Domestic Goddess?

Well, I think so. This Christmas I think I actually pulled things off in typical Americana fashion. The presents were wrapped ahead of time, the dessert was prepared the day before, the meat was pre-ordered from the small family-owned local grocer. So now my friends I can sip my Baileys and milk and say, "Ahhh". Here are some pictures of our idyllic Christmas day. (Note: pictures of Niko having a tantrum throughout most of the dinner have been omitted).


The excitement of opening the presents at the crack of dawn.


Grandma and Papa there to further spoil the children.


Is that Rachel Ray? Oh wait, it's me! Making the not so vegetarian au jus.



Oh yes, and just a simple dessert - triple layer chocolate coconut cake with homeade cream frosting.

But really, not everything was perfect. I did forget to fill the stockings. Oops! And although I did try to keep things eco-friendly and green, there were quite a few new plastic toys with lots of packaging in our house this morning. And while usually I try to stick to a mostly vegetarian diet, as you can see, our meal focused around this:


But hey, with a picky father-in-law sometimes you gotta just go with the meat. After all that cookin' and entertaining, I'm wiped. Now it's back to pastas and take out for the rest of the year! Hope your day was swell!!

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This Holiday Season, Please Say No to the Christmas Sweater

Now I hope I'm not offending you, dear reader. If you happen to be wearing a busy, cheery, sparkly holiday sweater right now, maybe you should stop reading this.

Now, I didn't go to school to be a teacher, I went to become a speech-language pathologist. Maybe this is why I missed the course on Elementary School Teacher Fashion? Was the message somehow passed on to teachers that they must wear the ugliest, brightest and gaudiest sweaters and accessories for every holiday? Is there research out there that says students will learn better if their teacher's attire is crazy bright and busy? It was bad enough for Halloween that almost every teacher (well, usually the ones over 40) walked around for weeks before in orange and black. But now I have seen bad taste gone overboard. Giant snowmen, snowflakes, Christmas trees adorn many a teacher's upper body. One of my superiors was wearing a blood-red sweater with matching tie with Santas on it. How can I take him seriously? Another prominent staff member has on a sweater vest with get this, leopard snowmen? And as I sit in on meetings with these colleagues, I actually start to feel guilty that I am in my typical black top and olive green pants. Should I go home and throw up Christmas on some of my clothes?

I just can't do it!

Isn't My Husband Talented?

Here's the link to Kaveh's latest holiday card he designed and animated for his company. I just had to show it off!

Now Why Didn't I Know About This?

Hello Kitty maternity ward!!

Tag, I'm It

Boy, I've never been tagged, or memed, before but my oh so kind sister did this a few weeks back and I've ignored it for too long.  Basically I'm supposed to say 5 Fun Facts about myself and then I need to meme 5 funny friends. This is like one of those annoying chain letters but I guess I'll play along.  Here's some fun facts:

1) I was the lead singer in several punk/pop/rock bands.  Yes, from approximately 1990-2005 I was the lead singer in many bands with my friend Jamie.  First it was Token White Boy in Newark, Delaware.  Then a few years later I ended up in San Francisco and Jamie and I hooked up with Kim, Ilhan and Tedd (may he rest in peace) to form Yusakuta.  We rocked around the Bay for about 5 years, then broke up and the ladies of the band became Hazy with Jamie's brother and party animal Chris.  

2) My Poop on the Potty Song on YouTube has almost 10,00o hits!  Even more if you click on it now!

3) I am currently the horoscope writer for Shojo Beat magazine.  In my column I get to recommend cute products to shop for and cool music to listen to.  My audience is ages 15 to 25 - perfect for my immature writing style!

4) I have been a university instructor a few times.  I supervised speech-language pathology graduate students doing their on-site practicums.  It sounds more prestigious than it actually was.

5) I suffer from overideaization.  I think I made that term up but it can be defined as a problem of having way too many ideas for creative projects but never actually doing most of them. Recent ideas have included writing a musical, writing a teen novel, writing an erotica novel, going back to school for my PhD, starting a new band, starting my own t-shirt company, moving abroad - the list goes on.  Anyone who knows of help for this psychosis please write in.

Okay - my turn!  The following people are it!

1) Jamie of Where Should We Live? Jamie is my BFF and even though she thinks we're growing apart, she'll never be rid of me.  Mwahhaha!

2) Kim of My Unheard Music. Kim is a close friend and former band mate.  

3) Debbie of Team Lenert.  Wow - imagine that, another former band mate, dating back to 1990.  See? Making music together bonds you for life.

4) Kerri of Mom Vs. So Not the Mom.  Kerri is my newest friend in the Midwest, and fortunately for me, she lives right next store! Now is that fate or what?

5) Marilyn of Xander Loves Keyser Soze.  Marilyn is my cousin by marriage and she's the coolest.  She's also the proud new momma of her second child, baby Milla.

Get busy, ladies!

The Advantages of Freezing Your Ass Off

Okay, you Californians have your sun and your beaches and your pools and your 365 days a year park outings, but after being in the Midwest for a little over two and half years, I've decided that instead of bitching about the weather, I will try and focus on the positives of living like a hermit for the next four (or more?) months. Here are some of the benefits of living in a winter wonderland:
1) Christmas actually feels like Christmas. We don't have to dream about a White Christmas - we have it. And a White Day Before Christmas, a White Day After Christmas, a White New Year, ... .
2) Winter clothes are great for hiding your "areas". Tummy getting a little poofy after Thanksgiving feasts all week? No matter - just throw on that oversized sweater and puffy coat and no one will be able to tell what the hell you've got going on under there.
3) You suddenly have way more room in your freezer. That's because the world is your freezer! Bought too many tubs of Bryers' Mint Chip ice cream? No prob - just stick the boxes outside or in your garage. Running to the grocery store and then need to make a few more stops? Don't worry about the milk spoiling in the car - leave it in there overnight!
4) No need to worry about tending to your yard. When your garden is completely dead and lifeless and your lawn is covered in 10 inches of snow, you will most likely not need to water or mow. More time for TV watching!
5) Shoveling is a great workout! Go ahead and cancel that gym membership for the season - the best workout is waiting right outside your door! Just grab a shovel, snowsuit, gloves, hat and scarf, set your alarm for 5:30 am and get that blood pumping!
6) Winter food is just so damn cozy. What makes the house smell better than a big pot of chili in the stove? Or a big hotpot full of goulash? Or what ab0ut hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows? Enjoy all of these things as you try to regain feeling in your hands and face. And please refer to #2 to remind you not to hold back on your portions.
7) Getting some good loving. Stuck inside for weeks on end? What better way to pass the time than making some sweet love with your partner, or a stranger? After that ten minutes are up, watch some more TV, then repeat the sexy time during a commercial.
8) And best of all - winter is the perfect time for blogging! It is only from being stuck inside that I can come up with wonderful and thought-provoking topics such as this one! Aren't you lucky to reap the benefits of such solitude??