Maui

A few more pictures.

Living Aloha

Well folks - we're gearing up for Summer Vacation 2011. We're packing bags and off to Maui Thursday morning. These days have been busy with finishing up as much work as possible and trying to get things in order for the trip.
We're soon off to enjoy the last burst of summer.
See you on the flip side!

Age Before Beauty

Yesterday my coworkers and I had a lovely lunch with some young visitors from Munich. They were the cousins of my coworker and we ate at a food court near the office. (Fancy). The kids were 17 and 19 and on a 3 week vacation to California - they up and left Germany at the last minute because the weather was bad and they wanted to go somewhere it felt more like summer.

One of my coworkers said to me - when is the last time you took a 3 week vacation? And yeah, it was a looong time ago, back when I had graduated college. So many times though, it just seems like yesterday. Then the two of us sat and pondered how we were old. Oh my gosh so old! We have kids! We've been on the 9 to 5 train for over 10 years! What the hell happened? We were talking about it after the Germans had headed off for more touristy activities and decided that even though we aren't teenagers anymore, we have it pretty damn good and are quite a bit more fun to be around now that we've matured with age like a fine wine. We have WISDOM! and EXPERIENCE! and HUMILITY! (well, sometimes humility.)

I couldn't help but notice the one physical area where I am totally winning over the gorgeous 19 year old though - it was a bright day and boy, was she ever squinty in the sun. Not me. My forehead was smooth as a baby's bottom.

Let's face it ladies - I'm older and I have more botox. TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where I'm From

Hillary saw this post elsewhere and then borrowed it. I loved it. I wrote this a while back but then it just sat on my desk for a while. I was thinking I wanted to edit it but I just looked at it and I like it as it is. Here ya go.

Where I'm From

I am from tract houses, from Campbell's Soup and roller skates.

I am from the single story house with a cheery front porch, sun dappled foothills, laughter of children racing bikes in the street. 

I am from a single plum tree, squarely trimmed bushes, old lemon groves.

I am from elaborate holiday dinners and grandparents arguing politics, from Rollie and Lola and John the gentle giant.

I am from strong willed women and broken hearts.

From eating freshly dug potatoes hot from the stove and the long journey by boat from England.

I am from ancient Catholic churches filled with incense. Baptism, rituals, long Latin services.

I'm from California, the land of the sun and promise, from people who left for a better life, from carrot cake and pizza night.

From 32 days in a lifeboat, a toddler running naked for the ice cream man, the Ocean Wavers square dance at the festival, silly string fights and soccer on Saturday.

I am from fabric covered albums stored high in the closet, boxes of old birthday cards that can’t be let go of, pieces of the past whispering quietly in the dark.

Because I listen to your advice, for reals.

So yes, birthday weekend was all sorts of greatness. Anna was really pumped for everything and we enjoyed seeing family and Bean & Co. But also, it was a little nutty. We were non-stop and on Saturday she hardly even got a nap. I felt bad dropping her off at school on Monday after all of that. So I called in a personal day at work and just spent some special alone time with Anna. This was suggested to me by both Beth and Alex when I wrote about the problems I was having last month. I think this strategy is really helpful, especially with a spirited girl like Anna. The thing is, I am so project oriented and obsessed with getting things done, I often whir around in a blur and even when I'm home, can't be completely involved with her. So I've been focusing on being more present with her and Monday was a perfect day for that.

We mostly vegged and watched TV - our favorite activity I'm not going to lie. We've only ventured into three shows so far - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Andy Pandy (thanks to my mom) and our favorite, Binka. Sadly, there is only one episode of Binka on the "On Demand" menu and it's only 10 minutes long. It's so cute and funny though. I realize I could learn how to use the DVR and perhaps find and record more Binka episodes. I will eventually get to that I guess. I wish someone ELSE could just come over and do it though. Me no likey the DVR.

I got an update from Anna's school yesterday and apparently she is very busy telling everyone that she is two years old. I think this year she got the whole birthday thing more than last year. Her favorite present was the confetti that my mom put in her card and probably second to that the new gnome lunchbox that my mom got her. She was very excited to show it off at school. I guess lunchboxes are a pretty hot item there.

Besides that, things are getting a lot better. Not "hey I want to have another kid now" better, but I feel pretty darned happy. I know I am forever going on and on about this having another kid thing but it really occupies a lot of my brain space. Uri really wants another kid. He says it's "double the love". I unfortunately think of it as "double the pregnancy" and "double the sleepless nights for 15 months". We agreed that breastfeeding the second time is take it or leave it so at least that's a relief . I know, in the whole scheme of life it's not a long time but I really feel like I'm getting my groove back. I bought high heels yesterday for chrissakes and I don't collapse at the end of every day just glad that I made it. I feel like maybe someday soon I can try exercising again. Also, the more I ponder it, the more I feel like one kid is just my steez, ya know? Well, we'll see.

Pictures: All I've got for now

And in the complete picture fail, no, I don't have any of her in her birthday outfit. We have video but again, having trouble figuring that whole thing out.

99 cent store savior

So yesterday Anna's first pair of sandals came from Amazon.

I know, a bit late in the summer for sandals. But that's what makes them under $20. Also, we're going to Hawaii soon and I wanted her to have some sandals for the trip.

As soon as Anna saw them, she loved them. She threw off her other (favorite until now) shoes and put them on, admiring them. She was sad she had to take them off for her bath, and promptly put them back on once I had her in her pajamas. She wore them throughout story time and then insisted on wearing them to bed.

This morning Uri went and got Anna when she woke up. He was pretty surprised to find a little girl with pajamas and sandals on - she kept them on all night. Of course she wanted to wear her new shoes to school. Hopefully I'll be able to pry them off her for her birthday party on Sunday. I ordered some beige shoes for her fancy new birthday outfit:




I love this outfit! Anna isn't big on dresses and skirts so I thought I'd try something different. It's all from Janie & Jack - usually I don't buy stuff there unless it's on clearance but I didn't start birthday outfit shopping soon enough this year to get awesome deals. So yeah, this is from the Parisian Chic collection. Love that they have "collections". At least it was 25% off. The shoes in the "collection" were a bit cuter but I'm not going to pay $40 for shoes that aren't cut out for serious play. So half that at Amazon and we're done.

In other birthday party news - I've hardly done any planning for it. I find this works out best for me. We're pretty much just having family and it's going to be low key. We've started doing paper plates for some parties and boy, it's much more awesome than washing all those dishes. We'll stick with the real dishes for Christmas but bring on the paper for other stuff!

I hit up the 99 cent store this morning and got really cute paper party goods for super cheap. I hadn't been to a 99 cent store in years (because I try not to buy a bunch of useless crap) but man, for party goods it is THE PLACE TO GO. I also bought some useless crap (of course) - small ceramic mushrooms for the outside, a plastic pony with a hair brush for Anna, a little (faux?) wooden ABC puzzle, some Dora forks and spoons, 2 cute plastic baskets for bath toys, and a bottle of banana scented kid shampoo. See why I don't go to the 99 cent store? At least I didn't hit up all the aisles because I didn't want to be late for work on account of junk acquisition. I was seriously tempted to buy my sister some plates with Jesus on them. Yes, as in "the lord" and as in on a 99 cent melamine plate. There were several different poses to choose from. Do people really eat on Jesus plates? What exactly do you eat on your Jesus plate? Wouldn't it be strange to put a hot dog and some chips on Jesus? But then again, is filet mignon or lobster tail really Jesus's thing? Maybe loaves and fish. Maybe that's all you can put on a Jesus plate. Obviously if you had a Jesus cup you would drink wine but I didn't see cups. Just big glass candles.

In further birthday updates, I have discovered the perfect gluten free & soy free party dessert - RICE KRISPY TREATS!! Can I get a duh? I bought a very small box of them in the irritatingly expensive gluten free section of the store last weekend and then realized I could make my own for cheap. This may seem obvious but I haven't cooked anything but bean & cheese burritos and frozen meals for a long time. So today I got marshmallows and rice cereal and tomorrow I am going to hit it UP! Yeah! This is my kind of baking! (I realize the third and final ingredient is butter but we already have some at home.)

Well, I am very excited for all the birthday festivities! My little girl is going to be TWO!!!

Bucket Full of Thoughts

When I jumped off, I had a bucket full of thoughts
When I first jumped off, I held that bucket in my hand
Ideas that would take me all around the world
I stood and watched the smoke behind the mountain curl
It took me a long time to get back on the train

-Phish, "Back on the Train"

I have been to a lot of Phish shows. (For anyone even remotely interested, I'll put some stats after the jump.) My crowning Phish achievement is following them for the entire 1999 summer tour - pure awesome. Now of course, I'm older and a mom and I have a lot more things to do than sell candles and dance for hours on end. But every once in a while, I take myself back.

Monday night, my sister and I went to Phish at the Hollywood Bowl. We had such a great time, it was soothing to my body and soul. I could not believe the incredible jamming those guys laid down. I haven't exercised too much lately but I couldn't stop dancing. I am a bit sore but it was worth it. Dancing like a madwoman at a concert is so freeing to me. Most Phish songs are vague enough that you can assign your own meaning to them or just use them as starting points to think things out while you are working your body.

Last night I thought a lot about a few things:

• Don't be bitchy. Try to be nice and forgiving in life. 
• Whoa, I'm a mom. I popped a person out of my brewster. (Hat tip to Jive Turkey on brewster.)
• Dang, it's been a long time since I started listening to these fools.
• I am really proud of my husband.
  

Those were some of my main thoughts. I know it sounds cliched but being outside with a sold out crowd of strangers who are all dancing and having a good time just frees your mind. Even though I was REALLY TIRED at 6 am the next day when someone pitter pattered into my room, it was 100% worth it.


I'm sure you haven't read this far in the post without wondering about the elephant in the room - marijuana. Phish followers - a bunch of dirty hippies right? Well, you don't have to smoke pot to listen to Phish but you have to be okay with stoners and a lot of people smoking pot in your immediate vicinity. Do I do it? Hmm, I'll plead the fifth on that one.

Anyway, the show was amazing. They played so many of my favorite songs and a couple of new ones I hadn't heard. Since I have been busy being a mom, it appears Phish has released a couple albums. Although, I really don't listen to them anymore - I don't have the patience for 10 minute jams on a daily basis. I'm so glad I went and I'm so glad my sister rallied like a rock star to make it there despite travel difficulties. Awesome times.

I want mah playhouse!

This weekend I went to a birthday party at a friend's house and her kids has this awesome playhouse. It was super large and Anna enjoyed playing in it - just like she enjoys the "dramatic play" area at school. Yes, they call it dramatic play and so does Anna. Even this morning she was telling me that she wanted me to go with her to "dramatic play". Oh goodness.

I mentioned to Uri that it might be fun to get a playhouse like this for Anna and he was totally against it. I believe he called it a huge hunk of plastic. Sad times. I try to choose my battles so I was going to let it go. Plus, I had no idea how expensive it was. Seriously what is a plastic playhouse doing costing upwards of $500?

But then on Sunday I went to brunch with an old friend I haven't seen in a while. When I got to her house she had this parked right out front:

And guess what? Her husband is really sick of that "hunk of plastic" in the front of the house. It's been there for a year. Her kids are 7 and they never got around to disassembling it to bring it into the backyard after they moved. She wants to get rid of it but only to someone who she knows will use it. Hmm, do I know anyone like that? Perchance the lady smiling excitedly from inside the playhouse? (Look closer at the picture.)

Uri still doesn't want it at our place and okay I realize it might be a little large for us. But aha! My mom has a big backyard and a husband with an F150 - a perfect match. I emailed my mom and asked if they would pick it up this weekend so we'll see. The thing is almost 200 pounds so it's quite an undertaking but man, that would be a good free score. Might be karma for all the freecylcing I do. So we'll see.

Grocery shopping for three by two

Yes it's a confusing title because it's a confusing subject. Most of you probably have a designated grocery shopper in the family. Those of you who don't have kids may even go grocery shopping together (aw!) because it's fun and it's part of the joy of the weekend. Bwa ha ha ha, weekend.

Well anyway, grocery shopping is on my mind because I went there today during my lunch hour. Our housekeeper (bless her soul) came yesterday and she needs more laundry detergent and swiffer dusters (she uses so many swiffer dusters, I really don't get it). I like getting errands like that done as soon as I can so I don't have to remember every day to pick them up. I am very into doing things right away.

So I am at the grocery store and decide I should pick up some other stuff as well. The thing is, even though I picked up a lot of stuff, Uri will still need to go grocery shopping this weekend. We both grocery shop (usually separately) each week. For some reason, each of us are incapable of buying some things.

Here is my usual haul:

• Freakish amounts of greek yogurt
• Milk
• String cheese 
• Other kinds of cheese as it strikes me
• Cottage cheese (I love dairy, obvs)
• Eggs
• Fruit (including raisins, always raisins)
• Ground turkey
• Canned beans - yum
• Mini carrots
• Tons of cleaning supplies (laundry soap, dishwasher pellets, dish soap,  bath soap)
• Wine
• Diet soda (this is a new thing and really jazzes it up)
• Frozen stuff (Amy's meals, chicken nuggets, veggies)
• Cat litter, food and treats
• Tortilla chips
• Toilet paper (lots! I love having lots!), tissues, paper towels
• Sunscreen
• Chocolate
• Wine
• Assorted gluten free snacks for Anna (pirate booty, glutinos, popcorn, monkey cookies)

Looking at the list I realize I wrote "wine" twice but that's pretty accurate actually. These are the same things I get at the store every time I go. I usually frequent a regular grocery store or sometimes Whole Foods but WF falls short in the cleaning department, has NO diet coke and also their paper products are ass. I think their tissues are made of recycled cement or something. Horrible.

Uri, on the other hand, shops almost exclusively at Whole Foods or other high end markets. His shopping includes:

• Vegetables (sometimes really weird vegetables that go bad in the fridge and I throw them away)
• Expensive red meat like filet mignon (he is the only one that eats this)
• Sausages
• Wine
• Fancy cheeses (also sometimes go bad in the fridge)
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Chocolate
• Fresh herbs
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa (yeah, I never remember this)
• Artisan bread (uh huh, ARTISAN)
• Assorted gourmet items - like last week he picked up quince paste. I know.
• Gluten free snacks for Anna

He also likes to hit up specialty markets like the fish store or the Japanese store. I don't have to tell you who has more expensive shopping bills. 

So we end up with lots of wine, chocolate and tortilla chips. The essentials I guess. Uri does all the cooking so pretty much everything he buys needs to be prepared. My food? Instant gratification or microwave. Also my shopping covers a lot of the basics. Uri is pretty much incapable of buying toilet paper and cleaning supplies and I can't buy filet mignon and gourmet items. So there you have it. Very inefficient grocery shopping brought to you  by our family.

Enjoy your weekend! We are going to be at the Hollywood Bowl on Monday night for PHISH y'all. Woo! Thank you, Mr. Minor.

Pitter Patter

I haven't used an alarm clock since Anna was born - she's pretty much a natural alarm for me. Everyone knows what an infant is like and Anna didn't sleep through the night until past 15 months. Although Uri and I have always been early risers, it was tough during the months she would wake as early as 5:00 or 4:30 am ready for the day after being up once or twice during the night. Luckily, that time is over.

I converted Anna's crib into a big girl bed months ago. I just felt she was ready. She mostly stays in bed once she goes down for the night and it's just recently that she's discovered that she can open her bedroom door. While I used to go in and get her at 7:00 am - I've now been woken up each morning around 6:30 am by the sound of two little feet running into my room. It's so cute actually. I hear running and then suddenly there is a little face peering at me by the side of the bed. I lift her into bed for a few snuggles and then we go to her room so she can get a fresh diaper and get dressed.

Uri is gone in New York this week but actually it's been pretty manageable. I do most things the night before and while Anna eats breakfast in front of Mickey Mouse, I get dressed. Then we're off to school and the drop offs have gotten a lot better. I think Anna is getting used to the new room and it's great.

I can't believe it but Anna is going to be TWO in a couple of weeks. Wow. We're having a small family get-together because it's just not in me to throw a kid birthday party yet. I know I'll probably have to put something together as she gets older but for now I'm just going to enjoy the milestone.

Botox = Xanax... for YOUR FACE!

Hey! What's this:



That's me - trying as hard as I can to do this:



Notice anything missing? (Well, besides the nice camera in the bottom picture and the shit cell phone camera in the top.) Yeah. No lines. Score! Seriously, this stuff is fabulous. I physically cannot furrow my brow. It's really  nice when I'm outside in the bright sun because I don't even squint. It's cool. I actually FEEL better, which is strange. My dermatologist did say there was a study where people who couldn't frown reported feeling happier - I can see that.


So I am guessing that some of you want the details and some not so much. So I'm putting them after the jump.

But for the grace of God go I

Really thinking about life this weekend. Got a call to help a good friend - picked her up at a hotel after she'd spent most of the weekend in jail... DUI stop. Had to take her to get her car at the impound lot and now the shit storm is just beginning. I have been through this process with another close person in my life before and it's really ugly. The thing is, my friend didn't do much different than I've done on some nights - some wine with dinner, a cocktail, then chilling with water to watch a movie and burn it off. She was so sure that she was fine that she didn't even consider trying to avoid the traffic stop. She blew a .083. Doesn't matter though - it's a DUI. I learned that you can even get a "wet reckless" when you are below .08. Harsh stuff.

When a DUI happened several years ago to another close friend, I really reevaluated things. I will say that I've definitely driven when I shouldn't have. In my 20's I was pretty reckless - I just didn't think anything bad would happen to me. I'm extremely fortunate that nothing did happen to me or anyone else. Getting pregnant changed things - I learned that I could actually  have a social life without drinking (amazing) although I'm back in the drinking boat now. With Anna - I definitely take less chances. We try to take the bus or walk when we have drinks. But every time this happens to a friend I just take a step back and think of all the times I've been incredibly stupid even recently.

I went out for drinks just this Tuesday night - happy hour with girlfriends - and I had more wine than I should have before driving. It's really hard for me to just have one glass and then stop - especially when I'm enjoying myself with friends. Could have been me spending the night in jail. I used to always host girls nights at my place and now I remember why. I don't know why it's so hard for me to call it quits with the sauce. Sometimes I wonder if I should go to AA or something like that - but that seems harsh. I enjoy augmenting my life and times with wine and beer and the occasional cocktail. It's really fun. I like trying signature drinks at restaurants, pairing food and wine, wine flights, whatever. And lord knows I love a glass of wine or two (okay, two) at the end of each day.

Well, this has again strengthened my resolve. Not only for the safety of myself and others but for the example I set for Anna. Drinking and driving is not okay and I am not going to do it. It's too easy to walk, to take a cab, ride the bus, whatever. Just not worth it.

Pictures for Lola