Stumbling & Bumbling

2009-12-17T10:38:34-05:00

Gina

Introducing...

2009-12-15T12:13:12-05:00

Broke, Stressed and Crazed - a new blog I am a contributing author for. Come check us out over at: http://brokestressedandcrazed.blogspot.com/

Geek; Ho Ho How much?

2009-12-15T12:10:29-05:00

The other night Mike and I put the kids to bed and settled in to watch our newest DVD acquisition, "Star Trek". I wont ruin it for the remaining 2 people in the world that haven't already seen the movie but it is wonderful and it totally geeked me out to watch the starship enterprise of my youth take off again, except now it had a crew of FINE assed mofos aboard. There was a special moment during the movie that proved to me that Mike and I are made for each other. On screen, Mr. Spock lifts up his hand slowly, majestically, fingers splayed in a "V" and gives us the "live long and prosper" sign. Just as slowly both Mike and I lift up our hands to the TV making the same sign. It was a GEEK MOMENT. I just had to tell you all about it beause it was special, I tell you, special!

:::

In other news I have been eating. A lot. I came to this realization the other day when I was trying to yank on a pair of jeans that stubbornly did not want to rise above my, um, hips and wondering aloud just what the hell was going on. In a rush of images similar to what they say flashes before your eyes at the moment of your death I saw a quick slideshow of all the pieces of cheesecake, birthday cake, cookies, sweets, candies, and holiday dinners that I have recently inhaled imbibed and I realized that my pants weren't merely being stubborn, they were on STRIKE. I need to start exercising again; I've fallen into a rut lately and I am not too happy with the numbers displayed on the bathroom scale when I stepped on it recently. I need to give myself a good kick in the arse and jump start my exercise routine if I want to avoid looking like the stay puff marshmallow man - a direction in which I am headed with my mouth crammed full of Mallowmars.

I'm off for a walk with the kids and then I will possibly be grunting along to some sort of home exercise tape. If you happen to call and I don't answer SEND AN AMBULANCE. Does anyone have any tips on how to stay focused during the holidays?

2009-12-14T16:48:21-05:00

Hey all, just a quick post to let you know that I am hard at work on a new blog in conjunction with two great friends of mine. We will be unveiling the new blog soon over on blogger, its going to be fun, informative and full of interesting stories - well we HOPE it will come across that way. So check back here or if you are a friend on facebook, we will be updating the new blogs status sometime later this week. Meanwhile I FINISHED my holiday shopping, jealous much? HA!

Q-Tips Nursery Event and Cheesecake Lollipops

2009-12-11T11:03:48-05:00

Let me just say that contrary to what all of you believe I do not lead a glamorous lifestyle. Oh I know that you think that about me, with all my rambling about baby fevers, baby puke, toddler tantrums and poopy diapers but really, I am not glamorous at all. Seriously.

I did get to feel a little glamorous last Monday when I was invited to attend the Q-Tips Nursery Event along with a few distinguished ladies from other blogs and great publications like Lucky Magazine, Parenting Magazine, American Baby as well as many others. We were all treated to a delicious breakfast at the David Burke Townhouse in NYC. The reason for the event was that we were all there to celebrate the launch of the newest Q-Tips product designed specifically for use in nurseries. We had the added bonus of having nursery designer extraordinaire Wendy Bellissimo give us a few tips on how to decorate a nursery so its not only lovely but useful.

It was nice to get out, get dressed up - I couldn't show up in my customary yoga pants and ratty t-shirt- and mingle with other moms and non moms and eat to my hearts content. If made me feel just a wee bit glamorous and for that I thank the organizers for the invitation.

I would love to share with you about the new Q-tips product, but it isn't available to the public just yet- It will be in early January 2010- but I can tell you that its so unbearably cute and useful that new parents everywhere will absolutely love it. I did get two free samples that were promptly snatched from me by my best friend who is expecting because they "will go perfectly in my nursery!!!!". Sigh, she is very hormonal so I didn't want to start a fist fight with her over the cute boxes, because she would probably beat me to a pulp. She is very strong now. It's sort of scary.

Anywhoo I did pass along to her the goody bag and Wendy Bellissiomo's suggestions on how to set up a beautiful, functional nursery as well as her #1 tip - do not go out and pick a paint color first thing, because you will limit yourself as to the rest of the decor. Its a mistake I made, after painting the walls I saw so many things I would have liked for Nicky's nursery but that I couldn't use because they would have clashed with the color on the walls. She gave us tons of ideas and suggestions that I will take if ever Mike coerces me into having another baby *cough* *choke* *wheeze* ...

All in all it was a lovely, fun, informational event and I met many interesting ladies and ate like a dainty classy lady pig so it was a huge success in my book. Thanks again to the organizers and to whomever picked the menu. Cheesecake lollipops? Yeah. I love you, whoever you are.

Also, Wendy Bellissimo is a doll and also some sort of superwoman - she has FIVE daughters. FIVE. I am in awe of her.

Real Beauty

2009-12-03T11:37:21-05:00

Let me preface this entry by saying that I was contacted by representatives for Dove asking me to help them spread the word about their Self- Esteem Fund which is connected to their Campaign for Real Beauty. I must say that I am honored to work with Dove in spreading the word about this campaign as it is something that I feel very strongly about and support 100%. I had blogged about this previously and you can click here to see my original post. In the spirit of full disclosure I am getting some Dove products as a "thank you", but let me also say that thank you present or no thank you present - I would blog about this anyway.

If you've read my blog before you already know that my husband wants us to try for another baby because he would love to have a daughter and that I am deathly afraid of doing so because the thought of having a girl terrifies me. Its not that I feel I will love her any less than I love my two sons, or that I don't love the thought of having a little girl to dress up (even if my idea of dressing a little girl involves teeny little combat boots and adorable camo-dresses or cool little WoW themed t-shirts) - what categorically scares me about having a girl is the question of how I can go about raising her in such a way that her sole focus someday won't be to strive for an image of female "perfection" that is fed to all girls/women in this media clogged day and age.

Take Monday night for instance, a friend of mine who is absolutely lovely both inside and out was watching a certain lingerie "fashion show" where mostly skeletal young women with huge (fake!) heaving bosoms and perfectly shaped derrieres were sashaying down a catwalk, scantily clad. My friend, upon viewing all this "perfection", started moaning about how she just had to get back to the gym and shape up (she weighs all of 120 lbs, people). Seriously - this is a smart, down to earth, professionally successful young woman who has everything going for her and she knows it. She is not a person with low self esteem but watching this show made her think that she wasn't up to par. If this happened to such a well rounded woman, imagine what seeing the same images would do to an impressionable young girl. A young girl who is still in the midst of forming a healthy image of herself, one who is just starting to notice the reaction of the world around her to her outward appearance. If you are a woman you know how hard we can be on ourselves, how demanding it is to be "perfect". Thats why I think the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is so fantastic.

Here is a description from Dove:

"Too many girls and young women develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in later life. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty. The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. It has already reached 2 million young women.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty. In the U.S., the DSEF supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools. Since 2006, the Dove brand has conducted nearly 2,700 self-esteem educational workshops around the world. "

So ladies and gents, lets help get the word out about the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. Let's start at home with our own daughters. Dove has generously sent me copies of their True You! Workbooks (a mother-daughter guide) that I would love to give away to any readers that are interested in beginning or continuing a dialog with their daughters about what real beauty is and about the importance of having good self-esteem. I would love, love, love to hear from you about how you are addressing these issues with your daughters so please leave a comment below telling me just how you are going about it! After you leave your comment just email me at Stumblingbumbling@gmail.com with your mailing address and I will get a copy out to you.

Another way you can support the Dove Self-Esteem Fund simply by entering your Dove UPC codes here http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/selfesteem/default.aspx/ and selecting a charity. For every UPC code entered, Dove will donate $1* to inspiring self-esteem programs at a charity partner of your choice. Select one: Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Girls Inc.

I really hope that I get a lot of feedback from all the great ladies with daughters out there, remember that something that you may be doing can help out another mom out there that is trying to discuss the subject with her own daughter. Lets make this next generation of girls strong, empowered, and confident. Thank you!

Videos to help you:

"Team Jacob" or "How I lost my hearing one Saturday"

2009-11-30T15:19:04-05:00

As promised, here is my report on New Moon.

Here's the breakdown:

Mike and I get to the theater 30 minutes early because its a Saturday and we know that there are going to be approximately eleventy-bajillion teen-aged girls present and I WANT GOOD SEATS. You know so I can report accurately. Ahem.
Mike and I stand in a line so long I cant see where it begins. We are standing behind all the teen-aged girls that live within a 25 mile radius.
Mike and I get into the theater and score two seats midway up the theater. I am content.
Mike and I realize that we are surrounded by teen-aged girls and those weird "Twi-Moms".
I realize that I AM one of those weird "Twi- Moms". Oh God.
Mike comes to the same conclusion mere seconds later.
Mike laughs at me for the next 20 minutes while fume silently and attempt to ignore him and focus on the 100 or so commercials and bad previews.
Lights Dim! It's show time!
Bella's bleeding, Jasper is hungry, Edwards chucks her into the wall. Edward looks pained. Edward breaks up with Bella. Edward breaks out, Bella is in a 4 month waking coma.
I am bouncing in my seat cause ITS ALMOST TIME. TIME FOR JACOB. TIME FOR JACOBS ABS.
Jacob appears..YAY!
Wait...he still has a shirt on. I wait impatiently for him to TAKE IT OFF.
Jacob teaches Bella how to ride a bike. Bella sees Edward in waking visions. Bella crashes and Jacob TAKES HIS SHIRT OFF!
The theater goes wild. My eardrums start to bleed and my throat starts to hurt simultaneously because I am screaming along with all my peeps, including the weird Twi-Moms.
Mike rolls his eyes so hard he gives himself a small aneurysm.
This is how it continued for the rest of the 2 hours or so.

And there you have it. I loved the movie even though I felt a little like a dirty old woman for salivating over a 17 year old actor's perfect muscled torso but you know what? I got over it. The doctor says that my ears will stop ringing sometime in the next few weeks, which is important to me because I want to be able to hear the dialog when I go back to see the movie. Again. And Again.

fin

Giving Thanks, Even Without a Dishwasher

2009-11-25T10:53:32-05:00

I was talking with my wonderful friend and fellow blogger Alyssa from Alygatrs Everywhere the other day when a remark she made to me reminded me how different growing up here in NYC was for me. While we were chatting on the phone (she lives right outside of Houston, TX) I was washing the dishes and cursing about how I detest washing dishes and how it is the bane of my existence and so on and so forth when she asked me "Don't you have a dishwasher?" "Nope" I replied, "In fact, I've never ever had a dishwasher, even in the house." [For all of you who don't know, we just sold our house and moved into an apartment here because it was draining the money out of our pockets as well as our VERY LIFE FORCE.] "Wow" she said, and proceeded to tell me how even when she and her husband had their very first place they the apartments came with the roll out dishwashers.

Now don't think that Alyssa is a snotty uptown chick that thinks less of those who haven't been blessed with dishwashers, she is one down to earth, awesome chick. It just proves that growing up middle class in NYC, where all the buildings are old and the houses older is a much different experience than growing up middle class somewhere in the rest of the good old USA.

The apartment building that I grew up in was built in the late 50's I think, and while full of good hardworking people wasn't the most glamorous or modern place. But let me tell you, growing up there was great, and on days like Thanksgiving, it was fabulous. The whole building smelled like a Thanksgiving feast. Turkey, stuffing, pies of all kinds and- being Queens - one of the most racially diverse boroughs in NYC - you would get the aromas Colombian, Chinese and Indian foods as well. It's still like that to this day, even with the advent of new constructions that actually feature dishwashers in each apartment (damn them!).

I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow, which will be held at my brothers place (suckers!) and will feature a metric ton of food which I plan on consuming all by myself. Ok, maybe I will share. I am also toying with the idea of taking the kids to see the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade so they can be properly awed by the insane balloons and so they can appreciate how it feels to freeze your ass off. Because its a valuable lesson. No really, it is! Ok it isn't but its a damned tradition to go freeze your butt off during the parade here in NY, ok?

This year, even though its been a little tough since I got canned, has been one of the best ever. My family is healthy and happy, my friends, especially true friends that have withstood the test of time and loyalty are abundant and supportive and generally great and I give thanks for all of it.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is wonderful and that no matter how you celebrate it, you are with the ones you love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. - Um how in the hell do you make candied yams? Anyone? Help!

Tidbits

2009-11-22T10:44:18-05:00

So I haven't blogged much lately and that usual kick in the pants that I receive via email from one dedicated reader or another arrived just yesterday afternoon prompting me to BLOG NOW OR FOREVER FEEL ____'s WRATH.

So here I am blogging to save my life. Tee hee.

What have I been up to lately? Well there is the never ending Job Search (pronounced in a James Earl Jones voice over) which, truth be told, I am pursuing in a rather lackluster sort of way. I am conflicted about going back to work, like so many others out there I need a job, so I can help out with the bills and the rent. However what I did before was...well it wasn't fulfilling to me but hey, a paycheck was a paycheck and I wasn't complaining. Now that I have a chance to look for a new job, I'd like to do something that interests me. It can be anything really, I don't have to head a company or anything along those lines, but I would like to have a job that I look forward to going to everyday. So I have been picky about what I have applied to and I am sure that isn't really helping my chances of landing a job anytime soon. I am still toying with the idea of going back to school as well but like so many other things this requires cold hard cash. Bah, I think I will just enjoy the holidays and then start looking in earnest. If any prospective employers are out there and want to hire me to take me out of my jobless misery, feel free to email me!

We've been out and about lately here, trying to enjoy the cool weather before it turns completely miserable and renders us homebound for the next few months. My love hate relationship with NYC turns to the 'love" side of the ball at times like these. In these last few weeks, we've been to the NYC Aquarium, White Post Farms, The Queens Zoo, The NY Hall of Science and various and sundry playgrounds. I've taken the boys on fall leaf color expeditions around our neighborhood and enjoyed watching them playing the huge mounds of leaves just like I did when I was a kid.

Here are some pictures to prove it, ferocious readers! I will have some brand new posts up soon on my experience watching New Moon with approximately 56875945997695987 teeny boppers in attendance, my ruminations on New Nobel Prizes that should be created and awarded to stay at home parents and a recipe for...something. Meanwhile enjoy some pictures from the last few weeks of the L family adventures:

2009-11-18T16:37:55-05:00

NEWSFLASH: I can't stop watching Disney's "UP". I think the kids are getting tired of it BUT I LOVE IT.