BBC Taking Over Entertainment

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We were a little late getting on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. We had no other reason for our delay other than we were engrossed in The Wire. We can only watch one series at a time. Transitioning from the grit of The Wire to the reform of Downton Abbey was refreshing. Now that we have finished season 2 of Downton we are in the cohort of those who are desperately waiting for season 3. I enjoy watching shows well after the season so I don't have to endure the wait until the new season, but it is fun to be timely and caught up in the hype. John and I have been polling our friends to determine if Lord Grantham married Lady Grantham for her money or because she was pregnant with Lady Mary. What do you think?

To quell my eagerness, I have been browsing other BBC shows. I just learned about another series that will air in September - something else to wait for! It's called Call The Midwife. What's fantastic about this series - beyond the premise of it being about midwives and nuns in the 1950s in London - is that it is based on a memoir that I have been trying to find for months, but is unfortunately out of print in a lot of places. How great, I get to enjoy a new series and knock a memoir off my list. BBC is my new favorite resource.

Personal Style, No Excuses

Each week that goes by Grayson is fleshing out his personality more and more. Thankfully, I really enjoy Grayson's personality. Does any parent not like their child's personality? I would imagine that would be very difficult. Any rate, Grayson is becoming his own little man. My dad told me that Grayson is like an old man because he has figured out his style and he just rolls with it. I agree.

This morning I caught a glimpse in the rear view mirror of Grayson dancing. I had to put precaution aside and video Grayson in his element. He was in the zone, lip bite and all.

Let's Get With the Times, London

In honor of the London Olympics I am working on a video montage. When I think Olympics, I think inspiration montages. I have been searching for the perfect music. I have some ideas I am strongly considering, but I tested the idea of using a London Olympics-specific song. I found this gem.

I have some questions... 1) Why? 2) I love the 90s, but why are the folks of the London Olympics clearly stuck in the era of the Lion King?

What do you think? Am I being too harsh?

Real Rules?

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I am a sucker for slide shows that give tips. I was a major sucker for this slide show with Instagram tips. I break some of the Instagram "rules". I am trying to decide if my Instagram misbehavior is a big deal or not. I am not in it for popularity and massive amounts of followers, but still.

Wednesday Giggles

I came across this picture today and it gave me an adolescent giggle.  For your enjoyment.

Thought-Provoking Thursday: A Glass in Hand = What Type of Mother?

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Here is a confession that is not likely to make me win awards in many mothering circles: I drank while pregnant with both Grayson and Lu. Maybe it is ironic that I drank during my pregnancies, given my background in public health. But I think my maternal health background is what gave me the confidence to know that my babies were going to be okay. I had read so much research about the effects of alcohol and knew the politics behind the Surgeon General's warning. Maybe I was cocky to think that my wine with dinner would not cause a problem, or maybe I was exactly right. My pregnancy drinking was never extreme, just a couple of glasses of wine a week after the first trimester. Sometimes I went as far as to drink wine in public. We actually had a special bottle of wine that we opened when I was in labor. Since my labor was vague and herky-jerky, we ended up buying replacement wine for the first bottle of the labor wine. 

I have wanted to market Labor Wine. Labor is such a fun and exciting time. It makes it all the more memorable to have a special bottle of wine to go with it. Can you tell that I have already devised a marketing scheme for this wine? Unfortunately, I don't think my Labor Wine would ever take off in the States. I would have some groups coming after me, and all the other folks would likely be too scared to buy the wine. Maybe this research would help my business.  

What do you think? Is alcohol during pregnancy okay, or too much of a risk?

We Invaded

This past weekend Lu and I crashed guys' weekend. John is such a good husband; when he was offered a guys trip to Colorado he said he would not go unless I was able to tag along. While the guys fly fished, I spent a day reliving my youth in Frisco with Morgan, and then Lu and I took on some high altitude adventures together.

I was expecting the weekend to be relaxing, which it was, but an added bonus that I did not expect was that I got to know Lu better. I hated to leave Grayson in Georgia while the rest of the fam was gallivanting through the mountains, but the trip was too short and would be too expensive to justify him coming. I am not a fan of taking trips without the entire family, but this trip may have changed my mind a little. It seems like everyone won. Grayson had a blast while we were gone, and I feel like I was able to bond with Lu even more. It was so great to see Lu's sense of adventure and curiosity. She is a very fun travel companion. Maybe our future does include some weekend getaways with one kid at a time.

Here are some photos.