Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
My post-pregnancy essentials: Coffee, Mountain Dew, a pair of flat mid-calf boots, new glasses, and a healthy baby boy!

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
One Christmas while I was in high school, my mom made me a blanket with my name and title and school emblem on it to take on the band bus during marching season.  I still have it and use it when I visit high school games as alumni.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I’ve always wanted to learn how to knit, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
I remember getting my first bike without training wheels from Santa.  It was huge (to me, at least) and it made me feel like a grown-up.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
Probably just boobs.  He’ll be nursing.  But I know who’s getting a hot rod bouncer. ;)

6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Mom always makes a big tub of sugar cookies shaped like Christmas trees and wreaths and whatnot, and those are great because they’ll be around before after and during Christmas.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
Birth announcements (!!!) and some things for my little Luke.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
It’s a Wonderful Life. Hands down.

9. Favorite holiday song?
It changes every year, and I can’t decide until Christmas Eve.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Staying in our pajamas until dinner.  When else can you do that?!

Tribute to Michael Jackson

Walt Disney

]]> http://missmandilou.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/jackolanterns-of-2009/feed/ 0 mandilou michaeljackson Walt Disney http://missmandilou.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/kids-woot/ http://missmandilou.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/kids-woot/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:19:03 +0000 Mandi http://missmandilou.wordpress.com/?p=286 ]]>

If you are not in the practice of visiting woot.com on a daily basis, you need to start.  Like right now.  Here, I’ll even make it easier : click here.

I recently bought this Acu-Rite Wireless Digital Cooking and Barbeque Thermometer for $12.99.  The thing retails for $20.99 – $28.57.

But what’s even more amazing is their most recent development, kids.woot.com.  Papa just bought us a diaper backpack for about 20 bucks that retails on Amazon for $102!!!

In case you’re already a fan of woot! and I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, you should also check out BabySteals.  It’s kind of a woot!-type deal-a-day for babies and mommies.  (Also check out the secret archive at babysteals.com/archive where, unlike woot, you can buy leftover goodies from past steals.)

Happy wooting. :)

Looks like I have a new Kindle quest…

Today, it was announced that the Kindle 2 is taking another price cut.  Forty bucks.  And I want it back.
(I just realized I said $60 in my e-mail to Amazon customer service.  Oops.)
(And yesterday I said the first price cut was $100 and it was really $60.  Oops x2.)

The following story is from Market Watch.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Amazon.com Inc. cut the price of its Kindle electronic-book reader for the second time this year, as competition continues to grow in the fledgling e-book space.

Late Tuesday night, Amazon /quotes/comstock/15*!amzn/quotes/nls/amzn (AMZN 93.11, +2.20, +2.42%) announced that it cut the price of the Kindle by $40 to $259. The move comes just three months after the company slashed the price tag of the device by $60 — equating a total price reduction of 28% during that period. See full story.

“In our view, the price cut is Amazon’s response not only to economies of scale but also to growing competition,” Sandeep Aggarwal of Collins Stewart wrote in a note to clients Wednesday morning.

The company also announced that it would sell an international version of the device — one that can purchase and download books in more than 100 countries. Previous versions of the Kindle could only be bought and used on wireless networks inside the U.S.

In a statement, the company said the international version of the Kindle will sell for $279 and will be available for shipping on Oct. 19.

The price cut and new international version are likely part of Amazon’s efforts to get in front of the growing competition in the e-reader market. Sony Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!sne/quotes/nls/sne (SNE 28.00, +0.37, +1.34%) has updated its line of e-reader devices, with at least one model priced at $199 — lower than the Kindle.

Also over the next few months, new devices from Netherlands-based iRex and U.S. startup Plastic Logic are set to hit the market.

Shares of Amazon were up 2.6% at $93.27 in early trading Wednesday.

The company does not disclose sales figures for the Kindle, but analysts believe the company has sold more than 1 million units since its original debut in the fall of 2007.

The Kindle allows readers to buy and download books through a wireless connection and read them on the screen. More than 350,000 books — plus magazine and newspaper subscriptions — are available at Amazon’s Kindle store.

One drawback for rivals has been their inability to match the number of new titles that are purchasable through Amazon. Yet they say they are working with publishers and other booksellers, including book-seller Barnes & Noble, to match Amazon’s offering.

Dan Gallagher is MarketWatch’s technology editor, based in San Francisco.

This is pretty poopy…

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, I’m pretty sure you remember my Kindle obsession from preceding posts.  All my efforts to tell the world of my need for one did not result in a Kindle shipped to my book-nerd hands, free of charge, as planned.  Same goes for the 17 contests I entered.  My luck does not cover Amazon, I guess.  However, given the ole $100 price drop and new circumstances leading me to create a “last things before baby” list, I just purchased one.

My list was very good.  I’m closing the book now (ha irony) and I won’t spend any more money on myself.  Probably ever.
But here’s the list of last things I wanted to do (for myself) before Luke arrives, including a short description of whether or not each item was completed:

1. Get a short haircut. Done.  It’s not the most manageable of haircuts since I can’t put it up into a ponytail anymore, but I like it because I can just shake water off it and walk out of the house if I wanted.  Headbands will be a godsend in the coming year, I’m sure.  Perhaps by the end of November, it’ll be long enough for a pony tail and bobby pins.
2. Sign up for a yoga studio membership. Done.  I regularly attend classes at the Southern Star Yoga Center here in Oxford.  It’s small and humble and I absolutely love it.  I’m a little bitter that they’re planning a yoga retreat a week before my due date.  I don’t think I’ll be attending, which is why I had to take the retreat off my list. I’m sure my time will come.  Luke has to move out eventually, and — lucky me! — I won’t be too old to still do some of these things I’ve wanted to do since middle school.
3. Buy a Kindle. Done, as of this hour.  I imagine it’ll save a lot of space in our little 2br condo, too, because now I can get rid of some dead-tree books and download the Kindle edition.  I don’t think I  have many more text books in my future, but if I do, maybe there will be Kindle editions so I don’t have to carry them all over the place.  I think it’s a good investment, and if you don’t … well … keep that to yourself.
4. Travel overseas. Done.  Although this was on the “last things to do before I get married” list, I think it applies more here.  I went to China the summer after my junior year of high school and it was incredible.  Of course, it was a band function, so we didn’t get the freedom to just get lost in the culture like I wanted, but I got dangerously close and I’m satisfied.  Too bad I wasted parts of that trip chasing after a boy, huh?
5. Learn how to drive a car with manual transmission. Kind of done.  I dated a guy who tried to teach me, but it didn’t work out so well.  My brain knows what to do, but my coordination won’t cooperate.  I’m sure it just takes practice, but now, I don’t want to ruin Andy’s clutch.  I’ll let him handle the driving in that vehicle.  After all, it is the 21st century; I have my own car, and when that fails, I’m pretty enough to find other means of transportation.  Sad, but true.
6. Write at least one book. Kind of done as well.  I nearly had a book of poetry and soliloquies published when I was in high school, then I almost finished a short story collection when I started college, but nothing really fell through, and that’s ok.  Maybe my first book will be autobiographical, resulting from my unique pregnancy story?  Who knows.  You’ll see my name one day though.
   And I’ll definitely publish Kindle editions.
7. Learn a programming language. Ha!  Yeah right.

That’s all I can remember off the top of my head.  I think I did pretty well.

Moms, did you have a list of last things?  Moms-to-be, what do you want to do before your little one arrives?
Luke, I’m almost ready for you.  Hang tight buddy.

Dear Oxfordian friends and family,

The first person (or persons) to come to my house and paint this dresser will receive one meal (prepared by myself) and one batch of your very own Oreo balls.  All supplies provided, some conditions may apply.

Love,
Mandi

p.s. If you knew anything about my Oreo balls, you‘d be paying me to come over and paint this dresser.  For reals.

As many of you know (many, being the two people who might occasionally read this, and you, the one who read my last entry, and maybe the people who know me personally) we’re expecting a baby boy at the end of November.  I haven’t been writing here a lot like I had planned, but I think I’m about to totally redesign this blog again.

I’m starting a family.  (Eeee!) (That’s an eeee of excitement, not a keyboard error.)  :)

But I suppose I should start this new chapter by updating you on the 7 months you may have missed.  And what better place to start than the very beginning…

13w5d

This past May, I went to the doctor with what I had imagined was a UTI and a messed up cycle.  Instead, (surprise!) there was a tiny baby in my belly!  My doctors had guessed I was probably around 8 weeks into my pregnancy, judging by my size.  But we came to find out a week later that baby was already nearly 14 weeks old!!

And I understand you’re missing out on hearing all the things I felt, because I had to change my whole philosophy on life once I learned I had made another one.  Plans had to change in a hurry, including graduation, living arrangements, and tons more.  One upside to finding out so late — I only had to read half of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. :P

20w6d

I had no morning sickness.  Ever.  From the beginning, it seemed like the perfect pregnancy (and aside from the back aches, it still does.)  I have the weird dreams all mommies-to-be get.  I was secretly hoping for a girl, but every dream I had was of my future, good-looking son.  At almost 21 weeks, we went in for a 2nd ultrasound and found out that my dreams were accurate! for the most part, and we would have our little boy.

The original plan was to not tell anyone his name (or even our IDEAS for names) until he was born.  Having no face to associate a name with makes people associate the names with ex-boyfriends and such, and I didn’t want to hear about it.  But once Andy and I decided on a name, we announced it.  Luke Anthony.  There.  Now you know it too.

Luke’s tentative birthday is November 28th, the day Ole Miss goes to Starkville to rape the Mississippi State bulldogs.  There is a good chance he will be born with a full head of hair, and an even better chance that his hair will be dark (and maybe a little curly.)  Or maybe that’s just my hopes.  Today, I am one day past the 7 month mark at 30 weeks and 2 days, 67 days until the due date.  Yes, I have a countdown.

Now that you know the basics, I’ll start telling stories and posting pictures in case you want to keep up.  Thanks for reading, and please keep us in your prayers.

that will never be finished.
I’m letting it serve as a late announcement.  Enjoy. :)

August 15, 2009

I never wanted to have children.
It was never in my plans to become a parent.  I blame the screaming toddlers in trendy cafes and in the seat behind mine on airplanes.  It was always easier to assume I would never own responsibility over tiny hands when they tear down decorative towers of produce at the grocery store, little teeth when they bite the neighbor’s kid, or the little mouths that teach the neighbor’s kid rude words.
I’ve been to Disney World eight times, and I still believe this corner of Orlando is the most effective form of birth control.

But the truth is I never planned to have children because I’ll never have children.  I recieve them.
It you really want to make God laugh, make your own plans.  I wanted to finish my philosophy degree (and maybe even find a way to put it to use.)  I wanted to get my PhD from a graduate school in the Netherlands.  I wanted to take a yoga retreat in Indonesia, a photography safari in Tanzania, and a tour of every known pizza parlor in Italy.  I wanted to go to my high school reunion and be the one with the nicest legs and flattest stomach, the one who owned Google and a vacation house in the mountains of China.
Most of all, I wanted to be married in Spain, in a garden the size of Rhode Island, to the most beautiful man I”ve ever laid eyes on.  I wanted to have doves and clear skies, a photographer who will later admit it was the most beautiful wedding she’d ever seen.  I wanted to wear a white lace dress and bright red shoes, and it would be the second time in history that my nails were polished.  It would be the first time since Eve looked at Adam that another woman could look at a man and love him so perfectly.
After that day (in early August when the flowers are still flawless and the clouds are still on holiday), I would love him so selfishly that I wouldn’t want him to spend any of his love on someone else.  Once I grew tired of that–then we’d have children.

God laughed at me so hysterically that it rained for six days straight before I recieved news that I was pregnant at the end of my junior year in college.
I’ve tried to call it an accident, a mistake, but God only laughs harder.  I nearly convinced myself that I had miscarried, having drunk myself through my twenty-first birthday, Mardi Gras, two birthday bashes and three little-black-dress nights with my girlfriends before discovering one morning in May that I was already thirteen weeks and five days towards holding my firstborn child, expected to make his grand entrance on November 28th.

As of today, I am twenty-five weeks pregnant.  I’ve gained a total of twenty-seven pounds since February and approximately two and a half tons of new insight.  God’s comedy hour has just begun.  Let’s get this show on the road.

Natali Del Conte posted the ever-dreaded Facebook note “25 random things” on her wordpress blog, so I think I’ll write one too.  (Haven’t I made a few of these on Facebook already?  Yes.  Yes I have.)

1. I secretly want to be Natali Del Conte.  Let’s just get that out of the way.
2. When I was 4 or 5, I was in a Ford minivan commercial.  I now drive a Chevrolet.
3. My name is Mandi (“hi, Mandi”) and I am a coffeeholic.
4. I’m a transplant Yankee, originally from Cleveland, OH, now living and getting an edjumacation in Mississippi.
5. I have a pet tarantula named Madeline.  She’s a Chilean rose tarantula and I think she’s about 12 years old.
6. No one understands my love of books.  No one.  (Buy me a Kindle.)
7. The only people who call me Mandilou are the following adult males: mi padre and my uncles, my boyfriend Andy, my co-workers and my friend JD.  Interesting.
8. Most of my favorite foods are found in the grains section of the food pyramid.  Noodles.  I love noodles.
9. My culinary skills are satisfactory, but I still have trouble with Hamburger Helper.
10. I’ve been to Disney World 8 times.  If my mom makes me get married there, I already have a place in mind.
11. Speaking of marriage, if the guy who proposes to me has a longer last name than mine, I’ll be quite tempted to say no.  Unless it’s comically long, then I’ll hyphenate.  Amanda Brocklehurst-Roethlisberger.
12. Speaking of fun names, you’re definitely not the first person who realized that our names rhyme so please get over it (“Andy and Mandi, harharha–” shut up.)
13. I love white flowers.  I cannot, however, wear perfume that smells like flowers.  I prefer citrus.
14. I regret that I broke my oath to never work at a restaraunt, even if it was only a summer job.
15. I love singing in the car.  Especially soul and R&B.
16. I cannot gain weight to save my life.
17. I have a celebrity crush on Kevin Rose.  We have a lot in common.
18. I’ve been playing the clarinet going on 12 years.
19. I’m a really big fan of hugs.  I’ll hug strangers.  I’ve done it before.
20. I also enjoy sharing meals with strangers.
21. I blame my occasional insomnicatic tendancies on philosophy and StumbleUpon.
22. I’m related to Mark Zeszotek.  Four daytime emmys for excellent costume design.  :)
23. I like wearing solid colors and interesting jewlery.
24. I have an unusual fascination with clouds and birds and flowers, simply because I’m thankful God included me in such a beautiful picture.
25. It takes a special kind of person to understand my dayplanner.

Link me to yours if you decide to make one.  I enjoy reading lists.  :)

It’s a roller coaster.  It is.  Because sometimes they’re sweet and you get to be sweet geeks together and sometimes he cheats on you with his computer.  But that’s alright.  I freaking love roller coasters.

I thought you guys might like to see this book I found on thinkgeek.com called A Girl’s Guide to Dating a Geek.  I would like to own a copy of this book (and if you feel like sending me a late birthday gift, my PO box number is 7744 in University, MS.)

It asks the reader “Are you dating a geek?” If so, find out just how geeky he is in “The Geek Test.” Learn how to cope with his geekiness in sections such as: “Getting What You Want” and “How to Exercise Your Geek.” Also, discover how to plot revenge, diagnose common geek ailments, and find the perfect gift for your geek. Take a deeper look into the world of geeks with “My Life Among the überGeeks” and “My Life Among the Gamers.” Read case studies, examine graphs, peruse the Geek Dictionary, and more in A Girl’s Guide to Dating a Geek.

Geeks are human, yes, but sometimes they seem like a different species. They have social interactions that don’t resemble anything else found in nature; they have language aspects and conventions that go against rational thought; and they many times have a unique body odor. Ok, ok. We have that unique body odor, too. For we are they and they are you and we are you and… we’re all geeks. And we need people to understand us so they can date us. This book helps.

This is a beautiful book to me, and you can bet your bottom virtual dollar that I’ll write one similar.  I want to read this one first.  It’s brilliant.  Pure genius.

In fact, here are a few of my own guidelines for dating geeks which I have acquired since my dating endevours began in high school.

1. Music geeks aren’t ignoring you with headphones (unless you ask “Are you ignoring me?” and they don’t answer.)  You may not be into the same type of music, but of all people, he will understand.  A surefire way to get his hands off his synth: offer a trip to the blues club or learn an instrument yourself and jam with the guy.  He’d be happy to teach you.
2. The gamer nerds are a special breed.  The only thing I’ve learned so far is that they still love you even when they’re glued in their rolly chairs and they talk to you without turning their heads.  (Crazy multi-taskers.  I’m still impressed.)  Be sure to properly feed and water your gamer as necessary.
3. I have no tolerance for Trekkies.  I don’t even know if I spelled that right, and I don’t care.  Don’t date one, that’s all.  To my understanding, they may be nearing extinction, so if you happen to be into those kind of guys, you better get on it.
4. I may be able to give the best advice on book nerds (because I am one, pretty advidly.)  There is nothing a book nerd would love more than to see you read a book.  A real one.  Ahh.  So sexy.  Anyway.  It’s ok to interrupt a reader, but don’t expect him to throw down his books for you.  Be patient and wait for him to find a stopping point.  Those are pretty crucial.
5. If you can find yourself an attractive computer nerd these days, you better not let him go.  With the economy the way it is, these IT guys are high in demand.  Your computer geek just needs and outlet.  If there’s something wrong with your computer, just shut up and let him fix it.

More of these later.  Or maybe not.  I’m saving all the good ones for my book.

Update: Speaking of dating geeks, check out nerdboyfriend.com