good stuff friday

So, here I was, lamenting the fact that this week has been a doozy (again? I guess it's the norm, huh?). Between an unexpected doctor's appointment for me, a scheduled, but intensely frenzied 18-month doctor's appointment for Jane (as you saw on Facebook and/or Twitter, she Freaked. The. Eff. Out. Like nobody's business. The doctor said it was normal. I think I sweated out my soul in that office yesterday.), this week has been full of, oh, how you say, adventure. So I was wondering what I could list as "good" for "Good Stuff Friday."

And then.

Then I logged on to my blog this morning, and saw that Lisa created a new, surprise banner for me - my favorite ever! That is the goodiest of the Good Stuff Friday list. Also:

*Although Jane's appointment was brain-shredding, she got a good report. She's up to 25 lbs, 31 inches, and full of all of the quirky characteristics typical of a toddler. Number one on that list: regarding nurses and doctors as PURE EVIL.

*My doctor's appointment went fine as well. I'll spare you the details. No, I'm not pregnant.

*I managed to get a respectable amount of work done this week during the 2.5 days I was working from home. I find working from home....challenging......when I have my little companion with me. But Jane was at daycare 1.5 of those days, so that was a huge factor in getting shat done.

*I did the 30 Day Shred three days this week so far. And since everything hurts, I know it's working, right? RIGHT? Jillian says that the pain is fear leaving the body. I wish it was my fat ass leaving my body.

What's your good stuff this week?

having an only

I have so so so many thoughts about having an only child, and whether to have another child, and what it's like to be married to an only child, having three siblings myself...but for now, check out this New York Times article by Nataly Kogen (who created one of my favorite parenting sites, Work It, Mom!). She talks about her struggles with having an only child, and the constant criticism she gets from the outside world about her decision. It's like she's living my life - it's truly amazing how people - some people you don't even really know that well - feel like it's their business to tell you you HAVE to have another child. Like, it's not even a decision. It's a given. Well, thanks for crawling up into my uterus and everything, but it's not a given for me, at least not right now.

25 things

If you're on Facebook - and I know most of you are - you may have been tagged in this "25 Things About Me" note. So the other night I did it - and even though I think I could have come up with more creative, personal, thoughtful answers, you'll see why I didn't in my first "thing". Thought I'd share here as well.

1. I am currently watching Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels, which shows you how classy I am.

2. I never really wanted to have kids until I was about 30, and now I can't imagine life w/o Jane.

3. I really, really, really want to do a show again. I miss theater.

4. If I wasn't so attached to my friends and family, I would move to San Diego in a heartbeat.

5. Greg and I have created a personality for Jane's stuffed pink elephant - her name is Maude, she's been divorced three times, she's a hard partier with dreams of being famous - so much so that it seems like she's part of the family.

6. I cried when we were leaving for our honeymoon because I didn't want to leave my dog Junior for so long. I would've done the same for Jimmy too, except he wasn't part of our family yet.

7. I have seen RENT over 20 times.

8. I only saw one movie in the theater last year - Sex and the City. The next movie I see in the theater will probably be the sequel.

9. I have an unnatural obsession with pop culture, and read way to many websites/blogs/magazines covering it.

10. I cannot believe I'm 35. I feel like I should be so much more...adult.

11. My favorite place to be in the whole world is at the beach. My second favorite place is a bookstore.

12. I feel very fortunate that I am still so close with the people I grew up with. I think that's pretty unusual.

13. I used to be completely obsessed with music until about five years ago. Now I have no clue what's going on. I welcome any recommendations.

14. The number one thing I wanted for my wedding (besides getting married) was a cupcake wedding cake, and I got it.

15. Watching Jane dance is probably one of my favorite things to do.

16. I have maintained a large amount of weight loss for almost nine years. The odds of maintaining are so slim, so I'm pretty proud of that.

17. I really wish Greg and I went out more. We're pretty mcuh confined to the house at night, and I wouldn't mind us having more of a social life.

18. I definitely want to go to Italy before I die, and I'd also love to go to Greece.

19. I love sarcasm. Are you shocked?

20. I love reading, and usually read at least one book a week.

21. I swear too much.

22. I think the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once was over two years ago.

23. I'm pretty sure I talk too much about 50% of the time.

24. It would make me incredibly happy to wear flip flops every day.

25. I would do anything for my friends and family, and I hope they all know that.

good stuff friday (and by friday, I mean saturday)

I've been called out by Alan for not having done a Good Stuff Friday entry this week. I'm starting to think that doing Good Stuff Friday is a bad idea, because I always seem to have to lead in with a big explanation about how crazy my week has been, and this week is no different. Everyone in my house has been sick all week (just with bad colds, nothing more dramatic than that, KNOCK ON WOOD), but the thing is, a toddler doesn't care a) if she has boogers all over her face and 2) the fact that maybe, just maybe, you might want to SIT DOWN FOR A SECOND and try to relax. So getting better has been a challenge. That said, some good stuff did happen this week:

*Hello, Tuesday? Most awesome day this country has seen in a long time. I realized I hadn't been happy about an inauguration for 12 years. Since I was 23, i.e., a billion years ago. I thought Obama really brought the bad-ass to his speech.

*I finally received Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred from Amazon, so now I'm only weeks away from being able to kick some ass, just like Jillian. Except, you know, not really. But I will be able to kick more ass than I currently can. Problem is, I've only been able to do it once this week, because of how craptastic I've been feeling. As soon as I can breathe, I'm back on the plan.

*I found a couple of old friends from back in ye olden high school days on Facebook (not from my high school, just friends I had when I was in high school). Oh Facebook, how I love thee.

*LOST is back, and, as usual, it's the best mindf**k ever.

Have a great weekend! And please post your good stuff in comments, just so I can continue to prove to myself how lame I am.

for you LOST fans (and who isn't a LOST fan?!?)

down for the count

Ugh. I'm home sick today. I was finally taken down by the cold that has been plaguing my house for weeks now. I feel like I live in a daycare sometimes, I really do. I sent Jane off to daycare, Greg's going out for meetings, so it's me, the dogs, and the DVR today, with intermittent work stuff here and there.

I'm watching inauguration specials that I recorded last night. That Michelle Obama looked gorgeous, didn't she? I heard some people chatting about yesterday's events when I was dropping Jane off this morning. They were wondering why people were so obsessed with what Michelle and the girls were wearing, when there were so many bigger issues to focus on. I thought that people were probably focusing on those small - but much more fun - topics for the time being, because the economy, the wars, and the general state of the world is so scary right now, it's a lot more pleasant to discuss the designers and the general historic moment we all witnessed yesterday, than the craptastic headlines we all have to face head-on, sooner or later.

I am hoping to soon post about all the success I've been having with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, except that I've only been able to do it once since I received it on Saturday, between being sick, a pulled out back, and a swollen hand (I smacked it on the corner of a drawer). I'm a mess!

change we can believe in

Hello, Blogland! I'm sorry I've been mostly missing lately. The most I can grab time for, it seems, is a quick Twitter or Facebook update this past week. But, despite how packed today is as well, I would be remiss not to mention how completely, totally, and utterly PSYCHED I am that January 20 is finally here! I will definitely be in front of some sort of screen - computer, TV or otherwise - to watch today's historic inauguation. And how much do I also wish I could go to this tonight? Mixing Broadway and George Bush never sounded so good!

No matter what your personal political beliefs are, I hope you can feel the hope today. I sure can, and it feels delicious.

PS I hope to resume more regular blogging this week. Stay tuned!

good stuff friday

I gotta tell ya, I think doing this "good stuff friday" thing might work out a little bit better if I wasn't so desperately trying to fish for good things that happened at the tail end of a week where I feel like I've barely kept it together (this is most weeks). This was, once again, a super busy week at work, but it doesn't mean that good stuff didn't happen.

*Last weekend I met a friend for dinner who I haven't seen in a year. We have a long and complicated friendship and I'm so happy I was able to see her, and that things are good between us. I was also very happy about the 1.5 margaritas I drank during dinner.

*I saw a dirty puppet show.

*I met some cool and funny actor-type people. Not bad work, if you can find it.

*This weekend is a three-day weekend. I wish it was a three-month weekend, but I'll take what I can get.

*This guy is gonna rule the world in four days.

*I have plans with friends Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I tend to just hole up with my family during the weekends; I'm glad I'm getting off my ass and socializing.

Have a great weekend!

there's nothing to read here, so go there instead

This is an incredibly busy work week, plus we have sickness running through my house (so shocking, I know), so posting will be very light. BUT, instead, I am going to direct you to an all-together better blog anyway - Matt, Liz, and Madeline. It is written by Matt Logelin, whose daughter was born last March, and his wife died the next day as she was going to see her baby for the first time. YES, it sounds horribly sad, and it is - get tissues ready if you're going to read the first entries - but his style of writing and the way he writes about stumbling through this first year of parenting his gorgeous daughter alone - so against what his life plan had been - is truly compelling. His photography is amazing too. His most recent post mentioned that a story was going to appear about them in People this week, so hop over there before the rest of the world does.

good stuff friday

Oh Lord, is it Friday already? I actually thought Friday would never come this week. After coming back to work from a 12-day vacation, this week draaaagged. But look! The weekend is here, and with it comes a sick baby and a weather forecast for 6-10 MORE inches of snow! Wheeeee! Jane seems to have some sort of virus thingy (that's the technical term, I believe), so we're off to the pediatrician's office in a hour to get what I'm sure will be a non-descript answer and a non-diagnosis. That's what happens with most of these virus things. Anywho, let me dig in my brain to think of the good stuff that happened this week:

*I returned to work. Sure, it's hard to think of this as a highlight, but the fact that unemployment rates higher than they've been in decades makes having a job - and the insurance that comes with it - a very good thing.

*The fact that Jane didn't spill that half-gallon of milk she pulled out of the fridge and was dragging around while I typed that last paragraph.

*The fact that Jane's vocal chords seem to be in full working order, based on the level of screaming she's doing because of removal of said half-gallon of milk from her hands.

*The snow isn't supposed to start until afternoon tomorrow, so I should be able to get in my four miles outside, instead of inside on the DREADED TREADMILL.

So there's a few things. Sure, they may not be spectacular, but hey, the first week of January isn't really aimed at creating spectacular moods, especially a week that feature a couple of snow and ice storms, and all you want to do is move to San Diego and be done with this. And by you, I mean me.

Have a great weekend!

putting myself on my list

So, I was watching Oprah the other day - WHAT? I never watch Oprah, but I knew she was going to talk about how she was going to lose all that weight she gained back, and we all know I'm a sucker for an inspirational weight-loss story - and she got me thinking, as Oprah so often does. She was talking about how she gained all her lost weight back again, and how it was primarily triggered by a really stressful, busy year. Like so many people, Oprah responds to stress by eating. So this year - her BEST YEAR EVER - she is putting herself back on her list. You know how your (and mine, and Oprah's) to-do list usually includes doing stuff for work, and your family, and your friends, and other people, but it so rarely includes doing things for yourself? Well Oprah is putting herself back on her list.

Her trainer, Bob Greene, said that many times, when you overeat, you're doing it because you really want something else - like love, or acceptance, or whatever. Oprah is overeating because she needs balance.

So do I! Oprah and I are the same, minus the fame and billions of dollars. Our lives are lopsided and we don't do enough for ourselves. So, although I'm not going to try to lose 40 pounds this year like Oprah (although I wouldn't mind losing four), I am going to try to do more for myself, to decrease the stress in my life as much as possible, and to just breathe. Remember just breathing? I don't.

More to come on this.

one more look at 2008

Those of you who know me know that I love me some Dave Barry. So, as usual, I just about died laughing when reading his review of 2008. Check it out - I swear, it's worth it.

and helllooooo, 2009

I know, I know, I've had several photo-heavy, word-light postings lately. I promise to be more prolific in the coming weeks. What? I'm lazy and on vacation, although vacation ends TODAY, BAH HUMBUG. So, here's some pics from our New Year's Day open house/party thingy. I forgot to use my camera until 3/4 of the way through, though. As you can see, the ball popper was a huge part of the entertainment. Obviously we know how to have a good time. Happy New Year!

good stuff friday - the jimmy edition

In honor of me still being on vacation, and Jimmy's uncomfortable trip to the vet today (I will spare you the details), I'm replacing good stuff friday with jimmy friday. Enjoy.