Ah, a new post

In speaking with my mother on the phone today, she informed me she was tired of seeing the same post from last week every time she checked my blog. Well, readers, it isn't all bon-bons and gossip magazines during the day here at casa de Phillips. Real work must get done at some point during the 17+ hours I am awake. Besides the maid quit coming about 12 months ago (coincidently around the same time we stopped paying her) and Isaac has learned the fine art of taking everything out of its place and leaving behind a path of baby destruction.

Here are some tidbits from our household:

1. Rachel Ray's new talk show premiered this morning. I recorded it and watched it at a later time because 9am is such a busy hour around here. Let me say that I love Rachel Ray and have been a faithful viewer of her show for the entire five years she has been on Food Network. I had the date of her premiere episode marked on my calendar. I am a huge fan. However, I was disappointed in today's show. Granted this is the first time she has done her own show with an audience. The opening ten minutes were a little strained and she yelled the entire time. She is also doing the Oprah thing by starting the sentence off normal and yelling in a deep voice by the end (think Oprah saying, "Today everybody gets a new car!!!!!!!). At first I thought the set of the talk show resembled a past one of Emeril Live!, but then grew to like it as I figured out that the audience rotates during the course of the show (I am too tired to put this into words. I attempted to explain it at dinner tonight and was met with a quizzical stare. It is times like that when Tobe smiles sweetly, pats my head, and says "You are so pretty.") I am going to hang in there with Rachel, despite my lack of love for today's episode. Apparently Dr. Phil is going to do a cooking segment at his home in an upcoming episode which should be quite entertaining.

2. Besides my boot-camp type class on Monday nights, I am also taking a Mommy and Me fitness class on Thursday mornings. Instead of weights you use your child. I thought this would be a "sissy" type class and didn't think it would be more than a few crunches and squats. Wrong. Never been so glad that Isaac only weighs 20 pounds in my life. Everyone looks on in envy at the Mom with the tiny newborn. The class is chaos because there are children going everywhere, strollers surrounding the perimeter, and Moms doing lunges across the gym holding squirming babies. Fun times. At one point on Thursday, Isaac and two other little boys were all standing over a personal trampoline. They appeared to be plotting something or lamenting about how uncoordinated their mothers were.

3. Isaac has perfected the social laugh. He has the most precious giggle and we love to make him laugh. However in the past week he has started to laugh spontaneously without anything provoking a giggle. This forced laugh sounds like "Hahahaha" and he will do something (such as dump out blocks) and make the laugh. He only laughs like this if he has an audience. Bizarre, but it makes Tobe and me crack up everytime. I hope we don't have a future class clown on our hands.

4. Halloween is a month away. I am starting to panic over the fact that Isaac is currently costume-less. If you read my blog during the Christmas season, you might remember me lamenting the fact that I could not find a suitable holiday outfit for my son. Well people, I now cannot find a suitable Halloween costume for my child. I really want the puppy dog costume from Pottery Barn but cannot justify spending $60 on a costume. I like the lion costume from The Children's Place, but Tobe thinks it is too puffy. Most everything else I have come across is for girls, tacky, or is too plush and heavy to wear in Texas (a few years ago we wore summer clothes to a local Halloween celebration because it was so warm). Any good websites or stores that you have seen non-tacky, non-girl, non-hot, non-outrageously expensive type costumes that will look adorable on Isaac? Tobe thinks we should cut two eye holes in a sheet and make him a ghost (which was my younger brother's costume of choice for many years).

5.I also caught some of the premiere of Oprah today. Somebody please tell her the curly extensions are not working. I understand that she does the cornrows to fit in while in South Africa and because they are easy to maintain (I had partial cornrows for about three days in Africa. The girls were fascinated by my hair because of the texture and color and begged to braid it. I allowed partial cornrows and it was the most painful thing I have ever done to my head--and I am a child of the 80's and endured many a perm. My scalp had bloody scabs and I could not sleep well with them in.), but the curly look needs to go. I prefer the smooth shag of years past.


Our weekend was fairly uneventful and consisted of reading a powerful book (perhaps I will blog about that later), fake laughter, a craft fair (not that great), birthday celebration for Tobe's Dad (it is his 39th birthday today, in case you happen to see him), church, and much rejoicing over the large amounts of rain we received yesterday.

Happy Monday!