Dear Godiva Chocolates,

I held you in high esteem when you were in expensive department stores.  I would eye you lovingly in your brown and gold packaging, even though I'm more of a black and silver girl myself.

On rare occasions, I would buy the smallest morsel.  Corey and I would savor it.

Years back when I wanted to find a way to say "I'm sorry to take your job, but I am a single mother and I can't choose a stranger over my son," I put together a gift bag.  The piece de resistance was a selection of Godiva chocolates.  (It worked, by the way, the recipient even sang beautifully at my wedding a couple years later.  No joke.)

Now, I'm not saying you're at the same level as XOX Truffles in San Francisco (a place so good that I have a permanent request for people to buy chocolate for me at the bottom of this blog... which no one has taken me up on *sigh*), but you're very, very good.

Hershey's?  Why does it do that odd squeaky thing when you bite into a Kiss?  Blecht!

Lindt?  Sure, they'll do in a Christmas stocking stuffer pinch, but could you eat Lindor Truffles every day?  Probably, but I digress.  The fact that they've chosen a name so close to a medical weight loss program (or vice versa) is just disconcerting.  Like those Olean potato chips that had a lengthy disclaimer at the end of each commercial warning of potential anal leakage, I don't want to be reminded of my fat ass while enjoying something naughty.

Dove?  Dark, semi-sweet and satisfyingly solid, Dove chocolates were how I would reward my sign language students on special occasions.  Most of the rest of the time it was Starburst or something from the 99 Cent Store.  Yes, Dove is good, but it's good chocolate for the masses.

Godiva, you have always been well above these knock-offs.  And yet, what did I spy while buying new panties for Mad at Kohl's yesterday?

That's right!  Display after display of Godiva chocolate treats.

How could you lower yourself to mass merchandising?  Is WalMart next?  The swap meet, which would require to set up shop in that funky smelling snack bar?!?  Have you no standards?!

Do you know how good dark chocolate Godiva pearls taste when you buy them with Kohl's cash?

Hearts and Winers

I am the one who gets Madelyn to Grandma's in the morning. Instead of setting my alarm I usually wait to hear her talking to her stuffed friends over the monitor. Thus, she is with me as I'm getting dressed.


Yesterday morning in the restroom Mad declared that she wants hearts panties (hard to guess what I was wearing, I know). We talked about getting hearts panties once she starts using the potty. Her next statement?


"I need panty winers."


With any luck, not for a while, Kid.

Unnoopaaans

Mad loves books.  One of the best things that happened before she was born is that my coworker asked me what sort of shower I'd like her to throw.  I asked for books.  Heck, by then we'd already had one impromptu shower from a class I work with and one given by a woman's group I am in.  And I knew we were having "the" shower after the baby was born, so I wasn't worried about clothes by then.  Just from that shower, Mad received almost 50 books.  They have just kept coming since then.


These days she has a few favorites.  Two in particular are "Aliens Love Underpants" and "How to Potty Train Your Monster."  (Notice a theme here?  Mama might be working on something.)  At this point, I could recite them to you, but I won't.


Most of our friends either do not have young children or they have children Mad's age or younger.  But one of my friends has a granddaughter who is just enough older than Madelyn that we have recently started receiving hand-me-downs.  I don't know how you feel about it, but since Mad went through about a year where every three to four months she was in a new size, I am thrilled to be getting them.  (And I'm not too disappointed that her growth rate is slowing down.  I think we might make it through winter in 3Ts and 4Ts. *fingers crossed*)


Jaylah's mommy has been sending over all sorts of stuff lately.  Most of it entirely usable; some that has gone to Grandma's house "just in case"; and a few things that have been donated (where, yes, I'm sure they'll toss it... I just can't do it).


One of the things Mad won't be using herself, but which I have kept is a bunch of little panties.  She's getting ready to figure out the putting on and taking off of clothing.  Why not practice... and encourage the use of panties instead of diaper?  Fortunately, most of the panties have been too small anyway.


We got another batch on Tuesday.  In it was one rather large (for Mad) pair of Blue's Clues panties.  I'd washed everything Wednesday night and was in the midst of folding it on my bed yesterday morning when Mad awoke.  We frequently dress her on our bed, even if there's a laundry project in progress.  Needless to say, she found the panties, exclaimed, "Unnoopaaans" and proceeded to work to get them on over her pants.  She needed a little help, but together it was a mission accomplished.


And then we went about our day.  At Grandma's house she proudly lifted her shirt to show off her unnoopaaans.  When Daddy arrived to pick her up, she did the same.


Last night was one of those nights.  She was tired, I was tired and lazy.  I'd taken her up to get ready for bed, already knowing that there would be no bath.  When I opened her pyjama drawer I realized that all the long-legged, long-sleeved ones were in my bedroom... and that the door was locked... and the key was downstairs.  So I did something I might have done one other time in Mad's life: I put her to bed in the same clothes she wore last night.


The downside is she didn't get changed.  The upside is I got this