Tuesday, May 18, 2010

How Do We Know It's May Without Looking at the Calendar?

It's a short and sweet (well, kind of) list.

1. We are too busy to look at the actual calendar. And, just a little frightened. And rightly so. Last time we looked at the calendar we found we'd missed a few "important" meetings.

2. Mom (that would be me) is incredibly cranky for no reason other than I have a lot to do in very little time (31 days - well, I sense we are way less than that now).

3. It is getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning. The alarm rings - I punch snooze. It rings again (I think five minutes later) and I punch snooze again. It rings AGAIN - MAKE IT STOP. I have a conversation in my head (every morning) and it goes something like this: Do the kids really need to go to school? Will the world end if they are late? Like noon? Do I really need to get up? Why can't I just sleep till tomorrow? Do I need to work-out? Really? This early? Can I get an IV for some coffee?

4. It is taking more and more of said coffee in the a.m. to make me remotely coherent.

5. My nights are getting later and later.

6. I am sick, sick, sick of making lunches.

7. I don't even want the kids to do their homework because I want everyone to play outside.

8. I suddenly can't plan a menu, and if I can I can't stick to it. Like this week for example when I planned five meals that require cooking oil...........and then I forgot to buy cooking oil.

9. I suddenly feel compelled to make lots and lots of lists and cross things off and rewrite them.

10. My baby is turning SIX sooner than I would like to think about and I am wanting the days leading up to that milestone to go very, very slowly.

That, my friends, is how we know it is MAY! No calendar required. Stay sane!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Being a non-meat eater and buying a cell phone

Now, upon first reading you might think - what could these two things POSSIBLY have in common. Or, has Monica gone to an alternate universe? Well, my friends, that's why I am here - to introduce similarities into your life and deepen your understandings. Turns out these two things have a whole lot in common. To make this easy for you to understand (he-he-he, like that?) I have composed a simple list - which for your sake I will call:

What Being a Non-Meat Eater and Buying a Cell Phone Have in Common

1. They are both seemingly impossible for someone who has a problem with decision-making. Duh. That's a no brainer for the cell phone, right? I mean could there be a few more decisions to make in buying a cell phone...................NO because you would spontaneously combust under the pressure. Holy cow! I will just insert a sample of my conversation with a cell phone rep (who was about 14) and you can surmise the implications. "Now, depending on how much you text, access the web and call on any given day you can choose between our family limited plan, family unlimited plan, divorce limited plan, divorce unlimited plan, text/call/web plan, text/call plan, web/call plan, text/web plan, or our unlimited everything including eating because you are so stressed out with your %$#&() plan plan."

Now, here's the surprising thing I have learned - turns out not eating meat is hard for the person who is indecisive. I know you are thinking, "Why?" So, this is the dialogue in my head at the grocery store (with a screaming baby in the cart): So, do I buy asparagus (which I am not sure I have ever cooked before), or artichokes, which I know I love but happen to cost as much as like 35 night diapers? Should I try the tofu burgers or the vegetable burgers (or is tofu a vegetable?) or the.....................................hey - what is tofu anyway? Do I want to risk it? What is another way to cook eggplant besides deep fried and smothered in sauce and cheese? What is cheese anyway? Isn't it just meat in another form? Holy cow. So, you can see how very quickly I am 35 minutes into my one hour shopping trip with................hello????????????????? AN EMPTY CART. Lead me to the ground beef, I say. (just kidding)

2. They both require an incredible amount of time. I have spent countless hours researching this cell phone business to the point where I am totally and completely convinced that not only might they be the root of all evil I am not even sure I WANT one anymore. Just a quick example - overage, roll-over minutes, nine-key (or something like that) keyboard (which 'novices' like me will need - according to the aforementioned 14 year old cell phone goddess), unlimited (which I have learned is hugely deceptive), and on and on. Jeez. I am learning another language here, people.

So, what gives on the not eating meat. Hello????????? I am (insert any age you want over 19) and have been cooking for a long time.................WITH MEAT. It's mindless, so to speak. Now I am cooking WITHOUT meat. It's a little like driving - without a car. I am on allrecipes.com at least 8 hours a day. Then add the cooking time to that. Is it any wonder I haven't showered in days?

3. They both have driven me straight to the bottle (just kidding - the CAN - and I don't mean the toilet ;o). Immediately after getting in the house after my visit to two cell phone businesses I had to pop a can of cerveza in order to clear my head. Yeah, it was that bad.

And, well I am finding (and I must say I kind of like this one) cooking with lots and lots of veggies takes a while. It's not like popping that chicken in the oven or frying those greasy burgers up. I find myself pulling out tools like vegetable peelers and garlic presses and actually having to use them. And, well truth be told - having a cold beverage handy sure does aid in the process.

4. They both may be simply a phase I am going through (no, I am not too old to go through a phase). After all, do I really need a cell phone? Is meat really the root of all evil? Well, sadly (or happily - depending on how you look at it) I know the answer to both of those questions. And, this brings me to the last similarity.

5. They both promise to transform my life and have the potential to affect generations to come. See? You thought this was just going to be another one of my crazy rant/lists, right? Well, it's not. Don't worry - I get it. I need a cell phone so that my kids can grow up knowing what a cell phone is. And, we don't need all the meat we were consuming before. Change is a coming, friends. Prepare yourselves and be ready! I'll text you soon with my new recipes and uploaded photos of all the great food I am eating. Just be forewarned.....I may be a teensy bit tipsy. ;o)

Monday, May 10, 2010

We may have turned a new leaf, or Mother's Day 2010

Yes, it was bittersweet. The first without ma. But, then again Mother's Day has always been painful for me. We lost Frank a few weeks before Mother's Day 2000 and I will never forget that Mother's Day - only my second being a mother myself. Alone and heartbroken I remember sitting in our sad childless apartment not wanting to call my own mom for fear that I would not even be able to say "Happy Mother's Day" without breaking down. Knowing that although her heart was breaking too for the loss of her sweet grand baby she would try to comfort me because that's how she was. I don't think I could bear it. I think we spent the day alone and speechless. Somehow in the years that followed I was not ever able to shake that miserable day. There has always been a curse on the day for me. I remember being numb for a few years and then just being "not great."

Surprisingly, yesterday was fabulous. I was dreading it like the plague. I guess I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I am happy to report - it didn't. I awoke to omelets cooking and the strong smell of hash browns frying in grease and Starbucks coffee being brewed. Yummo. The kids were anxious to give me all their home made presents. I treasured them. My own mom was present all day in my thoughts. But, instead of making me sad it made me pleasantly happy and at peace. I thought of her upon waking and then again when I was reading the card/book "What my mom means to me" from Sofie. "I am happiest when....'Me and my mom sit together.'" This accompanied by a fabulous picture of both of us.................... sitting (because, of course, what else would it be a picture of?). Again I thought of ma. In the months leading up to her death she carefully went through several boxes of "stuff" she had stored throughout many, many years. In one of the boxes we found cards I had given her as a child that she had painstakingly saved. How sweet is that? We read through them all in her spare bedroom. We laughed and cried a little. They were funny and touching. She said, "Take them, sweetie and show them to your kids." Looking back it was like she knew she would be gone soon and that this was one more passing of the torch.

It was right after gift giving that Ed told the kids, "Today is Mother's Day. If you need anything or have any questions today you will need to ask me." Say what????? That was all I needed to do.................absolutely nothing! So nice. I think I may have read every section of the paper before company arrived. I did two work-out tapes (yes, I worked out on Mother's Day - call me crazy or call me a slave to burning fat - and Lord knows I consumed my fair share all day long) and I didn't take a shower till the eleventh hour (didn't want to totally offend the company).

I had a cold beer slightly before noon (it was a special occasion, so take that frown off yer face) with chips, salsa and guacamole. And then I continued to eat my way through the day.

It was great to gab with friends and family, feast on good food that I didn't have to cook, and go through the day without once worrying about cleaning up, changing loads of laundry, or directing the four small people who call me mom. Yay Ed! He done good. Good day. I felt mom here with us, and I feel the curse of the day may finally be broken. I hope all my momma friends had a great day and that it has given you the strength - as it has me - to be great mommas for one more year! Happy day, my friends. :o)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Daily Grind

Well, after my TV debut (even if it was just my hands) I am having a teensy bit of trouble going back to the Daily Grind, or the chaos that is my life. Can you imagine what a full-blown date with fame would have done? Thank God we didn't have that. The house would be a true disaster. After a whirlwind April, I am trying to get back into my routine of writing, cooking, cleaning, and staying close to my print schedule. Since the whirlwind is not quite done yet (I am looking at the family calendar and seeing many nasty penciled-in activities for the month of May) this is not an easy task. Ah, well. I am persisting.

That's it for my writing today since baby is becoming restless, there is the aftermath of breakfast in the sink, there are two loads of laundry calling my name, baby is probably going to want breakfast, there is the trunk full of organizational systems needing to be exchanged (yes, I am still redoing my downstairs - thank you very much), there is one swimsuit piece that needs to be exchanged, a P.O. to be completed, and there is that desparately needed shower. But, before I sign off - I will comment on a blog post reference from my good friend and wonderfully talented blog writer, Shannon. I too want to strangle people when they say, "What do you do all day???"

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Shameless self-promotion

You will have to wait another 23 days (that is an approximation) to get the swimsuit edition part II. Right now I am just posting the Piggies and Paws TV clip. It was a very kewl (thanks for that lingo, Jessica) day! TV station, lunch downtown with Jenn and some other artists, Mother's Day delivery (that's one more down - YES), pizza, and book with the kids. :o) Hope you enjoy and can actually access the clip. I am sure there is a more efficient way to do this, but I don't know what it is. ;o)http://www.woai.com/content/livingvideo/default.aspx

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Search for a new bathing suit or Mission Impossible

"Swimming technology inside. You will feel more confident as soon as you slip into a shapewear suit." Land's End spring sale catalog. Well, SIGN ME UP. I want to feel more confident simply by slipping into a new swimsuit. What woman doesn't? Is it really that easy? If so, order me up 10. When I saw this I was almost EXCITED by the prospect of catalog shopping for my new suits.


Yesterday I bravely ordered a new swimsuit. Two in fact. (To the tune of two hundred some dollars - yeah, hear's hoping my husband is not reading my blog.) This is HUGE for me since I have been wearing the same suit since somewhere around 1999. I seem to have an enormous challenge when it comes to swimsuits that is really hard to get around. This particular challenge involves - marks that come from having given birth to four babies, items that seem to have shifted downward since breast feeding four babies, a backside that is...........where?, a stomach that is...................well, highly visible, a pocketbook that cannot afford plastic surgery, some serious issues with not wanting to expose others to my body form, a brain that cannot seem to make a decision, serious fashion-impairment, and a BUDGET. And as I browsed through the catalog these past few days (yes, this painful process has taken about a week and the "no shipping" sale ends today - but no pressure) there doesn't seem to be a suit to solve these problems.


So, what should be a 30 minute process has evolved into a three day process. First day: tackle the catalog and try to make sense of: the targeted control, the quick measurement chart (quick being the operative and at the same time deceptive word there), the all-new combinations which helpfully include the do/don't chart where I manage to actually have a DO and a DON'T on the SAME BODY - how is that humanly possible? I don't know - ask Land's End, helpful codes so that you can find the suit that suits your body (puns are never bad, right?), and last but not least the guarantee that you will be perfectly happy with your new suit and how it shapes and suits your body.


Second day: measure said body. You are probably thinking - why does this take a day? Well, first I have to find a tape measure, then I have to figure out how to take a measurement (there are helpful guides on how to do this in the catalog), then I have to match the measurement to the size. Okay, so how hard can this be??? I have a master's degree for heaven's sake. Well, I have come to the conclusion that preparing to buy a new suit when you have a body like mine apparently IS brain surgery. Okay, so if you are still reading just read this and tell me what you think. The torso measurement is taken like this: "Run tape measure down your back from where shoulder meets neck, through your legs and back up in front. (In other words make a loop)." OH, I say. A loop! Well, that's helpful. Now I am stuck IN the tape measure and looking, quite frankly, like an IDIOT. Sheesh. Finally I got my measurements and it turns out I am four different sizes. Well, thank God we did that. That was helpful.


Third day. Can you feel my enthusiasm fading? Maybe the old suit isn't so bad. I have been working out, after all. Make the call. Perfect. I get an operator who by the sound of her voice is older than me. I am loving that because at this point had I gotten a teenager I definitely would be sporting last year's suit for one more year. This kind woman takes me through the process of ordering two tops and two bottoms and together we again consider which sizes and colors will suit me best (it's always good to have an unknown second opinion, right?). "Do I want a cover-up?" she politely asks. Hell yeah I want a cover-up. What else am I going to do if after all this planning it STILL doesn't work out??? She laughs politely (I am sure she is thinking I am a crazy woman who needs to be committed by this point). The cover-up comes in 12 different colors and by this time my ADD is kicking in and I am tired and it is three minutes to the bus and I can't even remember which suits I ordered in what sizes let alone colors. Just make it brown I say - remembering that brown is the new black! Okay. It's done. I owe about 8000 dollars, but guess what! She tells me that if I am not completely satisfied I can return everything (and wear my old suit). Somehow I make it through the call and after 22 minutes on the phone with this woman (who I consider my friend now and may try to look up later) I am the proud buyer of two new suits. Completely returnable!


I'll check in later and let you know how it all worked out. Or, if I don't - know that I will be sporting my 1999 fashion once again this summer. Happy tanning! ;o)

Monday, March 29, 2010

Need............More..............Time...............This............Week

Week List
1. Buy girl's lavender Easter dresses that they can also wear later to Malcolm's First Communion.
2. Make sure my brother is bringing Easter dinner.
3. Begin the search for a suit for Malcolm because it might just take till his First Communion and I am not sure he has anything except jeans to wear for Easter.
4. Check calendar to make sure Easter is Sunday???
5. Begin the 87 prints due before Mother's Day. WHAT???
6. Manage to be a good mom this week.
7. Drink lots of fluid so that this nagging bad sore throat does not turn into something serious.
8. Exercise. WHAT???
9. Pick up Sofia's charm bracelet at James Avery (after having had her Valentine's charm put on) so that I can drop it right back off to have her Easter charm put on. Just considering buying the charms and having them just hold it there until graduation (from high school).
9. Color eggs.
9. Finish Easter baskets.
9. Plan a dessert for Easter dinner.
10. Cook or pack 20 more nutritious meals, do roughly 10 more loads of laundry, keep the house fairly clean, sleep, and try to be kind to others. ;o)