Mommy Gets an Upgrade

Every so often the time comes that no matter how comfortable you think you are in life, you just need to shake things up- and hopefully for the better. The last upgade in my life was a group project and answers to the name of Tenley. But recently I got several smaller upgrades (read: not dramatically life changing, but still exciting) that made me feel better.

Upgrade #1: Notice the tinted windows on my car. When Jeff got his Accord in the spring of 2000, the first thing he did was run out and get the windows tinted. He said we'd do mine in a couple of months. So, "a couple of months" turned out to be Feb. of 2006 (about 70 months) but hey! I really wanted to do it before Ten came home so it would shade her and keep the car cooler, but that didn't quite happen- however it did make it by my deadlines of "before the car has 100,000 miles (-4,000) and "before Tenley goes to college" (-14 years). I have to say I love it. It does keep the car really cool (not so good at this time of year) and it made it look so...new. It also shades Ten's little face, but lets her see the passing world way better than the Babies R Us roll up shades did.

Upgrade #2: The cell phone. I had the old Nokia that you could change the face plate on for 6 years (actually I had 2 5165s in a row), and I traded it in for the 3rd generation of that phone 2 years ago when the network went digital & my phone was still analog. They were the non-flip, practically free with contract, bottom of the line phones...and I loved them. Yes, I was mocked by others with their itty bitty silver flips with color screens & polyphonic ringtones as they played video games and assigned everyone their own ringback tone; but I liked the simplicity, sturdiness and the normal keypad layout of my Nokias. The truth is that I don't like those tiny flips- I always feel like I'm going to snap them in half when I answer them, so I was fine with the current Nokia, but I wasn't sure it was going to survive another 2 years of Tenley pitching it down the aisle at Target when she got bored playing with it or the call she was attempting to Sweden could not be completed as dialed. So Jeff trotted me over to the Verizon store to see if there was anything I deemed acceptable. I did find a nice industrial-like-non-flip Kyocera that has the walkie talkie feature (which would be great if anyone else I knew had it...). But the only other phone I liked shocked me: the Razor. It's a micro-thin flip, but it still felt sturdy in my hand and the keys weren't laid out all funky. As a bonus, it has voice activated calling and a wireless headset. I was stunned. It even came in pink!! Then I saw the price tag and said "NO". But my technology loving hubby decided that for once, I instead of him, should have the really expensive fancy phone. We made the mistake of waiting to purchase it until after Valentine's day, and by then the pink ones were really gone. However, we were heading to Clovis to see Jeff's parents, and there were still a few left in the middle of the state...so I got one!! Bonus: it was $200 cheaper there too!!! So now I have a really fancy pink Razor phone that I don't use half the features on and I still downloaded the midi version of Hava Nagila for my ringtone. (Note: not 2 weeks ago Jeff upgraded himself from his low line Nokia to the way high end Treo, so he once again has the much fancier more expensive cell phone.)

Upgrade#3: the bag. It's a genuine Louis Vuitton Papillon 26, and I've been lusting for one for a good 5 years now. It was a (way way over the top) birthday gift from my awsome hubby. It's true that I am a purse whore, but I am not a purse snob- I like cheap denim purses from Target too. But I just loved the mini-duffel look of the Papillion, and the fact that it comes in the traditional LV brown monogram means that it will never be out of style. I've been trying to carry it a little bit, but I think it will get more wear when Ten is out of diapers. I know alot of people think the brown momogram is ugly, and that all LV's are overpriced (they are. But so are Dooneys, Kate Spades, Diors, YSLs, Guccis, & Fendis to name a few)...but I really like that's it's a classic and I can carry it forever.

3 tiny little upgrades, and suddenly I feel hip & trendy again as opposed to old & frumpy. Soon my Razor will be passe and I'll be annoyed that it's so dark in my car at night...but for right now I feel like a million bucks.

PS: If you live in So Cal & need your windows tinted, the guys at Tint Works Plus in Diamond Bar 909-598-8468 are fast, affordable, and they do a great job which they guarantee! They did Jeff's car and have done 4 cars for Uncle Kev- no peeling or bubbling ever! Also, if you're a purse whore like me (but also on my budget) check out www.bagborroworsteal.com you can rent designer bags for as long as you like!! It's a great way to get that Juicy Couture diaper bag without schucking out the $275!