Do you remember the magic of the holidays…

Back when you truly believed if you were bad, at least in those last few days before Christmas, that you wouldn’t wake up to anything Christmas morning…

 Do you remember when you didn’t understand the words to Christmas carols, unless it was “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”

Were you fortunate enough to have the type of parents who managed to find that one gift, the one that wasn’t on your list, that you didn’t even remember you wanted… And open each present, only to find one last gift hiding in the back of the tree underneath the ornament nobody really likes that says, “from Santa.”

Do you remember when you were too little to have Brandy in your eggnog, and wouldn’t have drank it anyway because your cousin told you it’s made with raw eggs and that’ll give you the runs all day.

Did you remember to when you were so little that you really believed the Santa at the mall, was the real Santa…and then a few years later, when you started to ask how Santa was at multiple stores, you believed that the real Santa hired helpers so he could focus on “the big day” up at the North Pole.

Did you ever stare out your bedroom window Christmas Eve, and swear you saw Santa’s sleigh?

I can honestly say, in my jaded old age, Christmas had lost some of the luster. It had become slightly more than the hassle of finding gifts for family members within the ever shrinking budget cap we set on it. And more importantly, generally meant we were going to eat multiple prime rib dinners at, at least three different locations, come home disgruntled and overly full and still have managed to upset some twice-removed Aunt who we failed to see.

Over the years, the rigmarole has lead us to become stodgy ole un-believers. But, in the town where my husband and I live there’s a man, who is the spitting image of Santa, my husband believes he truly is the “real”Santa. He hikes up and down the Highway every morning, wearing a neon green hypercolor shirt that says in red “Jesus Loves You” which seems fitting, because Christmas is, after all, about Christ and Jesus is the son of Christ.

The child in me has often passed this man and wanted to pull the car over, hop out, and slowly creep up, with knees bent in awkwardly, hands intertwined and ask, “Santa? Is it really you?”

In the past few weeks, I have come to find incredible excitement in this holiday season. I’ve been singing Christmas Carols to my lil one, starting with Santa Baby in the morning and ending with Silent Night before bed. 

But the crux of the holidays came last week…

I dressed Tuck up in his Sunday best, and drove him down to meet Santa. At only six months old (and not having really enjoyed Halloween), I wasn’t certain he’d care to much either way.

But as I brought him closer, and Santa Claus came into view, his face lit up. I felt a childhood giddiness flood over me, I was almost nervous, replaying my year, wondering if I’d been good enough, or if I’d land a chunk of
coal.

And it was there, while handing over my little child, I realized, we all believe in Santa…no matter how old we are. If you don’t think so, watch this video…

 Photos Courtesy Artistic Photography By Tami  (.blogspot.com)

I got an email blast the other day that was by far the best blast email I’ve ever received. It was titled “25 tricks you didn’t think of.”

And let me tell you, that email was straight eye opening. I’d give away the secret but it’d be more fun to let you begin your Google scavenger hunt instead. Should you choose not to do that, I’m sure this forward will make its way to your inbox before Christmas.

But that got me thinking, career woman turned Mom, and trial by fire has not only lead me to a life of laughter (thanks Daughtry) but also allowed me to stumble upon some pretty neato baby tricks. And why wouldn’t I pay it forward and share these little pearls with pregnant women in the queue behind me? So while my pregnant friends are getting the hand-me-down Baby Einstein World Gym and mesh baby bather, here’s three SUPER handy GO BABY holiday tricks!

 Scenario 1 – It started like any other trip in the car, except my little one had recently realized that being in his car seat meant, he was riding backwards with no attention being paid to him (not even by the dog who rides in the WAY back).

The screaming ensued about mile .05 of 45. Hubby and I had learned a few techniques for soothing him en route to various destinations, with the most obvious being, that one of us climbs in the back and entertains him for the journey (if you ever see a driving Miss Daisy scenario on the highway, it’s likely that vehicle has an unruly baby needing some milks). 
 
But this tactic is not realistic if there’s only one adult in the car. I’m not sure what came over me, maybe it’s the fact that the Bluetooth on my iPhone was streaming iTunes. But, it suddenly dawned on me, that I have a sleep app that sounds an awful lot like his sound machine in his crib (the one that replicates womb noises).

Trick: Crying baby in a car seat… download “AmbiSicience”app, click ocean waves and blast it through your stereo speakers. Begin countdown…3-2-1…sleeping baby. CRISIS DIVERTED.

Scenario 2 - Hubby and I took our little Rooster hiking down a steep descent to fish at the river. Daddy heads up river with back pack to“put the pole in a remote spot,” Mommy stays at trail head to wait for Daddy with the Baby in the hiking carrier. Suddenly Mommy sees Baby make grunting face, SHABAM! Baby has explosive rear. Mom panics and looks for backpack with gear… Daddy has it further up river. So Mommy strips baby down and runs him to river, splashes  cold water all over poopey area, which in turn causes baby to pee on Mommy.

We are now left with stinky poohey clothes and a diaper mess. Fortunately, this was my SECOND time having explosive rear while out in a remote area hiking with baby…

Trick: Travel Diaper Changing pack comes with mesh pockets to store diapers and wipes, attaches to any travel backpack, and is small enough to fit in any day sack. But that’s not all, throw a few Doggy Scented Pooh Pick Up Bag in the mesh pockets.

Once you’ve got that baby all cleaned up, take the contaminated clothes and dirty diapey and put them in a scented doggy pooh bag. Tie up the bag, and since it has handles, you can attach them to the outside of a backpack. This also works really well for long car trips if there’s no trash can nearby to avoid the stench from devouring the car. CRISIS DIVERTED.

Scenario 3 – It’s 3:15AM, and you have already successfully completed the “12 hours in 12 weeks” training (NEW MOMS STOP READING AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK ON AMAZON NOW, we started ours at 8 weeks, and he slept 10-12 hours a night ever since). In the monitor you begin to hear the faint little murmurs of what’s about to become a wail. You know you have T Minus three minutes to rectify the brewing situation. You roll out of bed quickly and stumble into the nursery, one quick blind swipe through the crib with your hands indicates the do-a-hickey (pacifier) is nowhere to be found, likely tumbled out of the crib onto the floor. It’s dark, the floor is dirty and you now have less than 30 seconds left.

 Do not go into panic mode, because now you have a trick…

Trick: Bright Starts sells “links” the links come in handy for ALL sorts of things, like attaching to a teething ring and then to your purse for mall trips, attaching to a toy and then to the shopping cart for grocery trips and for just about everything else you can imagine. Take two links, link them together and then link them around a crib rail. Buy the 2-pack Avent
pacifier and attach TWO to the link. 

When you put the baby down, unlink one pacifier, if 3:15 crisis occurs, you’ll know right where to find the other one, hanging on the rail. This also works if you’ve got the Pack N Play at a hotel or guests house. CRISIS DIVERTED.

On my list of baby must-haves:

Pre-Measured Travel Formula container - comes with three different holding slots, measure them out to 6 ounces, they shake the perfect amount into a bottle lid, when on the go, forget the can and the scoops, this is a must have!

 Sophie The Giraffe (Vulli teether) – light enough for little hands, and feet long enough for back toofies, squeaks for fun and smells wonderfully distinct from other toys. 
 
Avent 1st cup Trainer/Bottle – allows 4 mos+ to start practicing with a sippy cup style, comes with a little handle, but the
“sippy”has resistance so baby still has to suck (avoiding big spills). 
 
CA Baby Diaper Wash – I use this spray with every home diaper change and have no problems with diaper rash- ever.  
 
Simply Saline – baby gets stuffy, and the steamer isn’t enough, a quick shot of this natural liquid will clear baby’s nose, works incredible well. 
 
The First Years Deluxe Fold & Go Diapering Pack – folds up small, has mesh pouches for wipes and diapers and the changing pad is built in.

 Red Cross Finger Nail Clippers – not only do these come with a magnifying glass to see tiny nails but they work better than other competitors brands! 

Trumpette Baby Socks – adorable lil socks that looks just like a pair of kicks. Keeps toes warm while looking trendy! 

Summer Infant Mothers Touch Baby Bath – this baby bath comes with a mesh seat that allows water from the bath to fill up over baby keeping them warm. No hard plastic against their smooth little skin, use your regular tub!

My husband is younger than me in age, but his old soul wisdom  inspires me in so many ways. He has this incredible ability to see the “me” every girl wishes she could see all the time. The one she sees on her best days, the few days where her makeup looks just right, when her fat jeans are in the drawer and she just feels sexy and pretty. I’m not sure where he got those "foggles," but they were the best gift ever. Because it doesn’t matter what I wear, or how crummy I’m feeling, he still wants to hug me, and kiss me, and tell me I’m beautiful.

 And even when I’m being a royal brat, he’ll pause in the middle of a fight and say, “You are pissing me off but damn, you are still so pretty.” As our journey in life progresses I realize how much value there is in knowing that someone truly loves you, not for who you are on the outside, or the inside, or what you’ve done, but loves you as a package, even on your bad days.
 
And as our one year anniversary crept up, I started to feel excited about our extended weekend together, a little getaway from "the baby." We had planned to not plan where we were going, or what we were doing. We opted to get some of the spontaneity you lose when you have a small child back, and just fly by the seat of our pants.

When you have a baby, you go from being husband and wife, to being mommy and daddy. And somewhere along the way, you start to wonder what you’re like when you’re not tag-teaming a diaper change, bottle feeding or a crawling lesson.

I was so curious to see who we were, together, alone. Because in the last six months, our alone time hasn’t extended past an overnighter here and there. And while passionate fire between us has not dwindled with having a baby, (we’ve made sure of that), this would be our first trip without a third wheel tugging for the attention of our heartstrings and without listening for the
whimper of our little one.

With Tuck, safely stored at Grandma’s houses for the trip, we knew we could let loose a little bit. So with our bags packed and no plan on the horizon, we jetted away. I listened to the drone of the motor, while watching two lane roads become tiny black lines amidst a pine forest, and then I heard my husband say, “3-1-4 Mike, is clear of the runway, Georgetown.” I immediately felt my shoulders start to sink into our vacation. 

My husband handed me the real life "foggles" he had on board because he'd been working on his IFR flight training and said, "It feels different flying when you can't see the ground doesn't it?" As I put them on, I realized that flying without seeing, was terrifying. You have to rely on your instruments to guide you, because when you can't see, your mind starts to play tricks on you, and soon you aren't sure which way is up. I wasn't sure that I was cut out for IFR flying...something about seeing, and knowing where I was going and what was ahead was neccessary for me to feel safe.

I quickly took off the foggles and relished in the beauty of what I saw. We were really doing it, we were heading off for a trip, just the two of us, like the old days. With no GPS and a handful of Nav charts, we played pilot in command and co-pilot navigator. A little over an hour later we touched down in Monterey and headed for Sanctuary Beach Resort. We opted for the Romance package, and romantic it was. It comes complete with rose petals covering the bed, champagne, chocolates, and a couples massage. I highly recommend this resort, which is off the beaten path in Marina for anyone who wants superior customer service and a stellar view of Monterey Bay. 

 Just as we pulled in, we spotted a couple with a tiny new baby. I couldn’t help but ask, “How old?” The couple smiled and said, “Four months.” My husband looked longingly and added, “We miss ours, he is six months.” And right then, the baby let out an ear piercing cry. 

In that moment, we gave each other a look, the one that only a connected married couple can, that means the exact same thing without either saying a word, in this case it was “phew, I’m so glad we’re here alone, let’s jet before they ask us to babysit.”

We wandered over to the front desk as the lady handed us our room key she said, “Congrats on your anniversary, and your little one, mommy and daddy time is important.” And then she corrected herself and said, “I mean, husband and wife time.” She was right. This trip was not about getting away from the baby, it was about being together, alone.

The next day we arrived back at the airport, to find that our little plane and black Versa (Versace!) rental car had been trumped by a private jet, red carpet and a Lexus. The guy had just jetted into Monterey from France. I snapped a picture and started laughing out loud. A little dose of modesty, is always friendly between my husband and I. Right then my husband joined the
laughing and said, “Baby, I’ll fly you anywhere you want to go…between here and here on this map of Northern California, with a fuel stop somewhere in here.”

 The trip continued on as planned, and since was not planned at all, included a low-fuel landing at a little tiny airport near a coastal redwood town which claimed to have fuel, but upon touchdown, we would learn, did not. Without fear of lugging the baggage of a little one, we were able to improvise and ended up sharing oysters at a little Inn on a cliff overlooking the ocean somewhere in Mendocino.


I’m still laughing that I texted a girlfriend, “No fuel, landed in Little River.” To which she texted back, “OMG are you guys okay? Did you leave the plane.” And continued to text, “Please tell me you are okay.” But my phone had died and I didn’t get her texts until the next day when I replied back, “Dude, we didn’t land in a “little river” the airport/town is called “Little River.” HAHAHA *SNORT* HAHAHA.

 By the end of our trip, I had realized while our titles had changed to include the addition of “mommy and daddy” we were very much still “husband and wife.” All the challenges and obstacles, and sleepless nights, and exciting milestones of parenthood had helped us achieve one more year together, bringing us that much closer. 

My husband, through all my imperfect choices, and weak moments, has been able to see me through the fog of life. Thank goodness for those goggles he was gifted. Because he still sees the “me” he loves even on the days when I don’t love myself and the woman (wife and mother) who is not always perfect, but doesn’t have to be. Somehow, in his eyes, with his old soul wisdom he is able to see the depths of me.

I believe every person has an intrinsic desire to be good, and marriage is about each person continuing the process of being the best person they can. He always reminds me that in life, like in an airplane, “Put on your oxygen mask first, and then help others.”

It wasn’t that long ago that I told someone my thoughts that the best thing I can do for my son, is to have a great relationship with his father. It’s that pre-baby, first love, that keeps the home fires burning. 

Our first vacation toast, “to many toasts” lead to a final vacation toast that, “it’s not about making it to a 50th anniversary, it’s about celebrating each year as its own special year.” 

And somewhere on the course of our trip I learned that spontaneity in life's unexpected adventures, modesty (appreciation for all you do have), laughter (at others, and yourself), and foggles (flying without seeing and just trusting) are key ingredients to surviving another year of marriage.
 
And then some day, when you’re older than dirt, eating oysters at a little fish market in Mendocino, making a toast to another year, and someone asks, “How many years are you celebrating?” You can laugh and answer, "One year." And then pause, look at each other, like only married couples can do and know what the other is thinking without saying a word. “The oyster
aphrodisiac is kickin in, let’s get outta here…”

So I have this autoimmune disorder. I've had the disorder for at least ten  years...and for the majority of those years, I guess I've done pretty well without medication. When a doctor wrote across a blood panel back when I was  twenty "monitor every year" I guess it got lost on my "invincible not even twenty-one yet mindset." Though looking back now there were certainly times
where I probably should have had some drugs.

 As with any other autoimmune disorder, my own body attacks one of my own body parts. Last year, when I was having all sorts of medical troubles, most notably ovarian cysts (which were preventing me from getting pregnant), one of my doctors decided to run a test. A very specific test.

It was the thyroglobulin AB test. The test came back positive for Hashimotos.

Hashimotos is (according to webmd) an autoimmune disease, a disorder in which the immune system turns against the body's own tissues. In people with Hashimoto's, the immune system attacks the thyroid. This can lead to hypothyroidism, a condition
in which the thyroid does not make enough hormones for the body's needs.

During the last year (and throughout pregnancy) my thyroid levels have been closely monitored. And since pregnancy, it's been a struggle to "get it back in check."

I want to stop right now, and say, if you stumbled across my blog, and are a woman who is pregnant, and suspects hypothyroid, go get your TSH checked tomorrow.

I was fortunate to have a progressive doctor (and to have been in grad school learning about thyroid related psychology problems) and personally requested frequent testing, even then my TSH levels were just under two. Recent studies
shows pregnant women should increase their dosage immediately upon pregnancy confirmation and should maintain TSH levels under one for proper cognitive development of the fetus. Additionally, undertreated or undiagnosed hypothyroidism during pregnancy can cause: miscarriage, preterm delivery, and breech presentation at birth. (Alexander 2004; Behrooz 2011; Milanesi 2011)

This last blood draw, I was 19 times the maximum for "normal" range. And since the thyroid is the key ingredient to the endocrine system, means I am chugging through a slough of symptoms, the more blog worthy and light hearted ones being dry skin, hair falling out, bruises not healing, ridged and broken nails.

While I'm a very open book, I'm not usually so open about things like this. However, during the course of the last year and a half, I've come across an enormous amount of people - mostly women- who either say, "Oh, I've been on thyroid medication for a few years." Or, conversly, people who say, "Oh my God. I have those same symptoms, I wonder if I should get checked?"

The one that hit the closest to home, was just this past month, when my own father was telling me about some of his latest medical troubles. I encouraged him to research Hashimotos, as it is typically genetic, and get tested.

Sure enough, my Dad has it too. My Dad's sister is now being tested, and we can't help but wonder if my grandmother who died "healthy" in her sleep of Conjestive Heart Failure, didn't actually have untreated final stage Hashimotos. I did some medical research and learned that, "Cardiac autonomic dysfunction may develop in patients with clinical or subclinical thyroid hormone deficiency."  (Celik 2011). Even our Golden Retreiver was diagnosed with hypothyroid, and takes daily medication.

 I began to seriously investigate more and more about thyroid, and while I am not planning to get my PHD until 2020, I assure you, my thesis will be on the rise and health impact of thyroid problems in America. Hashimotos is the more rare, auto-immune version of the standard  "hypothyroid" or underactive thyroid gland, which many people are diagnosed with (and Graves, the auto-immune version of "hyperthryoid" or overactive thyroid gland). It's important for me to clarify, there are distinct differences between  the autoimmune version of hypothyroid and general hypothyroidism. But every day I find myself coming across more and more people who are hypothyroid. 

And while the cause of my disorder is unknown - and very different than some of the more known causes to hypothyroid, I cannot help but beg to ask the question, what the heck are we eating?

If you stop reading my blog, in this moment, and ask ten people (preferrably women) what they know about hypo (or hyper) thyroid, I bet you 80% of them would say, "I'm currently taking medication" or "I know someone who is."

I've come across diet enthusiasts who swear by Gluten-Free; I've come across Usana colleagues that swear by Usana Bio-Mega and Chelated Minerals; even my Yoga instructor recommended pig thyroid hormone, to combat Hashimotos.

A quick Google search "thyroid on the rise" will return results spanning 2008 to now, and India to America...But it still doesn't enlighten me to the pending question, why is hypothyroid (Hashimotos, or otherwise) on the rise? Fortunately for me, I still have access to the online medical library at Grad School, and even more fortunately, my class in research and theory taught me how
to properly read medical journals (typically pertaining to psychology, but that's neither here nor there).

 One study confirms that since the 1990's the detection of thyroid in newborns has been on the rise, ""The incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) detected by newborn screening in the US has increased significantly since the early
1990s." However, in it's conclusion it determines it's strictly due to better testing methods, "Our findings suggest that this rise is attributable to enhanced detection rather than an absolute increase in numbers." (Mitchell, 2011) 

Long standing belief suggests that the introduction of iodine into table salt did assist with the goiter/hypothyroid problems of the 1920's when the government realized there was not enough iodine in our diets in America, and suggested that since people have decreased salt intake (avoid heartattacks!), thyroid is now on the rise. That might explain why during those ten years I was
unmedicated I was a "salt fiend" as my friends called me. I'm a firm believer our bodies know what they need, and maybe that's why it was telling me to oversalt everything.


What's really scary, is this article which indicates that there are iodine-blocker halogens in foods and medications, two which I frequently use- Sucralose (Splenda) and Flonase. Fortunately both products which I avoided during pregnancy (which might
explain why I never needed an increase in dosage). The majority of research I found pertained to China, Japan and Korea, and
referenced the salt intakes there.

The most profound article was published in 2011, and the study used participants from Slovenia, in conclusion it says, "The change from mildly deficient to sufficient iodine supply was associated with a marked change in the
incidence of thyroid epidemiology - a significant decline in the incidence of
diffuse goiter and thyroid autonomy and a marked increase in the incidence of
Hashimoto's thyroiditis. " (Zaletel 2011) Whoa. Isn't that utterly
contradictory? Suffice to say, there's an epidemic happening here...and it
warrants more research studies.


Sources:
Alexander, Erik K. M.D., et. al. Timing and Magnitude of
Increases in Levothyroxine Requirements during Pregnancy in Women with
Hypothyroidism, New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 351:241-249 July 15,
2004 Number 3 Online:  http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/351/3/241).


Behrooz, Hossein Ghorbani; Tohidi, Maryam; Mehrabi, Yadollah; Behrooz,
Ebrahim Ghorbani; Tehranidoost, Mehdi; Azizi, Fereidoun. Subclinical Hypothyroid
in Pregnancy, Intellectual Development of Offspring. Journal of the American
Thyroid Association  Volume: 21   Issue: 10   Pages: 1143-7   Published:
2011-Oct.


Celik, Atac; Aytan, Pelin; Dursun, Huseyin; Koc, Fatih; Ozbek, Kerem; Sagcan,
Mustafa; Kadi, Hasan; Ceyhan, Koksal; Onalan, Orhan; Onrat, Ersel. Heart rate
variability and heart rate turbulence in hypothyroidism before and after
treatment. Annals of noninvasive electrocardiology : the official journal of the
International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology, Inc  Volume:
16   Issue: 4   Pages: 344-50   DOI: 10.1111/j.1542-474X.2011.00461.x  
Published: 2011-Oct


Milanesi, Anna; Brent, Gregory A. Management of Hypothyroidism in Pregnancy.
Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity  Volume: 18   Issue: 5  
Pages: 304-9   Published: 2011-Oct


Mitchell, Marvin L; Hsu, Ho-Wen; Sahai, Inderneel. Increased Incidence of
Clinical Hypothyroidism; Fact or Fancy? Clinical Endocrinology  Volume: 75  
Issue: 6   Pages: 806-10   DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2011.04128.x   Published:
2011-Dec .


Zaletel, Katja; Gaberscek, Simona; Pirnat, Edvard. Ten-year follow-up of
thyroid epidemiology in Slovenia after increase in salt iodization. Croatian
medical journal  Volume: 52   Issue: 5   Pages: 615-21   Published: 2011-Oct-15 

Hi. I'm Michaela, and I am a former Facebook Addict.

I have been Facebook (can I use it as a transitive verb?) free for exactly two years. During the course of those two years, I've often heard, "We miss you! You need to come back!" I've also heard, "Oh my God, be SO glad you don't have to deal with Facebook drama." And, "Did you see So & So's wedding pictures? She looked totally anorexic in her dress, and he doesn't even look happy." Or, "So & So status updates about their baby all day long, it's like enough already!" To which I usually reply, "So & So had a baby?!"

I can honestly say, during the course of the last two years, I've had many status-update worthy moments, I've also been saved from a lot of drama, but I've missed out on a lot of gossip, and I've most certainly missed out on a lot of great photo viewing, but for the most part I've truly enjoyed being "offline" and in "real life." I've used old school sites to share pics with family and friends and I still blog on my website... but... On this day, the second anniversary of my Facebook free life I share with you a week of Crazy Kayla status updates (pathetically had to call Mom to find out how status updates post these days, and it's in reverse order):


11/25/2011 Michaela Renee...wow, not just asparagus pee, but MARINATED
asparagus pee,  I think this might be the first Number 1 courtesy flush in history...


11/26/2011 Michaela  Renee...Really? You just spent $50 on a Christmas tree
but couldn't drop an  extra $2 for the netting? Everyone on behind you on the
highway right now  is Grinched out. You might as well have strapped a carseat to
your roof.


11/27/2011 Michaela Renee...grabbed a peice of candy out of Mom's assorted
candy dish. With mouth full and a violated expression I calmly say, "Well, I
chose wrong." Mom laughs and  replies, "Yah, those are a crap shoot." Mental
note, the little assorted hard candies suck this year.

11/28/2011 Michaela Renee...answers the phone with hands free in the car. "Hi
Dad." "Hi Sis, got that number you need." "Hold on I'm driving, lemme text it to myself."
wow. Best idea all week.

11/29/2011 Michaela Renee...email to hubby: Confirmed via Google, that burning sensation
is not our lungs freezing. That can only happen if you are dead.
6am jog again tomorrow, it's supposed to be 39 instead of 34 degrees ;-)

11/30/2011 Michaela Renee...If you haven't experienced Mountain Dew and a
frozen Jimmy Dean Pancake  Sausage on a Stick from a gas station for breakfast,
you are missing the glorious essence of Small Town America.
Seriously.

12/1/2011 Michaela Renee...emptied hubby's pants pockets this morning digging for
spare change and then proclaimed, "Babe, 1997 called, they want their Binaca breath spray 
back."  Woot! Best 2011 Stocking Stuffer idea yet!

Ahh, that felt good...just a sip. Now I can go another year without being sucked back
into the vortex of FB by the pressures of society.