RHOC

That's right....casting has begun for the Real Housewives of Chicago!

Should I round up my girls and try out?? I don't know if Bravo is ready for my thrilling life of laundry folding and diaper changing, though...

The Jersey girls will be hard to beat. I must admit to loving this season!

Bits and Bobs

• Just listened to the fabulous Jen Lancaster being interviewed on NPR. She is awesome and also wanted to marry Alex P. Keaton when she was younger, so clearly we would have been friends in 7th grade. If you haven't read her latest memoir, Pretty in Plaid: A Life, A Witch and A Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending,Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase , you need to buy it. It is hilarious, especially the parts about sorority rush. I literally laughed out loud while reading it. She's doing a book signing here in town today, at the Barnes & Noble, 1441 W. Webster Ave. at 7:30 PM. I would love to go, but am not sure I could convince Mr. TC to handle bed/bath time solo so that I could go be a fan girl.



• Kayce Hughes is giving away the most adorable anchor shirts. If you have two girls, this would be just the thing. To use one of M's favorite phrases, "look, see":



• Bird Dog Bay, a longtime TCP fave, now has boys ties! How old you think a boy must be to wear his first tie?? I know mine are probably too little still...but a girl can plan ahead, can't she?


• Have you seen Monogram Momma's latest designs for SWAG?? Oh. My. Gawd. I love them all.

I've ordered these shirts in the past, both as gifts and for myself/my boys. The quality is fantastic, and of course, the customer service cannot be beat. My only dilemma is which design to order...

The Spit Up King

I've decided to reveal our latest addition's name on the blog, because the kid has gotten some seriously cute monogrammed things lately and I need to share them with you. Plus, I think I'm going to refer to the boys by initial from now on because I can't remember who was Tad and who was Biff or whatever from that Preppy Name Generator. So, M (the elder) and W (the younger) from now on...

W has been spitting up a lot lately. I'm not sure if this is some sort of physical issue or simply a result of him noticing all the super cute burp cloths lying around and is determined to use them all.

Check them out:

From longtime TCP fave Maggie & Alison:

and


and

From the always fabulous A. Tierney:

From the Monogram Chick:

Can't really blame him, can you?

Two Great Sales and a New Addition to the TCP Wishlist

So much to discuss.... firstly, I got my hair cut. A lot. Like, shorter than it has been in years. I think I like it, but am afraid that I am veering into Mom Hair territory. It's a long bob. Frumpy? Or okay because Gwyneth and Reese sport similar looks? My hair was super long, though, almost to my bra strap, and it was taking me 8.5 years to dry it. So Something Had To Be Done.

Secondly, I am peeved at eBay because I keep losing auctions for clothing for myself, but winning them for clothing for my children. Is the universe trying to tell me something?? I am not listening, if so.

Did anyone else pick up a few things at the Rue La La Vineyard Vines sale?? I missed lots of things, but did get this Tod's Point top in navy and in pink. Love the tiny anchors.

Interesting article from the Telegraph re Michelle Obama's perusal of the Boden catalog. Is Boden (and by implication, it seems, all preppy/Sloane-y fashion) really "a uniform for women who don’t quite get style and who, like their mothers before them, think it’s bad form to stand out"? Discuss.

We've got some big sales brewing for the holiday weekend...Nantucket Brand is having their Figawi sale with up to 75% off. I admit, I have never ordered from them, but the stuff looks SO cute. Any of you try them? Like? Love?

In the Pink also has a may-jah sale on Lilly kids...40% off with the code 0525.

Finally, if anyone is looking to buy me a gift for no reason? You could swing by the Tucker Blair site and pick up these fabulous needlepoint flip flops.

Love. Them.

Have a happy holiday weekend kids!

A. Tierney Shopping Spree

I am posting this against my better judgment, quite frankly, because I want to win and don't need the competition...

PSA

Mark your calendars...Wednesday will be a great day to shop at Rue La La! The boutiques featured that day will be preppy staples Vineyard Vines and Kate Spade. You can preview the boutiques here.

And if you haven't become a member yet, you can use this link to join: http://www.ruelala.com/invite/thirdcoastprep or just shoot me an email and I will send you an invitation. The deals offered are usually pretty fantastic, but things fly out of there pretty quickly, so log on early to have the best selection!

Pink and Greens for Friday

In case you are worried about future generations, I can set your mind at ease. Just got this email from a friend:

I just had to tell you this story from Saturday morning music class. At the beginning of class, the kids have to go to the middle of the room and get egg shakers. Max picked a green shaker and then came back to the circle triumphantly declaring that he had a green one. Then he ran back to the middle, said "I need a pink one too!" rummaged around in the bin, and returned to sit by me. He then held both eggs aloft and said, "I like green and pink together!" I immediately thought of you. I'm expecting him to come home from daycare one of these days with a picture of a lobster that he colored or a demand that all his clothes be monogrammed.

Do you love it??

Also in pink and green today, I present to you the reading on my bedside table:

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP and Jen Lancaster's Pretty in Plaid. I can't wait to dive into these pink and green reads!

And the winner is....

...Lucky number 14, Mes Petit Choux!!! (Thanks to the good people at random.org and their number generator.)

Mes Petit Choux is another mama to two boys, so I'm guessing that she needs a martini just as badly as I do. Send me your contact info, MPC, to thirdcoastpreppy@ gmail.com and I will pass it along to the fabulous Huephoria girls. You'll be drinking out of your lobster martini glass in no time!

And don't forget that the Huephoria code "lobstah" is good for 25% off for TCP readers through 2009.

A Little Late to the Party

This is the hazard of not keeping up with my inbox...I miss some deals. And then I can't pass them on to you in a timely manner. Mea culpa.

But, even though I've missed the Mother's Day shipping deadline, I can tell you that La Plates has a Facebook page and that they are posting all discount codes on that Facebook Fan Page, so if you sign up as a fan, you will always have access to the latest codes...FB10 gets you 10% off all plates, platters and placemats right now.

I am in love with the new Nautical Collection!! Check it out:

I might be particularly partial to the design in the lower left corner. Ahem.

Huephoria Code and Giveaway!

My love of all things lobster has been well-documented, I think. And I may have mentioned that I enjoy a martini from time to time.

Behold, the perfect convergence of some of my favorite things...Huephoria's Larry Martini glass avec lobster.

Do you not love it? Does it not call to you? Just me? Well, if it speaks to you like it does to me, you are in luck! The fabulous people at Huephoria are giving one away to a lucky TCP reader!

Here's how you can enter:

1. Comment to this post.

2. Become a blog follower and leave me a comment telling me that you are a follower.

3. Sign up to follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me that you follow me on twitter.

So you can get three entries, but make sure you leave three separate comments (because I'll be using the random number generator to pick a winner, so you need three numbers).

And if you cannot wait to see if you won, use the code lobstah for 25% off and choose your own fab design...I like the crabby, the shore and the foster glasses too. And not just glasses...salt and pepper shakers too, which I think are an easy way to perk up the table without going too crazy on a motif.

Enter the giveaway by Sunday, May 10 at midnight and I'll post the winner on Monday, May 11. Good luck!!