32

I turn 32 today.

This many

I thought I'd do a little list. 32 Things on my 32nd. Here goes nothing.

1. This is an anti-climactic age.

2. On the eve of my 30th birthday, I had a small identity crisis. I called my friend Eileen and asked her if I was supposed to feel older and wiser. She said no. That made me feel better.

3. CVS just called to refill my prescription. How very nice of them.

4. I'm having lunch today with Auntie M and Loretta.

5. Dean's pretty jazzed about it.

6. Marcus, Dean and I had dinner at Cajun Steamers last night, courtesy of my parents.

7. Dean had his first kid's meal.

8. Dean likes Cajun fries.

9. I wore flip-flops. In February.

10. My favorite color is purple. Did you know? Now you do.

11. I bought my first pair of Clark's shoes this year.

12. They are the greatest pair of shoes I have ever owned. Also the most expensive.

13. I think it's cool when my birthday falls on Friday the 13th.

14. I kind of hate Valentine's day.

15. I especially hate it when people wrap my birthday gifts in Valentine gift wrap.

16. Dean keeps finding my cell phone and programming new numbers into it. This is annoying.

17. The plumber we hired to fix our leaky pipe was great. We will not have to sell anything on eBay to pay the bill.

18. Home ownership kinda sucks sometimes. (see above comment about leaky pipe)

19. Dean peed on me twice this morning. Happy birthday, mommy. ;)

20. My perfect "Fat Breakfast" would be Dunkin' Donuts Hazelnut coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts and hashbrowns from McDonald's, with a soy latte from Starbuck's for dessert.

21. I could eat pasta every single day. So could my son.

22. I don't remember going from the OR to the recovery room after my c-section. This kind of bothers me.

23. In college, we once had a 4-way joint birthday party for a bunch of us who were born between Feb. 10-13.

24. My family's new favorite word is "boon." (balloon)

25. My class brought in their assignment for next Thursday yesterday. Everyone did. So we did those presentations. Better early than late, huh?

26. I really hope Marcus gets me York Peppermint Patties for Valentine's Day. I enjoy them chilled.

27. I always cry when filling out holiday cards to Dean. Last year when he was a wee little tot, Marcus and I had to try 5 times before we could read him his Valentine. I'm sure his 6 week old self really cared about having it read aloud, but it was important to us.

28. I have never used a lawnmower. I have no intention of starting any time soon. (Marcus is getting ready to mow our yard.)

29. My secret dream is to receive an entire bag of trial-sized items for my birthday or Christmas.

30. I once had a pet crab named Charlie. I fed him bologna. He died.

31. Dean calls me "Nah Nah." I love it.

32. Wanna know what Marcus gave me for my birthday? I'M MOVING MY BLOG TO TYPEPAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to do the online tutorial and get everything set up, but within two weeks, you will be able to visit me at my new and improved site.

Now go have a cupcake and think of me. :)

Well, whaddya know?

I have made a discovery. As I told you before, the numbers on my scale have been mercifully reducing over the past few months. I was pondering this yesterday. When we first moved, I was walking regularly, about 3 days a week, about 3 miles each time. Since the weather has turned cooler and my Aunt M has taken on a major kitchen renovation (she's my walking buddy), to call my workouts "spotty" is being extremely kind. However, Dean is much more active now, so I feel like I'm burning calories every minute I'm chasing him around or playing with toys. Since he's started solids, I've been making toddler-friendly meals and sharing them, especially on the days I'm home for lunch. Therein lies my discovery: if you eat like a toddler, you will not only be eating healthier, but you will lose weight.

Eat like a toddler, look like a hottie.

It's my new mantra. What do you think? I don't know how I'd do with WW, counting points and such. Doing a food journal has helped in the past, like when I needed to drop the 11 pounds I piled on after getting married. But portion control has never been something I was good at. Until now. I've started serving myself toddler-sized portions of the entree (in our house, that usually means some type of pasta with lean meat and as many veggies as possible crammed in--see my recipe for turkey meatballs). I've even started serving myself out of Dean's Gerber bowls. Of course, these portions don't completely fill me up, so I fill the void with salad or low-fat soups or fruit. Dean FINALLY has enough teeth to chew a ripe pear or chunks of banana, so whole fruits have taken over the dessert scene in our house. (Much healthier than our previous dessert scene, which often consisted of my latest cake creation or gummi bears.) Another thing about toddler meals: We're less inclined to put a lot of added salt, butter, sugar, etc. into our kids' food, right? Those of us with high blood pressure, like me, don't need the salt anyway, so why not follow our kids' healthy-eating lead?

I'm going to give this a try and see if it really makes the difference I think it will. If I hit upon a great recipe that's both satisfying and yummy, I'll be sure to share it. In the meantime, if YOU have any toddler-friendly recipes, please share them!

Here's to hotness.

Things I've learned today

1. I knew my class's presentations would probably be pretty good, but in reality? THEY ROCKED. I can't wait to see what else they come up with as the semester progresses.

2. On the day when you say to yourself "I'll just wait til the manny gets here to get dressed, put on makeup, etc." the manny will run late and you will not have time to straighten your hair. You will also forget to bring your yoga pants and t-shirt to work with you and will end up wearing your dress shirt, heels and a pair of your husband's pajama pants to do stage combat. (see next note)

3. I am SO about to turn 32. And I'm feeling it. Marcus has a studio-type stage combat drop-in session that he does on Tuesdays outside his regularly scheduled combat class (which meets the same time as my arts administration class). He asked me to come and help him teach it. (Didn't know I was a swordfighter, didja???) We did multiple drills with footwork for the first time today. And now I may die. How did I do this 5 times a week in my 20s? Because I was IN MY
20s!!!!!!!


It hurts to type, so I have to go lie down. Yow.

EDITED TO ADD (7:52am on Wednesday): You know, I'm not that sore! My legs were trembling for over an hour when I got home yesterday from muscle fatigue and I have the requisite right buttock soreness that only swordfighting can provide, but all in all, it's not really that bad. And Dean slept through the night, which didn't hurt either!

Six and six

A few weeks ago, my cousin Heather did this "writing assignment" on her blog. The assignment is to describe yourself in six words, then have someone close to you do the same. I asked my best pal Meredith to find six words to describe me. She went above and beyond and I am humbled and flattered (and amused) by her answers.

6 words to describe me:

1. Punctual: I cannot stand to be late and I get quite irked when others are late. My students learned the first day of class that I do not tolerate tardiness.

2. Mother-hen: I've been mothering people for years. My actors, my students, my friends, they've all had a "Mama Jen" moment, even long before Dean was around. Since he's arrived, this one's gotten stronger.

3. Sassy: This one speaks for itself. :)

4. Passionate: About my work, my family, my son, my friends, the places I have lived/live now, my hobbies (like my blog!), causes that mean a lot to me, and food.

5. Detail-oriented: That's why I'm a stage manager.

6. Quirky: I have to have the hand towels in the bathroom folded a certain way, I can't stand the sound of certain words (like the M word...I'm sure my mother will elaborate in the comments section...), and the sight of cracked mud makes me want to wretch. I also like to dip my green beans in ketchup.

And now, Meredith's answers.

6 WORDS TO DESCRIBE JEN:

FRIEND: Jen and I met my Senior Year of college at Alabama. She was a grad student in the department. We hit it off right away and we’ve been the best of friends ever since. It’s funny but I had to call her to find out when it was we first met. I told her that I just don’t remember us ever not being friends. She is truly one of the best friends I have ever had. In 2007, I was getting married and no one could fill the role of Matron of Honor except for Jen (don’t you hate the term matron? It just screams old school marm or spinster. They should be called Lovely Assistant Buffer Go-Between Princess to the Bride). She & Marcus were on their way to Theatre West Virginia for the summer and I was getting married Memorial Day weekend. She worked it out so that she could be here for all the festivities. Talk about loyal. She even had TWV write it into her contract that she would be off that weekend. She told them not only was she in the wedding but she was the Matron of Honor and had to be there. We had an awesome time at the wedding and let me tell you there are very few people in this world who will keep annoying family members at bay, make you wear napkins and feed you French fries before you walk down the aisle and help you pee in your wedding dress. Not to mention she was about a minute pregnant during all this.

SISTER: Jen is the sister I never had. We can stay up til all hours talking about nothing or not say anything at all. Whenever something happens, good or bad, she is the first person I call. When my grandmother died in 2003, I immediately called Jen. We were both living in New York and the time and I was having to fly home. I was going to miss a very important work event and I was torn. Jen helped me understand that given the opportunity, I needed to be with my family and if I wasn’t I would regret it. She was right. She’s very much a part of my family. When my husband & I were dating, I dragged him to New York because he HAD to meet Jen. I needed her approval of this man that I was madly in love with and could possibly marry. I was right, she LOVED him! Nothing pleased me more than knowing my best friend approved of my future husband.

ADVENTUROUS: Jen and I have had our adventures over the years. Meeting up at Film Center Café in New York for brunch and not remembering where we went afterwards, but knowing we had a great time. The night Jen moved from Ithaca to Manhattan and it poured down rain and there were no cabs. But nothing really compares to our time in Tuscaloosa. We had some interesting times to say the least. Watching Waiting for Guffman on closed caption so we could learn the words to “A Penny for Your Thoughts” not to mention the choreography. Going on a ghost hunt to Old Bryce Mental Hospital and to “see” the Northport Ghost. The Snow Day where we stayed locked up in Jen’s apartment eating and watching The Price is Right and the Game Show network. Mind you it snowed for like 3 minutes and the entire town shut down. Alabama is not equipped to handle such treacherous weather! Cutting class to go eat at the Alabama Grill...Good times!

MOTHER: Jen called me 4 days before my wedding to inform me she was pregnant. I did not know what to say. I was SO happy for her. I also knew before her parents . When she arrived in Dothan it was all we could do to not burst into tears when we saw each other! At my bridesmaids luncheon we had a cake with the charms baked in. (You Southerners know what I’m talking about. ) Well, I had picked out the charms weeks before the luncheon. Jen pulled hers and it was a baby carriage. I had no idea prior to her calling me that she would be pregnant. Talk about intuition, or was it ESP? Who knows! But I was so excited for her and Marcus. Well, fast forward to January of 2008. My husband and I went to dinner with his parents and I got a voicemail on my phone that night from Jen that she has been admitted to the hospital and was in labor. Dean made his way into the world on January 5th. I couldn’t wait to see him. My sweet husband and I flew up to New York in April to meet Dean. Precious does not even describe this child and Jen is an awesome mom. When they moved back to Alabama, I went to visit Jen and Dean for the weekend. Marcus was out of town. Watching her in action was impressive. She knows what to do for every cry, laugh, smile. She is amazing. I can only hope that I am half as good a mother as she is. I secretly dream (obviously not so secret anymore if it’s on the internet, right?) that I will have a girl and she and Dean will grow up and get married. For those reading this, NO I am currently not pregnant. Hopefully soon though!

FUNNY: Jen and I can laugh at nothing for hours. We’ll sit there and talk about being trapped in the costume room one night at rehearsal during a tornado. Or the party at Daniel’s when Steven Perry (not from Journey) did something in the bathroom that you just don’t do at someone’s house (I’ll just leave that up to your imaginations). We’ll talk about what our husbands have done to make us laugh or the antics of our families. The trip to the beach with my family or the trip to Graceland Too with hers. Or the fact that when she is on vacation (wherever she might be) she HAS to play mini-golf. It’s SO much fun! We can pretty much find humor in everything. We laugh a lot. It’s always a good time when we are together.

THOUGHTFUL: Jen is the most thoughtful person. She always sends me a birthday and Christmas card. The best was my birthday card last year. She mentioned that my gift was being shipped and I was not to open it under any circumstances until my birthday. She said she had secretly trained Suzy, our dog, to alert her if I did. Needless to say, I waited until my birthday to open it. I’ve been having some “girl issues” and Jen will call to check on me. She will make sure everything is alright and if she could be here with me, she would. She’s even offered to move in with me and Dave if we end up having 12 kids! And I know I mentioned this before, but she was very thoughtful in making me wear napkins all over my wedding dress and feeding me French fries one by one so I would not ruin my dress. Oh yeah and there was the whole peeing in my wedding dress incident. There’s no need for details. Those of you who were there know what happened ;)

Thanks, Mer! Someday I'll write a blog entry all about your wedding dress bathroom trip!

Mission statement

My class is working on writing mission statements for the mock theatre companies they are creating for their semester-long projects. As we talked today, I couldn't help thinking what a good idea it would be for some people to write mission statements for themselves. So let's try it, shall we?

First of all, you should know that in an organization, a mission statement is just that: A statement of your mission. Your "reason for being." Who you are, what you do, who you want to see it, what outcome you would like to see.

Jen strives to be successful at motherhood, marriage and her career. She strives to please others through providing organization, love, leadership, understanding and baked goods. As time passes, she hopes to touch lives and inspire others to find their personal best while finding fulfillment in her family, her faith, and her work and continually challenging herself.

Aside from the kind of awkward run-on sentence at the end, that's not too bad! I tried to work in a sentence about coffee, but it just didn't fit.

What's your mission statement?

RIP, little Gateway

I knew this day was coming. When I bought my cheapo Gateway laptop almost three years ago, it was intended to be something I could use in my freelance work. I wanted a cheap computer that would let me do my word processing and internetting and a little Kodak Easy-Sharing. I also wanted something that I could hand over to my assistant(s) and not worry about it, or drop down the stairs and not worry about it. Ye Olde Gateway, she has served her time and served it well. But her time is up. A few weeks ago, my wireless card just up and died. I bought one of those external wireless sticks that goes into your USB port, and Dean decided he loooooooooved it. He would grab it every time he passed by my computer. Apparently his love for the wireless stick bent my USB port because yesterday the computer stopped recognizing our wireless network. That is not a good thing for an internet addict like myself, as I'm sure many of you understand. Anywho, Marcus offered to take me to Best Buy today to see if we could affordably upgrade. I found myself a Toshiba and brought it home. And let me tell you, it is a sexy thang! It's so fast and so cool! I'm still figuring out Vista, but I'll get there. The Geek Squad dude assured us that Windows is coming out with Windows 7 this summer and that it's much, much better than Vista. We shall see.

I'm about to start applying for grants to help me get to BlogHer this summer. Marcus and I have been talking about it and I think I can pitch it as a creative writing endeavor. I've been wanting to upgrade this blog for a while, but I feel like I need some more information before I make the big leap. I'm chatting with the TypePad community manager about some questions I have and about what I should be learning before I move over there. I also just became an officer for our state's Theatre Conference, and a part of my mission is to improve networking for theatre students and early career professionals. I think blogging may be a good way to do that. As a stage manager, I'm always shocked at how few networking opportunities there are for us. I'm thinking of starting a blog for stage managers to help with networking, sharing paperwork and ideas, and maybe interviewing a professional stage manager each week. Marcus and I are also interested in starting a blog to use as a recruitment tool for the theatre department at the University where we teach. If I could get some grant money, I could attend BlogHer, maybe even the Business Conference, and get all these ideas rolling! Plus, I could meet my blog friends in person. I think we all know that's the main reason I want to go! If you'll be there, let me know and let's hang out.

One month til my birthday

In case you were counting. :)

Warning: This will be a VERY random post! Are you ready? Good!

Class started for me today. I had planned to go in once I got Dean and the Manny settled in here and take a little time to go over my notes, maybe even work on an outline for Thursday's class. That all fell to pieces when the Manny texted me at 8:15 with a 102 degree fever and tonsil pain! I sent him packing to the doctor while Marcus made arrangements for Dean to attend his stage combat class (no swordfighting today, thank GOD), which meets at the same time as my arts management class. I have 7 students, all of whom were engaging and interesting and talkative. We spent today going through the syllabus, getting to know each other and our specific interests in the arts and brainstorming a bit. It was a fantastic start to the semester.

Marcus snuck home with us after class and we're having a nice, leisurely afternoon. I just made Dean some turkey meatballs. He's been eating pasta like it's going out of style, so I thought I'd make some meatballs to sneak in some protein (and more veggies!). Here's the recipe if anyone's interested. They seem quite toddler-friendly. Plus, I just tasted one and they are GOOD.
*To make mine "Dean-friendly," I minced my veggies in the food processor and only used a small amount of onion. If it was for just Marcus and me, there would have been much, much more onion. Oh, and this recipe is salt-free! Woo hoo! That would be me taking control of my hypertension. Also, you will see that I do not really do recipes. I throw things into bowls and cook them. Ok, recipe!


1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (I used a lot because I also made a turkey meatloaf--same recipe!)
1/4 medium onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1/3 cup frozen peas, cooked and pureed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
dash garlic powder
dash salt-free Italian seasoning (Pampered Chef makes the BEST)
handful shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients together, then roll into balls, or press into loaf pan. You can also use this recipe to make turkey burgers. They may be baked at 350 for 30 minutes (for balls, longer for loaf), tossed into a slow-cooker with some chicken broth for a couple of hours, or fried in a pan of olive oil.

That very well may be the most random recipe in the history of the world. But since many of us are trying to eat healthier and/or feed toddlers with very few teeth and picky appetites, I thought I'd share it.

American Idol starts tonight. Yes, I will be watching. I don't know how I feel about this fourth host, but I do love me a good old BAD audition! Please, let's discuss tomorrow!

JUST BE

That is my motto for 2009. Up until this exact moment in my life, I have, in one way or another, been waiting for "the next step." The next step has been something different with each passing year. For a while it was finishing my education. Then getting a job. Then getting the next job. Then getting promoted. Then getting married. Then having kids. Then watching Dean pass each milestone during his first year. Then buying a house. Then finding something to do with myself now that we've moved and are in our house. And it all happened. And I loved every second of it. And now, I want to sit back and enjoy it.

I really should have warned you about the bad grammar this post would contain BEFORE you committed to reading it, huh?

I'm not a maker of resolutions each new year, but I am a goal-setter. (really, the grammar is horrendous, isn't it?) I tend to set very high standards for myself, then decide that anything less is completely unacceptable. Funny how life sometimes throws a giant monkey wrench at you, huh? If 2008 taught me anything, it was that I have to be patient with myself and accept who I am and what my situation is at this very moment. And for the first time in over a year, I can tell you that today I am completely comfortable in my own skin, completely happy with where my life is right now and very, very excited about the coming months. This leads us to a revelation. (no, I'm not pregnant.) The past year has been, shall we say, rough. I know now that I have been dealing with some sort of post-partum depression and I feel like I'm ready to talk about it, like I need to talk about it. I would not open up about this on my blog normally, especially since I have a lot of readers who don't know me personally, but one of the only things that got me through a lot of days these past few months has been reading blogs. It's refreshing and reassuring to see that other people are going through the same struggles and facing the same challenges. Since moving, we have made a few friends, but none that we've really "clicked" with. I think that also has to do with the fact that we are parents now and our priorities are so different. Sure, we can socialize, but at 8:00, we want to be at home to put our kid to bed. But blogs are there 24 hours a day. Not to say they can replace human companionship, but when you're crying at 10am, your husband's at work and your baby's asleep, they sure can be comforting.

My one request is that my very close family members, who may or may not be aware of the things I talk about on here, do not use the comments section of this blog as an avenue for discussion. Call me on the phone or email me if you want to say something or ask me questions. If it's difficult for you to read these things on my blog, tell me and I'll tell you which entries to skip. It's something I need to share. My story may help someone else feel better and get through one tough day the way my "blog friends" helped me through so many last year. Also, telling about this situation makes me feel better. It's an important part of my life, even though it may be perceived as completely negative, but overcoming it has been wonderful.

As I head into new adventures, like a return to teaching, a new position with our state's theatre conference (!) and my second year of motherhood, I want to take my time and enjoy my life. After all, I've worked very hard to get here. My what-if's and when-that-happenses (again with the grammar!) are now my reality. It's time to just be.

Oh, ok, so this is really going to happen

I think I just realized that I'm really going back to work on Tuesday. It's been a thing we've talked about for a while now, but it's always been in what seemed like the distant future. Yesterday, I locked myself in the bedroom for 2 hours while Dean took a nap on Marcus and finished my syllabus. I have a few tweaks to make, but it's more or less done. Dean took an insane 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon, so I was able to plan about 6 lectures. I'm washing my work clothes. We've arranged child care (more on that later). I go in tomorrow to fill out all my paperwork, get my ID card (which should be lovely because HELLO BREAKOUT ON MY CHIN!), get a university email account set-up and check back in with the department chair. And then on Tuesday, for the first time in a while, I will teach college students about arts management. I'm rather excited!

I'm using the same textbook that I used when I took this class back in my college/grad school days. Reading the notes I made in the margins is fun. I like seeing what I highlighted, what I thought was super-important information back then. Now that I've been working in arts management for ten years, I see how much of that was less-than-useful information and how much of it was stuff I've used every day. I also love it when I see things like "charge phone" scribbled on a page. The chapter on fundraising (not my favorite) even has a grocery list written over a pie chart. I can't remember why I wrote my grocery list in my arts management textbook, but I imagine my thought process went something like this:
Pie chart. Pie. I like pie. Winn Dixie has pie. If I go to Winn Dixie, I should also get chicken, Dr. Pepper and honey mustard.

My favorite marginal note, however is the one that is written in purple highlighter and all caps and doesn't even have an arrow to tell me what I'm referencing. It just says, "NO." Nice, college Jen, nice.



















Jen's first day of class introduction:
Hey, y'all, I'm Jen! Who wants to manage the arts?!?!?!?
No? Ok.

So, childcare. We signed Dean up for Mother's Day Out at a church MONTHS ago, but were placed on a waiting list. I called after the first of the year and was told to call back at the end of January. UGH. Cutting it so close made me nervous. Marcus had even talked about taking Dean to stage combat class with him for the first couple of days (it meets when my class does) if we didn't have it figured out by then. Because that is just what I want--my baby in the room with 12 first-time swordfighters. Anyway, Jesus heard our pleas and sent us BJ. BJ is a recent graduate from the theatre program and the oldest of four kids. And Dean? ADORES him. They've played together a lot and I noticed at the holiday party that BJ just kind of started taking care of Dean while I was refilling the crostini tray. He mentioned the other day that he didn't have a job in town yet (he's hanging around til the end of the school year). Marcus and I talked about him and today we signed him on as our Manny. (that's New York talk for "male nanny." Seriously. That's what they call them there.) There were jokes made about requiring him to wear a uniform involving a neckerchief and a beret, but we decided that might be pushing it a little. He did offer to dress like Dean each day, which we thought was charming. I feel good about leaving Dean in his care for the few hours I'll be gone those two days. Who knows? I might even have time to go get a pedicure!

Speaking of luxury, another of our students wants some Dean time on Sunday, so Marcus and I are going to a movie! Do you know the last time we went to a movie? I do. It was January 2 OF LAST YEAR! We are giddy with anticipation.

Happy 74th Birthday, Elvis!

Thanks to everyone for your super comments on the eczema issue mentioned in yesterday's post!!! I will be referencing them many times, I'm sure.

Things I have learned in the past 12 hours

On the eve of Dean's first birthday party, I've received an education from the great teacher Experience. Here are my findings:

1. There is absolutely no way to clean your house for a party the day before said party is to occur. That is, unless you send everyone currently living in your home to a hotel. Seeing as the money tree will not allow that at this time, all cleaning of the kitchen and living areas will be left until in the morning. Because Lord knows we'll be up early enough. (SLEEP, DEAN, SLEEP!)
Side note: Other moms, have you heard the tale that just before they really start walking, babies start waking up every few hours? Dean is "cruising" all over, but not walking independently yet, but he IS waking up about every four hours. Just curious if anyone else has experienced that.

2. If your husband comes to you late on the eve of the party when you've decided "What the heck? I'll start cleaning the kitchen tonight!" and tells you he's going to make beignets
for breakfast (for the first time ever, mind you), glare at him until he talks himself out of it and leaves the room.

3. The people at Wilton have obviously never actually baked a cake in one of their own pans. They give you very dramatic instructions like "ONLY coat the pan with shortening, then dust with flour! DO NOT use butter, margarine or oil!!! NEEVVVEEERRRRRRR!" Then in little, tiny 3 point font, they write "Non-stick cooking spray may be substituted for flour and shortening." Gr. Also, they think that a half-round cake pan that is approximately 6 inches deep will bake a cake in one hour. They are obviously ON CRACK. My cake? Took 1 hour 52 minutes. That time may have been shortened had I not had to pause for a few minutes to clean the burned cake globs out of the bottom of my oven when THE PAN OVERFLOWED! They tell you to put waaaaaaaaaay too much batter in there, y'all. I trimmed enough off of that cake to feed everyone coming to this party tomorrow.

4. No matter how many times they visit, I always feel the need to "show off" my house to my parents. Look! A sparkly clean bathroom! Look! Freshly vacuumed floors! Look! All the labels in the fridge are pointing out! (Ok, maybe not that last one) I think deep down I know that they are really just coming to play with Dean, but I still don't want them to think my house isn't up to par.

5. Dean does not nap well with other people in the house. Because he might miss something. He also likes salsa.

In the next few days, I hope to post party pictures, including the insane monkey cake I baked and decorated. Unless the finishing touches don't work out and it turns out to be butt-ugly, in which case I'm throwing it in the leaf pile, burning it and going to Publix for a sheet cake.

Let's wrap it up!

Jen over at She Likes Purple did this fun year-end wrap up, so I thought I'd follow suit. But first, go here and look at how swollen my feet were this time last year. YUK!
Hope everyone has a fun New Year's eve and a wonderful 2009. 2008 has certainly been a year like no other!


1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Gave birth! Via major abdominal surgery! Two-in-one...whaddya know?

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't remember making any last year. This year, I am hoping to settle into myself a little more and figure out the fine balance of motherhood and work.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

That would be me.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?

None. We were doing good to get out of the house to go to the grocery store and work!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Emotional stability would be nice! (Fie on you, pregnancy and post-partum hormones!) No, seriously, I'd love a little more time to myself. That is something that was very lacking this year. (see previous note about emotional stability...)

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 5: Dean's birthday!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving the first year of parenthood AND buying our first home!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Gaining more weight before I'd lost all the baby weight. Oy vey.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Pre-eclampsia, diagnosed with PKD, and an evil case of whiplash in July.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our house!!!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband's. He is such a wonderful father and has taken excellent care of Dean and me this year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

There was some funky stuff going on at work this summer, which made for rough times. I won't go into specifics.

14. Where did most of your money go?

GAS and baby formula/food

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Moving to Alabama

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

"You Are My Sunshine." It's one of Dean's bedtime songs.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:?
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?

Happier; SOOOOOO much thinner, about the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Said goodbye in person to more friends in NYC

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

cry

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Visited both families

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Yes, with my son.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

LOST

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No, there's no time for any of that.

24. What was the best book you read?

Haaaaaaaaaa...does "What to Expect" count?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

A classic Sesame Street video of Grover singing with Madeline Kahn. Dean LOVES it and it always calms him.

26. What did you want and get?

A baby, a house, a new job for my husband

27. What did you want and not get?

My size 6 body back ;) (Not happenin' kids!)

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

HAAAA! You don't even want to know the last time I went to a movie! We keep saying we're going to go, but we never do.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 31. Kitty watched Dean so Marcus and I could go out to dinner.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Winning the lottery!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

"Today I"m going to stop wearing maternity clothes. Ok, maybe tomorrow." Then the Overhaul of October where I bought a whole new wardrobe.

32. What kept you sane?

Marcus, my family, my blog and my "Blog friends"

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Drew Sarich. sigh

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election.

35. Who did you miss?

My New York friends.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Dean! I've also really enjoyed getting to know my Aunt Maxine and cousin Heather better since we moved closer to them.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Priorities become very obvious when you have a child. The little things tend to fall out of the picture so that big things, like playing with baby, feeding baby, staring at baby while he sleeps, can move to the front of the line. That said, you still have to make time for yourself every once in a while or you will go insane. A shower should be a daily occurrance, not a luxury.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance I'd never let you go
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you til eternity
So won't you please (be my, be my) be my little baby
:)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

I have so much to give thanks for this year. The following list hits the highlights, which are pretty momentous. I hope wherever you are that you're having a wonderful, restful holiday. Leave a comment and tell me what you're thankful for this year.

*My mom's kidney transplant. If you haven't heard her story, you should. (Visit my December 2007 archives) The generosity of her donor, Bradley, the amazing success of her transplant, the wonderful care of her doctors...we couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift last year. She truly has a new lease on life.

*Dean. Oh, Dean. In all the years I dreamed of having a baby, I never could have imagined one as perfect as the one we got. He is a perfect blend of Marcus and me and I adore him more each minute. Truly the biggest blessing of my life.

*Our new home. What a great thing to own the place you live, to make it yours and put down roots. The move to Montevallo was a good one.

*My husband's job. He's a wonderful teacher and he's finally in a place where he's not stretched in so many directions that he can't find his head with both hands. He has a great support system and is flourishing as a professor. His job provides us with enough to live the life we've wanted to live for a long time.

*This blog. Especially since our move, this blog has provided me with an outlet for my emotions, friendly feedback from all my readers and a place to call my own.

*Coffee. Because man, oh, man, was I missing it this time last year!

I hope your year has been as blessed as mine. Happy Thanksgiving.

Today I was a good mom

I think I'm a pretty good mom most days, but today seemed like a REALLY good day. We got up this morning, had breakfast and got Dean settled into "baby jail" to do his morning routine, which involves talking to every stuffed monkey we own, making sure all his musical toys still work, then reading every book in the house. (I should mention that I am usually in baby jail WITH him while he's doing this. Got a mental picture now? Good.) Our friend Alli left after her weekend stay with us and I got to work. By 11:30am, Dean had taken his morning nap and I had done 3 loads of laundry, 2 loads of dishes (in my dishwasher, which miraculously started working again when the power flashed off this weekend! Hallelujah!), swept and mopped the kitchen, switched out the hand towels in the bathroom (I am a bit obsessive compulsive about hand towels in the bathrooms) eaten lunch and sent two work-related emails! I'm on fire, I tell you! After lunch, Dean and I played for a while, then he showed me how well he can climb the stairs. We stood at the front door and looked out at the rain, then he somehow got dirt on his hands. I took him up to the bathroom sink to wash his hands and you would have thought we went to Disney World. He BELLY LAUGHED at the water and started trying to splash. So I pulled the stopper and let some water puddle in the sink so he could splash. Soon we were both soaked. He grabbed a hair elastic and was trying to play with it, so I decided, what the heck? Let's go swimming. I stripped him down and tossed him into the tub with his toys. He had a BLAST. He splashed and crawled around and explored parts of the tub that were new to him. At night, our bathtime is fairly routine. Daddy runs the water and washes the hair. I wash the body, Daddy helps rinse and keep baby from drowning and gives comfort when Mommy splashes baby in the face. Then Daddy stands baby up so Mommy can wash his bottom parts (and there's a song we sing), then out we go into the hooded towel and off to bedtime. I think Dean enjoyed his little swim party. I was proud of myself for being impromptu and not getting frustrated when he got us both soaking wet. I want to be that mom on the commercial who sprays her kid with the kitchen sink sprayer. (By the way, if you ever want to mess with a member of your family or your roommate, put a rubber band around the "trigger" on the kitchen sink sprayer. They will get HOSED the next time they turn on the sink. HILARIOUS! Learned it from my mom!)
Deano's down for his second nap of the day and my kitchen has been scrubbed with Clorox. There is one glass in my sink and there are 2 garments in my laundry basket (they require gentle cycle with like colors, so they will likely be there a while) and there is not one board book on my floor. I'm going to stop writing now and breathe it all in while it lasts.

God Bless Brittney Hunt

Because she is keeping my child so I can GO OUT TONIGHT! WITH ADULTS! IN REAL CLOTHES AAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDDD MAKEUP! I may even wear jewelry. Wow. I have cabin fever, can you tell?
We'll be going to the college tonight to see their production of HAIR. Not my favorite, but WHO CARES? I WILL BE OUT! WITH ADULTS! :):):) Dean's girlfriend Kate is coming over to also be babysat (oh, God, did you see the bad grammar!?!?!?) by Brittney. Fun is sure to be had by all.
I'll let you know how it goes.

In other news, Alli is visiting this weekend to pick up her wedding dress (made by Brittney Hunt. She's so talented--sewing AND babysitting! Wow!). For lunch, I served brownies and cheeseball of happiness. Gourmet, that's me.

I got nothin.

I'm having a weird day. So, let's play a game, shall we?
Lay it on me: YOUR FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURE.

Mine is Glamour magazine. I LOVE Glamour magazine! I started reading it in college. I will never, ever wear high-end designer clothes, but I like to look at them. Glamour has great hair and makeup tips and has recently added a financial advisor to do a column about how to get the most bang for your buck, savings, retirement, etc. They have fun lists like "Top Ten Things each woman should have in her bathroom" and a column written by a "real guy" so we can know how men think (haha) and sad stories about people with illness who triumph thanks to medical technology! They also do neat celebrity interviews and choose the Glamour women of the year and such.

One of my favorite things is "Where has YOUR Glamour been?" which features pictures of women standing on top of the Pyramids in Egypt with the magazine or reading it while scuba diving in the ocean. My friend Kitty and I were all geared up to send in a picture of me in labor reading my Glamour. It was even on the "what to pack" list for my hospital bag (a lot of good that did me...you'll see what I mean if I ever post Dean's birth story). I opened my new issue of the magazine 2 days before I had my baby and wouldn't you know it? Some woman is sitting there hooked up to a fetal monitor, Glamour magazine propped up on her baby belly. She totally stole my idea. And they went on about how cooooooool it was that she brought her Glamour to the delivery room and how they bet she'll be suuuuuuuuch a Glamorous mom. Yeah.

I also enjoy the Fashion Do's and Don'ts. While I was in New York, I was always terrified of ending up on the Don't page, so I paid a little extra attention to what I wore outside my apartment, lest a Glamour photographer be on a stake out for bad fashion at the bakery next door and snap a picture of me in mis-matched yoga pants and a holey sweatshirt. (I have obviously lost this fear since moving to Alabama. If they could see me now, they'd have an entire page of don'ts!)

Anyway, when I get my Glamour, I open it immediately and rip out anything that smells (perfume ads) or is made of cardstock and causes the pages to flip open. Once Dean's in bed, I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Yay, Glamour.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Five by Five by Five

There's still time to enter yesterday's caption contest! Just leave your caption in the comments section to be entered in the random drawing for the Beauti Control Herbal Serenity Instant Manicure and Handcream!! Drawing will take place on Sunday. Woo hoo!

Five Things, courtesy of Sheri at www.unexpectedbliss.com .

Five things I was doing 10 years ago (1998)

1. Completing my final year of college.

2. Flirting with my (then future) husband. :)

3. Driving my Dodge Shadow.

4. Wondering what was next

5. Living in a brothel. (5 or more unmarried, unrelated women living under one roof in Louisiana is considered a brothel. Yee Haw.)

Five things on my to do list

1. Make my blog better. Awesome even.

2. Finish my syllabus for next semester’s class.

3. Lose the &*%^$^ baby weight.

4. Get the dishwasher fixed. (*Top Priority)

5. Find a new cell phone service.

Five things I like to snack on

1. Kit Kats

2. Chips and salsa

3. Ruffles and onion dip

4. Twizzlers

5. Pears

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire

1. Pay off all bills

2. Buy a huge hunk of land and move our families there.

3. Buy a house in the Florida Keys

4. Travel all over the place

5. Give, give, give

Five jobs I have had

1. Sno-cone maker (best job EVER)

2. stage manager

3. teacher

4. personal assistant (worst job EVER)

5. Mom (ok, THAT'S the best job EVER)

Common annoyances and other unusual problems

Even though I'm in a good mood today, I think I'll do a list of pet-peeves. Heather recently did one on her blog, so I'll follow suit.

Dean is happily standing in his new and improved baby jail holding on with one hand , flinging toys with the other and sporting new, snazzy Spiderman flannel PJ pants, so I think I have time to post!

STUFF THAT AGGRAVATES ME:
1. The misuse of quotation marks. This must be a problem for others, too, because there is a whole blog devoted to it. I read this blog for hours on Sunday and it had me laughing so hard I cried.

2. The fact that the site of my epidural STILL HURTS from time to time, even ten months after it was administered. Other moms (or people who have had spinal anesthesia), do you have this problem? You know, though, even though this pain flares up from time to time, I am still SO glad I had that epidural!!!

3. Stepping in gum. Didn't your mom teach you to save the wrapper to spit it in!?!? I mean, really.

4. The fact that Dean WILL NOT keep socks on his feet for more than 10 minutes at a time. His little toes felt like ice when he got up from his (short) nap today.

5. The word "playdate."

6. The fact that my feet do not reach the ground on airplanes, at the movies, in restaurant booths or even now, on my own couch.

7. My dishwasher is broken. GRRRRRRRRRR. Mama no like dishpan hands...

8. College students who think they know more than me. This is particularly challenging when you, uh, teach college.

9. When my mother says "nourishing." This has always irked me. I think she does it on purpose sometimes. (She is now leaving a comment using that word. Look for it.)

10. People looking at and remarking about my food when I'm the only one in the room eating. This used to happen a lot with a woman I worked with. She was a total foodie but was on Weight Watchers, so she would hover just over my shoulder and sniff at my food. It totally grossed me out and I'm pretty sure I lost more weight than she did because of it.

11. Earwax. Bleh.

12. Unsweetened iced tea. I have tried, believe me I have. But the southerner in me will win every time. Put some sugar in that stuff!

13. One-sided friendships. I hate these. I have lost 3 good friends (or people I thought were good friends) as a result of one-sided friendships. Here's what I've learned: You can only give so much.

14. Yo Gabba Gabba.
Go ahead. Watch the video. Tell me you're not scared. DEAN LOVES THIS SHOW.

15. I covered this in my 100 things list, but I feel it merits mention in this one, too. I HATE when people spell things with a K that should be spelled with a C. (Krunchy Krispies, Kountry Kitchen, etc.) The only exception is Krispy Kremes, because they are JUST THAT GOOD!

Ok, enough of that. Lists are always fun. I think this one was really prompted by the epidural site hurting because MAN does it hurt today.

On a brighter note, Dean and I went to play with the play group for the first time today and had a swell time making new friends. It has thrown our nap and eating schedule off for the day, but who cares, right? (Ask me again at 8pm...)

Rock the vote OR Seasons change

Get out there and do it!


Betcha think today's post is going to be about voting and politics. WRONG! It's not that I don't care or have lots of thoughts on those subjects, I just don't intend to use my blog as a place to display those thoughts. I think it comes from living in NYC for so long (and during the last election) where people would come up to you on the street and scream at you about their political views. I happily filled out my absentee ballot last month in a room alone and am looking forward to avoiding the polls today!

I have seasonal nostalgia, y'all. Every time the seasons change, I get a little yearning feeling in my heart for places I've lived before. Fall is the worst. I miss Ithaca, NY, where I lived for three years. It was the first place I experienced what I would consider a "real" fall. Having only lived in the south until I moved there, I had never even owned a scarf. It was like a new world was opened up to me when I moved up there and experienced Apple Fest, colored leaves that seemed to explode on the trees overnight, crisp fall mornings and the like. I even had these feelings about Ithaca when I moved to NYC. On the other hand, when living in NYC, I would always get really excited when Christmastime rolled around. (More excited than usual, if you can imagine that!) I can't even describe how much fun it was to walk through the streets I'd always seen on TV and see them decked out for the holidays. The tree at Rockefeller Center, the Unicef Snowflake across 5th Avenue (which my friend Matthew called the "Unisex" snowflake), Macy's window displays, giant wreaths, musical light shows inside the Time Warner Center, the tree at Lincoln Center and the Christmas music pumping through speakers on Steinway Street in Queens are just a few of the things I'll miss seeing first-hand this year. When living up north, I always got really nostalgic for the south when the seasons changed to warmer weather. I love summertime in the south, even the blazing heat. There's nothing like a small-town 4th of July or a Southern Easter with a picnic. I hope I'm always able to embrace these feelings, as I think they keep me connected to where I have been and help remind me how I got to where I am today.














You are miiiiiiiiiiine! Myyyyyyyy mooooommmmyyyyyyyy! You will do what I say because I have cast a spell on you with my cuteness! Gimme Cheeeeeeeerrrriiiiiiiiooooooooooooooos!

It's a good place to be.

**Don't forget that Starbuck's will give you free coffee if you go in and tell them you voted! Certain Ben and Jerry's locations will also give you a free scoop! Yay, America!

100 things

I've been meaning to do one of these for a while, so here ya go!

1. I was born in Jackson, Mississippi.
2. My birthday is the day before Valentine’s Day.
3. I don’t like Valentine’s Day.
4. I especially don’t like it when people wrap my birthday gifts in Valentine’s paper.
5. I DO like Valentine’s candy.
6. But not as much as I like my friend Pam’s home-made Christmas candy.
7. My parents have been married for over 30 years.
8. They were young when they had me.
9. They have been the perfect example of love, support and marriage.
10. I met my husband in college.
11. I was engaged to someone else at the time.
12. The first thing I ever said to my husband was “Man I’m tired of hearing about you.” (One of our friends had been talking about his coooool new friend Marcus for MONTHS.)
13. My favorite color is purple.
14. Not lavender, purple.
15. In pre-school, I would get angry if we didn’t get to color something purple each day.
16. My favorite toys growing up were my Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.
17. I called them my “Little Dolls.” (Abbreviated LDs.)
18. The first thing I did was undress them and cut their hair into a Mohawk.
19. Each had an intricate backstory, all of which I remembered.
20. I don’t remember them now.
21. I should have written them down.
22. I had a Hello Kitty diary when I was little.
23. Its name was Roxy.
24. I named it so it would be like I was writing to a friend.
25. I no longer keep a diary.
26. I keep a blog instead.
27. I was on the dance team in high school, the Bronco Belles.
28. It was one of the happiest times of my life.
29. And the thinnest.
30. Gaaaaaah, my legs looked great back then.
31. Yours would too if you high-kicked four hours a day.
32. I grew up outside Baton Rouge in a town called Zachary.
33. We had 2 stoplights.
34. My husband calls me Monkey Butt.
35. I’ve always dreamed of being a mom.
36. My little boy is better than I could ever have imagined.
37. I didn’t like his name, Dean, when my husband first suggested it.
38. If he had been a girl, we would have named him Olivia Faith.
39. My great-grandpa’s name was Pervie Lester.
40. We will not be naming any offspring after him.
41. My strongest pregnancy craving was mandarin oranges.
42. I went to college to major in musical theatre.
43. I ended up a stage manager.
44. I made the right choice.
45. I have done 2 Broadway shows.
46. They were truly a dream come true.
47. I never dreamed I would live in NYC.
48. I LOVED living in NYC.
49. I did NOT love riding the subway at night or paying high rent.
50. I lived across from an Italian deli.
51. I would kill for some of their balsamic ravioli salad right now.
52. I am super-picky about grammar.
53. I proof-read all important things my husband writes.
54. He is not picky about grammar.
55. Bono is my fantasy boyfriend.
56. I totally have a crush on John Clayton, the dorky little man who does injury reports on ESPN. He is my sports boyfriend.
57. I REALLY love coffee.
58. Especially hazelnut coffee.
59. I do not like French Vanilla coffee.
60. I have polycystic kidney disease.
61. And high blood pressure.
62. My mom has it, too.
63. She had a transplant in December 2007.
64. Her donor, Bradley, is my hero.
65. He has red hair and doesn’t eat anything green.
66. I love vegetables, especially home-grown ones.
67. I like to buy produce on the side of the road.
68. I never had braces.
69. My eyes are two different colors.
70. The only foreign country I’ve ever been to is Poland.
71. I have no desire to go back to Poland.
72. I went there to produce a show at a theatre festival.
73. I ate at McDonald’s so I could order a Royale with cheese.
74. After getting my Master of Fine Arts degree, I moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Ithaca, New York.
75. I had never seen snow before.
76. I also did not own a “real” winter coat.
77. I bought a parka. It was a good move.
78. I love moo cows.
79. I have texture issues with raw tomatoes.
80. I hate olives. My husband, unfortunately, loves them.
81. I was 6 weeks pregnant when I served as Matron of Honor in my friend Meredith’s wedding.
82. If I had been a minute more pregnant, my dress would not have zipped.
83. I have switched to Coke Zero.
84. I could eat pizza or pasta every single day.
85. When I was in labor and on Demerol, I drunk-dialed my mom.
86. I hate mayonnaise.
87. I am a good baker.
88. My Texas Sheet Cake will make you slap your mama.
89. I enjoy “Your Mom” jokes. A lot. (Your Mom’s a lot!)
90. I find vacuuming to be the most satisfying chore.
91. I get along really well with my mother in law.
    
92. I love SEC football.
93. My all-time favorite TV show is Sports Night.
94. I pronounce my name “Gin” due to my southern accent. It has 2 syllables when I say it.
95. No one vomits alone in my presence.
96. I hate when people spell things with a K that should be spelled with a C. (Example: Kountry Kitchen or Kiddie Kandids.) The exception to this rule is Krispy Kreme donuts.
    
97. I don’t like peanut butter cookies.
98. I want a pug dog.
99. I can’t wait to start teaching again.
100. I actually had fun filling this out!

Vacation, all I ever wanted

You know how sometimes you say you need a vacation at home? I got one! (more or less) My mom and dad brought Dean and me home with them this week to Oxford, MS, where we have been loved and pampered since our arrival. I have had 2 consecutive FULL NIGHTS OF SLEEP! I feel like a new person. I've only had to drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning to get going! And Dean? He's in the lap of luxury! He has his Grammy and Papa to entertain him so mommy can do things like work on her syllabus for next semester's classes and SLEEP!

My grandmother declared my wardrobe unfit and sent me shopping with her Belk credit card. Y'all...I bought a whole new wardrobe. And everything fits! It's not "Oh, I'll buy this six dollar pair of pants just to get me through until I lose five more pounds." It's clothes that fit my body now. And they are CUTE. And my shoes are not from Payless! I even sprung for new underthings. I'll post pictures soon.

It's been a good few days. Aside from the SLEEP, I've gotten to spend good, quality time with my mom, dad and grandmother, see lots of old friends, show Dean off to everyone, and I FINALLY got to meet Bradley, my mom's kidney donor! He's tall and red-headed. Dean loved him. It was great to finally get a chance to meet him and his wife, Nicole and give them both a big hug. I only cried on him a little, which I'm sure he appreciated.

Dean has been HYPER since we arrived and got so excited the other night that he spit up peas on me and my mom's white bedspread. Nice. He loves playing peek-a-boo with his Papa and his Grammy has taken excellent care of him at night. (So I can SLEEP!)

We'll be heading home on Saturday, so you'll hear more from me then. Right now, I'm going to get another fresh-baked cookie and cup of coffee. Because my mommy loves me. ;)