jenni for the {royal} win

If you've been reading I Do Declare for a while you may recall I had a little royal wager with my friend Jenni on when Kate + William might become Mom + Dad. I was sure it would be within a year of their royal nupts. Jenni knew better; she said later rather than sooner. On the line with this bet was a pricey bottle of bubbly. I paid up back in the summer.

We should have saved the Veuve for yesterday's  big announcement.  Instead, in the spirit of Catherine's pending reign into the mommyhood, I'll announce the winner of my Secrets of The Mommyhood give-away. It's Jessica Mesnick, whose fave TV mom is....Miranda from Sex and the City. Yay!

the mommyhood - book review + giveaway!

When entertaining the idea of children, especially in one's mid-30s, I think it's wise to hear from mothers who are experienced not just with diapers and burp clothes but also with the balancing of a busy, full life with and (gasp!!!) away from their children. 

Heather Alexander, who you may know from The Mommyhoood blog, recently wrote a book called The Secrets of the Mommyhood. 

Heather's views on parenting have been tested from many angles, making her my kind of mom! She's had a really big career which she balanced, at its peak, with two young children. She's also been a stay-at-home mom. These days, when she's not busy being an author, along with tending to her daughter, son and husband, Heather writes a column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. 

With action points that direct expecting moms on  how best to pack for the hospital and a very candid list of pros and cons for anyone undecided on returning to work after baby, Secrets is a very user-friendly guide that picks up where more clinical books on pregnancy and childbirth end. Heather shares her classified mommycode in a casual and comical voice. This book is a quick read, and by its end you'll feel like Heather is one of your girlfriends, especially when she gives readers the perfect comeback for those competitive, know-it-all veterans who might make a new mom feel a little inferior. 

In the spirit of full disclosure it should be noted that Heather is one of my friends.  Remember this cute correspondence?     Heather's daugther. When one pals around with important authors there are often free books, so I get the pleasure of giving away a copy of Secrets of the Mommyhood to one lucky reader. This book would make a great happy to send to a friend who recently announced she's expecting, and it's also a perfect shower gift. 

To enter: leave a comment telling me you're all-time favorite TV mom.  I'll name a winner on November 26th! 

first birthday gift for little girls

I never have a clue what to give a child on its first birthday.  Moms can be very particular about the types of clothes their kids wear, and what do I know about toys? Nada. 

I think I have found the perfect present for an auntie-type to gift a baby girl that will guide a path that leads towards citizenship of  the world. This gift will inspire dialogue on global issues like the economy....

and international affairs.

Vanity Fair covers and Ferragamo kitten heels, sadly, are not the birth right of every little girl, but if we can instill in the next generation how imperative it is to relate to other women on a very common level of pop culture and fashion...

then we've done our job in outfitting the next generation for the red carpet that is life. Just like the practice of proper sunscreen application, one can never, ever start too soon.

That is why I'm giving Suri's Burn Book to every little girl I know. 

pledging beta chi {charlotte bloggers}

Y'all know that my blog BFF is Dee from Dee's Adventures.   Last month I flew down to Charlotte to celebrate her as she awaits her first baby. I went to her baby shower (which had adorable, steal-worthy details - read about it here!) and got to meet some of her oldest friends - it was a great time!

I also got to meet a ton of  Dee's Charlotte blogger friends.

The Charlotte area seems to have a really great group of bloggers who meet up often and support each other  in the real world as well as the world wide web'ed one. I have joked in comments before that they should call them selves Beta Chi for Bloggers Charlotte. 

The Beta Chi blog class above features Classic Annie, Looks Like Lulu, Reporter Turned Mommy (like me, though, Kathleen is just a pledge - hee), Dee, A. Liz Adventures and Mr and Mrs. 

It was so fun to meet in person some of the bloggers I read often, and to meet new bloggers whom I've started following!

girls trips: then and now

 The last time I took a beach trip with my group of hometown friends we were only 18. Our travel style has changed a lot since then. Here's a peak at how different our trip to St Simons Island was  to mark our 35th year as compared to our week in Myrtle Beach to celebrate high school graduation. 


Getting Carded:

The Ocean Lodge at St Simons Island

Then: We passed around the IDs from those of us who were already 18 so we could get into {cheesey!!} nightclubs at Myrtle Beach. It was a brilliant plan.
Now: When we stopped in for a nightcap at  The Ocean Lodge no one was even carded. It was a tragic reality.


Rest and Relaxation:

Then: No one rose before noon. 
Now: At the spa by 10am. 


Food for Thought:

Dining at Halyards

Then: We ate a lot of tator tots. 
Now: We ordered spinach when dining at Halyards...

and not just because it was creamed with pimento cheese. 


Photo Opps:

1995

Then: It seemed like a good idea to stand on tables and accessorize with sand buckets. 
Now:  A marina makes for a much better backdrop. 

2012

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner

The girls and Simon

Then: On the way home we made a detour to Lake Lure, NC, to see where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed.
Now: On the way home we stopped to meet - and steal turns holding - our friend Melanie's new baby, Simon....

 Melanie missed out on our trip because she was due any day but the timing of her delivery couldn't have been more perfect for us. Seeing this little saint Simon was the highlight of everyone's St Simons trip! 

Momtinis & Manicures - A Spa Day Baby Shower

Despite one uninvited guest, the Momtinis + Manicures baby shower celebrating my mom-to-be friend Megan went on as planned this weekend...

Not pictured: Hurricane Irene.

Megan didn't want lots of baby brew-haha, just a relaxing day with friends (half of whom are expecting or have just had a baby themselves!)...

The guest-of-honor sipping on a Pink Grapefruit Mock-a-rita

So, we opted to give a party that was more about mom....

than baby.

Margaret at GoodInvites was asked to model the invitiation off an OPI bottle, only using Megan's initials instead of "OPI", and she came up with the cute invitation above, and some other signage to match, like this card for the monogrammed cookie favors...

and these cupcake toppers, that were hot-glued to an emery board - theme devotion at all turns, people!

Because we knew our guests would be busy with the primpage...

...instead of a big food table...

the hosts passed bite-sized snacks to the ladies...

as they got their pedicures...

and manciures.

In between all the food and the Raspberry Momtinis...

Kathleen - bartender + gamer

we managed to play two really fun games. No melted chocolate in diapers for this crew...

We're more of the Hollywood A-list kind.

The prize for the winners? A bottle of nail polish, of course.

Irene did cut short our post-party plans for dinner, as afterwards everyone rushed home to hunker down...

 When there isn't a hurricane, the spa keeps its TVs on E!

but it was still a great day. What, afterall all, is a shower...without a little rain?!

Tomorrow, I'll share drink recipes! They were DELISH!

Shower Ideas You'll Want to Steal!

The Baby Shower -
My friend Annie Laurie  (right)  is having a baby girl!

So is my friend Amanda (center), who co-hosted this really pretty Parisian themed fete for AL...who loves Paris!

I loved the cute party favors - cupcakes in a tiny jar!

My favorite part was the Bebe Cakes!

Tiny cupcakes, in chocolate and vanilla, were offered with indulgent toppings.

So clever - I'm filing away this idea for sure!

The Bridal Shower -

My friend Katie is getting married in November.

Her bridal shower theme was Alice in Wonderland.

Her new last name will be King so for the day she was the Queen of Hearts.

There was a Project Runway challenge for the shower guests - to design, with a bag full of random items - a wedding dress.

This was one of the most fun shower games I've ever seen!

I was on the shower circuit hard last Saturday, from morning to night, from Maryland to Virigina back to Maryland again. Communting is SO much more fun when your destination is a party instead of the office!

Best wishes to you, AL + Katie!

Sooner or Later - A Royal Bet

Don't you just hate it when people speculate if other people are expecting? It's sooo no one's businsess.

I get a tad miffed when someone who isn't among my hierachary of besties inquires about the ambitions of my womb. It's a decision that is emotional, private, personal. People shouldn't go nosing around about it.

Which is why, of course, I'm naturally inclined to wonder when Catherine will become a mummy.

I think it won't be long. She's pushing 30, plus that's just what the royals do - they produce heirs. I say before next May there's an announcement. Maybe not a baby...but a royal bump watch.

My friend Jenni says not a chance - not with the Olympics in London, not with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

So we have a bet. Seeing as how the next generation of royals is not at all our business, not at all important in the grand scheme of our lives or more generally, the world, we've made a little wager....just to make the anticipation of the inevitable all the more fun.  

There's a bottle of Veuve Clicquot on the line. Loser uncorks for the winner.

If you dare think about trival matters like this (for the record, Vegas already has odds on it) would you bet sooner...or later?

Politics Is In His Jeans

This is Ellis, and he needs your vote.

There will be no misleading commercials.

There will be no automated phone calls during dinner.

There will be no standing on the side of the road during rush hour waving.

There will be no request for you to put a sign in your front yard.

There will just be one simple ask, to you, the swing voter....

Vote (numerous times, under every email address you use, every day) for Master Ellis to be the new face for Baby Gap.

Vote here.   Vote here. Vote here.

Why?

Because politics is personal, and I am his auntie. And...no matter what your politics, we can all agree that this guy personifies life, liberty and the pursuit of cuteness.