A kid's main goals in life

The other night over dinner Zoe shared with me that a kid has three main goals in life. They are:

1. Be happy
2. Get candy
3. Do everything possible

That's a pretty good set of goals for just about anyone, don't you think?

Swimming buddies

It's been another crazy week and tonight I am sneaking away for a long girls weekend so I don't have too much time to blog this week, but there's always time for pictures.

Here's one of Zoe and Chief enjoying the pool. The first time he saw Zoe in her goggles he barked at her like he didn't know who she was. I wonder if they make goggles for dogs??

Harry Potter Hype

I bet most people reading this know that the new Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opened today. There is tons of media attention on this one so it would be hard to miss. A lot of my friends are quiet excited to see the movie and many have already bought tickets for showings this weekend.

I have to admit I am a little jealous over all the excitement.

I somehow missed the initial Harry Potter train and I've never really been able to catch it since. I saw the first movie, but I was kind of underwhelmed. I imagine that is because I never read the first book. I saw the second movie and had the same reaction. By that point Harry Potter had become like a religion and I was turned off so it was too late for me to turn back to book 1. I made the decision to let the train go by.

After all the hype over all these years, I am more put off than ever on reading the books or seeing any more of the movies, but there is something so delicious about a long-awaited film or book that I am envious of the anticipation that has been everywhere and gratification about to come.

So, for all the Harry Potter fans out there -- I hope the movie is great and worth the wait! Eat some popcorn for me.

Friday's Lessons Learned: Back to the Bullets

I skipped my Friday bullet points in honor of Independence Day last week. Actually, I was too busy over-dosing on Wimbledon tennis to write anything. But today we are back to regularly scheduled programming. It's been an up and down week so let's see...

• One somewhat upsetting incident can really kill my productivity for hours at a time. I was on the receiving end of some rather insulting attitude at work this week and it really killed my day yesterday until I could get myself over it and move on. Thanks to those of you who listened yesterday -- I really appreciate it.
• It is much easier to decide what to wear for "before" pictures than it is for "after." Tomorrow I have my final weigh-in for the contest I have been participating in at my gym and they are also going to take the "after" photos. I spent over an hour working out what to wear. Ridiculous! It has been a tough 8 weeks, but the results are just what I was hoping for. And after the "after" photos, I think I am going to get a cappuccino and a muffin because I deserve it!
• I am so glad summer has decided to come to Connecticut. It could be warmer as far as I'm concerned, but I am just glad to wear the shorts and flip flops and to not need an umbrella EVERY day.
• Dogs and boys are a lot alike. Think about it and you will see what I mean.
• Despite wearing sunblock with an SPF of 50 all day every day, Zoe is completely tan after only 2 weeks of camp. Her hair has gotten lighter from the sun and I think in another 2 weeks her hair and skin will be about the same shades. She is just loving camp. If there was ever a kid made for camp, she is it. It is so nice to see her go off with a smile everyday and come home with it too. Don't worry, I'll post more pictures soon.
  

Have a great weekend everyone!

Meme Award

I'm pleased and flattered to report that I've recieved a Meme/Award from a fellow blogger, ModernMom.

To accept this award, I must list 7 personality traits about myself and I must pass this award onto 7 other blogs that deserve such fine recognition for the personalities that they share with the blogging world.

7 personality traits:

1. I am a planner. I make social plans, I make sure to get driving directions, I buy travel books or read online when I am going someplace new. I generally like to think ahead about most things I do.

2. I am very loyal. Friends to the end kind of loyal. But sometimes beyond reason loyal winding me up quite hurt and disappointed.

3. I am shy. I am not quiet, but I am shy. I don't do well meeting or talking to strangers. I find it quite stressful just to call someone I don't know. I will often try to compensate by pretending to be quite confident, but inside I am all kinds of uncomfortable.

4. I try to find the bright side. I complain yes, but most of the time I try to focus on the good things and be happy for those things. I try to put the bad stuff in perspective.

5. I am not patient. When I want something or I want to know something, I want it NOW.

6. I am not serious. I would almost always rather laugh and joke around than be serious and have serious conversations. I was the kid in class with the smart remarks.

7. I am open to trying new things in just about any area except trying new foods. I have worked at being more open with food over the last several years and have come a long way, but no one would ever call me an adventurous eater.

7 Awards/Tags:
1. Emily
2. Becky
3. Tracie
4. Sara
5. Charlotte
6. Heather
7. Courtney

How I spent my July 4th by Chief the dog

Independence Day

Yesterday I was explaining to Zoe why 4th of July is also called Independence Day and it made me think of all the ways she has become independent lately. I hear "I can do it myself" a lot these days and most of the time I welcome it.

Zoe now can:

• Open the car door, get herself into the car, put on her seatbelt and close the car door without any help. Those of you who don't have kids can't imagine what a relief that is and those of you that do, I am sure you know.
  
• Go to the restroom at restaurants without me.
• Wash her own hair and body in the shower without any help.
• Clear her dishes from the table (not that she does it all the time).
• Pick out clothes and put them on -- and sometimes the clothes even match.
• Find the shows she wants to watch on TV.
• Read her own bedtime story (in truth she goes back and forth on this -- sometimes she reads and sometimes I do).

I wonder what's next?

(I had to use the bullet points because I skipped my usual Friday post.)

The 3/50 Project

I just read this post from traciedesigns and I had to share it too because I think it is a great idea.

I'm sure everyone has noticed lots of local businesses disappearing in the last 6 months to a year. I know I've lost a couple of favorite spots (including my beloved Katzenbergs). The 3/50 Project is simple: pick 3 local, independently owned businesses you really like and commit to spending $50 a month in each.

For more info, background and some great statistics, visit the 3/50 Project website.

I'm on board, how about you? If so, spread the word!

Have you seen this? Life.com

Remember Life magazine with all the awesome pictures? Well, it has been reincarnated into Life.com and it is all about the photos. They've broken the images into major categories, but they also have a pretty good search. Each image has options to email, share, rate, print, link and license. You can find images of just about any major event you can think of. Great site for browsing or searching. Very nicely done.

Summer days

Now that we've finally had a few days of actual summer weather I am starting to believe it is real. I just got back from dropping Zoe off at the camp bus and I am filled with longing for my own camper days. I went to day camp and then sleep away camp from the time I was about 6 until I was 13 or 14 and I loved it. I loved the swimming, the arts and crafts, the singing, the campfires, the bad food, the s'mores, the everything. It was all special and unique to summers. To me, that is what summer should be all about and not sitting here at my desk doing the same job like it was any other day.

Growing up kinda sucks sometimes.

Friday's Lessons Learned: It's Friday again already?

I'm not complaining that it is Friday again, I just can't believe how quickly this week went by. I only managed one post between last Friday and this. I hate when that happens. OK, on with this week's list:

• Losing weight feels really good, but having your "skinny" jeans (not as in the style, but as in the ones you can wear on your skinny feeling days) be too big feels downright amazing. I'm just about to start the 6th week of the competition at my gym and it has been a wonderfully motivating experience.
• Nothing scares me like a sick or injured Zoe. On Wednesday of this week she did something to her neck. It hurt her so much that she was crying and couldn't really lift her head. At first I thought it was a muscle strain and then when it wasn't better in the morning my mind started to jump to all kinds of worst case scenarios like meningitis or something like that. I took her to the pediatrician and luckily it turned out to mild whiplash. I have no idea what she did to herself, but I think it was either from jumping on the bed or Chief pulling too hard while she was holding the leash. She's feeling much better now. Phew!
• Saying "Calgon, take me away!" does not actually magically transport you to a luxurious bubble bath, no matter what that commercial says.
  
  
• Chief likes to carry a tennis ball in his mouth where ever he goes. And sometimes around the house he will drop it out of his mouth and let it bounce up so he can catch it. I never saw a dog do that before. Have I mentioned that he's a great dog?
  
• Meteorology is a lost art.

An ABC Meme

Got this one from Queen Emily, of course. She says is really one of those Facebook quizzes, but I like it better for the blog.

You are supposed to write a note with the ABCs of YOU. (Consider yourself tagged if you'd like to do this one.)

A - An advantage that you have: White & college-educated.

B - Blue or brown eyes: Sometimes mine are blue and sometimes they are green, but Zoe has beautiful brown eyes that look like candy drops.

C - Chore you hate: Changing the sheets. Actually I hate the entire process. I hate pulling the sheets off the bed, I hate washing the sheets, I hate folding sheets, and I hate putting new sheets on the bed. I don't mind regular making the bed though.

D - Dad's name: David. It is interesting to note that he has no middle name.

E - Essential start of your day: Brushing my teeth

F - Favorite color: I don't have a favorite, but I am not often drawn to yellow.

G - Greatest thing you've ever done that made you feel really good: Almost every year for Zoe's birthday party I ask party guests to make a donation to Save the Children instead of bringing a gift. We've raised a few thousand dollars over the years.

H - Habit you have: iPhone. Not sure if that is a habit or a way of life.

I - Issue you hate that the world tries to make you pursue: Jon and Kate Plus 8. Who really gives a crap?

J - Job title: Senior Project Manager

K - Khols or Target: Target all the way. I rarely go to Khols of my own volition.

L - Living arrangements: House in Fairfield, CT that I share with my husband, my Mom, Zoe and our newest resident, Chief.

M - Music you like: The music they play on the Sirius Satellite station, The Spectrum and classic 80's New Wave.

N - Nicknames: No one really calls me by a nickname anymore, but in the past I have been called Mertz, Marsh, Mars, and M

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Hernia repair surgery

P - Pet Peeve: When people say "FYI." I don't mind it as much in an email, but when someone actually says it, I find it highly irritating. Close second to that is when people sum something up by saying "it is what it is."

Q - Quote that you like most: "Leap and the net will appear."

R - Right or left handed: Extremely right-handed

S - Siblings: One, his name is Jon.

T - Time you wake up: 5:30 AM

U - Underwear: Yes.

V - Vegetable you dislike: broccoli

W - What makes you run late: Rob

X-rays you've had: Right foot (after dropping a heavy stapler on it), pelvis (after falling down icy stairs), face (after bad fall while playing basketball), and teeth.

Y - Yummy food you make: Several different kinds of cookies including Linzer tarts, macaroons, and peanut butter.

Z- Zoo Animal- I'm partial to the giraffes.

Friday's Lessons Learned: A Week in Photos

This week I am too lazy and exhausted to write full bullet points so I am relying on pictures. We all know how many words they are worth, right?

• I was finally able to catch a photo of one half of the cardinal couple that frequent my bird feeder. This is Ruby:
  
  Her mate, Carmine, is still camera shy.


• Zoe was into crazy outfits this week. Yes those are socks on her hands, and yes that is her underwear over her pants.
  
  



• Chief likes to sleep on the floor next to my side of the bed with his "baby." He is probably the best dog, ever.
  
  



• We had another visit from the Tooth Fairy this week. Zoe lost her first top tooth and now has that jack-o-lantern look!
  
  



• Yes, you may have noticed there are no pictures of Rob this week. He's been too busy working his crazy summer schedule to participate in any of my photo shoots, but I will share that my excellent friend Heather has started a hysterical new blog called Rob hates blogs about him. Anyone out there who wants author rights, let me know.
  
  

Have you seen this? The MP3 Experiment

I read about this a couple of weeks ago on David Pogue's blog. He gives an excellent description of the day from a participants point of view. But, better still is this video:

Hail to my Chief

Chief the dog came home to us at last. He's finally all recovered from his surgery and now he's all ours. The first night was a little tough because he was quite nervous, but by midday today he seemed to start relaxing. We had a few nice walks and he spent a good deal of time sleeping under my desk while I worked. I loved that! Zoe had some fun throwing the tennis ball for him and in general just showing him off to the neighbors and enjoying having a dog. Tonight he's been following me from room to room which is pretty funny.

Only 2 things concern me. The first is that he has a tendency to nip when he's nervous and because he is a bigger dog, that is a bit scary. The second thing is that he was clearly never trained to walk on a leash. Our last walk tonight was me being taken out for a drag. I think both of those things are surmountable issues which we will begin to tackle tomorrow. And despite those issues, it is definitely a love match here in our house. I think Chief and his new family are going to be very happy together.

I wonder if this means I should change my blog to ChiefsMom?

Friday's Lessons Learned (Or who wore what this week)

• When I tell Rob he looks like a gas station attendant, he seems to think that is a good thing. I know he doesn't have a desk job, but does that mean he must always go out looking like he's going to lay down under a car all day? [Obviously, the answer is yes.]
  
• I will never be able to predict what Zoe wants to wear. I must never, ever assume. (I am still holding my breath that she will actually wear the dress tomorrow.)
• I am no longer capable of keeping all the dates I need to remember in my head. Feels like tt is getting to the point where I need calendar entries for brushing my teeth. I try very hard to put everything important into my calendar, but if I forget, oy. Not sure if I am busier or just have less room/capabilities in my brain.
• It is very hard to take a picture of birds. I am considering setting my camera up on the tripod and taking pictures on a timer. If I can figure it out.
• Turns out Rob has a broken arm! Man that Zoe is tough. He'll be fine, he just needs physical therapy -- no cast or anything.
  
• The more I think about how much Rob hates it, the more I blog about him.
  
• The promise of pizza and wine make for short blog posts.
  

Have you seen this? 2009 Webby Awards

There is a fantastic montage from the 2009 Webby Awards available on YouTube. Winners had to give a 5-word acceptance speech. There were some good ones and some lame ones, but they are short enough to check out.

Start with Seth Meyers' opening monologue to set the stage. (It is longer than 5 words, though.)

The Dress

On Saturday we have to go to a First Communion and it occurred to me this past Sunday evening that my daughter the tomboy has absolutely nothing appropriate to wear. I explained the situation to her and told her we'd have to find something.

At first I suggested one of the 3 or 4 dresses (purchased in the pre-tomboy days) already hanging in her closet, but those were categorically rejected. She did not want to wear a dress.

Then I thought of skorts. There are many adorable skorts out there and with the right top, they make a cute outfit. Plus, they are as comfortable as wearing shorts. It took a little doing, but I managed to sell Zoe on the skort idea.

Monday after school we headed right out to the stores. This was my only chance for shopping and I explained that to Zoe along with the fact that whatever we pick out she will have to wear. She made it clear to me that she was clear so into the first store we went.

There were a number of skorts in the first store, but Zoe was not overly fond of the ruffles. Then she decided that a white skort would be good, but we couldn't agree on a top. Looking back on it, I should have said OK to the purple heart t-shirt and have been done with it, but live and learn.

In store number 2 we found a really adorable aqua blue paisley printed skort with a cute aqua t-shirt which looked absolutely adorable on Zoe. I thought we were set until we were leaving the dressing room and she said she wanted to show me something else. She brought me over to a dress. A polo shirt type of dress. It was OK. Not really as cute as the aqua outfit and it was a DRESS. I had her try it on and she still wanted it.

"But you have a dress just like this at home," I told her.

"I like this one," she said admiring herself in the mirror.

Sigh.

So, I bought the dress with the stipulation that we look in one more store. The third store had absolutely nothing Zoe would even consider. We went back to the first store because I was hoping the white skort might change her mind again, but no such luck. So we're going with the dress.

Now I am just holding my breath until Saturday morning to see if she actually wears this dress without a fight. Maybe I should go get that skort and t-shirt just in case...? But what kind of message would that be sending? Oy.

Friday's Lessons Learned

I'm really enjoying these Friday bullet point posts. Hope you are too.

• Unless I get up before 6am and go directly into the bathroom, no matter what time I want to get in the shower, Rob will somehow get there first.
• Zoe has some kind of strange weekend sensor that causes her to wake up very, very early on weekend mornings, but on weekday mornings an air horn is required to wake her. (Actually I know a lot of other kids do the same thing and I think it is because we tend to let them stay up later on weekend nights, but a 6am Saturday morning wake-up is a cruel payback.)
  
• I prefer my home office to a windowless conference room even if there are live people in that conference room.
• The lilacs have come and gone already and I completely missed them. It is because of all of this damn rain. It ruined my lilacs. One of the few flowers I can actually name. Not sure, but I think this is the rainiest Spring we've had in a long time. It really needs to stop raining every other day now. Right now. Seriously.
• Keeping up with my work email is a lot like being pecked to death by a chicken. (Thanks Becky for reminding me of that perfect metaphor.) I am starting to think I may need to turn into one of those people who only checks email at set times so that I may get other work done besides answering emails. Yeah, I doubt I'll do it too.
  
• Ever since our Mother's Day night viewing of "Sound of Music" Zoe has been watching it over and over. Tonight I convinced her to branch out into some new musicals so we're trying "Annie." It is not the best of the movie musicals, but it is age-appropriate and I loved it when I was her age. I'll let you know what she thinks.
  
• You probably know how much I have been loving my bird feeder because of all the bird visits it brings, but this week I had the best visit of all. For most of Monday there were 2 baby birds sitting in the bird feeder and the mommy bird was showing them how to eat. At first she was putting the food in their mouths and then she was watching while they picked the food up themselves. I wish I had filmed it.

My final two bullets are pictures:

• Love sleeping Zoe pictures, but I especially love sleeping Rob and Zoe pictures. They look so much alike in this picture.
  

• Last, but certainly not least, I would like to introduce you to the soon-to-be newest member of my family. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Chief!
  

He's recovering from a little surgery right now, but he should be home with us by next week. We can't wait!

The All About Mememememe Meme

I was tagged by the Queen herself for this one!

Rules: Try to answer the following questions, and leave your answers in the comments section. If you feel like it (unless I've tagged you. Then you have no choice), create ten questions of your own with multiple choice answers (or use my questions and create your own answers. Or use some of my questions. Or use some of my answers. See how easy I am?) and ask people to see how well they know you. Tag five others to do the same.

1. Where was ZoesMom born and raised?
a. New York
b. Connecticut
c. Texas
d. New Jersey

2. What is ZoesMom's favorite food?
a. Vegetables
b. Hot dogs
c. Pizza
d. Candy

3. How old is Zoe?
a. 5
b. 8
c. 7
d. 9

4. What is Zoe's most beloved stuffed animal?
a. Snoopy
b. Teddy
c. Uglydoll
d. Eeyore

5. What does ZoesMom most love to shop for?
a. shoes
b. bags
c. make-up
d. all of the above

6. It's Saturday night and ZoesMom has babysitting...what is she doing?
a. going to dinner and a movie with Rob
b. going to a rock concert
c. rockclimbing
d. hanging at a sports bar

7. It's dinnertime, what is ZoesMom most likely making?
a. reservations
b. grilled chicken and veggies
c. lasagna
d. whole wheat pasta with home made pesto

8. Zoe's favorite 7th birthday present was...?
a. clothes
b. Barbies
c. SpongeBob Squarepants Operation (game)
d. Magic kit

9. What book changed the reading life of ZoesMom?
a. Pride and Prejudice
b. The Hotel New Hampshire
c. Crime and Punishment
d. The Fountainhead

10. What other blogger introduced ZoesMom to Emily of Telecommuter Talk (aka Queen O' Memes)?
a. traciedesigns
b. Charlotte's Web
c. Musings from the Sofa
d. It's Sara With No H

Extra Credit:
What does ZoesMom have on the window near her desk that provides lots of nice distraction from her work?
a. a bird feeder
b. windchimes
c. sun catcher
d. artwork from Zoe

Have you seen this? Photoshop Disasters

This one's especially for Tracie ...

Have you seen the blog Photoshop Disasters? If not, I highly recommend you check it out. It is both entertaining and educational. No one is safe from this site. Love it.

More video that will make you cry

This is a clip of a song from A Chorus Line being performed by the original cast. It's fabulous.

Friday's Lessons Learned

Another week gone by. Here's another list...

• I don't think I am actually capable of maintaining 2 blogs and 2 Twitter presences. As much as I want to keep on writing for my Make-up 101 blog, I am facing the fact that I am just too busy. I can barely post often enough on this one blog. So, I will be putting Make-up 101 on hold until some other time when I can really commit to making something out of it. In the meantime I will post any make-up reviews, etc. on this blog in case anyone's interested in them because just because I won't be blogging and tweeting about make-up doesn't mean I won't be helping to support Sephora's P&L.
• I think I really should consider a move to a warmer climate. It seems like the warmer the weather, the better I feel. Or maybe I am just feeling miserable about the fact that it is late spring and it has been 55 degrees and raining all week?
  
• Zoe has hit the age where it is fun to eat dinner at friends' houses. She ate at her friend Dominic's house last night and I'm not sure, but I think it is the highlight of her year.
• This was a short work week, but it felt really long.
• A good iPhone app can really make your day. I discovered FantasyLens last night and have been having a ball with it. Below is my creation from this morning. I call it "Rob Washington." I am sure I will be busy with this all weekend.
  

Rob Washington, originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

Images of a holiday weekend

I didn't take a lot of pictures this weekend even though I was hoping to. Even so I think I managed to capture enough to sum up the long weekend.



This is a picture of Zoe at her school's "Patriotic Day." All the grades sing songs about the U.S. and it is done every year on the Friday before Memorial Day. It is very cute, but it is also very crowded. This picture was taken at the end when the students were headed back to their classes. This was the only photo opportunity I had because it was so crowded.



Zoe and her friend Dominic. I took them to the playground on Saturday and they played for 2 hours without coming up for air. They were so darn cute I wish I'd taken video.



Rob in the ER after slamming his shoulder while playing basketball with Zoe in our driveway. Also important to note that this was taken AFTER he was given percocet for the pain.



Zoe marched in Fairfiel's Memorial Day parade on Monday morning with The Little Gym. She did cartwheels for the entire parade route. Again it was very crowded so this was the only picture I managed to get.



Zoe insisted on swimming this weekend despite the fact that the pool water was still too cold. Heater or not, sometimes there is only so much you can do. This was taken just before she jumped in for her first swim of the season. She lasted in the water for about 15 minutes before she came out with blue lips.

Friday: Lessons Learned (posted Saturday)

I actually wrote this yesterday, but I was so tired I clicked "Save" instead of "publish."

• I can go 5 days (and counting) without eating any candy. It hasn't been easy, but so far so good.
• A really great haircut only comes along once in awhile. I love the Kimberly my hairdresser and she always does a really good job, but the cut I got this week is particularly great. At least in my opinion.
• Zoe has pretty good taste in boys. This week I invited her friend Dominic over for a play date. Dominic is a frequent topic of conversation in our house and it is clear that the two of them like each other in a way that if they were 15 and not 7 I might be concerned. Up until this week I hadn't really spent time with Dominic, but it turns out he is a very sweet and adorable little boy. He and Zoe have a great time together.
• I can run on the treadmill faster than I thought. At least for a minute at a time. I tried an interval workout this week and I surprised myself. That felt good.
• I hate to brag, well no, I love to brag about Zoe. She's doing great in school. This week we got results of comprhensive math and spelling tests and on both tests she only got one wrong answer and each was due to careless mistakes. Plus she takes basketball after school and the coach told me that she is one of the best. She's the only girl in the basketball class and clearly that does not stop her.
• Insecure people will try to take credit for your work which is why it is important to put your name on everything. I was quite happy I do that this week.
• Looking forward to a 3 day weekend with very few plans is a marvelous thing.

The Sartorialist

Have you seen The Sartorialist blog?

If you love fashion or really good fashion photgraphy and you haven't seen this blog, you should.

The thing I love about this blog is that it is mostly pictures of real people. Not just models. I love to see the way some people truly rock their own style. That's how I look in my dreams. And, wow, do the Parisian women wear amazing shoes. Makes me drool!

So, seriously, if you haven't seen this blog, go now. Add it to your feeder. Look at it regularly. Enjoy.

Please, tell me how it ends

On Saturday night my mom graciously agreed to babysit for Zoe while Rob and I went to see Star Trek and then get dinner. I wasn't dying to see the movie, but Rob really was so I figured I would be a good pal and go along. About 85% into the movie (i.e. the climax) I look over and see Rob answering his phone and from the caller ID I know it is Mom. I know immediately this cannot be good news and, of course, it is not. Out of nowhere Zoe has a fever of 102. We immediately left the movie theater and headed home to take care of Zoe. Poor kid has been burning fever off and on since last night. It was kind of a rough night, but it seems like it is just a virus though because she has no other symptoms and the fever is down to 100 without Motrin.

Earlier tonight my mom suggested we should go back and see Star Trek again. Nope. The movie was OK, but I think I'll just wait for someone to tell me the ending. I definitely couldn't stay awake for it tonight and I'm not giving up another $10.50 and another 120 minutes to Captain Kirk or Spock. Maybe for Bones. He was kind of cute, but, nah, not worth it. So, if anyone out there can tell me how it ends once Kirk is beamed back to the Enterprise from the ice planet, I would appreciate it.

Friday Lessons Learned

• Do not tell your husband you don't want to make a "big deal" out of Mother's Day because he will translate this to mean "I don't have to do anything at all."
• The moment I put away my winter sweaters, I will have to take one out again because of the sudden drop in temperature.
• I am a sucker for every new flavor of sugarless gum that comes out. I try them all.
• I own a lifetime supply of cosmetics bags -- most of which I got free as some kind of "bonus." Even though I clearly don't need all these bags and haven't even used most of them, every time I try to throw some out I can't be parted from them.
  
• No amount of age-appropriate explaining can make a 7 year-old understand what was so bad about the Nazis and why Captain Von Trapp did not want to become one. This doesn't, however, stop said 7 year-old from asking about the Nazis constantly. (Was watching Sound of Music a good idea? Yes, I still think so.)
• Finding a pair of dirty socks in the bed when changing the sheets is yucky.
  
• My house averages 2 computers per resident.
• A husband in the "dog house" for neglecting Mother's Day is temporarily very helpful around the house and with the child.
• Any given morning that I want to sleep late, is the morning that Zoe will get up unusually early thereby making it impossible for me to sleep late.
• An evening with intelligent women friends is the perfect antidote to boy problems, hectic work weeks, and generally any other annoyance.
  

Nuns

Last night I introduced Zoe to one of the greatest musical movies of all time, "Sound of Music." She was hesitant about watching it, reluctant to give up iCarly for something Mom said is good, but I pulled out the old bribe card and told that if she liked it, she could stay up past her bedtime to watch.

I knew she was going to love it and I was right. She was hooked before the Reverend Mother finished singing "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" and didn't tear herself from the TV until the Von Trapps had fled the Nazis.

You know the scene when the Von Trapp children go to the abbey to look for Maria after she ran away because the Baroness says all that nasty stuff to her? While we were watching that scene Zoe said to me, "Why do the call them nuns?"

"I don't actually know," I replied. "But I am sure we can find out."

"They should be call hundreds," Zoe said.

"Hundreds?"

"Yes, because of how much they love God. Hundreds. Not none."

I couldn't answer because I was holding back the laughter. Luckily the Reverend Mother started singing "Climb Every Mountain."

Friday list of things learned

• I should never leave an open bag of those soft peppermint candies next to me on my desk while I am working because then I will eat way to many of them and get a stomach ache.


• Cardinals seem to eat a lot more birdseed than the chickadees were eating.


• I can actually name 4 species of birds without having to look them up in my Birds of North America book. (Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Starlings)
  


• Zoe thinks chess (as in the game of) which she has been learning to play all school year in her school's chess club is pronounced "chest." As in, "I have a chest club tournament tomorrow." It is giggle inducing.


• Figured out how to create my own ringtone for my iPhone. My ring is now Zoe saying "ring, ring, ring! pick up the phone already (repeat)"
  


• I can conduct a conference call with my entire work team from my car while parked in the Stop & Shop parking lot.


• Telling a 7 year old that she is being a cry baby is actually not an effective way to get her to stop crying. (Bad Mommy moment #437)
  

Magic

A magic kit was high on Zoe's birthday wish list this year and she ended up getting 2 very nice kits with lots of different magic tricks. Luckily she did not expect the magic wand that came with kits to actually "do" the magic. That actually happened to my brother when he was a bit younger than Zoe is now. He was completely devastated when he realized there was no actual "magic" in his magic kit or his wand and that he had produce it all himself. I don't have many memories of my brother crying, but that one stands out. As a matter of fact I made sure Zoe did not believe this before I told anyone she wanted a magic kit. I didn't want to witness that heartbreak twice.

The tricks, are the same tricks that were in the magic kits when I was kid -- the red ball in the egg cup, the magic quarter in the box, the string that splits in half, many variations on card guessing, etc. It is still really fun stuff that is pretty simple. It is all in the presentation.

A couple of weeks ago my father spent an entire afternoon helping her learn how to do the tricks and about the performance aspects of magic tricks. Zoe loved it. My father is now her number one assistant and she is practicing these tricks all of the time. So, this week when she had to bring in something for "sharing" (why can't they call it "show-and-tell" anymore??) I suggested she do one of her magic tricks. At first she wasn't sure, but finally she decided to bring in the quarter in the box trick and apparently it was a very big hit at school. It is one of those moments that I wish I could have been there to see, but I know my presence would have affected her ability to perform the trick. Luckily, I can get my own magic show anytime I want. Perhaps I will consider Zoe for entertainment at my next birthday party...

Mother of the Year

Besides my handmade cards from Zoe, this is the best mother's day card ever.

Watch this (updated link).

Then, send one to all the moms you know.

Thank you momsrising.org for making my day!

Time

There's never enough time. I feel it all of the time. Days just disappear. So often I feel like one minute I am pushing Zoe to get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, get to the bus stop and then five minutes later I am pushing her to finish her homework, eat her dinner, get in her pajamas, and go to bed. It can be an exhausting treadmill. (Actually, time on the treadmill goes very slowly, so that's not really the right metaphor.)

I don't know what my point is except to say I wish I could feel like I had some more time sometimes.

What I have learned this week

After having fun with last week's post, I've decided to create a new Friday feature of bullet points of what I've learned for the week.

• Any discussion of head lice will cause my own head to itch -- one hour for every minute of conversation.
• Some people will just always be late. Always.
  
• Traveling with GPS is good because you don't have to think too much about where you are going. It is also occasionally eerie when you realize you don't really know where you are and you are just driving on this particular road in this particular direction because the little box on the dashboard said so.
• It is impossible to feel normal in any way while in a room with a dead body. (I attended a wake this week.)
• If you are not sure what to write in a card, the internet can be surprisingly helpful.
• iTunes is awesome -- except when you want to move your library from one computer to another, then it is not so awesome.
• Hamburgers just taste better when someone else makes them.
  
• Mother's Day cards only seem to fall into two categories -- overly floral and sappy (i.e. "you are the greatest mother that ever lived and deserve to have rose petals strewn at your feet") or juvenile cartoons that feature sentiments about laundry and cooking (i.e. we'd have starved and gone naked without you Mom, why don't you lie down today? -- but just today.)
• Repair men who cannot move their eyes above chest level while talking to me should be run over with their own trucks.
• I am generally a neat and tidy person, but I have trouble keeping certain drawers in a state other than a complete jumble. It is my secret sloppy shame.
  
• A gray and rainy Friday is still a Friday and therefore a good thing.
  

NOT America's Next Top Model

A few weeks ago I wrote about my husband's bathroom reading material. Over the weekend a new catalog showed up called Northern Safety & Industrial. They sell things like hard hats and safety goggles. Admittedly that is unexpected bathroom reading material, but not in my house. What was unexpected was the modeling. Clearly the art director thought this was a completely different kind of layout. I couldn't help scanning a few of my favorite shots and adding my own captions...



(The captions are a little smaller than I thought they would be so let me know if you can't read it.)

Everyone else is doing it...

So why can't I? Bulleted blog posts that is. I'm thinking of starting a new Friday tradition.

My list of things I have learned this week:

• Attending a funeral, even if you were not close to the deceased, is an exhausting, depressing experience.
• Queens, NY seems to consist mainly of cemeteries and airports.
• Even at age 38 I don't feel much like a grown up when I go somewhere with both of my parents.
• Grilled cheese made with cheddar on challah bread is really, really good.
• Going out for lunch is really the best way to eat lunch.
  
• There has to be something other than a toasted bread type product (English Muffin, roll, etc.) for breakfast, but I can't figure out what.
• 2 people I do not know have decided that this picture of Zoe is one of their favorites. I like this picture, but I am not sure why it would be a stranger's favorite.
• I was never one for getting back together with ex-boyfriends, but I am overjoyed at getting back to work with an ex-co-worker.
• Sour Patch Kids are surprisingly good.
• They do not make an 18" kid's bike which would be the precise size that would be perfect for Zoe right now.
• Zoe can ride her bike without training wheels!

The Cosmetics Counter: My Alter-Blog

Because I've got nothing but spare time (ha!) I've decided to start another blog. If you read my posts here, you may have noticed I have a thing for make-up. I decided to turn that "thing" into a blog offering hints, tips, and product reviews. I am always trying out new products and I love to give advice so I've created my own forum. I hope you'll stop by the new blog here:

Make-up 101

And, if you're really interested, you can also follow my alter-twitter @makeup1oh1

Posiedon found in Maryland

, originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

I just got around to downloading the pictures from our trip tonight and I had to share these pictures I took in National Harbor. The entire set is here.

What's really cool is that as you approach the waterfront area all you can see at first is this big arm sticking up seemingly out of the water. It is not until you are right on top of this do you realize that it is a giant man coming out of the sand.

C, C, & C Tour 2009: Water, water, everywhere

I have 2 wet days to catch up on.

Tuesday was spent at Baltimore's Inner Harbor where we went to the National Aquarium.  I highly recommend this aquarium both for it's attractions and unique design and layout.  A great amount of thought went into the physical space which enhanced both the attractions and the actual getting around.  We saw everything from bottlenose dolphins and hammerhead sharks to the tiniest 2 centimeter seahorses.  I love seahorses.  They have to be one of the cooler looking animals in the sea.  Somehow we managed to spend almost 4 hours here.  

From the Aquarium we headed to our next hotel in a town that Greta the GPS has never heard of, National Harbor, MD.   Luckily Google maps has heard of the place so we were able to find it.  Upon arrival we could see why Greta hadn't heard of it.  This place looks like most of the buildings opened for occupancy about 3 weeks ago.  In fact, that is the case for our hotel.   It is a completely planned waterfront area designed to accommodate those visiting or working in DC.  It is less than 15 minutes to downtown DC from here.  There are at least 4 hotels, a convention center, at lease 10 restaurants and an enormous harbor area.  Very interesting place.  Unfortunately most of the time we have been here it has been raining so we haven't gotten to walk around much although I would like to.

Yesterday we made our way to DC in the pouring rain.  As Becky would say it was "bucketing."  We had hoped to walk around the mall, see the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and then go into the Air and Space Museum.  So much for that hope.  Because of the rain we spent a large chunk of time just looking for parking and by the time we did park and get to the mall area, we were so wet (even though we had umbrellas) we just went right into the museum.  As you can imagine the museum was very crowded.  My overall experience was not a good one.  I think Zoe was museum-ed out and that kind of crowd gets to my claustrophobia.  It is clearly a great museum, but Zoe and I were not really able to enjoy it.  Rob seemed to love it though.  He took pictures of every plane, space ship, rocket and flying machine they had.  Most of the time with Zoe posed in front.  I bet if we look back on those pictures we will see Zoe looking less and less thrilled to be photographed.  

The day ended on a good note with dinner with an old friend in downtown DC.  It was great to catch up with her and to sit, get dry and relax.

Today is our last day and most of the day will be focussed on getting home, but we've got all day and the sun is shining so I am hoping we get to enjoy some of that too.  

Blog-iversary

   537 posts

     37 photos of Zoe (I think there must be more than that)

     28 memes (I think there must be more of these too)

     20 blogs in my community (at least!)

   100s of books

   100s of ups

+ 100s of downs

____________

4 years of ZoesMom blogging

Can't quite believe  it has been 4 years, but I hope it goes on for much longer than that.  I love writing my blog, I love the comments from all my blog friends, and I love the friendships that have developed through blogging.  

C,C, & C Tour 2009: A meet-up

While yesterday probably won't go down as Zoe's favorite day on vacation because it involved shopping, I thought it was an excellent day. We started off with a lazy morning at the hotel, then headed out to the famous Lancaster outlets.  They have just about every outlet you can think of (except Kate Spade) and there is some really good shopping.  I was tempted in a few stores, but not enough to buy anything.  Rob and Zoe had more luck and despite her protestations, Zoe walked away with some cute things from Tommy Kids and a cool new pair of kicks.  

The best part of the day came next when we went to visit the one and only Emily!  And Bob, of course.  We were even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their cat, Frances.  Emily and Bob gave us a tour of their house (their "manse") which is an absolute reader's paradise in addition to being a lovely home.  We also toured both churches -- the new and the old.  I especially loved the old church and I cannot believe I did not take a single picture.  I think I was just taking it all in, but my camera was right there in my bag and I didn't pull it out once.  Sigh.  They also took us to look at some Amish furniture, beautiful quilts, and we got to sit in the famous chair that is probably the most perfect reading chair ever, but at quite a prohibitive cost.  Bob made sure we didn't miss a highlight of the shops and that was really fun.  I now have all these mental images to accompany Emily's blog posts and a snapshot of their life in Paradise.  

We finished the evening with dinner at a Thai place where both Bob and Emily indulged Zoe in her magic tricks and know-it-all performance.  I'm not sure Zoe let any of get out two full sentences without being interrupted, but it was only in her attempt to impress our hosts.  She has already asked when we're going to visit again.  My answer:  soon!

C,C, & C Tour 2009: A little more chocolate, a little less roller coaster

Continuing our stay in the great state of Pennsylvania, we went to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA yesterday. Since it was Easter it was sunny, but just a few degrees too cold.

Overall I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting/hoping to me innundated with chocolate at every turn, but it was much more of amusement park than chocolate factory. There were some good kiddie rides for Zoe and the gift shops offered every kind of Hershey product known to man so that was fun.

The best part, however, was the cultural diversity. Because it was Easter the crowd was largely of the non-Easter celebrating variety. There were tons of Indian and Asian families as well as a lot of Orthodox Jew families. I have to say that kind of diversity was unexpected in the middle of PA.

Funniest moment of the day happened back at the hotel when Zoe opened the drawer of the nightstand by her bed and said, "who's Holly Bibble?"

Crayons, Candy, & Capitol -- 2009 U.S. Tour

Our latest road trip is off to an excellent start. We hit the road yesterday morning in the rain with the GPS programmed to Easton, PA the home of Crayola Crayon Factory.

I thought we would actually get to see how crayons are made, but there wasn't much on that. However there was room after room of coloring, crafts, clay, ans painting. Zoe was in heaven. We took home a big bag full of crafts and drawings. And although the place is a terrific marketing ploy it doesn't feel that way. The upsell is kept to minimum and they provide a lot of feebies to take home. Of course we did visit the Crayola store before leaving and filled another bag of stuff we had to pay for. What a great store! Who knew there were so many kinds of crayons? We even got a metallic set. I probably should have bought two of those -- one for me and one for Zoe.

After that we headed to our hotel in Lancaster, PA where they have an indoor pool. Zoe and I went for a pre dinner swim and just before bed she declared this "the best time I've ever had."

Today we woke up to Easter baskets, a delicious surprise from my favorite Easter Bunny, Rob. And now we're off to Hershey Park. I am going to OD on chocolate this week!

The worst part of vacations...

...is that they end, of course.

However, the other negative thing is all the work that has to get done pre-vacation. Work for work to make sure everything is covered or rescheduled or just plain done and work at home like laundry, and bills, and hotel reservations. I feel like I have been going non-stop since last week sometime just so I can take 4 days off of work.

Even as I try to write this blog post I am instant messaging with my boss. It's is 9:35PM.

The fun news is we're taking another road trip and I will be blogging from the road again so I'm not going to say where we're headed. The trip is not as ambitious as Dallas, but involves a lot of stops.

See you on the road!

The Easter Parade

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of The Easter Parade by Richard Yates through LibaryThing Early Reviewers program. This is not a new book, but it is a good one. Here's my review:

It's all about the writing.

"The Easter Parade" is bleak to the point of almost being without any hope, but I couldn't put it down. I am sure that in the hand's of less-talented writer, this would have been a maudlin story, but in this case Richard Yates has created a beautifully crafted work of art. His characters linger in your heart and mind.

It is a compelling story of two sisters who lives are both stunted and destroyed by false hope, by alcohol and by simple circumstances. Reading it was a strange experience because despite the characters' sad, painful lives and experiences that made me want to turn away, the story was completely engrossing. The concise style moves this relatively short book along rapidly, yet you feel like you've understood every detail of the 40 plus years in these women's lives.

It seems that neither sister was capable of escaping their fate of unhappiness no matter what they tried. From the opening sentence "Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life..." to the last painful moment, there is no relief, but if you look closely it does end with a spec of hope for the future generation. A hope for ending the family legacy of miser. It is a bit like applying a band-aid to a broken leg by the time it appears, but this quiet little upswing leaves you with a lot to think about.

Cleaning your house is not enough

I haven't gotten out my soap box in awhile so I thought it was time I dusted it off.

Last Saturday morning at the gym I happened to see a piece on the CBS Early Show about working out while you clean. I was listening to my iPod and not the TV audio, but it wasn't necessary to get the gist of this piece. It had two extremely thin women in work out gear doing lunges while mopping, using a full laundry basket to do chest presses, carrying grocery bags like dumb bells, etc. The women were very serious in their cleaning and exercising. Towards the end of the segment a laughing male anchor joined when they were lifting bottles of laundry detergent. He was laughing with an "aren't you girls cute" expression on his face. Very smug.

I wanted to hurl my water bottle at the television. I restrained myself (lucky for the people working in the area below the ceiling-suspended televisions) and the piece disappeared, but was almost embarrassing to watch. The after shocks stuck with me. It made me really angry, but I wasn't sure if I was over-reacting. I brought it up with Rob later that day to see what he thought of it. He agreed that it was absurd and insulting. I felt more justified in my anger, but I still felt angry. I brought it up again with Becky on Sunday and she shared my anger and shared a similar story that had left her simmering in the same way. I felt even better about my anger and thus the need to pull out the soap box.

This piece says to me, "Hey lazy girl, cleaning the house isn't really work so why don't you make it worthwhile and work on that fat ass of yours at the same time. Don't worry, your husband will think it is cute and he'll be happy to have a clean home."

Seriously, is this where we still are with male/female relations? Are women, working outside or inside the home, still just Barbies who's real "job" is to look pretty and keep a nice home for her man? Those work outfits are fun for dress-up, but when playtime is over, get back in the kitchen and fix dinner. It sure seems that way in the eyes of the media. And with so many women anchors and women fitness coaches and women everything on these shows (aren't we diverse and appealing to women?!) you would think someone would wave a red flag when the idea of showing a stick skinny woman doing lunges with her mop was first pitched.

What do you think, am I over-reacting or am justified in my anger?

Need a smile?

Then watch this...

Obessions

Part of Emily's "Your blog is fabulous" post included a list of her current obsessions. I didn't include my list with my Fabulous blogs post, but her list did get me thinking so now I present you with a list of obsessions -- some long-standing and some new:

1. Lipwear. I am on the constant lookout for the perfect color and texture lipwear. This includes the perfect lip balm (still the original Chapstick in my book), the perfect lip gloss, and the perfect lipstick. I own a ridiculous number of each. Any trip to Sephora or other cosmetics store includes the purchase of some kind of lip wear. Recent purchase include: Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Tangerine, Neutrogena LipSheer in Peach Sorbet, and Chapstick True Shimmer in Botanical Berry. I'm not a big lip liner fan though.

2. Twitter. To me Twitter is one of the most fun things to come out of the whole "social networking" web stuff. I love keeping up with my friends. I love keeping up with those who tweet informative stuff in the news and sites like makeuseof.com (MakeUseOf) -- they find the most interesting things on the web. And I love the fun stuff like the National History Museum Whale (NatHistoryWhale). I check Twitter frequently and I tweet frequently. If you want to follow me, I am marcyjill.

3. Mayfair Jelly Eggs. These are the cheap Easter jelly beans they sell at Stop & Shop. They are so bad they're good and I am sure they are the reason I am not losing weight like I would like to be despite trying.

4. My iPhone. When all the crazy stuff happened at work back in December my work-supplied Blackberry was taken away. I decided that having lived with a "Smart" phone for so long, I could no longer do without one and decided to replace it with an iPhone. A gadget I had long been coveting. I cannot go anywhere without it now. It is my everything device where I get email, text messages, twitter, internet, facebook, train schedules, , GPS, camera/photos, games, notes, calendar, to-do lists, shopping lists, ebooks, music, audiobooks, movies, TV show episodes, and, um, oh yeah, phone calls! In my book it is the perfect gadget.

5. Hotels.com Ever since I planned our trip to Dallas in the Fall I have been really into this website. I know the need for hotels doesn't come up that often, but even just fantasizing about getting away can be fun and this site makes it easy to explore hotel options just about anywhere. The ratings and reviews are generally on target and I have not been disappointed with any of the hotels I have found through the site.

6. Pandora This is the coolest music site out there. I am completely obsessed with fine-tuning my station which I have tried to make into my personalized version of the Sirius satellite radio station, The Spectrum. Which basically means just like The Spectrum, but no U2 or Bruce Springsteen. If you haven't tried out this site, you should. I can even share my station with you -- just let me know if you're interested.

I am sure there are other obsessions currently crowding my brain, but there you have my top 6.

Your Blog is Fabulous

The wonderful Emily has selected me for a "Your blog is fabulous" award. And considering the other bloggers she chose, I am extremely flattered to be in such good company. If you haven't read her post about this award you should and then you should check out the other bloggers on her list. But, back to me, I feel I must share what she wrote:

Few people in the world make me think, "Well, maybe having a child isn't such a bad thing after all." (Of course, if I could guarantee having a child like Zoe...) I'm pretty sure it's because she is so incredibly honest about the whole "motherhood experience." Oh, and despite what you might think, she isn't all about Zoe. She gives you plenty of other hilarious (and sometimes poignant) observations about this thing we call life.

Wow. Thanks again!

OK, so now I get to give out the award myself. My awards go to the blogs that inspire me. Here we go...

1. traciedesigns -- I love the design inspiration she shares regularly along with her down to earth view on life. Tracie is just all around fabulous from blog to friend to shoes!

2. It's Sara with no H -- I've never met Sara in real life, but I am sure that if I did we'd be instant friends talking endlessly over coffee or drinks or something. I feel like we share a similar point of view on marriage and motherhood.

3. Musings from the sofa -- The musings range from books to husbands to England and back again and they are all excellent posts with an independent point of view that I admire. I've learned a lot about Ms. Musings and a lot of English-speak and English spelling along the way. I always look forward to her posts. She also has the best tags for her posts!

4. Noble Savage -- Again, I've never met her, but I am sure we would be fast friends and have much to discuss. Her adventures in motherhood and as a strong feminist woman are inspirational. Her rough patches remind me I am not alone, her good times make me smile, and her strong point of view motivates me.

5. Telecommuter Talk -- I guess it is cheating to award the person who awarded you, but I simply could not leave Emily off this list. Her blog makes me laugh out loud, inspires me to action, inspires me to read, inspires me think, and of course inspires me to memes. Emily is not only Queen O' Memes, she is Queen O' Blogs! I love that our blogs have brought us closer together as friends too.

Thank you all for the regular inspiration! My awardees are welcome to pass along the award.

Fashion Innocent

Among Zoe's many lovely birthday presents from family and friends was a grey DKNY zip up sweatshirt. It is a cute hoodie that has the big DKNY logo on the front. (Honestly, I didn't know DKNY even had a children's line. License of the name maybe?)

When Zoe pulled it out of the wrapping paper she held it up, examined it and said, "Those aren't my initials."

It was 7 years ago today...

Zoe was born!

This picture was taken just minutes after she was born. The first of thousands and thousands.

25 Most Influential Authors

I was tagged by Emily for this one and was therefore compelled ...

Here are the instructions:

"Name 25 writers who have influenced you. These are not necessarily your favorite writers or those you most admire, but writers who have influenced you. Then you tag 25 people.”

I don't think I will tag 25 people because Emily tagged just about everyone I know already, but if you weren't tagged and you want to do this, consider yourself tagged.

Children's authors
1. Beverly Cleary -- The Mouse and the Motorcycle was one of the first books I really loved.
2. Laura Ingalls Wilder -- I think I read them all multiple times.
3. Judy Blume -- Loved her! Even read Forever and can't wait until Zoe is ready for some of her books.
4. Francine Pascal -- I admit it, I read a lot of the Sweet Valley High books.

The classics
5. Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird really moved me.
6. Jane Austen
7. Goethe -- That Faust guy shows up everywhere!
8. Fyodor Dostoevsky -- because I thought I kind of liked Russian authors -- or should like them -- until I read Crime and Punishment and then I realized I hate them.

The playwrights & poets
9. William Shakespeare (also a classic, of course)
10. Edward Albee
11. Sam Shepard -- yes he's an actor, but he is a much better playwright.
12. Walt Whitman
13. Henrik Ibsen

Short stories
14. Raymond Carver -- After reading Cathedral I understood just how incredible a short story could be.
15. Lorrie Moore -- if you haven't read her and like short stories, start with Birds of America.
16. Flannery O'Connor -- hated her the first time around in school, but I have grown to really appreciate her work.

Modern Fiction
17. Tom Robbins -- I think I've read all of his books except the latest. He's so weird and wonderful.
18. John Irving -- I read The Hotel New Hampshire at around age 11. I was kind of freaked out, but I never stopped going back for more.
19. Anne Tyler
20. Jay McInerney
21. John Krakauer
22. Milan Kundera

Other
23. Maureen Dowd
24. Steve Martin
25. Malcolm Gladwell

Race Day

Sunday morning Zoe ran in her first race. It was a 1/2 mile kid's "fun run." She was pretty nervous about it, but when it came down to it she ran her heart out and was really happy with herself after. It was so much fun to watch and even better to see her feeling so proud of herself when the run was over.

Here she is just seconds from the finish line:

Butterflies are free

Butterflies are free , originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

We had a family field trip to the Museum of Natural History this weekend. My favorite exhibit is usually the Hall of Ocean Life where my friend NatHistoryWhale hangs out, but we managed to catch the butterfly exhibit this time (something I always seem to miss) and I have to say it was pretty darn cool.

The Pants 180

For the last year, maybe longer, Zoe has almost exclusively worn "soft pants" or their shorts equivalent. "Soft pants" are stretch pants, but they are not as tight as leggings. They are like yoga pants, but they are not wide-legged either. I know this because of all the "soft pant" rejects that crowd the bottom drawer of Zoe's dresser. This fall Old Navy was good enough to produce the perfect "soft pants" and for once I was smart and I bought them in every color except pink. Pink anything went the way of skirts, dresses and all other pants at that same moment last year.

For the most part I let Zoe pick out what she is going to wear each day. I let her pick her pants and then help her choose a shirt that matches. On Thursdays I get to select her outfit and as long as it is not a skirt or a dress she usually wears the outfit I select. I almost always choose the one pair of jeans that she owns and a shirt she rarely wears. Every week since school started she has complained about these jeans and sometimes has even managed to talk me out of selecting them.

This week on Tuesday night when we were picking out clothes for Wednesday Zoe said I should pick and that would mean I wouldn't get to choose for Thursday. I agreed to that and immediately reached for the jeans. She happily wore her jeans to school on Wednesday and then on Wednesday night when we were getting ready for bed and about to choose Thursday's clothes she informed me that she wanted to wear jeans every day from now on. Excuse me? Did I hear that correctly? Apparently so because when I explained to her that her one pair of jeans was dirty she asked me to please wash them so she could wear them again. I agreed because I am sick of the "soft pants" and what is one more load of laundry anyway. At the risk of her changing her mind, I had to ask her why, after all these months and months of wanting to wear nothing but soft pants, did she suddenly decide it had to be jeans?

Her answer: Because I am an artist and all artists wear jeans everyday.

I have absolutely no idea where that came from and I didn't even ask.

Reading Material

My husband tends to use our bathroom as a mini library where he stores an assortment of reading material. Every time I use the bathroom I am then subjected to a microcosm of his reading tastes and proclivities and I wonder how 2 such opposite people share the same living space. We both love books and magazines, but that is where the similarities end.

I usually read only one book and one magazine at a time. I don't like to be reading too many things at once. This is not the case for Rob. I tend to treat my books quite well. I would never dream of dog-earring a page unless it was an extreme emergency. The other day when Zoe fell out of the tree she was climbing at the playground I still put my bookmark in place before rushing over to her. (She was fine and did not fall from very high.) I would never ever leave a book in the bathroom and subject it to the humidity of days of showers and the curious fingers of the child who shares our bathroom. I couldn't. I also tend to buy mostly one genre of book -- fiction. Occasionally I dip into biography and history, but I generally stick with fiction.

When I get a magazine I read it (or at least skim it) and then pass it to someone else or recycle it. I do not leave magazines lolling about for months at a time nor do I ever re-read them. Once in a blue moon I will save a particular issue of a magazine, but that is so rare that I only have 4 magazines (3 New Yorkers and one New York Times Magazine) saved and I have never re-read any of them.

Rob's reading material in our bathroom includes:

A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life -- warped hardcover with every 3rd page dog-eared
Latin Can Be Fun -- Seriously. And with the "Bargain" sticker still on it, of course
The February 2008 issue of Cigar Aficionado -- which has been in the bathroom since February 2008 and is barely holding together as a magazine anymore
The November 2008 issue of Outside Magazine -- see above
The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook with Zoe's drawings added to some of the illustrations
The most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated -- a magazine he subscribes to and yet I have never seen him cook one recipe from it.
The American Van Catalog -- also dog-eared which scares me since he is supposed to be getting rid of the van next month
The Selected Poems of D. H. Lawrence -- no complaints with that one

Interesting portrait of the man, isn't it?

A Broken Promise

One year ago I promised that I would not write and complain about my braces in this blog ever again, but I lied. I have decided that one full year of braces wearing entitles me to one more post complaining about them.

It seems like ever since I hit that one year mark last week (February 27) I realized just how much longer I have to go. I know I should be thinking that I am halfway there. Woo hoo! But, no. Another year feels like a really long time to have to deal with the following:

• Concern for what food particles are lodged in my teeth after every single meal. This is particularly exacerbated when eating out at a restaurant where I often spend post-eating time either not smiling or covering my mouth with my hand when I do.
• Awkward smiling. Almost every time I do smile my lips have to navigate their way around these things in my mouth.
• Seeing them on my smile in pictures. Yuck.
• Waking up every morning with the insides of my mouth dried onto the braces and gently having to peel them apart.
• Rubber bands. No one told me about the rubber bands. Miserable little things.
• The random moments when the inside of my cheek catches on part of the brace. Ouch!
• The never ending string of orthodontist appointments. Seems like every time I turn around I have to go back there. I like my doctor and most of the people who work at the office, but every 3rd time or so I get the assistant who takes at least twice as long as the others to but the bands back on and it is like torture.
• The smell of popcorn that I cannot have. I don't miss most of the other banned foods, but popcorn is really tough especially when I am at the movies.
  

OK, I think that is it for my complaints. I can no longer promise, but I do hope that my next post about braces will be when I get them off!

Questions for Mom

Seems like lately Zoe speaks in questions and they all tend to start with "Mom?" Heard in a typical day:

"Mom? Can I watch TV?"

"Mom? Can I have a snack?"

"Mom? What's 23+23?"

"Mom? Did you see what I made?"

"Mom? What does this say?"

"Mom? Can I mail this letter to Sophia?"

"Mom? Can I have a playdate with Hannah?"

"Mom? Can I have more milk?"

"Mom? Can I be done?"

"Mom? What is your favorite color?"

"Mom? Can I have dessert?"

"Mom? How do you spell airplane?"

"Mom? Where's my journal?"

"Mom? Can we get that?"

"Mom? Can you take me to the bathroom?"

"Mom? When is my birthday?"

"Mom? Did you know that a baby kangaroo is called a Joey?"

"Mom? Can I have 5 more minutes?"

"Mom? Where's Daddy?"

"Mom? Can I have some more?"

"Mom? Can you tuck me in?"

"Mom? When are we going to be there?"

"Mom? When can we go?"


Luckily, just when I am getting exasperated I get this:

"Mom? I love you."

Pictures of Puerto Rico

Zoe in the surf, originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

We're just home from Puerto Rico one day late as Mother Nature thoughtfully provided us with a snow storm on Monday and forcing us to prolong our stay. That extra day was a really nice treat. Coming home to 25 degree weather, but looking at the pictures tonight has brought back all the sun, warmth, and relaxation.

I have a bunch of pictures, but some of my favorite are here.