21

It's been three weeks since I savored my last beloved Diet Coke. I also gave up coffee just because it seemed like the caffeine version of a slippery slope. I still drink tea but can fool myself into believing that's super healthy. No more morning trips to Starbucks to spend 5 bucks on a Venti Skinny Sugar Free Vanilla Latte with 3 pumps of syrup so it's not so sweet - with a big straw. Somehow I always ended up behind the asshat who ordered 8 coffees through the drive-up, or in the line that was 8 cars deep...and still I would wait for the over-priced, still fattening no matter how you order it coffee. Way to go, branding!



 
On days when I didn't have time or money for my latte I would swing through McDonald's to get a Diet Coke - 32 oz of morning caffeinated love. Someday, someone will find out exactly why McDonald's Diet Coke so much better than everyone else's. And then I'd have another one for lunch. And maybe a little canned soda in some yawner afternoon meeting. That's a damn lot of caffeine in one day! And let's just think, I've been a Coke junkie since I was 13 when I used to get a glass bottle out of the teacher's lounge at my junior high every single morning. I figured out the Pepsi AM thing before Pepsi did. But somewhere in my 30s I decided to make the shift from regular to Diet because "they" said you could lose 5 pounds easy by making that shift. Apparently, "they" were wrong. Diet Coke makes you fatter. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

So today I hit my 21st day of no Diet Coke. I did have one coffee but I figure that's not so bad. At least it's not the all-chemical soda with aspertame that is apparently making my hair and nails not grow, giving me gas, and could someday give me facial ticks because it's eating away my brain! How many people have ever told you about the "coke ate the penny" story? My dad told me that a million times I think and yet, according to Snopes, it's all false. But still, have you read some of these studies about how detrimental soda and its ingredients can be? Yipe, yipe, yipe!

Don't get me wrong, I still crave it every once in awhile but I think "they" might be right...if you kick something for 3 weeks, you've got it kicked. Bring on the iced tea (thanks, mom and dad). I'm off the sauce. At least the Diet Coke kind.

babe

Tagg's gotten into this funny habit of hollering "SCOTT!" when he wants Daddy to do something for him or wants his attention when he's not responding fast enough. "Scott! Scott! I want milk pleeeezze." or from the backseat of the car "Scott! Scott!"

So tonight we're sitting at dinner and Tagg says "I'm not done (with dinner). I'm Tagg Davis Harmer." Funny. Then he points at Sloane in her highchair and says, "That's Swoan." So we said "Sloane Ryan Harmer" which he parroted back perfectly. Then, "I'm Tagg Davis and that's Swoan Wyan." Happy he didn't call her Sloaney Baloney which is his nickname for her.

So now I'm thinking in my head (duh, where else would you think?) it would be great if he knew our names just in case he ever got lost or something so he would be able to tell an adult authority figure who to call.

Here's how the conversation went down from there:

Me: "Tagg, what's daddy's name? What do you call him when you don't call him daddy?"
Tagg: "That's Scott."
Scott: "What's mommy's name?"
Tagg: "Yeah."
Scott: "If you call me Scott instead of daddy, what do you call mommy?"
Tagg: "Yeah."
Me: "What does Daddy call mommy?"
Tagg: "Babe."

the birthday dilemma

Mom and Aunt Kris showing off their party planning results.

Sloane's first birthday is just over a month away. What to do, what to do? We went over the top for Tagg's first birthday...I blame Mom and Aunt Kris. They are way better party hostesses than me. We had balloons, a fish theme, a handmade fruit centerpiece, oodles of presents. matching tablecloths, napkins and plates with a fancy ribbon wrap on the drink glasses, delicious food up the wazzoo. Oh, and a blow-up waterslide.

And let's not even start with the presents. I found a cool playset at Costco, the last one, pre-assembled, so I bought the thing for like 1500 bucks and made Scott come down and pick it up. It was awesome, over the top, and Tagg wouldn't really enjoy for another year, but who cares! You should have seen us driving this sucker home...we both ducked under every street light, just in case. It was bigger than the duelie!

Know how to get a huge pre-assembled playset off a truck, over a 6-foot fence and into your yard? Mormons. Our neighbor and his guys were so awesome (or they just wanted out of church) - about 10 of them came over on Sunday in their suits and ties (it's July, mind you, and about a hundred degrees) and they hucked that thing over the fence and had it in place in about 5 minutes. Awesome! It was like a Mormon barn raising but with a playyard. That's the kind of stuff makes you want to join the church.

For the cake, we got a huge sheet cake for one party (Oh, did I mention we had not one but TWO parties? One for the fam and one for the friends when Tami and her little boy who is about Tagg's age were in town) and a mini Nothing Bundt Cake for Tagg to destroy during his first indoctrination into the lovely, delectable, undeniable world of artificially good sweets. Serious business.

So now I think we need to do something similar for Sloane because second kids always kind of get screwed on that stuff, right. Your parents went nuts, rented Disneyland, and bought you a Ferrari for your first birthday so your little brother got a stale cupcake with a used candle. Yeah, we can't go there. I mean sure, she's only one and she'll never know but I will.  Plus, I think as the oldest kid in my family I have a little guilt about my sibs' suckier birthday parties. So it's on...

I've got her first birthday photos set. Just need to decide what she's going to wear and what the "props" are - big cake? huge lollipop? giant balloon? why are all of my options oversized? Freud? Anyone? Whatever...Our photographer, Jodi, is amazing so I'm not worried about that. She'll make it awesome!

Any ideas on a birthday theme for walking, climbing, adventurous, full-tooth-grill, absolutely brilliant, adorable one-year-old girl? Maybe something monkey, jungle-y...? Mom, Aunt Kris...HELLLPPP!!!