{ cel-e-brate! }

First, please don't forget that today is the last day to enter the fabulous J Company Giveaway. Get your entries in before midnight tonight (EST).

Next.

We've had some news. Great news.

Turtle has broken the potty strike.

You see, he has been wearing underwear every day, except for naps and bedtime and when we are out. And he's also been holding it until naps, bedtime and when we are out. He'll say he has to go potty. He'll even sit on the potty. Sometimes for quite a while.

And then he'll say "all done!" and skip off, with an evidently full bladder, and wait for his pull up.

Yesterday, while babysitting, he began asking for potty.

Atypically, he was very quick about it, sitting on the toilet for just a moment and then saying he was finished.

We did this maybe four times.

And then, during dinner, he said "Pee pee! Potty!"

And off we went again.

I got him situated, turned around and was about to hand him his Official Potty Coloring Book, when I heard it.

The unmistakable sound of tinkle in the toilet.

Both our eyes were the size of saucers.

It was quite the stream. 

No one moved.

And then I erupted into deafening cheers and applause, almost in tears (of relief). We had a party in the powder room, with MacGyver leaving his office to join the celebration, and the pugs all gathering round, wagging their tails and hoping they, too, would get a treat.

We celebrated with a homemade turtle shaped cookie. It was all we had in a pinch.

We're so proud.

And it's a great way to head into the weekend. Fingers crossed for continued success. :)

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{ me time. i do it wrong. }

As you may have guessed, I was on my own for a few days. Just me and the pugs.

I packed up my baby and sent him off with his daddy.

More photos of their trip to come. I gave MacGyver a single-use camera to take with them to document the trip, so I have to get the (gasp) film developed (gasp).


And then I took a deep breath and looked around.


At this point, a more reasonable person would have probably hopped back in bed, pulled the covers up and made decisions later.


Me? I went to Home Depot.


I bought paint. 

And some flats of flowers. Our loft has been sitting partially painted for months now, and there were some plants in our front and back garden areas that needed replacing.


I may have treated myself to a tall frappacino. You know. For strength.


And then I got to work.


I painted the loft. I have an unhealthy love of painting.

Then I decided the furniture didn't look right. There was loveseat where the train table is in the above pictures. So I did some reorganizing, and pushed the loveseat into our bedroom.

Which I thought was perfect considering we just recently got some fantastic new bedding from our friend K, so our room has really had the full makeover.

It was the perfect move.


It took up some space in our room, and Turtle has a huge floor space in which to play. He keeps asking to go to his playroom, now, and loves spreading out everywhere to play.


I didn't nap, and my knees are paying for it, four days after the fact, but it was worth it.


And it's good having my boys home :)

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{ in which i put my dignity in the hands of a fitting room attendent }

MacGyver has been traveling with Turtle the last few days. They took a trip to visit Grandma and PopPop for their birthdays, leaving me at home to fend for myself.


It was rough. Really.


I only finished painting the loft, rearranged furniture, replanted all the dead things in the garden, took myself to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice starring the ever-phenomenal Nicolas Cage, photographed the evil hornets building a nest on my house, and watched lots of lots of Bravo TV while drinking pinot noir.


I missed the boys, I did.


But I was productive.


Anyway, I realized I was off my game yesterday. I really wasn't hungry when I got to the movies and passed on popcorn. When I went to Hobby Lobby, thinking to buy fabric to make drapes for the loft. I left with nothing. Zilch. Zip. And I figured that I would be hungry at that point, and thought I would get Chick-Fil-A from next door to Hobby Lobby, but alas. I was not. And so I drove home sans waffle fries.


INCONCEIVABLE.


So when I wandered into Old Navy today, in search of a pair of jeans, I should have known something odd would happen.


Old Navy and I have a funky history. Nothing ever fits me quite right. I'l be between sizes, or the shoulders are too wide while the length is too short. I'll visit every year or so, in the hopes of finding something cute, and sometimes I win. But most of the time I strike out.


I wandered around. I selected a few pairs of jeans. They were boot cut and classic rise (AKA, the "new mom jean"). Which I hoped translated to something slightly more than 1" above my naughty bits. I found a couple of tops, too.


And then I went to the fitting room, where (we'll call her Suzie Q) ushered me into a stall and brightly announced that she would be happy to help me with anything I needed and to let her know if I needed another size or style of something.


I tried on the first pair of jeans, and realized that I was a size smaller than I thought. Joy! So, riding my euphoria high, I stuck my head out the door, handed the too-large pair to Suzie Q and asked if she could get me the next size down (in long).


She was gone a while.


When she returned, she had an armload of jeans. She said they didn't have the rinse I wanted in my size, but she had brought a lighter rinse, a flare leg style and... a skinny jean.


I gave her the look. She held her ground. I said "Ok. I'll try. But if you hear a scream, that was me. Send help."


So back in I went. The correct size in the flare and the bootleg were ok. Not phenomenal, but ok. Classic rise went pretty much up to my belly button, and I'm not really a high waist kind of gal. I figured I could try one of the "lower rises" when I was done trying on the shirts.


And then I figured, what the hell, I could use a laugh. And pulled on the skinny jeans.


The mirror didn't shatter.


I tried on a top.


And then I didn't know what to do. Because I didn't really resemble a stuffed sausage. There was no muffin top. And I wasn't sure how to proceed.


So I opened the door and summoned Suzie Q.


Me: So. Tell me about your mirrors. Do you have those funky mirrors where people think they look good and then get home and weep hysterically because the mirrors were a lie?

Suzie Q: Actually, no. The mirrors are pretty good.


Me: Ok. So... Be honest with me. Are these ok?


Suzie Q: They look fantastic on you.


Me: I want you to tell me the truth. I'm going to buy a pair of jeans either way and I promise not to get mad and no matter what you say I'll write a glowing review of you to your manager for being honest.


Suzie Q: I'm telling you the truth. They look really good on you.


Me (getting panicky): I am over 30. And I'm a mother. And I am not hip. (whispering) Do my thighs look insanely huge?

Suzie Q: Turn around. No. See? Your butt looks great. The other styles of jeans sometimes have this weird baggy thing going on (I guess this is where we became friends, because she turned around and started pinching under her cheeks to demonstrate the weird baggy thing. Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing skinny jeans...). You don't have that with those.


Me: So I can get these and wear them in public and people are not going to laugh at me? Because they're kind of comfortable...


Suzie Q: No one is going to laugh. You look great. I promise. And they are comfy. They look like they shouldn't be. But they are.


So I did it.


I brought those skinny jeans to the checkout and paid for them and put them in my car.


And they are now in my drawer.

I took some pictures of myself and sent them to my fashion guru friend in Austin who declared them "hawt" and told me some nonsense about having long legs and being able to wear flats with them without looking stubby. 

I never once thought about shoes.


Here's the butt shot. It's hard to take a good posterior self-portrait with the Rebel.

So there it is. I caved.


Mock me at will.


Suzie Q made me do it.

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{ ain't nature grand? }

The answer is an emphatic "no."


I have bemoaned my plight on this blog several times. 


How the critters are out there and plotting against us.


Did you know I was allergic to nature? No, really. I went on one of those forest trail type things and started sneezing out of nowhere. It was the craziest thing. The only thing that healed me was stopping at the nearest Target on my way home. Bananas, the whole thing.

So I came home the other day and was unloading the trunk of the car, when I glanced up.


And saw this, on the eaves of my house.

What are those, you ask? Those are hornets.

Building. A. Hornet. Nest.


On. My. House.


Where they were certainly not given permission to do so.


How rude!


I dashed upstairs with my lovingly dubbed Wild America lens, and got these shots from behind the safety of the glass.

Apparently, the little miscreants outgrew one home.

And built another.

MacGyver will be dealing with these vile things later today.


Wish him luck.


On a brighter note, don't forget to enter our giveaway for an adorable J Company wipes case. You have til Friday!

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{ j company giveaway to brighten your monday }

Sadly, Monday is probably the most despised day of the week. Which is why I want to make it happier for you.


I'm nice that way.


So today? We have a giveaway.

Remember J Company? Well, they have been busy!

These sweet butterfly clips

Are now being in featured in New Baby in Atlanta, Georgia.


And this week, J Company should also be appearing in Sprout in South Carolina.


Amazing.


Today's giveaway is going to involve something very specific.

This adorable wipes case.

If I wasn't trying to potty train Turtle so desperately, I would be trying to win this for myself.

Do you want this sweetly adorable wipes container? 


Then here's what you have to do: 

Leave me a comment on this blog about whether you would use this wipes case or give it to someone you adore.

Want some additional entries? You can do one of the following and leave a comment here each time you do.

1. Become a fan of three pugs & a baby on Twitter (be sure to leave your Twitter handle in the comment).
2. Become a google friend of J Company on her blog.
3. Add J Company to your favorite shops on your etsy account.
4. Tweet this: Enter to win a fabulous wipes case from JCompany &  @3pugsandbaby http://tinyurl.com/23xdd8b

Giveaway will be open from now until Friday, June 30, 2010 at approximately noon EST. Winner will be selected by random.org and contacted via email. Winner has 48 business hours to respond or we will select another winner via random.org. Giveaway only open to residents of the US.

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{ turtle's a wee bit crunchy }

Way back in the day, when Turtle was an inside baby, I registered for and received a peanutshell sling.


I didn't know much about "babywearing." I had never seen anyone do it (and I confess, I probably wasn't paying oodles of attention because prior to pregnancy, baby-type things were not on my radar), but it sounded like a good idea. 

After all, should your child take to the sling, you could not only carry your child all the time, but you would have your hands and arms free to do other stuff. 


Like eat ice cream.


Just sayin'.


I also hated the thought of carrying the carseat anywhere. It's bulky and heavy and I didn't want to do it. I'm all about efficiency, you know.

And for us, once Turtle was cleared from his apnea monitor and wasn't attached to electrodes 24/7, it was a huge success. I wouldn't have had it any other way, and it was a sad, sad day when Turtle outgrew the sling (both in size and tolerance for being carried.

However, the good ol' sling has made a reappearance, since I babysit a 6 month old baby from time to time, and sometimes, a little babywearing is just the thing to help get us through the day.


Funny what kids pick up.


Because Turtle has been eying that piece of fabric, probably with "The Way We Were" playing in the back of his head. And one day, after our little buddy went home, he picked up the sling and tried to put it on.


"For Monkey" he told me.


I can wait while you pick yourselves up from puddles on the floor. Some days, the cuteness is overwhelming.

I improvised with a hair elastic and shortened the sling up to fit his 39" frame.

And in went Monkey.

I think he's going to be a great daddy one day.

I love that boy.

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{ who needs toys when you can... }

... wash the car?


After all, you get water and a bucket and a sponge. 

AND there are bubbles.

AND the car gets clean.

AND Turtle is happy.

I call that a win. All the way around.

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{ sushi for beginners }

Turtle is pretty adventurous about his eating, so we thought it might be fun to get sushi for lunch to see how he did with some basic rolls.


And also, because I was craving sushi.


I can admit when it's me.


He got an avocado roll, and then MacGyver and I gave him pieces of our own rolls to try.


He wouldn't touch any of it, despite his declared love for avocado.


Because he didn't have chopsticks.


However, once he got his hands on them, it was game on.

Chopsticks? Awesome.


Also awesome? Shrimp sauce.

He's not quite ready for wasabi, but it's coming.


I also need to say that I know it LOOKS like he's got the chopsticks nailed, but he really just liked holding them. He ate most of his roll with his hands.

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{ he's not the brightest bulb }

But we love him anyway.

Bentley has always been... a little... mis-wired. I don't know if that's even really a word, but it's the best way I can describe him.


He can be the sweetest dog ever. He can also be a match for Cujo. He's come a looooooooong way from the pug he was when we rescued him (horribly anxious, nervous and edgy), and though he still gets a wild hair now and again, he is a beloved member of our family.


But it must be said.


He's just not bright.


This can best be evidenced by the fact that every so often, he turns around and his already bulging pug eyes just about pop out of his head.


Because. There is. A TAIL! On his ass!


I know, I know. It's shocking and horrifying all at once. Try to hold yourselves together.


Poor Bentley doesn't know what to do with himself when he makes his weekly discovery. He freezes on the spot, tenses up, and then decides on a plan of action.

Attack the offending tail.

Perhaps it's wrong that we laugh. Perhaps it was even more wrong for me to take pictures.

But there are really few things as amusing as a pug, spinning round and round on his hindquarters, trying to catch his own cinnamon bun tail in his mouth.

Poor thing tuckered himself out with these shenanigans, and sadly, the tail remains firmly clamped to his posterior. 


He'll have at it again next week.


I'm betting on the tail.

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{ pixar is the devil }

There. 

I said it.


And if I suddenly stop blogging, know it's because a somewhat realistically animated character has taken me hostage and may or may not be holding me for ransom.

I've always been a big Pixar supporter. I love the movies. The stories. The creativity. 


And the fact that even though I'm watching what boils down to a cartoon, the Pixar people manage to toss in some irreverent "mommy and daddy" humor that I really, really, REALLY appreciate.

So, what's your glitch, you ask?

Maybe it's the new trend of, oh, I don't know... RIPPING MY HEART OUT AND LEAVING ME SOBBING during these allegedly child-targeted movies. Maybe.


I get a little misty-eyed during Monsters, Inc. I'm not ashamed to say it. When Sully walks through that door at the end, and his whole, blue, furry face lights up and you hear Boo say "Kitty?" I melt. Melt.


And I thought it was a glitch. Because Pixar snuck in some Cars and Ratatouille and things were ok.


Then came Up.


Oh, Up. I waited a long time to see it, mostly because a friend told me that if you didn't openly weep during the first 20 minutes, you had no soul. I confess. I was afraid to find out. So I held off, until it was available on DVD, where I could test the state of my soul in the privacy of my own living room.


Not to worry, dear readers. If the ugliness of the sobbing I performed during the entirety of the film is any indicator, my soul is quite clearly present and accounted for.


But, still. My lesson was not learned.


On Saturday, we took Turtle to see Toy Story 3. 


Completely and totally innocent. He adores Buzz Lightyear and Woody and all their little friends. So it seemed like it would be a perfectly lovely family outing.

He was excited. We were excited. We did our round of pictures...

Movie Poster.

Popcorn.

And settled in.


Except, as we watched, I found myself wondering how Turtle's new talking Buzz Lightyear action figure felt about being left in the trunk of the car, where I had placed him so that the other moviegoers wouldn't be subjected to extra to-infinity-and-beyond-ing. 


And then my mind wandered to the plastic bag in the garage. The one filled with MY special toys from childhood. The one that's been in and out of storage for years, as I've moved. What have they been going through all these years?


And THEN I started thinking about the toys we've passed off that Turtle no longer plays with. And wondering if they've gone to good homes, or if they're devastated and in toy therapy because they were sent away from a perfectly nice child.


On top of all that? The last thirty minutes of the movie were spent with Turtle slumped in his chair, full of popcorn and m&ms, and me and MacGyver weeping.

Yes. You read that correctly. Full on tears from both of us. At some point, I progressed to bawling, while he stayed steady, but come on. It's a kid's movie! A kid's movie with some really creepy toys (broken-eyed Big Baby, anyone?), but a kid's movie nonetheless.


I kind of feel ambushed. I walk into a movie like The Bucket List and expect to use some Kleenex. I walk into Toy Story and the Puffs Plus are the farthest thing from my mind.


So I shake my fist at Pixar. I know I will be going back for more (mostly because Monsters, Inc 2 is slated for November of 2012 and I need to know what Sully and the gang have been up to), and I know I can't resist.


Also, we are never buying the Bucket o' Army Men. I can't handle the guilt. 


PS. I'm also guest blogging over at The Writer Revived today. Check it out and leave some love!

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{ happy friday. look at my cupcakes. }

TGIF!

I have never been so excited to be able to say those four letters.

It has been one heck of a week.

And I've been a very, very bad blogger. 

I am going to make up for it with some pictures. 

On Thursday night, I hosted a very special Girl's Night In. We had wine. And chocolate fondue. And cupcakes. And cookies.


And things that go buzz in the night.


Feel free to use your imagination. 


Long story short? We had so much fun.


And i had a blast making some baked goods for the occasion. I'm going to share them with you, because it's Friday and I'm ready for Saturday :)

Have a great weekend!

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{ winner! who wants to play a game? }

Last week, I posted a photograph and asked you all to give me a caption. The winner (my favorite caption) would receive a $5 Starbucks gift card.

Well, that day has arrived.

The winner (selected by who made me laugh the loudest), is Mmorgan.

Mmorgan76 1 week ago

"Wait a minute, I thought only the little guy was supposed to try stuff like this!" 

 

Because honestly. That's EXACTLY what Molly was thinking.

 

Congratulations, Mmorgan! Please send me an email with your mailing address so that we can get your gift card to you!

 

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{ review: pf chang's home menu meals }

If you read here, you know that I do most of my own cooking and tend to stay away from a lot of processed or premade foods.

This is not a hard and fast rule, just a preference. 

However, the other night, I was out late, running errands and something in the freezer section of Target caught my eye.


PF Chang's Home Menu Meals for 2.

Coincidentally, my friend T had just mentioned these to me not long ago, saying that they were extremely tasty, and not particularly "bad" for you, in terms of nutritional information. 

Figuring it would be about 7:45 when I got home to start working on dinner, I figured what the heck, and grabbed a bag of Shrimp Lo Mein for $7.59 (I imagine it might be less at a grocery store), which promised shrimp with a sesame sauce, bok choy, mushrooms, celery, and lo mein noodles.

{photo credit}

I picked that one because it was the only meal where I would not have to make rice. One day, I will tell you about me and rice.


There are directions for both stove top and microwave, but the bag recommends the stove top for best results:

1. Pour contents of bag into 12-inch nonstick skillet.

2. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 9 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring frequently, 4 minutes or until sauce is reduced and coats pasta, and all ingredients are piping hot. Product should be cooked to 165°F.

Please note. Key instructions seem to be bolded so that you pay attention more.

Basically, you start out with this:

Cover, cook, and about 15 minutes later, you have this:

Could that be any easier?


And it really wasn't bad. The shrimp were small but plentiful, and there were tons of veggies. The portion size was on the smaller side, but was probably a "real" portion, so I'm not going to say it's a bad thing. I didn't find it particularly salty either, which sometimes happens with meals like this.

There are currently eight varieties of PF Chang's Home Menu Meals for 2: Beef with Broccoli, Orange Chicken, General Chang's Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Shanghai Style Beef, Ginger Chicken & Broccoli, Shrimp in a Garlic Sauce and Shrimp Lo Mein. If they offered Mongolian Beef, I would probably have a freezer full of these bad boys right now. 


All nutritional and preparation information for each type is available on the official website for easy access.


Would I buy one of these again? Yes. There are times when I really can't get it together to cook a "real meal" and this is a quick, easy, reasonably good solution to that problem. Since I am coming to the conclusion that the Dinner Fairy does not exist.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I purchased this product myself, based solely on my friend T's endorsement and a feeling of not wanting to cook dinner. I have received no compensation from Unilever or PF Chang's for this review.

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{ an open letter to stephenie meyer. and a review of the host. }

Dear Stephenie.

What I am about to write is probably going to make you think I'm a bit of a hater type. And I assure you, I am not.


On the contrary. I applaud you. In some ways, I truly believe you are a genius.


I just didn't think you were a particularly good writer.

Which is why I'm pretty well convinced that you and the publisher of the Twilight saga cooked up some complicated scheme to lace all the pages of the Twilight books with some untraceable, highly addictive drug, thereby ensuring people will read and re-read no matter how terrible they are, in terms of actual literature.



I know, I know. That sounds like hater-talk. But it's not. Not exactly.


Do you see this?

This is the current extent of my support for you. Everything in this photo was purchased by me or MacGyver, with the exception of the New Moon DVD (which I won in a giveaway) and The Host, which I borrowed from my neighbor (but which I may purchase, in hardcover, since I have to return it). I realize I would have some more credibility with a few Team Edward t-shirts, but let's face it. I'm a 30-something mother of one. There's a point where even I can admit it's not cute.

(I also think you should know that in spite of my statement, I have read the entire Twilight series, including the unfinished online version of Midnight Sun, no less than five times. And have every intention of reading it more. Probably because of the highly addictive drug thing.)


And which is what I want to talk to you about today.


Holy. Moly.

I read The Host on Friday and Saturday, between the hours of 4:30pm and 10:30am (taking out a few hours for sleep and Turtle-care). I am currently re-reading it, just because I have to give it back and want to fully absorb it before I do so.


And I need to know. Where did this come from? And why couldn't you do this with Twilight?


Girl. You've got yourself a really cool story. And you have managed to create some very awesome multi-dimensional characters in an equal mix of likable and unlikable. And you know what? It's believable. I mean, as far as alien takeover can be considered believable. 

You were really able to create a vivid little world, and while you do seem to have an odd tendency towards teenage girls (legal, but young) and older men, in this context it makes sense and has slightly less of a WTF factor. You wrote dialogue that actually rang mostly true and created conflicts that shaped your characters. Well done.

Ok. I'll be totally honest. I'm a little disappointed that you went for the tidy ending again, but I'm rare in that I like "real" endings rather than necessarily happy ones. So don't take that too much to heart. 


So, here I am. Anticipating your next novel, and hoping it's as solid as this one. Not that it matters. I'll buy it anyway. And I'll probably go see the film adaptation in the theater and purchase the DVD. 

Because of the untraceable, highly addictive drug. 


Kudos,


A Fan Who Believes in Tough Love But Supports You Either Way.

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{ review: hot mama jewelry designs }

Once upon a time, I won a giveaway presented by Bloom Maternity and Hot Mama Jewelry Designs.

Which was pretty damn awesome, because I never win anything.


Well. Except for the time I won the Special Edition New Moon DVD from Barking Mad. Which was also pretty damn awesome.


But I digress.

By some miracle, I was randomly selected to win an item from Hot Mama Jewelry Designs beautiful shop. Gah! So many pretty things! So many decisions!


I decided on this "BE" necklace. I loved the shape and the fact that it's just a little different.

I selected the sterling silver version (although it also comes in a bronze color), and Shannon was happy to customize it for me, stamping on Turtle's name and birthdate rather than one of the inspirational "BE" statements (which are also really lovely).


And then I waited (all orders are stamped by hand and take 2-3 weeks to ship), until I received that happy email from USPS stating that my order had shipped! At which point I started stalking my mail carrier.

I was overjoyed when it arrived.

Perfectly packaged and exactly what I wanted.

I wore it out to a small gathering that night and received so many compliments on it: raving over the quality of it and the uniqueness of the style for a mother's necklace.


A very special thank you to Shannon and Allison for their efforts in coordinating this wonderful giveaway. I am absolutely over the moon with my custom "BE" necklace.

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{ in which i review eclipse and it goes off on a tangent }

This is not the post I wanted to write.


I was fully prepared to sit down in front of this laptop and liberally mock a seriously subpar movie, all while laughing at myself for buying into the whole Twilight thing.


After all, I've read the entire Twilight series, including the unfinished, "leaked" Midnight Sun, and the complimentary online edition of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Five times. (Except Bree Tanner. One reading of that was more than enough.) Despite the fact that Stephenie Meyer is no Jane Austen. Or JK Rowling. Or anyone remotely capable of stringing a sentence together.


I've seen both Twilight and New Moon repeatedly (in fact, I worked out while watching New Moon yesterday morning), despite the fact that they are really, really, embarrassingly dreadful movies. 


Even with all that, I can safely say, I'm not this bad.

 (photo credit)

Whew. Standards. I have them.

But with Eclipse, suddenly, out of nowhere, there was an attempt at making a movie. At breathing life into the novel. At giving the viewers and fans something solid and enjoyable.

Maybe it was new director, David Slade. 

Maybe it was Jasper, who finally did something besides look constipated (I've always had a soft spot for him, because he clearly knows what it's like to have uncooperatively wavy hair and he owns it). 

Maybe it was the fact that Kristin Stewart stopped channeling Keanu Reeves for a minute and actually attempted to act.



I don't know.

What I do know was that there was finally some motion, something I found lacking in the first two installments of the series. It was always the same characters in the same scenes, with the same emo-tortured expressions, and then a small little hint of some kind of action and roll credits. Eclipse seemed to progress, branching out, incorporating some details from the Bree Tanner novella to flesh out the plot. Definite improvement.

The characters finally showed a bit of depth. This worked great for the likes of Rosalie and Jasper, who got actual (important) lines this time around. 

Not so great for Edward and Jacob, though. Unfortunately, they both came off looking like testosterone-pumped jackasses. And while I know from the books that both really need lessons in how to treat women as human beings instead of possessions, it's a lot different seeing the two of them all hostile and staring each other down on the big screen, lips curling, nostrils flaring, with Bella simpering "Don't. No. Please." from the sidelines. 

I mean, really. It sets feminism back about 70 years. And while I'm a sucker for a good knight in shining armor type story, I find it alarming when one of the supposed knights removes the engine from his damsel's truck in order to keep her from seeing her friend. Even more alarming is the idea that everyone seems to think that's a perfectly reasonable solution to the issue.


Why have nice open communication when you can just incapacitate modes of transportation and hold your girlfriend hostage? Who's with me?

And how selfish is Bella, keeping Jacob hanging like that? 


I could go on, but I knew all these things going in and then I get distracted by the fact that Jacob spent over 90% of his screen time like this

 (photo credit)

and I kind of lose track of my indignation.


Anyway.



There were some highly amusing scenes. I really can't get enough of Charlie and "the talk" between him and Bella is gold. I promise. 

Also fantastic? When Bella responds to Jacob's initial advances. I snorted popcorn. It was just that funny.

The thing that did really bug me was wardrobe. Why must the Cullens always color-coordinate as if they're about to have a family photo shoot? Why would you get dressed up in really nice clothes when you're about to risk your life on the battlefield? Why do the Quileutes insist on wearing filthy jean shorts and ugly sneakers? I don't know. It stood out. So I'm sharing.

Honestly, though, I was pleasantly surprised. Not that it's a glowing endorsement because I had absolutely no expectations for Eclipse, but I definitely walked out of the theater excited about the positive change. And looking forward to Breaking Dawn (Part 1, if we're going to be specific) in November of 2011. 


Don't forget, if you haven't already entered a caption for the photo in this post, do so today! You have til midnight for a chance to win a $5 Starbucks gift card!

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