Oprah Makes Jay Sweat

I can't wait for tomorrow's Oprah!

I have to admit, I'm not a huge Oprah fan but she does have great interviews sometimes and tomorrow will be one of them.  Jay Leno will be on Oprah answering some tough questions including:

"When they asked you to take back the Tonight Show did you think that you were taking away Conan's dream?"
"America has taken sides and a lot of people are not on your side."
"Have you asked yourself, am I being selfish?"
"Do you think you can be number one again?"

I'm really looking forward to hearing how Jay will respond to these.  I'm sure it will be somewhat of a softball interview (is that the expression?) as Oprah seems to be on Jay's side (evidenced by having him on the show in the first place to tell "his side"), but it will still be interesting to see how Jay spins it.  He's probably going to blame it all on NBC.

Here's a Access Hollywood summary of the Jay/Conan thing with the Jay-gets-serious piece from his show last week.




I'm still Team Coco!  Are you curious to hear Jay's side?

American Idol Drama!

I really like Katy Perry so when I heard she was going to be on American Idol, I had to see how she would be with the other judges.  OMG, drama!!! Are you watching?  I only watched a few clips but it was enough to see her cat fight (hate to use this term but it fits, trust me) with Kara Dioguardi.

Take a look at Katy going after Kara:




Here's another clip.  This one is just a crazy audition.  Brace yourself, this is pretty NUTS!  I love what Ryan says at the very end.

To Tweet or Not To Tweet

To tweet or not to tweet, that is the question.  I've never really considered doing it before, in fact, I don't think I really understand how the whole thing works.  But lately I've been curious what all the hubbub is about.  I have friends that do, don't, did and then gave it up, love it, hate it, don't understand it etc.  What do you think?  Do you tweet?

Best Cookie Recipe EVER!

Since we're getting close to Valentine's Day I wanted to share my favorite cookie recipe with you!  You can't go wrong with this recipe, it's simple and so yummy. 

I've also included a few pictures of the cookies I made last Valentine's Day for a ladies tea I had at my place.  It was so much fun making these for the party! :)

Devon Cream Sugar Cookies

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. Devon double cream OR heavy cream
1 1/4 t. vanilla
Vanilla Glaze

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets. Whisk flour, baking powder & salt and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter & sugar until pale in color. Mix in egg. On low speed, add about 1/2 of the flour mixture. Add the cream and vanilla. Slowly add the remaining flour and mix the dough until thoroughly blended. 

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flattened ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies and place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes until just set, but not brown around the edges (although I have almost burned them and they're still good!). Let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

Prepare the vanilla glaze. Use a pastry brush to frost the cookies while they are still warm (this causes a nice sheen). Let the cookies dry thoroughly. Makes 3 dozen.

Vanilla Glaze:
1 3/4 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 c. Devon double cream or heavy cream
2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt

The recipe is from *The Art of the Cookie" by Jann Johnson.

Let me know if you try it!  :)

A Few Glimpses of Baku

I'm so excited to share the following documentary trailer with you! It's called Azerbaijan Open. The trailer shows you just a few glimpses of Baku but it's enough to see what a beautiful and interesting city it is.

I'd love to visit one day. Not only because one of my good friends is from Azerbaijan (thanks Nikki for sharing this video with me) but also because my father's family is from that region of the world and I've always wanted to see and experience the Azeri culture.



I'm not sure when the movie comes out but keep an eye out for it!

Beautiful Butterfly Cupcakes!

I saw these a few days ago on one of my favorite blogs, Sweet Tea and Sunshine, and haven't been able to get them out of my mind since!  Wow, how beautiful and lovely are these?

Then I went to the food blog, Annie's Eats, that originally posted about how to make them.  Wow, this woman is amazing.  She's a doctor and cooks and bakes for a hobby and you should see the stuff she makes!  I'm all for making my kids cookies or cupcakes once in a while but this might be a little beyond my cupcake making skills!  Who knows maybe in a few years.

Hats off to Annie for making these delectable treats.  :)

A Little Soap Box

I think the show The Bachelor is so awful.  It's completely demeaning to women and sets a terrible example for young girls.  I cringe at the way they pit women against each other for the affections of a man. And don't get me started on how the women use any means possible to get the attention of this one alpha man that finds himself worthy to judge and test each of them.  Arghhhh, it's just awful.

OK, now I will get off my soap box.   :)

I'll be back in a few hours with something yummy to share with you!

Homage To My Hips

I was looking up the word "homage" when I found this poem.  It made me laugh and think about how fun it would be to write a poem to your body.  I've always been one of those women that has fought the stereotype of having to fit into a certain mold to feel beautiful and sexy.  God knows it's not easy to have a positive and healthy self image all the time, especially in this society but it's worth a try.

Looking back at all the sizes and shapes I've been, I'm always amazed by the times I've felt the most beautiful and how these times correlate to totally different body weights and shapes.  It's a cliche but it is really a state of mind.  Now if only I could remember that when I'm trying on something that I love but that clearly doesn't love me!


Homage to My Hips

these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top

Lucille Clifton

Not Bad At 88!

This is my homage to Betty White!

As many of you know, I'm a huge Golden Girls fan and have loved seeing Betty on that show for years.  I had no idea what an amazing career she has had.  She's been acting for 65 years, she started with television itself!  I found out about her long career the other night as I watched her receive the lifetime achievement awards on the Screen Actor's Guild awards.

If you like Betty White or the Golden Girls, you'll enjoy seeing the history of Betty's career.

Skip to about the 3:00 minute mark to see Sandra Bullock's introduction of Betty or you can skip right to the montage of Betty's career which starts at around the 5:18 mark. (They took the video off so I've included a Golden Girls clip montage instead!)

Pinki's Beautiful Smile

I just stumbled on an amazing documentary called Smile Pinki by Megan Mylan.  It was heartbreaking in parts but so moving and uplifting.

Have you heard of it?

The documentary follows a young Indian girl and boy, Pinki Sonkar and Ghutaru Chauhan, as Pinki's cleft lip and Ghutaru's cleft palate are repaired. The film was commissioned and funded by the American charity Smile Train, a group that pays local doctors in 75 developing countries to perform the simple surgery that parents of such children rarely know is possible.

The documentary won an Academy Award and as a result of the accolades that the movie received, not only did the charity benefit but the two beautiful kids in the movie benefited also.  Pinki's family got a new house, and her village was given a new well for potable water.  Both have also received scholarships to better schools.


With so much hardship in the world, it's great to see the work of these amazing groups helping children around the world.  

Here's the trailer:

Complicated Is So Funny!

I went out with a few of my girl friends last night and saw It's Complicated.

OMG....it was so funny! We laughed our butts off. I would see it again just to see the gorgeous scenery (Santa Barbara...wow, that's a beautiful place...who gets to live there and what do I need to do to end up there one day?). And Alec Baldwin, he was hilarious...suprisingly fat and hairy but hilarious and kinda sexy. And Meryl Streep, wow, perfect for that role. The only thing I found a little strange was Steve Martin's face. If you've seen it, tell me what you think...wasn't his face a little weird? It just didn't seem...right.

I just loved the movie and would totally recommend it.

Who is Alphabeat?

I love music.  It can do incredible things to me from lifting me up from the depths of darkness to making me giddy with joy.  It helps me travel instantly to a place and time only found in my memories and it creates unique new experiences that I'll think back on for years to come.

Here's a band and song that I'd never heard of before yesterday.  I really like it and wanted to share it with you.  What do you think?

Alphabeat - The Spell (Live)

Team Coco

I've always liked Conan O'Brien even though his show was on too late for me to watch. So when I found out what NBC was doing I was definitely on his side. The up side of the NBC debacle has been a lot of hilarious late night bits including this interview with Adam Sandler. (OK, so they've taken the videos down so I can't play it or the last episode of Conan.  Did you see it?  Wow, it was so great.  Conan is a class act.  I just found this great video montage instead!)





What do you think of the Leno/Conan thing? Are you team Coco?

Party In The USA - Or Rather on Fire Island!

I've been dying to post this video ever since Kate showed it to me a few days ago.  It is hilarious!

We watched it together and laughed until we were crying.

Even though Miley Cyrus bugs me, I love this song and turn it up in my car whenever it's on the radio.  I sing the lyrics out loud and turn to my boys and give them a big mommy laugh (mostly because I think I'm hilarious when I'm singing and dancing in the car).  And when she says in the song "so I put my hands up.." I raise my hands high and say "come on boys, raise your hands and dance with mommy!"  They just laugh at me.  I think I should probably get used to that.

Watch, enjoy and put your hands up!  :)

A Little Andre Goes A Long Way!

I just finished Andre Agassi's book Open. It was interesting. I don't really follow tennis but I really enjoyed reading his journey through life. It includes some really gritty stuff, including a lot of self loathing and depression (which I can identify with to a certain degree) and also redemption and joy at finding his true self (something I'm always working towards.)

Here are a few interviews that I enjoyed watching:







His stories about how he found the love of his life, Steffi Graff and also how he founded his school were really romantic and uplifting!!!

Have you read the book?

Sharing A Smile

I love life sometimes.

The kind of love that fills your whole body with tingles. When you can't stop smiling and you don't even know why.

The last few days I've been filled with a kind of joy that is surprising. I think entering the Christmas season definitely has something to do with it but it's not all.

It also has to do with taking chances.  Taking chances on people. Opening yourself and your heart to strangers and seeing them surprise you by returning your kindness.  Seeing the good in people and the power of kindness.

I'm glad that I'm still able to do that. Even with my cynicism and sometimes jaded attitude about the world, once in a while I let my guard down and am surprised by the goodness of people and the world.

I send you a big smile and hug!

:)

An Indescribable Love

Sometimes I can't believe how much I love my kids.

It's not like any kind of love that I have known before. Nothing compares to it, not the love for my parents, siblings or husband.

And that's not an easy thing to say because I love these other people in my life dearly. But it's true.

It's a kind of love that is truly frighting because it consumes me entirely. Sometimes when they're in my arms or I look at them I wonder how this kind of feeling is possible. It's indescribable.

With this kind of attachment, however, comes a heavy burden. The burden of a parent. The worry, the suffering for their suffering, the paralyzing fear of the what-ifs, the heart wrenching ache in the core of your being when the bad times comes for them.

But there is also the joy that you feel at the smallest moments, their smile, their happiness, their success, their feeling of safety when they're in your arms.

Sometimes I think my heart can't take it, like it will erupt from the pressure of what I feel for them. But I'm also so grateful for that feeling.

It makes me feel more alive than I do at any other moment in my life.

When I'm Most Happy

I've been thinking a lot about happiness the last few weeks. About what truly makes me happy. The kind of happiness that brings peace. That makes you feel calm inside. Content. Centered. Solid.

So what can bring me this kind of happiness? The question has baffled me over the years. Many times I thought I'd found it. That one thing that makes me happy and fills me up. Finding a man that loves me and I love. Yes that did and still does make me happy. Being successful. Making money. Being creatively challenged. Getting to a place where I'm happy with my body. Yes, all these make me happy (when I can achieve them from time to time) and are all wonderful in their own way.

But I still have those nagging doubts that pop up once in a while and keep me from feeling at peace with myself. Maybe that is just life. The good and the bad. The ying and the yang. Maybe I'm destined to never truly feel the kind of calm that I only see in beautiful old paintings.

Or that's what I thought until recently. I've realized that the time that I feel the most calm, self assured, fulfilled, centered is when I am being the kind of mother that I'm proud of. When I love my children, take care of them, be with them, grow with them, and sacrifice for them the way that I am proud of.

That is the time that I am most happy.

Listen To Your Body!

Putting my kids to bed is always filled with some kind of drama.  Whether it's the brushing the teeth, the reading of the thousand books, the lights, or the repeated I need waters.   It's always something.

But last night, we got a little surprise drama that we didn't expect.

We had just put our four year old son in bed and were about to breath a sigh of relief when we heard that dreaded door open and those little footsteps coming towards our room.

"I can't sleep!"

"Go back to bed."  Take son to bed, put him in, kiss him goodnight.

Five minutes later.  Door, footsteps, "I can't sleep!"  Take him to bed,  kiss him goodnight.

Another five minutes, same thing. "I can't sleep!"

"This is the last time I'm telling you, go back to sleep!"  

"But I can't sleep!"

Then I thought I would try something new.

"You know what, you say you can't sleep but if you listen to your body carefully you'll hear that your body is telling you that it's tired.  Like right now, you see how you keep yawning?  That's your body telling you that you want to sleep!  You need to listen to your body.  Now, go back to bed."

He looked at me for a few minutes and thought about what I said.  Then he turned around and went back to his room.  

I'm so clever I thought to myself.  I reasoned him back to bed!  Yeah for me.

But five minutes later, we heard the familiar sounds again- door, footsteps, and then:

"Mommy, my body is telling me that I need to sleep in your bed for a little bit!"

"What?  I told you not to come out here again?"

"But you told me to listen to my body and my body is telling me that I need to sleep in your bed for a little bit!"

"GO BACK TO BED!"

Then my son starts crying and saying the following repeatedly, 

"but...my...body...is...telliinnng...me...(sniff sniff) that...I.need to sleep in your bed for a little (loud crying with lots of tears for the finally!) BIT!!!"

I start laughing hysterically.  I can't stop.  I'm shaking I'm laughing so hard.  I lift him up and carry him back to his bed all the while still laughing (as he's crying and telling me about his body's need to sleep in our bed).

I kiss him goodnight.

That's the last we hear from him until morning.  

I guess his body didn't need to sleep in our bed after all!

Facebook Status Intimidation

I've recently had a really hard time coming up with witty status updates on Facebook.

I don't know why but I've developed a phobia of the status function.  I used to post stuff all the time....Anastasia is:

...going to the park with her boys.

...wonders when this rain is going to end.

...loves watching the boys on their bicycles. 

...is so excited to go on her girls night out!

and I thought these were great.  But then slowly over time I started to notice how funny and witty other people's status' were.

Those few sentences delighted, entertained or informed everyone.  They were great observations or funny commentaries on life.  Mine, not so much.  I suddenly realized how totally ordinary my status updates were.  I started posting less and less of them.  I just couldn't think of anything that could compare.  I stood on the sidelines and watched the few active status updaters gets more prolific.  One was better than the next until suddenly it was like a status update play off ever time I got on.

How could I compete with that?  

I get on and think, come on, you can do it!  Be funny, be witty, be edgy!

Anastasia is...

-out of things to say.

-doesn't give a rat's bum what anyone else is.

-wishes she could say something that was even mildly amusing.

-wonders how she could possibly join tweeter when the Facebook status is already way too intimidating.

Nahhhhh!  I don't think I'll try any of these.

Maybe I'm not intimidated.  Maybe I'm just over the whole Facebook thing.  It could happen, right?

Dinner Time Laughs

"I said it's dinner time." I tell him for the millionth time.


No movement from the four-year-old on the couch.


"Come to the table now!"


Nothing.


"OK, I'm going to count to three - one, two..."


He comes running to his chair. Thank goodness the one-two-three thing still works. The punishment if I get to three is sitting on the stairs for four minutes. Not that painful but he still hates it and will generally comply with my demands if he things I'm serious about the "stairs."


So he's finally at the table for dinner. But he's not happy about it.


"I'm not hungry!" He declares.


"That's fine, you don't have to eat but you will have to stay at the table while mommy, daddy and B (baby brother) are finished eating!" I say authoritatively.


He starts to eat.


I'm smiling inside. I'm so proud of myself for sticking to my guns and making sure he follows the dinner rules. Then suddenly he says to himself.


"Grown ups are so boring!"


Now I'm laughing OUT LOUD.


If he thinks we're boring at four years old, what is he going to think of us when he's a teenager?

Just Do It Does Have A Nice Ring To It!

I never really got Nike's whole "Just Do It" slogan.

Just go running? Just exercise? Uhhhh, I don't think so. I was never into just doing any of those things and I'm still not.

So every time I saw a Nike ad or commercial with that logan, I tuned it out thinking that it was meant for other people.

But recently, I find myself saying those words over and over again. Just do it!

Just write.

Just create.

Just try something new.

Just keep at it. Don't give up. Don't be scared of failure and ridicule.

Just close your eyes and DO IT!

It seems like in life more than half the battle of doing anything is the just-doing-it part. But that's also the hardest part.

Especially as we get older, it's harder and harder to "just do it." We get set in our ways, we don't have time, we don't the will, we don't feel like it's appropriate to take such risks, we feel old, we are afraid of looking stupid, we start to lose faith in ourself and a hundred other things that keep us from just doing the things that we only dream about.

But then some of us oldies (you know who you are!!!) get a little fire in our belly and we say to hell with it, we're just going to try it. We very well might fail but who gives a damn.

At least we tried!

Seeking Pockets of Silence

I've never been good at silence.

I always try to avoid it somehow, if not with the necessary parts of family life then with music or TV.  

I don't know what it says about me that I can't just be.  I can't just sit in silence and breath without desperately wanting to fill that space with something...anything!

I was recently in a situation, however, where I couldn't fill that space with anything.  No internet, no person to talk to, nothing to read, no phone, no music, no TV, nothing.  So there I was, just with my thoughts.  And even though I didn't want to be there, I found it surprisingly freeing.  

Being forced to listen to nothing but your own breathing.  To look at nothing but the trees outside.  To feel nothing but your own cloths against your skin.  

And with passing moment you feel more calm.  With each breath, you release some part of yourself that needed to do something.  

Then you start to listen to yourself.  Your center.  And you realize that it is in moments like these that you can really hear yourself.  Your pain, your joy, your regrets, your hopes, your own truth.

So even though it is not January, I would like to make a resolution for the rest of the year.  I would like to find pockets of silence in my life and instead of fearing those pockets, I would like to embrace them.  

Revel in them.  

And maybe, just maybe, even enjoy them.

A Word To The Wise

There is a beautiful place in the blogesphere filled with women that started a blog for the sole purpose of speaking to their children.  To children that are years away from being able to read let alone understand the words that their mom is expressing on a regular basis on the world wide web.  Some of these women started their blogs while pregnant so that they could share with their unborn child how their child’s life began in their mother’s womb.  Many of these blogs are only read by a few family members and friends but they are some of the loveliest words you will ever read.  They are heartwarming, honest, sad, strong and beautiful.  

These children will have recorded thoughts and memories from their mother waiting for them when they are ready to read them.  

The different between these blogs and traditional journals is that they are shared and living accounts.  Family and friends can be part of the mother’s journey.  They can comment on daily ups and downs and contribute to the story that will be left for the child when they are old enough to read and understand what was left for them. 

These children will have something that many of us wish we had, our mother’s voice from long ago.  How did she feel?  What did she go through?  What decisions did she make that she’s happy with now or regrets?  The she from long ago is not able to answer most of these questions now.  Time erases many of the details of our memories.  That’s why these journal blogs are so valuable for the ones you leave behind. 

No one thinks that they will be leaving this earth before they’ve had the time to pass along to their children all the life lessons they want to pass along to them but life happens and sometimes that includes death.  The women that take the time to do these blogs leave something invaluable for their family, especially their children; their story.

 

Book Signing? Me? No, It Couldn't Be.

I've been wanting to share this fun news with you for a while but because I write under a pseudonym to keep this blog more or less anonymous, I wasn't sure how to do it.

Then I decided that even though I couldn't give all the details, I could still share some of this lovely thing in my life with you. Especially because your support of my writing has meant so much to me and is one of the reasons that I've kept at it.

OK, here it is! Two of my posts are being published in a book which is coming out in a few weeks. And this is how it happened.

Around the time I decided to quit my regular job to pursue my working from home life, a good friend told me about an editor that was looking for stories about mothers. This editor was putting together a compilation book for a popular publisher.

I didn't really know where to start since my writing experience consisted mostly of creating business and legal documents. But I had gotten some practice writing personal stories on this blog so I thought I'd give it a try.

I wrote two stories. One about my mother and I and the other about my son and I (both stories are in the favorite posts section of my blog). I sent the stories to the editor not expecting to ever hear from her.

But low and behold, a few months later she contacted me and said she liked both stories. You have no idea how excited and surprised I was. Wow, she read them and actually liked them. Woohoo! She said that she would contact me later about the possibility of the stories going into the book.

I waited patiently...actually not patiently at all. I wanted to e-mail her every single day a hundred times asking what the hell was going on!! But by some force beyond my own understanding I held back.

Then finally a few weeks later another e-mail. She said was down the road in terms of picking the stories she liked and even though she thought my essays where a good fit, she wanted them to be combined into one story. What? It had taken all my creative juices to write two genuine stories about two separate incidents and now I had to magically make them one story? Hmmm. I didn't think I could do it. I was scared of changing what I thought were the best stories I could write into one mediocre jumbled story that would be disappointing to her. But with the encouragement of my husband, I kept the stories intact and connected them with a few transition sentences. I sent her the combined essay and held my breath.

Months went by and I didn't hear anything from her. Hello! Didn't she know that I was on pins and needles waiting for her reaction? Maybe she thought the combined story was just not good enough.

I had almost given up hope when one day I got an e-mail saying that she had recommended that my essay be included in the book but that the publisher had the last word. For peek's sake!! How long do I have to wait to know if my stories will be published?

Another few months later, the publisher e-mailed me to say congratulations and to ask that I fill out a waiver and an agreement! Yeah!!!! Finally.

It only took seven months from writing the stories to getting them in print. The book comes out at the end of this month.

The whole thing is kind of crazy but so fun. One of my friends is even having a book signing party for me...can you believe that? I laughed at the whole idea but I'm super grateful and excited to share my story and so thankful to her (and you!!!!) for supporting me all these months.

The Distance Between Me and That Woman

I'm putting away the dishes. The kids are downstairs in the basement with my husband. I can hear them laughing and running around.

As I clear the table I suddenly feel this odd distance between what I know is my life and what I feel inside. I don't recognize this life. Just minutes ago, I was single. I was an attorney for a big corporation. I was alone most of the time. I was free. I took care of only one person (and I didn't even do that very well). I spent most nights watching sitcoms and going to bed with a good book. I spent my days working and trying to figure out the world around me. The journey of discovery was lonely but also invigorating.

I look around and see my life now. Mother of two boys. Wife to a good man. Responsible for the well being of a family. But I still feel like that single woman sometimes. That woman that was alone most of the time with her own thoughts. And I wonder who is this woman standing in the kitchen? It's not me.

Once the dishes are away, I start turning off the lights. That's when my husband comes up to ask if it's time to take the kids to bed. I say yes and we discuss some mundane kitchen repair issue. Then I tell him that I'm going upstairs and ask if he could please turn off the rest of the lights and then bring up the kids.

I walk into my bedroom and savor the few minutes of silence before the boys charge up the stairs. This is my life now. A few stolen moments of silence here and there.

I sit on my bed and think about that feeling of strangeness that overcame me downstairs. Do I miss the woman in my past?

"Mommy, mommy, where are you?"

"I'm here sweetie, in mommy's room."

Everything else disappears as they run into the room. The other woman is gone. This mother and wife is here waiting for her boys to crowd around her in bed so that she can read them their bedtime stories.

Beyond Lovely

Beyond Lovely

You surprise me with your attention

With your thoughtful words and kind gestures

You surprise me with your smile

With your peaceful face and sweet temperament

You surprise me with your strength

With your steady hand and your strong will

But the thing that is the most surprising about you

Is that you chose me 

Singing A Lullaby Never Felt So Good

When I had my first child almost four years ago, I didn't realize that singing would be part of my mommy duties.

It wasn't a duty that I took to very naturally. To be honest, I'm not a very good singer. Everyone said that it wasn't about how well you sing but just that you connect with your child. So I gave it a try even though it felt really awkward.

I remember the first time I sung to him. He was only a few months old and when I started singing You Are My Sunshine his eyes lit up and he stared at me with such concentration. Wow, this singing stuff really works, I thought. I was completely shocked. Now I had to come up with a few more songs to add to my repertoire.

You would think it would be easy to sing songs to your child but I found it quite challenging. I couldn't find songs that I knew the words to that a child would like. I had to actually look up songs on the Internet. How lame is that? I finally settled on a few classics (Hush Little Baby, the Wheels on the Bus, etc.) and sung those over and over (mostly making up my own words for the second and third verses). After a few months of singing, I transitioned singing into reading books and my son loved the books and never went back to wanting songs.

I was relieved. I could put an end to my singing career!

For some reason, I ended up not singing anymore, even with my second son. I guess we read so many books that the reading replaced singing for all such occasions.

So when my youngest son, who is a little over two, started wanting songs a few weeks ago, I was a little surprised. Ever since he was a baby, we had just put him in his crib and said goodnight and that was enough. But now every night when I say "OK, sweetie, it's bed time" and start carrying him to his room, he says "it's song time mommy?" And I reply "Yes, sweetie, it's song time."

Even though my singing voice is not great, I've loved singing again to my little one. There is no feeling in the world like sitting in a rocking chair singing sweet lullabies to your baby as he's draped across you with his head on your shoulder and his arms around your neck.

I'm so glad that he helped me resurrect my singing career!

Christmas Rocks - Part III - Doing Some Good

For the past week or so, I've been reading Clement Clarke Moore's Twas Night Before Christmas to my 3 and half year old son (a gift from his Grandma). He loves it and asks me a hundred questions about everything having to do with Santa and the old phrases in the book (Mommy what's a sugarplum? What does it mean to fly away like the down of a thistle? Ahhhhh, sweetie, let's just keep reading about Santa and the toys he's bringing the good girls and boys!).

Although I've loved these moments with him, I've also been somewhat conflicted by the idea of taking him to this make believe place. In some ways, I feel like I'm lying to him and when he figures out that there is no such thing as Santa Claus, he'll look at me with a broken heart and say "mommy, why did you say all that stuff when you knew it wasn't true?" Aren't I the one that should always tell him the truth? Aren't I misleading him knowing that he will eventually be disappointed?

You see, I didn't grow up with Santa. I'm the oldest child of immigrant parents and was always treated like an adult even when I probably should have been treated like the little girl that I was and protected from the harsh realities of life. I never remember feeling like a carefree child.

I think that's why I love Christmas so much (ergo my Christmas Rocks series I and II). It's a time where the spirit of love, joy and wonderment is in the air and everyone can participate in it. I love being able to create that spirit for my children. And that's why I've decided that I would tell my son all about Santa! I want him to believe in the miracles and magic of the season and to experience that innocent wonderment and pure joy that Santa can bring.

So in addition to reading him the stories about Santa, I've also been talking to him about writing Santa a letter. I hadn't really thought through what we would do with the letter until I saw this great post by Deb from Missives from Suburbia.

It was like Deb had written the post just for me (thanks Deb!). As she outlines in her post (go over and take a look, she has a prize!), this year, at every Macy's across the county there will be a mailbox to collect letters for Santa Claus. When you bring your stamped letter to Macy's, addressed to Santa at the North Pole, and drop it into Santa's special letterbox, for each letter received, Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation up to $1,000,000. Macy's will then deliver the letters to the post office.

How great is that!? So, even though I hate shopping malls (I do everything on-line, surprise surprise) and also hate mailing things (where are those damn stamps?), I will be going with my son to Macy's to mail his letter to Santa because it will be so fun for him and will help a great cause.

Now I just have to get him to wheedle his Christmas wish list to just one page! :)

Famous Encounters of the Schmoe Kind

Tonight's post was inspired by my friend Kate's story about how she almost met Tom Cruise!

Growing up, I watched a lot of TV and LOVED going to the movies so to meet (or almost meet) any famous person was a giant thrill (and to be honest, probably still is today). So I love stories about how regular schmoes like me or any friend of mine meet movie stars.

So, in honor of Kate's story, I thought I'd share a few stories of my own about how I met or almost met a few famous people.

1. Clint Eastwood - When I was about 14 I volunteered at a charity fashion show that his daughter was in. I was leaning against the back wall watching the show when I realized that Clint was standing right next me. He was so tall! I just froze. I didn't say anything and didn't move until about 10 minutes later when he walked away. Don't worry, it gets better.

2. Richard Gere - I was about 17 and waiting in line at the San Francisco airport to get on a flight to DC and Richard Gere was standing right in front of me. He was pretty handsome in person and not as short as I had heard he was. As we slowly walked into the cabin, Gere (I can't call him Richard...yikes) stopped to put his stuff away in first class (of course) and I was standing right in front of him as he was taking his sweet time. I was so excited on the inside but determined to look nonchalant on the outside. In fact, I went a step further by looking at my watch and huffed with annoyance at how much time he was taking to put his stuff away. Yes, I wanted him to know that I had more important places to be than standing in front of him watching him put his crap away (ya, right!).

3. Dweezil Zappa - OK, this is one of my favorites! I was about 22 and waiting in line at a United counter in LAX waiting to get on a flight to Chicago. This curly haired guy was standing in front of me with a guitar. At the time, I had no idea who he was. I was seriously late for my flight and agitated at how slow the line was going to I started complaining out loud about the airline. He turned around and asked me where I was going and we ended up talking the whole way through the line. I'm not sure but I think he was flirting with me with his big smile and his cute laugh. Anyway, we finally got through the line and went to our separate ticket counters. After I finished checking in I looked to see where he was and saw him with a girl. Since he was with someone, I decided to just go to the gate. I waved goodbye to him as I left. He waved back with a big smile but as I walked away I saw the girl give me a seriously dirty look. A few weeks later, I was watching TV and I saw him and her together on some entertainment show. I was shocked. The girl at the airport was his longtime girlfriend, Lisa Loeb.

4. Richard Grieco - This one makes me cringe, even after 22 years. I was 15 and flying from Palm Springs to my hometown. I was already sitting down in coach when I saw him getting on the plane. At the time, he was on a show called 21 Jump Street with Johnny Depp. I had a GIANT crush on him and was beyond myself at seeing him on my flight. The whole flight I rehearsed what I would say to him. I had my napkin and pen ready for his autograph. I mustered up all my courage and got up in the middle of the flight and walked to the front row to ask for his autograph but when I got there I saw that he was fast asleep. I went back to my seat feeling incredibly foolish. I told myself that when we landed I would get that autograph come hell or high water. But by the time I got off the plane he was long gone. I searched the baggage claim and he was nowhere in sight.

But the story does not end here my friends. Oh no, it gets much more mortifying. It was late at night when we landed and my dad had come to get me. We went outside with my luggage and he told me wait for him while he got the car. A minute after he left, I noticed Richard Grieco sitting on bench by himself. My heart jumped a beat! I was SO excited. This was my chance and I wasn't going to let it slip away again!

I pulled out the napkin and pen from my pocket, walked right up to him (Oh yes I did!) and said "Hi, I think you're the sexiest man on TV, can I have your autograph?" The second after it came out of my mouth, I regretted it (and have ever since). He just took the napkin and pen and said casually "thanks, what's your name?" I told him and he signed my napkin. He then proceeded to ask me (15 year old girl) where were the good places to go out at night in the city. I had no idea. I suggested a few places that I'd hear about. He then asked me what I was doing THAT NIGHT!!! I froze for a second not knowing what to say. Then I snapped back to reality, told him that my dad was bringing the car around and that I had to go home. I then quickly scurried back to my spot and waited for my dad who came a minute later to take me home.

I replayed that night in my head for weeks (maybe months). It was both exciting and mortifying. I wish I knew where that napkin was today!

OK, that was embarrassing...now it's your turn! Any famous encounters? You have got to share! :)