Thinking ahead to the holidays for family. Let us know things that you guys might want or need.

Declan:
Bowls to eat from. We have a bunch of spoons and one bowl, which is actually mine from childhood.
Sippy Cups, or Avent things to convert bottles to sippy cups.
Clothes (he’s in year old clothes now at 6 mos, so things in larger sizes are good)
Developmental toys
Baby/Infant Einstein DVDs?
Crib sheets
Sleep wear

Me:
Gift cards to Walmart or Target
Instrumental music for relaxation, particularly by Janalea Hoffman. (her music is designed to help keep your floating heart rate between 50-60bpm ideal for hypnosis work–which is what I’m needing these CDs for)
“Hypnosis Induction Techniques” by Myron Kettlebaum
“Handbook of Hypnotic Inductions” by Gaffner and Bensen
Paid account time on LJ
Blank DVD-R/RWs
Dice from Chessex.com anything that’s purple, black or blue in particular. Nothing pink or yellow or orange. The sets of seven (d20, dperecentiles, d12, d8, d6, d4) or sets of larger d6s.
Chopsticks — if you see nifty chopsticks somewhere with patterns and what-not I’m getting quite a collection.
Hair chopsticks — they’re pointier and sometimes have danglies. They’re cool too ’cause I have to wear my hair up so much more with the munchkin.
Hair stuff (in general) — not sprays but things to tie hair up with that are shiny/nifty/clippy/scarfy (I have REALLY THICK HAIR and I go through hair ties like there’s NO tomorrow).
Please, please I ask and plead with you that no matter what your intentions and good nature do not give me candy. I do not need or want any candy.

I’m going to get D to compile his list over the next couple of days.

Things are moving forward fairly well. Declan is getting very mobile, he’s just still a bit uncoordinated, but I have to be very careful.

He had his first taste of chocolate today which was my own stupid. I was trying to use up the last of the Nutella with my toast this morning, and I stupidly put it down on the floor (I was eating in the living room) and before I realized it he had crawled over to the Nutella and had his hands in it.

We got it all cleaned up right away BUT I’m watching him like a hawk because Nutella is chocolate, dairy and nuts all kinds of things he’s not supposed to get into for a year or so at least.

I’m getting things together right now for my first punkyswap package. I’ll get things sorted out properly on Friday once D gets paid. We should hopefully be able to get my car back tomorrow or Thursday.

My other project for right now, other than carpet cleaning to make sure I got the last of the chocolate up and sweet potatoes, is adjustting the straps on Declan’s car seat, and getting some work done on NaNo, seeing as I am seriously behind, and have been at a mega-writer’s block for the past couple of days.

But, yes, my car is in the shop. I realize I didn’t explain that one. We were out on Saturday and just as we got to our friend’s house and we started to smell something weird. We turned into our friend’s parking lot and parked, and then there was a ‘low coolant’ warning right as I went to turn the engine off. We wound up erring on the side of caution and having other friend’s drive us home and getting the car towed (after some rigamorale) to the repair shop the next day. We’re glad we did because it turns out it was the healing coil.

We’ll manage. Just things will be tighter again.

The parenting website I frequent PunkyMoms is doing a SuperMega Secret swap over the next three months, of which I’m a participant. Over the next few days I’ll be compiling suggestions, as suggested, of ideas for things that would be good ideas for gifts. Although maybe they’ll be helpful for family and relatives too, when it comes to the holidays this year. I know they’re always on at me for suggestions and I’m always going, “Urrmmm….money??”

Oh, but NO CHOCOLATE from any quarter anywhere, please ’cause we still have baby weight and chocolate is just too, too much of an evil, evil temptation.

Things I can think of so far:

Candles are always good, especially if they’re vanilla, or river/sea scented. I’m very water-aspected for a Leo (must be that pesky Pisces moon) and black candles; they’re so important for negative energy absorption and yet I can never find them. Our local stores never carry them except at Samhain (Hallowe’en), and I can’t justify driving 45 minutes into the city just for a handful of candles. The larger round ones (votives) are the safest, because I gave away all my taper candle holders.
I’ll think of a few other things later, and do the proper ‘this is who I am’ post when I’m not trying to clean up the house for our gaming geek friends to come over. Yay vacuuming oh, and June Cleaver I am NOT. That’s for sure.

You may see the new and strange counter which has shown up with the reverse in layout now that Hallowe’en has been and gone. November is National Novel Writer’s Month. Participants ‘compete’ to see who can manage to write 50′000 new words on one piece of work before November ends. Given I’m a budding writer and found about this in 2004 I’ve participated each November since then. The first year I did terribly, due to finding out part way through November and also having grad school and wedding planning. Last year I did well considering I was also dealing with pregnancy, 40 hours of work, school and trying to move and managed, I think about 12′000 words. This year I have over 8′000 words and we’re only on the third day. I’m finding doing my writing at 6 a.m. when Declan is up and eating his breakfast and then down for his morning nap, and then writing a little more in the evenings when he’s gone to bed, is being quite productive. Plus, this year I did a LOT more planning than I have before, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep up this pace and actually WIN this year ^_^.

Moving on, family life and goings on:

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