The baby is feeling better and went back to school today. Thanks for all your well-wishes and words of encouragement. We needed it!

I know you are all dying to hear what make-up I decided to buy last week at Sephora. I read all of your suggestions, and there were some great ones. I kid you not when I say that I took actual notes in to the store with me. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to get.

Thankfully Mary, a lovely Sephora employee, was there to help me when I asked; what would you buy if you had $100 to spend? She told me she gets asked that a lot. Good, because I felt very lame asking it.

I know you what to know what’s inside this little bag.

Okay, here’s what I spent my money on. And since it’s been less then a week since I bought it, and since Babboo’s been sick, I haven’t worn it too much.

I went in for the lip gloss right away. That was the thing I was most looking forward to getting. Surprisingly enough, any make-up that has any type of orange in it turns horrible once it touches my skin. I ended up with Nars lip gloss in Sweet Dreams.

Since we were in the NARS section anyway, I went for some new NARS blush in Sin. Again, no orange at all. It’s described as “berry with gold shimmer”. Which sounds yummy and looks yummy.

Of course I needed some more color. Especially since I haven’t been getting any sleep and am starting to look it. Lack of sleep-bad. New eye shadow-good. I bought the Lorac shadow in Lilac. Yes, purples look the best on me. It also makes me feel like a 12 year old girl when I buy eye shadow in Lilac. At least my blush was Sin. (But wait, the lip gloss is Sweet Dreams. Dude, I am a 12 year old girl.)

We all have our face issues. Not only do I have to stay clear of anything with orange in it, but for some unknown reason my eyelids are always oily and I hate it. It is uncomfortable and just plain buggy. When I told Mary, my lovely helper, she knew right away what I needed:

Urban Decay Shadow Primer Potion. Oh my gosh, this stuff rocks my world. It totally works. It makes my eye shadow stay put and no more oily eyelids. Plus, it comes in this awesome bottle that reminds me of Christina Aguilera. And it’s only $15. I highly recommend it. Seriously, go and buy this now. And then come back here and tell me how thankful you are that I forced you to buy it.

Most of you suggested the Bare Escentuals line. The internet loves Bare Escentuals. Loves it. But for some reason, I’m still skeptical. I don’t know why, but I am. And also, I don’t have sensitive skin, which is seems it is best for.

So while I didn’t buy one of their starter kits, I did buy the Mineral Veil. It is described as:

Completely sheer and works for all skin tones, Mineral Veil gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of lines and pores.

Again, something that will be good for my sometimes oily skin. And no added color, perfect. So far, so good. Maybe I’m sold of this whole mineral make-up thingy.

So that’s it. That’s what $100 gets you. I was pleasantly surprised. Sephora offers a totally awesome return policy, which is basically; bring it back no matter what. That made me feel a little more comfortable with my purchases. Sephora, I love you long time.

At the check out they told me that they are trying out a new program in the Seattle area. Basically it’s like one of those grocery rewards cards. Free products when you spend $100! Since my total only came to $98, I didn’t qualify for the free product with this purchase. Fine by me. I need another excuse to go and spend money there.

As for my spa gift certificate, well my facial had to be cancelled after Babboo got sent home from school. I’m hoping to get a chance to use it before it expires.

Okay, so I took a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror (yes, I’m famous for doing that). Too bad my ghetto camera and my photography skillz aren’t the best. Mostly all the make-up you can tell I have on is my awesome lipgloss.

Remember last week when all we talked about was how Babboo hasn’t been sleeping? We were having a hard time at our house. A very hard time. I was questioning if my Sweet Babboo was going to be an only child. I called my friend who is pregnant with her third baby and asked her; how, why?!!! We were baffled. We were tired.

We were spent.

Friday morning I got a call from Babboo’s school. He was being sent home. He was “freaking out”. I ran and got him. Calmed him down. And then headed home to our bed. Then the fever started. And the sweat. And the need to only be touched by mommy. We called his doctor who said not to worry until he’d had the fever for three days.

Then somehow Sunday rolled around and in between the lack of sleep and giving of Tylenol and we noticed some draining coming out of Babboo’s right ear.

An ear infection.

That would explain the non-sleeping and the fever and Babboo hitting the side of his head earlier in the week. How had we missed this? How did we not know the signs? We called the doctor, who said he was fine now. The leakage meant the pressure was being released. It was a good sign. (Well, not “good”, but better.) They told us he would need to be seen within the next 24 hours.

Monday morning I got him an appointment, called in to tell my work, and headed to the doctor’s office. That’s when they told us our appointment had been made for tomorrow! And our regular doctor had quit. And ha-ha-ha, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Thankfully The King was there. He is much nicer than I am. He was all; Oh, really? Well, can you see if you can squeeze us in, since we’re here and all? I wouldn’t have been so nice. And we probably wouldn’t have gotten in.

The back-up doctor (who ended up being very lovely) checked him out. I had to literally hold Babboo so he could check out his ear. He verified that it was gross, and in fact, infected. He aslo verified that his left ear was also infected. Poor guy. No wonder he was so miserable. I don’t blame him.

We were given some antibiotics and sent home. He said there would still be more days of the misery. And more days of missed work. For me. Since The King has a new job, I’m the one that will be staying home. Hopefully my work really understands.

And hopefully Babboo will start to feel a little better and won’t have to sleep without trying to not touch his ears.

Isabel and I both need some sleep. She needs it more than me. She ends up getting up more often than I in the middle of the night, and right now, the boy is going through some tough sleep times. We still love him to death, but its tough to function as a family, or even alone at work, when you aren’t getting enough sleep.

At this point, we need to get the boy into a routine, and start getting some regular sleep before Isabel blows a fuse and takes it out on me. (I’m kinda not a huge fan of having someone I love upset at me.)

I’m trying to be helpful, but I have a tough time sticking to the rules of not stimlulating the boy when you get him out of bed at night. I like to play and watch TV and stuff, and I cant stand to hear him upset. So I’m not good at that. And on top of that, I have a tough time discerning when it is a good time to feed him, and when its not, since most of that decision has been made by Isabel at this point.

So, I pledge to keep trying. I’m tired. I miss and love my wife. I’m open to suggestions on what we can do. Maybe some of you have been down this road as well and can offer up some help.

Dont tell me what happened on the OC last night. I haven’t watched it yet.
-k

I’ve got a few things I want to talk about today. Some of which require you to leave suggestions in the comments.

What, I’m asking for advice?

Yes.

And not only am I asking, I’m begging. I can’t do this without you, dear internet.

1. I was blessed with a generous gift certificate to a local spa. One that I’ve never been to, so I don’t know what to expect. My problem is that I have no idea what I should get. So do I get the “signature facial” or a 60 minute Swedish massage? Or what about a pedicure? Amalah sure talked them up on this week’s Advice Smackdown. I’ve never had a facial and I hear they are awesome.
2. I did a little freelance photography job over the weekend and made some extra cash. (Not a lot, mind you, but some.) The King suggested I use it to go crazy at Sephora. You don’t have to tell me twice. Okay, so what do I buy? Do I splurge and get some fancy lip gloss? Or try a new kind of make up? I have been thinking about giving up my Lancome stand-by powder foundation. Should I try a new brand? And if so, what brand? Do you suggest I go in for a make-over, or are they not all they are cracked up to be? I don’t want to be pressured into buying something. I want to enjoy it.
3. And last, but by no means least, how in the hell do I stop my 10 month old from waking up at 1:00 am, 3:00 am, and 5:00 am? What am I doing wrong? Why does he enjoy the boob so much? Why, why, why? I got online yesterday and read up on a bunch of different things to try. I tried them last night and it was a little better. I mean, he still woke up, but I felt more prepared. The King even told me this morning that he slept much better last night. Of course you did, I took Babboo out in the front room so at least one of us could get some sleep!!! (Updated to add: Since we are living in a one bedroom apartment while we build our new house, Babboo sleeps in his crib in our room. So leaving him in his crib to “cry it out” really won’t work. And we can’t move him into another room. That isn’t an option. So basically, we have no options. AHHHH!)
   

Excuse me, I’m just tired today.

(But seriously, I need your suggestions. I welcome your suggestions. But it doesn’t mean I promise to do what you suggest. Thanks for playing.)

Although I’m not Catholic, I dated one for a few years when I was in college. I never went to church with him and he never went with me to my church. It was just something we didn’t talk about. I felt bad that we didn’t open up about our beliefs. Maybe we were both afraid that talking about it would cause problems in the (already toxic) relationship.

So while I dated a Catholic, I really know nothing about the religion. I have recently learned a lot by reading Frema come to terms with her own beliefs. Although I admit that a part of me didn’t truly understand what she was going through while planning to have her wedding outside of the church she was raised in and deciding how to raise her and Luke’s precious (but, unborn) children.

I’ve been to numerous Catholic churches, in Europe, and have been amazed at the beauty and history of all of them. But as a religion, I didn’t understand what the symbols and painting in the churches meant. The King and I visited the Vatican a few years ago during Christmas time. It was almost magical to be in the midst of the history there. I appreciated the reverence and importance I felt from those around me. I could not deny the feelings the others in attendance felt. I knew there were people there who had waited their entire lives to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica. I watched old women be moved to tears and little children look up in awe. And while I am not a member of their Church, St. Peter’s Basilica is still one of my most favorite places in the entire world.

This weekend I went to my first Catholic wedding mass. I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I was nervous that I would say something wrong, or not say it at the right time. I was nervous that I would stick out like a sore thumb. Or worst of all, I was afraid that I would offend someone, which was not my intention at all.

Lucky for me, I was with a Catholic couple. The wife helped me out. She nudged me when I needed to stand up. She hugged me when we were told to welcome those around us. She explained communion to me and even asked if we do that in my religion (we do). After a while, I even got the hang of things and was singing alone with the music.

During the service the Father talked about the couple. It was clear that he knew both of them very well. It was clear that both of them took their religion very seriously. The Father talked about the commitment they were making to each other and to God. He shared some things that both of them had written about why they chose to be married in the church. It was beautiful to hear their words as they discussed their love for each other and their love for God. They talked about how God had given his life for us and what that meant to them.

Looking around the congregation, I could tell that I may have been the only non Catholic in attendance. While we do take a sacrament of bread and water at my church, it was fascinating to watch the bride and groom prepare it for the congregation. I’m pretty sure that I was the only person that didn’t participate in communion. I wasn’t an actual invited guest, so I didn’t feel like that was appropriate. (I was there at the assistance to the wedding photographer.) After the communion, I felt bad for not taking part in that. I hope that wasn’t too offensive. (Really, I wasn’t invited. I shouldn’t have taken communion, right?!)

After they were married, there were readings done by friends of the couple. Again, this is something that isn’t done at the weddings at my church, but I found it beautiful. It was amazing to hear the scriptures that I’ve heard a million times read differently then I’ve heard them before. I loved seeing their friends take part in their wedding in this way.

After the wedding was over and all the pictures had been taken at the reception dinner, I went home. I sat on the couch with The King and discussed what I had just been able to participate in. I had so many thoughts and feelings that I wanted to share with him. But I didn’t know how to put them into words. I told him that I loved the mass. I love the tradition of it. I loved the words that had been used. I love the modern church that it was held at.

I told The King that I understood why someone would be attracted to the Catholic Church. The traditions are hundreds of years old and are absolutely beautiful. The words are meaningful and important. Good things are taught and heck, I like good things.

My church doesn’t have the ceremony and the structure that the Catholics have. We are very informal where I come from. But I liked the ceremony. I liked the structured traditions. I liked the history.

While I don’t intend to ever leave my own religion, I whole heartedly appreciate other religions. I respect people who belong to a religion. I respect people that try to do good in their life, even if they don’t belong to an organized religion. I respect people who have strong beliefs and commitments to making this world a better place for all of us, no matter what anyone else believes.

Like I said, I like good things. And this wedding, it was very good.

I was asked to guest blog by the fabulous Heather over at No Pasa Nada. It was an honor just being asked, as I have loved Heather since the dawn of time. So if you want to hear about the time I had to clean human poop off the walls at the convenient store I worked at, check out my post. I also talk about some other things, but the poop talk is what you’ll remember most. I promise.

Enough about me. Let’s turn the time over to my hott husband The King, to hear about what he and Babboo will do tonight while I’m off helping shoot a wedding. (More about the wedding later.)

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Super.awesome is what we call the Friday after valentines day starting this year. It’s a simple idea. Dad takes the boy to daycare (fondly referred to as “school” in our house) and also gets to pick him up. This is not how things usually go. Normally, dad does the dropping off, which is fun getting there, but the actual drop-off is kinda sad. Dad likes his time walking to school. So does boy. He sits up in his stroller (which we call a “car”) and looks at people and screams out in joy and smiles, and waves. Its like a parade. So the walk is fun. Sometimes we even take the long road. But leaving him at school after that fun is not so fun. Especially now that he waves goodbye and watches me leave. So today I get the treat of picking him up as well. We are going to do guy stuff on the way home. Probably stop at Specialty’s and get a cookie. He (the boy) likes to flirt with the working women (not hookers. Women with jobs) on the street. We’ll go home and watch tv and fall asleep on the couch.

Super.awesome.

I cant wait.

-k