Whoopee! A Meme!

Update: Aw, I feel so special. You know when the popular kid asks you to have lunch with her? That's me today. The ever-popular and lovely Michele has included yours truly in her first installment of her image game. Go see!

I've been tagged by Trine because she knows how much I love these things! (Please read my previous post too, because I need your opinion!)

What follows is a list of different occupations. You must select at least five of them. You may add more if you like to your list before you pass it on (after you select five of the items as it was passed to you).

Of the five you selected, you are to finish each phrase with what you would do as a member of that profession. Then pass it on to three other bloggers.

Here's that list:

If I could be a scientist... If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician... If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter... If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary... If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect... If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist... If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete... If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper... If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer... If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider... If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper... If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host... If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge... If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss... If I could be a backup singer …
If I could be a CEO... If I could be a movie reviewer …


If I could be a musician...I would finally realize my true calling in becoming a punk rock singer/guitarist and it would be socially acceptable to dye my hair pink.

If I could be a psychologist...I would go back and analyze my two previous bosses and find out why they were such evil, back-stabbing, conniving bitches.

If I could be a judge....I would sentence anyone who harms women or children to death by being tied to a post, covered in honey, and eaten alive by red ants.

If I could be a linguist...I would study Italian so I could learn what all the boys were saying to me when I was in Italy while Hub wasn't watching.

If I could be a midget stripper...I would visit my old friend Chuck every day to make him laugh, and then I'd let him toss me.

So who shall I tag??? Think of it as an honor, not a hassle...
Bridget Unnel, my fellow Jersey Girl
Carol at Smiles and Laughter, because she is a longtime friend but she is newly linked.
And Daisyhead, who is fairly new to my links but lovely nonetheless.

Enjoy!

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift for Moi

So Hub kept asking me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I won't even say that I hate when he asks me what I want instead of just buying something (oops, I guess I just did say it) because I am rather picky and snooty and would prefer to pick things out myself than get something I hate. But anyway.

Finally, when he most recently asked, I said "how about a redesign for my blog?" He didn't know what to say, as he has no idea that it is just as important to have a cute blog as it is to have cute shoes. So I explained this to him, but I don't think he really got it. But he agreed! Then yesterday, I saw Sleeping Mommy's new design, which is just super-fab. I started getting excited. I am SO ready for a new design. All the cool kids are doing it; why not me?

So, here is my question for you - any suggestions? I have some ideas and I have a few pics picked out that I think represent me to some degree. Actually, its funny because I showed Hub some of the pics I am considering, and he thought one was too sexy because I write about Princess on here (its not of ME, its just a cartoon-ish drawing! And its not like she's nekkid or anything!). I thought about that, and then I realized - isn't that part of why I blog? So that I can be more than "just a mom"? So I can be a whole person? Hm.

Ah, but I digress (as I have been known to do). What comes to your mind when you read me? Adjectives? Ideas? Anything? Like I said, I have some ideas in mind, but I am curious to hear what you think.

I'm Not Fonda Jane (plus a tiny little AI rant)

Let me get this out of my system: Okay, America, what were you thinking exactly? Scott was not even in the bottom three. Who is voting for this guy? Don't you know what he did? How can you vote for someone like that? Let's get it right next week, shall we?

Now onto my real post for the day.

Anyone else have strong feelings about Jane Fonda? I never did before. I was really too young to understand the Vietnam thing, so while it obviously bothered me that she'd hang out on an enemy anti-aircraft gun with the North Vietnamese and have a good laugh about it, I didn't understand the implications deeply enough to hate her for it. I loved the movie 9 to 5, and that was really my only view of her.

However. I have seen her all over the news lately promoting her book. And she is getting on my nerves. For one thing, she is quite unapologetic about her Vietnam involvement. And for all the people to whom she has caused pain, she should be at least a little sorry, even if just the perception of what she did hurt people.

But for me, I am mostly annoyed at her for calling herself a feminist over and over and over. She claims to be a feminist as she tells stories about her first marriage. How she would go out and pick up women to participate in threesomes with her and her husband. This was something she didn't want to do, and disliked it so much that she had to get drunk to do it. But she did it repeatedly in order to keep her man happy.

She also, back in the 80's while peddling her exercise videos and making millions from them, was bulemic. So here she was, preaching to woman that they should look like her, yet the whole time she was bingeing and purging to help create an unrealistic ideal for women.

Then she married Ted Turner. During their marriage she became a Christian but was afraid to tell him because she was afraid he would talk her out of it. She said he was a great debater who was often known to talk her out of doing the things she wanted to do (or into things she didn't want to do). So she hid this from him and was a closet Christian during the marriage.

I don't get it. Aren't these things the antithesis of feminism? Doing what a man says even though you don't want to for fear of losing him? Selling an unrealistic body image when you can't even reach it properly and healthily (I know that's not a word, but I am on a rant here, work with me) yourself? Keeping information as important as your faith from your husband for fear that he will talk you out of your core belief system?

Its fine with me if you want to be that kind of woman (but I don't want to hang with you). Just please, don't go on television saying that being that kind of woman equates to being a strong woman. It doesn't.

A Long Blathering Post About American Idol

So I have this post brewing in my head about Jane Fonda and how she is getting on my last nerve, but today I had to post about our favorite guilty pleasure, American Idol, instead. Bashing of Jane will come maybe tomorrow.

Did anyone else think they all pretty much sucked last night? No one sounded great. I think Anthony sounded the best, although when Ryan said "Anthony is coming up next and he'll be singing a Celine Dion song," my heart sank a bit. Not only because if I never hear another Celine song it will be too soon, but because while dear Anthony seems like a very sweet boy, and he is a decent singer, he does not have the chops to pull off a Celine song. But, whaddaya know, he did. Even Simon liked it.

Bo. Oh, Bo. Why are you trying to dredge up Jim Morrison's ghost? Simon commented on the sunglasses, but what about the shirt? I generally enjoy Bo, but this week I thought his vocals were shaky. The judges did not agree, and I am thinking perhaps they just want a rocker to win the competition so they are pushing him. It was hard to make a determination about Carrie, because I am not a fan of the twangy country thing. But I thought she sounded pretty good until even Paula had something negative to say. At least she didn't have the 80's-Jersey-big-hair-thing going on this week.

I think the winner of Most Improved Thusfar goes to Vonzell, who not only has a great voice but is also developing quite a polished stage presence. But she picked the wrong song last night. Some of the notes went too low for her, and she is better when she is belting it out. And I am a little concerned about the diva factor with her - did you hear her say that she won't speak to anyone all day on Tuesdays? People ask her questions and she will only respond in writing? Hm. And she said it wasn't just for her voice; it was also to prepare herself mentally. I see a Mariah-type breakdown in her future.

Constantine picked a terrible song that did not show off his voice, but did show that he is a poseur. I mean really. He seemed so fake singing a rock song but yet so at home singing the Bee Gees a couple weeks back. I thought the interesting thing was seeing his family, and how they appeared to be quite well-off. That surprised me. And you all know how I feel about Scott. He wasn't good and he needs to GO. I predict it is finally his turn.

And on one last Idol note, did you hear that apparently Ms. Paula is hooking up with Idol contestants, promising them a future in the music biz, and threatening them with career ruin should they ever tell anyone of the illicit affair? Next week on one of the news magazine shows (Primetime Live, I believe) there will be a whole expose on Idol which, apparently, we should not miss. Paula already has her lawyers attacking, trying to stop the show from airing. Sounds juicy.

So, that's that. And I know not many of you watch The Amazing Race (you really should), but I am getting sick of these non-elimination weeks! This week, Ron (the former Iraqi POW, who we like) and Kelly (his annoying former beauty queen girlfriend, who we don't like) came in last. Not only did they not get eliminated, but they won a special prize of $50,000 in future Travelocity travel, plus they got to spend the night in a posh hotel instead of sleeping on the sidewalk like the rest of the contestants.

Let me tell you how annoying Kelly is. Ron makes a comment that by traveling the world like this, he realizes that there is so much he wants to do before he settles down and has kids. She gets mad and says he can't commit to anything and his history proves it. He says, um, hello, I was committed to the army for years! She says, yeah, and you got out of that one early! He says, how did I do that? She says, YOU BECAME A POW. What a psycho.

Oh, I could go on and on about the Amazing Race, but I won't. I have bored you enough for today. Tomorrow, my "I am not Fonda Jane" post will hopefully be up. Unless drastic times call for drastic measures and I have to post on American Idol again tomorrow.

What Did I Do Today?

Blatently stolen from He Says, She Says, this poem sums up my entire theory on staying home with my daughter and being a mother and how I should be spending my time while "not working" (ha ha). Hope you enjoy it too.

What Did I Do Today?

What did I do today?
Today I left some dishes dirty,
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before,
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall,
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those window panes,
Will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?

I nursed a baby till he slept,
I held a toddler while she wept.
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess that’ s true.
Unless you think that what I’ve done,
Might be important to someone,
With bright blue eyes and soft brown hair,
If that is true…I’ve done my share

Which Brat Packer are you?

Stole this from Blue944. The perfect quiz for me since these are still my favorite movies. which Brat Packer are you?





Take the Which Character Am I? Quiz

A Concert Meme! Give it a Try!

I found this one over at Ficken Chingers and I am actually excited about this meme because I have seen sooo many concerts (although I guess the 50+ times I have seen Bon Jovi only counts as one???).

Here is how it works. Copy this list. Leave in the bands you've seen perform live. Delete the ones you haven't and add new ones that you have seen until you reach 25. An asterisk means the previous person had it on their list. Two asterisks means the last two people who did this before you had that band on their list.

1. Bon Jovi
2. Nine Inch Nails
3. Jane's Addiction
4. Lemonheads
5. Inxs*
6. Pearl Jam
7. Alice in Chains
8. John Mellencamp
9. Babes in Toyland
10. Marilyn Manson
11. Tesla
12. Matthew Sweet
13. Pantera
14. Whitesnake
15. Smashing Pumpkins
16. Rolling Stones
17. Paul McCartney
18. Skid Row
19. Counting Crows
20. They Might Be Giants
21. Dinosaur Jr.
22. Ice Cube
23. Goo Goo Dolls
24. Stone Temple Pilots
25. Lush

Ok, now its your turn!

The One With Cursing In It

Ok, so I contemplated not posting this because my folks read this blog, and this is the *last* thing my mother would want to hear. She is totally and completely against cursing in all its forms. Cursing is forbidden at her house, even from adults. In fact, when my sister and I were kids, she forbade my uncle, her brother, from coming over until her could control his fiery language. So a post like this one is going to be tough for her to read, but I hope she can either skip it or take it like the brave soul she is.

Princess has been picking up every word she hears (I guess you can already see where this is going). She is now in the habit of watching our mouths and trying to replicate the words. Its great. Its amazing to watch. But.

The other night, Hub came home from a particularly hard day at work. He sat down on the couch and sighed, "oh f%*k" as he stretched. Princess hears this and thinks, hm, new words! And she proceeds to exclaim with great clarity, "oh f%*k!" at which point we don't know whether to hide in shame or die of laughter. We picked laughter, because hearing the f-bomb come out of this little angel's mouth was just funny (sorry, mom, but it was). We turned away from her and stifled the sounds of our laughter so as not to encourage her.

No need for encouragement here, people. She proceeded to rip off about 6 or 7 "oh f%*k"'s in a row. My laughter was now turning to horror; I could not believe this phrase was going to stick. So far in our vocabulary, we have mama, daddy, Gypsy, and "oh f%*k". Lovely.

We both walked out of the room and made a pledge - not one more curse in the house. From anyone. Luckily, the Big One didn't stick and she hasn't said it since. And neither has anyone else.

SuperMom? Yeah, right.

So did you see Oprah yesterday? Ya know, where women were told you can either love your children OR you can love your husband? Where women were told you can either be Supermom OR a super wife? Well, I am here to clear this up for you. And hopefully I am not telling you something you didn’t know. But if I am, please listen up.

First of all, you cannot be Super-anything. You just can’t. You can be the best damn mother in the world, but you are still not Supermom. You will still fail at certain things, your kid will still mess up, its going to happen. You are human. You can just do the best you can do. Same thing with being a wife. You are still going to disappoint your husband (and if you never disappoint him, I am sure you are disappointing YOURSELF).

I can’t believe that no one on the show could have seen some middle ground there and said, wait a minute. I love my husband and I love my kids. I love them differently, but I love them the same amount. They have different roles in my life, but I love them equally. And I don’t think that one has to suffer at the hands of the other. I don’t think if I am being a good wife right now, I can’t also be a good mom. I may not be “Super” at either, but at the end of the day, my daughter knows I love her and my husband knows I love him. Why does it have to be one or the other?

Personally, I just do the best I can every day. Some days, I am a terrific mom. We read books, we play outside, we go to the park, we sing songs, we go to Gymboree, we learn about nature and language and music and anatomy. Some days I am tired or sick and I can only be a decent mom. We might read a book, we’ll probably watch a video or even two, and I will probably hope that she will entertain herself as much as possible. I just try to make the terrific mom days and the great mom days and the good mom days outnumber the decent mom days. I do the best I can. Same thing with being a wife. Some days I am great. Some, not so great. Again, I just try to outnumber the bad with the good.

I am sick of women being told we have to be super at everything. We have to raise perfect children, be Stepford wives, take care of the household, cook, pay the bills, and look great while doing it. Ya know what? I refuse to buy into it. And you should too. Maybe its easier for me because I have a great husband who doesn’t want a wife who buys into that crap. But I just live by the immortal words of my great-grandfather who wisely and famously said, “That’s the best I can do.” And I don’t feel bad about it.

I may not be Super, but I am pretty damn great. So there. And so are you.

Thank Your Fairy Blog Mother Day

(Holiday extended through today)
MommaK over at Petroville has decided that yesterday and today are TYFBM Day. According to her, "You didn't know you had a Fairy Blog Mother? Of course you do. You may have more than one. You very well may even have a male Fairy Blog Mother. Your Fairy Blog Mothers are those people who first inspired you to begin a blog of your own." Sounds good to me.

First is my sister over at On My Mind. She introduced me to the world of blogging before I really knew it was possible for the "average gal" to have her own blog. At first I was kinda like, um, WHY would you do this? But once I followed hers for a while, I could see how cool it would be to communicate with your "real" friends and also make new friends.

Secondly (and I know she has no idea she's on my list because I know she doesn't read me, but that's ok because I read her religiously) is Rockstar Mommy. I can't remember how I came across her, but she just reminded me of myself - a mom who was still cool and still listened to good music and didn't lose her whole personality by becoming a mom. And I loved her writing style - tell-it-like-it-is, thought-provoking, and hysterically funny. She inspired me to be myself on my blog.

And finally is Michele, who we all know and love so dearly. Her blog is a virtual neighborhood of cool people giving their opinions on things, and she facilitates. She has brought so many of you to my blog and has introduced me to your blogs. It always amazes me how many people visit her - and how welcoming she is.

**Now it's your turn. Please post your Fairy Blog Mother list on your blog and tell us how they have inspired you. I can't wait to read all of your lists.

Welcome, Spring!

The weather here is SO incredibly nice. We are due to hit 80 degrees today and probably 85 by tomorrow! Then, of course, we'll be dropping back down to 60 degrees (the usual temp around these parts) by Thursday. Princess is loving the warm weather, loving running around and playing and touching flowers and disobeying mommy by running into the street. Makes me glad we didn't buy a house on a busy road. Notice the cut on her lip - she fell in gravel. Face first.

So now Hub has the virus that Princess had. I would almost rather that she have it than him, except for the cleaning-up-poop-and-puke thing. Men are so overdramatic when they are sick. He has this stomach virus, right? So what did he have for lunch today? 2 sandwiches. How sick can you really be??? Too sick to let the dog out; not too sick for 2 Dagwood sandwiches. Whatever.

Anyway, going out to enjoy the weather. Hope things are nice in your neck of the woods too!!!

My Weekend in Baltimore

We went to the Yankees-Orioles game down in Baltimore this weekend, and of course to visit my sister who lives down there. It was a nice warm day, perfect for baseball. Unless, of course, you were seated in the shade where the wind was whipping at ungodly speeds and making it feel like the dead of winter. So we stayed until the 7th inning stretch (had to let Princess enjoy her first "take me out to the ballgame"!) and then left before we froze to death. When we left the score was 6-2 Yanks. By the time we got to the car, it was 7-6 O's. But, at least they were winning when we left.

The funny thing was to see more Yankees fans than Orioles fans. I mean, this was their stadium, their town. We were 3 hours from the Bronx (ok, 6 with traffic). And the stadium was a sea of blue and white. I can't imagine going to Yankee Stadium and ever, ever being outnumbered. Just unheard of.


Here's us at the game...my sister, her hub, Princess, and Jersey Girl.


View of the city from our seats at Camden Yards.


There's no crying in baseball!

Friggin' Tired

We just got back from a lo-o-o-o-ong trip down to Maryland to visit my sister and her husband. We hit tons of traffic both ways and spent a total of about 10 hours in the car (with Princess, great fun) so we are exhausted. It should be about 3 hours each way, but traffic was a nightmare. Of course.

We stayed in a hotel because Hub is allergic to my sister's cats. We didn't get back to the hotel till after 10pm; Princess should have been so tired she would pass out anywhere. No such luck. We get her into her pj's and give her kisses goodnight as she rubs her eyes...and then put her into the pack and play. That's when all hell breaks loose. She starts screaming (its now about 10:30). Hub and I don't play around - once you go down to sleep, you stay there. We don't feel guilt about letting her cry when its bedtime just because she doesn't feel like going to sleep. But...we were in a hotel...and we knew all our neighbors could hear her (in fact, YOU probably heard her). So we let her cry for a few minutes (and when I say "cry" I actually mean "scream bloody murder," just so we are clear on the volume I am talking about here), but its just getting worse. So we take her out for a few minutes, calm her down, and get ready for bed ourselves, thinking if we go to bed, she'll want to be just like us! She'll want to be like the cool kids and sleep! Uh-huh, ok.

So now its about 11pm, we're in bed, she is in the pack and play, and she is screaming. Ergh. Finally by about 11:30 I said, that's it. We brought her into bed with us (that's one thing we swore we would never do - its a habit I don't want to start). She fussed a bit, then I rocked her to sleep. So she is asleep between us. Ah, finally. Once we are sure she is out, Hub carries her gently to the pack and play and she is off to sleep and so are we.

Then, the AC in the room kicks on (loudly) and she wakes up. Screaming. We bring her back to bed with us and repeat the whole transaction. Except this time when Hub tries to put her back into the P&P, she wakes up and screams. Folks, its about 1am at this point. FINE! STAY WITH US!

So she spends the night in our bed. Hub is taking up more than his share of the bed and snoring. Princess in on my side of the bed. My pillows are halfway off the side of the bed and that's the sliver of landscape *I* have to sleep on.

Suffice it to say, I am friggin' exhausted. I will post pics from our trip tomorrow (we saw the Yankees/Orioles game down at Camden Yards), but for now, I am going to sleep.

Book Review

I finished the book I was reading, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Oh. My. God. It was so incredibly good. I found out about it from Honestyrain, who said it was one of the best books she ever read, and I agree.

I won't ruin it for you, because if you haven't read it, you should. Its a beautiful story about true love, but its not sappy at all (I hate that). But I did get teary at the end, but it was a good kind of teary.

Seriously, go read it. Now. What are you still doing here??? GO READ IT! You'll thank me later!

Blog It Forward

Yippee! I got tagged over at Daisyhead's on this game, which she got from MommaK, who got it someplace else...Anyway, hope you'll play along...

All you gotta do is pick a name or two or three from your blog roll and tell us all why they are there. What makes them blogroll-worthy? And then, of course this will just spread like wild fire and EVERYONE will be doing it! Off we go...

MommaK over at Petroville: Because I think we were twins in a previous life. We have so much in common and she is so much fun to read.

Bridget Unnel, Girl: She is a Jersey Girl like yours truly and she has a great sense of story telling.

Jet at God Dem!: I consider myself to be a fairly political person, and have very strong opinions on things. I am usually too angry to put them into words so that they make sense. Jet does that for me.

I love every site on my blogroll and every one deserves to be mentioned. Go visit them!!! And I'd love to play again next time around!!!

No Poo Here!

I am tired of talking about, looking at, trying to predict, and cleaning up poo, so I'm going to babble about television instead.

Does anyone else watch The Amazing Race? Hub and I are addicted to it (that and most other reality shows). Until last night, I had been pulling for the old folks because they seemed so sweet and whatnot. But as last night's episode went along, I was getting more and more annoyed with whatever-her-name-is (I can't get past the fact that the MAN'S name is Meredith). Maybe it was just the editing, but didn't it look like she was doing nothing but standing there looking at those steel boxes instead of looking IN them like she was supposed to? All she did was complain about how she would never find the clue - well, yeah, if you look at the outsides of the boxes you certainly aren't going to find what's inside them. I couldn't wait for them to come in last and be gone...and then...SURPRISE! No one goes this week! Bah. I felt like I had wasted an hour with no reward. And I am sick of the beauty pageant lady, Kelly. She is such a princess and a whiner. I want to root for her team, because of course I want to root for a former Iraqi POW (her fiancee). But she forces me to hate that team. I like Uchenna and Joyce probably the best, and they seem like truly nice people who deserve to win. They always work as a team and seem happy for the opportunity to travel like this. So why am I rooting for Rob and Amber? I didn't see their "Survivor" so its not that I have a connection with them. Hub HATES Rob, he thinks he is conniving and cocky and arrogant. And he's right, he is. But for some reason, I like him. I like that he is *plotting* to win, not just going about the contests. He is smart, if not a little mean. It is, after all, a contest for $1 million. Its not a trip amongst friends. He wants to win. And I like to watch that, its good tv.

And who will go tonight on American Idol? I think it will be Nadia. She is terrific, has an great voice and an amazing stage presence. But I think she chooses the wrong songs. They are always too "adult," too bluesy and hardly ever recognizable. I think it should be Scott Savol, for what he did to his girlfriend (click on the link if you haven't heard). But I do think tonight is Nadia's turn to go. And what's up with Constantine? Is he getting pretty good or is it me? He has turned down the cockiness and its now just confidence (and serious flirting with the camera, which I have to admit, I am enjoying). And his voice is getting better. I think he could win it all, but I am still rooting for Carrie. She got a bum rap last night. She was great. I think because her voice is far superior to most of the others, they hold her to a much higher standard. Anthony was good last night, but for them to rave about him and bash Carrie - something is wrong there.

What Classic Pin-up Are You?

I'm Bettie Page!


What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
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Conversation

True Jersey Girl: Princess seems to be over the puking thing and now we are solidly (hahaha) onto the diarrhea thing.
Hub: Oh, that's good, because at least she has a diaper on. When she pukes it goes all over, but this way at least the diaper catches it.
TJG: Um no, the diaper isn't really helping much. Gotta go do more laundry.

Thanks to everyone who expressed their concern for Princess. She did much better last night and it appears that, thankfully, the puking has ended and the diarrhea has not been too bad. We're on the road to recovery!

So my dress diet started yesterday. And it turned out to be a great day to start because I barely had two minutes to eat, what with the caring-for-sick-baby-thing. I had a banana and a few Triscuits during the day, and a piece of pizza for dinner. Obviously that's not healthy and I'm not going to continue with that (I couldn't do that even if I wanted to!) but at least it got me off to a good start for the week. There was no exercise (unless you count running to the washing machine 100 times as exercise, and I actually do, so there). If I can eat well this week and get to the exercise next week (or even later this week, depending on Princess' condition), I think that'll work.

On another note, I officially switched to blogrolling, so if for some reason your link isn't on my sidebar let me know and I will add you!

Now I Know

Princess is sick. At almost 16 months old, this is her first time being really sick. I mean, we have had the snotty nose and the phlegm cough and such, which were bad enough but not this bad. No matter how sick she has been, she has always been "herself," kwim? She'll have green snot running from her nose, but she'll be smiling and happy and ready to play.

Not this time. This time its vomit. And even when it started yesterday, it wasn't so bad. She would puke, and then be smiley and ready to play. But as the day wore on, it got worse. All of a sudden, my little trooper, my little independent woman (throw your hands up at me!) was clingy. This is *definitely not* her. She won't even put her head on your shoulder when you sit together, and doesn't want to hold your hand when you walk together...she wants to do her own thing. Now she is begging to lay on you and cries when she isn't. We are seeing the doctor this afternoon, but it appears the puking has stopped and we have moved into the realms of diarrhea. Yay. I have never done so much laundry in my life.

So what has all this taught me? I think it is teaching me that I didn't really know what it meant to be a mom until 3:30 this morning, when Princess woke up dry-heaving. And I was holding her as she was crying and heaving and crying and heaving and there was nothing I could do. I wanted to cry myself - partially due to the lack of sleep - but mostly because my little one was sick and I couldn't stop her pain. And then, I knew what it felt like to be a mom.

Update: we just got back from the docs, and Princess has a virus that is apparently going around. The vomiting lasts about 24 hours, then the diarrhea lasts about 24-72 hours. We're about 12 hours into the diarrhea, folks. Wish me luck.

Short List

You know what a “short list” is, right? Its your list of 5 people you can, um, ya know, have relations with and your significant other can’t get mad. Hub will not commit to a short list, and therefore I say he does not have one. No cheating on me without a list! But I have one, of course. Mine is as follows:
1. Jon Bon Jovi (I am a Jersey girl through and through, what can I say?)


2. Billy Lane


3. Keanu Reeves (from the “Speed” days)


4. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (from the “Ten” days)


5. Paulie Jr. from Orange County Choppers



Now, this is not laminated and may be changed at any time, just in case I meet someone really hot. So who is on your list?

The Diet Must Commence

Ok, if this dress is not reason enough to diet, I don't know what is. I am in my cousin Chris's wedding in October, and his lovely bride-to-be has chosen this dress for her bridesmaids. Let's just say that I will be looking like the backside of a barn in this dress right about now. Thank God it will be in black and not in cellulite-revealing light blue. And what kind of bra do I wear with this, seeing as the straps go off the shoulder (don't suggest strapless, that ain't holdin' them up)? You really have to click on the pic to see this dress close up - you need a seriously flat tummy to wear it. Its really pretty...but....anyway, this pic is going on my fridge (and freezer and cookie jar and cupboard and secret stash of chocolate in my glove compartment) to remind me why I must starve myself for the next 6 months.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

I may possibly lead the world's most boring life. I have *nothing* to blog about today. I have no opinions on anything, no news to report, nothing. Here's my day so far: Get up, go to Gymboree, play with Princess, go to Target, come home.

That's it, that's truly it. Now go look elsewhere for something interesting to read. You won't find it here. Try me tomorrow and maybe I will be inspired. But maybe not, I can't promise anything.

"I have nothing against books!"

Got this from aka_monty. Anyone who can tell me which movie my post title comes from will get a big wet internet kiss from moi.

1. You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? Hm, I don't even know if I ever read Fahrenheit 451, and if I did I don't remember it well. I am going to go by aka's hints and assume that its a book I would want to memorize. So I will say The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. I have read it 100's of times and love it more each time.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? From a book? No, can't say I have.

3. The last book you bought is: I just bought The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I think that's her name) based on Honestyrain's recommendation. And she is right, I love it so far.

4. The last book you read: The last book I finished reading was About a Boy by Nick Hornby. Good read. Never saw the movie.

5. What are you currently reading? Up now is The Time Traveler's Wife, which is really great. Next up is the new Ya Ya Sisterhood book.

6. Five books you would take to a deserted island…and why? I'll have to follow Monty's lead and also take a survival handbook (smart choice, girl). I'd also take The Bell Jar (see above, its something I can read and read and read and never tire of), She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb (because its a great book to read when you feel like you might be unraveling and I am sure after being deserted awhile I'd be unraveling at a steady rate), From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (yes, its a real book. Its a kids book, and its awesome. These kids run away and live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.) and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (for its humor and uplift-ingness).

7. What 3 bloggers are you going to pass the stick to, and why?
Aw, I hate passing the stick. I'm afraid no one will do it! Ok, Ok, I pass the stick to (and I hope you all like to read!):
Trine
Dawn
Cori

Have fun!

Refreshed!

Trine inspired me to do some good ol' spring cleaning (on my blog, of course, not in my house!). So, I am no longer hurtful pink. What do you think of the new look? Do you miss the glare of the pink? Do you feel calmed by the absence of most color? I feel refreshed. We'll see how long this lasts.

Day with the Pope

So, the Pope died. Let me start by saying that I was raised Catholic, Hub was raised Catholic, and Princess was baptized Catholic. But we're not religious, really. And by not religious, I mean we don't even go to church on Christmas. If nothing else, I feel that I am pretty true to myself and not a hypocrite, so I feel like its a big lie to just go to church on the biggie holidays and forget it the rest of the year. Personally, I find it more important to be a good person, try your best to do the right things, raise a good daughter, etc. That's just me.

But I digress. Hub and I went to Italy in 2000, to Venice, Florence, and Rome. It was a wonderful vacation, and we saw nearly everything each of those cities had to offer. In Rome, we stayed on the side of the river that St. Peter's is on, so each morning while trekking to the city proper, we would cross the bridge and see the Basilica, large and looming and beautiful. We had a choice to make while in Rome - we could take a big chunk of our Sunday and go to the Vatican for mass and the blessing by the Pope but then have to come back another day to see the Sistine Chapel as its not open on Sundays. Or we could skip the mass and the blessing and come back another day and tour everything at once.

We chose to skip the mass and blessing, being non-religious. We came back on Tuesday. We stood in line a while for the Sistine Chapel, oooh'ed and aah'ed over that, then came to St. Peter's Square and walked around, then toured the Basilica itself. It was beautiful. On our way out, we hear a ruckus - what's going on? We head toward the church itself and what do we see, but Pope John Paul II heading up to the front of the church in this little vehicle-type-thingee to perform a mass. Unscheduled. We saw all kinds of people there, old nuns crying, young priests in awe at their mentor, Italians just out for their regular daily mass.

And then there was us. We, too, were in awe. We didn't think we would be. I mean, this is a guy we generally disagree with (no birth control? no choice? no women priests? no marriage for priests? abuse of children? gah!). But we both had chills at seeing him in person and fairly up close. Its hard to explain why we were feeling this way about someone we truly saw as "just a guy" and who, moments earlier, we were complaining about while looking at the plethora of expensive artworks in the Sistine Chapel ("if he would just sell 5 of these paintings, think of how many hungry people he could feed!").

So, anyway, I don't know exactly what my point is. I just wanted to share my experience with the Pope and say that although my feelings on the church and the papacy are pretty clear to me, the man definitely had a presence and had an effect on us. Rest in Peace.

Memememememememememe

Thank God I found this at MommaK's. I have been stressing because all of your comments have been so incredibly sweet, and yet I feel all this pressure now to be compelling and I don't feel very compelling right now! So here's a fun thing we can play together.

1. Choose a search engine, click on "Images"
2. Choose a 5 random blogfriends
3. Think of a word that you think best describes
your blogfriend.
4. Do an IMAGE SEARCH on that word.
5. Pick the image that best fits your pal & post

Sleeping Mommy ----- Cool and helpful
Mrs_Mogul ----- Sophisticated
Dawn ----- Fierce
Trine ----- Sweet
Karen ----- "Smart and Pretty"

Your turn - leave me a comment if you do this - I'd love to see what you come up with!

Princess's Top 10

Keep in mind that Princess is 15 months old. These are her favorite songs:
1. Drop it Like Its Hot, Snoop Dogg
2. Dirt off Your Shoulder, Jay-Z
3. Lose My Breath, Destiny's Child
4. Soldier, Destiny's Child
5. Get Right, Jennifer Lopez
6. Rock the Casbah, The Clash
7. Hey Ya, Outkast
8. My Band, Eminem/D12
9. Hey Mama, Black Eyed Peas
10. Shake Your Sillies Out, Gymboree