AHHH - AT LAST, A GLIMMER OF LIGHT!

My not-so-little girl reading herself a book in her room

This morning, my good friend Danielle came over with lunch for herself, Caroline, and me so that we could have a chance to catch up. D is an attorney downtown and is working on a big case that goes to trial next month - interestingly enough, to all of you parents out there, about diapers and false advertising! Once the trial wraps up I just may have more to post on that, but I digress. We had a nice little lunch and visit on the deck before heading back inside to the AC. Caroline was entertaining herself by carrying around a little cup with water inside a small basket. As expected, she eventually spilled it, but in one of those "Ahhhhhhh!!!!"/heavens opening up/lightbulb moments, she turned around and said, in her sweet little baby voice but still clearly enough to understand, "Uh-oh - need towel," and proceeded to grab the dish towel that was hanging up next to the sink and mopped up the mess.

As the mother of a toddler, I sometimes lose focus of the impact I'm having on my daughter. You get so bogged down with the mundane day-to-day stuff that you miss the little milestones that add up to the great person you hope your kid will become. I don't get that many of those super-proud, "I did that" moments, but today's will most likely carry me through for some time. Just thought I would share with the masses... Hope your day is as simple/inspired/fulfilling as mine just became!

THE PINK TOTEBAG RECOMMENDS...

Hi everyone! Sorry for being so MIA over the past couple of weeks - we've been dealing with house stuff and it's been a bit crazy around here. We also had some pretty violent thunderstorms rolling through since last Wednesday, which led to some large-scale power outages. Thank goodness we're back up and running!

So, if you're like me, you spend a good deal of time and money on online shopping. Especially since Caroline came along, the internet has become not only my primary means of keeping my wardrobe up-to-date, but it's helped me take care of birthday and Christmas gifts, groceries, contact lenses, and more. The convenience of having things brought right to my door has definitely overshadowed the urge I have to drag my toddler daughter - stroller, sippy cup, board books, and all - to the mall. Yes, getting out the door is always a good thing, but sometimes, you just don't feel like dealing with the hassle!

The only thing I've never really liked purchasing online is books for my daughter. She loves to read and has built up quite the library of board and picture books over her short life. You go to a site like Amazon, read a few reviews or a summary and maybe see a picture of the cover of the book, but you never really know what you are going to get until you pay for shipping and wait a few days for the box to arrive, only to feel like the book you bought isn't quite what you were looking for. Also, while Steve and I love to take Caroline into bookstores or to the library, sometimes you just want to skip the tantrum when you won't buy her the 24 books she has pulled off the shelves.

Leave it to the people at Lookybook to help shoppers to weed through the junk and find the book that's just right for their little readers! This site features hundreds of authors, illustrators, and books that you can virtually read from cover to cover to see if you really want to buy it. While they obviously don't have every book ever written, they frequently add new ones, and have quite a few of the more famous children's book authors (including a couple of my personal favorites from my teaching days - Tomie de Paola and Patricia Polacco). You can search by subject or genre, save books to your virtual "bookshelf," and once you've made the decision to buy, there are links to sites such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble, in addition to a search engine to find the book at your local smaller bookseller. Love it! Happy shopping!

WHO KNEW SPELLING COULD BE SO ENTERTAINING???

One of my best friends, Kristy - another teacher, sent this along to me this evening. It might make you pee your pants, so get the Brawny or Depends ready...

**BE SURE TO TURN OFF THE SOUND ON THE MUSIC PLAYER TO THE LEFT BEFORE VIEWING!!!**