A Girl Named PJ

Apple picking in Nebraska City

September 19, 2012

My little family of three went apple picking Sunday in Nebraska City with new friends–a mom, dad and their son. Levi and I met her and her little boy in music class and started getting together last month for play dates. Her toddler is a month younger than Levi, but you’d never know it. He already walks and his hands and feet dwarf little Levi’s!

When I mentioned recently that I was hoping to go apple picking sometime this fall, she suggested our families go together to Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard. It just so happens that this weekend was also the Nebraska City Apple Jack Festival, but the crowds and chaos at the orchard only added to our fun. Sunday also happened to be Erev Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Hashanah eve), so it felt apropos to be picking apples, the symbolic fruit of the Jewish New Year.

Since I had never met her husband, and she had never met JB, our afternoon at the apple orchard was sort of like a first date. Luckily, it turned out that we are all compatible! At one point, our husbands, the designated stroller pushers, were so engrossed in conversation that they continued down a dirt road while we stopped to pick some apples.

We all walked, talked and tasted apples for maybe two hours or so before waiting in line for, oh, probably 45 minutes to buy Kimmel Orchard’s much-acclaimed spicy apple donuts. The wait took so long because they simply couldn’t keep up with the demand and were literally making the donuts right then and there, a couple dozen at a time. As soon as we were handed our boxes (they bought three dozen; we bought two dozen), we gobbled up some hot, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth delicious donuts. Oh. My. God. They were so worth the wait!

Besides the best apple donuts we’ve had in ages (or maybe ever), we also discovered that a whole apple (or two) will occupy Levi for several hours. Having only two bottom teeth, he couldn’t exactly eat the apples, but he thoroughly enjoyed gnawing and sucking on them. Note to parents: If you take a child to go apple picking, bring lots of wipes because you will have very sticky fingers afterwards!

All in all, it was a near perfect afternoon, and I’m looking forward to scheduling another outing with our new friends soon.

The laziest xylophone player

September 18, 2012

Lately, Levi’s go-to toy has been the xylophone that came in this set of toddler musical instruments, and his new favorite spot to sit and “jam” is leaning against the side of a bookcase. It’s just too funny.

PS: He carries those two mallets all over the basement and will also bang them on top of the coffee table. Maybe he needs some kid-size drums?

My Iron Man and weekend links

September 14, 2012

At Levi’s one year appointment, we learned that his iron levels were a little bit low, so the doctor prescribed him an iron supplement. I brought Levi to the pediatrician’s office yesterday to get a blood draw, and I’m happy to report that his iron levels are exactly where they should be. Hooray! The doctor did, however, recommend that we start Levi on a multivitamin with iron like Poly-Vi-Sol to help keep his levels up.

This weekend we’re looking forward to our neighbors’ daughter’s first birthday party and a day trip to Nebraska City for the Apple Jack Festival. We’ll meet up with the family of one of Levi’s new buddies at an orchard down there to pick some apples. Is there no activity more fall-like than apple picking? (Besides pumpkin picking, that is.) Tell me in the comments below what you plan to do this weekend!

Here are some links from around the web that caught my eye this week:

I’m geeking out over this smart notebook from Moleskine and Evernote

A well-designed solution for a multipurpose living room

Awesome people reading (are you inspired to pick up a book?)

Don’t forget to order your 10 free personalized greeting cards from Tiny Prints

How to organize and categorize your goals

I also write for Lifetime Moms:

Project Runway Season 10 Episode 9 Preview

Fall’s Trendiest Nail Polish Colors

images from my instagram feed. to see more of my day-to-day life, follow me on instagram!

Say “thank you” with 10 free personalized cards

September 13, 2012

As somebody who has an easier time expressing herself in writing, I prefer to say “thank you” the old fashioned way — in a handwritten note.

That being said, I tend to dilly-dally when it comes to actually getting a thank you card in the mail. Finding the time to buy an appropriate card (there are too many choices out there!) and sit down to write it can be a challenge with a toddler in tow.

Tiny Prints wants to make saying “thank you” a little bit easier for me and for you. For one week only, you can get 10 FREE thank you cards from Tiny Prints. All you pay is shipping (as low as $3.50).

These cards can be completely customized and personalized to your tastes. Choose from thousands of designs, add pictures, change the text, the fonts, the colors. Just use the promo code FREETHANKS when you check out (and pay the shipping!), and Tiny Prints will send the 10 cards right away.

Unfortunately, Tiny Prints won’t babysit your kid while you write your thank you cards.

Visit Tiny Prints now to get started!

Mom needs coffee

September 12, 2012

An integral part of my morning routine is a piping hot cup of coffee, preferably sweetened with Vanilla flavored coffee creamer. Our beloved Keurig machine allows JB and I to each brew ourselves a fresh cup of jo at different times; he takes his to work, and I drink mine while Levi’s eating breakfast.

But I’m going to need a full pot of coffee to get through today. I heard Levi moaning in his crib at 3:50 this morning and noticed on the baby monitor that he was reaching for a phantom pacifier, so I tip-toed into his room to retrieve one for him. Back in bed, I toss and turned for 40 minutes, unable to fall to sleep.

I used my iPhone to check for Facebook and Twitter updates, but there isn’t much social media activity happening in the middle of the night. I didn’t want to turn on a lamp to read a magazine (you’re welcome, JB), so I got out of bed–again–and made my way to the computer to start catching up on two weeks worth of unread blog posts in my Reader. At 5:40 am, I finally felt tired enough to go back to sleep.

Do you ever suffer from insomnia? If so, what keeps you up at night? I’m sure mine was anxiety-related, but I can’t pinpoint a specific reason.

Excuse me while I start brewing myself a big ol’ pot of coffee.

PS: And now I’m wary about using sleeping pills to help me sleep through the night because there may be a link between taking sleeping pills and early death and cancer.

image sources here and here