If I were rich...

... and fancy, I'd buy these
and these

shoe makeover

Trying to think of things I need for Christmas. Shoes come to mind. My shoe collection consist of: flip flops, 1 pair of converse, flip flops, 1 pair of running shoes, flip flops and a couple of pairs of heels that I never wear because let's face it, I live in yoga pants and t-shirts. So I'm going for a shoe makeover starting with these:

Now in search of a pair of nice, comfy flats. Any suggestions? I'm thinking something like these:Also in need of some skinny jeans and non-t-shirt tops.

Thanksgiving Weekend

In the spirit of the Holidays

Have I mentioned that I love the show Glee? Last week's episode was especially good and included this heartwarming number by an all-deaf choir.

Happy Birthday Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Thanks for being the sister that I always wanted. I am so proud of you and who you have become in these last 8 years that I have known you. I could not think of anyone sweeter to be Belle's only aunt. Thank you for standing up on the alter with me during my wedding day, I cannot wait until it's your turn! I love you and can't wait to spend the rest of our lives as sisters. Happy Birthday!

- Adrienne

liberal media

Belle is still too young for books (she likes to rip out and eat the pages). But I thought I'd start collecting some that I want her to have. Can you tell I'm trying to raise a very liberal child?

Titles (clockwise from top left):

This Is San Francisco - facts about the historic city where she was born!
The Lorax - environmentally friendly reading
Oh The Places You'll Go - life lessons
Click Clack Moo - Animal Farm for kids
The Family Book - about all types of families
And Tango Makes Three - a baby penguin with two dads

*If anyone has suggestions for kids books about tolerance, families, the environment or just good stories, please let me know!

my new favorite wine

this week's TV roundup

yay!no!
double no!
*If you don't know what the above images are from, then you probably don't care what they are about nor will you understand my commentary.

something new

I wanted to try something new with this blog. Instead of writing a lot of text (which I love to do, but not so much fun to read), I'm going to start doing my posts as pictures. Hence the new title "AOG Daily ... my life in pictures ..."

Let me know what you think! See my first post in the new format below...

my life in pictures post 1

this week's [non-book] reading material

it scares me that I've spent enough on my GAP card that I got this in the mail

been popping these every couple hours for the last few days

weekend yays and yuks

Yay!
my husband's garlic chicken pasta
weekends with friends and family
spending every day with my daughter

Yuk!
having a sore throat
and having a tummy ache
online traffic school that never ends

who says being a mom isn't work?

It's been a particularly exhausting day today. A lot of people ask me, since I do not have a paying job, what it is that I do all day. I'm sure a lot of people think that stay at home moms with babies just sit around eating and watching soap operas all day. I have to admit, before having my own baby, I thought it sounded pretty cushy, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. I've had full time jobs since the time I was 16 (except in college when I worked part time so that I could finish quickly, but part time + school = full time to me!). But I have never had a job that requires so much energy and time. It really is 24/7. Not that I am complaining, I've had jobs that are much easier than this one, but none more rewarding. For those of you who are curious, here's what a day looks like for me (keep in mind, this is 7 days a week, not 5).

7:00 - 7:30 AM - Belle wakes up for the day (diaper change, bottle feed)

7:30 - 9:30 AM - I try (pretty unconvincingly) to seem energetic since this is Belle's happiest and most active time of the day. We usually play with toys in the living room.

9:30 - 11:30 AM - Belle naps. Sometimes I will nap too if I didn't get much sleep the night before, otherwise I will shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, respond to some emails, check the news, etc.

11:30 AM - 2:30 PM - This is the busiest part of our day. After Belle's morning nap, she eats her breakfast of fruit, either gets a bath or cleaned up and dressed, then we run our errands, grocery stores, Target, anything that needs to be picked up. By the time we get home, I unload everything, we play for a little bit and have a bottle.

2:30 - 4:00 PM - Belle's afternoon nap. This is when I will put away dishes from the night before, wash any leftover dishes, eat lunch, check emails, clean up anything else that I can't do when Belle is up (it is pretty hard to clean when she is awake because she will follow me or try to get into things she's not supposed to).

4:00 - 5:30 PM - We usually play in the afternoons, read books, etc. Babies obviously require a lot of stimulation and need a lot of attention. Sometimes we will go on walks, or play outside.

5:30 - 6:00 PM - Daddy comes home! We usually catch up on eachother's days and get ready for dinner.

6:00 - 6:30 PM - Belle eats her dinner of vegetables or protein, Justin will start preparing our dinner.

6:30 PM - 7:00 PM - Belle gets her jammies on, says goodnight to dad, has a bottle and goes to bed.

7:00 - 7:30 PM - Justin and I eat dinner

7:30 - 8:00 PM - clean up Belle's toys, wash dishes, get bottles made for the next day, clean up anything else from the day.

8:00 - 11:00 PM - Justin's and my time together. We will usually watch a few shows, talk or play board games.

11:00 PM - 1:00 AM - Justin goes to bed at 11, so then I get a couple of hours to myself. I watch all my shows that Justin doesn't like, read and just relax.

Belle will usually get up once in the middle of the night and I will give her a bottle and put her back to bed. Then 6 hours later, it's time to start all over again, 7 days a week! But it's definitely all worth it, when you get to spend your days with a girl this cute:

wishful wednesday

This week's topic, "I wish I never had to ________ ever again".

That would definitely be, I wish I never had to have morning sickness ever again! NO, I am not pregnant, but morning sickness was the most miserable thing I've ever gone through. Worse than labor - but only because the morning sickness lasted for 4 months and I threw up every single day and although labor was miserable, it ended in a C-Section which was super easy. It was more than worth it for the end result, but hopefully when I have kids in the future, it won't be as bad as the first time. And for those of you wondering, don't worry, there won't be any morning sickness for me anytime soon!

And why is it whenever you have a baby, the first thing people ask you is, "When are you going to have another one?" I'm like, are you kidding? Can I get my baby walking, talking and using a toilet first please? I'm only 26 people, relax, I have plenty of time to have the litter that I want.

Confession

When I was 14 years old, I was obsessed with Hanson. I know that is so embarrassing. I'm no longer obsessed with them or want to marry them (all of them are already married and so am I), but I do still really like their music. Anyway, my best friend from high school (who was also obsessed with Hanson) emailed me and said that she got to meet them! Apparently they are touring college campuses around the US and doing mile long walks for charity (which they've been doing since 2007). Today they were at San Francisco State (my alma mater) so I decided to pack up Belle and go (for a good cause of course). Not only did we get to walk with them, but we got to hang out and talk to them too! It was very exciting for the 14 year old girl in me. To learn more about their walks for charity, visit their Take The Walk Site.

too cute

I am obsessed with this little girl's room by Pottery Barn. Is it too soon to buy bedding for Belle when it will be a couple years before she gets a big girl bed? The owls are adorable and I love that it's not too girly. Maybe I'll just buy her the crib sheet... and maybe the quilt...

{Images by Pottery Barn Kids}

I know that I'm a day late, but...

I really want to participate in Wishful Wednesdays, so even though I am a day late, I am doing it anyway. This week's wish is "I wish I could relive .... over and over again". I know the obvious answer is my wedding day, but my wedding day was long and went by too fast all at the same time. And it wasn't my best day with my daughter (she was sleep deprived and upset that she couldn't be with mommy during the ceremony). And Justin and I were so busy mingling that we didn't have much time together. I'd say my most favorite days are ones where it's just me, Justin and Belle doing nothing all day. Seeing Belle's whole face light up when she gets to play with both mom and dad and Justin and I making each other laugh is the highlight of my life. So I guess I'd have to say...

I wish I could relive ANY DAY THAT I GET TO SPEND WITH MY DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND over and over again.

Currently Loving...

• THESE ankle boots as seen on What I Wore
• Stella McCartney for Baby Gap and Gap Kids
• Posh's new HAIRDO
• Ivanka Trump's Grace Kelly inspired wedding dress
• That Ashlee Simpson got fired from Melrose Place
• Real Simple Magazine