who knew saving the environment would be so sticky

First let me say that I hold AT&T personally responsible for the last 36 hours of internetless hell I have been living in. They have directly caused me to finish a book, clean my kitchen, finish every stitch of laundry in the house, go to bed at a decent hour and watch TV. DSL my arse.

That said.

Let me tell you a little something about cloth diapering. Oh sure it is all honorable to go about disposing of my child's waste in an environmentally friendly way. Poop does not bother me, no way no how. I laugh in the face of laundry...(at least while my internet is down)...I have front a loading washer and dryer afterall.

Note: If you have the means...go buy them right now. I'll wait.

I have been using cloth on and off for about a month but today was my first full cloth day.

...and let me tell you...I under estimated the amount of stuff baby poop can actually get on.

Severely under estimated.

• One baby
• Three pairs of pants
• Two onezies (that last one was missed by the smallest margin)
• Two pairs of socks
• One Robeez (if there is only one of them is it a Robee?)
• The changing pad
• The changing pad cover
• The other changing pad cover
• All three of the emergency changing pad cover protectors
• The changing table
• The wipe box
• The basket the wipe box is in
• The anti-bacterial hand gel
• A Pampers Swaddler-the non-waste of which was ironically behind this whole lets go cloth thing
• Yep, you guessed it...the wall
• Oh yeah...lets not forget. ME

I am in no way giving up. If anything this has strengthened my resolve to do the right thing by the earth and my baby's bottom...besides there are 3 disposable diapers left in the house so it's not like I have left myself a choice here.

Now...if you'll excuse me. I have about 2 hours worth of laundry and cleaning to do....and when I am done with that 355 feeds (again a big shout out to AT&T) to sort through.

...going to be a long night.

hmmm 36 hours and that the best I could do huh...

outside the obvious

Ummmm yeah...Still here. The update...the dealer can not fix my Jeep either.

WTF?

So as I slowly loose my mind here is my list for why I think it is best I get back to CT ASAP!

• Stairs. In CT I have stairs and I miss them.


• The last part of the BBS production of Pride and Prejudice is recorded on my home DVR.


• Foot rubs. Need I say more?


• Temprapedic mattress baby.


• Sunny sunshiny house. My house is like vitamin D central all year long. It is the brightest happiest place I have ever lived.


• My front loader washer and dryer.


• In combo with #6, I would like to wear something besides the 3 days worth of clothing I brought with me.


• Silent doors. All the doors at my Dads house squeak and it makes me crazy.


• Speaking of squeaks. There are squirrels living in my Dads attic and they are building squirrel condos up there like freaking Doozers.


• Riley is 3 months old today. (gasp!). I have neither the camera or the stuffed puppy I photograph her with every month - with me.


• If I stay in NJ another minute I think I may strangle my JMIL.


• Ummm the baby is actually out growing her clothes I brought with me.


• I was firm on this one....I in no way shape or form ever wanted to live in NJ ever ever again. Now however, every day seems more and more like I am actually living here and it is making me very uncomfortable.


• When a squirrel was caught today I found myself wanting to pet it. I miss my cats!


• My fridge at home has a water/ice dispenser. Who knew that would turn into an indispensable item when you are forcibly removed from it for 10 days.


• On the subject of water...I drink a TON of it...From LARGE Cups. I can not tolerate the 8oz drinking glasses in this house. They are for insane and clearly dehydrated people.


• I am not ready for spring. It is coming here and I am afraid by the time I get home it will have arrived there.


• If I don't get home soon I fear Spouse will have driven himself insane by watching too many hours of the NFL Network.


• I am becoming a shop-a-holic for my baby. I have bought her 3 Easter dresses and we are Jewish.


• I seriously, honestly and truly miss home.

All joking aside. This is the worst part of all of it. Spouse. Alone. Up there.

Sure he goes to work and he comes home as usual. But there is no one there to welcome him. He has not had a hug in 10 days! This is the longest we have been apart since we began to date. It is hurting both of us. But it gets worse. He is missing his baby. The baby I took with me when I left is not the same girl I am bringing home.

She squeals.

She grabs her toys.

She passes them from one hand to another and brings them to her mouth.

She laughs. Today for the first time. She laughed and laughed and laughed.

And he missed it.

I just want to go home now.

Please?

sugar snap peas too...

I have always been one for getting on a band wagon once it is old and dusty. So in light of that I am posting my Under-Rated Pleasures.

I got this nifty idea (a really long time ago) for a post from here and here.

(drumroll...)

The Beatles: In My Life.

Any Beatles fan would argue with you that their favorite song is the all time best Beatles song ever. The fact is they are probably right. The Beatles are just that good. For me however, In My Life touches my soul in a way that very few pieces of art can. A master piece; it grounds me.

But of all these friends and lovers

There is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

In my life

I love you more

I want to cry right now.

Canceling Christmas.

This is not a Bah-Humbug kind of thing. I love Christmas. It's my very favorite holiday; running just ahead of my birthday, which yes, I consider a holiday. The birthday would win of course but alas! Not everyone has the day off work and no one has trees decorated in my honor.

So we canceled Christmas...For the third year running mind you and it turned out to be not so bad.

Three years ago, no cookies or cookie parties.
Last year, no home decoration, cookies or cookie parties.
This year, no presents, empty consumerism, decoration, cookies or cookie parties.

Do you see where I am going with this? What was I left with?? Family. That's right, Christmas this year was just about my family. Me, Spouse, the little monkey and my Father. Throw in a splash of my Mothers best friend Nancy and I was beyond content. This is what is should be about!! In fact I think I may cancel all future holidays!

Oh and it doesn't hurt that for the first time in 15 years I was not traveling to NY to be with my Irish cousins...all gazillion of us. This year due to my Dads health (whole other post) and the monkey we took the year off. It truly is my favorite thing to do in the world but this year I needed the break! Sheesh I just had the kid you know?

Wrapping Presents.

Yeah this one goes against the general grain of the last one but I don't mean just Christmas presents. Any kind of present. I love to wrap. I love wrapping paper and ribbon....I have boxes of ribbon. Wired ribbon especially makes me swoon. We are talking fetish here. One of my all time favorite things to do is to wrap a gift for someone; to make it beautiful. Just thinking about it makes me want to go wrap something. I get more pleasure in the persons reaction to the way the gift looks then their reaction to the gift. For the holidays especially each and every gifts appearance is unique; they take on a life of their own.

I get this talent from my mother....She made everything beautiful.

Being alone.

When I run errands....by myself.... I really take my time! There is no one living inside me, no one in the car seat, no one on the boob...it is just me. It is lovely. I just love a leisurely drive...I love my Jeep...and I love being in it...alone.

Hovering.

Now ladies we all know this one. The art of the public restroom hover. Road trips during pregnancy meant lots and lots of pit stops with lots and lots of unclean seats and a belly too big for me to hover. My nether-regions cowered in fear. It was awful. Wet Ones anyone??

Now when I am in public and I hear natures call...no worries...hover baby. Hover all the way!!!!!!

It is glorious.

You know, its all relative.

Pizza.

Good Pizza. The pizza I was raised on. NYC/NJ pizza. The crust to sauce to cheese ratio is always evolving. It depends where you go. It depends which guy makes it that day. The one thing you can be sure of is no matter what, even bad pizza in NJ is good. So good. The best New England pizza can not even hold a candle to the worst NYC/NJ pizza. I have had it all over the country and there is never a comparison.

Strangely the same thing goes for Bagels.

To all the people who live some place that's else...you don't know what you're missing. Get your butts moving, come to NYC/NJ (they really are one state you know) and get yourself a slice. That's right a slice...triangular. Imagine my horror when I opened my first New England pizza box and found a round pie cut into squares.

WTF?

Now you! I'm waiting.

50 True Things

1. I will not give the time of day to "Supermarket Stalkers". You know who you are. You have tables and pens and try to get me to sign/donate or express interest in your Fill in organization/charity here. (This rule does not apply to those pedaling girlscout cookies).

2. I didn't realize I had curly hair until I was about 16. Until then I thought it was just really frizzy.

3. If you are in the left hand lane and in front of me you are driving too slow.

4. One of my dearest dreams is to touch the grass at Giants Stadium. Is that shallow?

5. I believe my marriage is very much like my parents and that makes me happy.

6. The dream I had last night was that Howard Stern was electrocuting one of my cats, Bacon. It was horrifying.

7. The dream I had the other night involved hanging out with my friend Jenni from college, Christine from work, Angelina Jolie and Camryn Manheim. WTF?

8. I have actually left notes on peoples cars in parking lots like "If you cant park it don't drive it". I have also told people with great concern on my face that they may want to bring their cars in for service since I noticed their turn signals were not functioning.

9. My friend Jordan never fails to make me laugh.

10. I have seen the inside of every public restroom from NJ to VT.
Gross

11. I have a stash of Reese's Peanut Butter cups in a veggie burger box in my freezer.

12. I truly have only one regret in life and I never talk about it.

13. I consider the fact that my spouse can not properly work the dish washer or washing machine "Job Security".

14. Speaking of jobs...I miss my job every day but I don't actually miss doing my job...get it?

15. The people who live in my town are Jerry Springer crazy.

16. I can pretty much name any episode from Buffy the Vampire Slayer when given a brief description. Go on, challenge me...I know, I have problems.

17. I am very seldom naughty.

18. If I turn too quickly to the left I am likely to fall down.

19. I read blogs everyday...if I miss a day I actually feel withdrawal symptoms

20. I have a bedding fetish. Quilts, pillows, comforters, feather weights and thread counts make my knees go weak.

21. When I start reading a book I will finish it within 3 days or never. (I have piles of half read books I have lost interest in.)

22. I read the bible cover to cover. (I am not remotely religious and no that one didn't take 3 days.)

23. One of my oldest jokes...I am Irish and Jewish; I drink a lot and buy is wholesale.

24. In reality I don't drink ever, at all. Really.

25. I have however craved beer throughout my pregnancy. Weird....

26. I am dying for a cigarette. (It's been 9 months and I am wondering if the urge will ever go away.)

27. I have a lump in my jaw that may or may not be a "problem" (We will find out post-birth). I have named it 'Lumpy'. Creative I know...Names like Sven and Fredrick just didn't stick.

28. My two favorite meals ever; Ming's Dumplings from Rochester NY and Veggie Soup with Brown Bread from any pub Ireland.

29. The food in my current locale sucks.

30. If it was strictly up to me the baby's name would be McKenna or Leah for a girl and Henry for a boy. The Spouse hates all those names.

31. I have read The Stand, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (before it was cool to do so) and The Hunt for Red October about 6 times each.

32. On the subject of over kill....I can watch Love Actually or Pride and Prejudice over and over and over.

33. "Radio On" by Todd Sheaffer always makes me think of my brother.

34. I loathe summer but it wasn't always that way. Sometimes when I am trapped inside I feel like the girl in the bubble.

35. Friends don't let friends carry wicker.

36. My spouse completely disregards his health and it drives me i-n-s-a-n-e!

37. I love Broadway.

38. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" has been my favorite since I was a kid.
39. I am a vegetarian.

40. My life is like Passover these days...I must 'recline' on a regular basis or suffer the revenge of the flailing feet to my stomach and ribcage.

41. I wouldn't have it any other way.

42. I will never ever ever complain about cold weather, being cold or any manner of winter which may annoy most people. I am "taking back" a season!

43. Christmas is my favorite holiday and it has nothing to do with presents and everything to do with seeing my family.

44. I can (and do) talk to Liz endlessly through out the day and amazingly we never run out of things to talk about. It has been this way for years!

45. I tend to make friends for life or not at all.

46. I am currently going through the latter.

47. I have a mental illness totally related to the creation of meals that do not involve a box, microwave or menu.

48. I redeem myself by baking.

49. I woke up one day and realized I was more 'adult like' then I ever thought I would be.

50. True to form I take no responsibility for this...its all Spouses fault.