!'. And the 2010 graduating class of UofM will be treated this Saturday to a commencement address by none other than President Barack Obama? I. Am. Jealous.

My favorite little tidbit about Obama's arrival in my beloved A-squared? The return of Barack-y Road Gelato at Zingermans.

Side note: My husband has never forgiven me for dragging him (and I quote) 'kicking and screaming' to eat at Zingermans'. Apparently the luster of this famed deli is limited only to those with Wolverine hearts... and taste buds. (Sorry honey.)

If you'd like to read the full article about Ann Arbor's preparations for their presidential visit, please enjoy this newsworthy bit from AnnArbor.com.

Priceless

When we were little, my brother and I used to walk along the railroad ties used as garden borders at my mom's house -- it was definitely a kid thing.

You can imagine my delight in seeing Hunter following in the footsteps of his Mommy and Uncle Juniper from this picture my mom shot over the weekend. (And yes, it's still a kid thing.)

We're Registered

Over the past few weeks, I've had a few inquiries whether or not we planned to register for Baby Peanut. Originally I was thinking no - especially given we already have a majority of things needed to bring home this baby in style - however relented when I realized we could use a slight female spin on our baby collection.

So in the event you are in need of some ideas for Baby Peanut gifts, feel free to check out our small hitlist at Babies R Us or by clicking here.

Things We Are Loving This Week

• Hearing car noises from HWB's room at 5 o'clock in the morning
• H's latest words and phrases: 'Blinky' truck (i.e. any truck with flashers on), iwannagoOUTside!, mommy, what you DOIN'?, caller-pitter (caterpillar)
• Being informed that every bridge we pass under is 'not a choo-choo bridge, that's a MACK TRUCK bridge!'
• Finding worms in the dirt in the backyard, picking them up and racing them across the lawn screaming 'LOOKIT! I FOUND A SNAKE!'
• Officially entering the 3rd trimester! Here's to being 28 weeks and 3 days preggers with Baby Peanut.
• Getting a weekend to just Brad and I (and special thanks to my mom for playing host to HWB for Friday and Saturday night this past weekend)
• Test driving new cars... and then realizing my Mazda lease is up in 2, not 3 months. Um, yikes! Ford Edge, here we come.
• Homemade yogurt parfaits and Pellegrino -- this week's baby food cravings
• My latest LPOTD sighting... and giggling at the fact that on any other vehicle, this would have been highly inappropriate:
  

• Enjoying a Saturday a.m. breakfast at what may be one of my favorite new restaurants: what crepe in Royal Oak was flawless, from the adorable menus fashioned from French record jackets to the delicious goodness that was my Sweet Cheese with Baked Apple Crepe

• Florence + The Machine and their 'Dog Days Are Over' tune. One of the best 99 cent purchases ever.
• Reading Paste Magazine's The 30 Best Beer Bars In America, and noticing one of our favorites on the list -- The Toronado in San Francisco
• DiorShow BlackOut Mascara, a personal splurge courtesy of Sephora's recent 15% off Makeup Madness Sale

Oh I'm On To You

Yes YOU, Little Man with your dirty blonde curls and bright blue-green eyes.

YOU of waking-at-5am-and-screeching-car-noises-from-the-end-of-your-bed-until-Daddy-comes-down-and-tells-you-to-go-back-to-bed-pronto fame.

YOU who demand your 7-month pregnant Mommy carry you like a baby into daycare in the morning, then formulate a vice-like grip on my leg as I attempt to leave all the while screaming MOMMYDONTGONOMOMMYNO!, driving me to tears as I close the door.

YOU who I check in on 3 minutes later after convincing myself you're tearing daycare apart in your campaign to force me to quit my job and spend every waking moment with your adorable little face -- and in those 3 minutes, you've become so enamored by a book, truck, bowl of cereal, you've completely forgotten my existence.

Oh, I'm on to you. And you know what? I'll fall for it every time. Because you're seriously the best.

Well There You Have It

Upon learning that I am required to pick up my company-issued Blackberry tomorrow at the office, my beloved iPhone martyred itself by diving headfirst into a toilet this afternoon. It appears to be working (aside from continuous prompts to switch it to Airplane mode) but I believe this to be the last leg of our journey together. Needless to say, I'm devastated.

Ways of attempting to look at the silver lining include:
3. We can now save $82 a month in phone bills
2. I've always wondered what the secret is behind Blackberry Messenger
1. It's a chance to try out a new phone number (I've had my current one for 11 years).

So farewell old friend. Despite being forced to mask as a PC, you and I both know I'm really a Mac at heart.

Your Thursday Morning Funny

Readying ourselves for potty training a 2 1/2 year old is definitely an adjustment. Probably moreso for me (Ms. Bathroom-Modesty), given I have a closed-door/no-questions policy to the bathroom when toilet activity is involved. Even my mate knows not to disturb.

I mention this because one initial potty training step is to leave the door open and use the restroom in front of Hunter so he can start to understand what the toilet is for, i.e. Ms. Bathroom Modesty's worst nightmare. But I've been doing it.

Often, Hunter will wander in for a quick minute, flush the toilet behind me and just run out.

Today on the other hand = different story:

Hunter: MOMMY, what you doin'?
Me: Mommy's going potty.
Hunter: Why you potty?
Me: Um...
Hunter: (mocking) UM
Me: ... Because Mommy had to go pee-pee.
Hunter: (thinking) Pee-pee.

Hunter then stoops down by my feet, grabs ahold of my knee and tries to cram his head between my legs. I'm wearing a dress.

Hunter: MOMMY, WHERE IS YOUR MISTER MAN?!!!!
Me: (blushing furiously; convinced I have not only scarred my child for life but also deciding this new Open Door policy should stand only for the boys in the house. And in case you didn't pick up on this, 'Mister Man' is what we have nicknamed Hunter's er, boy anatomy.) Mommy doesn't have a Mister Man.
Hunter: YOU NO MISTER MAN?!??!!
Me: Only Hunter and Daddy have Mister Mans.
Hunter: (Obviously quite perplexed, vacates the bathroom quietly. A few moments later I hear him talking to his stuffed Mickey Mouse and Pandora in his room) Mommy goes pee-pee! Daddy have Mister Man. Hunter have Mister Man. Mommy no pee-pee with Mister Man.

I can only pray Hunter doesn't attempt to hold the same conversation with his friends at daycare today or else I'll have a lot of explaining to do about my relationship with this 'Mister Man.'

A Cool Cat

Every once in a while, I'm humbly reminded that my parents were once young and *gasp* probably pretty damn Cool. You never think of this when describing your own parents, but then again every generation believes they invented Cool (it just happens to mask under slightly altered descriptors: groovy, tubular, radical, awesome or happening).

My point is this: Hunter and I visited my mom yesterday where she passed along what was once a relic in my tiny family...This photo of my dad. My young, Cool dad. It was taken during one of my parents many road trips in their 20s, and my brother and I used to marvel at this man we never knew -- long hair, aviator shades, leather boots and a motorcycle. I share it here as the first time it has touched digital form.

Oh and by the way, my dad is still Cool. In his late 50s, he bought a Mini Cooper which H has lovingly dubbed 'the Papa Car.' If that isn't Cool, I don't know what is.

Belly Cam: Baby Peanut Loves Cadbury Eggs

And I would know because I ate two, TWO of them last night before getting in bed, and then realized BP was hosting a small dance party in my belly thanks to my Cadbury Egg pig-out. Keep your eyes peeled on the left of the screen to see her kick and then you should notice 2 more after the camera swivels.