parent teacher conferences;

or one reason it's awesome being a pseudo-parent

the past few weeks i've gotten to go to both kid's parent-teacher conferences. now, we all know i think the kids are smart and funny and interesting people, (and they draw great photos, they tell the best jokes, and you should see them whip up a bowl of ramen!) but going to those conferences was great because their teachers all feel the same way. i got to bask in the accolades without actually having to earn them! i know it's ridiculous, and that D did all the hard work and heavy lifting, but i can't help but feel kind of proud when someone says, "i really enjoy having him/her in class," "as you can see, their grades are excellent" or my favorite, "whatever you're doing, keep it up!" maybe next year i'll feel like i put more time into actual parenting, instead of being mainly a sideline player and cheerleader, but then again, maybe not. the kids are fine, they were doing well before i ever entered the scene, and as far as school goes, both kids appear to enjoy it and do a wonderful job making sure their stuff gets done. whatever D's doing, he should totally keep it up (and i'll still do whatever it is i'm doing, and try to be a less-than-evil stepmother). don't think that means i won't attend the conferences, though; free cookies and coffee and a chance to hear how amazing my future step-kids are is a good time.

slowly but surely!

not a lot of actual wedding planning has been going on around these parts. we're still settling on the date, because while i LOVE the idea of an october wedding, realistically speaking we might want to move it up to september for weather reasons. i also forget how dark it gets in october; while i love it, it does also make me want to hide out in the house and i think that's kind of counter-intuitive to planning and executing a wedding. september it is, now to hammer down the exact day.

things i am thinking of in regards to wedding:

• these boots. when i was in high school and reading sassy magazine, i imagined that some day i would walk down the aisle in a tall pair of white docs. the other day on a lark i was looking them up on zappos and had a HOT DAMN moment. i showed them to D and he agreed they were fetching.
  
• magnetic save the date cards. i like the idea of having something that you can stick on your fridge, and how even if people don't come to the wedding, it's like they got a favor in the mail. at the same time i keep thinking save the date cards might be one expense i could cut out easily.
• etsy! i look at rings, i look at veils, i look at all sorts of wedding stuff there. some of it is to get ideas for things i could make, some of it is looking at things i couldn't even in a million years make (honestly, tulle and netting and i are not friends!), and some of it is just funny.

other than that, i'm just gearing up for my first holiday with the kids, hoping i can make it fun and interesting, wondering what kind of stuff we'll get up to and whether or not it's too late to start some new traditions. i've already started my shopping, and i've been making lists like crazy and assembling stocking stuffer items. it's fun to be an adult in charge of stuff like that in a lot of ways.

i should really post more here about things i've seen in regards to wedding stuff; if anything i think next year at this time it will crack me up.