What I'm Obsessing About on Sunday Night: Big Duckie and Pinterest

What have I done this week? I will be honest: I have done almost nothing besides obsessively pin photos of ducks to Pinterest.

Thank you to everyone who has emailed me duck photos to add to the Big Duckie Board!

Meanwhile, Big Duckie has also been pretty busy. My brother, sister-in-law and itty niece came over and Big Duckie insisted on joining their family portrait:

Then Big Duckie tried to play basketball (total fail):

And finally, exhausted Big Duckie collapsed into the first Big Duckie size chair he could find:

After a week spent indulging Big Duckie and my Pinterest habit, I'm hoping next week I'll have something else to talk about. Like my efforts towards creating world peace. And also, what foods can most easily be cut into heart shapes for Valentine's Day.

And you?

Happy Niece Day!

As of yesterday, I'm the proud new auntie to a super-cute and awesome baby girl, Rosie.

Here's Rosie with proud daddy and grandma:

 And getting ready for her close-up:

I hope my niece's parents approve of their daughter being excellent and fair game blogging material, but I won't post again until I hear the word.

Update: Rosie's image can be used! Hooray!

What I'm thinking about on Sunday Night

What a week it's been! Last night my two daughters headed off into the great big world - one to a sleep over at grandma's place in Manhattan, the other to her first slumber party. And as if these two sleepovers weren't enough, we decided the quiet house was the perfect time to transition the little guy from his crib to a bed.

Needless to say, today, the day after these sleepovers, was a very long day indeed.

In other going-ons this week, I told my husband we don't buy Skechers - unfortunately, this information was imparted to him at the shoe store immediately after he had just told the girls, "sure, those sneakers look fine."

Everywhere I looked there were more distasteful products for kids, including from Walmart this pillow with "Spooning Leads to Forking" inexplicably being sold in "girls bedding."

Things took a turn for the better when Ilana at MommyShorts included my (gross) story among her six contenders in The Unsexiest Parenting Moment contest - thankfully, I now know of five people with a worse story then mine, which means even more to me then winning.

And last but not least, my brother and sister-in-law found out that they're expecting a baby girl in the fall. So S and E, I'll be on the look-out for your entry in next year's Unsexiest Parenting Moment contest. But be forewarned - there's some serious competition.

This week I'm looking forward to all the end of the school year fun, including Kay's Kindergarten school play on Friday. And tomorrow, my mom is coming over to help me plant a vegetable garden. And you? What's on your schedule for the week ahead?

The wedding - from my seven-year-old daughter's point of view

My uncle got married this weekend. It was the best day ever.

First it was the best because I got to wear my junior bridesmaid dress. It is sparkly and it swirls great when I spin around. I love it.

And, I got to wear shoes with high heels. Real heels. I picked them out with my mom at the store and asked for them really nicely. She laughed and said, "Magpie, those heels are much too high for you. Tell me, why would I buy such inappropriate shoes for a seven-year-old?

And, I said: "Because you're the best mom ever."

I guess that was the right thing to say, because she smiled real big and got me the shoes and a headband and a purse and another dress. They were all sparkly too.

Finally, we went to the wedding. We got there right when Uncle did so I got a picture of him in his car:

And when he got out of the car:

This is the wedding. There was too much to see to keep it all straight:

And, I made a new friend, who I think is my cousin now. At least that's what I called her.

The wedding was the best ever.

The wedding - from my shoes point of view

This weekend my brother, and now sister-in-law, were wed. It was a wonderful wedding complete with a beautiful bride and a dashing groom, a gorgeous setting, and much joy, laughter and fun all around.

The event was also a much appreciated time for loads of family and friends to see each other again - some who hadn't been together in years, or even decades. (Memo to self: don't wait so long to get together again!)

And for me - I had the added happiness that my shoes didn't make my feet ache all night.

I had planned to wear these:

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that with my all-mom, all-the-time lifestyle these shoes were harder to walk in then I had recalled from my out-all-night, all-the-time lifestyle when I wore heels like this without a thought.

So, I went with these fun but lower heeled alternatives pictured on the left. My daughter went with the cute shoes on the right. All was good, until...

... I realized my seven-year-old daughter and I were wearing heels that were the same height.

And suddenly, I felt very old.

Both pairs of my shoes are from Poetic License. My mom got them for me from their Soho store, which I highly recommend visiting if you're in New York City. It's tons of fun, and it's rare to find shoes this pretty that are this comfy, too.

The girls get ready for the wedding

Opening gifts from the bride and groom at breakfast:

Next a manicure....

 

.... finally pedicures in Green-wich Village:

Next stop.... wedding!

Our plans this weekend

For those of you who haven't heard, my brother and his lovely bride are getting married this weekend in Brooklyn. I'm sure the blog will be bursting at the seams with photos come Monday morning, but till then I'll just leave you with this calendar notation from my daughter Magpie's homework planner.

PS She's a junior bridesmaid and just a teensy bit excited.