When I was 8 years old, Friday night meant Sleepovers. My friends and I would ride our bikes to each others houses to pack over night bags. We would throw the remnants of a hard weeks worth of graded papers, unfinished homework and half eaten boxes of raisins out of our book bags and stuff the bag with sleepover necessities- (in order of importance) Tape Recorder (for spying on people), Scary movie, Ramen Noodles, Bag of marshmallows, stickers, tooth brush and jammies. We could hardly contain our excitement for the night to come.
By the time I was 16, Friday nights meant spending 2 hours trying to find the perfect outfit for a party in a sand pit, another hour coming up with plans to fool parents into thinking that we were spending the evening being upstanding young citizens and then FINALLY a few hours to drink as much beer as possible, with out being caught by parents, cops or the unfortunate people that lived near the sand pit.
21 was much like 16 minus the having to lie to parents and avoid the cops. Still spent hours getting ready, hours drinking as much as possible (getting a headache just thinking about it), and plenty of time either being consoled by friends or consoling friends about some sort of drama that most likely involved “the love of my/her life”.
Now I am 28. Today is Friday. Tonight I am going to a 4 year old’s Hannah Montana themed birthday party. I will spend the evening multi tasking, trying to socialize with my infrequently seen friends and trying to make sure that my son doesn’t seriously hurt himself, another child or any of the family’s pets. Most likely I will leave around 8 with an exhausted toddler in arms. I will get home, catch a glimpse of my Honey, bitch at him for something, and turn in.
TGIF- Happy Friday To You!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Jane’s Daughter
When I was born my parents were living in a little farm house in Shrewsbury VT. Its bucolic setting, sheep in the yard and pond across the street was a far cry from the upper middle class neighborhood in Scarsdale NY that my mother grew up in. She and my father were young hippies, and moving to the country in Vermont was the hippie thing to do at that time.
By the time my mother died she hadn’t lived in Vermont for over 20 years, but she had always said that it was where her heart was.
My love for the simple life in Vermont is not the only likeness to my mother that I have. For one, I have an uncanny physical resemblance to her. I was once approached at a grocery store by a complete stranger the said to me “You must be Jane’s daughter”. The stranger had worked with my mother when my mother was in her twenties. She said that it was like she had traveled back in time and was seeing my mother. To this day, that has been the best compliment that I have ever received.
My love of wine paired with hor derves and good company is another trait that my mother passed down to me. My fondest memories of my her are sitting at the big kitchen island with a bottle of Yellow Tail Cabernet, cheese and crackers, telling funny stories that got retold every time our family got together. My mother would start crying from laughter, her mascara would run, she would whimper and then pour herself another glass of wine.
Jane was a lover. She was a true romantic and yet she never really mastered the art of Happily Ever After. I sometimes think that she wanted to love, more than she actually did…and at times she loved more than she was loved. I worry that this might have been passed down to me. I am a romantic person, and I never thought that at 28 years old that I wouldn’t have yet had my special day in white.
Mom had few careers in her time, finally settling on Real Estate Sales. She was very good at it, having such a great personality. I always felt though, that my mother was put on this planet to be a mom. It was the one thing that she put in front of everything else, and she did a stellar job of it. I remember a night gown that she had, that I loved. It was flannel and blue and worn. It smelled of her and felt so good to cuddle up to.
Flighty is a word that has been used to describe my mother (and myself). She once came out of a convenient store and got in the wrong car. She was about to put the car in reverse when she heard a clearing of the throat. The woman sitting in the passenger seat expecting her husband to get in the drivers seat was a bit startled when the 5ft 4in petite blonde woman took his place. This sort of thing happened all the time. In fact, Janie blonde moments were often the stories being served at the kitchen island along with the cabernet and brie.
At Moms funeral, the church was full and there were people standing up and spilling to the outside. We opted to leave out the hymns and instead played the soundtrack to The Big Chill along with a few songs by The Moody Blues. Pretty sure that was a first for the church. We told funny stories, laughed and of course cried. At the end of the service, my mother’s body was carried out to the song My Girl. To many of us she was our girl.
Mom was cremated. The following summer the family got together and we spread some of her ashes in a lake here in Vermont, where her heart remains.
I will always be Jane’s Daughter. I hold that title proudly, as it deserves to be. To me it means that I am beautiful, warm, charming, sensitive, a great friend and that I am somebody’s everything.
When I was born my parents were living in a little farm house in Shrewsbury VT. Its bucolic setting, sheep in the yard and pond across the street was a far cry from the upper middle class neighborhood in Scarsdale NY that my mother grew up in. She and my father were young hippies, and moving to the country in Vermont was the hippie thing to do at that time.
By the time my mother died she hadn’t lived in Vermont for over 20 years, but she had always said that it was where her heart was.
My love for the simple life in Vermont is not the only likeness to my mother that I have. For one, I have an uncanny physical resemblance to her. I was once approached at a grocery store by a complete stranger the said to me “You must be Jane’s daughter”. The stranger had worked with my mother when my mother was in her twenties. She said that it was like she had traveled back in time and was seeing my mother. To this day, that has been the best compliment that I have ever received.
My love of wine paired with hor derves and good company is another trait that my mother passed down to me. My fondest memories of my her are sitting at the big kitchen island with a bottle of Yellow Tail Cabernet, cheese and crackers, telling funny stories that got retold every time our family got together. My mother would start crying from laughter, her mascara would run, she would whimper and then pour herself another glass of wine.
Jane was a lover. She was a true romantic and yet she never really mastered the art of Happily Ever After. I sometimes think that she wanted to love, more than she actually did…and at times she loved more than she was loved. I worry that this might have been passed down to me. I am a romantic person, and I never thought that at 28 years old that I wouldn’t have yet had my special day in white.
Mom had few careers in her time, finally settling on Real Estate Sales. She was very good at it, having such a great personality. I always felt though, that my mother was put on this planet to be a mom. It was the one thing that she put in front of everything else, and she did a stellar job of it. I remember a night gown that she had, that I loved. It was flannel and blue and worn. It smelled of her and felt so good to cuddle up to.
Flighty is a word that has been used to describe my mother (and myself). She once came out of a convenient store and got in the wrong car. She was about to put the car in reverse when she heard a clearing of the throat. The woman sitting in the passenger seat expecting her husband to get in the drivers seat was a bit startled when the 5ft 4in petite blonde woman took his place. This sort of thing happened all the time. In fact, Janie blonde moments were often the stories being served at the kitchen island along with the cabernet and brie.
At Moms funeral, the church was full and there were people standing up and spilling to the outside. We opted to leave out the hymns and instead played the soundtrack to The Big Chill along with a few songs by The Moody Blues. Pretty sure that was a first for the church. We told funny stories, laughed and of course cried. At the end of the service, my mother’s body was carried out to the song My Girl. To many of us she was our girl.
Mom was cremated. The following summer the family got together and we spread some of her ashes in a lake here in Vermont, where her heart remains.
I will always be Jane’s Daughter. I hold that title proudly, as it deserves to be. To me it means that I am beautiful, warm, charming, sensitive, a great friend and that I am somebody’s everything.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tis a Sad Day
There is a dark cloud over many heads in Rutland County today. Today, the news broke that a dear member of our community Madeline Sherman had passed away. Mrs. Sherman, often referred to as just Sherman was my hard ass, high school history teacher. She called me Megan the entire time that she knew me. She handed out detentions for minor infractions. She commanded the room with her deep, loud voice. The sound of her high heels coming down the hallway caused fear for both teachers and students, and yet we loved her.
We loved how she had a way of getting the slackers to complete work on time. We loved how she would tell us that our skirts were too short (they were). We loved how her slip was always showing, and that she was allowed to eat in her classroom..but we weren't. We loved how she had a way of making the bully feel like a complete ass, and the victim feel uplifted. We loved how nothing was done properly if it wasn't done the Sherman way.
We will miss the New York City trips that she spent endless hours organizing and carrying through. We will miss her face at all of the PHS events, because she was a dedicated fan.
I will miss being Megan.
Mrs Sherman you will never be forgotten.
We loved how she had a way of getting the slackers to complete work on time. We loved how she would tell us that our skirts were too short (they were). We loved how her slip was always showing, and that she was allowed to eat in her classroom..but we weren't. We loved how she had a way of making the bully feel like a complete ass, and the victim feel uplifted. We loved how nothing was done properly if it wasn't done the Sherman way.
We will miss the New York City trips that she spent endless hours organizing and carrying through. We will miss her face at all of the PHS events, because she was a dedicated fan.
I will miss being Megan.
Mrs Sherman you will never be forgotten.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Nap Time Ahhhh
I haven't decided wether or not I believe in god- but everytime my Little Man takes a two hour nap, midday- right before I am about to abandon my family and move to a third world country where they are sure not to find me, I get a little closer to Catholicism. LM is creeping dangerously close to the terrible two's. His favorite word is "No", he bahaves well for everyone but me, and he fights sleep like his father and I fight waking up.
After what seems like hours of entertaining LM in the morning, feeding him, convincing him that putting toys in the toilet is less fun than quietly reading a book, I am about to pull out what little hair he has allowed to stay in my scalp. Then, miraculously I notice the tell tale signs of a tired toddler. He falls 6 times in 2 seconds, rubs his eyes with his grubby little hands and starts mummbling to himself in what sounds like Cantonese. I see a light at the end of the tunnell. But it is not a short tunnell. First, I must convince LM to stop whatever it is that he is exhaustedly attempting to do. Next, I must wrestle him like I am Steve Irwin and he is a rabid alligator and pin him down long enough to change his diaper. Lastly, I leave him screaming while I loudly promise him that i will soon be returning with Sippy of milk in hand. The more tired LM is, the longer I have to stand above his crib, patting his back and singing the ABC's all the while my arm is going numb from the crib rail that is jammed in my arm pit.
After one failed attempt to leave the room and about 20 minutes, I hear the best sound in the world....Silence.
I have at most 2 hours. That should be enough time to sweep (can't vaccuum due to napping tired toddler), unload the dishwasher, take a shower, put 300 books back on the book shelf, blow dry my hair, fold laundry, mop, clean out the fridge, empty out my vehicle and pluck my eyebrows.
But, today is Sunday, and I am tired. Today, I thank the god that I am unsure of, recline in the chair with a Glamour magazine that has been in the plastic wrapper for two weeks, waiting patiently for the appropriate time to rescue me from Domestic Torture. Today, I will do nothing at nap time. I will allow myself the luxury of a daydream, a half hour reality tv show, and a 1 O Clock cocktail. Tomorrow, my laundry will still be there, along with the stale food in the fridge and the unibrow...but what won't be there tomorrow is 2 hours to myself.
After what seems like hours of entertaining LM in the morning, feeding him, convincing him that putting toys in the toilet is less fun than quietly reading a book, I am about to pull out what little hair he has allowed to stay in my scalp. Then, miraculously I notice the tell tale signs of a tired toddler. He falls 6 times in 2 seconds, rubs his eyes with his grubby little hands and starts mummbling to himself in what sounds like Cantonese. I see a light at the end of the tunnell. But it is not a short tunnell. First, I must convince LM to stop whatever it is that he is exhaustedly attempting to do. Next, I must wrestle him like I am Steve Irwin and he is a rabid alligator and pin him down long enough to change his diaper. Lastly, I leave him screaming while I loudly promise him that i will soon be returning with Sippy of milk in hand. The more tired LM is, the longer I have to stand above his crib, patting his back and singing the ABC's all the while my arm is going numb from the crib rail that is jammed in my arm pit.
After one failed attempt to leave the room and about 20 minutes, I hear the best sound in the world....Silence.
I have at most 2 hours. That should be enough time to sweep (can't vaccuum due to napping tired toddler), unload the dishwasher, take a shower, put 300 books back on the book shelf, blow dry my hair, fold laundry, mop, clean out the fridge, empty out my vehicle and pluck my eyebrows.
But, today is Sunday, and I am tired. Today, I thank the god that I am unsure of, recline in the chair with a Glamour magazine that has been in the plastic wrapper for two weeks, waiting patiently for the appropriate time to rescue me from Domestic Torture. Today, I will do nothing at nap time. I will allow myself the luxury of a daydream, a half hour reality tv show, and a 1 O Clock cocktail. Tomorrow, my laundry will still be there, along with the stale food in the fridge and the unibrow...but what won't be there tomorrow is 2 hours to myself.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
S-T-R-E-S-S
I have decided that the word stress is actually an acronym that can be personalised. Today my stress is;
S- Shitty nights sleep.
T- Ten pounds to lose.
R- Really tired of asking PMH to pick up after himself.
E- Endlessly being called a nag for endlessly having to ask PMH to pick up after himself.
S- Son still sleeping with us
S- Sex life non existant due to all of the above!
What is STRESSing you out?
S- Shitty nights sleep.
T- Ten pounds to lose.
R- Really tired of asking PMH to pick up after himself.
E- Endlessly being called a nag for endlessly having to ask PMH to pick up after himself.
S- Son still sleeping with us
S- Sex life non existant due to all of the above!
What is STRESSing you out?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hanging Up on Elbow
Little man and I have a 32 minute commute to daycare/work. Without a doubt even after hearing Chicken Fried for 25.5 minutesstraight, by minute 26 Little Man has had enough of the rat race. He is hungry, most likely uncomfortable, and surely even he is sick of that stupid song (once my favorite). At this point in the journey I have heard the same song six times in a row, most likely spilled coffee on myself or my seat, am running late and now must come up with a distraction for LM because 6 minutes of an unhappy toddler is actually the leading cause of fatal car accidents (probably).
One particular morningwhile sipping my coffee, dodging a pot hole and restarting Chicken Fried, I use my Go Go Gadget arm to search around the backseat like a blind man. BINGO- the Elmo (LM calls him Elbow)phone. Actually the Elbow phone is really an Elmo remote but my son sticks everything smaller than a shoe box up to his ear and says Hello, so we call it a phone.
LM is screaming and tearing at his car seat straps as if they were holding him under water. I put the toy remote to my ear and say, Oh hi Elmo. What is that? You want to talk to Little Man? The monster in the car seat has quieted but has yet to remove his scowl. Little Man its Elmo, do you want to talk to Elmo?
No
Talk to Elmo I plea.
LM squints his eyes and looks at me in the rearview in disgust. But I push on.
C'mon, Talk to Elmo
I thrust the Emo/Elbow, remote/phone at my cranky little guy. He snatches- literally snatches the toy from my hand, puts it up to his ear and in his infamous Lauren Bacallish voice growls-
Bye. The toy is then launched half way across the car. I am shocked. My son has just treated his dear friend Elbow like a foreign telemarketer. I pull up out front of the child care center and begin to unstrap the little guy from his car seat. He looks at me and smiles, that gorgeous innocent smile that melts me instantly. As I am pulling him out he hugs me. He is happy. Hanging up on Elbow mysteriously morphed him into the beautiful, good little boy that I am proud to call mine.
One particular morningwhile sipping my coffee, dodging a pot hole and restarting Chicken Fried, I use my Go Go Gadget arm to search around the backseat like a blind man. BINGO- the Elmo (LM calls him Elbow)phone. Actually the Elbow phone is really an Elmo remote but my son sticks everything smaller than a shoe box up to his ear and says Hello, so we call it a phone.
LM is screaming and tearing at his car seat straps as if they were holding him under water. I put the toy remote to my ear and say, Oh hi Elmo. What is that? You want to talk to Little Man? The monster in the car seat has quieted but has yet to remove his scowl. Little Man its Elmo, do you want to talk to Elmo?
No
Talk to Elmo I plea.
LM squints his eyes and looks at me in the rearview in disgust. But I push on.
C'mon, Talk to Elmo
I thrust the Emo/Elbow, remote/phone at my cranky little guy. He snatches- literally snatches the toy from my hand, puts it up to his ear and in his infamous Lauren Bacallish voice growls-
Bye. The toy is then launched half way across the car. I am shocked. My son has just treated his dear friend Elbow like a foreign telemarketer. I pull up out front of the child care center and begin to unstrap the little guy from his car seat. He looks at me and smiles, that gorgeous innocent smile that melts me instantly. As I am pulling him out he hugs me. He is happy. Hanging up on Elbow mysteriously morphed him into the beautiful, good little boy that I am proud to call mine.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wedding Season
If you are between the ages of 22 and 34, Summer time means one thing; Wedding Season. Every spring Honey and I start receiving endless amounts of wedding invitations. Our summer calendar fills up before all the snow has had a chance to melt. What does this all mean? I'll tell you. It means endless trips to Bed Bath & Beyond, Rehearsal Dinners, finding a babysitter, and all of your spare cash being shelled out on dresses and suits, gifts and drinks, even strippers. Don't get me wrong, I love a good wedding as much as the next guy. The good old American Wedding tradition can not be beat. The white dress, the blushing bride and the bouquet toss are just a few of the guarantees at any good American wedding. And here are a few more.
You will have a discussion on the way to the wedding regarding wether or not you think the marriage will last and why.
You will stress over what shoes go best with your little black dress, only to get to the wedding and kick them off ( in my case I actually left with out them!)
You will order the beef option because three months ago when you had to chose, you felt like beef, but inevitably the night of the wedding you will wish you had ordered the chicken.
You will break your vow never to dance to The Funky Chicken, The Makarena, or the electric slide.
If you are anything like me you will forget one of the following; the card, the gift, the time of the ceremony.
There will be someone there that you don't like.
There will be someone there that you only see at weddings and yet for some reason at the weddings you will be best friends.
You will drink too much, but guaranteed, the guy who caught the garter will have drunk more than anyone else.
You will call someone by the wrong name....twice.
And if you are anything like me you will voice out loud that you are glad that it is not your stressful day, while secretly wishing it were.
To all of my readers, I would like to propose a toast to a Happy Wedding Season! Cheers!
PS Congrats B&T we had a great time!
You will have a discussion on the way to the wedding regarding wether or not you think the marriage will last and why.
You will stress over what shoes go best with your little black dress, only to get to the wedding and kick them off ( in my case I actually left with out them!)
You will order the beef option because three months ago when you had to chose, you felt like beef, but inevitably the night of the wedding you will wish you had ordered the chicken.
You will break your vow never to dance to The Funky Chicken, The Makarena, or the electric slide.
If you are anything like me you will forget one of the following; the card, the gift, the time of the ceremony.
There will be someone there that you don't like.
There will be someone there that you only see at weddings and yet for some reason at the weddings you will be best friends.
You will drink too much, but guaranteed, the guy who caught the garter will have drunk more than anyone else.
You will call someone by the wrong name....twice.
And if you are anything like me you will voice out loud that you are glad that it is not your stressful day, while secretly wishing it were.
To all of my readers, I would like to propose a toast to a Happy Wedding Season! Cheers!
PS Congrats B&T we had a great time!
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