bon temps

Happy Fat Tuesday! Oh what I wouldn't give for a virgin Hurricane from Boudreaux's right now. That was one of our go-to date nights when I was pregnant with Remy, and the judgy looks from fellow diners who didn't realize it was virgin were half the fun.

This particular Fat Tuesday started out pretty grey and blah with an earlier-than-usual wake-up call via the baby monitor, so I decided we needed to laissez les bon temps roulez a little. Thus, out came the (washable) paint--in Mardi Gras colors of course.


This has become one of my favorite tricks for cooped-up winter boredom--cover the playroom craft table in taped-down parcel paper, squeeze a few blobs of paint onto it, put the boy in old clothes, and let him go nuts. I love the crazy swirly color combinations he comes up with.

And I extra-love how completely focused he gets on his masterpiece (well, for a few minutes at a time anyway...he is two after all).

(No, I don't care that he climbs up on the table for maximum paint brush range. It's only a foot off the floor and this is a pick-your-battles moment.)

After the paintpocalypse was cleaned up and I'd tied up a few loose ends for work, we headed to Cupcrazed for their King Cake cupcakes. They used to put trinkets in the cakes just like a regular full-size King Cake, but apparently last year some jerk bit down on a plastic baby and threatened to sue them. That person does not sound like someone I'd like to hang out with. But the cakes are still delicious! If you're in the area you should be headed there right about...now. Seriously, they go fast.


And here's the 13-week belly PRE-cupcake, so you know it's real.

I absolutely cannot stand maternity stores--way too many over-attentive saccharine-sweet salespeople, and I swear one of them once actually used the phrase "your special time," so I'm relying on stretched-out old concert tees for as long as I can get away with it. Sorry, Ani DiFranco, I'm sure your face will go back to its original shape eventually. Probably.