Balloon Life.

Toddlers like balloons.

Toddlers love balloons.

Toddlers are obsessed with balloons.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t generalize. MY TODDLERMONSTER CAN NOT GET ENOUGH BALLOONS in her life. She’s living that balloon life.

This Peanuts balloons has been around longer than the actual Peanuts comic strip. I think we brought it home in late January. I will miss this one when it’s gone. $6.99.

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This lucky little guy moved in at the beginning of the month, but he’s still hanging around looking shiny. $3.99.

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And these superstars were given to Babystar when we left the Children’s Museum last week, or the week before, they are all running together. We drove them ninety miles home because we love that little ToddlerMonster.

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They hang out near the sky because they are stars, duh. Also because one of the strings is only about four centimeters long.

Does anyone else have a balloon-obsessed toddler?

RAISING BABYSTAR: $15,665.97

 

 

It’s the End of the Year as We Know It.

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The week between Christmas and New Year’s always feels sort of like a half-deflated balloon. All the hype leading up to Santatime has ended, but the year isn’t quite over. School is out, Husband’s work is (sometimes, partially) out, and the whole schedule is off. But. It’s not yet time to jump back on the Resolution Train. (Hurry and eat all the carbs, CHOO CHOO.)

This past week was full of lots of surprise home-alone time. I’ve been organizing closets. I know — I am SUCH a party animal. Babystar has been having park adventures and mall adventures and general errand adventures with her dad. She loves it so much. The little monster is all like BOY BYE MAMACITA as soon as she hears it’s time to put on shoes.

Babystar got her first ever Dippin’ Dots on one such adventure ($4.75.) She rode in a cool rented stroller with a steering wheel ($4.50.) She had a slice of Costco pizza ($2.16). She conned her dad into buying two penguin ornaments that do not spend much time on the tree because Babystar is OBSESSED with penguins ($5.98). She came home one day with two half price Christmas balloons ($11.75).


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Speaking of penguins, we got tired of watching the March of the Penguins trailer over and over and over and over and bought the digital version of Happy Feet on Amazon ($7.99). OMG she does the Happy Feet dances and I DIE. We have watched it thirty-seven bazillion times already. In four days. That’s like 0.000000234 cents per viewing. Not bad. (No, I did not really do the math.)

Oh! He’s also been buying the disposable diapers. A LOT of them, but whatever. We still use one per night but he often takes disposables instead of cloth on their outings. I am 100% fine with this arrangement, but I did forget to include the diapers lately. Target has had them for $4.99 for the last month, and they are $6.49 usually. I’m guessing here, and I don’t like to guess with this project, but I’m going to guess anyway. Four at each price = $45.91. I definitely bought two packs while she was sick in November. Because gross. And we just bought some so we are set now. These *should* last 28 days but they won’t. Many nights she pees between the time we put on the disposable and the time she falls asleep. And many weekends she hangs out in disposables because she is hanging out with dad. (He totally uses cloth too. I think he just finds it easier to change her out of the house when he can toss the dirties. I don’t know what it’s like trying to change her in the men’s room so I’ll just take his word for it.)

Today we went to a kid’s New Year’s Eve Party at Busy Bees ($30) with a countdown and everything, and I’m already home sitting on the couch waiting impatiently for Kathy Griffen and Anderson Cooper to show up on my television. It was really quite fun but of course it was because check out the band.

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Babystar is crashed out on the couch next to me. For now. Not for the year tho, I’m pretty sure.

Cheers, y’all! Now GTFO 2016.

RAISING BABYSTAR: $14,210.23

 

Birthday Balloons.

No, we don’t celebrate half birthdays or anything although holy bananas, Babystar is zooming up on 18 months. Big Brother is here visiting and he turned 20. Two. Zero. TWENTY. I have been a mother for twenty years. You would think I would have this thing down by now. Whoops.

Babystar’s squirrel balloon lasted a loooong time but was on the floor when we came downstairs two days ago. So we went to the party store to get balloons for Big Brother’s Birthday (but really for her). A snowman, three stars, and a dinosaur happy birthday balloon. Babystar can’t read; I think she thinks it says RAWR. Plus we bought noisemakers and party hats (again for the kids — Babystar and my 3yo niece, NOT for this grown up man that I apparently gave birth to) for a total of $25.69.

Don’t worry, I bought desserts and actual birthday gifts for the birthday boy. But we all know these things were for Babystar so onto her tab they go.

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RAISING BABYSTAR: $13,697.47