My Favorite TV Show Hits the Big Screen

"Sex and the City" hits the big screen today. It's been a long wait since that final episode, but I can't wait to see where Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha are at in their lives.

I stumbled into the show during the second season. Craig worked Sunday nights, so I had nothing better to do but flip through the TV offerings. I was hooked from the first episode I saw.

I quietly watched it by myself for awhile... I didn't have many friends here at the time. But I discovered my friend Sara was a fan. We watched a couple of season premiere's together and always dished about it when we could.

But my dear friend Stacey and I truly bonded over our shared love for this show. Stacey and I worked together at the TV station, both were producers, we lived about a mile and half apart, and both were free on Sunday nights. So we started doing dinner and "Sex and the City" on Sundays. Mostly it was pizza, occassionally we'd grill out. But it was just nice not to have to watch it alone. We had many long conversations on those nights-- some deep, some superficial.

I was really sad when she left... even though she just moved to Menasha, which is only a couple of hours away. I had a finale party and she actually came back for it, which made it even more fun. I got a giant martini glass and filled it with pink jelly beans. We had champagne, wine, and cosmos. I even made pink frosted cupcakes. It was a blast.

But we've been waiting long enough and our girls are back! I got a special gift from Stacey in the mail yesterday... a copy of the soundtrack with a postcard of NYC! I squealed a little bit, causing Alex to ask if Mommy was okay. I called Stacey right away and we got all caught up on each others lives and talked about our plans to see the movie. She's going this weekend, I'm going June 8th with my friends Sara and Therese. I can't wait!

Super Powers Through the Eyes of Little Boy

Alex thinks he has super powers. We were waiting patiently at a stoplight one afternoon, when all of a sudden he shouts "Green go!" Sure enough, the light obeyed and turned green. "I did it!" he exclaimed. He was so proud of himself it brought a smile to my face. So I went on and on about his super power. Now he truly believes he has the power to make the stoplights turn from red to green.

I just love the age that he's at right now, just nearing 3 years old. He's discovering things about the world around him every single day. He marvels at bugs, trucks, planes, animals, you name it. The view through his bright brown eyes must really be something. I'm glad that he talks so much and shares that sometimes silly, sometimes insightful view with me. I talk to him constantly-- I have since way before he was born. It's so amazing to me that now we are able to have conversations... that he's learning to take cues from what I say and that he reacts so dramatically and appropriately.

This is not to say that we don't have our three-year-old moments... there are still bold refusals to go potty/take a bath/take a nap/settle down. We are just now getting into full-on meltdowns. But these little conversations with him multiple times a day... and they more than make up for the normal meltdowns of childhood. I'm not afraid of sounding cheesey... parenthood is a magical thing!

On Running... and eating better

Ran 2 miles on the track yesterday. Still can't believe I did that. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Going to cross-train today, then we'll try the old track again tomorrow.
This from the girl who HATED running growing up... the sweating, the burning lungs, the inflamed and sore muscles. I guess it's turning into a love/hate relationship now. I'm actually looking forward to running tomorrow. I can't believe I just typed that phrase.

As for eating... I'm trying to limit myself to one lunch run a week for both financial and health reasons. So far, so good. I'm trying to flip-flop between making salads and bringing leftovers or Lean Cuisines.

I'm also trying to get us to eat better at home. I bought tons of fresh veggies at the grocery store last week, and have used a good portion of them already. The farmer's market across the street from my office opens for the summer next Wednesday and I'm really excited about that. My mom also got me a copy of "Deceptively Delicious" about hiding fruits and vegetables in your food. Some of the suggestions are pretty simple and can be applied to my own recipes, so I'm going to try to start doing that, too. And last night we had turkey tacos. I really like the flavor of ground turkey and it's so lean, but it tends to be expensive. So I'm going to keep an eye out for it to be on sale so I can stock up. These are just small steps. It's not a mealtime makeover or drastic change... just little baby steps toward being healthier.

In all honesty...

On Thursday, I blogged about being bored, then claimed I was going to run 3 miles. I didn't run but instead did nearly 3 miles on the elliptical and then did some of the weight machines for about 20 minutes.

On Friday, I ran 3.2 miles. HAH! I did more than 3 miles a second time! That means I now have to start running on the track. BLECH! But I know I can do it... and I need to do it in preparation for the 5K, which is just a little over a month away.

Seems Like Summer

We've had a wonderful, busy-yet-relaxing weekend. For starters, this is the first time both Craig and I have been off for Memorial Day together in YEARS. That's the thing about the TV news business, there are no holidays. So invariably one of us has had to work on every major holiday for the past 10+ years. Thank goodness I'm finally out!

Saturday we spent the day at my Grandma's house in Michigan City, IN. All of us wanted to celebrate her 90th birthday (which is tomorrow, I'll post pictures). My sister came with her husband and three boys from Fort Wayne, IN, my brother and his wife came from Des Moines, IA, and my mom and dad were there, too. Busia (a Polish word for grandma... turns out there are several) is still sharp as a tack, but she's had some health problems of late. She's going to be staying with my mom and dad in Galesburg, IL for the next few weeks. She on the cusp of needing live-in help or moving into some sort of assisted living facility, but of course she's fighting it every step of the way. Not easy on my mom, who's just trying to get through the end of the school year with her sanity in tact.

Yesterday we went to church, enjoyed another day of gorgeous, sunny weather. I had to run to the grocery store, and was seduced by the produce section. Fresh asparagus, green peppers, tomatos, bananas, apples, melons... I love spring and summer if only for the fresh fruits and vegetables! So I piled my cart high with all the makings for some tasty, healthy meals, and felt extra proud that I remembered to bring my green bags, so I was saving the environment, too.
Then we headed to the zoo after nap time. Our timing was almost perfect. It was late afternoon, so most people were heading home, meaning no crowds and no lines! Alex loves seeing all the animals and enjoys making up stories about them. Just ask him about the lizard who tried to steal his Cheerios... not a true story, but definitely entertaining.

Then we headed home to grill out. It was just burgers on the grill and corn on the cob, but boy did it taste good! We ate outside on our screened-in porch. Besides the fireplace, the porch is what sold me on this house. I could spend hours out there.

Today we're having a lazy day. We slept in, we're still in our jammies, with no major plans for the day. We'll probably play outside a bit, I'll probably do some cleaning while Alex naps, Craig has some yard/outside work to be done, and then we'll grill out again tonight. I'm thinking fajitas for tonight... MMM!

Bored

Oh my goodness I'm dying of boredom here. I think everyone on earth is already gone for the Memorial Day holiday. The office is dead, I've read all the blogs I normally haunt, I have nothing to do, someone... anyone... please... entertain me!!!

I've made a list of things to do tomorrow, because if I do them all now, tomorrow will be a complete and utter waste in the office.

I'm going to knock one more thing off my list... then I'm going to go run 3 miles. Because I can do that at work. hee hee!

Mom-isms

You catch yourself saying them... things your own mom used to say. Admit it!
Every now and then there's one of those phrases that jumps out of your mouth before you can stop it and you sound just like your own mom did.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
"Don't you sass me!"
"You don't have to like me, but you do have to love me."
"Eat your dinner so you can grow big and strong."

Those are a just couple from my own dear mother that stick out in my over-tired, over-worked mind. But lately there's a couple that I've said that I'm CERTAIN my own mom never uttered.

"I'm not going away. You're stuck with me."
"We don't punch people. EVER."
"Stop hitting the dog with your bat. If she bites you it's your own fault."
"No rocks in the house. Leave them in the garden."

Rediscovering Writing

I was one of those kids who loved to write. Growing up, I wrote letter, poems, short stories, lists, you name it. I loved the feeling of filling up a page with my thoughts and ideas. I majored in English and Journalism in college, so I carried on that love of writing into my university life. I wrote many long papers for my English courses, but found that my two majors conflicted when it came to writing style. My English professors couldn't understand why my sentences and papers tended to be short and somewhat choppy. My Journalism professors couldn't understand why I enjoyed long, run-on sentences full of flowery descriptions. So I had to explain to each one about my other major. "Ah, that explains it," was the most common response. I had to work very hard to let my English major side come out in the appropriate papers, and to stick to just the facts for my Journalism reports.

After college, I got a job as a producer at TV station, where I was able to continue writing. After 10 years of writing dumbed down versions of news reports (the reasoning for this is Americans have short attention spans, so you have to cram as many facts as you can into 15-20 second blurbs. You get more time if you use a soundbite (45 seconds), or a whole 1:00-1:20 if you're writing a package. So my writing suffered miserably as a result. Oh, in TV terms I was pretty good. And I could write stories fast, too. But now that I'm out of the world of short, punchy TV writing, I realize how much my writing needs to be improved. I'm reading a book right now that I think is really well written, an example of the kind of writing I would like to do. It's called "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos. It's a book club book and I usually make it a policy not to discuss books before the actual meeting, so I'll avoid plot lines. But I'm telling you, the descriptions in this book are just spectacular.

So I'm going to work on being more descriptive in my blog posts and in my other writing. I'm warning all you readers now, so don't be surprised if some of my posts seem a little over the top.
My writing is a work in progress and I just want it to get better! Wish me luck!

Spring is finally here!

The tulips are nearly bloomed out, our hostas are starting to pop through the ground. We've had to mow the lawn and everything is turning green or sprouting flowers.

After a long brutal winter, spring is finally here! The weather today is supposed to be sunny... not sure how warm it will get... but the upper 60s yesterday felt like summer. It's weird how your body adjusts to the climate in which you live. It was maybe 67 degrees yesterday Downtown, and after my workout (I ran 2.25 miles!!) I just left my shorts and t-shirt. 67 degrees and I'm wearing shorts. But such is life in Wisconsin!

I'm going to try to finish a book today so I can get started on my next book club selection, spend a little time outside with Alex, and try to get even farther with my Busia blanket (Busia is what we call my grandma. She's Polish.)

Speaking of Alex... here's a picture of him in some fantastic boots after my friend Tony's boys. Alex LOVES his boots! He also loves working outside, so these are great for mucking around outside.

I didn't need to discover this...

Yet another addictive site has been discovered, thanks to Therese. This one is for organizing your knitting and crocheting projects. It's called ravelry. And it's so popular there is a waiting list to join. I applied for a login, and about two weeks later, I was finally in.

It's really cool. You set up a profile, enter your projects. It's pretty neat. Exactly what I need... another place to waste time online. Sorry Craig and Alex! Mommy's plugged in to her sites right now! Here is a photo of my most recent project, Busia's Blanket. I'm hustling to get it done for my grandma's 90th birthday at the end of the month. I'm running out of time!!!

Reading vs. Yarn Crafts

Therese brought up an interesting dilemma at our last meeting. She has trouble figuring out what to do with her "me time." It's a toss up for her between reading and crocheting.

I actually had this inner debate with myself the other night. Craig was finishing up the dishes, Alex was safely snuggled up in bed, and we were getting ready to watch our Thursday night shows that we had DVRd. I want to finish the book I'm currently reading so I can start on my next book club read, but I also really want to work on the blanket I'm making for my grandma. I can't read and watch TV, so I went with crocheting. I think it was a great choice in the end. I got three more rows done on her blanket, which needs to be finished by Memorial Day weekend. It's a present for her 90th birthday. All of us kids are going to try to make it down to visit with her. I can't wait. I know she's going to love it!

I guess I'm lucky in a lot of ways. I have a great husband who encourages me to take time for myself. I have two hobbies that I love, crocheting/knitting and reading. And I have an adorable little boy who goes to bed early enough for me to indulge in a little me time.
Life is good!

Fans in my section embarrassed me yesterday

I didn't want to muddy my Mother's Day post with a rant, but I have a serious beef with the people in my section during yesterday's Brewers-Cardinals game.

Ryan Ludwick of the Cardinals hit a home run into the left field bleachers. That ball was caught by a young boy, I'm guessing in the 8-10 age range. The fans around him started chanting "Throw it back! Throw it back!" COME ON!!!! This kid just had a once in a lifetime MLB moment by catching a home run ball. In his young mind it's probably the coolest thing that has happened to him. I would be willing to bet the didn't care two licks about which team hit the ball, he's thinking "Oh my gosh! I caught a home run ball!" But the thoughtless, mean-spirited fans kept chanting, and chanting, and chanting. The poor kid gave in and tossed the ball back to the field, then crumpled into his mom's shoulder.

I was so ticked I wanted to scream, "This isn't Wrigley Field! That's not even a Brewers tradition!" An event services member came running down to the kid and his mom. She spent a lot of time with them, hopefully arranging to get the kid another ball and some sort of autograph or personal meet-and-greet session. Then the event services woman proceeded to glare at all the fans surrounding this kid. I'm sure they didn't get the message, but I saw it and it made me smile.

So next time you go to a game, and you see a little kid catch a home run ball, don't worry about which team hit the run. Just revel in the joy on that child's face. Because that's what the game is all about.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all you moms and moms to be out there! I am blessed to still have my mom and one grandmother alive. I can't celebrate with them in person today, but they are in my thoughts and prayers as always.

We started off the day by oversleeping for 9AM Mass. OOPS. A quick search of the diocesan website helped us narrow down the choices. We ended up at a 10:30 Mass at a neighboring parish... one that's actually in our "cluster" of parishes, and was pleasantly surprised when one of my favorite priests was saying Mass. The four churches in our cluster swap priests once a month. You never know when it's going to happen or which priest you're gonna get, but I always like it when we get Father Bob. Now I know which parish he's at, I might have to give this one a second look.

After church, it was home for a quick change into Brewers gear and lunch for Alex. Then it was off to Miller Park for the Brewers vs. Cardinals game. Craig cheered for St. Louis of course. I cheered for my Brewers. Poor Alex wanted to wear his Brewers jersey with his Cardinals hat! He didn't know which way to cheer! He loves both teams. We had great seats in the left field bleachers. Ryan Braun hit two home runs and the Brewers won it!

Alex fell asleep in the car on the way home and is now resting comfortably in his bed. I think we're going to order out for dinner. It's been a great Mother's Day spending time with my two boys!

Date night recap

Last night was DATE NIGHT!!! And we had so much fun! We went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." It was really funny and a really good movie. Some crude humor, but what do you expect from the guy who also produced "The 40 Year Old Virgin," another favorite of mine.

Afterwards we went to dinner at Habanero's, a great little Mexican place here in 'Tosa. I did something I've never done before. I sent my margarita back to the bar! I took two sips, looked at Craig and said, "This isn't a margarita, it's a strawberry smoothie." I was nervous, but I also didn't want to pay $7 for a smoothie when what I wanted was a margarita! So I got up my courage and told the waiter that I wanted a different drink, as there was no tequila in my margarita. The bartender came over with a bottle of tequila and poured until I told him to stop. And he used the good stuff too. That ended up being one of the best margaritas I've ever had! He also apologized, saying sometimes the bartenders are a little shy with the tequila. He actually thanked me for saying something! So lesson learned! If you're not satisfied, speak up!

Alex was very good for my friend Sara. (We're doing a babysitting share... they get one night a month, we get one night a month, and no one has to pay for sitters.) Sara brought her son Ryan who's 4 and the boys played and had a great time. A good time was had by all and we can't wait to do it again!

I have an addiction problem

I know I've talked about this site before, but I'm so addicted to GoodReads that I think I need to start a 12 step progam.

I check the site multiple times a day. I get mad when the site rearranges the order of my books on my lists (I prefer to see all the books I've read in reverse chronological order... most recent books first... then the one's I can't remember when I read listed last). I have made a couple of new friends on the site, which is cool. I'm actually going swap books with one of those friends. I've gotten the three other gals in my book club registered... two of them have added books, and one is as hopelessly addicted as I am.

I think part of the attraction to the site is my love of lists. Whenever I can't focus, I make lists. I make one every weekend for what needs to be done. I have running lists of clothes I want for my work wardrobe, songs I want to download, groceries. It's a compulsion really.
So a website that actually helps organize the books I've read and the books I want to read seemed like a great idea. Now, I'm just a hopeless book junkie... waiting patiently for my next "hit." I think I can make it 2 hours without checking Good Reads. If not, I'm a total loser.

Epitaph Vs. Epithet

This is a grammar lesson for all reporters, wanna be reporters, and writers out there.

THE WORD IS EPITHET... SOMEONE USES A RACIAL EPITHET, NOT A RACIAL EPITAPH.
Actually, NO ONE should use racial epithets, but if you're going to refer to them in your story, you might as well use the right terminology.
See the definitions below... you'll understand. This is what prompted this missive.

ep·i·thet
–noun
1. any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.
2. a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog.”
3. a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.

ep·i·taph
–noun
1. a commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person buried at that site.
2. a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person. –verb (used with object)
3. to commemorate in or with an epitaph.

The Best Website EVER

I believe I have found what may quite simply be the most wonderful website in the world.
If you have ever had trouble finding the perfect pair of jeans, then Zafu is for you! I stumbled across this site yesterday. Based on a simple questionnaire that take maybe 5 minutes to fill out, the site figures out the perfect pair of jeans for you, listing as many brands as they can find, and then telling you where to find them. You can also store your information. Now, some of these jeans are way out of my price range, but ever since Old Navy redesigned the fit of their jeans, I've been desperate to find something new. My last pair of old faithful ON jeans just sprouted the beginnings of a hole near the zipper. It's one of two pairs of jeans that I can actually wear out of the house because they don't have holes in them. So once this pair is shot... I'm going to hop on to Zafu and try to order one of the recommendations that is in my price range. I wish I could come up with the next great web idea... I'll keep thinking.

Switch it, change it, rearrange it

It turns out the book selected next for book club is the second book by the same author about one character. So we're going to change the book to "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos.

In the other part of my life, Craig and I are trying to get healthy enough to reschedule date night. We were supposed to go out to dinner and a movie last weekend, but Craig ended up with pink eye, ear infection and a bad cold. I've had a bad cough and congestion myself. In fact, I didn't sleep much at all last night. Today I finally went to the doctor to get some meds. I hope they work because I've got a busy week ahead of me at work. I figured the best course of action was to get medicine, get rested up this weekend, and I'll be good as new on Monday.

Back to date night... we're planning dinner and a movie for Saturday night. My friend Sara is coming over to watch Alex. We're trying to get caught back up on our babysitting share. Then Sunday we're going to the Brewers game. I'm excited because I'll get to spend Mother's Day with my two favorite boys!

And the next Book Club pick is....

"Belong to Me" by Marisa De Los Santos. Therese picked it. We had a great meeting tonight. Lots of catching up, lots of crocheting, it was great. We all have fun projects that we're working on now, and I feel like I get more accomplished when I have people to talk to while I'm crocheting. My blanket is nowhere near done, but it's getting there. It's late and I'm not feeling so hot, so I'll add the cover of the book to this post tomorrow, and I'll take a picture of my crochet project so far, and post it tomorrow.

Book Club Eve, Again

Tomorrow night is Book Club Night and I'm hosting it at my house.
I can't wait! We're going to talk about "Garden Spells" which was my pick. I'll post more about our discussion after we meet. The gals are coming over here, we'll discuss the book, and then feast and drink with a Cinco de Mayo theme. Craig makes AMAZING margaritas, so those will be served along with lots of salsa, guac, chips, etc. Oh, and everyone is supposed to bring their latest crocheting projects, so we can stitch while we dish. Should be a great time! Plus, I can't wait to see what our next book will be!

Holy Crap! I'm the "Blog of the Week" on NaBloPoMo!

Therese... this is all your fault! My beloved book clubbing/blogging/crocheting buddy Therese nominated me for "Blog of the Week" on NaBloPoMo. I actually feel bad about it, because I'm not participating this month.

I'm excited about the prospect of more readers though. And a little shy at the same time. I think my life is really interesting (not) so I hope you at least find my writing mildly entertaining.
Um, let's see... if you want to know more about me, read this post. I'm a former TV news producer, so I like to write fake news stories. That's about it. If you're just stopping by, please leave a comment, or leave me the address of your blog. I love discovering new blogs!

In other news today... I RAN THREE MILES! Okay, it was really only 2.8 miles, and it was on a treadmill at zero incline, but I did it! This is huge for me. The first of my two 5K races that I'm training for is coming up in July. The three of us who are running it are registering for the race this week. And Lacey and I are doing a training run outside on Saturday (if the weather cooperates). Lacey by the way is kicking butt with all of this. She did more than 3 miles... and she's getting in great shape for her wedding in the process. I hope I can keep up with her!!

Going Green Again

I’ve decided I’m going to make more of an effort with my green bags. I keep them in the closet by the dog food in the kitchen, then remember then when I’m already at the grocery store. I bought a few more, gave Craig a couple to keep in his car, and I’m keeping the rest in my car.

I made a trip to the store yesterday for groceries and other household stuff, and all of it fit in 5 green bags! Hooray! If I would have gone with plastic bags, they would have used about 8-10 bags. I feel good about it. I’m going to look for one of those little fold up/snap up versions to keep in my purse too, for other incidentals. I’m going to start refusing plastic bags whenever I can.

We do use the ones we get for cleaning up after Shadow on walks or for lining the small trash cans in our bedrooms and bathrooms. But from here on out, I’m going to try to use fewer plastic bags.

Cutting back vs. splurging

I noticed an interesting post on one of my favorite websites MilwaukeeMoms.com. It’s on the "Money Savers" board in the discussion groups section. People are discussing where they are cutting back and where they are splurging. I know we’ve got economic stimulus checks coming soon, but gas and food prices keep skyrocketing… so cuts have to be made.
I decided to make a list of my own. I would love to see what other people are doing.

Cutting back/ways to save:
- Reduce impulse purchases. (I’m horrible about this.)
- Read the books I already have, borrow from friends or the library.
- No more spending on craft supplies until I use what I have or complete a project.
- Combine trips/errands
- Clip and use coupons
- Make the most of the food we have on hand before heading to the grocery store.
- Plan meals ahead of time
- Eat out less as lunch (me)
- I’ve stopped buying expensive coffee drinks (Starbucks, Stone Creek, etc.). I never bought them that often, but it was a place to save $$. I buy the instant mixes at the grocery store… each one usually lasts me two weeks. So I’m getting two week’s worth of cappuccino for the price of one tall Starbucks.

Splurges:
- We’re still redoing the bathroom and putting in a new kitchen floor. These are investments in the house, not really splurges.
- We’d like to do a family vacation, but it will likely be in Wisconsin. Any other trips we take will be to visit our family scattered across the Midwest.
- Wine.
- Still getting my hair highlighted. Sorry.
- Brewers games when we can. Go Brewers!

The news bug… I’ve still got it.

I haven’t lost my taste for news, and I hope I never do. Today while driving back from an appointment during my work day, I saw all three TV news helicopters hovering over downtown Milwaukee. My first instinct was “Breaking NEWS!!!! What’s going on I have to know!!” So I tuned my radio to the low-power station that the local Fox affiliate broadcasts over… nothing by TMZ-TV. Blech! I turned on the AM station that is run by the same company as the NBC station… talk radio with no interruptions. Darn it!!! I had to know what was going on. Was is a car accident? Hostage situation? Marquette Interchange construction disaster? Building on fire? Streaker running down Wisconsin Avenue? It was driving me nuts… a short trip, but one worth taking!

The battery in my phone (which isn’t a blackberry, but essentially is… it’s a MotoQ) was dying so I couldn’t check email or try to log onto a news station website. So I started racking my brain… what is going on today? I watched the news last night, listened to the news on the radio this morning. It finally hit me! Day Without Latinos march! Traffic was tied up all over Downtown while the people marched. Nothing like a good demonstration to get the old news juices flowing again!