Set Sail

So the blog has taken a backseat- or quite literally it was thrown out the window for awhile.
As we were prepping for our move back home- we got a curve ball- amazing work opportunity (in England) for Chris that literally came in after we shipped our stuff back. ( 3 days after the ship left England-)
It is probably good I did not blog during that period or you would sense RAGE and ANGER about the timing of the events. I was very hung up on the fact that my iphone 4 was waiting for me at my sister's house ( don't even get me started about not seeing my sister on a weekly basis ). Even now I can't quite laugh at the situation as it was a good thing we were in a hotel so I couldn't throw the tv at my husband's head. We eventually made the decision to stay together ( I swear I wasn't under duress)- we felt that if we could limit our moves this would be the way to do it while having a great work opportunity for Chris. (Btw I literally consumed all the Hidden Valley Ranch and Salsa in the runup to our move back home and am now kicking myself)

So where are we now- kind of back where we started in a rental corporate townhouse with none of our stuff ( because it seems our stuff had to arrive in TX go through customs and set sail again)-the positive side is we have friends now so we have borrowed clothes, toys, etc. We spent a month in MI and TX and yes I hit Nordstroms, Pei Wei (3x), 7-11, Target, Red Robin, Tex Mex, the movies ( oh I miss my butter popcorn and icy fountain gallon drink with ice. The kids are fine for them- their little world will be consistent back to the same school and same play friends .


Other news had my first of 2 English weddings- observations a lot of hats and feathery combs sported by the ladies. ( I tried one and it looked so stupid on me that I could not wear it)2) best man speeches are WAY over the top- all I can write is nothing is sacred in that roast. 3) the Brits just plain drink a lot more (probably an added effect since there were Kiwis and Australians there)

Over It

It seems Chris and I have a short term memory because every time we move we say the same things- I hate moving let's never do it again. The sorting, the organizing, the dumping , all of it we hate. Well we are back at it for the perhaps the 5 th time in last decade ( please note their will be no cute we've moved cards- I am SO over it- I will be lucky to send am email with our address on it.)

A weekend full of world cup disappointments- seriously the England game was a joke at least USA showed up to play Ghana. Selfishly would have liked England to win as our remaining social calender would have been more fun

Photo from happier times of Wimbledon- somehow champagne and strawberries ( and watching Roddick) make everything better

Reasons Not to blog

1. World Cup- hello USA and England glad we have moved from being face to face and now I can comfortably cheer for Donovan and Dempsey!!!!

2.Wimbledon- yes I got to go and watch Roddick and eat strawberries and cream and drink champagne and Pimms and take pictures and buy coffee cups with cute little tennis racquets.


3. Moving- oh yeah forget the movers are coming and we are Disorganized

Stefan and Damon

Coffee- on third cup before noon.....

Chris is out of town- had a friend over who came bearing thai food ( awesome friend who drove 20 min to get it- I told u nothing is close by)- so we talked we ate and we drank ( I did mention I have 40 bottles of wine to consume before we leave England; and yes I am planning to add booze to the teacher gift -if I were a teacher I would like that)

Anyhow- we decide to watch Vampire Diaries- ( note I dvr this show and normally watch at 2 pm before school pickup- always nice to check out Stefan and Damon before the school run). Needless to stay we got so freaked out she had to sleep over- which if we werent the scarediest 30 somethings would be fine- but we kept hearing sounds- that yes we set the alarm and then set off the motion detectors by checking the house for intruders. ( note my kids slept thru the whole commotion) So literally we got 5 hours of sleep. Woke up to very well rested kids who were very curious why mommys friends slept over and why I had to make coffee before getting them cereal:)

Recap

So its been a while-nothing new except move details overwhelming me ( a bit dramatic) but seriously would like to wake up with the move details done. (yes- on one footstool I found 5 different moving company stickers)
I thought I was so organized and it seems that giving notice to early for house services just means you have to call 5 days before the move again. (so really no point in doing the initial setup)

Had a great trip to Cyprus- full of family, sun, sea, and Greek food. We had our moments: when you eat dinner at 9pm and expect kids to stay up that late and then function in a civilized manner- all does not go well. ( I think one dinner CJ played his leapster for 2 hours straight). Little man has lost his 2 front teeth and thinking the more he loses the more pocket $ he gains. We created a little stir at the school when CJ presented his show n tell project- A GIANT "Go USA beat England" world cup poster. It seems that by the end of the presentation- 5 kids decided to cheer for USA instead of England. Yes- we are looking for an upset. I'm headed to a World Cup party tomorrow night and I would love the underdogs to steal the show.

Baby girl had her dance recital last weekend. The teacher was a little over zealous and required the 4 year olds to have a dress rehearsal that lasted 4 hours (the song they "danced" to was 1 1/2 min long the cute "Enchanted song - "Whistle while u work"). In typical British fashion- parents aren't allowed to stay for the rehearsal and were told to collect child at the stage door 4 hours later. (just weird) Show was cute- the baby ballerinas stared at the audience and moved about 1/2 way thru the number. Chris and I got a little teary eyed that our baby was old enough to be in a recital. Have I mentioned time is moving at warp speed. It hit us- savor these moments because they go by QUICK.

Have entered the strange parallel universe of Limbo stage ( working on the move but still in England)- am trying to spend as much time with our friends here. Weird feeling to think in some cases- we are going to be an 18 hour plane ride away ( Cape Town, SA is not close). Speaking of parallel universes -loved the Fringe season 2 finale. It rocked- full of "alias" like moments.

Lost

Benefits of waking up at 4:50 am to watch the finale is both Chris and I were in a dream like state so we actually liked the finale. ( and yes we know that when England said we were watching live with the US they meant live with California- but alas beggers can't be choosers).

I cried A LOT- thought Jin and Sun and Sawyers scenes delivered. ( I am sure Chris liked Kate's scenes as well) I liked the ending- yes it left some huge holes but I got to see some old characters reunited so it worked for me. ( sidenote: completely forgot that hottie from Vampire Diaries was Shannon's brother on Lost). I liked jack and friends together in their afterlife. Still loving JJ and can't wait to Fall 2010 when his new show about ex CIA agents who have dayjobs as caterers premieres.


Signing off we had 80 degree weather which of course caused a heat index for this country but have kids who unfortunately think summer is around the corner but have 7 weeks of school left:)

Westlife

So Friday headed to Ireland's version (westlife) of New Kids On the Block- a few differences these guys could actually sing and they were smart to know their original songs are crap and play a ton of covers ( Billy Joel, Barry Manilow). Concert was so much fun- with a great group of couples who I will completely miss and had some ice cold margaritas waiting for me at the concert ( I still have an issue that I cant taste tequila). I would SO like to take these folks in my luggage back with me. So yes- nostalgia has hit our house- I know my blog has sometimes served as a bitch list of things I hate (reminder, weather, healthcare, government style, narrow roads and no drive thru starbucks in a 15 mile radius) here but like all things somewhere along the line I made great friends with some amazing girls. A lot of us are on our way out- one couple leaves for New Zealand next month, then we head home, and then another couple leave for South Africa in the late fall. So yes, no regrets about our adventure in England, have met some friends for life who I hope I will cross paths again in our lifetime.

Good Things

1) Colleague from Chris's work calls from LA with "get Marina on the phone, I have an empty suitcase and I am at Target" ( requests: US weekly, crest whitestrips, nestle toll house morsels, and Salsa)- trust me those words were heavenly

2)Green kids- CJ is insisting we use the car less so we have been walking home from school (e.g they scooter and I jog behind them)- 1 hour later we make it back but going green CJ style will probably help me more than my fitflops . ( yes I got a new pair this year)

3)Lost- on the week break I have lowered my expectations of the answers u will provide me. I now know I will be dissatisfied but if u try to pull a Sopranoes fade to black ending on me u will see anger.

4) Babies- no not me- but everyone I know is having a baby so clothes shopping I will happily go:)

5) My Baby girl insisting on a pink prince tennis racket and then showing up on the court with a damn good backhand for a 4 year old ( so NOT my DNA in play)

6) MTV 16 and pregnant- show okay but the adorable couple from MI who gave their baby up for adoption. I truly believe they are in love- great couple who have had some tough hurdles placed in front of them and are so mature for their age ( in a good way)

7)Million $ pie- recipe from Paula Deen, pie rocks- was gone in 60 seconds at a party this weekend.

8)Not proud of it- but crazy strict school wasn't going to let little man swim with goggles during school swim class unless he had a medical note. (ridiculous - I know)
Mom to the rescue- not proud of it but sometimes bad handwriting has the benefits of looking like DR script.(e.g suffers from severe allergies that require the use of swimming goggles)

9)Chelsea Handler- u make me laugh, u haven't help me from stop swearing but I think I'll live a little longer with all the laughs I've had.

10) UK elections- we have a knock on our door every 15 seconds from someone trying to get us to vote for such and such candidate- had to let them know we can't vote here...

11) The Sun- still not warm here but we spotted a yellow circle in the sky yesterday.

Recovery

Still recovering- the body does not rebound back like a rubber band anymore. Did I run a marathon- no ( the London Marathon was this past sunday) and yes a few folks saw the sight of me at school drop off and assumed I did that or more appropriate to my current level of fitness got run over by a truck.

I did fly out for a girls weekend in florida ( yes God really wanted me to go as did Chris)- first flight off of London since the Ash crisis (seriously a volcano?)- so 2flights later ( 11 hours total) and I was drinking red bull (e.g sugar free rockstar) and vodka with 7 other amazing Moms. So I won't go into the details ( we like to keep things mysterious) but basically I never got over my jet lag (no sleep), ate a tone of fried shrimp, and drank quite a bit of booze, all while talking a mile minute ( I have no voice at all now) and trying to read all 18 magazines we shared as a group ( Oh I miss my US trash mags), and keep up with all my friends updates.

Flew out sunday night- they had to hold the plane at chicago on the runway for me since the Florida flight was delayed ( another stroke of luck)- Made it home. Not functioning at an A level mom- picked CJ up from soccer (isn't it the best when your kids are so excited to see you) and could barely make it thru dinner or baths without falling asleep. Husband- not sure what he has up his sleeves ( wondering if is going to ask for permission to climb Everest)- because I came into a house with the laundry done, beds made, kitchen usable ( he threw out all evidence of pizza boxes and happy meals), and he had a jam packed activity weekend, ballet, birthday party, swim lessons, and kiddie haircuts. He rocked it and showed no signs of being beaten by the process- me on the other hand look like I ran a marathon after never having run more than a 5k. Recovery mode initiated

Midwest vs East Coast Bring it On

Blog has taken a backburner with school holidays in full effect. Got back from amazing trip to Tenerife ( Canary Islands)- the good news is the trip would have been a success if I saw the sun and the SUN is what we got . Warm weather, warm pools, happy kids, some English celeb sighting ( an Eastender actress ( their version of General Hospital, and tennis player Greg Rusedski ( note Chris actually drank with him and watched the Masters)- Sidebar did anyone else cheer when Tiger totally missed that putt- sorry but I was pretty pleased he didn't play as well as he normally does and not to butt in but what the heck is Elin waiting for ( hire the barracudas and let the bloodshed begin- I know I need to work on the concept of forgiveness.)

Completely relaxing trip- kids were in the pool most of the day and the hotel set up an outdoor movie viewing area so after the kids ate they could watch a movie while the adults finished their dinner. We went with friends from England and it was a nice mix of having people you know with you but not eating every meal together. We met another American family at the resort who are living in England- the husband came up to us and said he could tell we were Midwesterners because we were talking with folks in the pool and bing sociable ( I didn't want to point out that Chris was in a MSU shirt and hat). He was from Ohio so we talked briefly- nice guy- then he calls his wife to come meet us- I am not exaggerating within 30 seconds she told me she was from Manhattan and that is why she had a zero adjustment to London because NYC and London are so similiar and then she went on to tell me that she has a Range Rover and her husband has a Lexus and they belong to this golf club in Surrey and they love the International School they are at, and this and that. ( Long story short- she was the most annoying person and I couldn't swim far enough away from her and bragging life- to be fair her kids were actually sweet and well behaved). The kicker was her husband kept trying to find Chris and I because he loves "Midwesterners" and hates hearing how great New York is from his other half.

Headed back to 50 degree England weather that basically the peachy glow I obtained was gone as soon as I exited the plane. Seriously I am back to a pale white purplish color.

Karma

So baby boy's bday was a success- very low cool- 7 friends- pizza- pinata (hit with a light sabre)-scavenger hunt- and soccer in the backyard- that night our 6 year old stayed up until 10 trying to assemble some Atlantis lego ship- ( Dad was no help since MSU was on and its was a nailbiter)

Next morning wake up and chris had forgotten to lock his car door ( due to all the bday activities)- Tom Tom stolen and spare change gone. To thief who took our SAT NAV- I hope it directs you to purgatory ( was going to say Hell but felt it was a bit harsh)- Bad Karma and Greek Evil eye are on U! Since I am directionally challenged 2 friends have offered up their sat navs for our remaining time in England.

Other thoughts- CJ came home from school on Mon and talked about some school lunch of burnt sausages ( the school menu is disgusting) that he didn't like. I asked him why he didn't tell the teachers and in a deadpan voice he said "I didn't want to show weakness"- still laughing/disturbed from that reply.

Other news- Chris and I have put together a team of friends for the school's Curry Quiz Night. We spread fictitious rumors that we were having tryouts/ practice sessions.
Love the fact that a few folks actually believed that we would hold tryouts for our teams.

Signs of Trouble

I was going to not mention the health care bill passing but alas I have had a recent run in with socialized medicine that has me pretty scared for what I will be returning to in the USA. Long story short- I went in to get an ultrasound of my gallbladder to see if I had gallstones ( I don't). The Dr performing the scan Hated me from the getgo- I gave him a brief history of my perforated appendix a few years back and some other gall bladder tests I had. Anyhow- he turns to the nurse and says in a pompous fashion, "those American are so use to using expensive tests to diagnose routine medical conditions." Turns out the machine they used on me in TX they have like 1 of them in London . He kept asking me where I had the test done- assuming it was the Mayo Clinic or some internationally renown hospital. I had to laugh as I said a Plano TX Hospital. So excuse the pessimism as I fear will be paying higher copays and more taxes for a lesser quality of medicine. ( would LOVE to be proven wrong on this). On the + side- great news for preexisting conditions and the uninsured.

Other Signs Of Trouble

1. Sony exec- suggesting selling cutup vegetables at movie theatres. ( and yes I know I said to do this while kids are watching a show but its the cinema) Ridiculous can't we let kids eat popcorn and a fountain drink in peace. Next we will have biking in the seats so we can spin at the movie theatre. (could this be a mney making idea?- gymcinema- need to get a patent)

2.Jesse James- what a jackas$- Bullock needs to drop him like the razzie she won.

3.Lost- I am so frustrated - way too out there that Sawyer was a COP in his parallel world. Please make it more believable. All u Alias fans out there will we recall that the last season went South with crazy story wrapups ( did we ever solve the Rimbaldi crud?)- This show is angering me.


Our house is happy right now- MSU nailbiter victory, a dance recital in sight, 3 egg hunts this week, and a trip to Legoland on the horizon, and the appearance of the SUN
(we were outside all day sunday taking in the sunny weather)

The List

So the list has reappeared ( pretty sure Chris wasn't psyched to see it come out again). The "List" is everything I want to see or do in England before we leave.
The First year we hit the List hard ( to be fair too hard at one point we had been to London and Cambridge one too many times that one of the kids asked why we keep going on double decker tour buses)- So we took a break and got in the mode of normal non tourist living- well the list is back with limited time on this side of the pond-we need to start checking some sights off. So we headed to Hampton Court Palace (e.g Henry the VIII palace and grounds- weather cooperated- kids cooperated ( helped that they loved the maze of hedges on the grounds ( me of course only could think of "The Shining" while in the maze. I'm big fan of that period of history so the palace was fun to wander around and check out life in the Tudor Time.

Other news we had the most positive conference with CJ's teacher. We of course had some shortcomings to work on ( "his handwriting is still too LARGE for joining, and sometimes he is too "keen" to participate) but overall she exuded warmth. I mentioned being a little nervous about starting a new school in the fall back in TX for CJ and she cut me off mid sentence and said "With Christopher, There is nothing to worry about." (most affectionate moment we've had! The conf was so nice I won't try to send dried fruit in for a snack the rest of the year)
Other good fact- I again get to celebrate 2 mother's day. The British one today- I was greeted by handmade cards and coffee in bed and no trekking to swim class or doing homework with the kids today. Alas, the American and the English Father's Day is the same day:)

Oscar recap (the good, the bad , the ugly)

So I am 48 hours late but that's what u get when u have to wait 24 hours to watch the taped version. (which btw I cheated and I checked my iphone at 7 am to see all the winners but managed to coerce a few friends with American salsa and chips and champagne to watch the coverage)

A few comments

1-Haven't seen the Hurt Locker- so I was at quite a disadvantage for the awards show. How anti climatic was the introduction by Tom Hanks of "Best Picture".
Red Carpet- due to watching the British version at the red carpet I now miss Ryan and Gialiana (she looks like a bobble head and is so annoying). The British red carpet crew was so pathetic they only could get Colin Firth and Colin Farrell to acknowledge their questions. ( we got the E version of the red carpet as well but I basically used up all our DVR by taping 8 hours of coverage)

2. SJP- Okay I am going to be HARSH- Sarah Jessica Parker looked so old- older than Meryl Streep- she needs eye work done pronto. Her hubby looked middle age and fat.
BTW I almost started crying when they did the John Hughes dedication- All of the stars looked so old (Ringwald, Broderick, Judd Nelson)- this translates into WE ARE OLD. (seems like yesterday I was watching 'pretty in pink"- I am sure it will be remade with Miley Cyrus next year.

3-Baldwin and Martin- funny liked a few of the bits but bring Mr Jackman back- I like song and dance by an Ozzie hottie.

4.Best Dressed- Penelope, Winslet, Clooney and girlfriend, Bullock (xcept that lipstick was a little too red for me ( I hate red), girl from Avatar in lavender

5. Worst Dressed- Matt Damon's wife (she just annoys me for no good reason), Kristen Stewert from twilight (could she snarl more in an annoying way), R Downy JR, SJP, Sigourney Weaver, Vera ( it lady from Up in the Air), Charlize Theron, Morgan Freeman (little known fact he broke up with his wife of 24 years and is dating his 26year old step granddaughter)- to say he lost points with me is an understatement.

6. Speeches all were awful- no vengeance or humor just boring shout outs to agents and lawyers.

Recap

1- Yes- I woke up at 3am and stayed up until 6 am watching the women's figure skating on Thurs night- The girl from Korea AMAZING!!!!
The Canadian girl awesome story about fighting through tragedy but both Chris and I think the American California skated better than her. (seriously no doubt in my mind ). Still miss Kwan and they hey day of debi vs katrina- they just don't make skating divas like they use to.

2-I HATE how they keep track of the olympics in Europe- they only track gold medals- Hello weighted average for the medals standings. (It really annoys me)

3-My friends here threw me a bday bash where everyone was suppose to wear pjs and drink champagne and watch the Oscars ( alas I was 2 weeks off on that). Out of the 10girls that came only 2 of us were in pjs- it seems that request was way out in left field and caused much distress to which I sent a text saying dress code is now comfy casual ( still 2 people in skirts???)- (the best was one of my very shy/quiet friends called to tell me she DOES NOT OWN pjs. Not sure how she does that in winter here but power to you.

4-I don't want to count my lucky stars but baby girl is behaving So well we are concerned there has been an alien abduction. (we have please and thank yous, blue track suit being placed on with no complaints, smiles, can I please practice my jolly phonics requests, staying dry at night, no thumb sucking, requesting more vegetables) I am going to enjoy while it lasts.

5- Mini Boden I heart you. I like you even more since I get all my little girl hand me downs from friends that wear 100% boden. (I heart free clothes as well)

Smiles despite gloomy grey weather

Things I Heart

1. The Olympics- love it all from opening ceremony to closing. Even though I am stuck watching Europe's broadcast (which btw they are pathetically updating us on Team GB curling team on a minute by minute basis)- I love it all including all the sappy background stories.

2. Chocolate - received a large block of chocolate from (Hotel Chocolate) Chris- need to eat it all by wed since I am giving it up for lent. No doubt a 1 lb block can be consumed in 72 hours.

3.Oh Vampire Diaries I like you a lot. I think I like you better than by Team Edward obsession. Actually had some girlfriends over on friday and we drank coffee and stared at the screen.

4.Cards, Kisses, superhero drawings all handmade by my petite picassos.

5.Chris offering to do breakfast for the kids- take CJ to swim lesson , and attempt to do baby girl's intricate braid request( btw she calls braids - plaits). So much better than $90 roses.

6. School break- no school runs, soccer, tennis, dance, swimming, homework, snack packs, lunch boxes, uniform washing, shoe shining ( I know chris and I don't shine OUR shoes but we have to shine 5 year old shoes).

Thoughts

1. Well we are back to square one- CJ's snack got sent home from school (it appears I made an error and sent raisins instead of fresh fruit in)- got to love the English(hint:sarcasm); they made a 5 year old not eat anything during snacktime to prove a point. Did I mention I am breaking all the school rules the last week we are here !(yes- I am starting my rebel list- sad that dried fruit is a rulebreaker)

2. Not sure if anyone out there is a crazy internet dr like me. But I SWEAR that every time I type in a sympton on mayoclinic.com it comes back with some scary disease- I need to ban myself from the internet and for that matter Grey's Anatomy (yes, I am that girl that watches Greys and swears I have the current affliction.

3.Helpful parenting tip- if you are having trouble with your kiddos eating vegetables (broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower)- cut it up and give it to them while they are watching tv. My kids have been treating the veggies like movie theatre popcorn when I give it to them during their show (yes- they get one 1/2 show while I make dinner daily)-don't worry they watch alot more of it on the weekend:)

4.I have taken zero photos since Christmas- sad to admit- but grey wet weather needs not to be photographed-but my cute kiddos do:)

5- Baby girl miraculously stopped sucking her thumb- (I literally showed her pictures of kids with braces.) Weird fact is I use to make fake retainers out of paperclips in middle school. Anyhow- since the thumb sucking has stopped the going to bed BADLY had begun. So like a parenting fable- you lose one bad habit and get another.

Free puppy and Espresso

So we had a big day yesterday - CJ came home from school on cloud nine. The headmistress of the school called him to the front of the assembly and wanted him to talk about how he wanted to help Haiti- so CJ shared his plans of building a HUGE crane to drop off food and supplies in Haiti- (he of course has a prototype lego version at home)- For the last weeks CJ has been harassing his teacher meet with the headmistress (he would come home everyday dejected and say "She is still in meetings"- not a big deal but it was starting to annoy me that she couldn't pop in his class and listen to him for a nanosecond. (I know totally being a helicopter mom) Well patience and persistence has paid off- he was a bit disappointed that the school can't build a HUGE crane but they are going to do a mufti day for charity.

Other news- John Edwards- Hate him- think he is slime and AM so glad Elizabeth wised up and left him and his lies in the dust. Saw the movie "Brothers" with chris this past weekend- good flick if u want to be depressed about the war we are fighting in Afghanistan. Other news my friend that did that Bollywood dance-a-thon with me has purchased sari and headdresses for us to sport when we perform our live routine (I am assuming she is referring to a night in the future when I have consumed mass quantities of vino and all of sudden thinks tequila sounds good at midnight)

I leave you with a sign I purchased at Christmas that prevents people from dropping their kids off for lengthy neverending playdates (like ALL playdates in England)- did I mention that some of the nursery kids are having sleepovers (they are 4!!!!)- seriously it all makes sense why people here love boarding schools. To think that I may be camped out on the quad when I take CJ to college and folks want to let their 4 year olds sleep over. CRAZY

Grabbag

Back to freezing cold temps- had a rough night last night- Casey wet her bed 3 times- by the third time I had to move her to another bed since we didn't have anymore sheets. (We have no pull ups in the house or I would have thrown her in one after the first incident). The best part was she freely admitted that it was way too cold to get out of bed to use the potty. (makes sense except the part of wet pjs)

I had a little powwow with CJ's teacher this afternoon -it seems our son is starting to kiss girls on the playground (molly, millie and romilly) and we had to have a sitdown with him (Mom- the girls said "I could kiss them, and I know them real well"-
let's hope the kissing bandit doesn't strike again. Good news was his teacher actually found it somewhat amusing and wasn't as strict as expected.

Weird offbeat thoughts- hats off to John Travolta for getting a plane full of supplies to Haiti (including Scientology drs)- but still want to crack that cult and figure out what they have on him and Mr. Cruise.

Other news- yes I have set up a couple and now they are engaged! Per Jewish tradition (thanks Randi), I need to match make 2 more couples and then I am in heaven. (any takers for my new found skill set?- if so, send an email to my personal account)

I have been having HUGE issues with dates ( not just forgetting to write 2010)- I mistakenly have an oscar party being done in honor of my birthday on Feb 22- too bad the Oscars are March 7. I assumed the oscars were always the sunday after my birthday. Only silver lining is that British awards (BAFTA) are on Feb 22- (definitely 4th place for me after Oscars, Globes, SAGS)- note to self- ALWAYS check your sources- still embarrassed that my girlfriends are coming in ballgowns
( I voted for pajamas but of course formal attire won)to watch the non-existent Oscars.


Lastly, I have resorted to cheating on school projects. Casey made a bird feeder at school and she was told to bring in a photo of a bird eating from the feeder (I know ridiculous)- so after 5 days of going outside with Casey and not seeing any birds and her being disappointed- I borrowed a decoy bird from a friend- propped it against the feeder- btw it looked damn good- anyhow I labeled the photo "Bird" and feeder to cover any legal debates.

#21

As always I can easily be convinced to make a complete arse out of myself. At least this was in the name of charity (Haiti Earthquake fund). A girlfriend and I participated ( and I use that term "loosely") in a Bollywood dance-a -thon for Haiti Earthquake fund. For those that don't know Bollywood movies- Its Indian dancing to music (think slumdog Millionaire Pussycat dolls video but more legit).
Anyway, we show up there and our instructor is gorgeous-(think Jessica Alba but also a talented dancer). She has choreographed a whole routine for us from the Bollywood movie "Bride and Prejudice" (never seen it). Long story short routine is so complex and most of the girls there are amazing dancers. (please note there was one smart man who received the 411 that the instructor and 1/2 the class were hottie dancers)

So anyways we learn the routine and then she has us perform it to music which would be fine if the music wasn't 50x faster then the way we learned it. To add further embarrassment, she splits us up in small groups to perform for the rest of the class.
I can decisively say that I know now I NEVER want to try out for a dance company. Totally felt like a Fame reject (minus the anorexic body and leg warmers).
All in all it was hilarious, fun, and I got a crystal dot to sport on my forehead at home (yes Casey is desperate for her own dot). So NY resolution #21 has been completed- don't be afraid to make an arse of yourself.

Unblock Your Energy

So one of my girlfriends is into new age medicine and holistic stuff. She's lived here 9 years and I think if I had to put up with the health care here for almost a decade I too, would be into new age medicine. Anyway, she is trying to get me to see her "doctor" who supposedly solves anything and unblocks energy. All of that sounds super positive and awesome; until she told me she had to keep a food diary and is not allowed to eat dairy, refined sugars, and non complex carbs ( btw she is SO skinny and she did not go to him for weight loss issues) and then she tells me besides random herbs (which are supper expensive as well) she has to consume volcanic ash daily and sometimes it makes her throw up. I would laugh if my dear friend was not paying this "doctor" $150 an hour to be given ashes that make her throw up. Since I could spend $150 A LOT better than that (like clean water and food for Haiti)- I sent her a list of some energy blockers that are alot cheaper. ( and SAFER)

1-Glee- we just got it and I love it and wish I could go back to high school and be in the show choir.

2-OPI nail polish "No Spain No Gain"- for those of us who hate red but also can't go pink in winter-this is your color.

3-last 10 min of yoga when they turn off the lights and I for one actually fall asleep.

4- caffeine does the body good as does booze in moderation.

5-bowling- love it and I will be starting a bowling league shortly

6-playing secret agents with first graders and reading their spy notebooks where they write what everyone is doing in the house. (Mom is texting and drinking a dite coak.)

7-philosophy melon daiquiri shower gel-the best

8- give blood, volunteer, send a care package to a friend, write an email to someone having a tough time, etc

Vent

Ok- it has snowed pretty much non stop since we got back- which (A) makes it look pretty like in the movie "The Holiday" and(B) means u can't go or do anything.
No salt and they have run out of grit (sand or sludge)- we are in school today but it took 45 min to get them there. My friends that live in the sticks turned around after 1 1/2 hours to move- so I am over snow. Not to mention besides me and the Canadians NO one can drive in it- seriously folks are spinning out of control. So the blog has not happened not because I do not have the time - I just have done NOTHING that deserves to be blogged about. I went into a mode of depression after being stuck in the house and then subjected to watching NFL playoffs all weekend or set up Legos that fall apart every time CJ moves them (NO WIN choice).

No other news- CJ has a new little girlfriend- (blonde Canadian girl who loves star wars legos and is a foot taller than him)- Casey Jane is finally keeping her pull ups dry (btw did anyone see that STUPID movie 2012- the lines in that movie were so AWFUL including the little girl mentioning she doesn't wear pullups anymore after they have survived the apocalypse.

2010

So I took a month off from blogging-
we had places to go and people to see and excuses (etc)-
We made it home safely although u can rest assured I will be getting no shut eye on any international flights in the near future. We shopped ( not nearly as much as last year but I did enjoy my multiple target trips), we got swine flu shots, we saw movies (sherlock Holmes-D, Its Complicated -C+, and I made my dad watch "The Orphan" with me on pay per view-B-, Chimpmunks Squequel- me- D/ the kids -A, we ate (Olgas, chinese food, mass quantities of tex mex in Dallas),we iceskated, snowmanned, bittybaby lunched, and played with all our cousins. To keep with our current gift giving status- I returned Chris gifts to me ( great thought but the outfit looked like I was trying to start 2010 as a corp lawyer- A for effort)


Now we are back and yes happy to be home- attached you will see the start of 2010 when I made chicken with stuffing and CJ refused to eat a bite and every bite he took he made gagging sounds. Little man got sent to his room and he came down with a I'm sorry Mom note on one side and the attached on the other. (for those not versed in 5 year old writing "I didn't eat your food because it tasted weird." Great start to my culinary 2010 year!