Day 256: Are We Tired Yet?

Whew, you have to be a pro to handle the Holiday Season! My goodness, so much for "down time" ... I feel like I'm running, yet I really haven't been hitting the pavement!

It's been parties, dinners, shopping, talking and going, going .... all fun, but hey this bod ain't as young as it used to be and I'm feelin' it!

Maybe it's all the champagne? or Wine? or Martini's ... yeah that might be playing a role in my exhaustion (ya think so?).

Anyway we had a lovely dinner tonight with Brian's ACN team member and ACN mentor Mark Weinstock and his adorable wife Lori. I've talked about hubby Brian's new business venture, ACN, and Mark is the person who introduced Brian to this opportunity more then one year ago and it's taken off ever since.

Let's hope it continues to be successful for the Simon's and the Weinstock's and all the others who are engaged and workin' it! Mostly because I'm going to need a long, expensive vacation after the Holiday's!

Day 216: Leaving Town Madness

Why is it so difficult to get your family out of town? Why I ask, why? There's the endless washing & packing, and before that there's the shopping for the right clothes --- boys don't have winter coats so again it was off to the Macy's men sale to get them warm attire so they don't spend the week freezing in New York!

Then there's making sure that the house/dog sitter has all the proper information and instructions for handling your home while you are gone, then there's paying the bills in advance so you don't get hit with late fees for not sending in a payment on time.... then there's endless phone calls to make and return, emails to respond to, work commitments to attend to, yikes... getting prepared to split town is exhausting!

So we are outta here tomorrow morning early ... we will arrive in Manhattan by dinner time and will meet up with kid sister Jennifer & beau Kevin for a yummy Italian dinner at one of their favorite spots in their upper Eastside neighborhood.


On Sunday we have tickets to the New York Jets football game at the brand new Meadowland Stadium. We'll be taking the subway to the game with all the enthusiastic fans ... should be an experience. The boys have never been to a professional football game since our hometown Los Angeles doesn't have a pro team. They've been to plenty of college games but this will be their first professional game. Should be a great way to kick-off our week long adventure in New York.

So I finally made the packing decisions and have filled to the brim my huge suitcase. Don't know if I have the right items, but don't care at this point. I'm exhausted getting everything ready to leave home and just want to get there, get settled and get a Manhattan Martini already!

Day 39: Annoying & Stupid Comments

Why do people say stupid & unfounded comments? Such as ....

Little children, little problems - big children, big problems. What? A problem is a problem no matter the age of the child. It's relative to the age and it is painful at any age.

When boys grow up they leave their mothers. What? If you've parented well you don't lose a son, you GAIN a daughter if your son partners with someone.

When someone dies people say "time will heal". Fuck that. Time doesn't heal, the wound and hole in your heart remain open and sore, you just are not hemorrhaging as time passes and you learn to manage it better.

Here's a goody: "I'm a single parent" as if that's a license to complain that your parenting is more challenging. What? I'm a married parent and it's equally hard to parent if not harder because you also have to manage the husband. When you're single you don't have to consult with anyone on anything. When you're in a relationship with a partner it's work and one more to do on the list of a 100. Parenting is hard no matter what form it comes in ... Stop it with the I'm a single parent bullshit already.

Here's a good one: Once you have teenagers it's not really a full time parent gig anymore. Really? I guess that's why you have fucked up kids. Maybe you stopped parenting when your kids hit adolescence. I have always prescribed to the doctrine that when your children are young it's far more physical, that's why we are meant to have children when we are young! Mother nature had it right on that one. But as our children grow the challenge of parenting is all mental. A problem can no longer be solved with an ice cream. The stakes are high, the consequences more severe as they enter adolescence and the teenage years. You need to parent even more. You need to use your words wisely and thoughtfully. You need to be involved, be attentive be on them like a bat out of hell because if you are not the choices they make can be detrimental to the rest of their lives. So yeah, it is a full time gig raising teenagers.

A classic: ... I'm a working Mom. What? If you're a Mom you're working. Doesn't matter where the work occurs -- whether it's in the house or not. Fuck those that don't place value on parenthood. I've done it both ways and they both have their own set of built in challenges. Women need to stop beating other women up on this issue. It's old and annoying. Find another cause to crusade for.

How about this one: I really didn't eat much today. Oh take a look in the mirror. You're fat because you ate too much. Bottom line shut your mouth and stop making excuses.

This one drives me crazy: I don't have time to FILL IN THE BLANK because I'm FILL IN THE BLANK... stop telling us how busy you are, no one cares because they are busy too. We live in an overachieving, overdoing world so everyone is juggling too much. Don't try to outdo people with how busy you are, it's really annoying!

Drives me crazy: Put the damn phone down when you are in the post office line, bank line, gas line, carpool lane, etc. No one wants to hear your argument about bad sex with your boyfriend the night before! Or anything else you have to say. Talk about rude. Just shut up or take your call outside away from people!

Here's a favorite... Drinking alcohol is not good for you! What? Whomever said that obviously has no fun in life. Lighten up! I can't wait for my vodka martini tonight!

Got some annoying stuff people do? Post a comment and share with us all!