If it wasn't yours, I'd eat it

Hey; did you notice that I had posted anything to the blog since Friday?
I hate it when the weekends fly by so quickly I have no idea what I did instead of blog. I know I started a book on Saturday. Hmmm. So that's probably where my Saturday night went. The book ... ... ... and Nights in Rodanthe.
But last night? Hmmmm ... ... ... I finished the book (Blown, by Francine Mathews) and then I watched True Blood.
Every other memory of the weekend is awash in pee and clad in panties.
I'm exhausted. And I need to start getting to bed earlier again.
But a whole weekend between blog ramblings?
I'm sorry.
Here. Have a cupcake.

This picture would make a really hard puzzle

Just a couple notes to you, my friends:
1.) This potty training thing, while necessary, is totally frustrating. Yes, I understand that the child won't just get it the first day. And I know that everyone has their own thoughts on that. But the level of patience required to get through this without losing it on your child is more than I thought I had. I, literally, walked around all day in a state of almost-tears, just waiting for the next flood of urine or poopy surprise to come my way. How long exactly is this training going to take? And will I be in this constant state of anxiety for weeks and months? Diapers rule.
2.) Once again, I'm up later than I wanted to be, with little to nothing to show for it. I did though, make it to the gym for a time this afternoon, and got that one bag of yard waste out with the night's garbage, so I suppose it can't be all bad.
3.) We had a storm ... or, a weather event that they consider a storm out here ... tonight, too. Windy, which was really nice, and a few raindrops, which was disappointing. Brian and I were just talking today how nice it would be here if Arizona had real weather. If there had been an actual storm tonight, we might have decided we like it here.
4.) I've been playing with Sydney's little 12-piece jigsaw puzzles so much lately that I developed an incredible jones for an adult puzzle for me. We checked out Target this morning, and I found a decent 750-piece Disney Villains panoramic puzzle. I also bought one of those felt, storage mats for the puzzle: you know, where you actually construct the puzzle on the felt, and then are able to roll it up so no toddlers or dogs can get to the pieces. The felt itself was folded in the purchase box, so was all chockablock full of creases, bumps and folds. My puzzle pieces do not lay flat, and that is, to put it mildly, annoying as hell. I need a large dining room table. In a dining room that is off-limits to all children and dogs. Oh, and I think Daisy's eaten a couple of my pieces already, since I'm missing four pieces of border, and have been through the rest of the box twice, and can't find anymore in there. Grr.
5.) And just, Grrr. Andrea knows what I mean. Grr.

"Time to go sit on the potty!!"

I am so tired.
Dude. Potty training is HARD.
It's been a while since I had to devote such complete attention to one thing for an entire day, and I'll tell you, it's taken its toll on me. It's not even 10 p.m. yet, and I've already made my nighttime phone calls, am blogging about the day, and have yawned more than a couple times. I am totally going to bed early.
The potty training experience though, was not too bad. Sydney did absolutely fantastic. Of course, my first call tonight went to Lisa, just so I could have someone else tell me how well Sydney and I did today. I posted the day's tally on Facebook, but I'll copy and past it here so you all can appreciate it, too.
The tally for the day: seven pees in the potty (we roll with a 25-minute increment between forced potty breaks), three piddling accidents (one in the hallway, two in the living room), four panties (consequence of above accidents), three t-shirts (two had pee on them, one was soiled with oatmeal), two hand towels (they get wet faster when the person using them isn't too proficient), two potty-focused books (one about Molly Matthews and the preferred, How to Potty Train Your Monster), one poop in the potty (it was totally an accident, but a HUGE victory!), and one very proud mommy (tired, too).
When I sit back and look at my day, and consider that, this morning, she had only a vague idea of what the process of peeing and pooping in the potty entailed, and that by tonight, she peed, wiped, flushed, and washed her hands all by herself, I think the whole process really is pretty amazing. Add to all that the knowledge that she didn't sleep at all for her nap, and that I'm running on fumes right now, and you know it was an exhausting several hours of daylight.
So right now, I'm going to stop yawning again, turn off the computer, finish watching Live Free or Die Hard, and then go to bed. Because tomorrow will be easier.
It will; won't it??

DWTS returns on 9/21/09

I'm sure you all have been wondering exactly why it's been so long since you've heard anything about Dancing with the Stars, especially since the Season 9 cast was announced a couple weeks ago. Reason #1: I just haven't had the time to write what I knew from the outset would be a lengthy post. Reason #2: I needed to trim down my fingernails to type what I knew would be a lengthy post, and I was taking my time about doing that. Reason #3: I hadn't come across an evening or afternoon when it just felt like "the right time" to roll back into my DWTS obsession. Lucky you; tonight's the night!!
In Season 9, which begins on Sept. 21 with a three-night premiere, there will be 16 contestants, rather than the normal amount of 13. With no further ado, the contestants, and my opinions on them.
Tom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader ~ This is the one that made me go "Hmmm," but I have a feeling that he'll be our surprise contender. He'll leave in the middle, but not before impressing a lot of people.
Donny Osmond, singer, purple socks wearer ~ Whoever didn't see this coming a mile away is hereby revoked of their DWTS coolness card. Once Marie made a decent showing, you just had to know that Donny would be there soon.
Macy Gray, singer ~ I really loved her first CD, but lost contact with her afterwards. Let's see what she's been up to.
Kelly Osbourne, reality star ~ And here's our first bit of crazy. I think she's going to be into it, but also a bit of a prima donna.
Debi Mazar, actress ~ Mazar has always been kinda funky in my head, so I really hope that she does well.
Mya, singer ~ Mya has the background in dance to do really well in this competition. I dig her because of her more famous work in the awesomely classic "Lady Marmalade" cover from Moulin Rouge, with Pink, Lil' Kim and Christina Aguilera.
Melissa Joan Hart, actress ~ I find her a nit milquetoast. Dear Ms. Hart, Please make me care. Thank you.
Michael Irvin, NFL player ~ Ah yes, the token football player. I hope he enjoys this more than the last NFL player whom I can't even remember, but do recall hated all the feminine stuff.
Ashley Hamilton, son of George and ex-husband of Shannen Doherty ~ I don't care.
Aaron Carter, singer ~ All I know of this guy is that he sparked that huge feud between Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff a couple years ago. I feel shame about knowing this.
Kathy Ireland, ex-model ~ Another wild card who may impress us all? Perhaps.
Natalie Coughlin, ex-Olympic swimmer and medal winner ~ Is Coughlin going to extend the Olympic winners' streak? I'm thinking no, but we'll see how the people vote.
Louie Vito, pro snowboarder ~ I have no idea who this guy is. Let's hope he's a better presence than last season's Steve-O.
Chuck Liddell, ex-UFC fighter ~ Ugh, and I don't care.
Mark Dacascos, actor and martial artist better known as the Chairman on Iron Chef America ~ I love Iron Chef America, so I'll be rooting for him.
Joanna Krupa, swimsuit model ~ And this season's Holly Madison. Krupa was on another ABC reality show. It's nice to know that ABC's nepotism is still alive and well this season.
I can't say that there is anyone on this season's roster that I'm geeked about seeing on the show. There is certainly no Belinda Carlisle level coolness going on here. It's kind of nice though, going in with a clean slate. I am not predisposed to love any one of these people, so really, any one of them could win my heart!

First day of school!!

Sydney started preschool today! She thoroughly enjoyed it, and, according to her teacher, there was a little bit of crying first thing this morning, but then after that, she participated well and was all smiles with everyone. Issue: potty training. Syd is still in diapers, and to be in the 3's class, you have to be potty trained. The principal met me in the parking lot this afternoon to discuss the diapers thing, and apparently, from the conversation, she is now under the impression that Syd will come to class in underwear on Thursday. I though I said that we would get through Thursday in a diaper and then guerrilla potty training would take place this weekend. Now, it seems to be the order of the day for tomorrow. I guess I'll get to reading Kerry's potty training manual, How to Potty Train Your Child in One Day. It seems that tomorrow, I'll need it.
If the potty training thing doesn't work out, we can move her down to the 2s, where peeing in the potty isn't required, until she's potty trained, and she can move back to the 3s. They've had to move two kids already, so it's not unheard of, but still, I feel like I've failed her somehow because I didn't push this more aggressively.
Still, all that matters is that Sydney had a good day, and she did!!

The grass should be greener

Have I told you how much I love Monday naptimes? They're my favorite because I feel like I'm not required to catch up on anything since it's the beginning of the week. Today, I'm obsessed with the last two weeks' episodes of True Blood, so I am watching them again. I figure I've got another 20 minutes of quiet before I need to get Sydney up, so I'll spend the time blogging and watching the best invention ever, or over the last few years anyway: DVR.
~~ So Michael Jackson's death was ruled a homicide. I'm of two minds about this: 1.) The LAPD finally has someone to blame for this death, giving their public relations department a neat little bow to tie around the entire situation. 2.) I would assume that Dr. Conrad Murray did not mean to kill Jackson. These accidental deaths are always so subjective. There is no way he'll ever come back from this, and it's pretty sad how the whole thing could have been avoided with just a bit more care, or had he just said something like, "Dude. Just close your eyes. You want me to sing you a lullaby? You don't need to be put in a medically induced coma to get a night's sleep."
~~ I watched just a bit of the football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the ... ... I don't remember. Who played in that game? No matter. I'm excited about football season starting!
~~ I understand that it may not be as good for my grass to be watered in the afternoon after Sydney lays down for her nap, but I think that getting watered then is better than not getting watered at all. My grass in the backyard is in a sorry state right now -- it's a bit more brown than green -- but I can see that it'll be happier with some consistent watering over the next several days. The reason why I have to wait to water after the kid is in bed? If you have to ask, you obviously have never tried to water grass with an awake toddler in the house. It results in too much excess water on people, dogs and walls. Sadly, it's a bit of a waste of water doing it with Sydney's "help." I'd rather just do it and get it done with minimal fuss. So that's the schedule I'll roll with for now. I'll give you a green-ness update in a few days!

I also love "Mary Poppins"

I think there should be a kite festival in Arizona. Of course, if the wind blew at all, without it feeling like a hair dryer in the face, there probably would be one. I'm actually going to look into it though, in case there is one of which I am just unaware.

We saw a whole bunch of kites in different toy stores all week, and all I thought was how, if we were in Boston still, we would totally have a few kites in the house. There was a lot of wind on the East Coast, as compared to Arizona. I love flying a kite. It's so fun.

"Let's go fly a kite,

up to the highest height.

Let's go fly a kite,

and send it soaring.

Up to the atmosphere.

Up where the air is clear,

oh, let's go, fly a kite."

The purple may or may not stay

We're back at Mom's house, and are also quite exhausted. I got the driving duties today, which really was fine, since it's super fun to speed along the highway moving through traffic in her car. But still, six hours behind the wheel is a long time. Sydney was a frickin' rock star the whole time, needing only someone to entertain, or be entertained by. We didn't have to break out the DVD player at all. AND she even took a nap! Good drive today!!
**yawn**
I'm tired. And I'm also getting my hair done first thing tomorrow morning. This whole random-gray-strands thing is pissing me off.

p.s. This is a penguin playing with a hose. I like this picture almost entirely because you see the penguin mid-step. It amuses me.

You Mommy, Her Gramma, Me Sydney

How's this for an interesting conundrum? Sydney heard me call my mom, "Mom," this afternoon. Awesome reaction from my kid: She touches me on the arm, points at me, and explains, "You're Mommy." Then she points to mom, and says, "That's Gramma. She's Gramma." Again, I get a tap on the arm, "Mommy." Of course, Sydney is still too young to understand the family dynamic in that kind of way, but it was super cute to be corrected about it.

You're wondering what else we did today. Sydney woke us up at 7 this morning, announcing that she couldn't sleep anymore. We visited the village at Northstar at Tahoe. There is now an ice skating/roller skating rink in the middle of it, a brand new condominium complex built in the middle of it, new ticket windows, and most remarkably, a Starbucks right there. We had hoped to take the gondola on a scenic ride, but it wasn't available today. Having left Northstar kind of disappointed, we made our way to Kings Beach for lunch at one of Mom's favorite spots. Then we played in the lake for a bit at the beach. Then we came back to the hotel where Sydney refused to nap, and finally crashed for an hour while Mom and I read magazines. For dinner, Mom's favorite restaurant, Lanza's. It was good stuff.

We got back to the room, and I had wanted to watch a movie. I actually was quite excited to see Star Trek. But then, I saw how much the hotel wanted to charge for the film: $14.99. I was all, "Hell, NO!" Can you believe how much that movie would have cost? Crazy!!

So instead, we're currently watching, Law & Order: SVU, and have already sat through tonight's episode of Wipeout. Ugh.

p.s. This is perhaps the best vacation picture ever! Have you seen this online? This random squirrel made his way into this couple's self-portrait on their vacation. They posted it at nationalgeographic.com, and it has grown quite a fan base. Including me!

Nick Cannon, go away

I am watching America's Got Talent, and aside for the David Hasselhoff crazy, I am not liking it at all. Nick Cannon is bugging me like no one's business. ... ... ... You know, and in fact, I think the only thing that is really bugging me right now about this show is the presence of Nick Cannon. Who knew that Mariah Carey, one of my biggest celebrity pet peeves, would be married to one of my newest celebrity pet peeves, Cannon? That comes off as entertaining to me right now.

Mom, Sydney and I are in Truckee, Calif. tonight. We can't really remember the last time I was in Truckee, but the ballpark year is 1999. I can't remember if Brian and I have been here since we got married, or even if I'd been since I moved out of Mom and Howie's house. This town has changed a lot. It's all random stuff: a roundabout, no more movie theater, less coolness on the main street, a new micro-brewery (yummy dinner!), paying for parking, and better stuff in the variety store.

Tomorrow, we head up to Northstar, on day three of a trip that has become something of a pilgrimage in honor of Howie.

This is Bishop ... wahoo!!

We're in Bishop, California. You can say it: hot spot of the Eastern Sierra Valley. This is where Howie grew up, and our regular stop mid-way to Lake Tahoe.

The drive itself was a nice one! Still warm, about 95 degrees most of the way, but it still was not as hot as the desert. (It IS a vacation!!) And only twice did I think that perhaps I might get pulled over for speeding. Is there a single speed limit sign on the 395? I do not remember seeing one, but I'm pretty sure that if I did, it wouldn't have said 85. Still, I didn't get any tickets today. I make no such promises for tomorrow. One of the best things about road tripping with my mom is that I feel like if I get a speeding ticket, it's okay and I won't get in trouble because she's in the car with me. It's sort of like that time all us girls cheered her into making an illegal left turn in Beverly Hills one night and she got pulled over because of it. But I digress.

Tomorrow, we head off to Tahoe.

No, it's just a hot heat

So I'm blogging to you tonight from Mom's little laptop. She bought it for randomness, and I've been picking on her constantly since she got it, because I didn't think it was something that she would ever really use. And yet, here I sit, using this little computer that I swore would never get used. I've messed around with Facebook, checked my e-mail, tweeted, and added four new web sites to the favorites up there. For all intents and purposes, and for this week, I think I may have adopted this petite machine for my very own.

President Barack Obama was in Arizona today, and he and his family visited the Grand Canyon. I am beyond tickled with the photos of them getting off their plane all dressed in shorts and tanks and t-shirts ... except the president himself, who, no doubt, needs to show that he's not affected by such things as ridiculously high temperatures. I bet, in some little place in their minds, they didn't figure the heat in Arizona could be that bad. "It's a dry heat," and all that.

They're my inspiration

I decided my shockabuku (be sure to read the post below to understand what that means) required a special avatar. Here she is, chilling, comfortably and casually, in a field of lovely orange and yellow flowers.

You see in the back there? Behind that one big flower and under the tree line? That's Mom and Sydney.

A white girl's vision quest

Have I told you about my favorite word in one of my favorite movies? The movie is Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack. The word is "shockabuku," which means a swift spiritual kick to the head. I enjoy the concept of shockabuku, and like to think that I can summon one if I really need it. Right now, in fact, over the last several months, I've felt in myself a yearning for a powerful shockabuku. I posted it as my Facebook status a couple days ago: I need to recharge my batteries, take an attitudinal chill pill, get out of dodge, and hang out with my two favorite girls. I've got a whole lot coming up in the next few months, and need to clear my head to better deal with it. I need to detox myself. And for me, there is no better psychological palate cleanser than a road trip.
Tomorrow begins a new adventure. Sydney and I fly out to Mom's, and on Monday, we hit the road. What's the itinerary? A stop here and a stop there. I'll keep you posted as we progress. (I set up the network connection between the blog here and my very cool iPhone, so I should ... should ... be able to blog quite well from the road. I am not sure how well I can post any accompanying images, but we'll cross that blogger's bridge when we get to it.) At any rate, a couple days on the road, visiting some places that we love, having a hundred laughs, and doing something randomly cool is the best prescription for my shockabuku. I'll come back home a more centered, focused, cleansed and ambitious person. I think it'll be a remarkably positive thing for me. I'm very much looking forward to it.

It's like a weird J.Crew ad, is it not?

ITEM!: I'm not sure if I'm horrified more at the fact that these dolls are so cheesy, or that I seem to be feeling like I must possess them. For those of you not so much in the know about teen-vampire love stories, these are the dolls of the characters Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from the Twilight series of novels and movies. My fascination with the dolls is on a few levels: 1.) Bella the doll is prettier and dresses better than Bella the character. That sounds mean, but I don't intend it to be. 2.) Edward actually is that pale in the movie, and the doll manufacturers carried through with that even to the doll's hands. That's creepy, but awesome. 3.) The hair on Edward is off-putting. 4.) They're so .... Barbie. Did Barbie have a vampire boyfriend? Would I have had that doll, too? Probably. My goodness, I had a Purple Pie Man. I totally would have had the Vampire Ken doll.
ITEM!: We've had three nights of Sydney going to sleep without her Ted. Yesterday, she couldn't nap "with no Ted," but therefore passed out quickly at bedtime last night. Today, it took her about 50 minutes to fall asleep for her nap, but she finally did! And on an incredibly high note, she did not mention Ted at all. Yay!!
ITEM!: When Daisy dreams, she makes the same huffing, snarfing and whiny noises that Oliver does when he dreams. Totally cool. My dogs are pretty great.
ITEM!: The Fifth Element has been on rotation on Cinemax lately. I don't know why, but I watch it. Actors, not including the movie's star, Bruce Willis, in this movie: Chris Tucker, better known from the Rush Hour movies. Best part about his character, "BZZZZZ." Gary Oldman, a very well-respected actor, who chews up the scenery in this movie like no one's business. Milla Jovovich, who is only cool in Resident Evil films. Sir Ian Holm, who played Bilbo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), who, for whatever reason, decided that in 1997, he would play the part of a scientist's assistant and only live for five minutes in a cheesy Bruce Willis movie.