Still staving off the temptation

It's been about a year since I've started blogging about my life, our life. And so, I recently took a quick down memory lane and looked at what I was consumed with (and blogging about) this time last June '08.

And, funny enough (and not surprisingly), it seems to be the same stuff that consumes me this year:

Kids.

Husband.

Career.

Balancing priorities.

My girlfriends and ME-time

And of course, my latest fashion and product obsessions.

As for the last topic, I chuckled to myself when I read this post from last year about my-then (and continuing) fetish with handbags, especially designer ones.

When I read my list of consumables from that post, I've checked off nearly all the ones off the top of the list except that I still have not given into the temptation of the Pelham (which by the way, is now $1395 vs. the $1330 from 2008 prices).

The same main reason for not giving in apply this year: GUILT.

I simply cannot bring myself to spend the money on something that costs as much as 2/3 of a month's worth of preschool tuition (even though preschool is DONE for us in another week - YAH!) for something that only I can enjoy and get satisfaction from. My kids won't care that this thing is hanging off of my shoulder like I would. For all they know, it's just another sack where they can throw their water bottles and snacks when we're out and about around town. But, it just doesn't seem fair that only I would enjoy it, especially for that price tag.

Never mind that my husband didn't think twice when he dropped more than double the Pelham's price tag for that new triathlon bicycle. ugggggh.

But then again (as some friends tell me), maybe....maybe it's ok and sometimes I need to just give in. Because sometimes, we moms, we just gotta treat ourselves - no matter how impractical.

I think about the purse now and again as I pass Fashion Valley mall and consider perusing the Gucci store, but I KNOW that I will give in if I set foot in that place.

For now, I will continue to stave off the temptation and spend our dollars on other worthwhile, family-enriching things like Disney passes, Spanish and foreign language classes for the kids, or a short vacation weekend away...whatever else other stuff we can enjoy together.

And I'm sure that this time next year, I'll be writing another post about the damn purse and complaining how I continue to take one for the team.

Thank goodness for Tivo

It seems that everyone's talking about politics today and I am making a concerted effort not to (only because I am getting really obsessed about it and talk-- or read -- about it incessantly when I'm not talking about the kids or work or my other pastimes.)

Sooooo...I thought that I would write about something completely innocuous and mundane like my excitement over the TeeVee fall line-up of premieres that I am looking forward to checking out, starting with...

1) The Amazing Race

My fave, fave, fave reality show of all time - even more than Survivor. I love seeing these random couples duke it out against each other and also be put in precarious situations where they need to work out Roadblocks or Detours or FastForwards, etc.  Not to mention, Phil Keoghan is probably the least annoying of all the reality show hosts...This show harkens me back to the old days when Dave and I used to jaunt to Aruba, Florence, Istanbul, Costa Rica, Sydney...satisfying our wanderlust.   Since we've had the twinsies, we've (or should I say I have) started at least 2 show applications but have never dared send it in.  Maybe next time I'll actually do it??!  We can bill ourselves as the "yuppie-couple-from-So-Cal-who-met-and-fell-in-love-because-of-their-mutual-wanderlust-and-now-have-young-kids-and-miss-it-so."  I really think we could get cast, and win,  if we really tried.

2) Survivor: Gabon

I have been a fan of Survivor since Season 2.  I remember catching the last epi of Season 1 when Richard Hatch won wondering what all the fuss was about it.  Well, now I know!  And 17 seasons later, here I am anxiously awaiting the latest - Survivor in Gabon, Africa.  I love all the strategery   (hehe) of the game and watching everyone outwit, outplay, outlast the other.  Can't wait to find another character I love to hate.

3) Grey's Anatomy

So goes another season of Meredith and Derek, Izzie and George, Christina, Bailey and the others.  I've been watching since Grey's was a pilot after the Superbowl a couple of years ago. And even with all of the ridiculousness that has transpired over the last couple of years, I am still watching it.  For no other reason except that it feels like such a great escape to me since these characters are nothing like my life today.

4) The Office

Dunder Mifflin rocks.  So does Schrute.  Need I say more?

5) Lipstick Jungle

I tuned in last year by accident.  I was up a few nights doing work and it happened to be on the TeeVee a few times.  Now I am  totally into it.  I love all 3 of their characters and most especially, I can relate to Brooke Shields's character as the full-time working mom exec with the supportive hubby.   I also love the backdrop of New York City.  It's such a fabulous place to watch these fabulous women live their fabulous lives.

6) 90210

Yes, I am one of those mid-30 somethings that back in the day watched Brenda and Brandon Walsh  fit in with the likes of Kelly Taylor, Dylan McKay, Donna Martin and Andrea Zuckerman at West Beverly High.  I remember watching this show (along with Melrose Place, of course) in college and having a whole social gathering with my sorority sisters planned entirely around the epi.  90210 is to my generation what the OC and Gossip Girl is to today's legion of youth. It's only been 2 epis and I am already sucked in.  And of course, I can't even remotely relate to this age group anymore, but it's still a nice guilty pleasure.

7) Desperate Housewives

Even though the storyline has gotten more and more out of hand the last few seasons, I can't help but tune in to the women of Wisteria Lane season in and season out.  Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Susan are all caricatures of every day women we know and love, and the great part of this is that we can see a little bit of each of them in us.

8) NFL

Go Chargers!

Wow, that was nice to talk about something else besides politics for a change.  

Thank goodness for Tivo.

T minus 1 day until...

...this race.

Oh well, I guess you never really feel ready. But I will run it no matter what.
Forget my goal of doing this race under 2 hours. I just want to finish.

I just hope staying up late every night to watch the Olympics doesn't catch up with me for this run. I will certainly need the energy!

This week at work and with my new non-profit foundation was a bitch and a half. And then pile this race on top of the super-busy week, and I have an unrelaxing weekend since I will be consumed by it, at least until 9am Sunday when it will be done and over with.

And then afterwards I will go to a spa and get a massage and get a pedicure. I will think those happy thoughts as I trudge through serene Point Loma, the beautiful harbor downtown and then through idyllic Balboa Park - all 13.1 miles of it.

What's your thing?

Most women have a thing.  

For some, it's shoes.

For others, it's purses.  

For me, it's sunglasses (and purses, but that's another post). 

And my latest coveted prize is Tom Ford's Raquel. 

I once read somewhere that a famous, fashionista first lady by the name of Jackie O had a big basket near her front door where she would put all of her fabulous designer glasses and choose one that suited her mood for the day.

Feeling luxe? Wear the Chanels.

Feeling fierce? Slip on the Dolce & Gabbanas.

Feeling some drama?  Wear the Guccis.

Feeling sporty? Put on those Oakleys.

Feeling a little Hollywood? Don those Diors.

Feeling inconspicuously classic? Wear the Tom Fords.  

I have about 4 pairs of sunglasses worth wearing, but I just have to have this one.  

Sunglasses are the perfect accessory.  Why?  Because you could be all junked out and casual in your track suit or old jeans & T and, because you are wearing fabulous glasses, you feel fabulous.   (Fabulous sunglasses have the same effect as fabulous jeans, by the way.)

Jackie O was a smart, smart lady.

True Religions...Move over

I have a new favorite pair of jeans.  

Yes, the Hudson flap pocket jean, boot-cut stretch in Marcy Wash.

Wearing Hudsons is like wearing sweats (no joke) but WAAAY cuter and oh, so, un-momsy like.   Top this with a pair of wedge sandals and a cute pastel blouse and  voila!   Instant chic, AND they make you feel like a million bucks.  

And every mom wants to feel like a million bucks.

This little incident also helped put this lovely denim on top of my designer jean fetish list:

When I wore my Hudson's to work for the first time the other week, within 10 minutes of being there right after grabbing my morning coffee,  the most discriminating of fashionistas in my office commented on how skinny I looked (this, after my Spanx post  -- just so we all know I need help).   I knew it was the jeans immediately.  

(Oh, and flattery helps, too)

Hudsons, where have you been hiding all these years??

And why did I wait so long to buy you?!

Designer bag = piece of art? Or is this my crazed form of justitication?

A few months ago, we received a small windfall into our bank account. Since then, Dave and I have been plotting on how to spend, oops I meant, save it.

So, we have our short list of expenditures/savings buckets we've discussed:

• spring/summer wardrobe refresh for Clarissa (check)
• Clarissa's shoe collection refresh (check)
• crown moulding in great room and master (check)
• Hannah and Luke's 529 accounts for college (check)
• Big overseas trip in 2009 (jury is still out. ask us about our 2007 fall trip to Europe with the twins)
• New 3 row seat hybrid SUV in 2009 (still under consideration)
  
• integrated audio/stereo system for the house (ummm, and what's the benefit of this??...still not sure about this one.)
• other random nice-to-have house enhancement knickknacks like new barstools, drapery on the main windows, etc. (check)

And then there's the hidden item.

And only a few of my friends know about it. It's the one I'm most excited about but also the most ashamed of. It's this.

Yes, the Pelham from the House of Gucci, at a whopping price tag of $1330.

And this doesn't include tax. Nor does it include the $8 of gas I will probably consume just to drive to Fashion Valley Mall to purchase it. And it's not even all leather. It's the classic Gucci canvas with leather straps (but not just any set of leather straps, according to the Gucci sales guy).

I have been coveting, oops I meant admiring this purse for some time now.
And it's within my reach if I just don't let my own perceived overindulgence and my designer purse and sunglasses addiction get to me.

Actually, never mind about my adoration of beautiful purses and sunglasses. Again, it's my Catholic guilt sweeping over me. How could I spend that amount of money when it's about 2/3 the amount of the twins' monthly preschool tuition?! Or when it's the amount that some folks in mid-America pay for a mortgage payment?! Maybe I feel guilty because the rest of the family can't enjoy it like they do with some of our other big ticket splurges like vacations. Or pieces of art. Or furniture.

Only I will reap the rewards of the Pelham.

Call me practical. It's not that we can't afford it. It's just that it feels just so...wasteful... indulgent...irresponsible. Especially when I think about what I could put that money towards in terms of the kids - their 529s, for example. Not that this amount will make a dent with the growing inflation of college tuitions. But when taking into consideration the compounded interest over a couple of years, hey - it's like $10K, which by 2022 (when the kids are college freshmen), can buy maybe food for a semester assuming the same rates of inflation. Who knows?!

My girlfriends remind me that I need to treat myself because I deserve it. And yes, I've worked hard at home and at work. They also remind me that this is my thing and the occasional luxury splurge is OK.

But still, I feel guilty for entertaining the thought.

One of my work colleagues (and friends) once told me that buying designer purses is like buying a piece of art. Like fine art, fine purses only grow in value over time. (This is the same woman who has Manolos and Fendi shoes out the wazoo). Of course, you display fine art, and alternatively, you wear purses and then eventually put them in their dust bag in the closet along with the other countless purses you've collected and swore "I just have to have this."

(Clarissa is still obsessing over the purse and has not taken action. She anticipates that she will continue to think about the purse all summer and spend at least that amount on useless other accoutrements. She will justify the lack-of -designer-purse-transaction by attempting to enjoy all of the accoutrements she was able to purchase as a result. And then she will end up regretting that she just didn't go ahead and buy that damn purse. But also by then, she'll be obsessing over the Fall collection.)