weekend update.

Being a half-time stay-at-home-mom in the mornings with Jane, and a half-time member of the professional marketing/PR workforce in the afternoon, has rendered me FULLY exhausted this rainy Friday. So this is just a quick hello and happy weekend wish to you.

My weekend will hopefully be awesome, as I am headed to the New York City with my friends Beth and Lisa, and we will be meeting up with the one and only Austermania for cupcakes and hijinks, and then going out with other friends from our theater world at night, one who is in town from Los Angeles. I'm completely psyched.

And then the cherry on top of my weekend will be a delicious belated Canadian Thansgiving dinner with my friends Todd and Alan and a bunch of their other friends on Sunday evening. Alan has finally bid auf Wiedersehen to Germany, as I've mentioned before, and I'm super-excited to see his face.

What are you up to? Details, please - I'm incredibly nosy!

wednesday wrap-up.

Did you guys watch the debate last night? Whoa nelly, that was a stressful one. I promised myself my bleeding heart and I wouldn’t get obsessed with the presidential election this year, and of course I ignored my promise and obsessed anyway, and now I am (like mostly everyone else) ready for it to be over because I can’t stand the anxiety anymore. I get so emotionally involved to the point where I can’t even really talk about it with anyone or I’ll start crying or something. I rarely post anything political on Facebook anymore so as not to incite fights among my friends, although I do a little more so on Twitter, because I find myself unable to stop retweeting people who are far more clever than I am. And, let’s face it, my tweets are much more stream-of-consciousness than my Facebook statuses are. Or, God forbid, my oft-neglected blog.

 

 

But, anyway, I hate hate hate watching debates because they are so incredibly stressful and I don’t like people yelling at each other but I was happy with how my team did. And I feel like there is such a lack of respect for women from the other team and there I go again…I am NOT getting into this now.

 

So Jane decided to give herself a haircut this morning. I was brushing her hair for school when I noticed a chunk of hair came out. Like…healthy hair, not snarled hair (or hair with glue in it, which was also something we had to deal with today). And I worried right away that she had some sort of disease that would make all her hair fall out, of course, because that’s how my hypochondriatic brain rolls. But the hair looked….freshly cut, you know? LIGHTBULB. I asked Jane if she cut her hair. And she nodded. And then I asked if she cut her hair with scissors (you really have to clarify things with kids sometimes). And she nodded again. And I asked where on her head she cut, and she pointed to the front left side of her hair. And then I went out into the living room and saw little chunks of hair sitting next to her scissors she uses for her “arting.”

 

THANKFULLY she didn’t attack her bangs. What she did is noticeable if you’re looking, and I’ll have to have a hairdresser do something with it, but her hair is usually all over the place anyway, like any typical kid, so unless it’s all brushed straight it’s hard to tell. But if it is brushed straight you will see that it is slightly mullet-ish on the front left. New trend: Half-mullets. Watch for it.

 

 

Oh oh oh, one more thing. So last night I was sitting on my bed with my laptop. All of the sudden, the bed started shaking. Naturally I called Greg and told him our house was haunted. Really - I did this. And he said it was probably the wind but I said it wasn’t windy and it was either an earthquake or probably a ghost and he said a haunting would be kind of exciting. And I laughed, but between you and me, a part of me was really concerned because I AM FOR REAL SCARED OF GHOSTS.

 

Lucky for me, it was an earthquake! My first ever. Very exciting, especially since it only lasted a few seconds and wasn’t deadly or anything.

 

How’s your week going?

surprise!

So Saturday night’s super-secret surprise party was for my sister’s 50th birthday.
 

My sister Sue is so cool. I’m serious. She’s 11 years older than me but I’ve always looked up to her and really idolized her when I was a kid. She was a glamorous college girl in California when I was going through my most awkward and wretched pre-teen years, and I absolutely loved when she came home for holidays and vacation – it felt like a celebrity was visiting, it really did. And she’s still so pretty and fun and awesome and so much cooler than I could ever hope to be.
 

Her life (like everyone’s) hasn’t always been easy, but her attitude is so positive and infectious it’s really hard not to have a great time when you’re with her. If you think I’M loud and outgoing, well, then, you haven’t spent time with my sister.
 

So I was really excited about her party this weekend, especially since she’s always the one planning the parties and celebrations for everyone else. Greg and I had a great time (sans Jane) with 55 of my sister's closest friends and family members. Something I learned: when your 22-year-old niece peer pressures you to go shot-for-shot with her, don’t give in. I did, and uggggghhhhhhh is all I can say to that. Who do I think I am? AMANDA YOU ARE NOT IN YOUR EARLY TWENTIES ANYMORE AND NEITHER IS YOUR ALCOHOL TOLERANCE.

 

 

Side note: it’s so weird to have a niece and nephew (22 and 25, both children of my other, non-birthday-girl sister) who can legally drink. OMG, I babysat these kids! But I was a very young aunt. Thankfully my other niece (Sue’s daughter) still has five years to go before I can run into her at a bar.
 

Please do enjoy these shitty pictures, courtesy of my Blackberry (apologies to those who already saw these on Facebook). ETA: I realize now that I am in all of these pictures. Sorry bout that.

 

 Just say no, Amanda.

Me and my bro. 

 Me and the Greg.

 Me and the sisters.

 Me and the birthday sister.

Surprise!

 Cousins





The siblings and mom.

The nieces.

 



 

 

weekend update.

Has anyone noticed that I am desperately trying to post more often around here? Because even though I would rate all of my posts a D- this week, at least I slapped them up here, and that’s half the battle. Go me! With that, it’s time for the weekend update:

To which I say, I don’t have a weekend update right now. Or, I do, but I can’t share it here, because there is a surprise party involved and shhhhhhh. Other than that, this weekend we have to get a pumpkin and wings for Jane’s Halloween costume (she’s going to be a princess fairy ballerina, obvs) , do homework with Jane, and continue to celebrate my everlasting 39th birthday, this time with my in-laws. I like to keep the party going for at least a month, you know? And who am I to refuse lunch and cake and presents? I may be many things, but I am not rude.
 

What are you up to?
 

SIDE NOTE HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH WEEKEND STUFF BUT NOT WORTHY OF ITS OWN POST:Get this - I was just looking at Jane's school notices this week, and saw that she has November 6, 12, 22 and 23 off, and early dismissal November 19, 20 and 21. OMG. I had no idea that when she started school, she'd barely be going to school. Do you think they'd notice if I stuffed her in my purse and brought her to work? Working moms for the win, once again!

 

save the date.

When I was younger, I used to always make sure I had something to look forward to. A vacation, a day trip, a show…something on the calendar that I was really psyched about, that had me counting down the days. Easy enough, right? But it’s also very easy to slide into a schedule of day-to-day drudgery - work, kid stuff, chores, appointments -you know the drill. And I'm realizing that’s just not acceptable, you know?

With that, I present my list of epic things I’m looking forward to over the next month:

 

 

*Trip to NYC in a couple of weeks. Haven’t been there since my tweet up with these three! And I miss it big time.

 

 

*A belated Canadian Thanksgiving dinner hosted by two of my favorite friends, Todd and Alan. Alan is making his triumphant return back to the States after six months working in Germany. Yay Alan!

 

 

*A surprise party I’m going to this weekend, and although I’m certain the guest of honor doesn’t read this blog, that’s all I’ll say about that.

 

 

*Halloween! Because, duh.

 

 

*Election Day! Nerdy to the maximum extreme, I know, but even though I find this race gut-wrenching and acid reflux-inducing, election day is super-exciting to me.

 

 

What good stuff is on your calendar?

what (not) to wear.

At the end of every season, like clockwork, I get the urge to burn every last item of my clothing. I get so incredibly sick of everything in my closet and drawers. So I paw through everything, and do a major purge. I just did this the other day, and I have two giant garbage bags full of clothes ready to drop off at Goodwill in my car right now.
 

I’m pretty harsh with my (fairly pathetic) inventory of clothes. At this point, if I haven’t worn it once during the season, it’s going to Goodwill. Even if it still has the tags on it. I impulse buy cheap clothes a lot, and end up with lots of things that never looked right on me in the first place. Add in the fact that a large percentage of my current inventory fit me before losing 20 pounds this spring, and I’m pretty much screwed at the moment in terms of what (or what not) to wear.
 

Weekends are easy. I have my uniform of jeans and sweaters or whatever. Let’s be real – I don’t live a fancy life. Nearly 100% of the time, jeans are just fine for my weekends, and Fridays during the work week. I actually do have a party to go to this weekend that is requiring a little bit more than that, and it’s sent me into a little bit of a tailspin.
 

But right now I barely have anything to wear to work. I have a total of one (1) (ONE) pair of pants that fit decently. I have a couple of dresses that can be transitioned from summer to fall with tights and boots, like I’m wearing today. But I definitely need some more choices – or I will literally be wearing the same exact outfits week after week.
 

As I get older (knock, knock, knockin’ on forty's door), I find myself wanting more quality than quantity in terms of what I wear. I haven’t put this into action yet, but I do have some money to spend on clothes that Greg gave me for my birthday (that I can FINALLY spend because TD Bank FINALLY OFFICIALLY gave me my stolen money back today! Whoo!!). And I think, this time around, I’m going to get a couple of really good quality items (boots, new pants, possibly a new coat) rather than a whole bunch of new things from, say, Old Navy, which never look that great and, frankly, are a little bit young for me at this point. I rarely buy anything decent for myself because most of my money goes towards Target trips and stuff for Jane and grocery shopping and BORING. It is extremely rare that I splurge on myself.
 

At the end of the day, I think I’m aiming for a really reduced wardrobe, but one that actually looks good and lasts. And doesn’t look like I’m trying to fit in with the college crowd (was it my wrinkles or my 5-year-old that gave me away??).
 

What are you wanting to add to your closet these days? Links, please!

apparently I like writing about fall.

It is so definitely fall here these days. After a several-days-long standoff with Greg, I finally turned on the heat yesterday. He was very determined not to turn it on until November 1, but when we woke up to a 55-degree house on Monday, he caved. I’ve been hearing the winter ahead is going to be a rough one, and I am so very extremely happy that we bought a generator after the Great Snowpocalypse of Snowtober 2011. I can’t believe it was just under a year ago that we had 2 feet of snow on the ground and we were out of power for a week. God, that sucked.

 

And I, a lover of summer and all things hot and sandy and beachy and sunny, dare admit that I’m happy fall is here. Last week was so humid and GROSS and wet I felt like my whole house smelled like dog because humidity has such a wonderful way of bringing out the delicate scents of Jimmy and Junior (and by “delicate” I mean “DOG with CAPITAL LETTERS”). I mean, it’s October. I shouldn’t be contemplating putting the air conditioning on, you know?

 

Today I’m wearing a new sweater from Banana Republic that my mom got me for my birthday and now that it looks like I will FINALLY be refunded the money that was stolen from me two weeks ago, I plan on buying some new black boots this week and maybe some other new things. I’m ready for scarves and boots and sweaters, I believe. I think.

 

But I am not – repeat – NOT ready for snow. No repeats this October, OK, Mother Nature?

 

Note: I know this is kind of a shitty blog post, but I’m trying to get back into it and just putting up whatever is in my head at the moment. Bear with me!

and now it's October, just like I wanted.

In August, as kindergarten loomed closer and closer, I remember saying, “I just want it to be October.”

 

Not because I wanted to rush the end of summer – or my BIRTHDAY – but I wanted Jane’s first month of school and my new flipped work schedule to have already happened, so we’d be fully immersed in our new schedule so I could stop worrying about it. I wanted a better idea of what our new reality is, at least until summer (don’t ask me what our schedule will look like then; I have absolutely no idea. And you would think, DUH, of course not, it’s only October, but I already have parents asking me what camps Jane is going to do next summer and it’s enough to make your head explode.)

 

And here we are. The month is over. We are immersed. And so far, so good. But what a change. Daycare was such a wonderful thing – if I had a doctor’s appointment, or just wanted to run quick to Target after work, or I had to help my mom with something, or I didn’t feel good, I could just leave Jane there for a little bit longer. No biggie. But school doesn’t let you do that, see. School is very particular about you not leaving your kid there for longer than they are supposed to be there, lest you hear from the Department of Children and Families. So now Jane comes with me everywhere, pretty much. (Except the doctor. I will not let this happen. I know there are other mothers who take their kids to all of their personal appointments, but I am not one of them. I would like to have my EKG or lady exam or what have you IN PEACE. That’s AMANDA TIME. Sad but true.)

 

So our mornings are full of chores, usually. Cleaning, library, shopping – things like that. I need to get her fed with lunch and out the door to the bus stop by 11:15. After the bus comes I drive off to work – I basically trail the bus for about a mile or so until it turns one way and I turn the other. Once I’m out of work, I’m right back to school to pick Jane up from her after-school program. Then it’s general mayhem, dinner, bath, TV, books, bed.

 

There’s not much me time these days (save for the doctor’s visits, of course). It’s something to get used to. I’m not saying it’s bad – we all know how I like to be busy - it’s just different. It’s also sometimes hard to feel like my brain isn’t all melty by the time I get to work at 11:45, after parenting for the previous six hours. Tylenol is my friend.

 

ETA: This next paragraph is super-random.

 

September ramped up other things as well – theater, dance class, PTO. I volunteered to co-chair the PR committee for Jane’s school. The variety show my theater group was going to put up in October has now been moved to December. I don’t have Jane’s Halloween costume yet (she will be a butterfly fairy princess. You heard right.) I’m off to NYC for the weekend in a couple of weeks. I miss it. I just plowed through my book club book over the past two days because we have a meeting on Friday. We read The Financial Lives of the Poets. Loved. I’m trying to exercise again – totally got off track after vacation in July. I need a pre-holiday detox, need to get healthy so I can eat all of the cookies I want come December.

 

How’s your October looking?

fall, in bullet points.

Well, I am clearly having a case of the old writer’s block over here. I hate that shit. There are a few things I’d love to hash out on the blog, but it’s not really public consumption stuff. So what to say, what to say…I guess the only thing to do is approach this like I would do a writing project at work. My first step, always, is bullet points!

 

Today we’ll keep it light (which is what I choose to do instead of glopping on about shit I don’t want to talk about anymore) (like the $500 someone stole from my checking account at an ATM with my pin number and I won’t get it back until the bank straightens it all out OMG I NEED MY MONEY) (and how I’m PMS’ing hardcore and sad and think I’m simultaneously going through perimenopause) (not really) (but maybe) (TMI?).

 

With that, I give you the things I most love about early fall:

 

• The fact that it’s still close to summer, so there are warm days but we (usually, not this week) get rid of the nasty humidity and extreme temps
• My birthday, naturally.
• Fall festival season! There is a big fall festival in my hometown that I love love love going to, most especially for the delicious apple fritters. There are none better in all of the lands. Ever.
• The fact that hot coffee is cheaper than iced coffee (why is this?).
• Candy corn – I think I’m the only adult who could easily eat and enjoy a whole bag of this
• Lovely leaves
• Halloween!! (see: my love of candy and the fact I now have a kid who I can steal candy from. No seriously. I do this.)
• Fall television. Additional thoughts on new shows: Love Ben and Kate. Lucy Punch is gold on that show. Partners – terrible, which is extra sad because I loved Michael Urie on Ugly Betty and I wanted to love him in this. Alas. Also: did you know this is the first season of Survivor that I haven't watched since it premiered in 2000, 20+ seasons ago? The tribe has spoken, I suppose. Tonight I shall check out Elementary.
• All things apple, pumpkin and cinnamon, in particular today the pumpkin munchkins I got from Dunkin Donuts. Yes, I will have more, please.
• Buying new fall clothes with my birthday gift certificates/cash. I cannot wait for this.

Do you love early fall? Why?

 

weekend update, and other random things.

Hello, hello. Sooo happy it’s Friday. Now that Jane’s in school the weekdays are so crazy – I was out doing things Monday (dance class), Tuesday (PTO meeting), and Wednesday (theater meeting) nights, and on Thursday my old friend acid reflux decided to rear its ugly head. Gross.

 

I’m co-directing a fundraiser/variety show for my theater group, and a lot of this week has been about solidifying a cast. We had to reschedule the show from October to December, but I think things are in pretty decent shape, for the time being. This was supposed to be an easy project – not so much. Not so much AT ALL.

 

I actually liked my first PTO meeting! I’m such a nerdy joiner. I’m pretty sure I volunteered to be the public liaison for the PTO. I figure the only way I’ll know what is going on at Jane’s school is to get involved. And she’s too young to be embarrassed by me – for now, anyway.

 

Have you been watching any of the new shows this fall? My tally right now:

 

Shows I love: The New Normal (and I especially love love love Andrew Rannells, who I saw inThe Book of Mormon)

 

Shows I like, and will continue watching for now: The Mindy Project, Go On

 

Shows that get one more watch and if it doesn’t get better, DELETE: Revolution

 

Shows I couldn’t make it 10 minutes through: Men with Kids. Or Guys with Kids? Whatever it’s called. Sucked. So hard.

 

So this weekend we’re shaking it up by not being at the boat the entire time. We just got home from the back to school picnic at Jane’s school. Tomorrow night we have a 30^th birthday party to go to for a friend of mine. Sunday is my birthday – and yes, I believe we’ll be at the boat. Hoping to take a trip over here. And Greg’s making me a cake. And I plan to eat an indecent amount of it.

 

I hope you have a magnificent weekend, all y’all!

 

PS My friend Bryan, who is a theater student at NYU, has started up a fancy blog (which I named). Please go check out AusterMania.

scenes from the weekend.

We spent the majority of our time this weekend at the boat. This big group picture is from the Dock 10 end of summer party - you'll see me in the middle wearing a purple sweatshirt and looking particularly hottt in an unshowered sort of way. Jane and I went to one of her peeps' birthday party, and took a little detour to check out the Farmington River for a few minutes (second picture), until a random dude approached us and I realized I had set us up to be murdered in the wilderness. Things didn't get that exciting though; he gave Jane a cool rock he found and left. But don't think I thought, "excellent, he gave us a weapon" when he handed her the stone. (I read too many murder mysteries.)

deliciousness.

I know you guys don't come here for food recs, and I don't even know if this counts as actual food, but my friend Todd gave me a jar of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter, and I swear to God I can't even describe its amazingness. This week has been  - chaotic - and I have visited that jar for a scoop of delicious happiness more than a few times. In conclusion, YOU MUST TRY THIS. For serious.

As you can see, I've fallen off the 17 Day Diet wagon a bit. Some things are just worth it.

greenport

So, as most of you know, I lost a battle with a broken fluorescent lightbulb this weekend while cleaning out my theater's rehearsal space, and ended up in the ER with seven stitches, a splint, and my right hand wrapped in all the gauze the hospital had in stock on Saturday morning. So that was fun.

Sunday was as much nicer day. We took the boat to Greenport, Long Island, and had a nice afternoon there with my in-laws. Some pictures, for your pleasure.

here's to the freakin' weekend.

With apologies to my Facebook friends who have already seen this photo, I wanted to post it here too, because seriously, what a happy moment. Look at those baby goats! This pic was taken by my friend Todd at a farm we went to last weekend.

What a whirlwind week this has been, guys. Kindergarten transition seems to be going fairly well. Jane is being shy with the other kids, so of course my fear is that she'll have no friends (I always like to give myself something big and tragic to worry about to ensure insomnia and stomachaches). But overall she is really doing great. Participating in class, likes her teacher, getting on the bus like it's no big deal...we're lucky (tap wood).

In the meantime I've flipped my work hours to afternoons, so I'm going into work at noon instead of 8:30. Now the mornings are busy with Jane, chores and cleaning, and it's weird to be going to work AFTER I do all of that business, since I got so used to doing my life stuff during the afternoons when I went part-time last year. In addition, next week brings the beginning of Jane's dance classes, two nights of auditions for the variety show I'm co-directing this month, curriculum night at Jane's school....so yeah. Summer's over.

Truth? I love being busy. I love having a crazy schedule. I don't like having excessive free time. This is something major I've learned about myself over the pst year. I feed on insanity. Does this mean I'm insane? Probably.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

back to school - kindergarten edition

I have been so emotional over the past week.

 

And even though I am an emotional person (WHAM! SHOCKER!), I was actually surprised by this.

Way back five years ago, when I first sent Jane to daycare (and struggled mightily), I thought that sending her off to kindergarten would be a snap. That I would be used to sending her somewhere for the day, and she would be used to school, other kids, teachers and the classroom setting. No big deal.

 

That was before I realized what an integral part of our lives her daycare would become. She made some great friends, I made some great friends (hello Friday night moms’ happy hour!), she formed super-tight bonds with some amazing teachers, and along the way learned her letters, her numbers, discovered her love of drawing, learned countless songs, learned how to fight and negotiate with other kids (important for an only child!), and evolved into a magically sassy and delicious five-year-old.

 

On her last day of preschool, I felt very disoriented. It sounds so cliché, but seriously – where did the time go, you guys? No, really? How did five years pass so quickly? I know every parent on earth says the same thing, but it’s true. I have no idea how we got to the moment we were at this morning, waiting for the big yellow bus to show up at the corner of our street.

 

My fears for her are countless. Will she make friends? Will kids pick on her, or bully her? Will she cry? Will she know where to go and what to do? Will she love her teacher? Will she learn easily, or will she struggle? Will she… Will she… Will she….?

 

I had a vision of how this morning was going to go. Jane has always had difficulty with transitions, and every year at daycare, when she moved into the next room, she cried and cried. Drop-offs were a nightmare. She doesn’t like unfamiliar situations – and that was at the SAME SCHOOL, with the SAME KIDS, in the SAME BUILDING. This morning required her to go, alone, onto a big bus, off to a place that, sure, she has visited, but didn’t really know.

 

She told me many times over the past few days how nervous she was, especially about getting on the bus. She would get teary talking about it. She would mention how none of the kids in her class will know her name. How she doesn’t WANT to go to kindergarten. I had an image of her crying, face pressed up against the window on the bus as it pulled away. I was certain this was how it was going to go.

 

Because she is in afternoon kindergarten, her bus wasn’t set to come until 11:23. This morning felt endless. She, Greg and I got to the bus stop about 15 minutes early, and then the bus was about 10 minutes late, so we were standing there for a long time. Jane, at this point, was PSYCHED. I, at this point, had an incredibly upset stomach, a giant lump in my throat, and extreme anxiety that once we saw that bus, she would dissolve into tears.

 

But when it came down the street, she was ready. She got on that bus like a CHAMP. Waved goodbye; no tears. None for her, anyway. I held mine back until she left.

 

***

She had an awesome day. To my great relief, she knows someone in her class - there is a set of twins from her daycare that is going to her school, and one of them is in her class, and she mentioned another friend that she made. The best part of her day, of course, was snack.  

 

I am so, so, so very proud of my girl.

august break: day 31

 



 

Is there anything more germ-ridden and disgusting than a pediatrician's office? In my opinion, no, no there is not. So when I'm taking Jane in for a well-visit like I did yesterday, I really prefer to get out of there without her contracting some gross virus or whatever. So to get her away from all of those nasty-ass waiting room toys, I let her play with my phone. Here are some of the pictures she took.

 

 

And that's that for the August Break! I know my photos aren't too exciting, but thanks for checking in. Have a great holiday weekend!

 

I'm doing The August Break. It's easy and fun. Join me, won't you?

august break: day 30

We live near the famous and fancy-pants Miss Porter's School. We are neither loaded nor famous enough to send Jane there - and that's quite alright with me.

august break: day 29

 

So Jane's much-anticipated last day of daycare was today. I'm still teary, and fighting a massive lump in my throat. OK, fine - I full-on cried. But Jane? Is so ready.

 

I'm doing The August Break. It's easy and fun. Join me, won't you?


august break: day 28

Aside from the fact that the sun is setting far too early for my taste, it was an absoutely gorgeous evening tonight.

I'm doing The August Break. It's easy and fun. Join me, won't you?

august break: 27

Making cupcakes for Jane's last day of daycare tomorrow. Four and a half years and approx $70K later, we're done. I keep thinking about this post lately. I feel a similar one brewing now in regards to kindergarten. I have things to say to the 2007 version of Amanda.

(If you're wondering what the picture is behind the mixer, it's a gift from the cast of a show I directed a few years ago.)

I'm doing The August Break. It's easy and fun. Join me, won't you?