Things I Hate About You

Well, not you personally...And while I don't USUALLY like to complain (at least not out loud, in public or on this blog), sometimes you just have to let it out.

1. Folding undershirts. Man, do I hate folding undershirts. Maybe because there are so many of them (each of my lovely daughters wears one a day and the Hoos wears two!). Whatever the reason - HATE IT.
2. Cleaning plastic reuseable containers. I like reusing, reducing and recycling. I really do. I think it is important. But my girls go to school with three reuseable containers each per day (that adds up to 30 containers a week!!!). Since I have plenty of plastic containers, but not plenty of the size that fit in their lunch boxes, I am constantly washing them. HATE IT.
3. McDonald's on the Highway. I drove to Providence the other morning and left my house before 6 am for the two hour drive. Since I wasn't up to eating at 6, I stopped at a drive-thru McDonald's on 95 about an hour into the trip. Instead of the $3.81 I used to pay for a sweet tea and an Egg McMuffin before I started my no sugar, no flour diet, I was floored when the requested $5.83. Apparently 99 cent Sweet Tea costs $1.44 more when it is made on I-95. And in case you were wondering, no, diets do not count when traveling.
4. My scale. Okay, I am three plus months into the aforementioned diet. I believe I have lost a grand total of 5 pounds. WTF?! And, apparently I have lost all of that weight in my face. Double WTF?!

What are you hating on these days? Aside from the weather. Because Lord knows we can always complain about that!

Cuteness to counteract the negative

After My Own Heart

"mommy, i love everyone in the whole world...except, you know who."

i will pause and give everyone a chance to guess. even if you knew names, faces, associations, or even lp personally, i still doubt you would get it.

"litterers. i do not like litterers. people should not just throw their garbage on the floor!"

sorry for the lowercase, blogger doesn't like my berry today.

Food is Love

Since December 25th I have seriously reduced the amount of flour and sugar that I consume on a daily basis. For about 3 months I was pretty much cold turkey, but I have started adding one sugar packet to my coffee or tea and I will eat breaded chicken. I also might sneak in the occasional mocha. Also, one a week we have pizza for dinner.

While my weight hasn't decreased dramatically, it has decreased slightly and it certainly has not gone up. Which says a lot considering that I go pretty much dormant in winter, getting little to no exercise and that I usually eat when stressed (see posts re: selling and buying a house).

That being said, just because I don't eat those things doesn't mean that I don't bake or cook with those things. If I cut flour out for the girls - particularly LP - they wouldn't eat much. So I make my weekly batch of homemade "macca" (macaroni and cheese), buy bagels, and pour daily bowls of Honey Nutters (honey Nut Cheerios).

More importantly, if I cut flour and sugar out for the whole family, I wouldn't feel so great. I cook and bake for them because I love them. Because, to me, the effort and time that goes into baking means something to the person that eats the baked goods.

For example, Wednesday night I made chocolate chip cookies for the Realtor open house my agent was holding at our house on Thursday. My feeling was that baking something shows 1. that I actually use the beautiful granite counters in my kitchen and 2. that their help in selling my house was important. Now, I am sure they didn't see it that way, they saw cookies and ate one if they felt like it. It doesn't matter though, I felt good about the process.

And today. The girls are at my parents' house for two nights (thanks mom and dad!). I don't need to bake, especially not as a pass-the-time project for me and my two amigas, but I did.

I made hamantashen. It is Purim and they are a traditional dessert of filled triangle-shaped cookies. They are more labor-intensive than your typical cookie, but, again, I didn't mind. They are going to help our family celebrate (pretty much the only way we will celebrate).

Food is love. Pass it on.

PS - not only do I not even try the baked goods once finished, I don't even lick the bowl, or spoon. Yes, some willpower is required, but I remind myself that it means there is more for my lovies to eat.

Slamming Doors

It has been almost two years since the Hoos locked himself and the girls out of the house. I, fortunately, managed to evade this fate by always making sure the door was unlocked if I was just doing something quickly in the yard or making sure I had my keys on my person at all times.

Until yesterday.

Last night the girls decided they wanted steak for dinner. Since I am always on a quest to get LP to eat more protein, I accepted the challenge and we stopped at Stew's between the playground and our house to pick some up.

I lit the grill as we hustled into the house. We discovered that the post office had delivered a box and LP and AK determined to open it while I prepped the steaks and got them on the BBQ. With the meat on a plate, I unlocked the back door and slipped outside.

Shortly thereafter LP joined me to show off the mask that had arrived in the shalach manot gift. I complimented her appropriately and she shut the door and returned into the house to play with AK. Which was cool, until I wanted to get inside. SHE HAD LOCKED THE DOOR.

I know she didn't lock it on purpose. It is a habit of hers to lock the door, since she is usually the last one in the house when we get home from school. I know it is a good thing that she is so security conscious and smart. Except it meant I was LOCKED OUT OF THE HOUSE.

I pounded on the back door and yelled to no avail. Eventually I went around to the front of the house, "LP! Open the door!"

"I can't!" she responded (the front door has a tricky lock).

"GO. TO. THE. BACK. DOOR."

She did and let me it, apologizing profusely that she didn't mean to lock it and that she hadn't heard me pounding. Fair enough.

Later that night I called our neighbor to see if I could borrow two eggs. As I ran out the door to meet her in the middle of the street, I heard the girls yelling from our door that they wanted to come and I insisted I would only be a second.

The lovely Kimmy met me in the middle of the street and quickly pointed behind me.

There was AK, barefoot, running across the street. Without looking. Of course.

Fortunately it was 8pm and there were no cars, but I could have killed her.

Lesson of the day: 1. Always carry keys and 2. lock every door behind you.

Manning Up

I have spent my entire adult life working in the marketing and communications fields. I consider myself a good writer, a halfway decent speaker, and a relatively engaging person. And yet, I SUCK AT NETWORKING. I am just not good at walking into a room full of people and making connections without a wingperson.

This morning an opportunity presented itself for me to attend a local small business event. The registration process and fee was waived and the new Governor would be speaking, as well as a nationally recognized entrepreneur. Aside from being interested in hearing these gentleman speak, and the allure of hotel meal without the hotel stay, I was interested in attending to push myself outside of my comfort zone.

It is not that I don't WANT to network or that I am incapable, I am just...shy? I know, I know, hard to believe for those that know me personally.

So, I got up early, left the house before my lovelies were awake and drove down to Greenwich in the pouring rain, prepared to aggressively network.

And then I realized I had a total of ONE business card in my purse.

And then, when I got there, I realized it was a room full of older men in dark suits. I was at least wearing a suit and heels, but being 5' and female, the room was intimidating. Especially considering there were about 500 people jammed into the lobby of the venue.

Apparently my networking strategy revolves around movement. I proceeded to walk back and forth across the lobby for a good half hour. I figured instead of standing still, checking my 'Berry and chugging my coffee, if I was moving at least I had a chance at making eye contact.

And I did.

With the guy dressed as a paint brush promoting a small local painting contractor.

Who Doesn't Love Shoes

As the Hoos and I prepare to move, I think back fondly on the last move that we did ourselves without the help of paid movers. It was also the last time the Hoos' brothers lived in the same state as us (which will change this summer! woo-hoo!). We conned them into helping us move from one end of North Arlington, VA to the other and they were amazed - I mean downright dumbfounded - by the number of shoes I owned. I haven't counted lately, but I figure I must own about 40 pairs - is that a lot?

Anyway, while I don't know where most of my readers live, I do know that most of them love shoes. I mean who doesn't?

Which brings me to an email I received today:

Famous Footwear is opening up a new store in North Haven Pavilion this Saturday, March 19. Shoppers can download an exclusive discount coupon to bring with them to the Grand Opening Event online at www.famousfootweargrandopenings.com. The first 100 shoppers to present this coupon in the store will also receive a handbag that’s stuffed with fun goodies. There will also be tons of fun activities on-site, for moms and kids alike, and multiple chances to win prizes - including FREE SHOES!

North Haven Pavilion – 210 Universal Drive, North Haven, CT 06473, 10:00am – 4:00pm.

If you go, please do not feel the need to buy me shoes. I don't even know how I am going to move the 40 I already own. (Just kidding! A girl can always use more shoes!)

And, let me know how many pairs of shoes you own. I didn't think I had a problem but now I am starting to wonder...

This, That, and the Other

Whoa, boy have things been busy around these parts!

Our Castle
Last Wednesday morning, our Realtor came over and walked us through the exciting process of preparing our house for sale. Knowing we were leaving on vacation for 5 days that very afternoon, we said we would need at least one weekend to work on the house and would plan to put it on the market NEXT week (week of the 14th).

Flash forward to Monday. A call from the Realtor asking about taking pictures TODAY to get it on the market TOMORROW. Then imagine me and the Hoos stressing out, staying up until all hours, and running around like crazy people to clean up, reorganize, hide stuff and prepare.

TOMORROW our home of 5.5 years goes on the market. A very different market than when we purchased. We are hoping for the best, preparing for the worst and exhausted. Wish us luck.

THEIR Castle
Fortunately, our housing stress was broken up by a little trip to the happiest place on earth. Despite the fact that we learned that AK had an ear infection less than 24 hours before her first airplane ride ever (delivering yet another reason for a sleepless night), the girls were FANTASTIC from the time we left for the airport until the time we got home.

I was constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have such great kids - they didn't whine, complain, or beg for overpriced tchotckes the entire trip. They just enjoyed the pants off of Disney: dancing with characters, watching shows with rapt attention, and showering my parents and grandparents with love and appreciation. It was just what the doctor ordered.