Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday Night Housewives

Much to my husband's chagrin, I am AWOL on Sunday nights.

I'm not sure when it happened, but there are so many television shows to watch on Sunday night I need two DVRs to record them all.

I start at 8pm with Mob Wives. Don't be a hater, I can't help myself. I didn't create the show or star in it. I just can't look away.

That takes me to 9pm where I run into difficulty. My first choice is Nurse Jackie immediately followed by The Big C. At the same time is The Good Wife and Desperate Housewives. Fortunately, Desperate Housewives is in its final episodes ever and The Good Wife had its season finale last night.

That time slot won't be a conflict in a few weeks . . . unless, of course, summer programming yields some other wonderful "reality" show for me to be unable to look away from.

Which brings me to the reality show du jour - The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I'm not sure if it's because I'm from New Jersey or because I have family that live in North Jersey, but this show rings true for me and I can't seem to get enough of it. I have a cousin who actually got married at The Brownstone and, yes, they are Italian. If loving this show is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Did you notice the pattern? Mob Wives, Desperate Housewives, The Good Wife, Real Housewives. All of my Sunday night viewing is about women in various forms of wifehood.

By the time RHONJ is over, the rest of the family is sound asleep for the night. And I've had my fill of all kinds of wives.

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . . Do you listen to audiobooks? If not, why not? And, if so, what has been one of your favorites, so far?

Years ago, hubs and I took a road trip from New Jersey to Florida. He thought it would be great to listen to an audiobook to help pass the time. I don't even remember what it was, but I just couldn't get into it. I tried but couldn't focus. I was distracted by everything going on outside my window and the random thoughts popping into my head. I like to hold a book and look at the words. Audiobooks just aren't for me.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

Having no luck at gift auctions.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Geekly Chic

Are you a geek or live with/know one? Do you love gadgets and quirky items off the beaten path? If so, I have a site for you!

Geekly Chic has tons of gadgets and information on the latest and greatest gizmos for the geek in all of us. Information on this site is updated daily by writers well-versed in clearly explaining news and products you're not likely to find anywhere else.

Trying to find a gift for that certain someone who has everything? Check out Geekly Chic and I guarantee you'll find things you've never thought of before. From computers to toys to books to design, this site provides interesting and entertaining items for all ages.

You can also find links to awesome deals, promotion codes and coupons for tons of products and stores online, and not just geek sites either. There are links for discounts to The Disney Store, Old Navy and Target, for example. Here are a couple of discounts you can use right now courtesy of Geekly Chic :



Geekly Chic saves you money in other areas of your life so you can afford to buy more gadgets. Give their site a whirl and you won't be disappointed.


This is a paid post. All opinions are 100% mine.

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up at Kailani's site. Here's my question:

If you could go back, would you give your child a different name?

My answer: Yes and no. My first-born child's name was a compromise between me and hubby. I never thought I'd give my child the name we agreed on. Now that he's been living with it, it definitely suits him.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Nothing Like a Little Retail Therapy

I've been feeling a bit more upbeat lately. Maybe a little retail therapy has something to do with it.

I made a trip to Home Goods/Marshalls recently and made a few purchases. In addition to a new bathing suit and cover up, I picked up these lovely plates on the clearance shelf. At just $3.50 each, they are called "Hampton's Flag" by Ralph Lauren and I love them. I think they'll look great on display for Memorial Day, 4th of July or any summer event. I just love plates.


I also picked up some goodies and supplies for R's upcoming 6th birthday. Hard to believe my little man is turning 6 next week. He wants a Disney Cars theme party and there are plenty of goodies to be had in any store imaginable. You can pretty much find a Cars item wherever you go.

Tomorrow night I'm headed to a Tricky Tray event for a friend's PTA. They call it a tricky tray, I call it a gift auction. I love gift auctions. This one was pretty pricey, but it's being held at a local country club with dinner and an open bar. I plan on having a fun night and (hopefully) winning something wonderful. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Class Trip Anxiety

Today, R, the 5 year old, is off on his first class trip. They're going to see a show, The Paperbag Players, at a local community theater . . . on a school bus. I hate school buses.

As a child, I never rode the school bus. I grew up in a very urban area and we walked to school. I loved walking to school.

Now, we live in a very suburban area and R is eligible to ride the bus (though I'm not sure why since we live less than a mile from school) but he chooses not to. I drive him and pick him up every day. When it gets warmer, we may try walking, but right now we're still driving. He's not much of a fan of the bus either.

He has ridden the school bus once before when he was 3 for a preschool trip. He doesn't remember it.

Yesterday, he asked me if he'd ever been on a bus before. That's a signal to me he's a bit anxious about this trip. So am I.

Our local paper is littered with stories about school bus accidents. The news reports on at least one every day.

His teacher did not ask for chaperones, though I heard there will be about 4 of them. I probably wouldn't have been able to volunteer because of D, the rambunctious 2 year old that lives with us. He would be a nightmare on a class trip.

Needless to say I will have no peace until that child is back at his school, which according to my calculations will be at around 12 noon. Only 3 1/2 more hours of worrying to go.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

As Good As It Gets

What if this were as good as it gets?

It's a profound question from a pretty good movie. And it's something I ponder quite a bit lately.

I am a stay-at-home mom to two boys, ages 5 and 2. I feel useless. I know my boys need me and I'm grateful I don't have to work. But I don't feel like I'm contributing. I don't feel fulfilled.

My mother would say, "Yes. This is as good as it gets. What do you want?"

Therein lies my problem. I have NEVER known what I wanted to do. People still ask me what would make me happy. I have no answer. I never had a goal. I never had anything to strive for. I just kind of sailed along and did what felt right at the moment.

I followed in my mother's footsteps when I was in high school. I took typing and stenography and became an administrative assistant. I was good at it. But I wanted something else.

I took an evening paralegal class and became a paralegal for in-house counsel at a start-up telecommunications company, back in the 90s when telecom was booming. I made decent money and was good at it. But I wanted something else.

I took classes while I worked as a paralegal and got my graduate's degree in education. I finished up my coursework, did my student teaching for 3 months in a 2nd grade classroom, got my teaching license and was good at it. Even the principal said "the cream always rises to the top." But I wanted something else.

I went back into telecom but this time became an account manager. I made good money and was good at it. But the telecom industry topped out by the year 2000 and the company eventually folded. That's when I got married.

I thought about starting a family so I went back into administrative work until I got pregnant. Thankfully, I married someone who made enough money that I could afford to stay home.

This August will be 11 years I'm married. It's 8 years since I've been out in the work force. I'm frustrated.

My 2 year still needs me, and I don't want to short-change him by plopping him in daycare so I can feel good about myself and earn a paycheck that probably wouldn't even cover the cost of having him there. Besides, he should have the same experience his older brother had.

So I'm pretty much looking at another 2+ years of unemployment. I don't know what I can do to keep me busy or happy during that time. And I don't know what I'm going to do after the 2 years are up. Doesn't seem so easy to find a job these days.

They say figure out what makes you happy and find a way to get paid to do it. If only I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.

What if this were as good as it gets?

Saturday, April 21, 2012

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

Slept poorly and my back hurts.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up at Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Do you have a "honey-do" list for your husband/significant other?

My answer: Nothing in writing. I always thought he'd find it insulting, but he actually wants me to write down the things that need to get done. Go figure!

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!




"Walking New York" by National Geographic
"Wish You Were Here" by Graham Swift

Thursday, April 19, 2012

My PTA Problem

This is my first year as an official PTA member. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, so it's been interesting, to say the least.

Our PTA isn't as organized or efficient as I would expect. They also don't do much fundraising. They pretty much bank on "big" events - the annual gift auction and the walkathon. They also have book fairs, pretzel sales, father's/mother's day sales, school spirit wear sales, family fun nights, and a holiday boutique. Communication with parents is poor and, therefore, they don't get much participation or help. Hence, the poor fundraising.

Here's my dilemma. I'm pretty new to the game but I would like to be more involved. They began nominations for next year's committees, and there are a few open spots. One is book fair, one is fundraising, and one is gift auction.

Problem #1 - Gift auction is their big event. I don't think I'm ready to undertake that. I'm not good at solicitation either. At least I don't think I am. The task just seems overwhelming, between soliciting, picking up, storing, prepping, wrapping, tagging, etc. There's a lot involved that I don't think I'm ready for.

Problem #2 - I'm not sure I'd be a great fundraiser. I can bang a drum if I need to get your attention, but I'm not a very aggressive person. I have some ideas/suggestions that I hear about from friends who are on the PTAs at other schools, as well as some I actually come up with on my own, but I'm not exactly sure of the protocol. I don't live in a wealthy town and times are tough. How much fundraising can be done before it becomes obnoxious?

Problem #3 - By the time the next school year starts, I will have a 3 year old who goes to school 2 days per week for 2 1/2 hours. That means he's with me more than not. How much can I actually get done with a 3 year old? Can I realistically run a book fair without him taking every book off the shelf? For 3 days? Two or three times throughout the year? I just don't see how I can pull any of this off.

I either want to be more involved but have realistic reservations, or I'm making excuses. I haven't decided which is true yet. I have until May 4 to figure it out. That's when I need to put my name on the ballot, or not.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I Need Some Umph

I feel like I've been in a funk for the past month. I have no motivation to do much of anything, so I'm basically doing the essentials. Not much fun, that's for sure.

We're gearing up to the end of the school year around here. Only 2 months left and my 5 year old, R, will be done with Kindergarten. It was a bit of a rough start, but things finally clicked somewhere around January and the finish line is in sight. I'm proud of my boy - he's grown quite a bit since September.

The 2 year old, D, also has come a long way since starting preschool in January. He loves to go to "playschool," as he calls it, and is so much more verbal and confident. I know there are naysayers who don't believe preschool is necessary, and I mean my husband when I say "naysayer," but D is living proof that it really does make a difference.

With summer just about around the corner, I'm starting to stress with activities to keep the boys busy. I signed up R for a Chinese summer camp for a week. My husband believes that learning the Chinese language is an economic necessity for our children. I don't have a problem with it, and R has already taken a class or 2 when he was younger. He's actually excellent at it, or so says his teacher.

Other than that, I have nothing planned. Maybe I'll search for some other activities here and there. Or maybe it's a good thing to keep the summer wide open. It is, after all, summer.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

Looking forward to a warm afternoon.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up at Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Are you crafty?

My answer: No, but I want to be. When I see crafty projects, I get so frustrated. I want to come up with that fun stuff, but for some reason it's just not in me.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?

To date, the book that it took me longest to read was "Love in the Time of Cholera." I think it was about 2 months before I actually got through it, and I was trying. It was definitely the content that posed a problem for me - the book is translated from its original language so I'm sure that made it a bit more difficult as well.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up at Kailani's site. Here's my question:

Do you prefer hardwood floors or carpeting?

My answer: I was a huge fan of carpeting until very recently. Now I can't get enough of hardwood floors. We're pulling up the carpet in every room of our house.

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!







"The Red Book" by Deborah Copaken Kogan
"Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake" by Anna Quindlen
"The Good Father" by Diane Chamberlain
"The Land of Decoration" by Grace McCleen
"Contents May Have Shifted" by Pam Houston
"The Wedding Beat" by Devan Sipher
"More Than You Know" by Penny Vincenzi
"Signs of Life" by Natalie Taylor

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . If someone asked you for a book recommendation, what is the FIRST book you’d think to recommend (without extra thought)?

I would probably recommend anything by Elin Hilderbrand. She is an author who lives on Nantucket, and all of her novels take place on the island. Her novels are light reading and thoroughly enjoyable. Will definitely make you want to visit Nantucket.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . . Do you belong to any book clubs — face-to-face,or online? If so, how long have you been with the group(s)? If not, why?

I don't belong to any book clubs, though I have wanted to for years. I have so many books on my shelf that I can't justify joining a group to read books that aren't on my shelf. I figure once I knock off a good amount on my own, I'll get back into the search for a local face-to-face book club.