For all Moms – Is going to the grocery store really THIS much fun!?

I have reached a point in my life where going to the grocery store is exciting. I mean, I actually brush my hair, change my clothes… and even… yes, I even put on a little make-up. (Don’t tell anyone!)

My husband equates it to me… circa 2001… getting ready to go out for a night on the town. Which makes me laugh… but he is totally right.

I will insert here – I work from home… so the chances of me getting out throughout the day are slim to none – with the exception of a meeting here and there… otherwise, from 6am to 6pm… I’m at my desk – working away with my mother and sister. And to add to this perfect scenario, I did get to have my boys home with me all day – which, can be trying at times b/c I AM supposed to be working all day… but I make do, as all moms do (right!?).

But seriously… I was thinking tonight as I was driving back from the grocery store – what was it about going FOOD SHOPPING (something I always dreaded doing) that got me actually excited – and then it dawned on me… it’s time… it’s time for me to think and peruse… it may not be the beaches of Miami… or yoga class… or a massage… or meditation time in my sacred place… (all things I have heard someo people say was their down time)… but in a way – walking up and down the aisles is ALL of that for me.

Believe me… I am NO chef… so it’s not like I’m dreaming up recipes in my head and getting excited over there being a new kind of mushroom on display – I’m your pretty basic Mama… pasta dishes, chicken dishes, grilled cheese, etc… but I do enjoy the time I get to go there and sort of, well… “do my thing”… and I make sure I go alone – as much as I know my husband doesn’t believe me when I say the kids are too nuts when we go (in essence, they are perfect little beans!)… but I like the quietness… I like that I’m not rushing through the check out line… I like that I’m not worried about getting the spot closest to the door… I like that I don’t have to worry about bringing the stroller in or putting food in the cart that I know I’m not buying, but it makes a good shaking noise and is keeping my BIG AL occupied while I walk.

And so… for me… going to the grocery store really is THAT much fun.

God… I hope I’m not the only one!

Moms are not allowed to call in sick…

I have wanted to be a mother my whole life…

Yes, I WAS one of those kids… who as long as I can remember… was talking about how many kids I wanted, what I would name them, etc…

I just want to prefice my post this way because I don’t want people to think I’m being a total complainer…

BUT – why is it that MOMS DON’T GET SICK DAYS!?

The average headcold has been swarming around our house for the past week… Bug Boy got it… then Big Al… then Steeler Man (my husband) and now me… but, why is it that I don’t feel like I can truly stay in bed all day and fight this sucker for what it’s worth??

No… here I am… today – the 2nd day of being sick… waking up at the crack of dawn with the boys (*all 7 1/2 months pregnant mind you!)… deciding that going out to get bagels would be easier b/c I couldn’t for the life of me muster the energy to make eggs, french toast, toast with butter, oatmeal – whatever the boys WILL EAT!… taking a shower and washing my hair that hasn’t had a good washing since LAST Sunday(!)… getting myself lunch (a quick PBJ)… and then off to a birthday party at a Gymboree, where – yes – you have to chase your own child around for 2 straight hours… which brings me to tonight, where we had to go to Target for trash bags, and the usual pick-me-ups…

OK, my point to all of this is quite simple – I just didn’t feel like I could stop. Not that my husband didn’t tell me quite a few times today and yesterday to take it easy… but I felt like – oh, I don’t know – that things would fall apart if I did. Which, I know is NONSENSE!… but it’s funny how tough we are on our ownselves… I made my husband stay put all day yesterday… I made my kids take extra long naps all last week when they were sick… I bought special chicken soup… I did all the usual “mom” things…

I guess in a way, well… not in a way… but we ARE superwomen. We DO DO it all… we keep going when we should stop… we fight through the cold when all we want to do is curl up and watch something on TV (I would even take MTV’s Sweet Sixteen at this point!)… but we go go go go go and go because that’s what we think we’re supposed to do…

Is it right? Well… probably not… after all, I do know that being pregnant during all of this isn’t a good thing to do to my Little B coming in 7 weeks… but what’s the alternative?

And so… my post title I will post yet again…

Moms are not allowed to call in sick… (but sometimes we need a few really damn good vacation days!)

Dear Diary… Thank goodness, I’m making MAMA friends!

Today I took Big Al to the library for Mother Goose Reading Hour… this is probably the 4th time we’ve gone… basically it’s 15 minutes of “reading” with the group of kids and then 30 minutes of letting them run around and be crazy – all while the mommies and daddies talk – AHHH…. THANK GOD!!!!!

Being there is more for me than for Big Al… meeting other moms… and other dads… and other kids… it has been HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!

Not that I am one of those women who needs women friends… you know what I mean?? Like I’m not one of those women who needs Girls Night Out… or needs to ask my “girlfriends” 100 things before I actually go out and do “something” (whatever that may be)…

But now being a Mom… I NEED THESE WOMEN! It’s comforting to know… that so and so was up with “Mason” all night because he is teething… it’s great to know I’m not the only one feeding my 2 year bottles still… it’s refreshing to know that all kids DO NOT SLEEP through the night when they reach 8 months… it’s funny to hear the poop and pee and throw up stories (not that I ever thought poo, pee and puke could be fun!)… but the truth is… Moms need Moms… we do.

And so… I thank GOD I ended up going to that first session of Mother Goose at the library – I almost didn’t go… something “made me go”… and let me just reiterate….

THANK GOODNESS I’M MAKING MAMA FRIENDS!

5 Things That Make Suburban Living Different Than City.

1.) First and foremost, you can DRIVE yourself around town without the worry of 100 taxis coming at you.
2.) There are a thing called neighborhoods… with houses and driveways.
3.) We actually make dinner at home, we haven’t ordered take-out in a LONG time.
4.) We have 1…. yes 1… Starbucks in our town.
5.) Big Al and Bug Boy have their own bedrooms. Along with Mommy and Daddy!

Goodbye NYC… Hello, Rhode Island!

Bug Boy’s 2.

Big Al is 1.

And Little B is due April 12th.

In a nut shell, that is why we moved.

I never grew up in NYC, I too… like my boys will be… was raised in Rhode Island. The smallest state, but nonetheless, a great state. After living in NYC for 6 years… my husband and I began to realize that raising a family there, without any of our family there, would be too much. No help. Nothing. Therefore, a need for a move was born!

I keep getting asked, “do you miss the City”… almost as if I had loved there since I was born and that this “foreign” place of Rhode Island is new territory for me. But… yes, I (and my husband!) do miss the City. I miss the busy streets, the never ending honking, the mini-marts open all night, the diner on the corner which served the best grilled cheese in the world… I even miss the hot dog vendors and the subways… something I never thought I would miss. I actually miss dressing up to go out… not that I don’t dress up here, I do… believe me… but here, which I love, I don’t go anywhere without my Ugg’s. In NYC, I wore high heels and tight jeans… here, I’m a bit more casual – which, I have to be honest, I LOVE!!

So… hello, Rhode Island. It’s good to be home. It’s good to have someone, whereever you are, know somebody in your family (or extended family). It’s good to DRIVE places without paying a cabbie. It’s amazing to live 2 minutes from my parents… 10 from my sister and 20 from my brothers. It’s good to have a coffee cabinet at Newport Creamery…. and it’s good to see that Nick, Ron and Pete Cardi are still at it.

And so… here we are… home again, loving the fact that I get to raise my boys in a state I LOVE!

Welcome to CYBERSPACE, Mama!

As I’m sitting here, writing my first BLOG ENTRY (welcome to cyberspace!)… I’m waiting here – with one ear glued to the door – listening for the familiar sounds of my 2 sons yelling “MOMMY!” from their bedrooms – a nice reminder that nap time, for the day, is indeed over.

So far, I hear nothing.

And still… as I’m sitting here, writing my first BLOG ENTRY (again, welcome to cyberspace)… I’m feeling the little kicks of Little B – due April 12th – in my belly, letting me know that he did – indeed – love the hot chocolate I just scarfed down!

Another day in the life of a Mom… not that I need to tell any other moms out there what it’s like, right!?

But this is very cool… to be here… writing… and knowing that in a matter of minutes my blog entry will be out there in the world for all to read… yes, this is very very cool.

And as I looked at all the other blogs out there… I began to wonder what I could possibly offer this “cyberworld of blogs” that would be different… that would stand out… that would make this something worth the reading of strangers. All I could come up with was something that I know very well… I know how to be a mom… mostly to boys, I will admit… I am still, as of today Jan. 23rd, 2007, girl-less (is that even a word?)… and I also know what it’s like to be a mother in the midst of starting a company – from the ground up… and the daily grind of “trying to make it all work”… and “trying to balance it all out”… which, as all of us mothers know is a never ending battle. I, for one, have never even tried to one up the other… what gets done in a day gets done – so I’ve been told by my own mother!

And so… I introduce my BLOG to the world… a Rhode Island mother of 2 boys… with another on the way… married to the man of my dreams… starting a company, Pinks & Blues… and knowing that I know some stuff out there that is worth sharing… after all, isn’t that what it’s all about!?

So sit back and enjoy…