Time flies

I'm so often amazed by the changes I see in my son that I sometimes forget that the rest of the world is changing too. Case in point, every summer for the past five years, my niece has come to visit. This year was no exception.

The first year she came, we did all the typical touristy stuff. She was 13 and looked like this:

The two summers after Milo was born were a little less exciting for her. The first summer, I had a 3-month-old and was exhausted from the every-two-hours 24/7 breastfeeding. But we still had some fun. And my then-15-year-old niece looked like this:

This summer, her visit was shorter (mostly due to our living arrangements at the moment) but it was probably the most fun since that first visit. She and I went to Paint the Town for some girl time without Milo or the S.O. We also did some shopping and made our annual trip to the zoo.

My little niece has grown into a young woman. She's smart and confident and totally opinionated. She's also beautiful. And loves her little cousin so much.

He loves her too, though you can't tell from this photo

I love this kid like she were my own. Her dad should be one proud papa. (I'm sure he is.) Too soon, she'll be all grown up, out in the wide world on her own. And she'll do great.

Mommy Time Movie Review

Because I don't really get out to the movies much, I watch a lot of Netflix. And because I have a 2-year-old, I don't watch a lot of grown-up movies. But last night I watched "The Switch," starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston.

I hate to admit that I really kind of liked it. Nevermind that it's a romantic comedy and we're supposed to hate those. Nevermind that it only gets a 5.9 rating on IMDb and a "rotten" 51% on RottenTomatoes.com. Nevermind that I feel like Jennifer Aniston is always reprising her role as Rachel from "Friends." She's pretty and relatable, and I also kind of feel like we'd actually be friends. Nevermind that Jason Bateman's character is a bit of a neurotic jerk. We all know we'd choose him over the other guy. (At least those of us of a certain age, anyway.)

Nevermind that the story -- while "based on" a short story by Jeffery Eugenides, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Middlesex" -- is silly and ultimately predictable. What romantic comedy isn't?

Nevermind all that. The little boy in the movie really is a mini version of Jason Bateman and is Adorable (yes, with a capital A). The story might be silly and predictable, but it's also sweet and cute. This isn't a great film. It certainly didn't win any awards. And I don't recommend it for the truly cynical. But for light-hearted fun that doesn't tax your brain or make you worry about the economy or war, this is a good movie.

It's guilty pleasure fare for sure. You might want to watch it alone some place no one will see you watching. Pair it with some dark chocolate, red wine and your most comfy jammies, and you've got some good old fashioned Mommy Time for yourself.

It's streaming on Netflix, so you don't even have to leave your house. No one has to know you liked a bad romantic comedy. Unless you blog about it, of course.