Archives for June 2009

Kids are weird.  My kids are weird.  I use “weird” as a term of endearment.  “Weird” really means “amazingly cute.”

We went to our downtown children’s museum this past weekend to check out their “Robotic Dinosaur” exhibit.  I thought Bean would go nuts.  He loves dinosaurs.  But he wandered through the display completely nonchalant, barely looking, and then begged to go play with the water tables.  Annabel, on the other hand, loved it and would “ROAR” loudly at all the really tall and scary dinosaur displays.

Weird.

Daniel spins around in circles in the living room because he LIKES to be dizzy. 

Weird.

Annabel already hates to wear pants or shorts.  She will struggle and struggle if I try to put a pair on her. 

Weird.

Daniel soothes himself to sleep each nap time by singing “B-I-N-G-O” at the top of his lungs.

Weird.

My kids eat their vegetables BEFORE their meat or potatoes.  Cool, but weird.  Annabel eats corn on the cob like it’s her last meal.  Hilarious, but weird.

This activity table has been sitting in my son’s room since we gave it to him the day Annabel was born a year and a half ago. 

He loved it then, but now he’s totally outgrown it.  He walks around it and ignores it.  The only time he touches it is when he needs to shove it out of the way to play cars and trucks.  Now that we got him his big boy bed, I was excited to move it out of the room for good and donate it to the “poor boy.”

ASIDE: I came up with the “poor boy” to explain to Daniel where things go when they leave our house or his eyesight.  His old T-shirts and pants? Well, they are going to the “poor boy.”  Those baby books and toys? “Poor boy.”  “Daniel, if you don’t stop throwing your cars across the room I’m going to give them to the poor boy!”  It is easier to say “poor boy” than explain Goodwill or Charity to him at this point.  His crib?  “Poor boy.” 

So I moved the activity table to the living room while we assembled and organized the new bed in his room http://www.kamagraoraljelly247.com.  I was only putting it there temporarily.  I was planning to move it out to the garage later that day so it could be donated…to the “poor boy.”

But guess who has been playing with the table every moment since:

Weird.

What is this “trend” with everyone having babies FIRST and then (maybe) getting married SECOND?

I don’t want to get political and scream from a virtual soapbox, “Whatever happened to conservative values in this country? What happened to the ‘old fashioned’ way of getting engaged, getting married and THEN having kids?”  I’ve just been noticing this “trend” more and more, especially with celebrities.  I don’t know whether the celebrities think it’s COOL or if their pregnancies were “accidents” or even if they are making some political statement themselves (I’m looking at you Brangelina), but I’m feeling a little bit in the minority here.  I was married and THEN I had my babies.

Some of the People Magazine and Us Weekly headlines this week were about Kendra Wilkinson from PLAYBOY and the E! Entertainment show Girls Next Door. She has a brand new reality show called Kendra.  But the headlines were not about her new show.  They were about her pregnancy.  “Kendra Wilkinson and her fiance, NFL star Hank Baskett, are going to become parents.” There was even a quote from her former “boyfriend,” Playboy honcho Hugh Hefner. Hef said he was “really happy to learn that Kendra is pregnant.”  And there were other notes of congratulations from her friends and fellow Playmates.  But I’m thinking, “Wait. She’s not married yet.  Wasn’t that last episode of her reality show all about agreeing to host her big day at the Playboy mansion?  And now she’s having a BABY?”

I just think it’s interesting that no one blinks an eye anymore.  There were no quotes talking about her getting pregnant before her nuptials.  Not one.

Okay, maybe because it’s Kendra, but it’s pretty darn common.  At least Kendra is planning on getting married later this month.  But there are other celebrities that simply have no intention of tying the knot.  I mentioned Brad and Angelina.  Brad has been quoted as saying, “Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able…”  Um, I don’t know about you Angie, but that sounds like a LINE??  Did you not watch that movie He’s Just Not That Into You??  Well, I watched it on DVD this weekend and one of the many take away messages for us chicks is this: If he wants to marry you, he WILL MARRY YOU!

Then there are the young starlets like Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin.  They both had babies and I don’t think they are even engaged anymore.  MTV just launched a reality series about this trend called 16 & Pregnant.  It highlights the lives of teen girls in this country who are getting pregnant before marriage and even before their high school graduation. 

Then there is Nicole Richie and Joel Madden.  Nicole is pregnant with baby NUMBER TWO and still no ring on her finger.  This is a quote from her recent appearance with talk show host Larry King:

“…when I was a little girl, I dreamed about getting married and that is definitely a dream of mine one day. But right now, we’re really really focused on our family; we’re focused on our foundation. As far as feeling that need of commitment, we both really have that in each other.  I think for both of us, we are going to do it because we want to, not because that’s what you do.”

But WHY don’t you WANT to?  I really don’t understand the downside of getting married.  It gives you security.  It is the foundation for your family.  It gives your children security by showing your commitment. 

I don’t get it, but I also don’t want to judge.  I may be a conservative, but I also believe in living your own life.  Heck, I HATE when anyone judges ME. 

But Nicole Richie, I just have to ask…

“Why are you carrying my baby girl??”  (Well, I see a slight resemblance…)

My son has graduated…from the crib!  I am very excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time.  I feel like every milestone that he accomplishes is amazing, but it’s also a milestone that is COMPLETED.  It just brings him one step closer to packing up all of his clothes, throwing them in the back of an SUV, and leaving me FOREVER.  (Am I overreacting???)

Daniel has a BIG BOY BED! 

We have been talking about this forever.  Should we buy him a toddler bed or a twin/full bed?  Daniel has always loved his crib.   He sleeps in it like magic.  It’s amazing.  But he is a big dude and he’s turning three in two months, so it was time to move on.  We thought the toddler bed was a good choice because it would be an easier transition.  It is basically the exact same size as the crib, minus the baby prison bars.  We can use the same mattress.  The one negative was that down the road we will have to transition him AGAIN to a bigger bed. 

But we were strolling past Pottery Barn Kids two weeks ago and there it was – the CUTEST little toddler bed just sitting there in the entrance.  It was welcoming us in with open arms and saying, “Buy me!  Sure, I cost more than those toddler beds at Target and Toys R Us, but don’t you want the best for your son?  PLUS, I’m from PBKids!  I’m COOL!”

We bought it.  We had to wait seven whole business days for the color we wanted to arrive (the dark brown), but now it’s here!  My husband picked it up this afternoon and it only took us thirty minutes to put together!  I mean, MY HUSBAND put it together in thirty minutes while I tried to keep Daniel from jumping on the wooden planks and Annabel from eating metal screws. But it’s all put together and in his room now. I just love it.  I am crossing my fingers that Daniel will love to sleep in it.  

Now we just have to wait and see if he sleeps there ALL NIGHT LONG.   While I wait, I have wine AND a little something to read.

(Is that a real snake moving towards his, um, okay, anyways….)

I guess I should not be eating THIS for lunch

if I want to wear THESE.

The lunch, by the way, is my husband’s amazing Turkey Ziti with Mushrooms.  We had it for dinner last night and it’s even yummier the next day.  It’s not terribly unhealthy, but it still is adding a lot of carbs to unwanted places.  The jeans are these skinny jeans from Banana Republic. 

I am not trying to be a teenager (even though some of my television viewing habits indicate otherwise). I never thought I would actually buy a pair of skinny jeans, but they fit so well.  They really do stretch and feel comfy.  They are not too tight.  The sales chick who helped me said she owns two pairs.  (She was a little older than me.) Plus, I found them on the sale rack in the back and they were HALF OFF. 

Hopefully this purchase will inspire me to lose my extra 10 (or maybe 15) pounds of baby weight.   I want to buy new cute clothes and add to my wardrobe, but I just can’t get these last 10 (or maybe 15) pounds off! Well, I COULD stop eating pasta for lunch. 

I COULD exercise.  After reading this blog, I decided I really want a bike.  But I probably should start by walking around the block or cleaning my house.  I have one month until our family beach vacation.  One month to look like this:

Wish me luck.

I HATE going to the dentist.  I don’t know when it started.  I think it was with my very first cavity when I was ten. Once I experienced a drill, forget it.  I didn’t want to go back.   I have very “weak” teeth.  I know that sounds like the biggest excuse in the world, but I definitely have problems.  I always had a cavity when my brother and sister would be in the clear.  They ate the same foods I did and brushed their teeth the same number of times I did.  So why me?  It was very frustrating. 

Then, after college, I moved to New York City for a fun radio gig and I really just forgot to the go to the dentist for a couple years.  (It could have been that I was making peanuts and had no health insurance.)  When I finally got back in the dentist chair, I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled.  Then, I had a root canal.  Then, that same tooth cracked and I had to have it pulled.  I also had some not-so-nice dentists and hygienists who would say things like, “How could this hurt?  It SHOULDN’T hurt.”  Yes, because I’m LYING to you that I am in terrible pain.  The last time I went to the dentist was when I was pregnant with Annabel.  I had some final cavities filled.  I don’t think there is much else they can do to my teeth now except the regular cleanings.  Well, I HOPE. 

So, it makes perfect sense that I was super anxious when it was time to take Daniel to his very first dentist visit this morning.  He is almost three.  They recommend you take a child for their first appointment between two and three, so it was time for him to go.  He was excited!  He had seen a child go to the dentist on Sesame Street and ever since then he was constantly saying, “Mama! Mama! Daniel want to go to dentist too!”  I wanted to scream back, “NO! YOU REALLY DON’T KID!”  But I refrained and we made the appointment.

It was a blast.   The pediatric dental office is amazing.  There are colorful chairs and television screens and a video game console.  Daniel got to pick out his own toothbrush.  He wore headphones and watched Stuart Little on the ceiling (!) while the hygienist cleaned and counted his teeth.  He wore super cool shades.  The dentist said his teeth looked great and gave Daniel a high five. Daniel picked out a toy and we left.  It was fun and he loved it which was the most important thing.  (I wish they had pediatric dentists for grown ups.)

Oh, and they can already tell he will need braces. So we can start the Daniel Orthodontic Savings Fund now.

I met Britney Spears in the summer of ’99.  It was at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach.  She was doing a concert that evening and a bunch of media were invited to a special “meet and greet” in the afternoon.  This was when “(Hit Me) Baby One More Time” was a huge radio hit and she did that provocative cover on Rolling Stone magazine.  She was also on Entertainment Weekly with N’Sync.  They were the two biggest musical acts of the year.  We had also just found out she was dating Justin Timberlake. 

It was exciting to meet a pop star.  Britney was completely unassuming, shy and cute.  She said hello and signed my copy of EW.  We took a photo together and she moved on.  I thought she was adorable and was certain she would be around for a long time. 

Well, I was right!  She released another album.  She had more number one songs.  She won awards.   She did those cute Pepsi ads.  She went on a huge worldwide tour.  She released another album.  She said she was a virgin.  Justin “implied” she wasn’t.  They broke up.  She starred in a movie.  She performed on MTV with a huge python.  It was an iconic moment.  Then, things got…weird.

She kissed Madonna.  She married a childhood friend in Vegas.  It was annulled after 55 hours.  She cancelled her tour.  She dated and married a backup dancer.  Then she got pregnant and had her first baby, Sean Preston. Then she got pregnant again and had her second baby, Jayden.  Then, she filed for divorce. She checked in and out of rehab.  She shaved her head in the window front of an LA salon.  She was hospitalized and held under psychiatric evaluation.  She lost custody of her kids. She went to the VMA’s and did a terrible performance.  She had a shady manager and she was dating a member of the paparazzi.  She would go out late at night to get cigarettes and walk barefoot to the gas station bathroom.   I remember telling my husband that I would not be surprised to wake up one morning, turn on the computer, and see her obituary.  It looked bad.

But she turned it around!  Her dad seemed to save her.  She got the “bad” people out of her life.  She went back to the recording studio and made music again.  She had a number one single.  She went on tour.  She went on How I Met Your Mother.  She got custody of her kids back.  Now she seems…better.

I hope she is.  She’s a mom now and her kids need her.  I’m sure they make her happy.  Judging by this super cute video, they sure made me smile today.  Good Luck Britney.  Remember what’s important: these little guys.