check it out.... be my friend!

The Smokey the cat and Olivia the dog are so damn cute. They are enjoying summer and, at least for now, Olivia, has stopped jumping on everyone coming to the house. Look how content they are here..


and then the next moment they are at each others' throats!

But they sure can be adorable.. just like C and C.

am having a wicked time trying to edit the piece on Cole's birthday.. Please bear with me.. will get it up and running as soon as I put the pieces of my Mac back together. That little "impact maintenance" did not help!

Was a tremendous success! I will vlog about it later. Right now, am going to bed as I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm sure you know that..

YAWN!!!!! so sleepy....

this..

but it gives us all more time to be chapped about

THIS!

Even the outrageous price of gas can't wipe the grin off my face. Doing a lot more walking lately. Have you changed up your routine because of the RIDICULOUSNESS of gas prices? And doesn't it just PISS YOU OFF?

like this?
Not saying it's good or bad, but would make things interesting, no?

Went down yesterday to their place in DC to give them my GEM speech.. They were such a friendly group. So here's my official shout-out and thank you to Monique, Jeanette, Beverly, Mary, Christine, Tony, June, Tianne and all the rest of the great folks who were so  lovely to me during my stay.

GEMs rule!

How much sex is "Good Enough"?
Take a look at the featured video on homepage and talk amongst yourselves.

Pulled into Old San Juan, PR about 7 am Sunday morning. It was such a fun and relaxing week, the fighting was kept to a minimum.. and that was just between Buff and me, lol.

Had a few hours to kill before boarding flight home so we went back to the place it all began, the big field in front of El Morro to fly kites again.

But after all the fun and sun (and money) of the last week, if you ask C and C what the best part was, they'll probably say the Atlanta airport,


which had McDonald's and free WiFi in  the same location!

Ah yes, youth.   

Buff decided to golf today and so I took the kids on a couple of excursions. The first was, I'll admit, a little hokey. Maybe if they had been younger it would have been okay. We took the Duckaneer, a boat that turns into a bus and then back into a boat.


 Yeah a little goofy. You can see by the photos that they were completely underwhelmed!





From there.. a Tram to the tippy top of a mountain and then climbed some more..





Cole really needs to smile more. You'd think he was waiting for a root canal!
Believe it or not, when that was all done (and we ate lunch on the ship at Johnny Rockets) we still had about 4 hours before we left. So we hopped one of the little jitneys over to Magan's bay. Literally, no sooner had we arrived and taken our swimsuit cover-ups off, the heavens opened!



and we, like so many others on this beautiful beach, were scrambling to get out of the rain.





So, back to the ship we went. It was the only day of the entire week where the weather didn't cooperate fully. Pretty good I thought.

 

    

Well, we've done so well with cars and buggies, we opted for jeeps to tour this island (we're just not tour bus people). So we waited on the dock for our tour guide. I captured a rare, non-argumentative moment between C and C. I love it when I see this!



The it was off in the jeeps.. first the Dutch side of the island.. very crowded and a casino every other block, it seems.



We stopped at a big flea market (my favorite!)



Then off to the French side where we had lunch and the obligatory hair braiding!


Then off to the French side for more photos..





There was a stop at the jewelry store before boarding the ship.



Followed by elation!


Another really, really fun day!

Not much to report today.. all day at sea, but BIG DRAMA getting ready for formal din-din. Cole had a melt down of monumental proportion. I don't even remember what triggered it. But it was probably the combo of having too much sun, not enough sleep  and having to don a suit for dinner. A recipe for disaster!



Unlike Buff and me ( taken on first formal night)


(is it just me or does my butt look GINORMOUS?)

Now THIS was a fun day! Taking a page from yesterday, we had no excursion planned so we decided to rent these cool little buggies and zip in and out of traffic, with cars much larger than our tiny vehicles and generally risk our lives and those of our children. TALK ABOUT FUN!





The obligatory photo stop..

Notice how goofy Buff and I look with our hats pulled down to our ears. We were trying to keep them from flying into traffic!

No one was harmed and Buff was actually able to throw caution into the wind and have a good time on the buggies. Me, I live with caution in the wind.. In fact, I use little caution in my life.. a trait at least one of my children also has.

Well this day had an interesting start.. I didn't read the excursion tickets and therefore we overslept, missing our $200.00 trip to an Aruba beach. But we learned a lesson; sometimes it's more fun to go it alone, which is what we did. On a foreign (hot and dusty) island, we rented a convertible and made our own fun.


We tooled around the island, went to a famous lighthouse.. then asked some locals for a recommendation on a cool beach. By the time we got there we were STARVING.. so again, what do we do? Ran for the border, of course!



Followed by more beach fun..



and vegging out

Like father, like son


Later, we went to a place called Natural Bridge..

before getting back on board our beautiful Adventure of the Seas.


Aruba was not my favorite Island. There were a couple of nice places but by and large, I thought we could have been in west Texas, what with all the dry land and cacti. Not that there's anything wrong with west Teas, mind you.

Rant number 2 for the day..

Don't you love it when your kids wander in the room and ask "mom, do you know where my (fill in the blank, gameboy, homework folder, retainer, whatever) is? Literally, it does not matter that I haven't been home in a week, they still think I know where the stuff is.

Funny, isn't it?

Okay, I have to rant.. Cole.. i love that boy but dammit if he loses one more appliance I'm gonna lose my mind! Last night, after dinner, we had to go through two trash cans, searching (unsuccessfully, I might add) for his lip bumper. Well, orthodontist said next time, it gets attached for good (he had been pulling it in and out when he ate. No more of that). I am even toying with making him pay for it out of his allowance.

Thoughts?

Lovely first full day spent at sea..

First things first, got to rooms, unpacked (man, they're smaller than my closet, but I knew that going in) and got the kids signed up for the soda program. Here's how that works. You pay 28 bucks and all week long hey can belly up to any bar and order the soda of their choice, Unlimited! I don't normally let them drink a lot of soda but then again I don't normally drink before noon!

We got the kids signed up for their programs and then spent the rest of the day lounging around..

Photos to come.. ( am having such trouble with this!!)

April 20, 2008-Vacation-Day 1

I guess this is technically day 2 but since day 1 was all about travel, (and we KNOW how stressful THAT is) it doesn’t count. But I must say it went more smoothly than I could have hoped. I marveled at the near empty terminal, security lines that flowed and (the truly jaw dropping) children who didn’t annoy the crap out of me or each other.

We flew to Puerto Rico and headed to Old San Juan, our point of embarkation for our cruise to the Southern Caribbean. This is in no way a commercial or endorsement for Royal Caribbean but we’ve done this 3 times now (twice with the kids) and in my mind, there is just not a better way to travel. It is a little on the pricey side but if you do your homework, you can find some deals.

More on that later. We spent the day tooling around cobblestone streets, listening to dad who said he knew “ a great place to have breakfast”. So there we were, hungry and hot, wandering the streets in search of eggs. What we found instead was coffee. You think authentic coffee, grown in the mountains of Puerto Rico and processed locally? Nooooooo.. Starbucks! (Nothing against Starbucks but it doesn’t exactly scream Old San Juan)Who goes to Puerto Rico and has breakfast at Starbucks? It was that or
McDonald’s because we never did find the “great place to have breakfast”.

We made our way to the fort of El Morro and it was breathtaking. Amazing history and Buff played history buff (no pun intended) and the kids got a kick out of it.


But truly amazing for the kids was looking up at the sky and seeing HUNDREDS of kites! It was windy and warm so we bought a couple too and had a blast flying them.



Found a little place for lunch (authentic cuisine!)

(That’s MY beer.. smart-aleck 9 year old posing with it!)

And Ms. Casey "Cash"


Hot and sweaty with two kids eager to board the ship, we made out way to the cruise terminal (important note, check in online. Makes it much easier to get on board quickly).

After the “Mustard drill”, as Cole called it, we couldn’t bear the thought of getting dressed for dinner so we ate at the casual dining place, where Cole promptly left his retainer on the table. Yup and yuck. The nice waiter held it for us. Gross.

We swam in the pool and got kicked out of adults only hot tub as the ship began to pull out of port. We stood on the deck, watching the lights of Old San Juan grow distant as the air cooled our skin. A wonderful night, topped only by my winning $900.00 on board. That was on the heels of winning $2,600.00 the night before!

So far, a stellar vacation!

May all your dreams of quality time alone or with children who don't fight come true. At least for one day!

Today’s GEM moment is about something not often easy to do. Forgive. Not just others but self too. The moment is inspired by the absolute chaos of the morning, which was destined to be harried from the start. Casey had her viola evaluation on a Sat morning, which was bad enough. Add to the mix, a 9 am start time at a strange high school. But the ultimate kick in the guts was when I turned to her and asked “ do you have both music books?” Like a hot poker in the brain, it dawned on me, OF COURSE she didn’t have both books, because her mother forgot to pick up the extra one at the music store! You know how you desperately try holding it all together for your kids, struggling to keep tears at bay so they believe you when you say “it’s going to be alright” ? But how the heck can you sell something you don’t believe yourself?

Off we went to the music competition, me chanting the Good Enough Mother mantra
"someone’s done this before me” the entire way. We found our way (yes we got lost) and I told everyone who would listen we didn’t have the additional book for the judge to follow along. Guess what? It was no big deal! The judge was a young guy who didn’t even look at the music. My little rose performed beautifully, from what I could see peering through the door from the hallway.

Two lessons learned: it really was going to be alright, just like life itself. The other lesson, I gleaned from a mommy in the hall as I raced to the music room: Amazon.com overnight delivery. Why didn’t I think of that?

For more on future plans, click here.

Hope you'll tune in!

Had a chance to spend Saturday morning asking questions of Senator Hilary Clinton in Cary, North Carolina. Was great fun! We're actually neighbors in this little Westchester county town. I've actually seen her once..with Bill and a whole bunch of secret service.

Anyway, you can check out the panel at  http://momlogic.com.

We're cruising the Southern Caribbean. I am trying to update the site but it is VERY slow and VERY expensive.

Have great photos but seriously, taking forever to upload.. will try to do from shore!

Here's me in the Long Beach airport, heading home to NYC.


I grew up in California so you'd think coming back here wouldn't be such a big deal. But I LOVE the LA sun! In fact, I might move back here if I didn't HATE LA traffic.

Buff did a good job of holding down the fort while I was gone and the kids didn't sound like they missed me too much. (you know who probably missed me? Olivia, who probably only ate once a day, when the babysitter got to the house) C and C barely had time to talk to me. You don't suppose that's the way it's going to be from here on out, do you?  They'll always need mommy, but not in the same way. However, I'm sure when I walk through the door, they'll be bending my ears about "the mean man".

Feeling better today maybe it was this sight of these on the balcony
that did it for me.


Went to my first meeting at a production company in Studio City.
This is what greeted me.


How fun is THAT? My own parking spot!

Couple meetings, dinner with friends in bed fairly early and then my eyes popped open again at 3:30 PST.

Breakfast again at same place I ate yesterday morning, where I'm sure people were trying to figure out if I was a prostitute, insomniac, or fugitive from the law. The fact that I was typing furiously on my blackberry rules out fugitive or hooker I think.

There was a medicinal marijuana store across the street.. such an interesting neighborhood..

Another big meeting before heading home tomorrow. It's been quiet on that front and don't mean to say I'm surprised but heck, I'M SURPRISED!

Okay, gotta start the day in LA

Yuck. Drew a bath yesterday morning, thinking that would make me feel better. Casey came in, saw it and said " Oh is that for me?"  She took my bath. Then when she left for school, I drew another. Cole stumbled in and you guessed it. "is that for me?" 
"Yeah buddy that's for you."

Had to fly to LA yesterday. Air travel is stressful enough without feeling like your head is going to explode for 5 straight hours.

Got to hotel in West Hollywood

and was pooped! Dinner with friends, quick call home (less shouting than usual, that's a good thing). Homework and husband under control. Theraflu and a warm blankie for me.
Except that I was up at 3:30 pst and haven't gone back to bed yet!

What a depressing day!

Two things happened that were equally distressing. My lovely husband, Buff, who is a whiz, a GENIUS in the kitchen




installed a new program on my laptop and totally fouled it up. Stunk it up.. to high heaven. Now I have to pay someone to back-up all the data, re-install all the programs then put all my crap back on it. Buff is one of those people who when new stuff comes out, he has to be first in line. And while that may be great for cars and kitchens, it's another story for computer software, which needs time to work out the bugs.

Fresh on the heels of finding out about that horrid, hairy mess created by my husband, who I love dearly, I went to try on bathing suits. Do they intentionally use the WORST LIGHT POSSIBLE  in the dressing rooms? You know, the ones that cast shadows on your dimply thighs? And what about the crazy circus mirrors because there is no way my legs are that short and that fat! And what the hell is up with bathing suits this season? Every single one of them was some shade of brown and they all made me feel like a porn star. Maybe not even the star, more like a second stringer. I ended up paying a hundred bucks for a suit no one will see because I'll be the only person on the cruise ship wearing a flannel poncho over her swim wear.

I need new jeans too, but trying to squeeze my 45-year-old bum into a pair of 7's for all mankind was just too damn inhumane.

And did I come home and diet right away? Drink a ton of water to shake loose the fat from my back side? Nope.. I had a mini snickers bar. And wine.

9 year old boy's idea of Heaven

Does this look goth to you?

I think Olivia is suicidal          

Happy St. Patrick's Day

You just can't make this up          

Rainy Saturday :)

I am not even kidding about this!          

Mommy did (another) dumb thing

Oh My GOSH!

For my birthday, I got.....

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Valentine's Day.. Montel Williams has great food!

Hey y'all!

Oh, THAT explains it...

NEW WEBSITE!

On an entirely note..

I'm in shock!

The Today Show today

Happy Friday (it IS Friday, right?)

HELP ME !

Another reason Mom needs to CHILL!

Happy Wednesday!

Good for her!

A this time, one year ago today..

My heart is breaking...

It all started over a box of DOTS.     

Perhaps I'm being too hard on Britney...

Smokey gonna be O.K. !

What is wrong with Britney Spears?

I did check before they went to bed....

Was I crazy......

ah yes, vacation is over

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know, I know...

Mommy did a dumb thing.

Because I spent so much time in bed after Black Friday shopping...        

My morning as a doorbuster..                

Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's the hurry?

Sleepover!

A day filled with promise and red paint!

Update on last night        

More screaming!

I can't make this up    

Black tie event tonight    

Waiting for paint to dry...

Meeting wasn't so bad.     

Ho hum sort of day

My daughter the pre-teen

Mad? Frustrated? What's wrong with that?

Wakey Wakey!

Is it the show or the wine?          

The Crapmobile!                    

Snickers for Breakfast!     

Who wants to run away?

Doing the Happy Dance!

DAMMIT!

Well, he really WAS sick!

Sick? or Sick and Tired?

I am a Halloweenie!

Mom, Smokey pooped on my arm!

Sick kid alert!

Blog update, 10-25-07

Lemme just apologize now for not updating the blog more frequently.  I am in the middle of a bunch of stuff, namely revamping the website to make it video compatible, so that and life have been getting in the way. I  promise, PROMISE to be better when we get new site up and running.

So the latest family field trip took place a couple of weeks ago.  Casey and Cole had a scheduled day off so I decided to take them up to Mystic, Connecticut.  If you're ever in this part of the country, it's a cool little side trip.

There are 17 acres of exhibits showing what life was like in a sleepy New England coastal village.


 

This ship was the Charles W. Morgan Here Casey tries out one of the (very) small bunks.



The views were incredible...



There was a phenomenal exhibit there while we were there called Black Hands, Blue Seas, talking about black people (from slaves to African-Americans) and there contributions to life on the high seas.



We had such a grand time there, having visited the aquarium first for more info got to www.mysticseaport.org.

The house is coming along nicely.



Contractor says we should be in it in a couple of weeks.  You know what that means... we'll be in by the end of December.  I really am looking forward to decorating.

...and Smokey, who initially tested positive for feline leukemia, has had one test come back and say he does not have it and we are having a second done this month, but he sure doesn't act sick.  Here he is sleeping with one of his favorite children.



He doesn't act sick, but he sure is lazy as he won't walk up the stairs to use the litter box, instead satisfied with peeing on the floor. Ugh....

Olivia is...Olivia...fine.



I'll end with a pic of me and my honey.  We've been playing a lot of golf lately.  I stink.



Be sure to pick up this month's Ebony magazine. They did a really nice story on me and the family.  Read it and wonder how many people think we're the perfect, all American, non dysfunctional family.

No photos today...just a funny story.

While taking my beloved Casey to the doctor, I was sharing with her that i had volunteered to bring refreshments to her school's Open House later this month. Without skipping a beat, she says "You're not bringing wine, are you?"

I was going to bring boring ol' coffee but this could be better!  Thanks Casey!

Funny kids...

Cole is trying to talk me into taking guitar lessons at the local music school.  I asked if other mommies were.  He says "No but if you did, maybe you'd get more action from Dad."

What the ????

Well, when it rains it pours.  I can go for days iwithout a single thing to write about then they all happen at once.  In this case, Cole, asked if I would let him post something.  Turns out it's a singles ad.  Serious applicants only (lol):

What's up yo?  My name is Cole.  My interests are airsoft guns and fights, skateboarding, basketball, and football.  You can find me in NY.  My favorite football teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the NY Giants.  Yes, I am back in school but my teacher is very nice.  I've been playing drums for about a year now.  My favorite candy is Sour Patch Kids and Sour Patch Watermelons.  As you see, I
like sour candy.  I am also into salsa and salad and spicy food.  My favorite thing to do is go outside and do target practice with my grown up friend.  His name is John.  He runs our construction.  My favorite color is black.  My favorite shoe is by Adidas and the colors are black and orange.  I also like my kitten and puppy named Smokey and Olivia.  They are very sweet (except for when they get together).  That's the end of my story so… see ya on da flip side whippy dipp.

THEY'RE BACK IN SCHOOL!

Whew! We made it through the long summer and now the children are back where they belong, in institutions of learning.  Now before I lament what that REALLY means (PTA, math, playdates, dreaded math, after school activities, did I mention MATH?), let me just rejoice in what really was a wonderful start of the school year.



First, my big baby, Casey, went off to middle school.  Listen, I'm no fool.  I started the year bribing the nice ladies in the school office with coffee and 50 donut holes.  Believe me, the  $26.07 that set me back is a tiny price to pay for as hard as I'm gonna be leanin' on them this year.  They might as well get to know my name and attach "that's the nice lady who brought coffee and donuts the first day" because soon enough it will be "that's the lady who brought coffee and donuts but couldn't find her fanny with a flashlight!"

Okay, so on the way to school, Casey says: "Mom can you just drop me off here?"  "Here" was in the parking lot.  My baby didn't want me to walk her in.  I told her whatever she wanted was fine but really it wasn't fine with me.  I wanted to go in, make sure she would be taken care of in the big new building with lots of strange people.  But I let her walk through the parking lot alone, watching with a half smile hiding my fears.  She struggled with a backpack half her size but she looked like she was going to make it.  So I walked on to get my morning coffee... All of a sudden I hear "MOM... MOM!"  I whipped around and it was Casey walking fast towards me, tears streaming down her face.  "What's the matter sugar?" I asked.  "Did you get scared?" and she nodded, looking a little ashamed.  I gave her a big hug and went into my speech about how we've all been there, all had to go to a new school before, all been afraid and that again, and that I was here for her.

We walked over to Dunkin' Donuts (I hadn't picked up the bribes yet.) then over to school.  She wasn