THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS

VIA KRISTIN SMITH

THINKING ABOUT: Flyboy's birthday is next Tuesday and Max is SO pumped about baking him a cake. After watching an episode of Caillou a month ago (we blame that bald little brat for everything), Max has been begging me nonstop to make one. Et voila! Now we finally have a reason to whip something up. It's actually pretty sweet that Max is at that stage where he's beginning to enjoy celebrations and the excitement that leads up to those special days. Stay tuned for sprinkle-filled stories and photos!

FEELING: I think we're raising a scam artist. Let me explain. Potty training is currently a work in progress (that's a gentle way of me saying we're failing miserably!) and Max knows that when he finally musters up the courage to go #2 in the pot, he gets to pick out a new truck. So imagine the look on my face when my child asked me to come over to his miniature toilet last Wednesday afternoon and pointed at a Hershey's Kiss that he saved from lunch and stowed away in his garbage truck to use later. Insert face palm here. Internet, I still don't know whether to be impressed or terrified. He clearly gave this stunt some serious thought.

THANKFUL FOR: We've been looking at properties in the Dover area, and I can't tell you how grateful we've been to our family and friends for answering questions and offering advice. We're still in the beginning process of looking, but this is honestly a whole new level of adulting that can feel quite overwhelming at times. We're learning so much, but we still have A LOT of ground to cover. 

LISTENING TO: Last Sunday we planned on meeting Flyboy at Starbucks for treats after he was done riding his bike. I suppose it's become a Swell Rio tradition. Anywho, Max was frustrated that he couldn't drive his little VW bus to the coffee shop and despite my attempt to rationalize with him, I finally had to call the fake police and pretend THEY told me it's illegal. Once I broke this news to him, he was totally okay with it. That was, of course, until we were on our way to meet Flyboy and we got stopped at a red light on Bedell. An elderly gent on a Rascal began putting across the intersection, which I didn't think much of until Max shouted "Heeeeeyyyy! Why the police let him drive his van on the street?" Well played kid, but this guy is old enough to have a license.

WATCHING: Being the lame introvert that I am, I went and saw my celeb bestie's latest film, Home Again, this past Saturday at the theater. You guys, it was SOOOOOOOO good! Have you seen it yet?! Any movie that ends with with Reese Witherspoon's toothy grin, an intimate dinner party peppered with twinkle lights, and Carole King music in the background is a keeper in my book.

EATING: I think it's safe to say that after Labor Day I've pretty much been eating my emotions. When you pair potty training with the intricacies of moving, Whole 30 pretty much gets thrown out the window and you find yourself seeking comfort with a pint of Halo Top Peanut Butter Cup. I'm not proud of giving in to my sweet tooth, but I will say that this particular flavor is amaze balls.

READING: I'm trying my best to not get bogged down by the nuttiness that goes into buying a house (it makes me want to lay in a fetal position and live in base housing forever—ew!) and balancing it with dreamy old issues of House Beautiful, Domino, Blueprint, Architectural Digest, etc. Perhaps shifting my focus to the details I love and aesthetics I crave, it will hopefully become fun to imagine these ideas becoming a reality and the whole process will feel a little less frightening—AKA bury my head in the sand.

LOVING: Big Brother fans!! Last week Julie Chen announced there would be a celebrity edition debuting later this year. Eek! I don't even mind if they're D-listers. I'm so stoked! Do you have any predictions who might show up as house guests?? This will be epic.

Enough about me. How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!