What gets you through the week

It's been a rough week in our little world here. It seems as though the big world has caught up to us, and we're starting to feel the sting of living close to the financial center of the world.

Here are a few things that have helped me get through this week:
Evening Primrose Oil. Let's just say it keeps me balanced. Without it I'm a shrieking harridan.Drakes Yodels. They are creamy, chocolatey deliciousness. Yum.


Tuesday night with the Biggest Loser. It helps keep the yodels in check.


I listen to NPR when I'm alone in the car. It provides something different than the High School Musical 3 Soundtrack. A few weeks ago I heard this story. I sobbed in the car as I listened to it and have found it inspirational as I try to keep things in perspective.
HGTV. It helps me fall asleep at night.

I really DO know better

No matter how comfy and cosy your white athletic socks are, please remember to change them before you throw on your black leather shoes and head out for a Saturday morning of errand running. You will inevitably end up with a hem unknowingly stuck inside the leg of your jeans, and you will walk around looking a fool. Don't let yourself be lulled by the long length of your jeans, or the fact that you won't possibly see anyone you know. The universe will conspire to humiliate you and your dorky socks. Take an extra minute, run upstairs and grab hipper hosiery. You'll thank me.

Hope

Hope has always been a significant word in my life. My name means hope in Russian, and it has always been a guiding force for me. I don't always have perfect faith or all-consuming optimism, but when it comes down to it, I have hope... hope that my best will be good enough, hope that my children will grow to be happy and fulfilled adults, hope that there is a plan for me that is greater than myself and hope that where we are today is only a jumping-off place for where we will someday be. Maybe that's why today has meant so much to me.

I'd like to share my favorite part of today's inauguration address...

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
(for the complete text visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text_10)

And so, today I find myself full of hope, and promising not to write anymore political blog posts.

image from www.adpulp.com

Blog-hopping

One of my favorite activities that I indulge in after my kids have gone to bed is blog-hopping. It's always fun to pick a blog, click on their links, and see where you end up. Recently, I took a delightful blog trip. Let's recount:

I started here, on my other blog. (Take a minute and have a peak, my kids are way more fun than me!)

From there, I headed over to my Hawaiian family's blog.... Sorry I just had a wistful moment imagining myself on a warm and sunny beach in Hawaii. Back to business.

That lead me over to my Mom's cousin's blog. When I was a kid, he and my mom and all their siblings would get together and spend hours just laughing and laughing. They would throw around words like "existential" and made me want to know what they meant. That group of grown-up cousins made me realize that smart and cool really go hand in hand.

And finally, I ended up on my second-cousin's blog. She's so Euro-fabulous. We would spend those summer days listening in on the grown-ups and trying to keep the bratty little brothers and sisters from cramping our style. Then we'd go and jump on the trampoline, 'cause nobody's too grown up for a good bounce! So Amelia, that's how I found you. So glad I did.

Come and visit us in New York next time you fly stateside!

Will post more when....

... this has disappeared.

No, not the cute little girl, the laundry. Who do you think I am?

My Dirty Little Secret

I am a devoted fan of Battlestar Galactica. There, I said it. Now that it's out there, we can all move on. Season 4.5 starts tonight, and I can't wait.

The Joys and Woes of Finishing a Book

Do you find yourself in the same predicament as me when you get close to finishing a book? Part of me wants to hurry and finish it, to see where the characters end up, how the author finds resolution, to have the satisfaction of closing the book and knowing its secrets. The other part doesn't want my relationships with the characters to end, doesn't want to lose the thrill of exploration, doesn't want my good excuse for ignoring my kids to be gone. I finished "Five Quarters of the Orange" and felt that same bittersweet feeling that I remember from being a kid and finishing the Little House on the Prairie series, or recently finishing Harry Potter (OK, I cried my eyes out, so sue me.) The thing that helps to wash away that wave of melancholy is knowing that I have stacks of new books to read. On to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." My mom says it's the best book she's read in a while.

The weekend of a working mom

When you have three kids and work full time, weekend take on an entirely different level of importance. Every second is jealously guarded. Saturday is our day to do something fun as a family. Keeping that in mind did we go and explore a winter beach, go to our fabulous Children's Museum, visit our local arboretum or even go to a movie? Of course not. Instead, I did six loads of laundry while the kids watched the Beethoven marathon on Disney. I'll spend the rest of the night trying to sneak the folded laundry into my kids drawers as they sleep. Maybe we'll go to that winter beach tomorrow. Unlikely....

Ouch

One of the great things about living just outside of New York City is the opportunity it presents to dress up and spend the day watching amazing people who must have amazing lives doing what must be amazing things. Last week, I threw on my gorgeous new coat, grabbed my sweet seven year old and in we went to see the Nutcracker. Now, for some reason, whenever I take her into the city, our entire trip becomes about finding bathrooms. So, we headed into Barnes & Noble to their second floor bathroom, right next to the kids book section. As I stood there waiting for her to finish up, I noticed a woman staring at me. I naturally thought "it's 'cause my coat is SO CUTE!" She then rushed up to me and said "you're having a boy, I can always tell." I found myself stammering something about "no, I'm not pregnant, the baby's at home tonight...." then to realize that the "baby" is almost 2. How long does it count as baby weight? Needless to say, I've been buttoning up that cute coat a lot more since then. Ouch.

Gratitude

Don't tell anyone, but I really hate Sundays. I spend the entire week trying not to think about them and then breathe a huge sigh of relief when Sunday afternoon comes and I've survived another week. It must have something to do with sitting alone on the pew with my three kids who all turn into raving maniacs as soon as the organ starts.

So, rather than wasting anymore of my time dwelling on something that makes me wanna cuss, I'm going to try and be productive. About 12 years ago, Oprah (who I inspire to be) introduced the world to the idea of a gratitude journal. I faithfully kept my journal for a few months and then I got engaged and didn't have time anymore for things like journals, instead time went to a wedding, honeymoon, husband, school, work, baby, work, baby, work, baby, work, work, work.... That being said, I thought I'd try to take some time this Sunday afternoon to list 5 things I'm thankful for on this January Sabbath day.

1. Star Wars Galactic Hero toys. Nothing else keeps my three year old occupied for HOURS at a time. They are a miracle.
2. The giant quilt that Grandma-great made us as a wedding present. 11 years later, it's still the best thing to curl up under on a Sunday afternoon.
3. The guy sleeping under that quilt right now. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me.
4. Advair. The stuff's amazing, trust me.
5. Diet Coke. It was on my list 12 years ago, it's on my list today.

Fills My Heart with Gladness

Most of the time, I kind of feel like I'm faking my way through motherhood. Like someday the parenting police are going to crash through my door and say "you have NO IDEA what you're doing... your son cannot eat another peanut butter sandwich for dinner."

Every once in a while though, I catch a glimpse of my success. My seven-year-old stretched out on a sunny spot on the couch, reading her book on a Saturday afternoon. That's success.