Okay, okay. Where I live? It is most certainly not summer. It’s actually snowing right now, and pretty hard. So it would seem ridiculous to write a post about my favorite tee-shirts, wouldn’t it? But some of you live in warmer climates. And some of you live in colder climates, but like me, you like to layer.

Over the summer I wrote about my insane frustration over my tee-shirts, and how they kept getting little holes in them, right at the bottom, or the hip area. There were many theories about what it could have been, the best one being that the shirts were getting caught on zippers on other items of clothing, while in the washing machine. Whatever it was, I needed to find an alternative to the delicately thin ones that I was wearing. Nice to look at? Yes. Sensible to own, due to the little holes? No.

I don’t like to spend a ton of money on tee-shirts, but I am willing to pay a bit more for quality. I wear them year-round, that’s how I justify the extra cost. And over the summer, I ordered a bunch of tee-shirts from Tee-Zone, which has, hand’s down, the most fabulous selection of tee-shirts that you could ever, ever imagine. It’s my go-to shop, and I went for it, ordering a whole mess of the LAmade short-sleeve crew neck tee-shirts. And here I am, months later, still wearing them. No holes. No fading. In fact, they get softer and softer with each wash. And at $19 each, the price is right, as is the color selection. My personal favorites? Dark Olive Green and Dark Brown. And of course, you can never have enough white tees in your wardrobe.

The Rosie Flo Original coloring book is one of the gifts that Pea received this year from Santa Claus. There are quite a few in the series, including one for boys. But I was looking for the original one, and it was impossible to find, even sold out at a little shop that has the best selection of kid’s stuff, called Sons & Daughters. (They now have the series in stock.) But I finally found it on Amazon, although it shipped from a seller in England (of course, it would have to be English, it’s just so proper and posh), and not actually from Amazon. And it took forever to receive. But when I saw it in person, I knew it was worth the wait.

It’s a tiny coloring book. And it’s really meant for older kids. But it is just so charming. You draw in the details: the arms, the legs, the faces. The drawings that the book give you are so precious, and the paper is of fantastic quality. These would be seriously adorable framed and hung on a wall, once the artwork is completed by your child.

“Small” magazine. I am adoring it. It reminds me a lot of “Cookie” magazine, one of my favorite reads centered around children.

“Small” has art, recipes, home style, clothing style. For kids. And it’s all packaged in a very easy-to-read on-line format. You even turn the pages. Just like a real magazine. Minus the trip to the recycling bin.

The content is chic, the pictures are gorgeous. The ideas are spot-on. It’s just a great little read. Check it out.

I have a love-hate relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow. When she’s talking about her kids, I love her. When she’s making snooty statements to the press, I don’t love her so much.

She has a website now, called “Goop (unfortunate name, right?).” I’m not really certain why she has this site. A public service, perhaps? To teach the rest of us how to live a fabulous life? You know I’m all about that, right? And Gwyneth does seem like someone who has it all “together.” So I’m buying.

I periodically receive emails from the site. I guess I’d signed up for them quite a while ago, when there was no content, and then out of the seemingly blue, I started getting some interesting items: recipes, style tips. But my favorite email thus far has been this week’s, on cleansing and detoxing your body.

My friend L is starting the Master Cleanse on Monday. And she wanted me to do it with her (misery loves company, right?). I thought to myself, “hey self, let’s start the new year off with a cleansed and detoxed body.” And then I checked it out. It’s that creepy cleanse that requires you to live for two weeks on something like lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Really? Can you even survive 2 weeks on that liquid diet? There was no way I was going to agree to suffer though that with L. I actually like food. But I thought about the idea of a cleansing of my system, and it started to sound like a pretty good idea to me. I’ve been overindulgent this holiday season. I’ve put on a few. I’ve actually found myself unbuttoning my jeans as I sit down at the dinner table. And the very next day, I checked my email to find the cleansing and detox plan from Gwyneth (originating from her doctor), and it seemed like more than a coincidence. It seemed fortuitous. The actual plan does not seem to be up on her website yet, which I am finding very irritating, but if you sign up for her newsletter, I’m sure you’ll see it in your inbox this week. It’s definitely worth taking a look at, if you’re interested in cleansing your body of 2008 and preparing it 2009.

So, I begin the cleanse on Monday. It looks manageable. Not much cruelty, really. It’s really the way that I should be eating in the first place, you know? If I had a personal chef, and all. Just kidding. It’s doable, for sure. My husband even signed on. I’ll let you know how it goes…

I’ve been working on design plans for Coco’s room lately. She’s coming up on two, and her personality is really shining right now. She’s talking and singing and dancing. It’s a delight to watch her morph into such a… person.

I’d been waiting to see who she was before really getting to work on her little haven. She’ll be in a bed soon. So I’m working around that, and not the crib. And so that leaves me with more options.

We’re painting her walls a sage green. The window panels are in a leafy-green print. Are you seeing a theme here? The great outdoors.

And right now, I am loving birds in. Just really loving everything about them. The way they look, the way they sound, they way they fly in formation. And I wanted to incorporate the magic of birds in her room. And with more than just a mobile.

I’ve been eying adhesive wall designs for quite some time now. They’ve been in the back of my mind as a potential for Coco’s room. But I was never sure. Until now. Since we have such a keen sense of her personality, I think the birds perched on a branch is just so right for her little nest. In crisp white. I can practically hear the birds chirping…

I’ve been looking for a dresser for Coco’s room for a while. Something simple, that would grow with her. I spied just that at Ikea not that long ago. I noticed it in the warehouse section, as I was heading to the check-out. But it was up on a platform, so I couldn’t get to it to really check it out. And there was no way I was going to head back into the maze of aisles at Ikea. I mean, I’d just finally found the end. And so, I let it go. And that was fine. I wasn’t sure how well-made their furniture was, anyway. Accessories? They have it down. Furniture? No patience here to put it together. A DVD box from Ikea nearly sent me into a fit of rage, as I tried to assemble it.

Shortly thereafter, I received my “Cookie” magazine, and lo and behold, there was the dresser. The Ikea dresser. My dresser. Well, Coco’s actually. But the quick write-up in it said that it was very well made. They weren’t kidding. I dragged my husband back to Ikea the next day to check it out, and we bought it on the spot. For quite a bit under $200, this dresser is pretty amazing. The quality is fantastic. The assembly was reasonable. The height is perfect to use as a changing table now, an actual dresser later. And the drawers? They are already lined in the cutest yellow and white stripes. Seriously, if you need something reasonably priced that looks gorgeous and will grow with your kid, check out the Hemnes 3-Drawer Chest. It comes in white, yellow and red. We went with the white, but the yellow would also be adorable in a kid’s room.

“Toys with Integrity.” That’s the tag line for ImagiPLAY. It sounds snooty, right? But as a toy snob, I get it.

The girls received another incredible gift today, from my brother-in-law and his family. And they get us. The girls. What kind of children’s “entertainment” we like in our home. And before you roll your eyes, admit that you know what I’m talking about. Some parents like wooden toys. Some like toys with educational value. Some like toys that look good scattered across the coffee table as guests are arriving for dinner.

That would be me. Us. Our girls.

Anyway, it’s a wooden alphabet game that does look very charming perched atop our coffee table.

See? That’s me. Us. Our girls.

Happy Hanukkah. Merry Christmas. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy Holidays. To you and yours.

I’m not into pink. Or prissy. Or fussy. Or Disney princesses. Personal preference. But last night, a close family friend stopped by with a gift for the girls. And insisted that they open it on the spot. No waiting until Christmas morning. She wanted to see their sweet little faces when the wrapping paper was torn off and the present revealed. She was not disappointed.

It was a sweet - and very much pink - teapot dollhouse hybrid. (And if anyone is interested, it’s made in Indonesia with sustainable wood.) Lots of tiny cupcakes, a tiny cake cut into pieces, flower petal chairs. I could go on and on. Let’s just say that a ‘big’ girl can have her tea party while the ‘little’ girls (aka the dolls) can have their tea party. This is a seriously sweet little set-up. The girls are very much into it. And if you check out Amazon, they have many other options from Le Toy Van that are equally as darling. I guess I am into pink. And perhaps fussy. But no Disney princesses. Personal preference.

An end-of-the-year gift to myself: the Comme des Garcons wallet. In gold. A little flashy for my usual tastes, but I had to have it. It spoke to me. And a splurge? Indeed. But when you factor in how many times, per day, that you whip out your wallet, it seems a little more practical. At least to me.

It’s small, There’s not a lot of space for cards, which is fine with me. I need to be able to actually close my wallet. And it’s well-made. It’s going to last a long time. It zips all the way around, meaning it’s safe for someone like me, who tends to lose things. Even money. It’s been known to happen. I’m far from perfect. But this wallet is the perfect answer. My shopping motto? Quality over quantity. Always.

Oh, almost forgot. It’s on sale. Now. And don’t you deserve a lovely Holiday gift? For the woman who gives and gives and gives? I think you do.

It’s become a running joke in my house that I’m losing my mind. I can’t remember where I put things. I’m forever leaving things behind. Once? I even drove off with a large stack of mail on the roof of my car. I’ve been using the momAgenda. My friend Sonja and I have been emailing back and forth, for what I’m sure is the better part of a year now, discussing the pros and the cons of it. I think that in the end, we’ve both decided that we like it. In fact, I like it very much. But it’s large. Too large to throw into a bag and tote around with me. So, it stays on my desk. But I really, really needed something smaller that would organize me: my schedule, my girls’ schedules, my husband’s schedule. All those little cards you need to have in order to buy anything at a reasonable price: groceries. Pet food. Electronics.

I’m going to be using the whoMi Leather Hidden Agenda. It’s faux snakeskin. It looks good. It’s the right size for my bag: just barely larger than a wallet that holds a checkbook. It has several slots for cards, cash, etc. And the planner. It tracks my schedule, along with three others. And if you don’t have three others, you can track exercise, meal planning. Whatever.

My only concern is the small space in which to record our schedules. But in conjunction with my Momagenda, which will remain on my desktop at home, the whoMi can work for me, despite it’s tiny writing space. So, I’m planning on keeping it brief. Just enough information to get me where I need to be. When I need to be there.

My 2009 New Year’s resolution, I guess. We’ll see how it goes…

My absolute favorite hat for kids is this one…

It’s by La Folie. Called “Babe in the Woods.” Both of my girls wear this hat. It’s soft (no itchies here!), it’s warm, and it’s good-looking. It’s also on sale.

I’m glad that it’s cold and snowy now. The girls will be wearing their hats. A lot.

So my trip to Heidelberg was lovely. It was just what the doctor ordered - a little time with my husband, kid-free, in a foreign country. And Germany is one of a few European countries I have not visited. It was perfect. We found a lot of hidden gems on the little side streets, off of the beaten path. We bought a ton of children’s books in German. We bought artwork. And of course, we bought toys. Lots and lots of toys.

If you’ve never been to Germany, I will tell you this. There is no where else in the world that has toys like the Germans do. There were several toy shops in Heidelberg. I am fairly certain that we visited them all. And the thing that I am most struck with, beyond the toys, is that the Germans love their children. A lot. And it shows in the interesting craftsmanship of their wooden toys; the illustrations in their children’s books.

Things to check out:

Books by Lisbeth Zwerger. She is a phenomenal illustrator. Her artwork is just breathtaking. So beautiful, you have to take a deep breath when you see it. Just don’t forget to exhale. (And thank you to the person who left a comment, months ago, that I check out Lisbeth’s work.) If you can find her a book illustrated by her, chances are it will be in German. But don’t let that turn you off. Trust me when I tell you that you are not buying them for the stories. You are buying them for the chance to own a book with the most gorgeous and lush illustrations that you will ever see. We bought several, including “The Little Mermaid” and the ever-famous “Hansel & Gretel.” Both are going straight to the framer. They are too beautiful to leave in a book somewhere in the house, to be torn up and then forgotten about. They are frame-worthy. Art.

Artwork by a gentleman named Michael Hall. We stumbled across his work at a tiny little bookshop on a sweet cobblestone side street. The woman who owned it was just the most charming person I’ve ever met. So charming, in fact, that I went back to her shop every day that I was in Heidelberg. To buy children’s books, yes. But also to peruse the walls of her shop. They were covered with artwork from a very eclectic group of artists. You can call these works folk art. Or even outsider art. But it was Michael Hall’s pieces that I so coveted. He is a prolific artist. Has a view of the world that I find beautiful. Inspiring. Colorful. And optimistic. We came home with a pieced called, roughly translated, “The Flower King.” It was lovingly hand carried back to the states by myself. And it’s now the most precious piece of art that I own. And I have a lot of art.

Any toy by Haba. And those are easy, as they sell them here. On Amazon. Sometimes at a pretty good discount. Wooden. Educational. Pretty. And fantastically sensible. And of course, fun for the kids and still attractive enough for the grown-ups.

I admit that Germany was never high on my list of places to visit. But I am so glad that I went. Particularly to Heidelberg. It’s a great introduction to Germany. Noting too serious. A small city rich is history with a lot of interesting characters to be met. I highly recommend it. And I’m now adding German to the list of languages that I am studying. Or want to study. As easy as it is for me to follow Spanish and Italian, and that I am meant to be French and therefore do very well with that language, German is impossible to understand or make sense of. But I’m working on that.

I am not the kind of girl who you will see toting around a Louis Vuitton purse. First of all, it’s just not my style. Second of all, I can’t stand walking in a room and seeing five other women with the same thing that I have on. And yes, I know that it’s bound to happen. But not with my bag. Unless some of you out there go ahead and order what I now consider to be the coolest mom-bag around. And at $85, I am not kidding - this is chic and fabulous at a bargain.

It’s custom-made. A little shop on Etsy. I think she’s in Japan. And while it did take a while to receive it, let me reiterate here: this is a custom-made leather bag. For you. It is well worth the wait…

The leather is gorgeous - a deep chocolate brown, with the most intense leather smell ever. And I love the smell of good leather. The hardware is elegant, but not too mature. The outside pocket is perfect in all of it’s practical slouchiness. And it’s a trim-looking bag, but don’t be fooled. It holds a lot. I mean, you can stuff this bag, and it’s still going to look sleek. Plus, if you live in a cold climate and are bundled up in a down winter coat, much like myself, these shoulder straps will fit over your shoulder. Even while bundled up in that Michelin-Man puffer.

Stepped into Old Navy today, just to check it out. I just discovered it as a gem, not that long ago, for the basics in kid’s clothing. I know I’m late to get on the bandwagon, but admittedly I can be a snob about these things. Nonetheless, I am loving the store. So much to choose from, all current and yet classic styles.

Including this hooded, drape-y cardigan sweater, which I was able to get for $20. On-line, it’s selling for $25, but it’s still worth it for the extra $5. It’s a really chic little number. And while the striped versions are cute, I went with a solid brown. It’s more sophisticated in the solids. I really wanted the gray one, but my husband put his foot down. “How many gray sweaters does a girl need?“

Anyway, hurry off to Old Navy and try one on. I’m sure you’ll be leaving the store with it…

I’ve been searching for a replacement for my Uggs. Forever now. I’ve been wearing one or another style of Uggs since 2000. Before anyone else was wearing them. And students on the campus of Iowa State University (don’t ask) looked at me, looked at my boots, looked back at me, and rolled their eyes. Fast-forward two years, and everyone owned a pair. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is that I am tired of looking at them, but I need warmth. Just as it does in the cornfields and family farms of Iowa, it can get pretty cold here in Utah, as well.

So, the current style of Uggs that I’ve been stomping around in are going to be relegated to the back door. To the place where I run in and out with the dogs and need something quick and easy to put on. They’ve essentially become my slippers. Albeit tall, warm and toasty slippers. That are skid-proof.

I’m going to miss the day-to-day with my beloved Uggs. They’ve been through a lot with me. Most notably the entire bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s Geranium dish soap that I had to run into World Market with Pea to pick up. It’s the only dish soap my husband will use. And since he is Master of the Dirty Dishes, he gets his way. But this particular bottle? Was dropped on the floor by some clumsy little fingers. And cracked open, spilling gooey soap all over my right boot. And it never came off…

Anyway, let’s cut to the chase here. I think that I’ve found my ‘new’ Uggs. The Gingko by Patagonia. I tried them on today, didn’t buy them, thought about them for the rest of the day, then went back to pick them up. I’m so glad that I did. Because they are expecting snow in Heidelberg, Germany. Which is where I am headed tomorrow, for five days of kid-free living. And Heidelberg is expecting snow. And I am prepared…

So, like I said, I’m going on my first vacation without my children. I’m terrified and elated, all at once. But at least my feet will be warm in the cold and snowy German climate.