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.

Words for Wednesday:

I almost forgot and it is only my second week back! OK part of the reason is because I couldn't think of a good song this week. I'm in a comfortable, but enjoyable rut listening to the same playlist on my iPod over and over as I work and I probably have already posted the lyrics from the best of those songs already.

The other part of the reason is because I have the song "Free to be... You and Me" stuck in my head. Zoe has been playing it a lot lately. Over and over and over actually. Does anyone else remember listening to this as a kid? The one by Marlo Thomas & Friends? I loved it so when I saw it at this year's book fair at Zoe's school I had to buy it for her. At first she wouldn't listen to it -- most likely because I love it so much and want her to like it too. Now that she's given it a shot, she's hooked just like I was.

Unfortunately, as an adult, the songs get a little annoying after awhile. Especially the chorus of the title song, but overall it is still good.

So, here's the words and if any one's interested in taking a walk down memory lane, let me know and I'll send you a copy of the CD.

Free to Be... You and Me
Music by Stephen J. Lawrence, Lyrics by Bruce Hart, Performed by The New Seekers

There's a land that I see where the children are free
And I say it ain't far to this land from where we are
Take my hand, come with me, where the children are free
Come with me, take my hand, and we'll live

In a land where the river runs free
In a land through the green country
In a land to a shining sea
And you and me are free to be you and me

I see a land bright and clear, and the time's comin' near
When we'll live in this land, you and me, hand in hand
Take my hand, come along, lend your voice to my song
Come along, take my hand, sing a song

For a land where the river runs free
For a land through the green country
For a land to a shining sea
For a land where the horses run free
And you and me are free to be you and me

Every boy in this land grows to be his own man
In this land, every girl grows to be her own woman
Take my hand, come with me where the children are free
Come with me, take my hand, and we'll run

To a land where the river runs free
To a land through the green country
To a land to a shining sea
To a land where the horses run free
To a land where the children are free
And you and me are free to be
And you and me are free to be
And you and me are free to be you and me

ZoesMom ... in a Wordle

Give it a try, but be warned it is a bit like crack. http://www.wordle.net/

A Couple of Connecticut Yankees

A new meme is sweeping through my blog roll and I am loving it! I was officially tagged by Emily for this one. And here goes...

What are your middle names?
Mine is Jill. Thus Marcyjill in case any of you were ever wondering. Jill is the name I was supposed to have until my great grandmother, Mary, died 2 weeks before I was born. In the Jewish tradition I was named after her, but since my brother was already around and named Jon, my parents didn't want to round out their nice Jewish family with Jon and Mary. Rob's middle name is Frank. For 33 years or so he thought it was Franklin until we showed his mother the proof for our wedding invites when she told him his middle name is actually just Frank. This was corroborated by his birth certificate. I'm not sure how you get to be 33 without knowing what your middle name is, but Rob did.

How long have you been together?
Since June of 1997.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met in 1989, the summer after my freshman year in college. Rob was my brother's friend.

Who asked whom out?
He asked me out first about 6 months after we met. He never called me after that date. We ran into each other here and there because he was, as I mentioned, friends with my brother. So we had about 3 more first dates just like that where he asked me out and then never called over the course of 7 years until that date in June of 1997 "took."

How old are you?
I’m 38, he's 43. I love that he calls me his "child bride."

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Rob has 2 brothers and I have one and all three live within a half hour of us. We see one of Rob's brothers and one of mine with about equal frequency. The other brother not so much.

Which situation is hardest on you as a couple?
Rob has his own business. As a result he often agrees to what I consider insane work hours without giving much thought to my schedule or Zoe's. He leaves all that to me arguing that he has to take the work when it is available. It is our biggest source of argument, frustration and other difficulty. (I've noticed that almost every one who as answered this has cited work-related issues as the thing hardest on them as a couple. Just and observation.)

Did you go to the same school?
No, but our high schools did play each other in sports. College wasn't even close.

Are you from the same home town?
Nope. He's a Norwalk boy through and through and I grew up in Monroe and hated every moment of it.

Who is smarter?
Rob is no dunce, but I am the smart one.

Who is the most sensitive?
It depends on if you mean physically or emotionally. Rob is a big baby when it comes to being sick in any way. If he has a paper cut, it is the worst paper cut ever requiring band aids and neosporin. He will sleep for 3 hours just because he has a headache. I am from peasant stock and generally just get on with things as much as possible when faced with physical ailments. Emotionally, unless it is from his parents, Rob is mostly unaffected by any real or imagined slights, insults or other bother. I, on the other hand, obsess and have been known to ruin perfectly lovely evenings because I am insecure, obsessing, or insulted.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Wild Rice. It is walking distance from our house and it is really good, but reasonably priced Asian food. One of our favorite dates is walking to Wild Rice and then going to the bookstore afterwords. This winter, however, we've been driving there more.

Where is the furthest you have traveled together as a couple?
Mileage-wise it has to be Italy, but I think our drive to Dallas is the trip that really qualifies. Either way, we always travel very well together and have been planning more and more trips lately.


Who has the craziest exes?
Hands down that goes to Rob. His craziest ex has done pounds of cocaine as well as jail time for "soliciting."

Who has the worst temper?
Again, Rob. I boil over more often, but when Rob does it is scary. He once made Zoe wet her pants by just yelling at her. I am really glad it doesn't happen often.


Who does the most cooking?
Until this year that would have been Rob. Over the course of our relationship he wins, but in 2009, I win.

Who is the most stubborn?
He is, and nothing you can say can convince me otherwise.

Who hogs the bed most?
He does! We have a king size bed and sometimes even that doesn't seem big enough.

Who does the laundry?
I do. I am particular about my laundry methodology so I have banned Rob from the laundry. I know my particularness makes me seem crazy in his eyes and so be it. I like my clothes washed, folded, and even put away with regularity.

Who’s better with the computer?
Me. Rob is getting better, especially since he bought his Mac, but I have always been more tech savvy with computers and most forms of technology.

Who drives when you are together?

He does. Many years ago we were going somewhere with my mother and there was a couple in the car next to us and the woman was driving and my mother commented, "never trust a man who doesn't drive." Rob has generally felt it to be his duty to drive since then. I don't really love to drive so I gladly accept his being the driver.

Tagging: Tracie, Sara, and Courtney.

Charlotte Interviews Me

Apparently "the interview" is an oldie, but it is new to me. I discovered it when I read Charlotte's (of Charlotte's Web) interview and I liked the idea. Happily Charlotte agreed to interview me. So, here goes...

1. One of your resolutions this year was to cook more often. Tell us about something you have cooked this month, and how it was received by your family.

I have been doing some cooking, but nothing too adventurous. The best meal I prepared was sauteed chicken breasts with green beans, corn and corn bread. The corn was frozen and microwaved because Zoe won't eat green beans, but everything else was made fresh. Zoe would only eat the corn and the cornbread, but my husband ate every bite so I took it as a good sign. I have to admit I liked it too. Much of the point of my cooking is so that my family and I eat healthier meals and I feel like this meal was a success on that front too.

Here's some photographic evidence of this meal:

2. You trained as a costume designer, and now work in a completely different industry. How do you channel your creativity?

These days I find my creative outlets to be either writing or photography. That is one of the reasons I love blogging so much -- it is a great space for both. I dream of someday doing some drawing and painting again and I have some interesting collage ideas in my head, but I right now life is so busy it is hard for me to make time and space for that.

3. Money is no object. What is your dream vacation?
That is a tough question because I am not sure if my dream vacation is in one spot or if it involves multiple locations. Either way it involved 5 star accommodations. I love beautiful hotels.

So if I had to choose one place I think a month or two in Barcelona staying a suite with a beautiful view would be divine. I would do it all, immerse myself in the Barcelona life and hope to get mistaken for a local by the end of the trip.

A traveling vacation would probably be the Pacific Northwest of North America. I'd like to start in Seattle, WA and explore north and west of there. I am sure I would need a month or two for that as well.

4. You love reading. What was the last book you read, what are you reading now and what is next on your TBR pile?

I just finished a book called Smart Girls Like Me by Diane Vadino. It is slightly above chick lit on the fiction scale of quality. Can't say I would really recommend it, but it is not a bad book.

I am currently reading The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen. I have only read the first chapter so far so I can't comment on it yet.

Next up is The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. This is my bookclub's next selection.

5. The Michelle Obama Vogue cover. Discuss.

I think Michelle Obama is a gorgeous woman with great fashion sense and the Vogue cover certainly backs that up. I don't have any issues with her being on the cover of Vogue -- I think it is fabulous. It shows her to be young, relevant and "with it." The role of "First Lady" is strange and ambiguous in my opinion, but I have high hopes for Mrs. Obama's definition of it.


Rules:
1. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment, and I will send you some questions.
2. Update your blog with the answers to the questions and link back to the original post.
3. Include the rules in your post.

Words for Wednesday: Crowing

It has been over a month since I posted a "Words for Wednesday" post. I've thought about it, but mostly forgot about it until I read Emily's post from last night about her music discussion with Bob. That very funny story motivated me this morning so I am throwing my hat (or my blog) back into the ring.

This week's song is "Crowing" by Toad the Wet Sprocket. I have loved this song since the first time I ever heard it -- especially since at that time I was going through a particularly painful heartache. It used to bring tears to my eyes and even today I still get a tingly kind of feeling when I hear it.

Overall I think the song is about not being able to change someone, a lesson that can be just so hard to learn sometimes. The chorus is all about that. "You give him love and affection but you couldn't keep him there." At the same time it says that you can't make yourself into something you're not "And the more skin that you shed the more that the air in your throat will linger when you call him your friend," says that so perfectly.

Crowing

Been waiting
To find
You could've been happier
Given the time
If he'd make up his mind
You'd give yourself to anybody
Who would cross that line

chorus:
And it was never question
He was crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there

Get over regrets
While you were sleeping with the angels
He was under the bed
And the more skin
That you shed
The more that the air in your throat will linger
When you call him your friend

chorus

Staring at a cold little hand
Reading fault lines
Of a shell of a man
You were waiting for a word from above
Wouldn't you know it
No answer ever did come

And it was never question
You were crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there

Zoesmom's Oscar Poll

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Sick Boys

Why are men such babies when they are ill? This week my husband has the virus that just about everyone has been passing around. You would think he was dying of diphtheria the way he has been carrying on. Moans and groans and get me tissuse, soup, Nyquil, etc. Not moving from the couch where he has covered himself with ever throw blanket we have and littered dirty tissues all around.

Zoe and I had the same thing two weeks ago. It is a bad one virus, that is for sure, but do you think I got much sympathy when I was sick? When I asked him to stay home one day to help take care of and Zoe so I could go to the walk-in clinic he gave me a look that said I had to be out of my mind and of course he had more important things to do. And when I asked him to please get me some cough syrup he rolled his eyes so far back into his head, I am surprised they didn't get stuck there.

So yesterday I told my feeling better husband two things:

1. The way you have felt the past several days is exactly the way Zoe and I felt 2 weeks ago. Please try to keep that in mind next time I ask you for help when I am feeling ill.

2. Just because he has been sick, he is not excused from buying me a Valentine's Day gift and calling in an order for flowers will not do.

Not sure I will have much luck with the the first thing, but he did come through on the second so I will forgive him -- this time.

Insomniac's poem

The thoughts around my head do creep,
making it hard indeed to sleep.

I really do feel quite weary,
and my eyes are red and teary.

Try to go back to that nice dream,
not as easy as it might seem.

And just as I return to sleep,
the clock does its thing, beep, beep, beep.

25 Random Things About Me

Those who know me on Facebook and my blog will see the repeat, but this seemed like a good blog post as well as a Facebook tag. So, here it is, 25 random things about me...

1. My eyes change color – sometimes they are blue and sometimes they are green.
2. I am one of the pickiest eaters I know, but lately I have been trying to get better.
3. I think of myself as a New Yorker even though I only lived in New York for about a quarter of my life. I know I will live there again.
4. I eat ice cream almost every day. My current favorite flavor is peanut butter cup.
5. My idea of a great night out is dinner and a movie.
6. I think my UPS driver thinks I have some kind of shopping problem because of the number of deliveries he makes to my house. I do shop online a lot, but he’s never made any comments about it, so I am probably paranoid.
7. I am frequently taken by surprise and amazed by my love for my daughter and the love she has for me.
8. I don’t love babies. They’re OK. Certainly adorable, but I don’t go crazy over babies. I loved my baby, of course, but in general I rarely get excited over babies – even babies that are from family and close friends. It makes me feel bad, but I can’t help it.
9. When I was pregnant I thought I wanted to be a stay-at-home Mom, but it didn’t work out that we could afford it. At the time I was very disappointed, but since having my daughter and going back to work, I have always been glad it worked out that way. Working is good for me.
10. I was almost constantly ill as a child. I had to have gamma globulin shots regularly in an attempt to boost my immune system.
11. Sometimes I think I am the smartest person in the room and sometimes I think I am the dumbest, but rarely do I feel somewhere in between.
12. I am working on trying to start a charity organization that provides backpacks and school supplies to kids who can’t afford them.
13. Most of the time I start with the shoes when figuring out what I am going to wear on any given day.
14. I am not a fan of Bruce Springsteen or U2. I am the opposite of a fan.
15. I currently have chapstick tubes in the bathroom, on my nightstand, in my purse, and in my car.
16. Speaking of lips -- I love to buy lipstick.
17. I knew my husband was the man I wanted to marry when I realized that I could be completely myself with him all the time. I have never felt that way with any other man. I think it has made all the difference these last (almost) 10 years.
18. I hate to fly because it scares me. I do it anyway, but I hate it.
19. I used to be a costume designer.
20. I’m really happy about my decision to only have one child.
21. I hate when I have to call people I don’t know for information, appointments, take-out orders, etc. I will almost always try to fob this off onto others when at all possible. I am grateful that my husband is almost always willing to make these calls for me.
22. I own and use 4 computers and 3 iPods. I am a technology junkie.
23. I love the show “Top Chef” even though I don’t love to cook.
24. I get claustrophobic in large crowds. I think it is because I am short.
25. I consider myself lucky to have so many great friends.

LibraryThing meets Twitter

I might be late coming to the party on this, but this is news to me: LibraryThing is now offering integration with Twitter. It lets you add titles with tags to your LibraryThing library. That is great for wishlist creation or purchases. And best of all the site reports that coming soon you'll be able to let your Twitter friends know when you add or review a book. Fun stuff!

Here's a link to all the details.

Judgement Day

Tomorrow around noon I will be boarding a plane for California. I am going out to meet the new work team in person at the new company's HQ. I have 2 days full of meetings that include just about every person I have or will ever send an email to or be on a conference call with.

If there was ever an opportunity for a "what should I wear?" crisis, this is it. It took me quite a long time to pack. I tried on every outfit I considered. It was ridiculous really, but I am about to be judged by new people -- some of whom are key in my career. I think my appearance is pretty important in this instance.

I actually started thinking about what I was going to bring a few weeks ago when I ordered a suit from Banana Republic online. It is basic and black, but it is new and quite nice. I tried it on this morning with the shirt, shoes and belt I am planning to wear with it. I just bought the belt yesterday while out shopping with Becky so I especially wanted to see how it would look. I liked it, but I wanted a little confidence boost so I decided to show Rob and get his reaction. He was in the bathroom giving Zoe a bath and I walked in and asked him,

"How do I look?"

"Very professional," he said. "But you probably want to take the tag off that belt."

"Yes, I realized that," I said. "So despite the tag, does this look OK?"

"Yes," he said. "Zoe, doesn't Mommy look pretty?"

Zoe then popped up from the bubbles and rubber ducks and looked me over.

"I think you want to take that tag off," she said and went back to arranging her bubbles and rubber ducks.

I promptly left the bathroom and returned to my packing in private. I guess they were giving me a taste of what I am in for, right?

Well, even if they don't like my belt or my suit or me, it will be warm in California. 72 degrees and sunny warm. That alone will make this trip worth it!

And don't worry, I took the tag off the belt before I put it in the suitcase.

2009 Resolutions

OK I have been giving this some thought and I think I have arrived at my final list of resolutions for 2009. In no particular order:

1. Read another 50 books. I am proud of myself for getting through that many books last year. The goal definitely kept me reading more and watching TV less. I want to continue that. Included with that goal is that I want to read more of the books I already own. Not sure if I will track that, but maybe I should.

2. Stay on top of my inbox. I tend to let my email inboxes get ridiculously long and crowded -- especially my work email. This year I am determined to be more diligent about deleting or filing emails as necessary because half the time when I look back at emails I can't even remember why I kept most of the them.

3. Cook. No, not cook more, because I don't really count microwaving or heating something up in the toaster oven as cooking. I want everyone in my house to eat healthier meals. I try to buy good food, but we also tend to go out a lot. So, my goal is to cook one dinner per week. I've cooked 2 dinners so far in January. Nothing glamorous, but they were hot and they got eaten. Also I have a great source of inspiration because Becky, knowing of my secret intentions for this year, gave me a fantastic cook book for Christmas. I haven't gotten past putting post-it notes on the recipes I want to try because I think I am a little intimidated, but I am looking forward to giving some of these recipes a shot.

4. Try doing more sports and outdoor activities. I'd like to really get in skiing and ice skating this winter. In the spring I want to go hiking and take some tennis lessons. Not sure yet about summer and fall since those tend to be my most active times anyway, but I will think of something to do. Maybe more of the same. Whatever it is, I want to do more of it.

5. Get rid of the clutter. My house isn't severely cluttered, but we've been living here almost 6 years and stuff builds up in all the hidden places like the closets and the cabinets. When I set up my home office and had to move a bunch of stuff around I realized how much clutter had build up. Main goals are the kitchen cabinets and the upstairs hall in the alcove that has the desk. Not sure anyone has a clear idea of the full inventory of those areas, but they are not being put to their best use right now.

So, I'll check back in 12 months and let you know how it goes...

Perspective

You know those days when one thing after another screws up your plans for the day? That seems to be the story of my life lately. I have canceled or rescheduled more plans, meetings and appointments in the last month than I think I ever have. I have had more last minute doctor appointments, more minor emergencies, and more phone calls than I thought possible in a 30-day period.

Maybe it is because work is busier than ever, maybe it is because I am still adjusting to working from home or maybe it’s just all a coincidence, but I am just feeling like I can't get a handle on things and I can't get ahead. No amount of to-do lists, getting up early, or staying up late seems to help. And I feel like I am constantly complaining which is probably true since that is clearly what I am doing right now!

So, this morning when Zoe woke up with a fever and an earache my first reaction was less maternal concern and worry and more total annoyance combined with a dash of anger at the fact that I knew there was no way Rob would stay home to take her to the doctor and I would have to rearrange more meetings, get a lot less work done than I hoped, AND cancel my dinner plans with Heather who I have been trying to have dinner with since November. Had Rob not been home at the time, I am sure I would have taken out my frustration on Zoe instead. It was not my best Mommy moment and I am not proud of it.

I did get over myself and manage to make all the necessary adjustments to my plans for the day to accommodate Zoe. Poor, sick, Zoe who burned with fever all day long and lay on the couch like wet dishrag barely making a peep after we returned from the doctor. She called for me to come snuggle with her around 6:30PM which I gladly did, but as I was holding her, I could feel her heart pounding in her chest and it freaked me out. It was as if she had just been running around like crazy, but I knew she was just laying there ad had been for hours. I called the doctor's office and left a message and was ready to rush to the ER by the time the on-call nurse called me back (about 6 or 7 minutes later).

The nurse kindly explained to me that her increased heart rate was a normal side effect of a high fever and quite expertly calmed me down without making me feel completely foolish. She suggested I give Zoe Motrin rather than Tylenol and give her a cool washcloth for her head and feet to help bring the fever down. When I hung up the phone I shed a few tears of relief and then took care of Zoe, got her fever down a bit and got her into bed and finished up some work.

And now here I am grateful that something is not really wrong with Zoe, where I hoped to be with work stuff, and even though I am still missing Heather, I feel like a real selfish bitch for my earlier behavior. I think maybe tonight was the check I needed to get things back into perspective.

This is how old I am

I got this from both Charlotte and Emily and I really liked both of their posts so I thought I'd give it a go myself.

I saw the original Broadway production of "Annie" with Andrea McCardle and after the show my father bought me the cast recording of the music. It was a vinyl record, of course. I played it endlessly on my record player and memorized every song. That is probably when I fell in love with theater.

Speaking of vinyl, I can remember buying the 45s of "Pop Muzik" by M and "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd. Also committed those songs to memory. I think I can still sing them word for word.

I remember when Dr. Scholls sandals were all the rage. They were banned from my elementary school because a girl broke her ankle in them -- or so we were told. I had blue ones.

The first VHS movie I ever watched was "Death Race 2000" at my California cousins' house. The VHS machine was as big as my printer/scanner/fax is today and the "remote control" was on a long wire.

I was at sleepaway camp when Diana Spencer married Prince Charles. One of the counselors snuck me into the counselor's cabin to watch. I also saw the movie "E.T." while at sleepaway camp on "lifer's night out." (A lifer is someone who goes to sleepaway camp for all 8 weeks.)

I waited in line to see "Star Wars."

I watched Luke and Laura get married, but I never thought Luke was good looking. That perm was hideous to me even then.

My best friend and I used to pass notes back and forth on actual paper. Sometimes we'd decorate the notes with stickers.

I wore stirrup pants and thought they looked good. Considering how young and thin I was at the time, they probably didn't look that bad, just not great.

I cried at the last M*A*S*H episode.

The first computer I used was running DOS and the first time I used an Apple I saw the light. I have been a computer lover ever since.

Our first home printer was a dot matrix printer and it was so cool. We were one of the first people I knew to have a printer at home. I used to love to tear the edges off the print outs and decorate with them like streamers.

I only knew 2 people in college who had their own computers.

The first president I was old enough to vote for was Bill Clinton.

I was married in the previous century.

This is the day!

I am so excited for about this day. I can't remember ever paying so much attention to inaugural events before, but this is clearly something special. The world is set to change TODAY.

In celebration of today I have made my very own Obamicon!




(Great big thanks go out to Charlotte for sharing this on her blog last week.)

You'll Flip for Zoe

A ZoesMom production:



Zoe's Little Gym performance
01/13/09


P.S. Of 6 posts this month 4 of them have had photos or video -- can you tell I got a new camera for Christmas???

More life lessons from Zoe

It's all downhill from here, originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

Sunday afternoon we took Zoe sledding on a big hill in a nearby park. Zoe can be pretty fearless so she was raring to go when we got to the top of the hill. Rob and I were both a bit nervous about pushing our little girl off down a hill that steep, but we were there and she was ready so we put her in the sled and off she went laughing the entire time. She practically ran back up the hill.

On the third run down Zoe's hat came off when she was almost at the bottom of the hill. After she reached the bottom she headed up the hill to retrieve it. There were a lot of people on the hill so what happened next wasn't even that surprising. A sled loaded with 2 kids and a Dad hit her and knocked her right off her feet. It was one of those moments where time just stops.

Rob and I ran down the hill as quickly as we could. I thought she had to have either have a concussion or a broken bone. It was a nasty looking hit. We looked her over carefully. She had a cut on her nose and a scrape on her forehead, but otherwise, miraculously, she looked OK. She stopped crying as we headed back up the hill, but when Rob and I headed toward the car rather than heading back to the sledding she started to cry again.

"We don't have to go home now, do we?" she cried. "I want to do more sledding!"

We decided that if she felt up to it than she must be OK and a huge smile spread across her face when I said she could go down for a few more runs. And she was off and running again, smiling, laughing, slightly more cautious, but just as enthusiastic.

Zoe has always been like that. I think of her as being "unsinkable." When she wants to do something, go somewhere nothing stands in her way. A little thing like being tackled by a sled wasn't going to ruin her day of sledding.

Makes me think there is a good lesson in there for me too. I can't let the little setbacks ruin the big picture. It is so easy to fall into that, but life is so much happier when you don't.

Asking for what you want

I don't know why, but for most of my life I have had trouble asking for what I want. I would go so far as to say that I occasionally have a low-level fear in some situations. I don't like talking to strangers, I despise having to ask for information or help, and I will almost always try to work something out myself first even if it would be faster to just ask someone. I even hate having to do something as simple as calling in an order for take-out food. This is one of the reasons why I love the internet so much. I can get my prescriptions filled, get driving directions, order from a catalog, and even grocery shop without having to talk to anyone. And the internet is often faster and more efficient than the "old-fashioned" way. However, there are still many situations in life where relying on the internet is not an option or is simply not going to lead to the result I am after.

Zoe, on the other hand, has absolutely no fear or issues with asking for what she wants. She usually orders for herself when we're in a restaurant and she is never afraid to ask a question of anyone. Several months ago we were at Danbury Mall and Zoe wanted to go to Claire's. I didn't know where Claire's was in the mall so I told Zoe we'd have to find a directory. That wasn't working for her so she marched into the next store and went right up to the counter and asked "Where's Claire's?" I was amazed. Of course she got the directions and we were able to head right to the store. Where did she learn to be so fearless about asking for what she wants? Then I realized that a better question was "what exactly is my problem?"

Since that day I have been making an effort to ask for what I want and it is actually working. Just this past week I was able to get the cost of shipping for my new desk refunded to me because of poor customer service. The store didn't offer it to me, I spoke to the store manager and asked for a refund and it was granted. That felt really good. Last month when I was going through my job change my original offer letter had a title that I felt was a demotion so I asked for a different title -- and I got it. That was a tough one for me to do despite the fact that I was able to handle it via email. The old me never would have done that.

I spend so much of my time with Zoe teaching her how to do things or how to behave, showing her new places, giving her new experiences, but every now and then she has a lesson for me. It takes me by surprise every time -- especially because it turns out to be so helpful to my life.

Dancin' to the 80s

Just like my parents did, I like to play the music of my youth for Zoe. She really enjoys some of the 80s stuff -- especially R.E.M. and The Cure. Tonight, for a change of pace, I played her some Madonna while she was in the bathroom having a bath and getting ready for bed.

Dancing ensued.

The Tooth Fairy comes tonight!

Zoe loses her first tooth, originally uploaded by Marcyjill.

We were starting to lose hope, but at last it has happened -- Zoe lost her first tooth in school today. She is so excited! At least I know I will be able to get her to sleep tonight because, after all, the Tooth Fairy can't come if you're not sleeping.

Personally I hated losing my teeth. The feeling of a loose tooth grossed me out and I hated that feeling of no tooth being there. Also I was a little afraid of the Tooth Fairy reaching under my pillow. But Zoe is excited about losing the tooth and can't wait to see what the Tooth Fairy brings.

Now I just have to figure out the going rate for the first lost tooth.

2008 Books Read

Here is the list of all 50 books I read in 2008. I'm quite proud of that number!

1. Mansfield Park
2. Love, Rosie
3. Lost and Found
4. Firefly Lane
5. Cotillion
6. Tom Jones
7. Bringing Home the Birkin
8. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
9. Venetia
10. On Chesil Beach
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
12. Gossip Girl
13. Imagine Me and You
14. Bringing Down the House
15. Don't Make Me Think
16. The Wonder Spot
17. Interpreter of Maladies
18. The Big Sleep
19. The Unknown Ajax
20. Not Another Bad Date
21. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
22. The City of Falling Angels
23. Love the One You're With
24. An Assembly Such as This
25. The River King
26. Second Chance
27. Dirty Girls On Top
28. Things Fall Apart
29. The Beach House
30. Digging to America
31. Pretty Little Mistakes
32. Replay
33. American Wife
34. The Sari Shop
35. Duty and Desire
36. These Three Remain
37. 24-Karat Kids
38. Vanity Fair
39. My Best Friend's Girl
40. When You are Engulfed in Flames
41. Born Standing Up
42. The Uncommon Reader
43. Rocket Man
44. Blink
45. Night Fall
46. The Outcast
47. The Last Summer (of You & Me)
48. Dog Handling

49. Bookends

50. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict