RAIN! I mean, VACATION!

Coffee at Au Bon Pain on a rainy morning

My posse ready to lose their collective minds on another rainy day

Jane making music with her buddy Griffin

Greg driving with his sidekick, Jimmy

Me and Jane with my sisters at DQ

So, um, this rain? Sucks. But the vacation rages on. Thursday it absolutely poured all day. Jane and I spent another quality morning at the mall, except this time, instead of walking around on her own, meeting and greeting all the old mall walkers, she decided that rather than walking or riding in the stroller, she would pitch major fits and throw dramatic tantrums every time I had to put her down (carrying a 30 lb child and pushing a stroller at the same time = NOT FUN). We also went to my cousin's house to visit her and her three (THREE!) kids. I was lucky to escape the madness on Thursday evening to go to rehearsal.

Friday - guess what? More rain. Awesome. We went my friend Cheryl's house to hang with her and her son Griffin, who is less than two weeks younger than Jane. That kid has mad verbal skillz though - he said to me at one point, "this balloon has no helium." Seriously! He's not even two! It was really fun to see them, and Jane had a blast playing with more toys that aren't hers. Later we went to Dairy Queen to see my sisters (one of my sisters owns it, the other works there. I put many years into DQ myself, when my parents owned it.). Because I haven't been feeling well, Greg took Jane home and I went off to get a pedicure and read the gossip mags at Barnes and Noble. I must say that was pretty fabulous. Also, it stopped raining for a little bit!

Vacation report to conclude tomorrow. Here's a preview - RAIN!

vacation, continued

More vacation fun times over the past couple of days. The only major drag is the fact that I'm just still not feeling well - overall lethargic, cold, headachy, etc. I thought I would be rid of this by now. But anyway - yesterday we had my friend Cathy and her daughter Olivia, who is a couple of months younger than Jane, over. It's cool to see them really play now, instead of just sit next to each other like lumpy infants. After they left, Jane took a power nap, and it was so long that I decided she might be sick, which of course stressed me out (I like to infuse as much stress into my vacations as possible). Last night I went to dinner with two of my theater peeps, and then went to a theater board meeting (whoo to the hoo).

Today we went to visit my friend Betsy and her two girls. Jane was thrilled to be in a house with all-new-to-her toys. After Tornado Jane ripped through their house, we went home - Jane napped and I sat on the back deck and read (currently reading "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld - very good - loosely based on the life of Laura Bush). As you can see, the dogs also enjoyed the limited sunshine we've had this week. After Jane got up, we went to West Hartford Center and Jane proceeded to demand I carry her for a good 1.5 miles. That's a heavy, squirmy load! That's her in the last picture, wreaking havoc on Starbucks.

Not that exciting a report, I admit - which is why I give you more pics!

vacation, so far

Just got home from a really nice day in Mystic. We went to the Mystic Aquarium, which I have not been to in years and years. Although the weather douchebags said that it was supposed to rain all day, it turned out to be really nice - a great day for checking out the whales, sea lions (a personal fave, since we saw so many in San Diego when we were there), penguins, and other fishy things. After that we wandered around all of the dorky Mystic shops (or should I say "Shoppes") and checked out a marina or two.

As for the rest of the vacation so far, we went to a graduation party on Saturday and hung at the boat on Sunday, and I blocked a ton of Act 1 of my show on Sunday night. So far, so good people. Now I just need to get rid of this cold that is totally dragging me down.

Up for tomorrow: Jane's haircut, a visit from a friend and her daughter, and a theater board meeting (that part is no so much fun).

staycation, all I ever wanted

Oh, hey! What's up? Wow, did I make a good decision to take a blog break. Because, party people, you would have heard a LOT of whining. But here I am! On the other side of the work week, and my big June vacation has begun, albeit with a super crappy cold. Ugh. Also, bad weather forecasted for the rest of the week. Moving on.

So all week, people have been asking me where I'm going. And the answer to that is - nowhere! It's a big "staycation" for me. Most of my vacations are staycations. I haven't gone anywhere in over two years. Lord, do I hate the word "staycation." It's so lame. You might as well say "lamecation." So yes. I am on vacation. And I am staying here.

My whole goal this week is not to get caught up in stupid crappy chores or house projects or things that just make me more anxious. This week I'd like to block a whole lot of my show, I'd like for Jane and I to start feeling better, I'd like to see a bunch of friends, and I'd like to try to remember how to relax.

So far today I've gone to Target, to a festival/arts-and-crafts thingy, and to Barnes and Noble. As soon as Jane gets up from her nap, we're off to a birthday/graduation party, where I will see my best friends. And there's nothing like seeing people that these that remind you that you ARE fun, you DO laugh, and you are so lucky to have a close group who have known you since you were eight.

I will try to keep you posted this week on all of my staycation (gag) activities!

I'm here

I'm here. I'm alive. I'm not blogging too much, and that's going to be the trend for a little bit. I'm spinning, and I'm exhausted, and I feel like that's all I ever say. And I'm starting to get a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that that's all I say. I am off work for a week next week. So I get to actually be a mother to my child, rather than that person she sees in the morning and at night. She'll take a break from the people who are actually raising her, her daycare providers, and spend some time with me - the one who writes the big checks to the daycare providers.

Obviously I don't think that people (i.e. me) who send their kids to daycare are not actually raising their kids. But when I see her so little, it just feels that way. Part of it is just the way it has to be.

I sound bitter. And nasty. And horrible. And this is why I'm going to stop for a bit. Because nobody needs to read this. I'll be back when I'm feeling like I've got something better to say. I will get over myself. Swear.

bits

Man oh man, does this blog suck these days. It's all woe is me, anal expression, woe is me, anal expression. There's got to be more to life than this!

This has been a busy week. I say this all the time, lately. Alan called me out recently by telling me that most of my emails start off talking about how busy I am. If I were Alan I would say, well, if you're so damn busy, why are you writing this email? To which I would say, that's enough outta you. But everyone's busy. I know no one whose life is not crammed full of shit to do. So maybe I'll stop complaining about how busy I am. HA! Oh, how I crack myself up.

I still am not feeling so great. My stomach has been really odd this week again - don't know if it's anxiety, reflux, major undiagnosed illness - there is a part of me that is wondering if I should go get myself checked for THE DIABETES. I know, you're all, here she goes again, but I feel sluggish and gross, and my diet sucks, and I haven't done a great job of eating low sugar, low carb anything, and am kind of afraid that my 40% elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes has reared its ugly head. Or maybe I'm just tired. Do you think not getting more than 6-7 hours of sleep a night (and more likely 5-6 hours of sleep a night) for two years could make someone feel nauseous?

My show is chugging along. The cast has learned a lot of the music, but I have LOADS of blocking to do. It's gonna be HUGE. It better be, considering it will be my (latest) last hurrah for a while. (Does it count as a "last hurrah" if it's only for a while? Well, you know us theater folk. We like to be DRAMATIC.)

I am so joyous that it is Friday. The aforementioned Alan, with his sidekick Todd, will be joining us at the boat on Sunday. I'm sure that will lead to quite an interesting report on Alan's blog next week, what with his great fear that we're going to sink in the great, deep Connecticut River, all Titanic-style.

Have a great weekend, all y'all!

my rock and roll life

When you live a rock and roll life like mine, you get used to fabulous freebees all the time. So I wasn't surprised to see that Jimmy, my rock and roll dog, received a buy five, get one free offer of his own.

frankie says relax

I'm a person who is prone to panic attacks. I am also a person, who, lately, has had a sort of-to-very meh-feeling stomach - for a month, anyway. I think it's anxiety-based. So what the hell is wrong with me, you ask? I think the crux of my problem is that I really don't know how to relax. Even when I get a few moments, or even an hour, of free time on the weekends, I tend to use that time to complete chores or do some other work-based project. I never just....be.

Because this week I really REALLY haven't been feeling great (see previous post), I made a vow that this weekend, I would absolutely chill out. Yesterday, we went down to the boat, and just when things were mildly relaxing, we had some engine trouble and had to come back to dock. Nothing stressful about that....so today, I made that vow all over again. And you know what? I managed to spend an hour or so on the back deck reading when Jane was napping. I literally had to force my brain to stop thinking about all of the laundry and cleaning and etc etc blah blah blah I should be doing and just chill. Why do we (I) have such trouble letting myself recharge? I'm always going going going like that Energizer Bunny but the battery is going to run out, and then what?

What's your favorite thing to do to relax? I'm taking recommendations!

PS I realize this is sort of a random and boring post, but I was tired of looking at the one talking about how depressed I am.

low

This is a low day for me. Between auditions last week for my show and working late this week for my actual paying job, I've been absent at home more than I'd like to be, and more than is normal. Because of this, Jane has gotten weird about me - when I am home, she's extremely clingy, and extremely tragic when I'm not paying attention to her. This makes me feel so wretched and guilty and all the horrible things associated with being a full-time working mom who is trying to also maintain a hobby. Today was a truly upsetting morning - Jane was so miserable all morning, and when I dropped her off a daycare she freaked. In addition, a ton of the kids in her room apparently have had a fever/bronchial infection type of thing, and are being sent home left and right. So now it's only a matter of time until Jane gets it - no doubt right in time for the weekend. Nothing like feeling like you're dropping off your child in a pool of nasty.

When I left daycare, I totally broke down, and that repeated itself a couple of more times today. This is hard shit, people. I break down my life right now and I see four main things that take up my energy and time:

1) Jane
2) my job
3) my show
4) exercise

So what goes? Not Jane, not work, obviously. The exercise thing really only adds up to four hours a week or so, but you'd be surprised at how hard it is to schedule. I tend to get up at 5 and go then, or on the weekends. It's important to keep doing, because after having THE GESTATIONAL DIABETES I have about a 40% higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than your average person. Exercise is a big way to avoid that.

So that leaves the show. And not this specific show - which, separate from everything else, I am SO excited about, and know it's going to be so great, and know that it's going to suck up so much of my life over the next seven weeks - but shows in general. Last year it was easy to do my summer show - Jane was only one and didn't really care as much if I, personally, was home. Now she definitely cares. Which makes me feel like total shit.

So after July 18, I will most likely be taking yet another year break from trying to maintain my own life and identity. It's surprising how mostly OK I am with that. And I SHOULD be OK with that. Jane is my number-one priority. But wish I could squeeze two or three more hours out of each day. Or win the PowerBall.

weekend. recap.

This was a pretty good weekend, all in all. We were so busy and I felt like I never really sat down, but nevertheless. It was good. It makes me desperate for more time off - I need it so badly.

Saturday morning I met my friend Heather and her three kids at a nearby reservoir and hiked around. Jane was content in her stroller the entire time, which was truly shocking. Heather's twins decided to go missing for a bit there, so that part wasn't so great, but it was just nice to be able to find something that two adults, two 7 year olds, one almost three year old and one almost two year old would enjoy together. Later on Saturday, Greg and I went down to the boat, and managed to take it out on our own without any assistance. I was tying ropes and shit, people. Big times. The weather wasn't too good and we hit some choppy water, and Jane didn't have all that much fun (22 month olds are suprisingly cranky when they are required to sit in one place for long periods of time -who knew?), but we made it.

Sunday I had a production meeting and then the first rehearsal for my show. Good lord, do we have a lot of work to do. We have such an awesome cast and I still think this has the potential to be one of the best shows I've ever done, but the score is insane and there is a lot that has to be done between now and eight weeks from now...wait...less than eight weeks from now. Yipes!

Today we went back down to the boat, and my mom and brother came too. Much nicer weather, and much nicer ride. It was so glorious out today. It makes me very weepy sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow, for an especially long day. Sigh.

where the hell have you been?

And by "you," I mean "me."

This week has been so busy, party people. Three nights of auditions, one music director leaving the show, a hiring of another one, trying to get over 30 people slotted into parts and set for read-through on Sunday, and not getting more than 4.5 hours of sleep a night. Oh and also - Jane had a parent-teacher conference today - or, wait, I had a parent-teacher conference for Jane - and it turns out that she is frakkin awesome, with the highlights being her awesomeness and her compassion for her classmates, which is apparently unusual at her age. So it turns out Jane is...nice. Where did that come from? Also,,since she hadn't been feeling well for the past couple of days, I suspected an ear infection, so I took her to the doc today. Turns out - she has an ear infection. Every once in a while I know what I'm talking about. Rarely - but it happens.

More later!

temptation

Remember how I'm giving up television for the summer? And I TOTALLY AM. Except then Fox decided to premiere this new show, "Glee." It starts Tuesday night, and then starts up again in the fall. And I'm all like, no way am I going to watch this show, and then some people are like, oh, Amanda, you know you want to, and I'm all like, duh.

Because it's about a high school Glee Club made up of a bunch of theater dorks. Perhaps you may have noticed that I am the type of person who would very much identify with this show. And it stars Broadway people. And there will be music. And comedy.

Woe is me. I am Trying. To. Resist. But here's the thing - I don't think this should count, because it really doesn't start up for reals until the fall.

Right? RIGHT?

Read all about it here.

Celebrities - they're just like us!

Perhaps, when you've recently strolled by a magazine rack and saw Rebecca Romijn on the cover of June's In Style magazine, you thought to yourself - "damn, that model/actress/bombshell reminds me a lot of Amanda!" And you would be right. Because I have found the thing that Rebecca and I have in common.

In the magazine, her husband, actor Jerry O'Connell, had to fill out a survey of what makes Rebecca sexy. One of the questions asked what "one thing she does that you do not think is sexy..." and his answer was:

"Tell me to take the dogs to the vent to get their anal glands expressed." To which Rebecca noted, "Gotta be done."

And this is why I imagine that Greg spent a lot of time comparing me to Rebecca Romijn on Monday morning, bright and early, when he took Jimmy to the vet to get his anal glands expressed. Because the thing that Rebecca Romijn and I have in common is the ability to nag our husbands about our dogs' ass glands.

With that, I bid you a most excellent weekend!

PS I apologize if this post makes little to no sense. I was out late last night because I went to see Spring Awakening in Boston, and it's just been a week of late nights with the finales of The Biggest Loser and LOST.

PPS I know that makes me sound like a bit of a loser.

PPPS Shut up.

you guys, I'm about to say something SHOCKING

So I'm thinking ahead to the summer (i.e. THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR see also: WHY THE EFF DO I LIVE IN THIS HELLHOLE OF WINTER WEATHER). And I'm thinking this:

I might give up TV for the summer.

I KNOW. This WHOLE POST should be written in ALL CAPS. But I'm heading into auditions for my show this weekend. In just over a week I will be at rehearsals three nights a week. I am also editing a big project for a friend. I got stuff to do, is what I'm sayin'. Also, I would like to lose 10 pounds*. I can do that with activities that don't involve watching TV. In addition, it will be light out. I don't want to waste that precious light by sitting inside and watching TV.

So, in conclusion, I have got to shut off this TV. (After I finish watching The Biggest Loser finale. And the LOST finale. And some other stuff. Shut up!) In reality, I won't completely cut off the tube, but I am seriously going to cut down - just my Daily Shows, Colbert Reports, and Project Runway, once it starts up in August.

So let's see how this goes...

*I don't think I can lose 10 pounds unless I cut off a limb. And not a small one, like an arm or something. I'm talking about a big ol' leg. Or my head. I have a feeling my brain is pretty heavy (shut up, Dwayne. And Shane).

today part 2

A couple of pics from today (I know that one of Jane alone is all washed out, but I still love it)

It was a good, mom-filled weekend.

today

Today:

I am profoundly grateful that my mother is alive and close by.

I am still in awe that I am a mother, and that I am raising this sassy, funny, dramatic, silly little girl who is morphing from a baby to a little kid more and more every day.

I hold close to my heart my close friends who have lost their mothers or their children. This seemingly benign Hallmark holiday can cut very, painfully deep to those to who have lost someone close. I know this personally, because this is how I often feel on Father's Day.

So give yo mama a hug today, if you can.

pulling your hair back in a ponytail is not the same thing as taking a shower

My friend sent me this video today, and it cracked my shit up, especially the part about looking for the retainer in the garbage, which my mom had to do when I lost my retainer at Burger King. Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate this fine, fine holiday (which I wholeheartedly embrace, of course).

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=tqWhFSmLHreylGVLx8cITDgyMjI3NQ--&referred_by=3602757-1df.dzx

Beauty for Babies

OK, party people. I think we could all stand to brighten up our look a little, don't you think? No, I'm not talking to you. Or you. Well, maybe you. Anyway, here's the dealio - you see that "Beauty for Babies" button over there on my sidebar? Well, click on it. Then bid on some truly fabulous packages put together from the personal collection of some very generous Sephora buyers. Oh, Sephora. How I love thee - so pretty, so nice-smelling, so everything I'm not most days. 100% of proceeds goes towards the March of Dimes, in honor of the truly beautiful Maddie Spohr.

Do it!

why I am an ass (5/4/09 edition)

So this morning, as I was driving in to work, I thought to myself, "WOW. I haven't had to take Jane to the doctor in a long time! A really long time! Like, three months worth of long time! THAT IS A LONG TIME."

The moment I thought it, I wanted to rip the very notion from my brain. Because, obviously, I was jinxing it. But I had no wood to knock on! So I tried to be rational. Just thinking that Jane has been relatively healthy doesn't mean we would be off to the doctor in a mere few hours.

Oh, how the gods laughed.

When I picked Jane up at daycare today, they said she was acting very fussy this morning, and tripping a lot. They also said that a couple of other kids in her class had had ear infections, and one of the girls had done the similar tripping thing before she was diagnosed. (I think ear infections can throw off your equilibrium or something.)

So, crap. I decided to call the pediatrician's office to squeeze her in for a last-minute appointment before they closed. There are few things I like less then going into a hot, stuffy, germy pediatrician's office at the end of the day. Jane hates it even more. The second they called us in, she started screaming. I guess you can get so many shots before you start having negative associations with places.

Sure enough, she had a raging ear infection in one of her ears. I probably should have picked this up because she was pretty cranky this weekend and she has a cold, but I blamed it on teething (as a parent, you tend to blame a lot of things on teething. Crankiness, the economy, swine flu, etc etc).

In conclusion, I totally JINXED IT! But I'm glad I brought her in and got the drugs.

I am lazy so I will let these bloggers do my work for me

This made me laugh (courtesy of the lovely Bridget at Yellaphant) (I now want to work the word "mothaflippas" into every sentence) (Alan, you will love this post)

This had me nodding my head like a maniac (courtesy of Jane (cool name, right?) at Baby Squared). Seriously, I feel like she sucked this post out of my brain.

Have a great weekend!

this little piggy went to market

As Alan well knows by now, I've given in to SWINE FLU fever. No, I don't have SWINE FLU fever, but I'm totally, completely, 100% freaked out about it. Those of you who know me well know I am a bit of a hypochrondriac. I do everything I can to keep it under control (for example, I have banned myself from WebMD). And, to give myself some credit, I laughed when I first heard of SWINE FLU (really, doesn't it seem like we should all caps that bitch?). Because seriously, what a silly sounding disease! And I pretty much ignored it through the weekend. Until it started creeping across the US. Until there were some suspected cases here in CT. Until I found out a 23-month-old died from it. And then I lost it. Because, you know Jane goes to daycare. She's a magnet for all infectious diseases, major and otherwise.

I emailed Alan first thing this morning to talk me off the ledge. He's a scientist, you see, and I trusted him. And he did a fairly good job. And then I came home and against Alan's orders I went online. And saw that we are about one sneeze away from full pandemic status.

SO. I've decided, instead of crying about SWINE FLU here (and seriously, guys, today I literally cried about SWINE FLU - a couple of times) (aren't you glad I trust you all enough to really let my freak flag fly?) I would share a very cute story that happened this morning.

I was leaving for daycare and work with Jane this morning, and when we were walking out, I told her to say "bye bye" to the dogs. So, as usual, she bid them a very hearty farewell - and then PROCEEDED TO GIVE BOTH OF THEM A KISS. I mean, SERIOUSLY. Cuteness defined. Of course Junior apparently likes to play hard to get, because he kept turning his head away. But I made sure to hold him in place so she could give him a smooch.

I loved it because I didn't tell her to give them kisses. I've never told her to do that. She just decided to do it on her own. Which is why, despite the tantrums, the boundary-testing, and the everlasting drama, I will take toddler-dom over newborn-dom any day of the week.

weekend. recap.

I am sitting outside right now. OUTSIDE at 7:30 p.m. SEVEN THIRTY PEE EMM. I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I am not cold. It is not raining, or snowing, and it doesn't seem like it's going to do either for a long time. I will probably sit out here for another half hour before it's dark out.

It is amazing what a difference the weather makes. This goes double with a toddler. Just having the option to go outside and look for rocks in the driveway, or blow bubbles, or run circles around a (parked) car - oh, it is glorious. All without jackets and sweaters and layers. Jane and I rocked our shorts and t-shirts all weekend. Do you have any idea how much easier it is to stuff a kid in a carseat minus the winter coat?

Our weekend was pretty good. Yesterday we bummed around West Hartford Center, got some new shoes for Jane, and had an impromptu cookout last night. Today Greg was doing boat stuff and Jane and I went to a baptism, and then she took a 2.5 hour nap.

Glorious, I tell you.

So, as you can see - the itinerary wasn't any more exciting than any other weekend. But with the temps in the 80s, I would say it was the best weekend so far this year.

Rattled!

Lisa recently asked me to chat about what I’ve been reading. So I thought I’d let all y’all know about a very quick, entertaining and insightful book I just plowed through last week – it’s called Rattled!, and it was written by Christine Coppa who writes the Storked! blog over at Glamour.com (I have a link to it over on there side there too).

I started reading Storked! at some point after Jane was born, so completely obsessed with parenting blogs was I. Chrissy’s son, JD, was born about a month after Jane, but her experience of having a child was much different from mine – while I was married and actively trying to become pregnant, Chrissy – who was living the young and fabulous life all Sex and the City-style in NYC (jealous!), found herself “storked” just a few months into a relationship. Her boyfriend (she calls him “A” in the book, and as far as I’m concerned, A = “Ass”) had ditched out of the scene completely by the time JD was born in August 2007, so Chrissy found herself in a position she never expected or planned for - a 26-year-old single mom living back home in New Jersey.

This was all information I knew from reading her blog, but the book goes into so much more detail. And while it’s a quick read and earned a lot of head-nodding from me (some pregnancy/parenthood experiences are oh-so-universal), it truly made me think about some things.

In her blog and in her book, Chrissy talks about being judged as a single parent - and, well, here’s the thing. I never judged single parents in a negative way, but I certainly never gave them the credit they deserved until I had my own child. I will hang my head in shame when I say I may have had a “what’s the big deal?” mindset when I was younger.

Oh, how I know what the big deal is now. When Greg is away and I’m on my own, or when Jane and I are sick at the same time, or when I want to – God forbid – do something for myself, I will often say, out loud, “I don’t know how single parents do it.” I still don’t. They don’t deserve negative judgment – rather, they deserve gold medals for doing the hardest job in the world solo. And when someone like Chrissy is a single parent unexpectedly – and does it with grace and humor to boot, while maintaining a writing career – they deserve a gold medal sprinkled with diamonds. With a cherry on top.

Something else I loved about the book was the relationship that Chrissy had with her grandmother, who passed away about a year ago. They were so very close and it made me wish I had known my grandmothers - and how much I hope that Jane has a strong bond with hers as she gets older (now she pretty much associates my mom with ice cream. Which is pretty awesome, obviously). It seems like such a special relationship to have, and one I’ll never experience.

I loved this book – I think partially because I’ve been reading Storked! for so long I feel like I “know” Chrissy, and it was so exciting to see her book come to fruition - but I know anyone who has been on a particular path, and been diverted so much that you start asking yourself “how the hell did I end up HERE?” – will love it too.

the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd

Here is the general stream of consciousness of a theater person when they are doing a show. “Why am I doing this? This is taking up way too much time. I have a job/school/life. I never see my friends/family/dog/child anymore. I haven’t eaten a decent meal in weeks. I’m not sleeping. This show is eating me alive. This director/actor/crew member is nuts/ psycho/insane. This show is gonna suck/rule. I hate this. I’m never doing a show again. That was so much fun. I can’t wait for the next one!”

Or something like that.

And with that I say – here we go again. If you are a reader of this blog from the beginning, you know that I used to do at least four or five local theater productions a year – whether as a performer, director, producer, crew member, whatever – I did it all, and all after working my regular full-time job at a performing arts center. After I had Jane, it was too hard to commit to three nights a week of rehearsal, and I’ve only done one show since she’s been born (although she did appear in-utero in Love Letters, starring myself and Alan).

Lately, have been dying to do a show again. It's always nice to take a break, especially when you're bouncing from one show to the next with no time in between, but after a few months, that little nagging "Igottadoashow" bug starts eating at your brain again. For me, it has to be totally worth it to cash in a couple of months of several nights a week out of the house. And here it is - this summer, I will be directing the musical Children of Eden for the summer group I have worked with for the past several years. I get to work with my core posse of theater peeps that I've been doing shows with for almost 20 years, which is awesome. The show goes up in July; auditions are next month.

So bring on the tears! Bring on the drama! Bring on the mom-guilt for not being around (albeit when she’s sleeping) three nights a week! I’m super-duper psyched.

weekend. update.

It's Friday, all y'all! And I am here to announce some things that are making me happy:

*It's, like, 70 degrees out or something. Suck on that, winter!

*We have friends coming up from New Jersey this weekend who we haven't seen in a long time.

*And my mom is coming to babysit tonight. Which means I get to go out.

*With other adult-like people.

*And have a cocktail.

*Or two.

Have a great weekend!

if you're happy and you know it clap your hands

So, dear internets, I'm in a funk. So much sad stuff has been happening simultaneously on several blogs that I read, and my heart has been cracking into a million pieces for people all over the country. In addition, I'm in a funk for other, more personal reasons (nothing major, no worries). So, in conclusion, I've been crying a lot (sorry, Shane).

Anywho, because of this, I want to know what's making YOU happy. What's putting a smile on your face? Please tell me all about it. Especially if you think it will put a smile on MY face. Because really, isn't it all about me?

bonus Easter pic

Jane wasn't so much about sitting and posing pretty for pictures this Easter. She was WAY TOO BUSY playing with her cousins and generally being the life of the party. But I wanted to post a pic that showed her whole super-cute outfit. I rely on her to represent the cuteness in this family, because Greg and I sure aren't bringin' it.

She had way more fun than this picture would lead to believe, by the way. She just doesn't smile for pictures anymore! It drives me nuts!

what a difference a year makes

Easter 2008 and Easter 2009

purple

When I got pregnant, I became hooked on parenting blogs (I loathe to use the words "mommy blogs" or daddy blogs") like nobody's business. You just feel better knowing that whatever chaos you're enduring, someone else, and, mostly likely, many, many other people, have gone through it too. You get advice, you get comfort, and you get laughs. Oh man, do you get laughs.

But you can also hear some of the most heartbreaking news. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the sadness I felt at baby Emily Mandell's passing from cancer; this week, I read the unexpected and tragic news of young Maddie Spohr's passing. Maddie's mom, Heather, wrote about her daughter Maddie over at The Spohrs are Multiplying - and the story of Maddie is heroic. She was born 11 weeks early, and survived to become the most beautiful little girl, with the most stunning eyes you'll ever see. She was just three months younger than Jane.

As a parent, when you read stories like this, you just want to shut your eyes and tune it out. You don't want your mind to go to that most unbearable place. It hurts too much. But it is one of life's most painful realities. I have had two close friends go through the loss of a child - and the pain is truly unimaginable.

Heather has asked everyone who is attending Maddie's services on Tuesday in Los Angeles to wear purple (the color of the March of Dimes). If you think of it, throw on a splash of purple on Tuesday. If if you can, send a few dollars to the March of Dimes in honor of Maddie Spohr. It's a worthy cause. Most importantly, hug your loved ones a little tighter.

why I owe Whole Foods $37

Today was a busy day of chores, getting ready to host Easter (yet again) tomorrow. Have I mentioned how I really don't like hosting Easter? Bah humbug. Anyway, we had to stop at Whole Foods for a couple of things, and we wreaked havoc on that joint like nobody's business. First, when I was pawing through the pies, I managed to flip a lemon cream pie, rendering it useless (unless someone really is in the mood for a mushy-topped pie). Then, as we were in line, Jane popped the flower off the lily plant I got my mom for Easter, so I ran back to the display and switched it out. Then, when I came back, I saw that Greg had dropped our fruit salad all over the floor, so I had to grab another one. So:

Lemon creme pie: $10
Lily: $10
Fruit salad: $17
Being humiliated beyond all reason before 9 a.m.: priceless

Guess we should stick with Stop & Shop. We clearly can't handle the fancy-pantsiness of Whole Foods.

you asked!

So, I am excited to answer the couple of questions from the last post! Because, as you know, I love to ramble on about my life.


Laurie over at Days with Dylan asked why it was I thought Jane might have Down syndrome when I was pregnant with her. Laurie, the reason I thought that was because when I had my triple screen (which is a blood test where they screen your baby's risk for chromosomal issues, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about) it came with with a 1/77 chance that the baby had Down syndrome. That blood test is notoriously wrong, with a lot of false "positives" (this is really the wrong terminology, since it's not really giving you a "positive" result, it's only giving you a risk factor), but still, that was a high risk for someone my age (at 33, which is how old I was way back two years ago, the risk factor is, on average, 1/4oo or something like that). So they scheduled a level 2 ultrasound, which is a more detailed ultrasound than you would typically get, so they could get a better look at the baby's major organs. The ultrasound was scheduled for three weeks after I got the results of the blood test, so during that time (one of the most stressful periods of my life), I did a TON of research on what Down syndrome actually was (I knew, but didn't really KNOW, what it was), what the life of someone with Ds was like in this day and age, what kind of early intervention was recommended and available, etc, etc, etc. See, everyone told me "It will be OK, she will be fine" but here's the thing: I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to know what our lives would be like, and more importantly, what her life would be like if she did have Down syndrome. When I had the ultrasound, everything looked great, but the genetic counselor really recommended that I get an amnio and another ultrasound at 24 weeks to get a better look at her heart. But at that point, I was exhausted. We were going ahead with the pregnancy no matter what, and I was sick of tests. As it turned out, she didn't have Down syndrome, but it was during that last half of my pregnancy that I got hooked on some wonderfully-written blogs by moms who have children with Down syndrome, which at some point led me to yours, Laurie!


Lisa wants to know what I'm reading these days. It's true, Lisa, I plow through books like nobody's business. It's the result of having been an English major in college - you just learn how to read really, really fast. I just finished the book The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer. It's about a group of stay-at-home mothers in New York City who are feeling itchy (for lack of a better word) about where their lives are going. It goes into the politics and drama between stay-at-home moms and working moms (all a very real, and very silly, phenomenon) and the friendships that develop between women who are threaded together by mere fact that they have children the same age. It was really good, although kind of depressing in its honesty.


I am now reading The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs, a book I've been avoiding in the bookstore for a couple of years now. It scared me off with the whole idea of a plot centered around knitting (you know how non-crafty I am) but it finally lured me in, and I'm glad it did. It has very little to do with knitting and more to do about a multi-generational group of friends who gather on Friday nights at a knit shop in New York City. Their lives are diverse and very different from each other's, but their lives link up at their weekly knitting social hour type thingy. (I think it's very good that I don't write the copy for book jackets.) Anyway, I like it so far, but rumor has it there is a very sad part, and I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

Have a great weekend! Hope the Easter Bunny visits your house (he better visit mine as I'm counting down the hours of Lent - I need chocolate, stat.)

blogiversary!

Happy Blogiversary to me
Happy Blogiversary to me
Happy THIRD Blogiversary to meeeeee
Happy Blogiversary to me!

So, over the past three years, I have unloaded the most mundane, ridiculous, exciting, boring, sad, happy, monumental moments of my life on to the internets. My blogiversary was actually on April 4 - on that day, in 'ought-six, I was lamenting the humliation of taking the now infamous Jimmy to dog training class. I also wrote this: "Can't wait to see what I'll be like with kids."

To Amanda of 2006 I say - girl, you have no idea.

In honor of this landmark, please let me know in comments if there is any iota of my life that you are just dying to know, and I'll be sure to touch on it in the future.

my weekend, because I know you're interested

I have a ton of chores to do this weekend. My mom's birthday is Monday (with a little family party tomorrow) and Greg's birthday is Tuesday (I think it's cosmically unfair that two of the top three people in my life have birthdays right next to each other - not good for my wallet!) and I've only bought a couple of little presents for each of them so far - have to go out and finish up my present shopping this morning. I also have to take a much-needed trip to Target (this one will definitely be at least $150 - I can tell already - I need diapers, so there is $40 right off the bat - well, I don't need diapers, but you know what I mean). Then I have to go grocery shopping to get the goods for what I'm bringing to tomorrow's party (green salad and macaroni salad) plus food for, you know, us. So that's today. Plus Greg is doing a major project on our back deck and is going to be completely preoccupied with it until it's done. Why, right now he's drilling in screws and it's 6:40 a.m.! Oh, how our neighbors love us! Except the opposite of love.

It's so nice that it's starting to get light at 6 a.m. I get up at 5, and it's nice to start seeing daylight fairly soon after I get up. Makes me feel so much more human if I'm not stumbling around in the dark all the time. (I mean that literally. I am always stumbling around in the dark figuratively, of course.)

Have a great weekend!

the R-word

So, if you spend any time with me, you know how much I hate the word "retard" or "retarded." I really don't like calling people out on stuff (unless I know you really really well) but this is something that pops out of my mouth if I hear someone using those words - I'll just say something like "please don't use that word" or "I hate that word." And I do. I always have. It feels lazy, and insulting, and really, if you want to insult someone, can't you come up with a more creative way than using hate language? My feelings on this doubled, of course, when I found out that Jane might have Down syndrome. And, as you know, I read several awesome blogs by moms who have children with Down syndrome. This entry by Lisa at Finnian's Journey about the R-word is excellent - much better than mine, that's for sure - and when you scroll down and see a pic of her super-duper-cute boy Finnian, maybe you can think of him next time you decide to use that word. It hurts, people. It hurts people.

Off my soapbox now. But yesterday was a "Spread the Word to End the Word" day, and although I missed it, I wanted to touch on the subject.

day trippin'

Well, my mom and I survived another trip to NYC. Over the past few years, I have taken to buying her (us) tickets to a Broadway show for Christmas. We take the train in, we get lunch, go to the show, and come home. It's fun, despite the fact that it ALWAYS rains we always get at least somewhat lost. It doesn't matter how many times I've been to New York - I manage to get turned around every single time.

All held true yesterday. The rain was drizzly and cold, but by no means as bad as say, 2005, when we went to see Wicked in a torrential downpour. We also got a little lost, but again, nowhere near as badly as we did when we went to see Wicked (that show is cursed, obviously). This year we saw In the Heights, which, as you know, I completely love, having already seen in September. There are a few new cast members, but we saw primarily the original Broadway cast. Most notably was the change in actor for the lead role, Usnavi - now played by Javier Munoz. It was originally played by the guy who created the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda - who I saw in September, and who I've developed a slight obsession with - but I am VERY happy to report that the new guy was just as good. I freakin' love this show. GO SEE IT.

***

Feeling melancholy today. A blog that I read has been following a toddler who has cancer (she is the daughter of the writer's friends) - and it's looking like she's at the end of her road. I have never met these people in my life, and never will, but have found myself with tears streaming down my face more than once today, thinking of the pain they are now in. Go hug someone you love.

ye olden tymes

I was realizing today that, in a couple of weeks, this blog will be three years old. So I went back and read a bunch of older entries. And, despite the fact that probably 75% of them had to do with Jimmy's ear infections and anal gland issues, they were much more entertaining than anything I write now. If I managed to have a sense of humor when I was 14.5 months pregnant, why can't I have one now? I also used to write a lot more. Even if it was short and stupid, or just a quick review of a movie or TV show, at least I was prolific. So I'm going to try harder at this blog thingy.

For example! Right now I'm watching the movie W. And to that I say: meh. Not that great.

And tomorrow! Tomorrow I'm going to NYC to see In the Heights with my mom! But you already knew that. But it doesn't mean that I'm not still excited! So you get to hear about it again. And then probably again, after I go see it.

And the weather! Oh my, the weather today was delicious. I went out for a solo power walk and probably even burned four or five calories! I have a final weigh-in next week for a little mini Biggest Loser-style competition I have going with two of my co-workers. And, despite the fact that I have been actually trying, what with the EXERCISE and everything, and yet I think I've lost three pounds, at most. Over three months. This makes me very sad.

But! What doesn't make me sad is that I went to Target today, and found a pair of shorts that I actually like. They are long enough (I hate hate hate shorty-shorts, I don't look good in them, I'm sure I'm too old for them, they are bad bad bad work of the devil bad) and cute and they make me happy. So yay to that.

The end (for now).

good stuff

Sorry all of my blog entries have been so list-y these days - I'm so incredibly busy it doesn't seem like I have time to sit down and put together a "real" post. But so the most recent post isn't my s*** list, I've decided to list a few things that are good.

1) Got our tix to the U2 show in Chicago in September. This will be our first trip away from Jane. It's only a couple of days, but I'm sure it will be a little bittersweet (because I'm such a dork). Really looking forward to it, though. Except we need to line up babysitters! The dogs won't cut it.

2) Going to see In the Heights again this weekend, this time with my mom. I'm pretty psyched, although it's going to rain, of course. It always rains when me and my mom go to NYC. It's a tradition!

3) I'm going to be directing a show this summer solo. My friend and I usually co-direct the Summer Stage musical, but this year she's going to tech direct and I'm going to direct. Not positive on the title yet, but of course I'll let you know! (and beg and beg and beg for you to come, obviously.)

I have things I want to write about. Top of list is this whole "the Pope thinks the use of condoms will help promote the spread of AIDS" thing. Oh, how that enrages me. It's so irresponsible. I get telling people they should abstain until marriage. It's not realistic, but I get it. But telling people that condoms will help spread AIDS? So enraging.

my s*** list

Happy Monday! Here are the things that are bugging me today:

1) The weather. What the eff? Last I checked, Friday was the first day of spring. So what's with the 30-degree temps, hmmm, Mother Nature? Can't take it ANYMORE. Feeling a little postal when I have to defrost my car in the a.m.

2) I'm sick AGAIN. Just your typical head cold - sinuses, throat, ears, the works. And it pisses me off, because I was once again getting into a regular exercise routine. And now it's all thrown off and I'm sitting here eating chips and feeling sorry for myself.

3) Twitter. I suck at Twitter. Essentially, I don't think I'm good at it.

4) Sigh. Barack Obama, WTF with the Special Olympics joke on Leno? First of all, Leno sucks; you should have gone on Letterman instead (I know, you were in California, and Letterman is in NYC, but if you're going to be the first president to appear on late night TV, Leno was not a good choice.). Also - seriously. That joke was lame, and there is no excuse for that kind of joke coming from from your average person, never mind the President of the United States, and you forced me to nod my head in agreement when I read Sarah Palin's assessment of your appearance on the show. Come on! Don't make me agree with Palin!

5) And here's some good news - we're going to Chicago in September to see U2 kick off their US tour! We don't have tickets or a full slate of babysitters lined up yet, but it's going to happen! The ticket situation will be remedied Wednesday when we buy advance sale tix (of COURSE Greg is a special member of U2.com - did you really have to ask?).

this and that

I was going to write this whole blog post about a bunch of different things that have been taking up space in my brain. I was going to write about how irritated that Rhianna is going back with Chris Brown. WTF, woman? I was going to write about this interesting fact that there was a HUGE baby boom in 2007 (more births than ever recorded in American history) and how proud I am to have contributed one baby to what I guess will be an enormous generation (good thing, since they have to pay off this whole stimulus plan!) (still love you Barack! Mean it! Really! No really! But this economy thing is still scaring me.). I was also going to write about the BITING incident that took place at Jane's daycare this week (hint: she was not the biter).

But I just found out that someone in my family has to have a medical procedure tomorrow, albeit nothing very major, it still worries me and that's all that is on my mind. So since I don't want to air my family's medical business on these here internets (I only do that to myself!), I hope you will send some general good health vibes towards my family tomorrow a.m.

somebody's ready for green beer

Happy St. Patrick's Day, from our super-Irish household (I'm half Irish, Greg's 75% Irish, which makes Jane...a whole lot Irish (what? I was an English major)!

ps

I just wanted to tag a little PS to the previous entry. I had a really nice day today. Hung out in the a.m., went for a hike around the reservoir, went to get ice cream, and just generally soaked up the sun that we so desperately needed around here. It was probably only about 60 degrees, but Lord, it felt good. Now I just have to keep this zen for the next five days.

oh look! I'm complaining again!

Oh, hi! Remember me? I swear, I should just have Jimmy write this blog and be done with it.

Lately, I've been feeling so strapped for time during the work week. It's starting to feel like, beginning Monday morning, I start a marathon that doesn't end until Friday afternoon - and in the middle, it's guaranteed I'm going to have several "there's no way I can fit everything I want into my life" meltdowns. Lately, it's felt more difficult, and I'm trying to figure out how I can rearrange my day so it doesn't feel so cramped. Here's what a typical work day looks like:

5 a.m.: Wake up, start getting ready for work
5:45ish: Jane wakes up
5:45-7:15: Get Jane ready, feed her, get her stuff for daycare ready, deal with the dogs, play with Jane a bit
7:15-7:30: Finish getting ready for work
7:30-4:00: Work
4-7: Pick Jane up from daycare, give her dinner, shovel some food down myself, pick up the house, play with Jane a bit, give her bath, put her to bed.
7-7:45: Treadmill, weights, whatever (this is usually four out of five working days, unless I have something else going on at night)
7:45-9ish: Watch something I DVR'ed on TV, play on the Internet
9:30-10: Go to bed. Collapse. Read a little. Fall asleep, then wake up in the middle of the night worrying about something, and not able to fall back asleep.

I find that I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up after other people's/dog's shit (literally and otherwise) that the actual, quality time I have doing anything I really enjoy (even just reading books with Jane, or, God forbid, doing something I actually enjoy for myself) feels really minimal. So by Friday night, I'm a whirling mass of anger and resentment - mostly with myself, for not figuring out a way to enjoy my own life more. This is why I've come to find life perspective from COKE COMMERCIALS.

I know I'm painting myself as a model parent/person/whatever right now. The truth is, I tend to get into these ruts, feel all overwhelmed and gross, and then I get over it, and just carry on as always.

Honestly, if I could just abandon the treadmilling/30 Day Shredding/exercising in general, I would be a much happier (albeit fatter) person. That's the portion of my day that I dread the most, that can foul up my mood for the whole evening. I used to be able to get up before work and get that part of the day over with while I was still half-asleep, but I just can't do that now. I feel like life will be SO MUCH BETTER when the weather warms up, so we can take advantage of the after-work daylight hours and get outside. I truly think the root of this angst is that we've all been stuck inside for, oh, a gajillion months in a row now.

So, yeah. That is pretty much why I've been absent from posting about real life on this blog this week - didn't want to blah-blah-blah complain about stupid crap-blah day after day. But this weekend has been good, and I've been able to see friends, and spend actual quality time with my family instead of doing the stupid maintenance stuff all the time.

Indulgent, self-pity rant over.

and I'm a Pepsi girl

Saw this on Twitter today, and, perhaps it's because of the supersonically crappy week I've been having, it made me ridiculously emotional. I hate getting life lessons from a Coke commerical. I hate getting perspective from a Coke commerical. I have DVR so I don't have to watch commercials at all. But there it is. So, ya know. Have a Coke and a smile.

Jane's First Official Haircut: A Story in Pictures

I don't care if you're ready to rock

So, those of you who know Greg know that were it legal at the time, he would have married Bono instead of me. I was never much into U2 back in the day - I remember being incredibly irritated when they would show videos on MTV for "With or Without You" or "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" when all I wanted to see was an awesomely rad Poison video or two (I admit I did always like the vid for "Where The Streets Have No Name" - and it still remains my favorite U2 song). But when I married Greg, I also had to pledge my lifetime devotion to Bono, The Edge, Larry, and Adam. We traveled to San Diego to see them open their Vertigo tour back in 2005, and I saw them three times during that tour (Greg and his old college roomate/fellow U2 diciple saw them six times). We have literally spent thousands of dollars, all in the name of rock and roll.

So of course you can imagine the almighty excitement this week when they released their latest, No Line on the Horizon. (And you can bet your ass we'll be trekking to as many of their stadium tour dates this summer as we can - although there won't be any long distance traveling this time, because of the ol' ball and chain.) (Jane, in case you were wondering.) (Although Greg is hinting he may want to travel without me.) (To which I say, fat chance. I know, I'm a jerk.)

U2 has been on Letterman all week, and last night, they did his "Top Ten" list - I always find it pretty hilarious when serious musicians show a sense of humor. And this really was funny. Enjoy!

THE. MOST. DRAMATIC. ROSE. CEREMONY. EVAH!!!

There are times in your life for profound, deep, life-changing cultural experiences.

Last night was not one of them. Oh no, my friends, last night was the season finale of "The Bachelor," and it positively reeked with awesomeness. I won't bore you with all of the details (OK, maybe I will, but quickly - King Douchebag and single dad Jason had narrowed his choices down to Boring Molly and Boring-er Melissa. I thought he should choose Molly. Of course, he chose Melissa.) BUT THEN! On the much-anticipated, highly-emotional, too-rife-with-conflict-that-it-would-have-been-too-much-for-a-studio-audience-to-handle "After the Final Rose" special, Jason dumped Melissa! And chose Molly instead! And acted like such a fickle ass that it was almost hard to believe, especially for a show that's so unbelievable to begin with.

So, in conclusion, all I want to say about this (because I really can't add much more to the spectacular snarkiness of this and this) is it. was. awesome. And it totally made my week. And I can't wait until tonight's "After the Final Rose" Part Deux, because who knows? Maybe he'll dump Molly and pick Jillian, who he should have chosen all along anyway.

(I just thought it would be nice to have a happy post on here once in a while, even if it revolves around the show I am most humiliated to admit I watch. Oh wait, no - that would be "Rock of Love Bus.")

please ignore my crazy weather-related ranting

So, you know when, in November and December, you hear the song "Let it Snow" and you think to yourself, "yeah, that WOULD be nice, oh, how I wish for a white Christmas, and oh, the snow makes everything seem so twinkly and magical and clean and wonderful" - and then in March, when you see more of that wretched evil white stuff pouring out of the sky you think "I WISH I COULD JUST KILL THE SNOW" - and the prospect of working from home or a snow day isn't even enough to make up for the fact that you have to shovel, and get your clothes all wet, and slosh through this shit for another week, even though it's MARCH, and SPRING is supposed to be here any second, and in San Diego it's supposed to be 71 degrees today and WHY THE EFF DO I LIVE HERE....

So, yeah. More snow today.

I'm a winner!

I'm not going to lie.

I've always been a little jealous of those blog awards that people hand out to each other here on the interwebs. Sure, I know I update my blog rarely/never/only when something bad happens, but still. I wanted one.

I've never been much of an award-winner or a trophy-getter. I didn't play any sports as a kid (shocking, I know), so I didn't have any trophies from my extra-curricular activities (funny, they don't hand anything out for being a highly-dramatic theater geek - unless you get a Tony.). Back in ye olden newspaper reporter days, I did win a Society of Professional Journalists award for an article I wrote about raunchy rock lyrics (this was back in the late '90s - a whole MILLENIUM ago). I won first place and everything. (Yes, it is surprising to know that someone used to pay me for this writing stuff. Can you imagine?) But that was a long time ago. Where's my validation now?

WELL. Imagine my delight when I received that shiny happy Proximity Award up there at the top. En Espanol, even!

The lovely and talented Bridget over at Yellaphant betowed this award on me. And since it happens to be en Espanol, let me explain what it is: This award is for blogs which "...invest and believe in Proximity; Nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to 8 bloggers, who must then chose 8 more and include this text into the body of their award."

So, I mean. DUH. I think any blog that, in ever other entry, talks about sickness and puke and how miserable they are is obviously CHARMING. But it's true, I do aim to find and be friends. The other day, when I was puking (here I go again) and lying half-dead on my couch, I was watching a commercial for something like Diet Coke. And in the commercial, a group of friends were hanging out and having fun. And I had a true, real reaction to that commercial, and that reaction was: jealousy. I miss having fun and hanging out with my friends. When one has children, one is confined to the house after 7 p.m. on most days. So the lesson you can learn from my blog, dear internet friends is: BIRTH CONTROL.

I kid, of course. But now I have to bestow this fine award to eight other people! And since the meaning of the award is a little confusing to me, I am going to give it to a combo of eight people who are actual friends in real life, and people who I feel like are my friends because I read their blogs all the time, and they write in such a friendly way, usually with swears and stuff. However, there are rules. You have to update your blog more than once a month. Even I do that. So, I'm sorry, you and you. Consider this tough love. And the nominees are:

Yellaphant - Obviously. I love Bridget's blog because she is a young person doing what young people do - namely, drinking beer and having fun, and going out, and doing the things I miss doing while I'm catching puke in my hands (not fun hangover puke, either). She reminds me of the me I used to be, and the me I hope to be again when I can rally some babysitters. Also, she's a dog person.

Artsy Fartsy - This is my real-life friend Lisa - but here's the thing. I used to work with Lisa, and she was nice, but kind of quiet, and shy, and we had to force her to go out and do things with us. And now! Look at her! Queen of the snark on her blog, and ridiculously talented in so many ways. I would say she's my most multi-talented friend.

I'm Alan, Eh? - I know Alan changed the title of his blog to something more Canadian, but it's weird and I liked his other name better. Alan is also a real-life friend and my number-one email buddy. He gets to hear what I have for lunch every day, and all of the other minutiae of my life. He also likes birds and outer space and stuff. He's a theater nerd like me.

Days with Dylan - As you have heard many times, when I was pregnant with Jane I had a blood test that indicated she might have Down syndrome. That turned out not to be the case, but in doing my research before I found out for sure, I found many wonderfully-written blogs by parents with children who have Ds. Laurie at Days with Dylan is one of them. I love keeping up to date with the freaking ADORABLE Dylan, who underwent successful heart surgery last fall and is doing great.

Baby on Bored - This blog is written by the insanely funny Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, who wrote the hilarious books Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime is the New Happy Hour. She has a gorgeous toddler and one-year-old twins, and somehow manages to write weekly updates on her thoughts on The Bachelor and American Idol. She has commented on my blog a couple of times, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty giddy - a celebrity commentator!

The New Girl - Alright, I am relatively new to reading this blog, but I was actually going to write an entry about this post she wrote recently. You know, when I link to something and act like it's a valid entry of my own? Yeah. Anyway, when I read this, it felt like she was in my head. (SCARY FOR HER.)

I'm Laughing Inside - This is a real-life friend, Audrey, who started blogging again last month. I am hoping this fabulous award will encourage her to keep blogging, and posting funny pictures of Shane.

Boho Girl - I got sucked into this blog for an entire day once. Denise writes in such a personal, reflective, CALM way, it made me wish I was her. Her positive, cool, laid-back vibe positively radiates from her blog, and she also lives in Southern California, which automatically makes her cooler and smarter than me. And her newly-adopted son Cedar is delicious.

So there you have it! I'd like to thank all of the daycare germs which keep my blog full of exciting stories about the common cold. The end.

why health insurance is a good thing

Over the past week:

Head cold: Jane, Greg, me
Fever: Jane, me
Stomach bug: Jane, me
Ear infection: Greg, possibly Jane
On antibiotics: Greg, Jane
Feels like truck has run over: Jane, Greg, me
Number of weekends in a row that have been ruined due to illness: Five (and counting)

Welcome to my house! Please wear a haz-mat suit.

and now, a little levity

So, everyone and their brother reads Dooce, right? Well, she challenged her readers to answer the questions in this meme that she posted on her blog. Here are my answers, and here's your chance to learn a little more about Greg!

What are your middle names? I was not given a middle name, so I gave myself one, when I got married. It's my maiden name. Greg's middle name is David.

How long have you been together? We've been together for 7 years, 4 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? Zero amount of time.

Who asked whom out? We met on a blind date. I met his friend at my 10 year high school reunion. I had just broken up with someone, so I went alone. I had several cocktails, as one does when one is reunited with people they used to share high school hallways with, so I was in a festive mood. Greg's friend was dating an old friend of mine from school, and we got to talking. His friend asked if I was single, because if I was, he had the perfect guy for me. That guy turned out to be Greg, who called me a few days later. Now I think about it, he really had to have some cojones to do that. Would you call someone out of the blue, based on the recommendation of a friend? Good thing his friend had such exquisite taste. Anyway, we made plans to meet when he called.

How old are each of you? I am 35; Greg is 36.

Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine, because he is an only child.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? The work/life/kid balance. Yup, 18 months in, and we'll still figuring this out. We are both working particularly hard at our jobs, and we have a child who tends to pick up every bug at daycare (perhaps I've blogged about that once or twice), so our wicks are fairly short during these looong winter months - especially because it seems that at least once a week, one of us has to stay home with Jane because she's not well.

Did you go to the same school? Nope.

Are you from the same home town? Nope.

Who is smarter? I am smarter socially; Greg is probably more book-smart.

Who is the most sensitive? That would be me. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad at me?

Where do you eat out most as a couple? I am not even going to be embarrassed about it. Chili's. Fine. There. I said it.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hawaii.

Who has the craziest exes? I don't think we have crazy exes. No one has haunted us.

Who has the worst temper? It really depends on the day and who got the least amount of sleep. Since that's usually me - probably me. I try to keep it in check as much as I can.

Who does the cooking? If we're having any sort of real, non-microwaved, non-heated up meal, the answer would be Greg.

Who is the neat-freak? I don't know that either one of us is a neat-freak, but I am definitely more obsessive in this regard, especially since we had Jane.

Who is more stubborn? I have to say I don't think either one of us is particularly stubborn. Except for me.

Who hogs the bed? Jimmy. Seriously. Somehow that 30-lb dog takes up 95% of the king sized bed we have.

Who wakes up earlier? I do. I wake up at 5:04 every morning.

Where was your first date? We met for our blind date at a place called Joe's American Bar and Grill - it doesn't exist anymore.

Who is more jealous? I used to be very jealous. Now I'm way too tired to be jealous. Actually, it was just that typical, beginning-of-the-relationship nerves; after about a year together, I was much more secure. OK, maybe two years.

How long did it take to get serious? We had some growing pains about 6 months in - so things were pretty serious by that point.

Who eats more? Greg eats more, but I probably could if I wanted to.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who's better with the computer? Neither one of us are computer genuises.

Who drives when you are together? We split it pretty evenly. Maybe Greg drives a little more, but not that much more.

Feel free to answer some or all of the same questions about your significant other in the comments, or leave a link to your website if you prefer answering there.

not so much

So, about 15 minutes ago, you'll see that over there on the right, I Twittered about having seen a robin, and how I thought maybe that was good luck.

And then Jane puked all over the place.

No so much with the good luck, then, huh?

This has been several weeks of sickness. Ear infection, stomach bug, cold, stomach bug. Throw a couple of ri-donk-ulously busy work weeks in there as well, and you've got a cocktail for my own personal brand of hell.

photo love

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day -whatever it means to you.

(please ignore the lovely sheets on our couches. this is what you must do when you have two slobbery dogs.)

long ago and far away

Ten years ago this week, I left for a trip to Ireland with three of my theater friends. We were going in honor of my friend's 30th birthday, and we basically covered the country in six days. It was phenomenal. But this isn't about that.

I have had an image stuck in my head for the past couple of days. It's from when I was leaving my parents' house (that was where my friends were picking me up for the trip). I remember as we were pulling out of the driveway, my Mom, Dad, and niece Samantha were waving goodbye. My niece was only three at the time; just a baby, really.

I didn't know then that just over a year later, I would say goodbye to my Dad for good.

This time of year can be so difficult for me, even nine years after he died (February 22nd is the nine-year anniversary). Even after so much time, the sad moments - the ones that really stop me in my tracks - crop up out of nowhere. And usually they are insignifcant, like the one where they were waving goodbye as I left for my big trip.

I feel about 100 years older now; my life has changed so much, and when I think of that girl getting in the car, she seems like a kid version of myself, even though I was 25 and gainfully employed. But over the next two years, my life would feel like a punching bag, getting socked over and over with bad news. Those years -from 26-28 - affected me the most out of any others in my life. They made me weaker, stronger, and much more adult (although many times it doesn't seem that way).

I just wish he could have seen me now.