Creature Bug

Saturday's Silly Survey: Baby's Growth Chart

When I said that I had everything ready for the nursery, I didn't mean I actually have everything ready for the nursery. There are a couple of blank walls that need some fun artwork, and I know what I'm putting on the walls, but they can't be completed until after Miss Baby arrives (for photography purposes, I think she'll be much cuter in person than on her ultrasound photo).

One thing I could pick out ahead of time is her growth chart. Before Sydney was born, Aunt Andrea got her this super adorable growth chart at some baby boutique in Truckee, California. It's sturdy; it has "Today I am 3" (or whatever age they are) stickers as well as blank stickers that can be used for various occasions; it looks nice hanging on the wall.

 
I loved it so much, that I found the company that sells them online (eeBoo) and got a similar one for Julianne.

  

Even though I grew up having just one growth chart for all four of us kids, and I know some people have treasured memories of marking height on the walls/doorjam, I decided to go for an individual growth chart for each kiddo.

Now, I need to pick one out for Miss Baby, and I just can't make up my mind.

I can't!

I've tried!

We've finally settled on a name for Baby, and that exhausted my decision making skills.

So, I'm putting it to a poll so you can help a mother out. Don't fail me now, people. (Click on images if you want to see them slightly larger.)

Option 1: Lilly Pad Pond

 
I like the frogs. After all, we have frogs here on the Family Farm.

Option 2: Sunflower

Sunflowers are fun and cheerful, and it does follow the theme of inches marked a plant (Sydney has a weed; Jules has a tree).

Option 3: Hot Pink Flower

I think this one must be new to eeBoo because I just saw it there today. It's also super cute, and follows the whole "mark the inches on a plant" idea. The fairies are the same, although the artwork style is different from the other girls' charts. Which is fine, but I'm just pointing it out. 

Three choices, and I can't say that I'm leaning one way or the other. Okay, maybe I'm leaning a little less away from the Hot Pink Flower because the style of artwork is different, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker for me. It's still a darn cute growth chart.

There you go! Vote away!

(PS: The poll probably won't show up in your feed reader, so you'll have to click over to vote.)

Saturday's Silly Survey: Late Night Shoe Edition

Jason and I have a little game that we play--well, actually I'm the only one who plays it and he just humors me--where I think up scenarios and then wonder how much I'd have to be paid to do such-and-such.

For example: How much money would someone have to pay me to install lime green countertops in my kitchen (which I witnessed today in a countertops store)? There's the obvious answer of "Just enough to allow me to replace them," but if I couldn't replace them? No price. You could give me a million dollars and I wouldn't live with lime green countertops for the rest of my life.

Other scenarios that have made their way into discussions...how much would someone have to pay me to be a surrogate mother? how much would someone have to pay me to not shave my legs for a month and then wear a swimsuit? how much would someone have to pay me to go back to work 40 hours a week?

Sometimes I can settle on a price; sometimes there is no price. And even though it's all make believe money anyway, I have to tell you that sometimes Jason and I get a little snippy with each other over our answers. Yes, the classic "fight over the imaginary issue" has ruined perfectly good car rides.

But these days of economic fretfulness have us all wishing for a little more cash--even if it's just to help our retirement fund recover a bit--so I have a little scenario for you involving some shoes that have been permanently burned into my memory. I honestly can't stop thinking about them. But not in a good way.

A few weeks ago, my favorite snarky fashion columnists wrote a post that featured some shoes that Sarah Jessica Parker was wearing out and about:

 
[Photo: Splash News] 

Since I'm pretty sure that SJP isn't hurting for cash, then I must assume that no one offered her money to wear these split-toed boots and that she was actually wearing them of her own free will. While I have my own shoe vices (wearing heels to class even though I have to climb acres of steps to the building wear I teach; wearing white canvas sneakers before Memorial Day; wearing Crocs in public), I can't say that I have any affection for these shoes.

However.

Scenario: Would I wear these shoes for a whole week--not once making apologies or revealing my hidden agenda--for money? I would. Particularly because just today I was pricing items for our home construction, and I could have a pretty fabulous kitchen if I had the extra cash. My price for the fancy footwear? Probably around ten thousand dollars. That probably says something about how much I don't like these shoes.

Now I ask you, dear readers of varying fashion tastes and economic sensibilities, what's your price for wearing these shoes? A whole week. No apologies. Yes, even you men may have a price (and I'd love to know what it is).

(poll)

Saturday's Silly Survey: Canceled TV

It's been awhile since I've had a survey, and while you may not have missed them, I have. It's shameless how easily entertained I am.

And speaking of entertainment...

It's that time of year when some of my tv shows are getting canceled. No doubt you've heard (if you were a fan, anyway) that Pushing Daisies has been canceled. I actually haven't watched it much this season because I don't watch tv on Wednesdays because I'm putting the girls to bed by myself on Wednesdays which means I go to bed when they go to bed. Nevertheless, the cancellation is a shame. Mostly because I am in love with Jim Dale's narrating voice (he's also the voice of the Harry Potter audio-books) and because I find Kristen Chenoweth charming.

I'm happy that 30 Rock got all those awards, so that should keep it around for awhile even though the ratings aren't that good. (Why aren't you watching that show? Tiny Fey is hysterical.) And I'm holding my breath that The Mentalist will hang in there. Patrick Jane (played by Simon Baker, who was on the canceled The Guardian) is absolutely our favorite character on tv. I'd be really sad if he stopped showing up on Tuesday nights.

I hear that Private Practice also might get the ax. The show itself is actually not that spectacular (and really quite awful at times), but I kind of like it anyway. Of course, since it's on Wednesdays I don't watch the regular program, but Jason and I have a longstanding date to watch it online Saturday evenings after the girls have gone to bed. Now we'll have to find some other show to watch online. Meh.

It's so unnerving to get all invested in a character then... *poof*...they disappear. Alas, I'll never know what happened to Jarred on The Pretender or which boyfriend was Mr. Right from that one show I watched this past fall about boyfriends with what's-her-name from Grey's Anatomy. Television executives really have no consideration for viewers. It's a crime.

I know, I know. It's all about the ratings. But even though 3 million viewers is really terrible when compared to, say, the whole country, it's a huge bummer when YOU are one of those 3 million viewers who tuned in to catch the newest episode of Crusoe (which was kind of crazy but campy) or Lipstick Jungle (oh, Brooke, you are so fabulous, even if your show might be pulled). It boggles my mind that they cancel good or even mediocre shows and then fill the slot with reruns of the too-horrible-to-explain Wife Swap.

True, sometimes shows get a second life. Like Scrubs was canceled by NBC, but is being resurrected in January at ABC. Hooray.

And then sometimes, they disappear into thin air, only to be remembered by Internet junkies. Like the short lived Dolphin Cove, which was my all-time favorite show for 3 beautiful months in 7th grade. Oh, how I loved those Australian dolphins. And the girl with long, straight hair. And the cute boy. Many tears were shed when the show was gone.

Let's hear it. Any of your tv shows being killed off? Group hug.

(poll)

Saturday's Silly Survey: Scary Movies

When I told my sister of my plans to study my Halloween evening away, she told me that she might carve some pumpkins and watch a scary movie. It's good that she has friends who will watch scary movies with her because there is no way in tarnation that I would ever watch anything remotely frightening with her.

Ever.

Even if she begged me. Even if someone else begged me. Don't ask me to watch a scary movie with you because I'll refuse.

I suspect most American children have a higher tolerance for scary movies than I do. I'm okay with that. Because honestly, being scared is not even remotely entertaining for me. Those people who come out of movie theatres after seeing The Ring, remarking about how scared there were and Oh Boy! Wasn't that Fun? I am not one of those people.

My scary movie repertoire consists of Pet Cemetery and Scream, the latter movie I was tricked into seeing by my brother-in-law who insisted that it wasn't scary, it was funny. Ho haw hee hee. I hated him a little bit after that movie.  Even high-intensity movies like What Lies Beneath are too much for me. We rented that one time, and I sat in the dining room and had Jason narrate the movie for me from the living room. "So what's happening now?" She's chasing him. "What now?" They're in the water. "It's too scary!" Not really. Quite possibly I ruined that movie experience for him.

I watched Pet Cemetery in junior high, and I admit it was my saving grace all through my high school years whenever I was at a party and someone said, "Let's watch a scary movie!" My choices were to go home early (very uncool) or suggest Pet Cemetery (thereby keeping my coolness). I can confirm that after the fourth viewing it's not so scary anymore. Of course, that was years and years ago so probably if I had to see it again it would give me nightmares.

But perhaps you are a fan of the scary movie. Yes? No? Let your silent screams be heard in today's poll.

I will say that I don't count old Alfred Hitchcock films like The Birds or Vertigo as scary films because I don't think those movies are legitimately frightening. But that's probably because black and white movies have no emotional effect on me whatsoever.