Petra's Holiday

(This was originally entitled, A Very Merry One Indeed... until I realized that I'd *already* used that a few posts back. Pregnancy brain has again reared its ugly head).

I found the USB cable for the camera! It's unbelievable. I've been looking for that darn thing for almost six months now. And you people are the beneficiaries of my good fortune. Take a look at some of the photos:



The first tree is Petra's, located in our front room. The second is the family tree in our Great Room.


Petra got Disney princess jewelry and makeup for Hanukkah.


Petra getting ready to open presents at Nana's house.


It's a happy, happy day.

Skate Boarding Dog

What's next? Snowboarding?

Like the new addition?

For those who want to keep up with this pregnancy, I've included a "ticker" above that will allow you to follow progress. I think it's pretty cool....

As you can see from the ticker, I am in my 20th week...just over halfway done. I am desperately trying to savor these moments (the pregnant ones) knowing that the minute I pop out this baby, my life will change dramatically. And while it will be for the best, it sure won't feel like it the first few months.

Pregnancy brain?

I have been *so* forgetful lately. Yesterday, I actually forgot an important password. I had to call around and have it reset, something that wasn't so easy (considering that NO ONE is working this week).

And today, I forgot the name of the brand of tequila that I drink (when I'm not pregnant, that is). The Today show did a special on how to drink tequila and for the life of me, I couldn't remember which brand I favored. Which is really, really odd. I did remember that it has to be Anejo ("aged") but that's about it.

So, of course, I'm wondering if I should call my doctor and ask him to do a CT-scan (you know, for that brain tumor I undoubtedly have) or if I should just chalk it up to the pregnancy.

A Very Merry Holiday Indeed!

Okay, I'll say it: we made out like bandits! Natche was especially generous this year (given my delicate state, I assume) and Hanukkah Harry and Santa Claus blessed Petra with a stash so large, she hasn't even gotten to half of it.

And yet, I'm still being bitten by the shopping bug! I just went online to the Hanna 70% off sale and found (easily) $100 worth of stuff Petra must have (and yet doesn't need). I am jones'n to shop. Anywhere. For Anything.

Do you think there's a 12-step program that can help? Because let me tell you, the budget is now tight. With new baby on the way and a future daycare bill that comes close to TWICE my mortgage, there will be no more shopping.

And yet, I feel very compelled to hit eBay. I need help.

Recent Pics of the Pet

It's about damn time! Actually, I think I've posted some of these before, but putting them in one place makes it a heck of a lot easier when someone asks you for a recent picture of your daughter. I'll get to the holiday photos soon enough...

Little girls

Isn't there a song from Gigi entitled, Little Girls? Something about how wonderful and special they are. How they make the world go 'round?

Let's hope so. Because Baby B has the three lines that the radiology tech says can only belong to little girls.

I'm actually relieved. I "get" girls...at least I do right now. I understand whining and bossiness and eye-rolling. Do I like those behaviors? Not really. But I do understand them (and even partake on occasion).

Oh and the other good thing about having a girl? I don't have to worry about whether or not to have a briss. Considering I almost passed out at my cousin's, it's a good thing I don't have to deal.

Have you seen the Chef?

His name is Curtis and he's mighty fine (even Natche would agree). And he has a fantastic accent, which I think is Australian.

He does this show called Take Home Chef, in which he waylays someone in a supermarket and offers to help the unsuspecting shopper cook a fabu meal.

If you haven't seen the show (and even if you don't like cooking...I mean, look at me!) it's so worth it.


P.S. I just IMDB'd him and he was born in '75! What's up with that??? Um, I just *assumed* he's my age, but in fact he is six years younger.

I want more presents!

I've created a monster.

P: Mommy, I want to do Hanukkah now and open my present.

Me: Petra, it's 10am. We do Hanukkah when it's dark out...at sundown.

P: (trying to put candles in the menorah; getting quite agitated) But mommy, I want to do Hanukkah now. Make the fire!

Me: Petra, settle down. We'll do Hanukkah later.

P: (says nothing. Just writhes and screams on the floor in full-on tantrum mode)

I'm blocked.

No, not that type of blockage...I got over that weeks ago.

I have writer's block. I have so many fantastic stories to put to paper, but for some reason, I just can't get to it...and I don't want to get to it. Not good for someone's who's recently recommitted to her blog, yes?

I mean, I could easily write about a most traumatic event that occurred just yesterday. It involved me, a paper bag, a semi-empty parking lot and a WHOLE LOTTA puke.

Or I could write about the unrealistic expectations my child's Phonics teacher has for her. Um. I don't know many three-year olds who can write their names, do you?

Finally, I could update you all on my desperate search for holiday gifts. It's taken me from eBay to Walmart; from KB Toys to some friggen' online store I've never heard of. But I won't. Update you that is. I'm just not in the mood.

Maybe it's all of the holiday cards I've had to write out. All of the holiday cards that read, "Happy Holidays" not once, but TWICE. Or maybe it's just the pregnancy (my excuse for everything lately). Whatever it is, I apologize.

Keep reading and I'll do what I can to keep posting.

Dare I say it?

I think...I...like....HeroesmorethanLost.

There, I said it.

Lessons learned from this weekend's party

1. Evite directions suck. It's easy as pie to get to my house unless you use Evite Maps. Seriously, if I wanted my guests to take a tour of the nearest inner city, I'd have sent them there myself.
2. You can never have too much food...even if the menu is a bit of a mish mash. Guests *loved* the fact that we had Tupperware all ready to go so they could take home bits of everything.
3. Everyone will end up in the kitchen...whether you like it or not. It doesn't matter if you have a great room the size of an airplane hangar ...people are attracted to the kitchen like moths to a flame.
4. Cousins ROCK! Petra didn't say "boo!" to me once. She was so busy playing with her cousins--chasing after them, bossing them around--it was FANTASTIC.
5. Parties are exhausting. Especially when you're pregnant.

Don't get me wrong, a good time was had by all, but I'm glad we're done for another year.

And this, my friends....

...is why it doesn't pay to drop out of school early. I didn't insert [sic] anywhere. Just assume that it should be placed wherever there is a misspelling or egregious grammar error.
______
Sent from Lindsay Lohan via Blackberry:

Subject: The way of the future-Howard Hughes once said.
I am willing to release a politically/morally correct, fully adequite letter to the press if any of you are willing to help.

Simply to state my oppinions on how our society should be educated on for the better of our country. Our people.

Also because I have such an impact on our younger generations, as well as generations older than me. Which we all know and can obviously see.
People are just mean.

I am going to proceed with putting LR to court if need be for what she's done to me. Its my life. I want to live it. People cannot lie and think that it is okay to continue on having done so. Simply because they will do it again to someone else, and that is not alright with me. I have had many ups and downs, as do we all.

But to make false accusations to one girl is unjust in my oppinion.

Having said this, I am willing to do anything I need to get my life the way it should be and the way I work for it to be.. And have thus far in my career.

Let's sue the tabloids for saying the things they say.

Defamation of character. Amongst other illegal accusations, I will repeat this over and over to make my point.

I am not fully aware of what these, again, accusations are, but I am fully and eagerly prepared to learn them.

Have harvey and all lawyers help me please. If he is willing. Al Gore will help me he came up to me last night and said he would be very happy to have a conversation with me. If he is willing to help me, let's find out.

Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Evan metroplis, and John Daur who works with them would be willing, if we just ask.

If we just ASK.

I'd really like to fix things and refuse to stop on any account for these unintelligent, vulgar people who like to hurt other people. Not just me, but everyone.

I'm willing to hold a press conference and I will do anything necessary to do so. In putting an end to 'these people' trying to put an end to me and belittle me as well as try to be the demise of me after all I've gone through and done at such a young and tender age in a womans life.

Its enough already, I've had enough and I am going to be the one to make a change.
For all of my fellow actors, friends, people I admire and for those I've lost in the recent days, years, months.

I do believe the focus in the world has misplaced and directed in the wrong directions and I am willing to be the one to help change that and use my celebrity status to move the focalpoint /(s) of the press to the real issues that we have going on as we speak.

Anyone that is willing to help and has a family member or friend, even co-worker that is in a position to be involved in any way, shape or form, please contact me, Jenni Muro, Leslie Sloane, Michael Heller, Jason Sloane, Jason Weinberg as soon as you can or are willing.

Just ask them, it doesn't hurt to ask.

So let's start now, rather than waste time. Do you agree? Because I'm doing it either way. The way of the future.

Thank you for your time.

Your Entertainer,Lindsay Lohan

5am BABY!

No, we didn't go shopping at 5am on Black Friday. We went at 6:30 and it was fantastic. My mother, Petra, and unwitting participant Natche and I hit Walmart, Toys R Us, Michaels and Old Navy...and did we make out like BANDITS.

The only disappointment: we didn't get the Vtech Learning Laptop. At $14.99, it apparently sold out at 5:01am. So if you see it on the Internet at a decent price, pop me a note.

I will say to those of you who think I'm completely out of my gourd for shopping on Black Friday at that ungodly hour that it was not as bad as you might expect. Walmart had HUNDREDS of people working the floor and I got my 1GB flash drive (for $14.99, I might add) without delay. And there were still a few 42" plasmas ($988) available when we got there.

Next time I think I'll be better prepared. I'll figure out which "loss leader" I *have to have* (e.g., the laptop) and I'll hit that store first and early. So yes, Al, I plan to be out at 5am next year.

Out of blog message

I realize I should've posted an Out of Blog message but that still doesn't excuse a ten-day absence. So sorry.

I was back at my mom's in Texas for the holiday and I think you all will remember that she STILL HAS DIAL-UP making it virtually IMPOSSIBLE to do anything remotely related to the Internet, writing on the blog included.

But here I am, back at home and it feels great. I promise to be more diligent re: the blog and I'll write a recap of the visit as soon as I can. Thanks for understanding!

Please, please, please

Don't tell my daughter that the after-school snack I'd lovingly prepared for her --a bag of fruity Cheerios--will not be available and is instead satisfying her mother's mid-morning craving.

Have you tried them yet? The fruity Cheerios, I mean. They're fantastic!

I'm such a bad mom.

Am I jealous?

Hell, yes! Right now, Al is down in WEST PALM BEACH where, according to weather.com, it is 80-degrees and sunny.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, she's not just there tanning her ass on the beach. She's HERE getting ready to see THIS.

Truth be told, I'm not jealous, I'm envious. I'm in the cold, raw Northeast and she's at a parking lot in Florida sipping margaritas.

I definitely drew the short stick.

Tee hee!

I just heard a clip in which President Bush used the word, "intrasigence" when discussing Iran's position on their nuclear program.

It. cracked. me. up.

I'm so tired...

This pregnancy is kicking my ass. I'm exhausted ALL of the time. Seriously exhausted. I get home and it's all I can do to get everyone fed (not well, but fed) and settled.
I'm ~14 weeks now. Shouldn't I be feeling better? More energized? Seriously. The third trimester is going to suck, so if this is the best it's going to get, I'm in trouble.

Whew!

Batch 6GE0609 (Easy Tabs) was not part of the acetaminophen recall. No metal shards down the throat for me!

In case you've recently purchased the generic brand of acetaminophen, check out the FDA's site to see if your tabs were affected:

Acetaminophen Recall Batch List

The child who never smiles...

Every spring/fall we have Petra's school pictures taken and invariably, the child REFUSES to smile. We even practiced this year. We begged. We pleaded. And, she agreed to show her pearlies.

But. It. Didn't. Happen.

She's still very cute, but once in a while, I'd like to see a smile.

P.S. Don't you love the cheesy background? I have to say, here, I think it works!

How long can I hold out?

I just finished my 13th week of pregnancy and I'm still in my regular clothes, but I have to wonder how much longer I'll be able to hold out. The waistbands are (for sure) much tighter than they used to be and I find myself (excuse the TMI) picking my pants out of my dupa a lot more these days.

So what do you think? I'm hoping I can hold out until 16 or 17 weeks, but that puts me right around the beginning of December and with the way ( and amount) I've been eating, I'm not sure that's realistic.

I'll take a picture of the bump soon and post it. Just don't be surprised when you see that the weight gain isn't limited to the stomach region. My butt and thighs, I believe, will bear the brunt of this pregnancy. Oh, lucky me.

La la la

Sung to the tune of that annoying little ride at Disneyworld:

"It's a blue world after all,
It's a blue world after all,
It's a blue world after all,
It's a blue, blue world."

I live on the border....

of one state. I mean, literally on the border. Go approx. 1 mile and you're in another state, one in which I lived for years.

Living on the border is great: we benefit from our new state's laws, but in most cases, feel like we never left our former state. ESPECIALLY NOW. Our local news, commercials and programming actually come from our former state. So all of our political ads focus on a race that impacts us to a degree (we both work there) but one in which we CANNOT vote.

So here's my dilemma: I know NOTHING about my new state's politics, primarily because all of the televised debates I've watched have been for the other state's gubernatorial race. So what do I do? Do I vote knowing nothing about the races here? Or do I cram on the Internet and try and learn as much as possible?

Happy Birthday, Biko!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Biko,

Happy birthday to you!

Happy 6th birthday, Biko bear!

So why hasn't she blogged about this week's Lost?

...because my friends, I'm still recovering. You kill off my favorite character, you have to expect that I need a bit of time to mourn. How I will miss the (sometimes) machete-, (other times) Jesus stick-wielding guy.

And let's face it: Triple A is a fantastic actor. I mean he certainly beats (hands down with a machete) that clown they have playing Paulo.

So please understand if I'm somewhat blue for the next several days. It's taken everything I have to get to this point. Sayonara, Mr. Eko.

Know that you were loved and will be missed.

That was some burger!

I had *the weirdest* dream last night, brought on, I believe, by the BK BBQ Stacker I inhaled last night...

All I ask: please don't judge.
_________
Setting: Interior, A's house
Mood: Somber

Me: A, I am so sorry to hear that Leo (A's sweet chow-mix dog) passed away.

A (sobbing): I know. I know. It's so tragic.

Me: Just know he's in a better place. He's somewhere, up in heaven, doing cabaret with Liza. All is well.

THE END.
_________
Need I say more? I should go back and ask the drive-through guy what sort of "spices" they put in those burgers.

Trick or Treat

We took Petra trick or treating with a friend of hers and the two little girls had a wonderful time. They received so many "aww, aren't they cute?", and "oh my goodness! Look at the little princess and the jaguar!", it was insane.

Luckily for them, cute costumes on little girls go a loooong way when it comes to scoring candy. Most people let them choose their own pieces or gave them several different candies instead of just one.

Oh, and when did people start handing out FULL-SIZE candy bars? Natche and I are going to have a field day!

You didn't think we were going to let our baby girl rot her teeth, did you?

Someone help me...

I was sooooo hungry, I just ate these:







And these:

Pregnancy is soooo cruel. I can't tell you the last time (B.P.) i scarfed Mickey D's.

Do you know what today is????

It's National Candy Corn Day! That's right America, today is the day that we worship the iconic little treat that has been around for more than 100 years and long been associated with Halloween.

Here are some fun facts from the National Confectioners Association:

• One serving of candy corn contains approx. 140 calories (which means that I could potentially eat 14 servings--and nothing else--in a day)
• Candy corn is not just for Halloween anymore. Haven't you heard of Reindeer corn?
• More than 35 MILLION pounds of candy corn (9 BILLION pieces) will be produced this year.

So let's hear it for the candy corn!

How's this for icky?

I just pulled a live tick off of Petra's head! Now granted, it hadn't implanted itself YET, but it was running around in her hair. And don't think for one second I stopped once I pulled that thing off: my poor daughter was subjected to a very thorough exam to ensure that no tickies made their way under her skin.

And yes, I know that lyme disease-carrying ticks don't need to implant to spread their nasty gift; they only have to bite. And yes, I'll be checking Petra's body for the red bullseye and looking for signs of general malaise every single day from now until (at least) the end of the year.

Oh and poor Kita...I pulled an implanted tick off her two days ago.

What's up with these horrid little creatures? Do they know that their demise is imminent with the first harsh frost? Are they making one more desperate attempt to find a warm host off of whom they can feed through the winter?

All I know is that ticks are disgusting, disease-carrying mites...and I'm waging a war.

Signed,
The world's biggest hypochondriacal mom

I'll say it now...

...thank goodness for the time change! No more waking up at 6am thinking it's the middle of the night. No more sun glare traffic jams at 7:30 in the morning.

Yes, I recognize that there's a downside here...but sitting in my family room, wide-awake at 6:30...looking out to a very lovely morning....I'm quite content.

Thanks to Dove for a Reality Check

It's no wonder we (women) all have distorted views of beauty.
Hats off to Dove for helping to restore our confidence in ourselves.

The T-Mobile Dash

I just bought it and I absolutely love it. It's so incredibly thin and beautifully styled...
I had a Treo 600 and absolutely HATED it. I can't get over how much nicer this little device is...and so feature-rich! And, it's affordably priced considering how incredible it is

If you have T-Mobile, consider the Dash; so far, it appears to be a winner.

Go here to see the Dash. And go here to read the fabu review from CNET.

TV this week: my rating

Dancing with the Stars: In my opinion, the dances weren't so great, save Mario's. I don't know what Monique was doing; her solo looked like a seizure.
It's obvious that Mario's the best natural dancer of the bunch and deserves to win for that very fact.

Lost: my favorite show really disappointed this week. And I mean, REALLY DISAPPOINTED. The special effects group went a bit wonky and pulled some Ring/Grudge-like camera shots that really just didn't work. And maybe it's just me, but I really have a hard time caring about Locke and his backstory. The only bright light in an otherwise bleak show was the Triple A sighting (Mr. Eko for those of you who have NO idea what I'm talking about). The man better not die, that's all I have to say. They kill him off and I'm going after JJ myself. Oh, and what's with the extras at the end? Who in the hell are these people? The actors must be thrilled that they landed a line; I mean, doesn't their pay go up exponentially if they speak versus just stand in the background?

Ugly Betty: Fantastic this week. So much better than last week. Although, I will say this: if someone who worked for me made so many egregious mistakes in his/her first month of employment, he/she'd be FIRED or at the very least on probation. Um, didn't Betty have to sign a non-compete or some other confidentiality document? But the story was hysterical and watching the receptionist (can't remember her name) eat all of that food was priceless. Oh, and Fat Carol...really good stuff (although "Fat" Carol was thinner than I am..how does that happen?)

Check out...

...these sweet new boots I just purchased from Piperlime, Gap Inc's new online shoe store.

Unlike the other brands that sell only Gap- (or Banana- or Old Navy-) labeled merchandise, Piperlime offers hundreds of well-known brands from which to choose.

Hence my new Kenneth Cole So Jones boots:

Oh, and with free standard shipping and discounts when I use my Gap card, Piperlime might just be my favorite place to shop for shoes.

10 weeks, 2 days

That's how PREGNANT I am.

Carry on with your regularly scheduled blogging...

$750 each

That's what tickets for Babs' concert will cost you. $750 EACH. And you're not even guaranteed a great seat.

Al, I don't remember what we paid for Neil, but I think he's getting the short end of the stick. He should be singing to her: "You don't bring me flowers" isntead of vice versa.

Oh, and want to know who's going? Your favorite friend and mine.

Granny...

So I *finally* found out what happened to GrannyVibe. I know most of you have no idea who she is, but suffice it to say, she's fairly well-known throughout the blogosphere.

Apparently, she wrote a pretty revealing post about a fight she had with her significant other and received some harsh criticism in the form of comments. So, she pulled it. Not the comments or even the post. THE ENTIRE BLOG.

So for those of us who read her regularly and suffered when she revealed she had lymphoma, we have only her son's blog to satisfy our craving for more information.

Wherever you are Granny, please come back!

Got beer?

A co-worker of mine just walked by my office asking that very question. And right now, a cold beer sounds wonderful.

______
On a completely separate note, did you hear about the record snowfall in Buffalo? I mean, it's October, people! Even in New England we're still getting the occasional 70-degree weather day. But snow? I can't even fathom.

Look, I don't want to start thinking about layers and salt and shoveling and--well, you get the picture--for at *least* another three months. I expect these hassles in January and February, not October.

Buffalo-ians, you have my deepest sympathies.

Why oh why???

Why must you disparage my Crocs so? What have they ever done to you?

To wit:
http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/

See Fuglio Batali.

Will I ever get better?

I've decided to retract this post...for now. Too many eyes.

The Manhunt

O.M.G.

My street was blocked off. By police. And SWAT team personnel. They wouldn't let me go home because they were "looking for someone". The dialogue:

Me: (pulling up to several cruisers that have obviously blocked off my street)Um. Officer? I need to go to THAT house over there.

Officer: Sorry ma'am but we've closed the road.

Me: But I live right there. Is everything okay?

Officer: Everything's fine. There's no immediate danger. We're just looking for someone.

Me: Must be a pretty important somebody.

Officer: You can turn around now.

Two hours, 15 cruisers and a huge armored vehicle later and all seems to be well in our small town.

But seriously, it must've been some serious manhunt to call police officers and armed guards from THREE NEIGHBORING TOWNS in for support.

I'm Baby Jaguar, hear me roar!

A scene from the car...

Me: Petra, did you have a good day at school today?
P: Yes, mommy.

Me: What did you do?
P: I hit Gabrielle.

Me: Um, you did what? Petra, why did you hit Gabrielle?
P: She took my Buzz Lightyear necklace when we were in the bathroom. So I hit her.

Me: Petra, we don't hit our friends. The next time someone takes your toys away, you say, "No thank you!", and go tell Miss Stacey. You hear me? I don't want to hear from your teachers that you're hitting your friends or mommy will put your toys in time out and you in the naughty chair.
P: Cruella is in the naughty chair.

Me: Yes, Cruella belongs in the naughty chair. But we're not talking about Cruella; we're talking about Petra.
P: (obviously bored with this conversation now) Can I have some chocolate milk now?

I am a hypocrite

I just went back and reread a post of mine from July. Um, can you say, HYPOCRITE?" Here's what I wrote:

Note to writers: I don't care which preschool your three-year old will attend in the fall nor do I care how difficult it was to get him into said school. And, I hate to break it to you: I have little interest in your daughter's first birthday party and the hoops you had to jump to pull it off. I just can't seem to care. Is that horrible?

Yes, I actually wrote that AND wrote the post below this past weekend:

A very cute Petra Bear is laying next to me sound asleep...and no wonder, today was the birthday party to end all birthday parties. Not even the crappy weather could keep the 35+ revelers from eating, drinking and moon-bouncing. Everyone seemed to have a good time, including the Bear who made out like a bandit. I don't think I've ever seen so many toys in one place at one time...save Toys R Us.Now how do we top this next year. Just kidding, of course.

So, let me just take back what I wrote all those long months ago....I really *do* care about your daughter's first birthday party and I think it's admirable that you'd want to write about it.

Kit Kats

Did I ever tell you how much I *love* Kit Kats? Seriously, the Kit Kat is the BEST candy on this earth. And now that it's available in a dark chocolate flavor, I am even more in love.

So why do I tell you this? Because I just received the sweetest present in the mail from a new colleague. Yep, you guessed it - Kit Kats; three KING-sized candy bars (440 calories each pack!), no less. No, they're not Buffet tix, I'll give you that, but a good Kit Kat is a welcome and appreciated surprise anytime.

What to watch...what to watch.

I have no idea what I want to watch on TV this season! There are actually a few shows I'm looking forward to all of which will require me to DVR. But that's okay because I love my DVR (i.e., no commercials, no boring parts, no scene stealers, etc.).

Here's a partial list (only because these are the only shows I can think of at the moment) of the shows I'm anxious to catch:

• Lost. Of course. There was never any doubt that this would top my list
• Ugly Betty. I have very high hopes for this show. Of course, it runs opposite Survivor so the DVR will be necessary
• Survivor. I'm strangely drawn to this show no matter how inane the groupings seem.
• The Biggest Loser. Again, it's like a train wreck that I just can't pass up. I love it.

And please don't think me incredibly sappy or sentimental, but I love Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I watched it last night and cried my friggen' eyes out. I'll be back for more.

I am sure there are others, but this is my short list.

My Super Sweet 16

Anyone watch this inane, over-the-top, my-father-is-a-big-shot-and-will-buy-me-whatever-I-want-to-stop-my-whining pretense of a show? I mean, it gives reality TV a bad name, and that's hard to do.

I only watched it because I was flipping through the stations looking for something to watch and came upon this train wreck of a show about a girl named Marissa whose father owns three Mitsubishi dealerships. People, she got two cars for her birthday. Not one, but two. A black SUV and a first-of-its-kind red Eclipse convertible.

But what really got me (and Al, back me up on this) was that everything at her party had to be pink--the food, the chocolate fountain, the dresses (note the plural) AND HER DOGS. Yes, she dyed her two poodles pink so they'd match the party.

Oh, and let's not forget the mansion her father rented for this shindig...it cost $50K to rent for the evening.

I'd really like to drop this Marissa into a New Orleans hurricane-ravaged neighborhood and see how she'd fare. My biggest fear is that she'd get on that jewel-encrusted pink Motorola Razr and have her daddy fly in a helicopter (with her two pink poodles looking out the window) to "save her" from the common folk.

She is the epitome of greed at 16. It's the saddest thing I've ever seen.

That's one tired pumpkin!

A very cute Petra Bear is laying next to me sound asleep...and no wonder, today was the birthday party to end all birthday parties. Not even the crappy weather could keep the 35+ revelers from eating, drinking and moon-bouncing. Everyone seemed to have a good time, including the Bear who made out like a bandit. I don't think I've ever seen so many toys in one place at one time...save Toys R Us.

Now how do we top this next year. Just kidding, of course.

PARTY Preparations

Hamburgers...$13.99.

Beer...$24.99.

Too many freakin' Ariel decorations/supplies/toys strewn throughout the house...$125.00.

A sleeping child? Priceless.

Back on Terra Firma...

Finally. I'm really not made to travel as much as I did this past week, even as nice as The Phoenician (yes!) and the Baltimore Marriott (not!) were.

I need to find many, many things to do around my office so I don't have to go anywhere for a long while...oh, except for a planned girl outing to NYC. *That* I am definitely looking forward to.

I'm so tired...

...And the fact that I have to get on another plane in less than 12 hours is doing nothing to help my mood.

But of course, I can't go to sleep. There's too much to do! Petra turns THREE tomorrow and that means I have to bake cupcakes tonight (bakery store varieties don't work because they may or may not contain traces of nuts), wrap her gift and sign her card.

What? What did you ask? Yes, I feel incredibly guilty for leaving her on her birthday. No, there is nothing I can do about it. Yes, it sucks that I've been on the road for four days and have come home only to turn around again tomorrow.

Happy?

The Phoenician

What can I say? It may be one of the most beautiful resorts I've ever been to. And although I'm not a resort whore, I have been to my share of lovely and posh places. This one just might top them all (perhaps not as lovely as the place in the south of France, but still waaaay up there).

I think --at this very moment --I understand why people move to Arizona. Yes, it gets hot...but man, is it beautiful.

Bagged greens

Ugh. I eat them every week...usually more than once. And now I'm supposed to stop OR wash them in warm water before I eat them.

Damn bacteria. How in the hell is a person on a low carb diet ever supposed to manage without bagged greens? Wait, let me rephrase: How in the hell is a person on a low-carb diet--someone who just happens to be the laziest person on the planet--ever supposed to manage without bagged greens?

Who is your stylist, Julie Chen?

He or she should be fired! Let's face it: you're very thin and very cute but you can't dress to save your life. The blouse was bad enough; with its pale color and bow tacked to the front, it's no wonder people mistake you for a librarian.

But the pants. Let me tell you, those pants were just horrible! The high waist was unflattering and let's face it, they didn't fit you all that well. They were pulling at the hips, for cry eye! You looked, well, chunky...and we all know that's not the case.

Look, I don't want to be the next Fug girl, but I do have to call 'em like I see 'em. __________

Oh, and good for you Mike Boogie. You really made Erika look like a complete idiot "ho" last night. And apparently the jury admired your "playing" over her game play.

What could be better....

...than spending a weekend here?














Methinks not much.

But wait, that picture just doesn't do it justice. To *really* check out The Phoenician, visit their Web site.

My heart just breaks...

...for Anna Nicole Smith. I don't care who you or what you've done in your past, you shouldn't have to bury your child.

I can only imagine how devastated she is and it must be so much worse to have the news plastered publicly. CNN picked it up for cry eye!

I just hope she's able to grieve in peace.

Oh, and of course, I woke up fifteen times last night to check on my daughter's breathing...

She makes me feel so guilty!

Yesterday, Natche and I went to the Pats game, as we do most Sundays in the fall. We tailgate with a huge crowd of people, most of whom we only see during football season. You can only imagine how much fun we have and how much food and alcohol is consumed. It's pretty amazing.

And no, we don't take the Pet. She stays with her Nana and Dziadek during the games and we leave her happy in the knowledge that she she'll play and have fun with her grandparents.

Or will she? We returned from yesterday's game to a brooding child who told me, point blank, "You left me. You went to the football game and you left me. With Nana. And I cried."

What? She's not supposed to be upset when we leave! She's supposed to have fun with her grandparents and beg us to let her stay. Or at the very least, she's not supposed to articulate her feelings in such a way that it drives the deepest dagger into my heart. I feel like the cruelest mother on the planet.

Can you imagine how she's going to react when I go on my business trips next week???

Angie, Angie, Angie...

"Mentally, I'm jogging."

Gosh, wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to *actually* jog, but instead could just think about jogging and will away the pounds???

Angie, methinks you need a serious reality check.

Sigh

It's going to get much, much worse before it gets better.

September 5th at 10:30 am

The baby is in her first dance class as we speak! I hope she LOVES it.

A rant

How is it that it is already September? People, please tell me where the summer went. Seriously. It's already September 5th.
September 5th!

Yesterday, we went to the ice cream stand at the local nursery and in her spare time, the girl behind the counter was making Christmas bows. I KID YOU NOT.

It's no wonder I had a helluva time getting out of bed this morning. I abhor winter (not the clothes, mind you, they're fabulous) and the thought that we are that much closer to it makes me sooo incredibly sad.

What is there to look forward to? My birthday? Um, not really. I've recently started to dread those too. Christmas? No thanks. It's such a crazy holiday followed by three months of winter tundra-like conditions.

Sigh. Maybe I need to start doing a vacation in February...going to some warm-weather destination. It could really break up the winter... Yes, I think that might be the answer.

230!

How does a 36-year old woman who has NEVER smoked, is not overweight and eats fairly well have high cholesterol? Two-hundred and friggen' thirty.

I'm like that woman in the commercial, aren't I? You know the one: she knocks over all of the surfboards because she has high cholesterol even though to the viewer she is the picture of perfect health.

Lipitor, here I come.

Dance Class

My baby starts dance class on Tuesday and gymnastics on Thursday. Can you believe it? I had no idea they started these things so soon! On Friday, Petra and I had to run to the dance store (partly because Payless didn't have anymore tap & ballet shoes in her size and partly because I secretly wanted to take her to the dance store) and purchase all of the necessary paraphernalia one associates with dance class.

$60 later...
We have ballet shoes, tap shoes, a pink leotard and tights. Oh and I ran to target and grabbed a little pink-flowered tutu just for the heck of it.

Please, please, please don't let me become a stage mom. I don't know what happened to me when Petra tried on her outfit. I got positively giddy. I started to have visions of her becoming the youngest dancer to ever get accepted to the NY City Ballet Company. And that's just so.not.me.

I'm Baby Jaguar. Hear me roar!

We just found the jaguar costume Petra's grand nana Steffie made for Natche eons ago. All of the B children have worn it for Halloween and now it's Petra's turn.

Two nights ago, I had her try it on. I was worried because I thought it would be too small and Natche really had his heart set on her wearing it. But no need to fret, the costume seems to fit. More importantly, she absolutely loves it. I held her up to the mirror once we had it on and although the hat is a wee bit small--Nana Cindy might have to work her magic on it--she smiled from ear to ear and giggled excitedly.

"Mommy," she said. "I'm Baby Jaguar. Roar!" And indeed she was.

So last night, the minute we got out of the bathtub she asked to put on the costume. She is so cute, how could I refuse. So we put it on her and she crawled into her bed, cradled her milk and fell asleep. Did I take it off of her? Naaah. Seriously, she was so happy.

Cut to 1:30 am. I woke up startled because something (or someone) grabbed my hair. It was Petra--no, Baby Jaguar--who had snuck into my bed and started her comfort-enducing hair hold.

I swear, she is so damn cute!

Kristen, Kristen, Kristen...

How can you like Danielle??? Oh, she annoys me in so.many.ways.

And how can you *not* like Janelle and Will? They are the best players in this game. Their game-play is actually quite impressive; Will is such a great manipulator and Janelle has won solidly more competitions than anyone else in the house.

Remember, it is a game. That's it. And I think Danielle might have forgotten that...

...for my birthday

This summer whenever Petra asked for anything (e.g. toys, clothes, more toys, etc.) we told her that we'd consider it for her birthday and to put it on her list. We've created a monster.

As it was pretty crappy out yesterday, we decided to go to the mall. Here's the conversation at the Disney store:
P: Mommy, see that Princess number thing?
Me: You mean the Princess cash register?
P: Yes. That cash register is for my birthday.

P: Mommy, a piano!
Me: Wow! That's some Princess piano, Petra.
P: Mommy, that piano is for my birthday.

And the conversation at the Ms. Field's Cookie store:
P: Mommy, that cookie is for my birthday (pointing to a rather large, round cookie with lots of frosting on it)
Me: Um. Ok.

And the conversation at Sears:
P: Mommy, see the car? (as she runs over to climb on the lawn tractor)
Me: Petra, get off the tractor. It's not a toy.
P: Mommy, I want it for my birthday.
Me: (snickering) Uh huh.

And finally, the conversation we had while watching Pirates of the Carribean for the umpteenth time:
P: Mommy, see that puppy dog? (as she points to the scruffy dog that Jack tries to lure into helping him escape from jail)
Me: Yes, Petra. He has keys in his mouth, doesn't he?
P: Mommy, I want that puppy to come to my birthday. I like puppies and he can come to my party.
Me: Oh dear.

Pirates of the Little Mermaid

So Petra is obsessed with all things Jack. Captain Jack Sparrow, that is. We made the terrible mistake of watching Pirates of the Carribean, the Curse of the Black Pearl with her and now it's her favorite movie of all time.

So to those of you who got the lovely Ariel b-day invitations, throw them in the trash (no, not really). I have a feeling the little one won't be satisfied until her birthday party is an homage to all things piratey.

Perhaps I *could* do a cross-over. Pirates of the Little Mermaid has a nice ring to it. Hey Al, remember the cake from Buffett? Don't be surprised if you see it again at the party. Instead of hula girls, though, I'll stick a mermaid cake topper next to Will and call it a day.

What do you think of the new look?

Green *is* my color. But wait, this is a blog about Petra, isn't it.

Oops!

My latest obsession: the Q

I have to admit, I am so completely over my Treo 600 it's not even funny. It's been acting strangely for about five months now (it doesn't help, I'm sure, that I've dropped it a bajillion times) and I really want a new PDA phone.

Something lovely.

Something thin.

Something like the Motorola Q.

Go check it out and take the 360-degree tour. Isn't it amazing? It's the same thickness as the Razr and it has a full QWERTY keyboard. The only problem as I see it is that it's not yet available (and I stress the word, "yet") in a GSM flavor for TMobile, my provider of choice.

I have a ring into a friend at Motorola to get the line on when that version will be out, but I haven't heard anything yet. Let's hope it's soon. I don't know that I can wait very long....

BB7 Rocks!

Anyone else as excited as I am for the eviction tonight? Will it be James? Will it be Chicken George? Personally, I want James out!

And seriously, how far up the producers' asses is Janelle? She's managed to avoid eviction by the skin of her nose; I think she's too vital to ratings and might've had some help along the way. But who am I to cry foul play. The feud between Janelle and Danielle makes for very interesting TV.

And when are people going to figure out that Will is playing the whole lot of them?

So, if you want to bet, my money's on James tonight.

Q & A with Meesh

Q. I saw your Bermuda pictures and was a bit befuddled: I don't see your Crocs anywhere! Did you finally decided to throw those ugly-looking, but-oh-so-comfortable mock clogs away? Or did you lose them in the Bermuda Triangle?

Signed, in the Croc closet

A. Have no fear my closeted friend, the Crocs not only went to Bermuda, but also never left my feet the entire trip (save when I was on the beach and wanted to run my feet through the sand because it felt so good). They were the best traveling companions a girl could have. I even put on special Jibbitz for the occasion.

I present Exhibit A:

A picture is worth...

I've been writing so much for work these past two weeks, I almost can't bear to blog. My brain is so exhausted, it hurts to just think about writing.

Instead, I'll share some pictures of my trip to Bermuda. Once my brain settles down I'll write a recap worth reading. Until then, eat up the eye-candy; Bermuda is a lovely, lovely place.

Let me summarize...

Went to Bermuda. Had a blast. Visited Hamilton and St. Georges. Saw the wench get dunked. Got sick on the glass-bottom boat. Sat by helplessly as Petra had the meltdown to end all meltdowns. Left the island feeling a bit sad and wishing we could've stayed longer. The end.

I'll write more details later, I promise.

I've lost SIX pounds!

In four days, no less! A miracle, you say? Hardly.
Water weight, I say.

The six pounds I lost are indeed the very same six pounds I gained at the Jimmy Buffett concert.

SIX POUNDS GAINED IN ONE DAY. How does one put on so much weight in one day, you ask? Well, it happens when you:

Eat this:

And drink too many of these:

And do too much of this:

Without enough of this to compensate:

Invitations

I promised myself after K's bridal shower that I would never, ever attempt to make custom, hand-made invitations for anybody or anything.

That was before my sunshine of a daughter told me she just *had* to have an Ariel (aka The Little Mermaid) third birthday party AND that she loved me *so* much.

Oy. So help me justify the time, effort and expense of my Little Mermaid custom invitations.

1. The party store invitations on which you fill out the party particulars in black ink just look so incredibly sad (sorry to anyone who's used them!).
2. All of my friends hand-make their own invites.
3. Years from now, when she's 16 and so PA towards me that we've stopped speaking to each other, I'll pull out one of these invitations and remind Petra (and myself) just how much I love her.
4. I love to torment myself.

All very good reasons why I spent half of last night cutting, pasting, writing and sticking those damn invitations together.

Happy Birthday, Dad

I just want you to know I remembered. And that I'll never forget.

Don't worry, Petra will know you kept a folded picture of her in your wallet and talked often about her. I promise.

I miss you, love you and hope you're at peace. Happy birthday.

The sickness...

Petra has the sickness again...or at least a very bad cold. It kept her and me up most of the night; yes, I realize that of all nights I needed sleep it was last night.

Never-the-mind. I managed to sleep in a bit this morning. Petra even brought over her favorite Aunt Molly dime-store teddy bear for me to hug while I slept.

And good ole Natche: the car was cleaned and fully stocked with party supplies while we slept.

But back to Petra. She doesn't have a fever and appears to be her normal self today; the poor thing, however, has a bright red nose from blowing it so much. But she's wearing those darn Cars pajamas--she refuses to take them off when we're home--and she's drinking chocolate milk while watching the Wiggles Hot Potato Live tour DVD. I think she'll manage through the cold.

Songs you know by heart...

Yes, people...tomorrow is the BUFFETT concert. And yes, I am *so* excited.

How, you ask, can someone go every year and listen to the same songs over and over again, and in pretty much the same playlist order? Really, when was the last time that man actually recorded something new?

No matter, I say. Buffett is Buffett and all of his songs are timeless, never growing old and never getting dull. He does one mean Southern Cross and I never tire of hearing it.

Plus, I say, at what other concert can you party all day like you did in your 20s with many folks who are easily 20-30 years older than you?

So for all of the Parrotheads out there, keep searching for that one particular harbor and if you can't find it, just head on down to Margaritaville. I'll be there.

What? I can't bring my coffee on the plane?

Oy.

As if air travel wasn't enough of a headache, now I gotta worry that the guy next to me with the steaming cup of Dunkin' Donuts in his hand is actually a terrorist who has figured out a way to detonate that faux-coffee using his iPOD and blow up the plane.

Seriously, feed my neuroses a little more. Pile on a little more angst and tension. You know, I didn't have enough to begin with.

I LUV Southwest!

I was in the Philly airport last night waiting for my usual (and very late) flight back home when the Southwest gate attendant decided to play a little trivia game with the 20 or so folks waiting for the plane...FOR prizes.

I'd already finished my People mag cover-to-cover AND I noticed the first prize was a bottle of Korbel Brut, so I thought, what the hey, I'll play.

"Who are the two founding fathers of Southwest Airlines?" she asked. "You have five minutes to find the answer and claim your prize."

So, I thought about it for a few seconds but only came up with the one name: Herb Kelleher. At that point, it was time to use the phone-a-friend option. I called Al, who miraculously came up with the answer in all-of-about three seconds; strided up confidently to the gate agent; and gave her the names of Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. And yay, the Korbel Brut was mine!

So many thanks to Southwest Airlines for making last night's late flight bearable and, in fact, entertaining.

Oh, and lest you think me a bad friend, Al and I will enjoy the spoils of our victory at this weekend's Buffet tailgate.

My new lunchtime obsession

OK, I just have to say it:

Knowfat Lifestyle Grille ROCKS!

Many thanks to Eric Spitz and his company for opening up a location quite close to my office.

Speaking of Buffett...

Just SIX days until the big concert (and the all-day party that *is* the Buffet parking lot)

And no, we haven't made final preparations.

And yes, Natche is FREAKING OUT.

Fins

"Momma, you no have your hands up," proclaimed my daughter as the Jimmy Buffet tune, Fins, came up in the CD changer.

Petra, of course, was entirely prepared--hands over her head in the make-shift fin position--ready to move her "fins to the left; fins to the right," as soon as Jimmy told her to do so.

A tale of two dead things...

After reading Al's recent blog entry about her dead bird fiasco, I was reminded of a funny (but kinda sad too) story about Biko and his friend, the rabbit.

So last year, Biko and the rabbit spent hours upon hours playing a game called, Mommy-opens-the-sliding-glass-door-and-Biko-runs-out-to-chase-the-wild-bunny-in-the-yard. Fun was had by all; no one got hurt and it was extremely entertaining for those who watched.

Then one blustery winter day, Biko ran outside as usual to go find his friend the rabbit and chase him around the yard. And find him he did. But the poor bunny wasn't frolicking around the yard. No, he was lying in the snow, deader than a doorknob. And it was so sad to watch Biko as he tried to play with the bunny anyway. He prodded it with his nose and ended up flipping it in the air.

Now, it just so happens that we (Natche and I) saw this unfold and of course, we completely FREAKED OUT. I mean, neither of us wants our dog playing with a dead bunny; but to be honest we were more concerned that Biko'd realize that his recently-departed friend was actually a snack-in-the-waiting.

So Natche ran downstairs, grabbed the shovel and trudged outside in the knee-high snow. I like to think he said a little prayer before he scooped up the poor little bunny and flipped him over the fence into the woods.

The bunny flipping didn't go over too well. Poor Biko was beside himself. For weeks after the event, he'd look longingly outside hoping his friend the bunny would appear. But he never did.

Until this spring. And , this isn't a story straight out of Pet Semetary (or at least I hope not). Another bunny has graced us with its presence and brought an incredible amount of joy to our large puppy.

Let's just hope this friend is a bit heartier.

Welcome, my friends!

I'd like to welcome several new visitors to the blog:

• Guten Tag to the German visitor; I certainly hope you'll be back!
• Welcome to the person who searched on eczema and/or atopic rashes and found my lovely post on poison ivy. If you have it, I feel for you.

I'd also like to say "hi" to the regulars...I'm glad you find my posts mildly entertaining or at least care enough about me to read regularly.

And to all: feel free to comment. I'd love to get feedback.

And gosh...for some reason, I'm no longer feeling all that bad today...thanks to you, I assume.

I am in a mood.

Don't ask me why because I have no idea. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the loss of power EVERYWHERE (seriously, have we overloaded the grid that much???).

Whatever the case, I am in a foul mood and have little desire to get out of it. I might need to wallow for a while.

Poop Soup and other lovely topics

What's up with us this week...

• Petra has a stomach bug and has had the nastiest diarrhea for almost two days now. Seriously, her poop is gross and smelly and as a result she's developed a lovely butt rash that I'm sure will be difficult to treat.

• We attended a family briss the other day. I was very nervous in the days leading up to the ceremony, but had nothing to fear. The event was lovely; the moyel was a pediatrician; and the service was quite touching.

• The poison ivy that shut me down for an entire week has abated. I no longer want to scratch my skin raw and the huge, ugly burn-like rashes are barely perceptible now.

• Petra's daycare just called. There's been an outbreak of lice. Though she hasn't shown any signs of infestation, we are on serious bug alert for the next few days.

• We have a baby shower to attend on Saturday.

I need a vacation.

Crocs at the park

We recently took a family outing to a cute--and surprisingly clean--amusement park...and had a blast!

The roller coasters were meh at best but to be fair, nothing compares to Expedition Everest or the Rock n Roller coaster once you've *experienced* those two.

We had the most fun watching Petra ride the kiddie swings and mini roller coaster. She seemed to enjoy it; at least she's eager to go back.

Here are a few shots. Enjoy.

I Itch

(Sung to the tune of High-ho, High-ho. It's off to work we go...)

I itch, I itch; It makes me such a bitch.

I shouldn't weed or go outside for fear of ivy on my hide;
I itch.

I itch, I itch, I itch.

If Poison Ivy is the devil...

...then Benadryl is an ice cube in Hell.

I'm taking the stuff every four hours and am quite sleepy. Typing is even a chore.

But since my ENTIRE FACE and NECK are covered in a red, raised, painful rash, the frogginess I'm experiencing from the Benadryl is well worth it.

And yes, I recognize that I--of all people--shouldn't have been pulling weeds without gloves. Yes, I know just how allergic I am to urushiol. And yet, I still couldn't bring myself to walk back into the garage to grab the damn gloves that would've prevented this very uncomfortable reaction.

No, I will not post pictures.

I think I made the right decision...

I really do. I weighed the pros and cons and made a very important decision and I believe it's the right one...but it is nagging at me. How does one ever know?

I immediately felt a huge sense of relief and a tremendous release of the tension I've carried around for the past two weeks. Doesn't that say something?

Or will regret be the deciding factor? Meaning, if I feel none, then it must've been the right thing to do. If I kick myself in the ass, well then....

Thoughts?

Classic...

"Petra, get your head out of the dog's bowl!"

Workout Log - week ending 7/22/06

No, this post has absolutely nothing to do with Petra.

I've decided the blog is going to do double-duty, serving primarily as a means to update family on my daughter's every move, but also as a way to keep track of my workouts.

Let me put it this way, if I don't write it down here, I won't write it down anywhere and that just doesn't work for my trainer, JP. So indulge me as I attempt to keep track of my weekly gym-related activities.

Saturday, July 21: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Yep, that's it for the week...so sad. I mean, I'm supposed to do four hours of cardio and two lifting sessions a week. And I didn't even come close.

Twins

It's obvious that I had nothing to do with this child...

The flight last night....

I know this blog is supposed to be about Petra, but I've been in a very selfish mood lately, so just bear with me and my ramblings.

So I flew home last night after being on the road for a couple of days. Of course my 10 o'clock PM flight just couldn't leave on time; that would be just too convenient. Instead, my flight left shortly after 11.

So I get on the plane, settle back into my seat (actually the whole row--it wasn't a full flight) and the pilot takes off. At this point, I'm about to drift off into airplane sleep when I hear a very familiar, but unwelcome sound coming from the row next to me.

WRETCHING. VIOLENT WRETCHING.

A man, who was apparently very drunk, got very sick all over himself. I'm not sure which was worse: the smell or the sound. Double ick.

All I can say is, thank goodness for short flights.

I see you!

Many thanks to Allison for turning me onto StatCounter. Now, I can see how many visitors hit Petra's World and more importantly, from whence these visitors came.

It's a great tool and it's FREE. If you haven't signed up yet, do it!

I am utterly EXHAUSTED

I had to get up at 3:45 this morning to make a flight. Now 3:45 isn't an ideal wake-up time, but it's certainly doable IF one gets to bed early the night before.

You see where I'm going with this? I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. Nope. Didn't happen. Petra took it upon herself to stay up later than late and required "mommy-only" attention.

By the time I actually forced myself to shut my eyes, it was already 1 am and all I could think about was how soon my alarm would be going off, which caused me further angst. I spent the next 2.5 hours just lying there....waiting for the alarm to go off.

A postcard from Africa

Petra received a postcard from Africa today; you can't even begin to imagine how excited she was to receive mail...and a postcard nonetheless.

The card, which has a picture of an elephant on the front, came from a dear friend who just got back from a safari in Kenya and thought enough of Petra (and us) to send her a note from across the pond.

So, many thanks to Allison. Petra will cherish the card forever...or until she drops it down the air vent.

We're headed to...

...this family amusement park. Natche's company offers discount tickets so today we're headed there for a nice, fun, family outing.

According to meteorologist Dave Epstein, temps will be in the high 80s so I expect it'll be fairly hot, but not unbearable.

Should be fun!

Favorite New Product!

Have you seen the commercials for or already purchased Bare Escentuals (BE)? If you answered yes, then you know the stuff ain't cheap. The foundation alone starts at $25 and they've added so many complementary products you could easily spend $150 on BE products alone.

And I considered buying the BE set; really I did. UNTIL I found Loreal's Bare Naturale (how's that for potential patent/trademark infringement) mineral-based makeup. The stuff is fantastic.

Now I can't speak to the coverage power of BE, but I can tell you that BN works really well; it doesn't feel heavy or look cakey. It's wonderful.

If you haven't tried it, go out and get some. It will set you back $12, but compared with BE, that's a baahgain!

A Fashion Poll

Q: With the NB Andare running skirt now available on the market, I ask: Would you consider wearing a skirt to workout?

(please choose one)

1. Hell yes! A skirt is much more flattering than either sweatpants or lycra tights ever could be.

2. Maybe. If I flipped through US Weekly and saw a celeb wearing one, I'd consider it.

3. Probably not. Skirts remind me of tennis players and ice skaters; I am neither.

4. Uh, I don't think so. No hardcore fitness buff would be caught dead in a skirt.

5. Other __________________ (fill in the blank)

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a pic of the new Andare running skirt. And I've just asked Natche to order one for me.

The Vineyard

I recognize that I *still* haven't posted pics of our trip to the Vineyard. And for those of you on my Kodakgallery.com Friends and Family list, you'll know that the Vineyard pics are noticeably absent from the most recent album.

So as not to disappoint, here are a few photos...

An ode to Kristen on her birthday...

You battled traffic on the Pike, but still you came
to help us tame our wild garden and spend some time.

All of the plants we chose, oh, those long names...
were set into the ground for nary a dime.

Kristen, we thank you for adding beauty and pleasure
to our home and are grateful for your knowledge.

You are our own gardening treasure,
And for horticulture, we're so glad you went to college!

Petra-face...it needs no introduction.

I'm offering a prize...

...to whoever can tell me how to fix the fonts on this blog.

Nevermind...I think I just figured it out. Let this post be a test.

"Natche! Your child!"

It's more of a moan actually, accompanied by headshaking, shoulder slumping and the inevitable picking-up of whatever my child just destroyed.

I just said it again; first to cement in my mind that the behavior exhibited comes from *his* side of the family; second, to ensure that he knows just how distressed I am.

In this particular case there was no destruction of property, but instead an exhibition of certain OCD tendencies. I mean, she took a WIPE and started cleaning the refrigerator and the floor and then ASKED for the glass cleaner so she could go finish up with the french door windows. What almost-three-year-old child does that, I ask you?

The holiday weekend

I know I promised pictures of our holiday weekend--biking on the Vineyard; running the Merrimack, NH 5K; celebrating the 4th at Uncle Joe's house; etc.--but I won't be able to post them right away.

We lost our camera.

Well, we didn't actually *lose* it. We *left* it at Joe and Joan's house and since they live a good 45 minutes away, we won't be getting it back until the weekend. I hate to disappoint, but you'll have to wait until the weekend to see all of the great pictures we took.


In the meantime (so as not to disappoint too terribly), here is another picture from our wonderful, wacky Disney vacation. Petra just *had* to have her face painted and she wanted the pink dinosaur. I think the artist did a phenomenal job and luckily for us, the paint stayed on for a good two hours before it started to look like a pink blog that had grown mold.

Reason #1 to go to Disney: they *cater* to the kids and everyone, including the adults, has a wonderful time.

Reason #1 to stay away from Disney: every little thing costs money...including pink dinosaurs on faces.

Snoozer...

Now that I've started blogging regularly, I'm very interested in what other people publish in their blogs, partly because I want to see who writes well and mostly because I want to see who doesn't. So today, I visited a few high-profile blogs, hoping that I would find some great content and thusly get inspired.

Didn't happen. Most of the blogs I read were B-O-R-I-N-G.
Note to writers: I don't care which preschool your three-year old will attend in the fall nor do I care how difficult it was to get him into said school. And, I hate to break it to you: I have little interest in your daughter's first birthday party and the hoops you had to jump to pull it off. I just can't seem to care. Is that horrible?

But that's their right, you say. Blogs give people the tools to write and publish ANYTHING--even the most inane content--for others to consume, yes? And even though a site might not interest me, it doesn't mean that it won't be of interest to someone else, correct?

Begrudgingly I accept that not all blogs are designed to entertain me; as such I'll just have to ignore those I find yawningly bad.

__________
Now, if you're interested in reading a couple of great blogs, I recommend the following. But note, I tend to go for the snarkier ones, so if you don't like gossip and bad-mouthing, go elsewhere.

Go Fug Yourself, a hilarious, celebrity-bashing site that makes even the most serial fashion victim among us seem sartorially sound when compared with such Fug fixtures as the Peldon sisters, Sienna Miller and Bai Ling.

Manolo's Shoe Blog, which I read despite the fact that the writer has dubbed Crocs, " the hot trend in the footwear for the lazy person," and has consigned my rubber darlings to the Gallery of Horrors to sit alongside Uggs, Danskos and Birks.

Q & A

Occasionally--that is, when you ask--I'll respond to questions from readers. Today's question:

Q: Were you wearing your Crocs when you had your celeb sighting on the Vineyard?

A: No. I have clipless pedals on my bike, which require that I wear special bike shoes (or boots, in my case) with little clips on them. Mine are Cannondales and they look something like this:













"Whew! ", this one reader thinks. "What if Beyonce had seen Meesh wearing Crocs? What would she have thought?" and "The Vineyard is way too high-brow for those rubbery attempts at shoes."

Well, I hate to disappoint, Suz...

While I didn't wear my Crocs while cycling, they were in fact tucked in my saddlebag waiting for the moment we pulled into Edgartown. I strolled around town proudly wearing my Crocs for all to see.

Don't believe me? Just wait. I will devote an upcoming post to my Crocs and all of the wonderful places they will have visited this holiday weekend.

Super Celeb Sighting!

Natche, Petra and I went over to Martha's Vineyard yesterday to do some biking. The Vineyard has wonderful bike trails that allow you to see a good chunk of the island without ever having to venture on a main road.

So, we were on the road from the airport to Edgartown--West Tisbury Road--when I noticed two guys biking towards us. They were helmet-less, which made it easy to see their faces. I looked at one of them and thought, hmmm, that looks just like Jay-Z.




But then I thought, well, if that was Jay-Z (because by this point, he'd just passed by me), where in the hell is Beyonce?



About two seconds behind her man, is the answer.


There she was, on a bike with a floppy straw hat in one hand, looking as if she'd rather be anywhere else.




And then they were gone; we still had three miles to go before I could grab the phone from Natche's pocket and call Mel to tell her all about my celeb sighting!


DISCLAIMER: Natche asked me to write this. He, in no way, endorses my passion for or encourages my writing about celebrities. In fact, he's pretty disgusted by my love of People and Us Magazines. He was also quite embarrassed when I told pretty much everyone with whom I came in contact yesterday that I had just seen Beyonce and Jay-Z!