Vintage is SO 2010...

Books, I mean. Take a look at them beauties, would ya? I was raised on my mother's milk, garri - and Harlequins.
Janet Daily, Charlotte Lamb, Violet Winspear, Betty Neals - you name 'em, we had 'em. Our house was probably better stocked than most small libraries on virtually any topic. With a father who was a voracious reader, a mother who stalked garage sales and bought any book (or anything, for that matter) on any subject and three elder sisters who must have had stock in the Harlequin franchise, I was that chick when it came to these babies.
So to discover them after decades, in mint condition, at 50 cents a piece? I could honestly just cry. Thank you so much, Rosie for remembering. And purchasing. This will jump start my 'good old book' collection that I had been meaning to start.
Je suis une bibliophile... pp

Falling Apart In One Piece

First of all, OMG.

If you are married with the slightest inkling that there is an undercurrent of the slightest 'something is not quite right here', RUN and get this book!

If you are married, with full blown chaos in your home and you think you might be alone, GET THIS BOOK!

If you are married and blissfully happy and want to stay that way, you NEED this book!

If you are unmarried and think you might be getting married at some point to your 'best friend and all that', this book is a must-read.

My point is get this book. Read this book. We can all relate to this book. Married or unmarried. Happy or unhappy. Career mom or stay at home mom. Kids or no kids. Male or female.

If you have ever wondered why marriages don't work out sometimes even between two amazing people, then Stacy Morrison will help you 'get it'. And she does this in the most real, unpreachy, loving way. Without self-pity or cynicism, devoid of finger-pointing or martyrdom, she lets you have her answer (because in the end it is her story, and we each have our own) - which it sometimes it just does not.

And that beyond divorce, there is still life and raising a toddler son and work at the helm of Redbook (a magazine for strong, independent family women, who supposedly 'have it all', whatever that means). So yes, life doesn't just stop just because you got problems. Amen, sister.

What I like most about this book is that it neither glorifies divorce nor puts down marriage. It is just one woman's story to which we can all relate. And it does serve as a wake up call, even attractive, successful women can and do have marital woes. And sometimes there is no 'reason' for a spouses change of heart - no other woman, no financial pressure and not even having a beautiful kid together can save that. And as for couples that never bicker - bravo, but complacency can be a sign of some deeper issue. Or not. But you just never know.

Stacy Morrison's voice is imbued with grace and matter of factness, but I still choked up in certain parts at the honesty and simplicity of her story. Think 'Eat, Pray, Love' meets 'The Devil wears Prada'. You know I'm a fan for life now.

Brava, pp

Chatterbox

My Numero Uno son talks up a storm. He started speaking early, and not just baby babble, but good (though far from perfect) adult English. This is probably due to the fact that we kept the 'baby talk' to a minimum once we realised he understood what we were saying. So his speech is very 'proper' as one of my friends puts it. Even though he has been talking for a while now, once in a while I still look at him in wonder. Is that you, baby? With all those tiny little teeth, and a point of view and everything. Sample question: "Why did you cry in school today?" Answer: "Because I need my Mommy. (accusingly) You leave me, that's why." How cute is that? The fact that he always adds the "that's why" to end of his explanation kills me every time, I tell ya. Or, "Why won't you go to bed?" "because there's a dragon in my room, that's why." Don't you just die? Or is it a personal Mommy thing? Whatever it is, I am determined to nourish it. And with him in the "what's this? why?" oh so cute but undeniably tiring phase, this book by Jamie Lee Curtis seems like it would be perfect - and something he would undoubtedly grow into. It's called 'Big Words for little People' and it explains words that we adults use (without thinking, most times) in a way that kids can relate to. Too, too adorable. And with purpose too. Can't beat it - will be buying it for sure.

Books rule, pp

Books, Bracelets, Babies and Body Lotion...

'The Mrs. Club'. Is where I'm at right now, quite literally and figuratively. A good friend bought (had autographed and mailed) me a copy of this foray into the hitherto uncharted waters of Nigerian 'chick-lit'. My first reaction was 'Bravo!' and 'A for effort!' for this self published first book, until I saw a grammatical error in the very first paragraph. It put me off for like a week or so. I mean, hello, spell check much? When I did finally give it another try, I was hooked by the conversational, true to life tone of a worldly single Nigerian (or Naija as we like to say) girl, trying to make it in the U.S. A bit exaggerated and intense, but you try developing and sustaining three very different characters in 195 pages and then you can talk! Rough around the edges, yes. The drifting between tenses will make you dizzy for sure. But definitely, definitely, entertaining and you will be holding your sides laughing. Literally. I guess what I am trying to say is, I'm a fan. And I will be buying copies for other Nigerian women or at least letting them know we have embraced a new genre of literature and a new queen of Naija Chick Lit. So, Get it, then, Ekene!

I am chock full of reviews today - all unpaid, I promise, but definitely 'prada tested'. I am all about the unique gifts for my special 'peeps'. Check out these simply gorg 'mommy and me' bracelets I ordered from Lisa for my cousin and her new baby, Kimber. Adorable. And you can customize with just about anything. I did birthstones, baby alphabet blocks and booties. Love, love, love it!

Paspic.com - This one, any busy mom who has ever had to sit immobile under a white cheesecloth with her squirming baby on her lap (I kid you not), all for the sake of a passport photo, will agree is worth its weight in gold. Imagine taking passport photos at home, uploading them and having them sent to you for just $10??? Cannot beat it. They will proof and correct for you as well. I have posted MonkeyBoys, and I will post the finished product from Paspic when they mail them back. Oh, and the $10 (well $10.18 actually) is for THREE Passport photos, INCLUDES postage and you get it within TWO BUSINESS DAYS! I 'PUFFY HEART' THE PEOPLE WHO CAME UP WITH THIS INGENIOUS IDEA!

In my never ending quest to stay fab for less, I turned guinea pig last week. I rubbed the entire left half of my body in Nivea Natural Tone Lotion ($6.99, Target) and the entire right size of my body in Kiehls ($18, Target - 4 sizes smaller than Nivea). No difference. I daresay the left side of my body stayed smoother and more moisturised longer. So Nivea Natural Tone it is, then. :-)

The infinitely smooth, pp

Giver of Good Gifts

I love to give nice gifts. The occasion is irrelevant - birthdays, kids birthdays, housewarming, 'just because' gifts. I just get immense pleasure from seeing the recipients face when I have given a thoughtful, 'think-out- of- the- box' gift which the person ultimately I hope, finds useful. Things that you wouldn't think of, know where to look for or realise that you totally couldn't do without. Until, of course I give it to you. Maybe even one of those things you'd like but never thought to buy for yourself. I love to give these Carolee sentiment bangles to Mom and baby daughter, I 'puffy heart' these adorable chunky little books from babystyle and I give them as gifts to almost every one year old and/toddler I know. And this 'Best Grandma' quilt for Grandma, complete with all her grand kids names? Priceless AND on sale at Lillian Vernon (how precious is that?) - and then I discovered 'Uncommon Goods.' Dude. Can you say "Prada Principal in wonderland?". It is now my one stop shop for everything and everyone, even my extremely 'hard -to- buy -for' hubby. If going green looks this fab, why ever not? Made from 100% recycled cotton, it is a 100% ME. I did however also cop a 'look for less' version at Target for 99 cents. No kidding. It's sassy red and zips into a small pencil case like thingy. Uberchic and ubercheap, which always works, right?

Anywho, I really envy good friends of mine with ANY (and I do mean any) occasion coming up. Y'all just made out like bandits.
The ever so generous PP

PS. Oh and OMG Puella now has dresses at anthropologie. I first heard of them through awesome Melissa, whom I adore and hope to morph into some day. Go to her blog NOW (she was my inspiration to use this blog as my creative outlet during my maternity leave and now it looks like I'm here to stay!) and I promise you'll be hooked. Never actually worn Puella Girl stuff, but I surfed their site and Melissa's word for it and preordered their grab bag sight unseen. It is due this June and I for one cannot wait. Will dish all about it when it comes. I promise.

Baby Gizmo Buying Guide

This is the must-have baby buying guide of the season. It is 'Baby Bargains' in a Prada suit, if you will. It is just big enough to have print that is actually readable without squinting, has terrific 'feedback', by way of pros and cons of each item (none is too minor to be mentioned) that you would conceivably use for your new baby. It is also great for second (and third etc) time moms who like me, might need a refresher course. As we all know, the rules change every year or so and there are always new products that we'd love to try or preferably have other moms try for us. Well, Heather Maclean and Hollie Schultz have done just that. So without further ado, I have 2 copies of 'The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide' (courtesy of the fabulous authors/their marketers, to give away to two lucky readers of my blog, who actually take the time to comment on this post in particular. No strings. Promise. The rest of you can pick up at amazon.com or your local bookstore for $16.99 - but wouldn't you rather get it for free? I mean, really. :)

fondly, PP

No gym until I'm skinny...

Ridiculous, I know. But after two kids and just 5 weeks in this post partum body, I am dealing with body issues which I never knew I had, and trust me, it ain't pretty. My hubby and I have a gym membership which neither of us have used in a year - at least, I had an excuse - I was pregnant for most of that time and was running about 3 miles a day for awhile too - and the money is being deducted from our account, regardless of whether we haul our butts in there or not. So what better incentive to go, right? I get up bright and early and shower and fish out gym clothes that actually fit - no mean feat, I assure thee. I get to the front door and turn right back around. It's too cold, I'm too late for the class, is my membership still active? All lame excuses. Code for "I'm too fat", plus do I really want to join a strip tease exercise class with lithe skinny 20 something year olds with perfect bodies? Any class would be hard enough, but strip tease class? I mean, even if I were fit and trim and didn't have this jelly belly, I would feel ridiculous. Then there's the issue of my grimy workout clothes. So fast forward to me ordering hip (but not too hip - don't want to appear old and desperate), age appropriate, clothes THAT FIT on the Internet. By the time they get here, I would have shed at least another 5 pounds, right? In shape for getting in shape. Gotta love me. :)

Best Baby Gifts Ever

Second kids, if they are the same sex as the first one usually get a raw deal, you know? I bought almost nothing new for monkeyboy, and as for clothes, fuhgetaboutit. But fortunately, I have great people in my life who love me and he got his fair share of cute, adorable stuff. Love you all. Really. But I am a sucker for books, always have been, always will be. Maybe growing up with an academician as a Dad and teacher for a mother, reading was priority. A treat was going to the bookstore on Saturday and picking out any book of your very own. Then we would all lie in our various beds, devour the books and swap with each other. As we all had pretty diverse tastes, I read the whole gamut, from Nick Carters, to Barbara Cartlands to Enid Blytons at a pretty young age. But Nigerian TV sucked, so holding out for age appropriate material never crossed my mind. But I digress. So I got these gorgeous books, titled 'On the night you were born', and "On the Day you were born' respectively, (among many that this person so generously bequeathed to monkeyboy) that are already favorites of Number one son and I'm sure will be for monkeyboy too, in time.

I have also fallen in love with crabtree and evelyn's super gentle and super adorable baby wash and creams. They work so well for monkeyboys sensitive skin and the packaging is SO cute - it's like reading a bedtime story everyday, just looking at it. He broke out in a rash, I think from Johnson and Johnson's and these seem to be calming the rash and working so well. My dear friend gifted this to us courtesy of she and her business Packaged Panache. She makes the most gorgeous gift packages for ANY occasion you can imagine. Yes, she doth rock. lol.