30 Jun 2011
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The “Vacation’s” Over

If moods were colors, mine would be grey. I think I’ve been on “vacation” too long. Most of the time my grey period doesn’t last very long because Mr. M2C (that’s what I’m calling him now…don’t shoot me if I change it) takes the kids for the afternoon and I can put on some music and take a long shower. He is always great at seeing that I need an emotional break and showers are where I do my best thinking.

However, here on “vacation” showers last 5 minutes and I can usually hear the kids prepping my brother for some kind of torture chamber. “Vacation” leaves me stressing about “what’s for dinner?” and “what are we doing today?” more than I do at home. This “vacation” is like being a tiger in a cage…a really, tiny cage. 
Something about going home to your parents house makes you feel like a kid. Except coming back home with your own kids adds a whole new level of stress. 
I miss Mr. M2C. I miss our wine nights. I miss him coming home every night. I miss playing mahjong on our phones trying to beat each other’s score while the kids take a bath. I miss watching bullshit tv with him and laughing until we cry. I miss going to bed and having him there. I won’t go so far to say that I miss him sleeping on the couch but…almost.
Since I moved to Florida, the kids and I have been on “vacation” to California three times…three times in exactly one year. I think I keep coming back to try to connect with something here and to stay disconnected from Florida. I am having trouble fully letting go of what I had in California. In fact, I still have my CA drivers license. The trouble is, I really love Florida. I feel great there and I love the life we’ve made there in the last year…no thanks to me and all of my “vacations”. When I come back here, I never get what I’m looking for and usually leave feeling a bit disappointed. I feel like whatever it is that I am so attached to isn’t that attached to me…
I think I better make this the last “vacation” for a while. I need to put in the effort at home and not run back to California every time things start to get real. Time to stand on my own two feet and stay away from old habits.
Those damn old habits sure do die hard….

30 Jun 2011
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The "Vacation’s" Over

If moods were colors, mine would be grey. I think I’ve been on “vacation” too long. Most of the time my grey period doesn’t last very long because Mr. M2C (that’s what I’m calling him now…don’t shoot me if I change it) takes the kids for the afternoon and I can put on some music and take a long shower. He is always great at seeing that I need an emotional break and showers are where I do my best thinking.

However, here on “vacation” showers last 5 minutes and I can usually hear the kids prepping my brother for some kind of torture chamber. “Vacation” leaves me stressing about “what’s for dinner?” and “what are we doing today?” more than I do at home. This “vacation” is like being a tiger in a cage…a really, tiny cage. 
Something about going home to your parents house makes you feel like a kid. Except coming back home with your own kids adds a whole new level of stress. 
I miss Mr. M2C. I miss our wine nights. I miss him coming home every night. I miss playing mahjong on our phones trying to beat each other’s score while the kids take a bath. I miss watching bullshit tv with him and laughing until we cry. I miss going to bed and having him there. I won’t go so far to say that I miss him sleeping on the couch but…almost.
Since I moved to Florida, the kids and I have been on “vacation” to California three times…three times in exactly one year. I think I keep coming back to try to connect with something here and to stay disconnected from Florida. I am having trouble fully letting go of what I had in California. In fact, I still have my CA drivers license. The trouble is, I really love Florida. I feel great there and I love the life we’ve made there in the last year…no thanks to me and all of my “vacations”. When I come back here, I never get what I’m looking for and usually leave feeling a bit disappointed. I feel like whatever it is that I am so attached to isn’t that attached to me…
I think I better make this the last “vacation” for a while. I need to put in the effort at home and not run back to California every time things start to get real. Time to stand on my own two feet and stay away from old habits.
Those damn old habits sure do die hard….
28 Jun 2011
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Censoring My Blog to Death

Next month is my one year blogiversary. I can’t believe all the places my blog has gone in the past 11 months, places I never dreamed it would go when I started. However, I can’t help but think of all the places it hasn’t quite yet reached. Once you are submerged in this blogging society, you get an up close look at the potential your blog can have.

Needless to say, I am not reaching my potential…yes this is coming on the heels of yesterday’s PR update…

When I first started this blog, I knew that nobody was reading it. I could write it honestly. I didn’t worry about how people interpreted my words or how they saw me after they did. As my blog grew, I started getting feedback from friends and family members. They enjoyed my writing and only had positive things to say, which was very nice to hear. It’s always nice to be loved!

But then I started having a very hard time finding something to write about…

It’s not that I am at a loss for ideas. My head is constantly swirling with sarcastic commentary, my kids often leave me speechless but always provide great writing material and I have a wonderfully dynamic relationship with my husband that frequently produces a ranting monologue. The problem is…now everyone is reading it! *gasp* Readers are what every writer dreams of but I find myself censoring myself  away.

These days I am wondering “how will so and so interpret this?” “Will so and so think of me differently?” This has left me with a long list of drafts, started but never finished. At the end of the month, I toss more drafts than I actually posted.

So here is my vow. I will end my days of censoring! (Imagine some very triumphant music here) My blog is my baby and I want to do everything I can to help it grow and live up to it’s full potential.

How about other bloggers? How do you deal with censoring when you have family and personal friends who read your work? I’d love your feedback!

22 Jun 2011
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The Price of Staying Connected

Technology has really become my friend in the last couple of years. For one, here I sit at the kitchen table writing this blog and if I wanted to I could keep writing it all the way to the couch and never be plugged in. I can sit by the pool watching the kids swim and never be “unplugged”…don’t worry, I’ll take a break if someone is drowning…just…after…this…one…last…email…ok!

Last year I got my first smart phone…OMG! Where have you been all my life wonderful phone?! I love checking email and my Tweetdeck, oh wonderful Tweetdeck! The smart phone has been amazing because, and this may be no secret to some of you, I HATE talking on the phone! I avoid it at all costs. Hate, hate, hate! So texting has revolutionized my world. For all of those reasons, I love this new technology and can’t imagine being without it now.

But…

I have discovered a flaw in my beloved technology. As much as I love my laptop and my phone…I love my husband more. Sure there are times when I would much rather cuddle up with my phone but those times are few and far between. I have just recently noticed that this technology has taken over communication with my husband!

The kids and I have been in California for about 3 weeks now with 3 weeks still to go. During that time, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have talked to my husband on the phone, I mean, actually heard his voice. We text and email but don’t really talk on the phone. There are of course things that make it hard like the kids running around, work and that pesky 3 hour time difference. However, before the wonderful smart phone entered our life to make things better, we always managed to talk to each other when we were away. Now, we just don’t make the effort. It’s easier to send a quick text or shoot over an email.

For being so connected…we have become incredibly disconnected. I can’t help but think this may be going on everywhere and not just with me. Is technology helping us stay closer or is it keeping us at a safe, manageable distance?

19 Jun 2011
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Happy Father’s Day!



Four years ago I became a mother and then two and a half years ago…I became a mother again. Through it all I have had the most wonderful, caring, helpful and loving man beside me. My children are so lucky to have such an amazing father who is always there and ready for any challenge.

He reads bedtime stories, herds them to the park, lets them ride high on his shoulders, wipes butts, shares food and is always there for a kiss or hug. Today I want to say happy father’s day to the man that made me a mother. Kevin, I love you!

14 Jun 2011
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My Temporarily BiCoastal Marriage

I was getting my hair done two weeks ago and my hair dresser asked me how long I was going to be in town. I told her 6 weeks and she just about fell over and said “Without your husband?!” This is a question I get A LOT when I am visiting California. It got me thinking…

Have you ever met a couple or seen one in a movie who says “we have never spent a night apart!”. They speak of it as if they just couldn’t bare the thought…This is not my marriage. I have spent many nights away from my husband. I travel with the kids back to California to visit family and friends. He travels frequently to New York for business. It’s what we do.

Another question people always ask me, “Don’t you miss him?” Of course I miss my husband when either of us are away. I don’t, however, pine away counting the seconds until we are reunited. I am capable of having a good time without him. *GASP* My hair dresser said she will always turn down an outing with friends to sit home with her husband. Really? This also got me thinking….

Am I a total nut job for having the ability to not only do things but enjoy things without my husband?! Does this stem from complete and total trust in my husband? (Me trying to discount the nut job theory) If my husband had given me any reason to doubt him in the past, would being away be a more painful experience?

Hmmmm….

Even though I get a lot of questions from friends about leaving my husband behind I know for us it’s a sign of strength. We don’t have to worry about being apart because we know we will always come back together. Even though we are living it up on different coasts for the next four weeks, I’ll be happy when we are in the same time zone again.

And to answer one of the most popular questions “I bet you can’t wait to get back home with him?!” OH YEAH! I can’t wait to get back to cooking meals, picking up boxers on the bathroom floor, agreeing to watch Deadliest Catch only to find him snoring 5 minutes later and having conversations with him around his phone while he plays Angry Birds!

***To my hubby if he happens to be reading this: I love you, miss you and can’t wait to return home to you!

09 Jun 2011
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Adding Tradition…The Belmont Stakes

I love horse racing! It is so much fun to watch and no other sport is filled with such rich history. Every year I can’t wait to watch the races of the triple crown and make some delicious food to go with it. I also find that the kids get really into the races as well. In fact, it is one of the only sports hubby and I can get them to sit and watch with us.

With two kids running around I am always looking for a fun and simple way to make days special and cooking traditional food to go with the race is an easy way to do it. During the Kentucky Derby I made a bourbon punch for me and hubby. I made a “virgin” version for the kids. They loved drinking out of fancy glasses decorated with sprigs of mint.

During the Preakness, I made Maryland crabcakes using the Pimlico Racetrack recipe. For sides I stayed simple and made my mother-in-law’s cucumber salad and for dessert a fruit salad. The crabcakes are delicious enough to stand on their own.

Now it is time for the Belmont Stakes. This is the most casual of all the triple crown races and it’s a great excuse to grill outside. New York is the theme of the Belmont so NY strip steaks is the perfect main dish. Mashed potatoes made from delicious baby red potatoes and a summer salad. This year I will be making meatballs to munch on before the race. The kids always love anything you can eat on a toothpick. What’s a great dinner without a grand dessert! Finish off your race day with a classic New York cheesecake! 

Cocktails are just as important as the food, well, more important in my book! The official drink of the Belmont Stakes was changed from the White Carnation to the Belmont Breeze in 1997. So you can take your pick! The Belmont Breeze is much more modern and perfect for summer. It is also an easy drink to adapt for the kiddos.

The winner of the Belmont always receives a blanket of white carnation so I will have white carnations on hand to give to whoever picks the winner. White carnations are an inexpensive flower and are a great way to decorate your table for race day.

The table is set, the food is out and the races are about to start! Time to pick your horse! This is another great way to include the kids. Tell them all of the horses names as well as the color of the riders silks. Sometimes the color of the silks is more important than the odds. Ansley likes to pick purple and Cole will always side with blue no matter what the name!

The best thing about a triple crown party is that it doesn’t consume the whole day. You get to eat, drink, relax and for 2 1/2 minutes watch the horses run for glory. It’s something everyone in the family can enjoy and it’s a simple way to add tradition to your family. Food, family and fun…I can’t think of a better way to kick off summer!


The Belmont Breeze is the official drink of the Belmont Stakes. Created by New York’s premiere beverage authority Dale DeGroff, the profile of the Belmont Breeze comes from the colonial recipe: one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak.

The ingredients are:
1 1/2 ounces of a good American blended whiskey
3/4 ounces Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry
1/2 ounce of fresh lemon juice
1 ounce of simple syrup (1 ounce of sweet and sour mix may be substituted for the lemon juice and simple syrup)
1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice

1 ounce 7-Up
1 ounce Club Soda

Shake first six ingredients with ice, then top with 7-Up and club soda. Garnish with mint sprig and lemon wedge.
For the Kids:
Use the orange Juice, cranberry juice and 7-up. Serve over ice and garnish with mint sprig and lemon wedge.

06 Jun 2011
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Congrats to My Little Brother

In June of 1994 my brother joined our family; I was 12 years old. 12 years is a huge gap especially when their are no other kids between you. We always had a different kind of relationship. Now that’s not to say that we didn’t drive each other crazy 98% of the time but with a gap that big, things are just different.

In high school my friends and I would take my brother to a place called Discovery Zone. It had ball pits, tunnels and climbing ropes. I remember that we would climb up to the top of the ropes and lounge around talking about school, boys, clothes and random gossip while my brother played for hours. We loved those times because we never would have got to go “play” if it wasn’t for Nick.

My husband and I started dating in high school and Nick was in kindergarten. We used to go together to pick him up. I can’t believe it was so long ago. When Nick started attending a virtual school I signed on to be his “teacher”. It was the hardest and most fun I have ever had. It was sad when that time was over and I had to move on.

I want to thank him for being such a great brother and uncle. Nick and I have been through a lot together and today we celebrate together. Today he graduates from high school. I am so proud of him and can’t wait to see what he does next. Congrats brother! I love you!

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