I finally got the chance to upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress which contains 70+ fixes! Upgrade now. Please!

Earlier this week, Stephanie brought to our attention the capabilities of Lightbox/Slimbox image overlay feature for wordpress. This is a very cool plugin but the problem isthat it totally screws up your posts in IE7. I tried checking out the wordprex codex plugins list if they have other variations that work in IE7 and thats when I found Lightview Plus. it does the same exact thing that Lightbox does but it runs perfectly in IE7.

The other cool feature that l installed was the Cleaner Wordpress Gallery Plugin. This thing is a beauty. Using the native wordpress admin interface, starting at version 2.5, wordpress now has a built-in image gallery manager. But I must admit, its got nothing on coppermine photo gallery and its kinda primordial compared to existing galleries. With the above mentioned plugin coupled with Lightview now I can do this;

More Emma Pictures. Click on any of the images and you’ll see what I mean.

yay!

for two days now, we’ve been trying boot camp potty training for emma.

calm down. it’s not a real program. but we’ve been letting her use her “panties”…those over-the-diaper panties that dresses usually come with for toddlers/infants.  the operative idea is “no diapers.”

first day: 0/6 (boooo…hisssssssss)
second day: 3/6 yay!!

the first time she did it, she told us she had to use the toilet, so we rushed, and she successfully streamed the goodness into the potty.  the second and third time, she managed to follow through protocol ALL BY HERSELF. 

i was sooooooo proud. it’s like she graduated college with a double minor, and not in wine tasting.  the look of pride on her face was priceless; she tried to prove that she could do it again and again right after the initial pee…but she still has yet to know that it takes a wee bit of water for a bit of wee…wee.

but yay! she’s off to grade school….um…in a couple of years…but now at least we know they can take her…cuz apparently, your kid needs to be potty trained for those places. geeee…the pressure. (no pun intended).

i wanted to love this, i did. i’m SUCH A BIG FAN of the jumpsuits. (mainly because no one wears it yet). but it’s definitely in trend in designer wear- the unhoochie, non-skintight kind.

but the obvious reason it didn’t work was the polyester/satin material.  it’s not that it wasn’t comfortable; the problem was that when tried on, it was too comfortable that i automatically thought, “hmmmm…i want to go to sleep in it.”  this basically confirmed my initial thought when my husband thought it was some sort of pajama apparel.

i wanted to love it and justify it’s material so i slipped on my MK platform pumps to give it some edgy- ‘no this is not my jammy’ look to it.

the cut was great. the fit and looseness was perfect. i loved the little pedal pusher shorts, merciful draw string waist, and demure unhoochie top w/ quarter length sleeves.  but it still looked like i was going to a sleepover (with gorgeous MK platform pumps).

i wanted to love it. it would have been perfect, but alas, it’s definitely a return.  otherwise, it would have looked classy and cute.  but if you’re 5′9, a model, AND weighing at 90 lbs. with a high end car, totally go for it…but then you probably would skip this altogether and shop at SAKS. nerd.

source: TARGET
price: $44
status: return

i was fortunate enough to find this in the clearance racks for $34, so I tried it out for my iphone:

Memorex iMove Boom Box for iPod - Mi3005

surprisingly it even works on my iphone, being able to charge it while playing my tunes and yes- even videos.  the sound quality is great, being able to amplify from the iphone itself while adding the boombox’s sound.  it gets pretty loud.  the only thing to keep in mind if you’re using your iphone is turning the “phone” option off cuz it’ll cause static since the speakers and phone signals coincide.

i love it though because now my child can watch her favorite movies on it, with full sound. the only thing i wish was different was that it was stable and even if standing on its side, because when watching a video, you have to turn the iphone horizontal.

also, i love how it has the option to use batteries instead of an outlet, even though it does come w/ an a plug out! that rocks since you can take it anywhere, and charge your i-whatever ANYWHERE!

this thing also comes with crazy numerous attachments for differnt types of i-toys so you can mount it and use it. it’s basically compatible for the itouch, iphone, ipod, ivideopod, ishuffle, inano, iyounameit!

it’s pretty near darn fabulous.

i say near because the only thing i can’t get is the tuner reception, which is pretty weak…booo…but you didn’t look for a tuner radio did you? no…you were looking for speakers for your i-toy.  so for $69-$79?  umm….eh…maybe (since there are a lot more expensive ones out there), but if you happen to catch it on clearance, it’s a definite Heck to the Yeah.

it’s not like those really portable minispeakers the size of nicole ritchie, but hey, it’s got a handle, it’s small enough, has great sound, AND is compatible with just about any mp3 toy you and your friends have…so everyone can just about use it and share great music!

source: TARGET
retail: $69.99
bought: $34
status: own

i miss the piano.

you know when i was younger, i used to make up songs on the piano. my first original compositions were made on the piano back at home. i’ve forgotten how it went, but there are still others i can recall, some unfinished ones, and some that still resurface from time to time. i find myself humming the tunes.  now i usually write songs on the guitar, but lately, i’ve really been itching to compose on the piano.

i’m hoping by next year, we can save up for a good piano, also because we want emma to start early on her lessons.  i’m pretty sure by three, it’ll be easier to distinguish patterns, and typically, in the beginning of any instrument, there’s a pattern. sure, it’s a pretty boring pattern- no balloons and creepy animals that talk, but hopefully, she’ll give it a try.

it’s also challenging during christmas seasons when i have to conduct the choir.  i don’t get to practice the pieces before choir practice so i’m left sight reading everything, esp. the timing.  plus, during practices, i like to play the accompaniment while they sing, so i also have to sight read the piece. 

but mostly, i miss just expressing through the piano.

a gigantic thanks really goes to my last piano teacher.  he wasn’t like my first teacher who just played piano like it they were just notes.  some people play the piano like they just know how to read notes, but they just don’t have a connection w/ the piano. some people play like they just studied theory but no expression.  my first two teachers were like that. 

my last piano instructor- joe cuthbert, was really different. mainly because he loved the hymns. you could really tell, if you were his student, that he had such a passion for the hymns.  what i appreciated most about his style of teaching was the importance of chords and chord progression.  by teaching us our chords, it became easier for us to fill in simple songs, particularly hymns and praise songs.  this really helped me play better and understand theory, song manipulation, and even song writing.

because of this, i can expand instead of just playing the notes that are written on the page.

yesterday was the first time i went to chevys restaurant.  ya. tex mex. not really my thing.  i remember going to a mexican restaurant when i was in middle school for some type of school trip (to study mexican food?) and i just remember not liking it.  that was the last time i went to a tex mex restaurant, with of course the exception of taco bell.

it ended up being a great experience…more spicy than i usually take it, but perze started me off with crab/lobster quesadillas. YUUUUUUM. most of the time, we always try the seafood appetizers- esp. anything w/ lobster…c’mon folks. who doesn’t love lobster?!

then we both ordered the grilled platter, which ended up being way more than we can chew….literally!  it was a lot.  pretty good.  so, one pogi point to perze on this choice. cuz if it were up to me, we’d be in red lobster again.  i really also liked their corn hash, so did emma (after a couple bites). so ya, we’ll definitely come back…it’s not at the top of my list, but my belief in tex mex has been finally been restored.

what’s your favorite restaurant?

it’s completely beautiful outside. what i love about our particular spot in the apartment development is this huge tree right outside the sliding windows that casts ample shade for us when we want to open the sliding glass doors and spend some time outside.  granted, it’s a very small area of grassy land, but being content of what we’re given, i’m thankful that we have this tree. 

sometimes during nice days, i open the doors and bring some comfy chairs outside so i can read while em runs and around.  it’s just one of those things i cherish- esp. now that zem LOVES to converse.  she’s so chatty so i love her curiosity. 

yesterday, we went out for a walk:

look how game she is. yes, i’m one of those moms who will leave her toddler on a tree for a photo…hahahaha…

she’s wearing a hello kitty shirt which she used as a cute conversation piece later on when she met a bunch of girls her age.  it was hilarious.   she used fashion as friendship starter…*laughs* oh man…i love how aggressive she is when it comes to socializing w/ kids her age.

i also taught her what a dandelion is.  these were always magical “flowers” to me when i was younger, so it was good to pass on some magic to my daughter. 

oh spring. how i love theeeeeeee…