ZoesMom's Bear

If you've been reading this blog for awhile or you've been in Zoe's room, you know how much she loves stuffed animals. I think we have just about one of every kind of animal ever made in stuffed animal form -- including a duck-billed platypus, a porcupine, and a salmon. Therefore I am sure it comes as no surprise to learn that one of her favorite stores is Build-a-Bear. I have lost count of how many bears, dogs, etc. that we have now "built," but it is surely enough for a small army.

For those of you that don't know the Build-a-Bear business model, it is really all about the clothes and other accessories. The bears and whatnot are relatively inexpensive, but they get you with the other stuff. It is brilliant really. Luckily for me, Zoe has never cared for the clothes or the accessories so supporting her habit has been relatively inexpensive. Not worse than something like Pokemon cards. But I digress.

This year for Mother's Day I received from Zoe my very own Build-a-Bear! She had Rob take her to the mall, she brought her own money, and she "built" this bear for me. Because it is something that she loves so much, I love it too. It is part of the mother's curse to love these kinds of presents, but it is a burden I am willing to bear. (Ha. Get it? Bear.)

So, ladies and gentleman, I now introduce you to my new bear friend Justice. She even wears a t-shirt that says "Happy Mother's Day" to commemorate the occasion.



Yes, I got some beautiful flowers and some delicious shower gel and lotion from my wonderful husband, but this is my favorite gift.

A few hundred of her closest friends

The other day it was Zoë was playing in her room and it was unusually quiet. After awhile I went upstairs to find that she had lined up just about every single one of her stuffed animals on her bed. She has been sleeping with all of them for the last few nights and she insisted I take a picture.


I have often said she has enough stuffed animals to fill a zoo and I think you can tell from this picture (even though you can't even see all the animals) that I do not exaggerate.

Fun costs...

...and here is where you start paying. In sweat. [Props to anyone who gets that reference.]

I found all kinds of delightful ways to spend money this weekend.

It started Friday night with cocktails at the Algonquin Hotel in NYC with good friends and fellow bloggers including Becky, Emily, Chris, and my newest friend Dorr. A couple of rounds of drinks, dinner, and a final glass of wine made for a really terrific (if somewhat damp) evening and a perfect start to the weekend. Of course, none of the 3 different checks were under 3 digits.

His original plan had been to work all day and night, but due to some snafu Rob ended up not having to work at all on Saturday. Because of that I was able to alter my Saturday plans to include some shopping (gotta love buying new jeans in a smaller size!) and a pedicure. Saturday night we took Zoë to the carnival at her school. The carnival is a fund raiser for the school so we brought cash to drop and drop it we did. I'm not sure how, but somewhere between the squirt game and the hit the balloon with the dart game we realized we only had $5 left! We definitely did our part for Riverfield School that night. Zoë had a great time and even took home a new friend, a stuffed Penguin named Pengwinny, of course.

Between gifts and meals I haven't even wanted to add up what today cost. I am a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Mother's Day, but I still managed to have some fun. Zoë did not repeat her behavior of last weekend and was actually quite well-behaved and very, very sweet. The highlight of the fun was definitely when my nephew hurled a bowl of ice cream on the floor of the restaurant. He is too cute and since I'm not his Mom it made me laugh. And I did get some great gifts (including several Zoë masterpieces) so I can't complain about that.

All-in-all it was an expensive, but really nice weekend. Which only makes Monday morning that much harder to face.

Meme time!

I haven't done a meme in awhile and since I really should be working this seems like a perfect time to get started on one. Got this from Emily & Becky -- thanks to you both!

The Extremely Random Meme

What is your occupation?
I am Associate Project Director for the electronic media department of a small publishing company.

What color are your socks right now?
I am without socks. I hate socks and only wear them when absolutely necessary. I would rather have cold feet than wear socks.

What are you listening to right now?
R.E.M. All last week Sirius satellite radio channel 18 was playing all R.E.M. all the time to promote the release of their new album (are they still called albums?). It was great and I have been continuing the binge via my iPod.

What is the last thing you ate?
A slice of pizza from Planet Pizza. It was just Zoë and I for dinner tonight so I let her pick.

Can you drive stick shift?
Nope. I believe I've blogged about that fact that before.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Red Violet. Not quite one thing or the other.

Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My husband who called from his latest job to say he would be (surprise, surprise) working even later than expected. However, my Mom is out tonight as well and Zoe is already in bed so it is nice to have some quiet, alone time at home.

What’s your favorite yoga pose?
The only one I know -- the plank.

How old are you today?
37 years, 2 months, 24 days

Favorite drinks?
Diet Coke, wine in it's many available forms including red, white and sparkling, vodka.

What is your favorite sport to watch?
Tennis. I have been watching it since I was little. Live or on TV, but preferably as part of a major tournament.

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yes. Pink, black and blue as a teenager. Light brown highlights a few years ago. I am too lazy/busy about going back to the hair salon to maintain any kind of hair color.

Pets?
Yes. I still have a dog named Spanky.

Favorite cake?
Yellow cake with white buttercream frosting from Ambrosia bakery in Stratford. It is sweet enough to make your teeth chatter. Yum!

Last movie you saw?
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day with Becky.

Favorite day of the year?
Zoe's birthday. The first one changed me forever. Every one since has been a happy celebration.

How do you vent anger?
It depends on what I am angry about/who I am angry at. I guess I either shout or grumble.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Snoopy. I loved him so much. I bought him clothes and other accessories and I brought him everywhere until the incredibly sad day when his head fell off.

Autumn or spring?
Autumn. Spring around these parts is just cruel.

Hugs or kisses?
Hugs.

Cherry or blueberry?
Neither -- unless you mean as candy flavors and then I would choose cherry.

Do you want your friends to respond?
Yes.

Who is most likely to respond?
I got this from the two most likely to respond. So, maybe Tracie?

Living arrangements?
House in Fairfield with one husband, one daughter, one mother and one dog.

Last time you cried?
Saturday night, but in general I am not a big crier. I can't remember the time before that.

What is on the floor of your closet?
Hangers, boots, and my black Le Sport Sac overnight bag.

Who is the friend you’ve had the longest?
Heather. We've been friends since Mr. Corica's 6th grade Social Studies class.

Favorite smell?
Citrus or peppermint.

Who or what inspires you?
Zoe.

What are you afraid of?
Crowds.

Hamburgers?
Yes. Yum!

Favorite car?
VW Carmengia in red, please.

Number of keys on your key ring?
2. One for the car, one for the house.

How many years at your current job?
2 years, 363 days.

Favorite day of the week?
Thursday. The week is just about over, the weekend is near, but still being anticipated.

How many countries have you lived in?
Just 1 unless you count Texas as a country which many people do.

Dream job
I can't decide between running a film festival or creating photo/story books. Both would be good.

The Dog Bed

Last weekend we went foraging at Target. One of the items on our list was dog food and as we wandered the multiple pet supply aisles Rob became enamored of an enormous faux-shearling dog bed. After only a few moments of contemplation Rob, who will hesitate at spending $9.99 on a new shirt, put the $39.99 dog bed into our cart. I would have had no problem with the idea or even spending the money except that our dog, Spanky, is 14 and he has never slept on a dog bed so it seems unlikely he would start now. You know the whole old dog, new tricks bit...

Anyway, despite my mild protests we brought the bed home and set it up in the spot in our upstairs hallway where Spanky usually sleeps at night. As predicted, he won't go near it. I mean he won't even lay near it and now has switched to his alternate sleep location (Zoë's room) on a full-time basis.

So I told Rob I wanted to return the bed. Zoë then promptly lay down on it and said if Spanky didn't want it then she did. The bed is so big that Zoe could actually use it for a bed, but I pointed out to her that she has a much bigger and nicer bed in her room already.

"But Eeyore needs a bed."

"Isn't this kind of a big bed for Eeyore?" I asked her. Eeyore is her most beloved stuffed animal, but he isn't more than 12 inches long.

"Yes, but he moves around a lot at night," she replied matter-of-factly. So credibly that for half a second I almost acquiesced.

Two Worlds

Zoë recently remarked:

"Stuffed animals live in two worlds. They live here as stuffed animals and they're real in the other world."

Stuffing

Actual conversation had with Zoë on Thanksgiving day:

Me: So, are you going to try the turkey?
Zoë: No.
Me: What are you going to eat? How about mashed potatoes?
Zoë: No. I want to try the cranberry sauce.
Me: Cranberry sauce is good.
Zoë: And stuffing.
Me: Stuffing is delicious. I am sure you are going to like it.
Zoë: I know I am going to like it. (pause) Mom? What's stuffing made of? Is it made of stuffed animals?
Me: Stuffed animals?
Zoë: Yeah. Is it the stuffing from stuffed animals?
Me: I don't think so.
Zoë: I do.
Me: And you still want to eat it?
Zoë: Yes.
Me: OK

The heart of a stuffed animal

I was talking with Zoë tonight and she told me the following facts about stuffed animals:

1. They can grow up.
2. They have hearts, but their hearts are a different color than ours -- they are white.
3. The white hearts make white blood.
4. The white blood is called stuffing.

In case you were wondering, now you know from an expert.