Mega Tree House

Q. What does any good non-observant Jew with 5 year-old daughter who is not feeling 100% well do on the highest of holy days that also happens to be a dreary Saturday?

A. Troll the aisles of Target of course!

Upon setting out for Target with Zoe, I knew that I would not return without some toy or other. My guess was that it would be Halloween related since the retail world is in full swing for the occasion already. We did spend a good 20 minutes perusing the Halloween merchandise aisles, Zoe playing with each and every screaming or singing skeleton, skull or monster they had available. The only request that came out of that area was for some pink candy corn which I refused.

As we headed toward the toy section, Zoe had her heart set on a new ball to be chosen from the giant hopper that lives at the top of one of the aisles. My backyard already has so many of these balls it sometimes looks like they grow there spontaneously, but at $2.50 a pop it is an easy Mom win.

However, on the way to the true toys section we passed through the sporting goods and then a sort of transition aisle that included fishing gear and various Playhut tents for kids. Zoe stopped in her tracks to look over the tents as a large Dora the Explorer Tree House tent caught her eye. A quick look down at the price tag on the shelf and red flags were flying. $49.99! Not my idea of an impulse buy. I wanted to hurry us to the $2.50 balls and I was halfway into my "put it on your list for Christmas and remember that Santa only brings one special present" speech when a little orange sticker on the tent box caught my eye. I leaned in for closer inspection to see that the sticker read $12.12. Hmmm...I could see some mega Mom points headed my way.

A deal was struck immediately. No ball, no Cookie Crisp cereal, and no other toys or goodies this trip to Target if we got the tent. Lots of hugs and thank yous later I wrangled it into my red cart and made quick strides for the register. I had the cashier confirm the discounted price and was pleased when there was no error.

We were barely in the door at home when Zoe was clawing at the box to the tent. We took it out and set it up in our family room. Turns out there was nothing deceiving in the name "Mega Tree House." This thing is literally 5' x 5'. It took up all the open floor space in the family room. Zoe piled in her favorite blankets and pillows and settled in for a long afternoon of watching movies. It was true love from the start.

I have to say, of all the Playhut tents I've seen (and this makes Zoe's third) this is by far the coolest one. I am sure I would have enjoyed this little hideaway when I was a kid as I was forever making tents with the blankets and pillows in our den or setting up and sleeping in our pup tent in my room. There is something so cozy and yet adventurous about being in a tent -- even if it is planted on the middle of your carpet.

Tonight I even managed to wrestle the Mega Tree House back into its 2' x 2' flat nylon bag with relative ease, but I suspect that tent will be re-erected first thing tomorrow morning.

The Cosmetics Counter: LUSH

I suspect I am a little late to the table on this one, but I have a new love and it is called LUSH. I must, first of all, thank Becky for the introduction to the world of LUSH.

My experience started with the wonderful, fresh smell of the store. It is hard to tell from their website just how delicious the store smells so I highly recommend going to an actual B&M location if you can find one near you. Then the lovely sales assistant helped Becky and I to a hand treatment that left the skin on my hands smoother than Zoë's baby you-know-what. After that I got a tour of the store and learned that all their products are hand made and never tested on animals. They use all natural ingredients and most of the products even come stamped with a best if used by date.

The hand treatment products were amazing, but I knew I would never go through all those steps on a regular basis. The bath soaps were incredibly tempting, but I hated the idea of such a great soap wasting away in the shower and getting all used up by Rob. Ultimately I settled on a set of 3 products to make up a new facial cleansing routine. The names of the products alone are quite alluring:

"Angels on Bare Skin" is the name of my new cleanser/exfoliator.
"Breath of Fresh Air" is my new toner.
"Imperialis" is my new moisturizer.

Yes, the products are on the expensive side, but so far they are really fabulous.

Happy 5768!

This morning Zoë told us that today was an important holiday for Russian people because it is Russia-shanah. Is that a perfect interpretation or what?

L'shanah tova. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

6 years

I can't believe it has been 6 years since 9/11/01. In some ways it still feels like yesterday and in other ways it feels like 20 years ago.

So much changed that day.

This anniversary reminds me to be grateful for all that I still have. I was one of the very lucky ones.

Royal Bank of Scotland will not get my business

Have you ever seen this commercial? I've seen a couple of times -- most recently this morning at the gym. It is so sexist that I find it infuriating. Why is the one woman made to look a complete idiot. The brush? The scream? Come on.

I'm sure they're not too concerned, but I won't be getting any of my money. You never know, that might actually mean something someday.

These quizzes are so powerful!

This one knew all about me...

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

7:25 on a Friday morning

And what a nice Friday morning it was...

After my shower this morning I saw that it was already 7:25 AM and Zoë was not yet out of bed. I went into her room and started pulling up the shades -- her room and especially her bed gets all the gorgeous morning sun. Now bathed in that sunlight, she started to stir in her bed and I gently said, "Time to get up my wonderful girl."

She was lying on her stomach and her face was turned toward me and this sweet little smile spread across her face. Her eyes were still closed and she looked almost angelic. I knelt down next to her bed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. My face was centimeters from hers and I was awestruck. I know it sounds melodramatic, but it is true. I can't believe I had a hand in creating this beautiful child. It felt like falling love all over again.

First day of school -- part II

First day of school -- part I

First day of school -- part I

First day of school -- part II

The First Day!

Today was the big day -- Zoë's first day of kindergarten. She got on the bus no problem and looked back only to get her picture taken. She got to her classroom (we followed the bus to school), and sat right now in a circle with everyone else. And then there she was this afternoon getting off the bus like she had been doing it for years. When she got off the bus she said her day was "fantastic!"

I only shed a few tears.

Pictures to come soon...

What are you reading right now?

I've beenn tagged for another book meme by Becky.

What are you reading right now?
Roots
I started it about a week ago and am almopst halfway through. It is for bookclub and is the follow-up read to last month's Gone With the Wind. In this case it could be called "The Other Side of the Story."

I am also reading the latest New Yorker magazine (haven't gotten past Talk of the Town yet) and the latest edition of Tin House to which I received a gift subscription for my birthday. It is an interesting publication that contains excellent work along with some stuff that looks like it was pulled from the local high school's "literary" magazine.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
My shelves of unread books overflows, but I'm leaning toward "The Evil B. B. Chow and other Stories" by Steve Almond. I haven't read a short story collection in a while and the few Steve Almond pieces I've read have me intrigued. Of course a trip to the bookstore could quickly derail that plan. It will be something to look forward to after completing all 888 grueling pages of Roots.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
The New Yorker, Wired, Marie Claire, Outside and something I would not have believed existed until my husband brought it home called Primitive Archer. Seriously. Clearly my husband has never gotten over Y2K.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
The Silent Cry is the worst thing in recent memory. I wasn't exactly forced because it was for my book club so no grades or money depended on it, but it was torturous for me. Farther back to my school days I would have to say some of the plays I was forced to read in my theater classes were among the worst including Ioneesco's Rhinoceros. I just didn't "get" the greatness of that one. (Sorry J. Fred.)

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
I tend to always recommend the last book I really, really loved. Right now that book is Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I just really enjoyed and was completely taken by surprise by that book and I have mentioned it to just about everyone I know that reads. There are certainly things I think everyone should read, but I generally don't go around making recommendations like that.

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?
Definitely not. Don't tell the people I work with, but I don't even have a library card of my own. (Yes, Zoe has one.) I like to own my books. Lend them out if I choose too. Let them sit on my shelf for months unread like delicious fruits ripe for picking at any moment. I love books and I am rarely satisfied with borrowing them. (My own copy of Special Topics is on its way to be me as I type.)

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?
I think The Secret History by Donna Tartt falls squarely in that category. I don't even know why, but I just really enjoyed that book (both times I read it), but I have never met anyone else who would list it among their favorites.

Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?

While eating: Whenever I get the chance. I especially love leisurely breakfasts with a good book or magazine. Reading while eating is one of the best parts of eating alone.

While bathing: Nah. Not a bath taker and books and showers just don't go well together. If they did, I would probably try it.

While watching movies or TV: Definitely while watching TV and especially when the TV show is something aimed at my daughter or that my hsuband has chosen. Never while watching a movie. I love movies so I pay attention to them.

While you listen to music: Not usually because I just don't put music on that much if I am not at my desk at work or in the car and I think driving, listening to music and reading would be a bit hazardous.

While on the computer: No. I mean a lot of being at the computer is reading, but I don't read something else while I am doing something on the computer.

While having sex: No. Reading material is usually cast aside at that time.

While you're driving: No. See "While you listen to music" above.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
No, but it used to drive my Dad crazy. He used to say that my brother and I were the only two kids who had to be told to put the book down and go outside to play. I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't reading something, but I think my true obsession with books hit me right after I quit graduate school and I had a job, but was overwhelmed with the free time on my hands even after working 40 hours a week. It was then that I discovered Half Price Book Store and truly fell in love with reading just for the enjoyment of it.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
I don't know. Since I had Zoe I haven't been able to force myself to stay awake to read like I used to. I can remember reading Jurassic Park all in one night as well as a few Jane Green novels, but I have no idea what the last book was.

Becoming Pride and Prejudice

By some miracle (thanks again Mom!) I was able to slip out to a movie last night. I had to make a quick decision of what to see. The choices have been pretty bleak all summer (Bourne Redundancy, anyone?), but there was actually a few options last night so my decision, after ruling out "The Nanny Diaries," which I really want to see with a friend, was based on time. "Becoming Jane" was playing at 9PM and therefore declared the movie of choice.

I went in with low expectations due to a few cool reviews I'd read. Frankly, I was just pleased to be sitting in the theater with my popcorn and the fact that the film I was about to see had nothing to do with Pixar. I was quite pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained. Although I am a big fan of Jane Austen's novels I know very little about her actual life so the fantastical story didn't bother me even though I am sure it didn't have much to do with reality. The entire movie was basically a reflection of the plot of "Pride and Prejudice", but this time with a different sort of happy ending. The idea was that you could see where Jane Austen got inspiration for each character and plot twist in her famous book. That aspect was quite enjoyable and the fact that she doesn't end up with the man of her dreams is also satisfying. Her desire to be a writer trumps all other desires in her life. Anyone who has read and re-read "Pride and Prejudice" will likely enjoy this movie as well.

My only complaint with the movie is the fact that Anne Hathaway is (in the tradition of Keira Knieghtly playing Elizabeth Bennet, perhaps) downright skeletal. Her British accent was not perfect, but better than expected, but she looked like a stiff wind would blow her over at any moment and her collar bones were so spiky that I would be afraid to hug her. She was really so much prettier with a few more pounds on her in "The Devil Wears Prada."

Speaking of the actors, newcomer James McAvoy was both handsome and excellent as Ms. Austen's love, Tom LeFroy. I look forward to seeing him in the upcoming film version of "Atonement."

Last Day of Babyhood

Today is Zoë's last day at Pumpkin Preschool.

Pumpkin Preschool is the daycare she has been attending since she was 6 months old. It is both a relief and a sadness to be done with the place. My little baby has grown up there and now she will embark on a whole new chapter of her life (kindergarten!). One that I am sure will be exciting and wonderful and that I know she is ready as can be for, but she'll never be a baby again. I have to say, she was the cutest baby EVER. Seriously. Look at this picture of her at about 6 months:


Starting next week I lose her a little more to the world. But you know, when it comes right down to it, she will always be my baby.

Green is the New Black

Yes, I mean green as in eco-friendly, recycling, bottled water is bad. Yawn, right? Everyone from Oprah to Tom Friedman have been spouting off on the need to "go green." However, I've been on the recyclying and conservation band wagon since my college days in Ithaca so I have to say it is good to see the rest of the country getting on board. The more the better when it comes to saving the Earth.

All of this increased awareness in the media and otherwise has led me to think about what more I can do to get even "greener." (For the record, in clothing I am really drawn to blue these days and not green.) I have felt the need to do more than the standard recycling of newspapers and soda cans. (Further for the record I am not, never have been, and probably never will be someone you would consider "granola" or "crunchy.") So far I've come up with a few fairly simple things and as I think of more I'll post about them. Here's what I've got so far:

• I buy the largest size available of products that come in plastic bottles like shampoo and other cosmetics, soda, and cleaning supplies.
• I've conquered my addiction to Olay Daily Facials Express. While these make face washing incredibly easy, it does mean throwing away the little cloth every time.
  
• I take at least one less napkin at fast food/to-go style restaurants.
• I used to use two paper towels to wipe down the cardio equipment I've been using at the gym and I now only use one.
• I bought re-usable grocery bags. To aviod any financial impact on the grocery bill, I did this one bag at a time for several weeks and I now have enough for the weekly shop.
  

Those are the highlights. More to come and I am definitely open to suggestions.

What to do in Cape Cod when you're 5

Tom Chapin

Anyone who's ever had satellite radio can tell you exactly why it is aptly nick-named "Crack Radio." I am lucky enough to have Sirius Satellite radio in my car and even though I also have AM/FM radio and a 6-CD player, I listen to my satellite radio exclusively. And for those of you who immediately think of Howard Stern, I have never listened to him once.

However, I have discovered a number of artists I might not other wise have heard of. Especially in kids' music. Sirius channel 116, Kids Stuff, is all kids music all the time and Zoe just loves it. While I think the station name should be changed to Laurie Berkner and friends radio, I am so pleased that we discovered Tom Chapin through this station.

Tom Chapin is the brother of the late Harry Chapin and as it turns out he is a fairly prolific musician. His songs are really great and have wonderful lyrics that are just right for younger kids, but enjoyable for grown-ups too. Of course the brother of the man who wrote 30,000 Pounds of Bananas should have the same talent for lyrics. (Yes, we have no bananas in Scranton, PA...)

One of my favorites songs of his is called "Questions" The chorus goes like this: "I want to know why and how and which and what and where and when so I am gonna ask and ask and ask and ask and ask again." Then he goes on to pose a long list of questions. The funniest part is that when the song comes on Zoe will provide an answer to each one of the questions.

Some examples:

How does an iPod play?
You turn it on.

Who puts the stuff in stores?
Trucks bring the stuff.

When did your hair turn gray?
When you got old.

Why do we still have wars?
Because boys are mean.

Where do you go when you die?
Heaven

And my favorite is...

How does the tooth fairy know?
Practice.

Plan ahead to do NOTHING

Did you know that tomorrow (August 10) is National Lazy Day? It's true!

And as luck would have it National Lazy Day just happens to coincide with National S'mores Day!

Of course, neither of these holidays are, as of yet, officially recognized, but look out for your local Hallmark store to start selling "Happy S'mores Day" cards any minute now.

By the way, today just happens to be one of my favorites -- Book Lovers Day. I think I'll go celebrate at my local B&N.

Ask and ask and ask and still no tell

On Monday morning Zoë seemed to not be feeling her best. She was unusually lethargic and coughing and I got the feeling she was acting, but I knew she was also exhausted from the very busy weekend we'd had so I decided to keep her home. She was on and off cranky and spent a good part of the day watching TV and by midday she seemed to be perked up and feeling better. I kept asking her how she felt and I couldn't get a real answer.

Tuesday morning I brought Zoë to school and 2 hours after I dropped her off I got a call from her teacher telling me that Zoe wasn't feeling well, but it was unclear exactly what was wrong. She was cranky -- very cranky. Her throat hurt, her stomach hurt, it kept changing. Lucky for both Zoë and me my mother was able to pick her up and take her home for the day. Again she seemed to be feeling better by the afternoon. And again I kept asking her how she felt or what was bothering her and I got no answer.

This morning (Wednesday morning) on the way to school Zoë told me her ear hurt. Finally! It all fell into place. Since she was a baby, Zoë has behaved pretty much this exact same way when she has an ear infection. It is a cranky, whiny thing combined with bursts of energy to throw you off the scent of the problem. Since she has had about 2 dozen ear infections I can't believe I didn't figure it out by Tuesday morning. I was distracted by about a hundred other things otherwise I am sure I would have recognized it immediately.

This afternoon a quick trip to the pediatrician confirmed my diagnosis. Of course when the doctor asked what was wrong, she told him immediately. At least the antibiotics work faster than Zoë answers a question.

Monster Spray

One night a few weeks ago Zoë called to me from her bed where she was supposed to be sleeping.

"Mom! I think there is a monster in my room!"

This was the first time she ever claimed to see a monster in her room and I was a little surprised by it. As I was climbing the stairs I was thinking to myself that I didn't want to make a big deal out of this and out of nowhere I was hit with what turned out to be a great idea. I grabbed the can of Lysol from the bathroom and went into her room with my "Monster Spray." I sprayed the spot where Zoe claimed to see a monster and when she asked me how it worked I said monsters are repelled by the smell, just like bug spray.

Zoë being the trusting, darling child that she is accepted this completely. She was fully satisfied that the monster was not coming back. At first I was concerned that this would bring on nightly monster scares, but there has only been one other since and it was just as quickly wrapped up with a couple of sprays of Lysol.

I wonder if the Lysol company knows about this added use for their product?

Xanadu on Broadway

Yesterday I just happened to read the NY Times' review of the new Broadway show "Xanadu." I don't ordinarily read the theatre reviews because I don't get to the theatre very often. And yes, it is "Xanadu" based on the cinematic gem by the same name that starred Olivia Newton John, but that is not the part I am excited about.

I am excited because this production stars Kerry Butler and the review is glowing. I attended college with Kerry Butler. We graduated the same year, same theater department. (Clearly she made good use of her degree unlike myself.) While this is hardly her first Broadway show or even her first starring role, the review about her work is amazing. It is really nice to see such great praise for someone you know and who's talent you have always admired. Plus everyone likes to brag about the famous people they knew "way back when."

The article says:

Kerry Butler, as the Greek demi-goddess Clio, who also roams Venice Beach as the Australian mortal Kira, is simply heaven on eight little polyurethane wheels. Or heaven in leg warmers.

...

Ms. Butler is the rare Broadway ingénue who is as funny as she is pretty, and she sings gloriously, too, both in her own tangy Broadway belt and in a devastatingly funny impersonation of Ms. Newton-John’s sweetly sighing soprano. (When Ms. Butler is speaking Australian, she’s actually a ringer for a fresher import from Down Under, Nicole Kidman.) She’s got a lovely line in arabesque on those skates, too! Can Audra McDonald or Kristin Chenoweth do that?

If Super-Powers were widely available

I'm not sure what exactly started me on this train of thought, but I've been thinking lately about Super-Powers I would like to have. Yes, there are the obvious ones like flying or x-ray vision or mind-reading, but lets say those are all taken and any"evil" powers do not apply. Here are some I'd like to have:

1. The ability to suspend time for the purpose of reading. As long as I was reading something, time would stop and I could continue reading for as long as I desired without being interrupted, falling asleep, or even getting hungry.
   
2. The ability to make children fall asleep and stay asleep for what would be a normal and appropriate length of time. At night that would mean 10 hours or so and mid-day that would be about 2 hours.
   
3. The ability to eat calorie-rich delicious foods without the terrible side-effects of weight gain. (This had to be included.)
4. The ability to regulate temperature in indoor settings. Mother Nature is free to continue to control the outdoors, but I would like to set the temperature when I am inside.
5. Perfect spelling and grammar at all times. I'm not saying I want stiff and formal speech or writing, but it really drives me crazy when I realize I've said something grammatically incorrect or I've written something with a spelling error.
   

Those are the powers I've come up with so far. I'll let you know if I think of any more. What would your powers be?

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.

Website of the Week: BookSwim

OK I know it isn't really right for me to call it "Website of the Week" since it has been months since I've posted one, but I still like the alliteration.

Anyway, the site is BookSwim.com

They are self-described as Netflix for readers.

BookSwim is the first online BOOK RENTAL LIBRARY CLUB lending you paperbacks and hardcovers direct to your house WITHOUT THE NEED TO PURCHASE! Whether it's New Releases, Bestsellers, or Classics, we've got 80,000 titles to choose from, with FREE SHIPPING BOTH WAYS! Read your books as long as you want -- no late fees! Even choose to purchase and keep the titles you love!

It sounds like an interesting ideas. Especially for those books you read fast and then look to give away because you don't want them to take up precious shelf space. (Think chick-lit or airport reads.) The site is in beta right now and I am hopeful that there will be two improvements:
1. More options in pricing plans like Netflix has. Right now the options are limited and the price is a little high for more books than I could read in a month. I would like to see something more like $5.00 a month for 2 books like the lowest level Netflix plan.

2. More new titles. The selection looked current, but not up to the minute.

Zoe Graduates Pre-K!

(The band-aid on her lip is from stitches that were the result of a run-in with a flying piggy-bank.)

What conference presentations should be...

Or what they sometimes feel like anyway.

"C" is for Cookie

This past weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to Sesame Place. The day before the trip Zoë and I were at the supermarket and I told her to pick out some snacks for the car ride. She picked out one of those boxes with little bags of Cheez-its, Ritz Bits, and mini Chips Ahoy! I was a little surprised at her choice because none of those are her particular favorite, but it was the one she really wanted so we bought it.

In the car I discovered the real reason for her selection -- it was not because she had discovered a love for Ritz Bits from stealing other kids' snacks, but that she wanted the Chips Ahoy! so she could give some to Cookie Monster! He does love cookies so how could I refuse?

On our second day in Sesame Place we had lunch with the characters and there Zoë got her big chance. She was so excited to give him the cookies and I have to give a lot of credit to the person in the Cookie Monster costume because he did a great job of accepting the bag of cookies and then passing them off unseen by Zoë. Plus he acted thrilled to be getting the cookies. It made my day and it especially made Zoe's. For that one moment alone she will go on believing for another year.

Meme Madness

O.K. here's one more from the same source. This time it’s simple. Just go to Google and search for “[your name] needs…”

Marcy needs...

Marcy needs a goatee to help him look older than his graduate students.
Hmmm...no, I don't think I do need a goatee since I am not a "he" and I don't have graduate students. If I did have graduate students I would want to look older than them, but I think I'd pick high heels or suits rather than a goatee to convey my maturity. By the way, I've never heard of a man called "Marcy."

Marcy needs to cancel the PO that was sent in for the softball game.
She certainly does! Marcy hates softball.

Marcy needs two people for a special assignment.
Codename: babysitting.

(There weren't a lot of good results for "Marcy needs..." so I tried "Marcy wants..." and got these additional returns:

Marcy wants him to get rid of it, but he refuses.
The potential "its" are long here. My husband is a pack rat. And then there is the old, dying and quite hard to live with dog... (I know that is mean, but you try cleaning up poop every day and getting woken up at 2am regularly by an old dog who needs to go out and pee.)

Marcy wants to discuss recycling.
I would love to discuss recycling, actually -- especially with those who don't do it. I am a big supporter of recycling. I have a recycling bin in my office and I often wonder if the cleaning people actually recycle the paper or just dump it in with the rest of the trash. I really hope it is the former.

Happy Anniversary -- again

My brother and his wife celebrate 10 years of marriage today!

See last year's anniversary post to read the poem I wrote for them.


Today also marks 10 years that my husband and I are together. We pretty much fell in love on my brother's wedding day -- at the wedding, of course. I believe it was the 5 or 6 Tom Collins that made me vulnerable.

8 Random Things

Taking on another tag from my friend on the sofa here's 8 random things...

1. I love Friday afternoon. The whole weekend is still ahead. It is a wonderful thing to know that work is just about to go on temporary hold.
   
2. I would go to a movie at the movie theater every week if I possibly could. Before I had Zoë, I pretty much did. Renting movies is just not the same for me. I like the whole experience of sitting in the dark theater, the popcorn, the leaving everything else behind for 2 hours or so.
   
3. I had no idea how much having a baby would change my life and I'm glad I never stopped to think about it before I did because maybe I never would have.
4. I would be happy to eat only pizza and ice cream for the rest of my days and if I didn't worry about my weight that's probably about all I would eat. Seriously.
5. I recently got addicted to satellite radio (also known as "radio crack") and I love the station that is all New Wave hits from the 80's, but it was a scary moment when I realized that all that music is at least 20 years old! When I make Zoë listen to it in the car I am basically subjecting her to "oldies."
6. It is harder than it seems to come up with "8 Random Things" that are at all interesting. I actually started this post on Friday and as of this morning I still only had 5. I think this one is kind of cheating and maybe I should change the name of my post to "7 Random Things and One Cop Out."
7. If I shopped less I could probably go on more vacations, but then what would I wear?
8. Speaking of shopping, I sometimes wish I could empty out my house and start over. From sheets and towels to the sofa. It would be so fun to pick out all new stuff. I mean how often do you get to go shopping for furniture for an entire room?
   

Tis the Season for a Recital

Here's a picture from the previously mentioned recital starring my niece, Sophia. (The handsome guy with her is my brother.)


And here's a photo from Zoë's recital held last night. It was adorable.

Hey Jealousy

It is so interesting (and sometimes annoying) to witness the open jealousy of children. Zoe is not afraid to admit when she is jealous -- which is something I encourage in her because I think it is better for her to talk about it than to go around biting or something similarly violent or destructive. Most frequent bouts of jealousy occur when I am holding someone else's baby. There fore there was nothing surprising about yesterday's attack of the green-eyed monster except that it came up so late in the day. We went to see my niece's dance recital and Zoe sat quite well through the hour plus show. She only got fidgety in the last 15 minutes, but by that point I think everyone was feeling that way. She seemed genuinely excited to see her cousin perform as well as watch all the other performances. I was waiting for the jealousy to strike and was surprised when it didn't come.

After the performance we all went to lunch and that is when the attack came on suddenly. I was not expecting to look over at her and see she was crying -- apparently because she wasn't sitting next to me. At that point there was no way to move seats so she could be next to me -- rather than just across from me. My husband and my brother did their best to try and draw her out of it, but she would not budge from her pout. It wasn't until she got taken to sit in the car with my husband that she finally came out of it.

It was a divided moment for me. On one hand I felt for her, but on the other hand I was incredibly frustrated by her. I think it is important that she learn that it is not all about her all of the time, but I know that is a hard lesson.

Google humor

Go to Google, enter "New York to London", click maps. Look at step #21.

He does exist!

Fresh from Disney World...Zoe and "the real Eeyore."

Happy Mother's Day

It's kind of a funny day, isn't it? You're obligated to do something nice for your mother today. I think I'd prefer that sort of thing came naturally. Maybe it's just me, but even now that I am a mom myself, I still don't really get Mother's Day. I tend to think it is just a big ploy designed by the phone company and the florists. I'm not much for flowers or chats on the phone, I guess. Guilt does amazing things for capitalism.

Seriously, however, I do now appreciate what a difficult job it is to be a mother and I do feel that mothers everywhere deserve recognition and appreciation. Its just that I feel they deserve it on a daily basis rather than annually. And curmudgeon that I pretend I am, I must admit that it was nice to be together with my family today and enjoy time with my nieces and nephews especially. :-)

I don't want to go/I don't want to leave

Every weekday morning I drop Zoë off at school and she almost never wants to go. Her behavior ranges from putting on a brave face to the rare, but never-the-less traumatic mini-tantrum as I try to leave and go to work.

Every afternoon after work when I get to school to pick Zoë up she doesn't want to leave. Her reaction at seeing me ranges from excited, but distracted to out and out disappointment.

Bath time is the same routine. She will do nearly anything to get out of taking a bath, but then once she's in the nice warm bath and splashing around with all her toys, she doesn't want to get out.

What is that? Seriously.

My theory is that it is a kind of training for having a teenager, but then again maybe it is just a special torture that only 5 year olds know how to inflict.

The Bookish Meme

I am finally getting around to responding to my official "tagging" from my friend "Musing from the sofa."

What's more diverting than a little survey of sorts about books!?

Hb, trade pb, or mass market pb?
Frankly, I prefer mas market pb because I like the way they stack up on my book shelves. It is an edition that is harder and harder to come by in books I want to read, however.

Amazon or brick and mortar?
I am all about Amazon. My cart is my running list of books I want to buy. It makes for a very handy log. I also love buying used books through the "marketplace" for $1.00. It amuses me to pay more for shipping than I do for the actual book. I love being able go book shopping or browsing at any time of the day or night. That being said, I do enjoy a leisurely trip to Barnes and Noble -- especially the one in Union Square and most especially when I am there with my husband.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Barnes & Noble. When they built that massive 4-story B&N in Union Square and I was living walking distance from the place it was the beginning of a long love affair. I actually met one serious boyfriend there. (Keith, that's you if you're reading this.) I tend to think of all other B&N stores are good, but miniature imitations of that store and it brings back good memories. Even though I can currently walk to a Borders I find their organization a little confusing, but Zoë does love their children's section. That has saved many a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Bookmark or dogear?
Dogear?! Who would do such a thing? Please.

Alphabetize by author, title or random?
Random by general category (fiction, poetry, etc.) and then size. I alphabetized once, but then Zoë got to be about 14 months and started to enjoy pulling the books from the shelf and throwing them. It got too hard to always put them back in order. I've learned to live with a little more disorder in my life since having a child.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep by default, but I have sold a few disappointments on the Amazon marketplace. Occasionally, I just give away when I am starting to run out of shelf space.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep, but remove while reading.

Short story or novel?
Both. I love short stories and in a way a good collection of short stories can feel like the experience of reading a novel. I'll take either.

Collection of short stories or anthology?
Collection, for sure. Especially for the reason expressed above -- I love a cohesive collection.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Neither. I haven't read either and I have no plans to do so. Unless, of course, Zoë discovers one or both which I suppose is inevitable. Ask me again in 3 to 5 years.

Stop reading when tired or chapter breaks?
When tired. I usually give up when the book falls on my face because I have fallen asleep reading it. That is usually after several re-reads of the same two sentences. I have never been able to force my way through the tiredness no matter how much I wanted to keep reading.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"
"Once upon a time." I'm not a big mystery fan. I find I either figure them out early on or miss the mystery all together because I wasn't paying enough attention while reading.

Buy or borrow?
Buy. I love to own the book. I don't mind lending, but I prefer to read my own copy of something. I am not a good library patron either.

New or used?
Either. I love buying new books, but there is something romantic and ecological feeling about getting a used book. I often wonder about who else read the same book.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Book reviews or browse. I don't know what it is about recommendations that frequently turn me off. It is a strange character flaw.

Morning, afternoon, or nighttime reading?
Anytime I get the chance, but my newest favorite time is in the morning when I just wake up and it isn't time to get out of bed yet. That is a very relaxing way to start the day.

Favourite series?
I can't say I really have one. I am not a big series reader. I can't even think of one that I liked right now besides the "Little House on the Prairie" books I read as a kid.

Favourite children's book?
As stated above the "Little House on the Prairie" books, "Bridge to Teribithia", "Madeline", "Click Clack Moo" and "The Giant Jam Sandwich."

Favourite books read last year?
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Jane Eyre (re-read)
Pride and Prejudice (re-read)
Wicked

Least favourite book finished last year?
My Name Is Red

What are you reading now?
All the King's Men. I cannot wait for it to be over. I would give up, but it is for book club. Talk about verbose!

What are you reading next?
Not sure. Probably some chick lit as antidote to the above selection.

My Little Pony vs. Superman

The other night we were at the supermarket which happens to have a toy/kid's books and movies aisle. (How come our local Grand Union didn't have that when I was a kid???) Zoë asked if she could get "something" -- her desired "something" being a book. Pleeeease.

She's been into those $3.95 "My Little Pony" books lately and they had a few that she was looking at until she saw the Spiderman book.

She clutched the book to herself, she turned to me, "Mom, can I please, please, please get this Spiderman book?" she begged. Of course, I said yes. It's an incredibly watered down version of the plot of the new Spiderman 3 movie that is coming out.

Looks like Spidey trumps Rarity and the gang in Zoë's book and it's just one of the many, many things I love about her.

Website of the Week (or there abouts): True Mom Confessions

True Mom Confessions

It's like a real life version of taxi-cab confessions. Some of them are hilarious, some of them I can click the "me too" button for and some are kind of sad, but they're all interesting to read.

What's your confession?

M.O.

M.O. also known as Mommy Only.

Seems like most kids go through it a few times at different ages. M.O. is when the only person in the world who can do whatever is required, who can possibly soothe or feed or read to is, of course, Mommy. M.O. means lots of crying, clinging, separation anxiety and "no Daddy." It can truly be exhausting.

But secretly, deep down (really, way down) most Moms will admit that M.O. is also the ultimate confirmation that Mom really does know best.

5 years/50,000 miles

Zoë had her 5 year-old check up today. She is, as expected, the picture of health. Not short, not tall; not skinny, not fat; can hear and see, no curvature of the spine -- all that good stuff.

I actually came to the appointment prepared with a list of questions:
Q - Are the night time leg pains growing pains? Is there such a thing?
A - Yes, they are growing pains.

Q - She writes some letters backwards, but inconsistently. Should I be concerned?
A - No. That's normal -- especially for letters like "S."

Q - Should she take vitamins?
A - Only if you think so because she doesn't eat enough fruits and vegetables. (Can someone introduce me to the kid who does?)

Q - Is she ready for kindergarten?
A - She's so ready she will be the mayor of the school.

Gotta love that last answer -- especially coming from Zoë's doctor. He's more than a doctor and its hard to explain what I mean unless you've brought your very sick baby to someone and they have both helped you and her feel better.

O.K. I promise to move on to acceptance, but let me just say one last time that I can't believe Zoë is 5 already.

From this...


To this...


In only 5 years!

The effect was slight

Certainly the spin on this story in today's NY Times will not be using this quote from the second paragraph:

The effect was slight, and well within the normal range for healthy children, the researchers found. And as expected, parents’ guidance and their genes had by far the strongest influence on how children behaved.

I find it infuriating that the rest of the article goes on in a very biased manner to say that children who go to daycare are simply poorly behaved. The level of that misbehavior is barely described and the actual affect on the classroom is not even mentioned.

Daycare is a fact of life. And as far as I am concerned, some amount of preschool should be mandatory. My reaction to this is that teachers need to develop modern strategies to deal with the behaviors instead of relying on 60 year-old concepts where kids were largely coming from no previous experience with a school setting.

What were you doing five years ago?

Zoë's birthday was yesterday. She's five years old now. Five! Damn time flies.

I got a well-timed email from a friend yesterday who said, "Trivia question: What were you doing five years ago today?"

Ouch! Did that ever bring back some painful memories. Zoë was born at 3:42 PM and the time stamp on the email was 12: 37 PM. That meant that five years ago at that moment I was just about to start 3 hours of pushing. Yes, 3 hours. That was definitely not the fun part -- especially when they turned off the magic epidural.

---

On a lighter note...I am getting great amusement out of Zoë's list of birthday presents. They are:

1. Fisher Price Mega T-Rex
   (this was a specific request)
2. Make-up (for kids)
3. An electric pencil sharpener
4. A flashlight that you have to shake (no batteries)
5. Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera
6. A book on reptiles
7. A compass
8. A purse with butterflies embroidered on it
9. Rubber snakes (which promptly found a home in the above purse)

She has quite diverse tastes, huh?

Does it suck?

Wondering if that new cell phone you're thinking about is cool or not? Thinking about going to a movie, but aren't sure if its any good? Well, then this new site is for you! It is sucks/rocks.

When you enter a search term, sucks/rocks searches the web for several positive and negative phrases using that term. The score is the fraction of positive results to the sum of positive and negative results, normalized to 10. You can stack up results next to each other so if you wanted to decide what movie to see you can enter the titles of 4 or 5 movies and see which one got more positive ratings.

I'm not sure how scientific it really is, but it is cool none-the-less.

Congratulations R.E.M.

Anyone who knew me in th 80's and early 90's knows what a huge R.E.M. fan I am. I own every CD they have ever issued. That is why I am happy to say congratulations to them tonight as they are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Also included in this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class are:
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- tell me you don't remember dancing to "White Lines"???)
The Ronettes
Patti Smith
Van Halen (with Sammy or David, I wonder?).

And if you're ever in Cleveland be sure to check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. It is a great time.

Disney Dreams

The other day at school Zoë had to create a little book about her dream. Her teacher showed me her book and told me what an amazing job she had done. I was proud before I even saw the book, but after I saw it I felt a little like Mom of the year.

Zoë's dream book was about Disney World. The first page of the book had Mickey Mouse standing on top of a rainbow, the next page was a drawing of an airplane and the last page was some kind of ride.

Do you think Zoë is excited about our upcoming trip to Disney, or what?

Questions: Anyone out there have suggestions or hints about what we should be sure to do for Zoe's first visit?

American Idol Review 2

It's definitely going to be a woman idol this year. They are soooo much stronger than the men! A league above! I also feel that I could be the 4th judge on the show. I take notes while watching ( I know a little obsessive) & as the contestants sing, I write down my thoughts on the song choice, the actual performance, etc. On most, I could read the judges words almost verbatim. Funny. I'll keep waiting for the fourth judge position to become available.

OK, down to business. The men were in a word, boring, last night. The 3 that I liked were the following: Blake, Sundance, & Chris S. Not all perfect performances, but somewhat memorable. Blake chose the correct song for his style, despite some of the off-key parts. I still thought he was true to himself & showed a younger style. (I was also proud of myself when Randy said he didn't know who or what that song was & I shouted to the TV, "It's 3-11!" It made me feel just a little more with it.)
I think Sundance chose a good song, but it wasn't perfect. I hope he'll be in the top 12. I'm sure with a little direction he will really shine. Chris Sligh was the best of the night. He just did a great job with his song. I didn't know what song it was, but I really liked it.
The rest were OK. Sanjaya...I'm going to die of boredom watching him. Don't even get me started on the fact he should not be here this week.... Jared is good, but it's so hard to pick a Stevie Wonder song. Leave Stevie out of it!
I think that Sanjaya and Brandon will go home tomorrow.


A lot more to say about the women. My favorites, and not necessarily in this order, are Stephanie, LaKisha, Gina, and Melinda. Stephanie picked a great song. That is absolutely one of my favorites, whether Chaka Khan or Mary J. sings it. It's just such a great song. Stephanie did a great job putting some of her own touches into it, so I didn't totally agree with the judges on that. I keep forgetting that she is so young with her great stage presence. What do I need to say about LaKisha? She brought tears to my eyes. She has permission to take on Whitney!! Gina was great tonight, I thought. She's very powerful and I really just like her personality. I think she chose a great song tonight. Melinda was truly the best of the night. She has an amazing voice & when she gets on stage, it's like she's playing a role. I just think she's wonderful. I predict her to be one of the top 2, if not the winner.
The rest of the women were pretty good. I just felt that most of them were nothing special, as Randy said, they didn't have the "Yo!" Admittedly, Antonella did better tonight; she definitely picked a better song than previous weeks. Again, how is she still here? She cannot compare to the other strong perfomers. Haley's song was cheesy & not a stand out at all. She strikes me as a Disney World singer or something. Can't you just see her performing as Cinderella or Snow White? She has a good voice, but she is not the American Idol. That will be due to poor song choice. I think that Antonella & Haley will go home tomorrow.

At this point, I'm looking ahead to the top 12 so I can see who will be singing on tour this summer. Hopefully, all my favorites. Until tomorrow night, Samantha's Mom....out. :)

The Care Crisis

Having just lived through the Plague of 2007, this article "The Care Crisis", really hit home. I highly recommend reading the entire piece.

The thing I find so frustrating is that this is not just a women's issue -- it is an issue for everyone and yet it seems to fall on the shoulders of women alone. Once in awhile when my defences are way down I allow myself to wonder...What would I do if Zoe were really sick? How would I be able to take care of her without it affecting my job or income? There are no easy answers and that is the part that scares me.

American Idol Review

OK, I thought I would wait until both the boys & girls competed before I had any comments. So, let's start with the boys.

This week, the front runners in my opinion are Chris Sligh, Blake, & Sundance. I thought Chris Sligh did an awesome job. He just really showed his voice off well. I thought Blake chose the perfect song. Jamiroqui is perfect for his personality & voice (and yes, I know who he is, Randy!!!) Finally Sundance!!!! Strong voice, good song choice. It's about time that he showed his true colors.
Speaking of "True Colors", I was disappointed with Brandon because he is really good. That song was so wimpy sounding. He either should have really belted it out or chose a different song. I really want to like Phil, but there is just something cheesy about him. I can't quite put my finger on it. I also really want to like Nick, but he didn't "wow" me. Sanjaya, Sanjaya, Sanjaya....where to begin. I think I will just say, YOU'RE 17!!!! Enough said.

For the girls, I love Gina, Melinda, Jordan, Stephanie, LaKisha, & Sabrina. I think it's fair to say this could be a girl-heavy top 12. Gina chose the right song & I've liked her from the start. I think Simon is a little too hard on her. Melinda was absolutely the best tonight. She is exactly what Simon says, humble & sweet, but super talented. (OK, so he didn't say it quite like that.) Jordan is incredible for 17 or any age for that matter. Her voice reminds me a little of Lisa Tucker from last season. Stephanie was really great, but I'm not familiar with that Beyonce song, so I wasn't catching the similarity to the original. (I guess I'm getting old.) LaKisha did a great job this week. I thought that she made the "Midnight Train to Georgia" her own without going too far. It's pretty hard to not copy a song as well known and to take on Gladys Knight. LaKisha is about the only one that can do it. I think it was hard to top her performance last week. Sabrina definitely has a voice. It will be interesting to see how far she goes.

OK, along with the good must come the bad....Need I say anything about Antonella??? She is going home this week. In her little chat with Ryan before her performance she said this song fit her better. Was she kidding??? A young girl should never sing Celine Dion. Never! Not to mention how off it was. To quote Randy, "It was a little pitchy."

Another thought, white girls should never scat sing. Let's leave that to jazz singers...real jazz singers, like from the 1940's or so. Next, comes poor Alaina. She was just all over the place. She just can't hold her own with Melinda & LaKisha. I feel a little sorry for her. I can't even remember what she sang tonight. It just wasn't that great. I can remember that it was all off key.

Last but not least, Haley. What happened to her saying last week, "I'm going to stick with songs that I think fit me."? She totally took Simon's advice of changing that image & went off the deep end. I think her arrogance last week just put a sour taste in my mouth. She doesn't have a bad voice, just bad song choice.

Advice to the girls: DON'T CHOOSE ANY SONGS BY WHITNEY, CELINE, OR CHRISTINA! I'm sure there are others, but they are escaping me. So, the women I think are going to go home this week are Antonella & Alaina. We'll see. I thought Antonella was going last week & was wrong. Samantha's Mom...out.

American Idol Update

AI Update contributed by SamanthasMom:

Do not read if you have not watched the 2/22 results show.

Who doesn't like LaKisha? She is just awesome.

I really like Gina & have from the start.

Just so everyone knows, Celine Dion did not sing that song "All by Myself" first. I believe it was Melissa Manchester or someone like that. Gina definitely sang it better than her.

Antonella should have gone home. Her performance was awful.

I thought Alaina (the girl who sang "Brass in My Pocket") I think that was her name, should go. Basically, all the scrawny white girls need to go. Amy & Nicole were interchangeable with how they looked. Nicole's choice of song was what made her go home. I think she actually has a good voice. You know what they say..."song choice, song choice, song choice"!

I really don't love the girl from San Antonio, Haley. I hate that Celine song that she sang. It's so over the top & oversung. (If that's a word.) What put me over the edge was how snotty she was to the constructive criticism. I thought Simon was right on target. The song made her seem too old.

For the guys, I thought that Paul Kim shouldn't have gone. He, I think, would have done well in the coming weeks.

Chris R. (bald, not curly hair) was pretty non-descript & should have gone.

Jared sounded so nasally.

I really want Sundance to do well, since he did well in the beginning. He needs to shed the beard, though.

I really like Blake (beat box guy). I thought he had a little "Sting" sound going.

I also like Brandon, the back up singer.

MomsRising

There is a great article in the NYTimes about MomsRising.org.

From the website:

MomsRising has a goal of bringing millions of people, who all share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America, together as a non-partisan force for 2008 and beyond. This grassroots, online effort is mobilizing mothers, and all who have mothers, across America as a cohesive force for change. Started this May 2006, MomsRising already has over 50,000 citizen members, as well as more than fifty (and growing) aligned national organizations, working together to create positive solutions for the future.

The Last Number

Zoe and I often have this conversation:

Me: I love you.
Zoë: I love you too.
Me: I love you three.
Zoë: I love you ten.
Me: I love you fifty.

And on and on with escalating numbers including multiple googols and petabytes.

But I think Zoë trumped me once and for all the other day when she said:

I love you the last number.

They say that February is the shortest month...

Time for my annual February post...

(from Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins)


They say that February is the shortest month, but you know they could be wrong.

Compared, calendar page against calendar page, it looks to be the shortest, all right. Spread between January and March like lard on bread, it fails to reach the crust on either slice. In its galoshes it's a full head shorter than December, although in leap years, when it has growth spurts, it comes up to April's nose.

However more abbreviated than it's cousins it may look, February feels longer than any of them. It is the meanest moon of winter, all the more cruel because it will masquerade as spring, occasionally for hours at a time, only to rip off it's mask with a sadistic laugh and spit icicles into every gullible face, behavior that grows quickly old.

Febuary is pitiless, and it's boring. That parade of red numerals on its page adds up to zero: birthdays of politicians, a holiday reserved for rodents, what kind of celebrations are those? The only bubble in the flat champagne of February is Valentine's Day. It was no acident that our ancestors pinned Valentine's day on February's shirt: he or she lucky enough to have a lover in frigid, antsy February has cause for celebration, indeed.

Except to the extent that it "tints the buds and swells the leaves within" February is as useless as the extra r in it's name. It behaves like an obstacle, a wedge of slush and mud and ennui holding both progress and contentment at bay.

If February is the color of lard on rye, its aroma is that of wet wool trousers. As for sound, it is an abstract melody played on a squeaky violin, the petty whine of a shrew with cabin fever. O February, you may be little but you're small! Where you twice your tiresome length, few of us would survive to greet the merry month of May.

Helpdesk: the early days

This is too funny not to share:

I'm not the overprotective one

This weekend I realized something that came as quite a surprise to me. Between my husband and I, I am not the overprotective one. I don't know why I just assumed that role would be filled by me, but now I see clearly that it is not me at all and it is all my husband. Happily, he now owns up to it as well.

On Friday Zoë came down with a fever. Of course, she did not have a fever when I dropped her off at daycare, but her teacher called by 10 AM saying I had to come pick her up which I did promptly. It was out of the blue and it was 102.8 for most of the day despite Tylenol. On the way home I called my husband who was quite alarmed and was ready to call the pediatrician. I said I really didn't think it was necessary at this point especially since she had no other symptoms, but he wanted to. "So call," I told him. He did and the nurse explained that we didn't need to bring her in yet, but we should watch her. I resisted saying "I told you so."

She still had a fever Saturday night and early Sunday morning, but by around 7:30 AM her temperature was normal and when that continued despite being awake and running around the house I saw that she was on the mend. My husband, on the other hand, insisted on taking her to the pediatrician. He would not hear that she had no fever and she was looking a lot better. So off the doctor we went. (I considered staying home, but worried what a terrible mother I would be if it turned out something serious was wrong.) In the waiting room we watched as she played with every available toy with her usual abundant energy. My husband turned to me and said, "Who's sick?" and I said, "Not her." He sighed and said something about being glad we came anyway.

After waiting for our turn and the doctor's prognosis declaring her to be getting over a virus -- nothing to worry about, my husband bravely said to our doctor, "For the record, I am the one who wanted to come."

Get a life

Back in November I wrote an entry about Second Life and just recently someone sent me this link: http://www.getafirstlife.com/

My favorite is "Find out where you actually live."

Website of the Week: LibraryThing

Do you like to read? Are you slightly OCD? Yes? Then boy do I have a site for you...LibraryThing!

LibraryThing lets you create a library type catalog of your books. There is the ubiquitous tagging, connecting with other users through the many, many groups and recommendations. Recommendations are based on several different criteria so you can pick the one that works for you. The service even includes a blog widget which you will see I have started using if you look to the right ----->

I am thinking of starting a separate account for Zoë. The kids' lists are not nearly as expansive as the adult lists, but it might be fun anyway and it might help drive expansion in that area. I am always looking for new kids' books for Zoë and to give as gifts.

Change is good

I decided it was time for a new look.

Still working out the kinks/deciding if I like all the pink...

A great baby gift

If you're looking for a great baby gift, I have just the thing...Pampers gift certificates! I was given these when Zoe was born, I've given this gift a couple of times now and I am just about to give it again. It is always well received. I know I loved it. No, it's not the most personal or sentimental gift, but it is incredibly useful and helpful.

The gift certificates are good for any kind of Pampers and are available in 1 month supply to 2 year supply. A 1 month supply equals 4 packs of diapers. Believe me with all the expenses of a new baby, even a one month supply is really nice to have. The recipient gets a booklet of coupons that can be used anywhere diapers are sold. You simply bring the diapers and the coupon to the register and the entire price of the diapers is taken off your bill.

The Plank

OK I am into going to the gym, but Yoga has never really been my thing. However, I might just be changing my mind. A friend of mine showed me the "plank pose" the other day recommending it as a good ab work out. Not only is it an excellent ab work out, it is also great for the arms. It is a killer pose and I can only hold it for 15 to 30 seconds at a time.

So there I am on the floor this morning doing my plank pose and in walks Zoë. She immediately gets on the floor and assumes the same pose and proceeds to hold the pose for a good 3 or 4 minutes effortlessly. Amazing!

One of Zoë's teachers has started teaching them yoga lately and Zoë just loves it. She is, like most kids, incredibly flexible so it comes pretty easily and she just loves any kind of physical activity. What I would love to find is a parent child yoga class because I think doing it with Zoë would be really fun (although I am sure a little frustrating when we're comparing flexibility and strength!). I wonder if any such class exists? Or maybe a DVD?

The Cosmetics Counter: Goatboy Soap

My mother-in-law actually discovered this. She has sever eczema and found that the mild soap and lotions produced by Goatboy Soaps really helped. Last year she bought me a few bars and I tried it and it is really great soap. It is especially excellent this time of year when skin gets so dry. My only complaint is that some of the scents are a bit overpowering. The scent doesn't transfer to your skin that strong, but the bar itself tends to be quite aromatic.

If you have very sensitive skin or any skin issue that soap usually irritates, I recommend you give this stuff a try.

Working Parent Magazine

I used to be a Parenting magazine subscriber, but I recently canceled my subscription because I find that more and more it is focussed only on stay-at-home moms. Somehow the magazine came up in conversation with my husband the other day and he was surprised when I told him that I had canceled and after I explained the reasons, he said I should start my own magazine and call it Working Mother. I told him there already was a magazine by that name.

Then he suggested I call it Working Parent. It really is a good idea. There is very little in the way of magazines and parenting resources that cater to the two working parent family. I would be really into something like that.

Unfortunately, I told my husband, I am too busy working to start a magazine!

I had to go all the way to Seattle to find this place!

In fact, I was in Seattle for a business trip and it turned out to be a great place to visit. I stayed at a terrific hotel -- the Hotel Monaco. If you ever have to go to Seattle, try and stay there. And make sure you request a goldfish for your room. It sounds silly, but they really are good company.

Pete the Magic Dragon

I'm sure everyone is familiar with Puff the Magic Dragon -- at the very least the song if not the cartoon movie as well. I think you have to have been a child in the late 70's to be familiar with that because it was released in 1978. Apparently Zoë's pre-school teacher has the actual movie on video and she brought it in for the kids to watch -- which is exactly what they did yesterday instead of going outside in the rain.

Today someone brought in the movie Pete's Dragon for the kids to watch. This is a Disney movie that is similar and was actually released in 1977 before "Puff" (which is not how I remembered it, but I was only 6 at the time so I am clearly not a reliable source.) Looks like people were capitalizing on (and improving on) Disney success even 30 years ago.

Anyway, the end results is that Zoë is now convinced that Puff and Pete's dragon, Elliot, are the same dragon and that Pete and Jackie Paper are the same boy. Somehow in her mind one story bled right into the next and there is absolutely no convincing her otherwise.

I find this appalling. Everyone knows that Puff is the one true dragon and Pete's dragon is simply a manifestation.

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."

The Cosmetics Counter: ChapStick

For my first Cosmetics Counter post of 2007 I think it is time for a little back-to-basics. There was an article in the NY Times today about skin care products and the thrust of the story was dermatologists saying all the expensive creams and potions (think La Mer) are really not worth it and all you really need is some mild soap to clean your face, moisturizer, and sunscreen. The only additional elements in my own skin care regimen are eye cream (I get terrible dark circles) and ChapStick (I get very chapped lips).

I could give up the eye cream, but never the ChapStick. I take ChapStick with me everywhere. And I mean ChapStick brand because the imitations are just not as good so keep your Blistex or Carmex or whatever else. Classic is the best, but Cherry is good too.

A little late, but still cute

Christmas morning picture of Zoë. The vanity was a hug hit -- good job Santa Claus!

The One True Santa

About a week ago I took Zoë to a Christmas party at the school where my mother teaches. One of her fellow teachers agreed to dress up as Santa and distribute gifts to all the kids. It was a very nice party and Zoë was thrilled to see Santa up close and personal. You could tell she believed that was Santa Claus.

This past weekend we went to get our Christmas Tree at Jones Tree Farm in Shelton, CT. We cut our own and this year we got a really nice Douglas Fir. After we chose our tree we went to the gift shop area and guess who was there? Santa, of course. Zoë wanted to go see him, but when she got up to him she wouldn't even speak. I snapped this picture and as we walked away I asked her what was wrong.

"Mom, that's not Santa," she whispered. "He's not the same."
"Uh, well," I stammered and stalled for a few minutes until I came up with this one. "That's not the real Santa that we saw the other day. That's one of Santa's elves dressed up like Santa."
"An elf?" Zoë looked very disbelieving.
"Yes, elves help Santa with visits this time of year because there is so much to do getting ready for Christmas Eve."

After a bit more convincing and some help from Zoë's wonderful Aunt Brenda, she seemed to believe us. A little later we went back over to where Santa was and saw a little girl going up to see Santa. Zoë promptly announced, "That's not the real Santa!" I quickly hushed her and tried to explain that not everyone knew that.

I wonder how long it will be before she puts all the pieces together?

The Birthday Party Diaries

It seems like just about every other weekend Zoë has a birthday party to go to. Between all the gifts and the mandatory pizza and cake one could seriously go broke and get fat in a big hurry. I don't actually mind going to the parties because it is nice to get a chance to chat with other working moms and because Zoë almost always has a really good time. Actually all the kids seem to love the parties which is kind of funny to me because it is a bit like a busman's holiday when you think about it. It's just like daycare in a new setting.

If the party is held at some kind of party place Zoe usually asks if her birthday party can be at that place too. So far in the last month she has changed her mind 3 times. Today's party was at The Little Gym and that is now the desired location of her "five birthday." Not including her first birthday, I have yet to throw Zoe a "proper party" with all her daycare friends and all the regular birthday accoutrements. We have just celebrated at the house with a couple of kids, some cake and a few goody bags. The writing is on the wall: I am not going to get away with that this year.

I do not want 20 4- and 5-year-olds in my house so we will definitely be going to one of those party places. They are a good racket, that is for sure. They are not cheap, but having now been to a lot of them, I see that they are worth it. Even if it is just for the no 20 kids with noisemakers in my house factor.

Website of the Week: Enlighten Holiday Party Excuse Generator

'Tis the Season for all kinds of festivities. Anyone who knows anyone has no doubt been invited to at least a party or two. But some parties are more appealing than others, right? So, Enlighten Holiday Party Excuse Generator is here to help! All you have to do is answer a few simple questions about the upcoming event and the perfect little excuse note is generated for you.

You've just got to try it for yourself!

A wish for a Christmas tree

I'm not sure when it was that Zoë got it into her head that she wanted her own Christmas tree in her room, but she has been voicing this request for awhile. So, the other day when I was at Target (you can always count on Target), I happened to see the perfect little tree. It is about 2 feet tall, comes in a little red pot and has lights already strung around it. (It is fake, of course.) I bought it and after building up that I had a surprise for her, I finally gave it to her on Sunday night. She was thrilled!

Last night when we got home from work and school she went up to her room and proceeded to decorate the tree. She used ribbon from a gift bow and her play money. We all had the same reaction -- "It's a money tree!" I will have to post a picture because it was quite creatively done. For the past two nights she has slept with the tree plugged in and lit right next to her bed.

Not sure, but I think she expects Santa to deliver her gifts to her very own tree.

Website of the Week: Pacific Whale

Can I still call this "Website of the Week" even if I don't update it exactly weekly? Well, it is my blog so I guess I can! Besides, I like the alliteration.

OK, now on to the website. Pacific Whale (pacificwhale.org) is a site dedicated to protecting the whales and dolphins of the Pacific Ocean. They have all kinds of educational information including kids' camps and ocean cruises and other eco-tours (of course, you have to be in Australia, Hawaii, or California to participate).

Plus, if you are looking for a holiday gift for the person in your life who is somewhat ecologically minded or even a child who is into sea life, you can adopt a whale or a dolphin. Adoption packages start at $35 and you get an adoption certificate for a named whale or dolphin.