It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas cards!  ^_^

It seems early, but in our house, we not only need to look at the cards and get them done, but we're also usually looking at both inbound and outbound international shipping.  That, inevitably, takes forever.

This year, we're looking at Shutterfly's 2010 Holiday Card Collection.  They've got a whole bunch of cute designs for their cards, both in Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, which makes me happy.  They also have an offering I don't think I've ever seen before:

The Christmas card letter.  As in, don't print out the letter and include it, but put it right on the card.

Now, normally, I'm not a fan of the Holiday Newsletter.  At least, not aside from the odd sense of voyeurism from reading about what people I only barely remember anymore are doing with their lives.  But, the bonus here is that there isn't enough room to get truly outrageously wordy.  It's actually pretty clever.  Not my speed, as I'm horribly wordy and won't fit in there, but it's really a neat idea, and if the two-page letters we've been known to see are any indication?  Something like this is SO needed.

Now, they also offer the more traditional foldover cards, which I appreciate, but... no.  If you're anything like me, writing out personal messages on the inside of that many cards is insanely time consuming, and after the first five or so, you forget what cute, original ideas you wanted to write in each card.

However, for us?  We're looking at this card right here:

It's cute.  It's simple.  It's classic, and has that splash of color that is just so categorically ME.  I'm absolutely digging it.  Now, even better, it's printed on sustainably forested stock, so not only are we getting a cute card, but we're not decimating the planet to do it.  I'm all about it.  Next stop is to take a picture that would be a good holiday photo!

Now.  While I'm browsing, sure enough, I run across a few other neat things:

The ability to create your own mailing labels.  As in making cute labels for Christmas and Hanukkah, sure, but also for general-purpose and just... fun.  Pretty sweet.

Turning your photos into your own calendar.  Dang if that's not cute.  And a potential gift for my mother, who adores photos of LP no matter what form they take.

They also offer both party invitations and baby shower invitations.

Cute as can be, right?  We haven't used Shutterfly before, and I'm anxious to jump in and try them this year - I'll keep you posted on how it goes, and most of you will see the results.  Which reminds me, if I don't already have it, DROP ME AN ADDRESS.  I want to send out cards, and I don't want to miss you.  ^_^



In the interest of being honest, I am participating in Shutterfly's 50 Free Holiday Card Promotion - I blog, they comp me 50 free cards.  To blog for yourself, visit http://bit.ly/sfly2010

I wish I had more to say.

Depressingly, I really don't.

Hammie and Big Guy are coming to visit us in three weeks.

LP is going to be Black Mage for Hallowe'en.  His costume, aside from the final hem, is ready.

I will be the corresponding White Mage.  My robe is done, I just need to get the triangle accents planned and affixed.  I might also need new shoes - for height.  Not sure yet.

Skeeve will... well, he's planning to be Skeeve.  As in, a character he plays, not himself.  ^_^  I'm hoping to be able to pop out tomorrow and pick up the necessary materials for his costume.  We'll see how that goes.  But, as my costume was *supposed* to cost about $100, and after some fine bargain shopping only came out to $40+tax and patterns...  We have some wiggle room to get the right fabrics at the Hallowe'en sale prices.  For him, I need to make a purple cape and black tunic.  I'd make a hat, but I don't think I have the skill that requires this year.  Maybe next year.

LP is picking up language like a madman.  Of course, enough of it is garbled that I can't for the life of me sort out what he's saying, but he sure is trying!  I'm very excited for him.

Our overnight diapers are a catastrophe.  LP has been waking up in the mornings in hysterics because he pees in the morning, and the instant it hits the diaper it starts to *burn.*  NO GOOD.  So, after having that happen once, and then happen again even though we'd put a second diaper inside the big diaper... He's in disposables.  At least until the rash clears up.  As soon as I figure out how to fix the issue, we'll be back in cloth full time, but...  For now, it's curative disposables+cream, and then moving to day-cloth and night-sposies.  We have to do *something* for the poor guy, and I'm not willing to sacrifice his butt in an endless attempt to see if maybe this did it.  ;.;


That seems to be the bulk of it.  The behavior issues (the ones where LP is completely incapable of following any sort of directions) seem to be entirely diet related.  We're straightening that out once again, and hoping for the best.

Anyhow.  It's late, and I'm boring, so we're off to bed.  ^_^

While I'm Feeling the Updateness.

So, LP and I are in a class on Fridays, it's offered through the Ontario Early Years Centre in conjunction with the Park District.  In general, it's a class about stuff I already know - how to treat your toddler like a human being and not a very oddly shaped dog.

They gave out CDs at the first class, full of the irritating kinds of songs that people figure toddlers love, that parents hate, and that sanctimonious folks feel we should adore singing to our toddlers lest they turn out to be ax murderers because nobody sang One Potato, Two Potato to them.  Needless to say, I have issues with their choice in music, and their determination to ruin the good musical sense I've been trying to put into my kid (lest I find myself driving six hours to Chicago with only "Fifteen Three Year Olds Massacre Your Favorite Hits!" in my CD player).

I also, however, have issues with what their lyrics are, and what they've DONE to some of these little rhymes.  Humpty Dumpty, for example, now has music.  It also goes like this:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King's horses and all the King's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
So he climbed - back - up - on - the - wall.


Okay, first, the longstanding issue: how in the HELL are horses supposed to reassemble a busted eggshell?  I mean, really?!?  But then, the last line.  No, we couldn't leave Mother Goose alone.  Nope, now we have Humpty Dumpty hauling his busted-ass, unglued, in-pieces self BACK up onto the wall.  Um, he's BROKEN.  UNFIXABLE.  WHAT THE HELL, GUYS?!?!

Now, there are a few things they do that with, and I usually just sing right over 'em.  I'm not teaching LP the busted version of these things if I can help it.  XD

But, more insidious, are songs like You Are You.  It sounds like a pretty decent general thing, right?  I mean, you're you, I'm me, it's all good.  But take a look at the first verse:

You are you
And I am me
On a journey of discovery
You're just a child
It's up to me
To help you be who you are meant to be

I have two Big, Fat problems with this.  First and foremost, the line "You're just a child."  It's right.  LP is just a child.  And I'm just a grown up.  Could they possibly be any more dismissive of his ability to do what's right and best in any given situation?  He's "just" a child, so I have to...  NO.  Great big NO.  So we sing this song, and I reword it.  I remove the stupid, dismissive "just" and expand the contraction.  "You are a child."  He is, and by dint of this, it is the job of his parents to help guide him through things.  It's a statement of fact, no value judgement attached.  The secondary problem I have is this "you are meant to be" crap.  Who am I to know anything at all about who he's meant to be?  I mean, if it were up to me, he'd be meant to be a doctor, or a nuclear physicist, or a part-time lawyer who is also a Work At Home Dad.  How can I help him be who he's meant to be if I don't know what that is?  Apparently, it's one of those God Given Parent Skills.  It was lesson two in the manual you get when you have kids, you see.  Sheesh.  So... I reword it (I feel like Tim Allen here - So I rewired it!), making the change to "To help you learn who you are meant to be."  This, I feel, is much more indicative of the nature of the parent/child relationship.  He is just as important as I am in this, and it is not my job to come in as Grand Poo-bah Know It All and rain all over his little parade.  It's my job to help him along the way, teach him the ropes, and help him sort out the things he likes, the things he doesn't, and what he wants to do.

Yeah, ridiculous to be this irritated at songs for a two-year-old, right?  But why is that?  Why is it okay to be pissed at songs that dismiss women, or dismiss violence, or dismiss families... but not ones that dismiss children, no matter their age?  Children are people too, you know.

The last time.

You know, this is the last time I listen to anyone who says "oh, my kids outgrew their allergy by two, I'm sure he's fine!"  Or anything else that implies LP should be eating dairy.

We've been reintroducing him to dairy again over the last week or two.  While most of the worrisome symptoms seem to be on their way out, it's still not worth it.

No, he's not getting hives anymore.  No, he's not having horrid poop issues anymore.  No, he's not having breathing/congestion trouble anymore.

What he has instead is a vast inability to be himself.  In the last two weeks, he has completely lost all ability to focus on a single task.  He has lost all ability to follow simple directions.  He has lost a fair amount of speech clarity.  He has gone from being sweet and nice to a boy who beats on the people who live with him, or "aggressively shares" with the people who don't (I have a car.  You can play with it.  Take it.  NO, TAKE IT.  YOU WILL TAKE THIS CAR IF I HAVE TO POUND IT INTO YOUR FLESH TO MAKE YOU!!!!!).  I've had enough.  I've had so enough, in fact, that I'm recommitting to being utterly dairy free until this little boy is old enough to tell me how he feels, and what is happening in his little body.  That might be a year, that might be three, I don't care.  I WANT MY LITTLE BOY BACK.

In vaguely related news, I've been looking at fall baking!  It should be wonderful, and I'm looking forward to it - I'm also automatically subbing out dairy-based ingredients as I transcribe recipes.  This way, not only do I get the recipes I want, but I don't know off the top of my head that they've been subbed.  That's just how they're written, you see.  ^_^  I can deal with that.

I've also been wandering around Facebook.  As a result, I've tracked down a couple blogs I've been meaning to follow, and a couple I didn't know were there.  I'm pretty happy about that.

Next tasks?  I have to fix my photo widget to actually use recent photos and not the ones from a year or more ago.  I have to get dinner fully thawed.  I also have to make a grocery list, and see what I can do about getting the house in a decent order.

Hammie and Big Guy are coming to see us soon!  We're very excited.  We're also thinking about maybe doing a second Thanksgiving when they are here, just so we can have Thanksgiving dinner together.  I say a second Thanksgiving because Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday!  Holy COW, that's pretty early-seeming!  I suppose it makes a measure of sense and all, but DANG!