Offensive Neighbor at the Gym

So there I was, working hard on the elliptical today when all of a sudden the old dude next to me farted. I swear to God I almost puked. The gym is not the place to let loose, people. It was so gross. I was kicking ass in the middle of a great song (Jamiriquoi, that Napolean Dynamite dance song) skimming my magazine when BAM!

Shelagh just asked me what I was laughing at and I told her that the man next to me at the gym had a gas. She said, with the most serious face, "well mommy you can't exercise next to a man that has gas" followed by "mommy, what was the mans name who gassed?" when I told her I didn't know she said "Well you should have introduced yourself". I had to explain that I didn't want to meet the rude man who gassed next to me. She just said again "You have to be really nice to the gas man and introduce yourself." It's tough to send the right messages to your kids. I think I can sum it up with this "Please introduce yourself to people and be polite...unless he or she farts next to you while you are exercising."

Lost Episode 5: Desmond

The Lost guys are on a roll this season. I have to say that last season I was really down on Lost. I was loving Heroes so much that Lost sort of fell by the wayside. Heroes had struck a perfect balance between keeping me on my toes and revealing just the perfect amount of information. Lost, on the other hand, was not telling us anything and the episodes were too slow.

Move forward to this year and Heroes just sucked. They dragged a bunch of stuff out, introduced crappy new characters, and the heroes had no common purpose. Lost, however, could not be better. Now that they have a finite number of episodes, I would guess that it's easier to map out the storylines and figure out how to start rolling out the answers.

I love the character of Desmond. He is so charismatic and you just want him and Penny to find each other so badly. This weeks episode was fantastic. It is official that there is an element of time travel associated with the island. It's not clear who else might be time traveling outside of the characters in this episode - Desmond, Daniel Farraday, a very creepy Fisher Stevens. They eluded to the "snitch" that Ben has on the boat, but didn't reveal him or her. They connected present time Desmond with present time Penny and I seriously cried. Okay, not so surprising. I couldn't shake "Upham" from Saving Private Ryan from the Daniel Farraday dude, but I think I'm into him now...something about watching him scribble math all over the place was interesting and not as slimy as he previously seemed. All in all, an A+ episode.

Princess Pajamas & Laundry Boy

Some playroom fun this afternoon...the minute we walk in the door, Shelagh sneaks into a corner and puts her PJs back on. The kid loves her jammies. Then add on top of that the need to put a princess dress on top of it and the look is complete.


Rory hopped in the laundry basket and said "Shea-wa, I saved a spot for you!".

My Picky Eater

Rory has not had 1 bite of dinner in 4 days. How did I end up with this picky eater???? Shelagh is a fantastic eater. She will complain and she certainly would prefer to eat nothing but Annies Mac & Cheese; but, ultimately, she will try anything and usually likes most of what she tries. Rory, on the other hand, has a few things that he just loves and won't even look at anything else, let alone try it. He eats a variety of breakfast foods and lunch isn't usually too bad. He loves most fruit. Clearly, the kid is generally healthy and not in any danger of being malnurished. He is, however, driving me insane.

When Shelagh was a baby, I made all of her baby food. I gave her a great variety of stuff and kept giving it to her and I think this helped her develop a varied sense of taste. When Rory came along, Shelagh was only 19 mos old. I made some of his food and I used jars for some. I didn't really stick with the variety though - just too busy with 2 babies. For awhile there, he was just as good as her. I could put ANY vegetable in rice or mashed potatoes or pasta and he'd happily eat it. Now, he's got xray vision and can spot a pea buried in anything from a mile away. I did read recently that there is a component to kids taste buds that is predetermined. So, for example, you might be predisposed to having a strong tolerance for bitter foods or for sweet foods. That's all well and good, but even when I give Rory dipping sauces like apricot jam or ketchup or cheese, he doesn't go for it. I wonder how much my methods with Shelagh shaped her tastes and how much was just her natural preferences?

Timeout for Interupting Facebook

Am I mean or what? I was quietly trying to do a Facebook movie quiz when my children starting pushing and shoving to be on my lap. I gave them warnings, but nothing. They are both crying on the steps as I write this. How dare they interupt my fun!!

Lost Episode 4: Kate's Flash Forward

Wonderful episode! Just realized I never wrote anything about it.

• I totally called it that Kate's 'son' was Aaron
• What's up with that stiff ruffly button up blouse she was wearing in court and the girly heels?
• I love that Kate and Sawyer con together and was surprised that they didn't hook up
• I do not believe Kate when she told Sawyer she wasn't pregnant
• Wondering why Jack doesn't want to see Aaron...is he the real Aaron? is he named after Aaron from the island, but Sawyers? is he Jacks and Jack is afraid of being a Dad b/c of the turmoil in the relationship with his own Dad????
• Locke is really starting to annoy me again. That didn't take long.

Fantastic Top 10 comments over at Pop Candy for this episode...

Yummy Dinner

Since we were home today I decided to make the ham dinner. I loved it, although trying to enjoy my meal while Shelagh was falling off her chair and playing and Rory was crying almost ruined it.

The ham was a bone-in quarter spiral sliced ham that weighed in at about 4 lbs. It had a lot of flavor and didn't dry out at all. I think the brand was Carando. I cooked it per The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly - just 325 for 30 minutes or so. Then, I coated the outside of the ham with a 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, raised the heat to 425, and cooked for 20 more minutes. I made a vanilla maple sauce on the side which was one of the sauces they recommended. Yummy. On the side is the carmelized shallot mashed potato recipe from Bon Appetit March and an older Bon Appetit recipe for the Brussel Sprout hash with lemon juice and poppy seeds. Shelagh asked for 2nds of Brussel Sprouts before touching the ham or potatoes. This kid definintely takes after me in the vegetable department, THANK GOD! Rory did not have 1 bite of dinner again. And he LIKES ham!

ANOTHER Sick Day

This is getting tiresome...we're on week 3 with sickness in the house. Shelagh's Dr appt confirmed an infection PLUS she tested positive for strep. I should have brought both kids in when I tested for Strep. But, I didn't b/c they seemed fine and they are still showing no outward signs other than runny noses. Now I'm missing work again - 3rd time in 2 weeks. Both kids are on amoxicillin now for 10 days. My penicillin should be done by Thursday if I had actually taken all the doses. I'm terrible at that - 3 per day for 10 days is TOO MUCH to remember.

The good thing about it though is that the kids don't feel sick and we're having a fun day in the play room! We've taken out almost every toy today, played stickers, painted, watched a little Angelina Ballerina and Bob the Builder, and played instruments. The 3 of us made quite a band today - Rory on boogie-covered recorder humming b/c he doesn't get blowing into it yet; Shelagh on Harmonica with air going in AND out; and me on wood block...wish I had a cow bell. Note to self: have Santa or Hanukkah Harry add to the instrument variety.

Meal Planning wk of 2/22

Totally blew this off this weekend. I realized at work today that I haven't taken anything out of the freezer, so I had to think out the week.

Last Weeks New Recipe Results:
Wednesday - Broiled Salmon marinated in a teriyaki glaze. Sushi rice mixed w/ sauteed onions and mushrooms. Steamed green beans. I overcooked the salmon unfortunately...I hate that. Kids had some of the rice and black beans w/ some cheddar on top. Rory ate 1 bean. I knew he wouldn't touch the rice, but he gets it anyway and I eat 2 dinners.

This Weeks Plan:
Friday - Joe craved cheeseburger so we got pizza place take-out.
Saturday - Scallops with Porcini Mushroom, roasted broccoli, and rice. This is my moms recipe and it involves browning the scallops, dipping them in ground, dried porcini mushrooms and sauteeing a little more with some broth and chives. SO good. Kids: Chicken, with the rice and broccoli from our meal. I went out while Joe did dinner and bedtime and he reported that Rory did not eat 1 bite and threw a complete fit.
Sunday - Chinese food - great new place near us. I judge Chinese by the quality and color of the Wonton soup and the soup at this place was great. Not piss yellow and good flavor. Yummy wontons too and veggies visible in the broth. Kids had Annies Mac & Cheese - Rory will only eat the Arthur shape. As long as Shelagh is eating as much M & C as possible, she doesn't care what shape or color.
Monday - Pasta something b/c I didn't defrost anything. Kids: probably quesadilla.
Tuesday - Skillet steaks, pasta, sauteed cabbage (saw a recipe for this in one of the magazines). Kids: chicken something?
Wednesday - Spiral Ham, brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes for all of us. I think Rory will actually eat this. He usually picks the ham out of my ham and cheese omelettes.
Thursday - Chicken Thighs with a honey something glaze. Heard it on Sirius on the Martha Stewart channel. I'll have to remember this now or try to look it up on her site. Kids: leftover ham dinner.

Talking Privates in a Cubicle

So today I had to discuss my daughters privates with the nurse at the pediatricians office from my cubicle. Not easy to do. Her day care called to tell me she was irritated and they think she might have a UTI. I'm whispering questions about her girl-parts regarding the rash, the discomfort she is describing, etc (I'll spare you and her from getting into the details). I get through to the dr to make an appointment and find myself saying "Vagina" at work in my cube. Not that there should be anything wrong with that, but there are a handful of single guys who sit around me. Nice. So glad my friend, who sits behind me and is male with 2 sons, has a good sense of humor and doesn't seem to be bothered by my choice of topics today.

Rory Cream Cheese

My kids love cream cheese...

He continued to eat his bagel with a fully cream cheese clogged nostril.
And, yes, he is wearing a flowery girl bib. The boy bibs were melted in the dishwasher and this is what is left.

More Snow Fun

We had to have gotten close to a foot of snow...the nice fluffy stuff. We played outside for awhile this morning and went to our neighbors to play with them too.

And we finished off the morning with me misjudging when it was time for sick Rory to head home and from Shelagh - "Mommy, NO MORE pictures! You can only take 1 picture each day"

Some warm apple cider and a good nap solved everything...

"THERE'S SNOW ON ME!!!!!"

Rory, my little sweet boy, does not like to be dirty. He will hold his pointer up with a tiny crumb on it and insist on it being removed. He also is going through a phase where when anything even brushes by him he has to say "Ow". We're working on an "I'm Tough!" campaign, consisting of trying to get him to shake some things off by showing his muscles (I have to get a picture of that to post), making a scrunched up face, and yelling "I'M TOUGH" instead of whining and crying. It's actually working pretty well. Anyway, I digress. So, in addition to not liking to be dirty, he's not into snow at all. Which sucks for him b/c we live in NEW ENGLAND.

Yesterday, after realizing that I've been terrible about getting the kids outside this winter, I made the executive decision that he was getting his snow stuff on and we were going out while it was still snowing. No amount of monumental tantruming would stop me. Despite shrieking, writhing on the floor, kicking, and boogers running out of the nose, I forced his snow suit and boots on and even his mittens (no small feat) and plopped him down in a mountain of snow. Shelagh loves it and was playing and having fun trying to get him to do it too to no avail. I figured I didn't handle the transition of forcing him to want to play in the snow well so I stood him up at the edge of the garage and driveway. He stood there and watched Shelagh and I make angels and throw snowballs, but at least he stopped crying. Step 2...I let him knock snowballs off my hand to get used to it. I realized at this point that when you can't move (imagine the bundled up little brother from A Christmas Story), you can't use your hands (b/c getting the thumb into the mitten was too much to ask), your snow boots are probably a good size+ too small (why would I buy him new ones), and you look like a girl (Shelaghs hand-me-downs), you might be hesitant to get involved. But, he did! And, he woke up this morning and the first thing he said was "I like playin in the snow".

I Got a Cut

Shelagh is very liberal with her use of Band-aids. As a result of Rory's new system of copying everything she does and says, he now wants Band-aids too. This morning he must have been thinking about it while I was changing him. He scratched his pointer finger on the cushion on his changing table and showed it to me and said "I got a cut". I told him it was just him scratching. So he did it again and again. Poor Rory...simply scratching your finger on the cushion does not produce a cut worthy of a Band-aid. Sulk, sulk.

The Latest in Green

Here are my latest and greatest strides in Green...

• My new SIGG reusable drink bottles! Thanks to Greenstylemom for picking me for the giveaway.
• My new reusable produce bags. While I've gotten pretty good at using my own bags at the grocery store and other stores, I hadn't found a solution to the produce plastic bags. I buy a LOT of fruit and veggies and while I do reuse those bags, it's still making me feel guilty. I went to Reusable bags and ordered their produce bags. Tomorrow will be my first time using them...they aren't see-through, which kind of bummed me out, but hopefully they will still work out okay at checkout.
• I'm recycling my old printer. Instead of chucking it, I'm sending it to Dell. They said to ship my old printer back in my new printer box. It's not a Dell, so I have to make sure they accept other brands. It's on my mental to-do list for tomorrow. I keep stubbing my toe on the huge box in the middle of my kitchen so I'd like to actually accomplish this one.
• In a recent Amazon box, I got a return envelope to send in old cell phones to be recycled to the troops in Iraq so they can call home. My kids don't need all 4 of our old cells, so I'll pop 1 in the mail tomorrow.
• I scolded my friend at work for using Styrofoam cups for his coffee. It was obnoxious of me, but I don't think he cared that I did it - he's used to me making fun of him. He's probably reading this too and quietly laughing at me :) His point that the kitchen area, specifically the dishwasher and sink areas, are disgusting was well taken...I do use the community cups though. I'm rethinking that. I used to wash and reuse my own cup, but I tend to leave old coffee in it for a few days and then it's hard to clean out without touching the NASTY sponge. (Seriously, why can't people just wring it out??? It wouldn't be so smelly if that small step was taken).
• Instead of chucking my massive magazine collection each month, I bring them to the gym.
• I've tried to unsubscribe from the majority of the catalogs I receive thanks to CatalogChoice. This is a great site you can use as a central location from which to look up catalogs you receive and unsubscribe. You can register multiple names in your household and their directory has everything you can think of. I know this b/c I was getting my grandmothers mail after she passed away and she was subscribed to some random publications. It says it can take up to 2 months for the requests to be processed by the individual companies. I think most of mine have stopped. This should slightly curb my online ordering habit. You'd never know that I actually work in marketing and that while not directly responsible for direct mail and catalogs, the work I do starts that process. Bad me. Bad me.
• It may be too late at this point, but I'm going to try to research and select a CSA where I can get most of my fruits and veggies for the Spring into the Fall. Usually you have to buy your shares around Jan-Feb. I tried this last year and while the produce was organic, it was shipped from all over the place and that defeated half the purpose. This time I'm going to try to find more local and at least organic in spirit if not certified.
• Last, but not least, my goal for this Spring is to start a compost. I grow herbs and some veggies and I produce A LOT of plant waste that I could use for the garden. I'm researching now and will update once I decide upon my course of action.

Everyday Food: 50 No-Recipe Meals List

In the March issue of Everyday Food, they have a list of 50 No-Recipe Meals. What a fantastic idea! As I was writing my post on my Top 5 Standby Dinners, I was thinking I could use some new ones. As much as I like to try new recipes, I also like to whip out a non-thinking dinner, especially on work nights. Out of the 50, I noted 16 that I would do as is or would use but vary a bit. There were then probably about 5 that I already do with some variation. The rest didn't seem terrible, just not my taste. Working on my meal planning for tomorrows shopping now...Also eating coffee ice cream which is a brilliant idea right before bed when I haven't really slept well all week.

Top 5 Standby Meals

If I haven't meal planned, I just grab meat and some veggies while shopping for some of these standby dinners...all are fast and great for during the week. For the meat dishes, I would put couscous or rice or pasta on the side and whatever veggie I have on hand. Here they are in no particular order:

• Breaded Chicken Cutlets: These are great to do b/c both kids eat them anytime. They are also good in a sandwich as leftovers.
• Broiled Pork Chops w/ Adobo: Also quick and easy. My mom introduced me to Adobo, a spice by Goya, and I use it on everything and anything...pork chops and veggies most often.
• Pasta with Cannellini Beans: Also from my mom, who is a chef by the way and a great source for recipes. Saute some garlic in a little olive oil with some oregano. Add a can of Goya Cannellini beans with the liquid and let them cook down for about 5-10 minutes. Toss with pasta and add cheese. One of my favorite winter pasta meals.
• Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper sauce: I would roast 2-3 red peppers at some point during the week and puree them. Saute some garlic in olive oil, add in the red pepper puree and some salt. After a minute or two, add a splash of cream and stir. Toss with pasta and add cheese.
• Broiled or Grilled Flank Steak: While this marinade sounds sketchy, it is really great. For each lb of beef, use 1/4 cup ketchup to 1/8 cup soy sauce. I usually let the meat marinate in this for the whole day or even overnight and then broil to rare/medium rare.

Tax Prep Done and a Couple of Movies

Yeah! So that is how I spent most of my sick day :) What a huge weight off my shoulders. My method is this:

• Allow investment statements, bills, and other filings to pile up from February through December. In January, I'm still diligent about filing. Put them in an unused room on the top floor where no one can see them or think about them.
• Bring file containers and piles of paperwork down to living room in December with good intentions of organizing everything in January before the W2's arrive.
• Stare at above piles until late February - early March. Similar staring happens with clean laundry waiting to be folded.
• Finally, organize everything for the year into those things that go along with the taxes and need to be stored, the things to actually send to the accountant, throw out whatever is possible, and file the remaining junk.

I'm proud to report that I've gotten it all together and will send it out to the accountant tomorrow! That is actually a month earlier than usual - Glory! We still usually have forms trickling in until March, but at least the bulk of my part is done. Now I just have to get my act together to do my Mother-in-Laws taxes. Hers are pretty easy, but I've never done them before April. Pathetic.

I watched 2 movies I had taped on the DVR while I did this; well, sort of watched. The Weather Man with Nicholas Cage and Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life. I know...both sound pathetic, but both were perfect for this particular activity of half-watching, half-working. Weather Man wasn't too bad - depressed guy deals with his mediocre life. It was pretty funny watching him get shakes and sodas thrown on him each time someone drove by and was pissed about the weather. Lara Croft was pure action candy. I admit it. I like Angelina Jolie. She was a bad-ass in the first one and in this one too. Plus, Gerard Butler was in this one who was awesome in 300. Overall, a decent movie. I feel almost back to 100% health-wise other than a minor throat scratch remaining. Unfortuntely, Rory is starting to cough, so I don't think this bout of sickness is over in the house.

TV: In Treatment

Joe and I have been watching In Treatment, the new HBO series that's on now. We are both enjoying it. There is a new 30 minute episode each day M-F and the same persons session is shown on the same day week to week. You really feel like you are going through their therapy. Gabriel Byrne is the therapist. I don't remember seeing him in much since The Usual Suspects...he's perfect for this role. The Monday appointment is a woman who played Vaughns wife on Alias...actually I just realized she was Lauren on Alias and Laura on In Treatment...weird. Anyway, she is great - totally insecure, playing on her sexuality, baiting the therapist, etc. Blair Underwood is the Tuesday appt, the Wed appt is a high school gymnast, Thursday is a couple played by Josh Charles from Sports Night (a great show cancelled too early) and the woman who played the new wife in Junebug. Friday the therapist sees his own therapist, the lady DA from Law and Order. The casting is excellent. You are almost uncomfortable watching and sometimes you want to slap one of them. All of the patients are just doing an incredible job showing themselves and exposing their characters. It would seem like a lot to watch a show every night, but honestly there isn't much else on and it's only 25 minutes or so and we will wait and watch 2 at a time sometimes.

HBO also put out Tell Me You Love Me which was a show about 3 different couples in therapy who were in different stages of their marriages (1 new couple, 1 married with 2 kids losing some luster, and 1 couple unable to conceive). I watched this and thought it was also really well done. It was hard to watch b/c I think it was more raw. Also, it had a LOT of gratuitous sex. Some sex you'd expect, but it was a bit too much and too much zooming in on all the parts, if you know what I mean. Plus, they had the older therapist having sex with her husband. I'm thrilled for older people if they are still having and enjoying sex, but it's TOUGH to watch! I suppose that's part of the reason why the show was good...seeing the unexpected.

I will watch any original series that HBO puts on. While I haven't loved all of them, I can say that all of them are more unique and well written than 90% of what the networks put on. I'll do a separate post on the HBO series and my opinions on those.

"Working at Home"

Yesterday was the sickest I've been in a long time. The Dr confirmed Strep. I'm just hoping my son and husband don't get what Shelagh and I had and thankfully Shelagh didn't get the throat part. Today I'm like a new woman...amazing what 3 hits of penicillin can do for you. I'm still tired from not sleeping the last 2 nights and my throat is still sore, but nothing compared to yesterday...that was just terrible. Now I just hope all the people I've been around over the last few days don't get it (my parents, my friends house for kids dinner on Sun pm who has a baby, my co-workers who I totally exposed yesterday, etc). I would like to note for the record that I said just a couple of weeks ago to a friend that my kids hadn't been sick really much at all this year other than a stomach bug that went through the house in the late Fall. I said "knock on wood"...what the f_ ? I also jinxed the Patriots assuming they would just win the Superbowl. I suppose I should just keep my mouth shut.

Shelagh was really sweet yesterday. She said she would take care of me if I let her watch a Little Einsteins and a Super Why episode, which I did of course b/c then I could just curl up on the couch under a blanket and wait for Joe to come home and deal with the bedtime stuff. When we got home, she put her shoes and coat away and did Rory's too and said she would be my good helper. It was so cute. I also let her have a few of her Valentines treats from the bag she brought home from school since she missed the party. Maybe she knew I couldn't yell at her even if I wanted to...kids are sharp like that.

This morning I dropped both kids off at the home care where Rory goes on my work days and will split the day between working from home, reading and resting (want to finish my book 'I love you, Beth Cooper'. it's an ok book, but I'm waiting for a new one to come from Amazon that I really want to read), and maybe I'll food shop before I pick up the kids. Oooo...maybe I'll go to Whole Foods and stroll slowly through the produce and meat depts...one of my favorite things to do when I'm shopping on my own. I will surely spend too much...I better go through some recipes and make a list.

Meal Planning Wk of 2/16

Here are last weeks results and this weeks plan...I'm getting sicker, so thankfully we have leftovers on queue tonight...I may just have soup and leave Joe the leftovers. The kids have been eating crap lately so I should make them something good, but I'm so not in the mood. Maybe I'll do quesadillas again with black beans and some hidden pureed yellow squash. My mom left us with a lot of grated cheese from her quesadillas that we had. I'm just wiped out and have no energy for this this week.

Last Weeks New Recipe Results
Chicken Stroganoff: This was not that great. It would probably have been fine with either chicken thighs instead of breasts or a combination of breasts and thighs. The chicken was too dry.
Garlicky Pork Ribs on Greens - These came out terrible. I used bok choy and I overcooked the pork ribs. Won't make this again. I want to find a better recipe for the Country style pork ribs. They are really inexpensive and marbled and could be really good if cooked correctly.
Salmon - Didn't make it. Will move to this week.

This Weeks Plan
Saturday: Parents were up and mom made braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and a gratin of sliced potatoes and celeriac. I love short ribs and these were great.
Sunday: Mom made chinese-style ribs and quesadillas which were good.
Monday: Had pizza kids dinner at friends house
Tuesday: Leftover short ribs, mashed potatoes, will make a veggie - green beans or brussel sprouts probably...just clipped a brussel sprout recipe where you separate the leaves and saute them with a raisin and lemon vinigrette that sounded good. Kids:
Wednesday: Salmon, brown rice and quinoa, don't remember what I have for veggies at home, but something green. Kids:
Thursday: Pasta w/ white cannellini beans or veggies, depending on what I have that might be getting ready to go bad.
Friday: Maybe we'll go out...

Lost Episode 3: Top 10 List on PopCandy

See this weeks Top 10 list on PopCandy for some really great theories on what is happening. I can't possibly think this hard while I'm watching. It's nice to see people throw their ideas out there afterwards and pull out all the subtle references that I miss (which is probably all of them).

Now I'm Sick...

I think I have strep. It feels like a grape is moving up and down my throat and I can barely swallow. I'm interchanging ice cream and hot tea and then I think it's a lozenge and Nyquil for me next. I actually do have to go to work tomorrow...no one says I have to talk though. I should have gone to work today and then blown it off tomorrow and wallowed at home while the kids are in day care. I should also go to bed now, but instead I'll troll the internet and waste time until it is late and Joe is home from the game and I have someone to moan and complain to.

Tantrums of the Day

Both children blessed me with a tantrum today and for the same stupid non-reason, after truely being stuck in the house for close to a week for the most part and being sedentary watching WAY too much TV. After nap today Shelagh and Rory decided to have drinking yogurts for snack. Shelagh has to pick her own yogurt. I took off the top of Rory's and put a straw in when he decided he wanted regular yogurt. Upon handing Shelagh Rory's opened yogurt, she promptly threw a FIT. God forbid she take a "used" snack. I refused to open another so she screamed for a good 5 minutes. With no other snack alternative, she finally relented and ate it.

Rory ate his yogurt and then asked for his lunch sandwich, which he skipped b/c he was too tired and went in for nap early instead. I gave him a turkey sandwich - he decided he didn't want turkey and insisted on having PB&J. Upon refusing his request to remake his lunch, he then threw a psycho tantrum of his own.

I was strangely calm about it today and just ignored both of them putting their shoes on so that we could go have fun at our friends house, God Dammit. The best part was Shelagh, who had already calmed down, telling me that she didn't like it when Rory cried b/c it hurt her ears. She followed that by explaining to him that he can't just ask for a different lunch and waste what Mommy had made him. Seriously.

Rainy Day Monday

Even though today is a holiday, I was going to head into work to get some stuff done since I missed work on Thursday for Little Miss Sick Girl. But I woke up to this...dreary, rainy morning.

No way I can get out of my PJs, let alone leave the house. Okay, actually just don't want to go to work especially since it's a holiday and no one will be there.

Update: Rethinking the "stay home lazy all day" plan as it's 57 degrees outside. I think we might go to the playground after nap. Hopefully toweling off the slide will be enough and the fact that it's school vacation week and the first warm day in months won't drive me out of there annoyed. My kids are seriously cranky from being in the house for so many days and this would probably make my afternoon more pleasant with Joe heading off to the PC basketball game.

Movie: Gone, Baby, Gone

We watched this last night with my parents (they are up visiting). This was based on a book by Dennis Lehane who wrote Mystic River also. It was intense and wonderful. I find it so hard to watch movies about children since I've had kids...the thought of your child being taken is just too much to even think about. I was hesitant to watch this b/c of that, but I was able to watch it mostly without being too torn up...the focus was not on the child per se but on following the trail to her. I definintely had moments of being nauseated watching Amy Ryan play a terrible mother and neglect her daughter. She's in the Wire so I was happy to see her cast in this and get so recognized (Oscar nom for Best Supporting). She did a great job - I hope she wins. Casey Affleck was great also...nice to see him getting some juicy roles. The Assassination of Jesse James (for which he was nominated as well) is next on our Netflix list. Ed Harris was in it and Morgan Freeman who were awesome as usual. This was Ben Afflecks first time directing and I think he just did such a good job. I'm glad to see him shake his I've-done-too-many-movies-everyone-is-sick-of-me thing. Highly recommended.

Lost Episode 3: I LOVE SAYID!

Okay, this was the first episode I really loved. I forgot how badass Sayid is when he's in his zone and I'd note that he cleans up nicely. Who on earth is he hunting down? Are they a group of people that participated in keeping everyone on the island? Are they a group of people that tried to expose the island? All this "my employer" this and "my employer" that had me thinking about Kobayashi from the Usual Suspects. I didn't predict she was hunting Sayid as he was hunting her. And, it threw me that Ben was working with Sayid...it goes against what you'd think, knowing what you know about Ben, that he'd want to or have to leave the island. You just assume he's a full proponent of life there.

I thought it was interesting that Sawyer was able to accept and verbalize to Kate his desire to stay on the island. I think it really shows him accepting and owning up to what he's done in his life previously. It's like he finally realizes that he hasn't lived on the up and up and would rather start his life again. A pretty tender moment for him...I think this kind of self-evaluation is what is going to start to separate the survivors. I'm wondering if the Oceanic 6 weren't chosen, but rather if that's the only group of people that actually decide to leave while the rest choose conciously to stay. Rose is cancer free there, so maybe she and Bernard would stay. Claire didn't have much going on in Australia and maybe she's scared to bring Aaron back there or give him up at this point. Sun is pregnant and couldn't be off the island plus they are kind of running from her dad. Locke doesn't want to leave. I'm thinking, in addition to Jack and Kate and Hurley, that Desmond, Juliette want to go. Did Sayid actually say at any point that he was part of the O6? Perhaps only 6 take the public scrutiny and others get off the island, but go "into hiding" or something like Witness Protection.

Once again, I don't feel like any questions were answered, but I felt strangely satisfied this time...I normally don't from Lost. Maybe now there will be more than 8 episodes since the writers strike is over. Hopefully. I thought I had read that Michael and Walter would be back this season, but who knows if that will be true if they stick with the 8 completed episodes for this season.

Little Sick Girl Part 2

So sad in her little Valentines Day shirt sitting at home with Mom and talking on the phone with Grammie with bright red feverish cheeks...

Bye Daddy...

They will not leave the window until they watch the car go all the way down the driveway and down the street. Or, until Daddy walks towards the train and waves goodbye. Just b/c Shelagh was the only sick one doesn't mean that Rory and I couldn't stay in our PJs all day yesterday too, right?

Happy Valentines Day, Mr. Creme Egg

Happy Valentines Day...yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, THIS is something to get excited about.

Bought 5 today, lost 1, ate 3. Maybe if Joe makes it home fast enough today he can still have a shot at the last one...We'll see.

The Blister that Shattered the Girl...and other sensitivities

When I went to pick up Shelagh from preschool yesterday, the poor thing had red eyes and had obviously been crying. Turned out she had a fever and...GASP...a blister! She slowly pulled herself up using the bookshelf she was leaning against, painstakingly hobbled over to me in the slowest and most dramatic way possible, and finally collapsed into my arms hysterical. You would have thought she had shattered all the bones in her foot judging by the way she barely managed to put the slightest amount of weight on the injured leg. Plus, the band-aid was ALL WRONG! How dare they use a crayon shaped band-aid! When we got home, it took me 5 full minutes to convince her that I wasn't going to hurt her and was just going to look at the wound. When it hit the bath water, the devastation began again. She seems to have forgotten about it today thankfully b/c the weepiness and lethargy from her fever is enough for 1 day...see post below.

Rory has some sensitivities as well. For example, today, while eating his grilled cheese for lunch, he discovered some "stems" on the edges of his sandwich. These are the drippy melted parts of the cheese that cool off and stick out. When he finds one of these "stems", he just cannot continue eating and screams for me until I promptly remove it. Could he just put it down? Of course not. Could he just realize that it's CHEESE? Of course not.

Other Shelagh things:

• She must bring her own plate, spoon/fork, milk to the table. If you make the mistake of trying to help or set the table prematurely, you will be scolded and she will return the items in question only to repeat their delivery personally. The same goes for removing dishes before she has decided whether you may remove them for her or if she needs to put them in the sink herself.
• She doesn't like her cheese to be broken. I keep meaning to ask the deli people to "fan" the cheese so I can peel it apart more easily. If there are no other "perfect" pieces left, she will reluctantly accept a broken cheese.

Other Rory things:

• He needs to turn the water on and off himself while attempting to brush his own teeth. I predict future dental work will be needed.
• He doesn't like you to put food on his spoon for him and if you do, he dumps it out and starts again.
• While walking from the garage to the house, he has to walk a specific route making sure to walk over this square cut-out where the driveway meets the garage floor. If he misses it, he goes back. Seriously.

I'm sure I'll think of more later...The drama in this house is unreal. We must pick our battles.

Little Sick Girl

Little Miss Shelagh has had a fever since yesterday afternoon at school. She doesn't seem to have any other symptoms though. I hope it isn't anything b/c I'd hate for her to miss her little Valentines Party at preschool tomorrow. We skipped her swim class today and won't be going to our friends house after nap. I'm usually a stickler about limiting TV for the kids, but it's been a TV extravaganza today. Super Why, Little Einsteins, Sesame Street...it's terrible, but I'm getting a lot done anyway and at least they are good shows and not just movie after movie.

Some of Shelaghs awesome quotes from today...
"Mommy, when you're making breakfast [and not sitting with me], it makes me sicker"

"Mommy, I'm very sick today. I need you to do all my jobs"

"I can't carry 2 cups...I'm very sick and my hand might get sick"

"I need a juice and a hug and lots and lots of snuggles"

"When you do computer, you aren't snuggling me"

"Mommy, I want to tell you a truth!" - This is one is rooting from our new little issue about fibbing. We're trying to talk to her about telling the truth, so now she thinks every statement is her telling "a truth".

By the way, Mr. Noodle really wigs me out.

Reusable Bottles Giveaway

Greenstyle Mom, one of the blogs I read all the time, has a giveaway on her site for SIGG reusable bottles. They are really cute...head over there to leave a comment and enter the contest.

Meal Planning wk of 2/9

Just realized I never posted this...I did flip through recipes to make my shopping list on Friday though...Here are last weeks results and this weeks plan:

Last Weeks Results

• Turkey & White Bean Chili (from Everyday Food) - This was just ok...the turkey was too dry in my opinion - to do this again, I'd need to mix the ground turkey with either pork or dark turkey meat I would think. Too much liquid too.
• Sausage & Peppers w/ Polenta; This came out surprisingly good. It was from Real Simple magazine - it had only a few ingredients and didn't take long to make. I used that roll polenta they sell in the international section of the store. It was really good and I'll definintely experiment with it more. I sauteed it in olive oil and added salt...that's it! It was so good and I bet it would be awesome as an appetizer with a cool cheese sprinkled on top, sauteed shallots or onions, or mushrooms maybe.
• Steak, quinoa, asparagus; The steaks were crappy. I'm done with the butcher shop I bought this from...they have great steak tips, but both the sirloin steak and the rib eye were not good. All I did was broil them, which I usually do, but I could taste the difference...it was just nothing. Had escarole instead of the asparagus and either pasta or wheat rice insead of the quinoa which I have yet to try.
• Shrimp, wheat rice or pasta like a scampi, broccolini; Sauteed the shrimp with some snow peas and had with wheat rice. It's easy to keep shrimp in the freezer since you can defrost it under running cold water in like 5 minutes.

This Weeks Plan

• Saturday - Out to dinner. Kids had chicken and fries.
• Sunday - Made a leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, and asparagus for all of us. Got the Braised Boneless Leg of Lamb with 20 Garlic Cloves recipe from my favorite meat cookbook called The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. This is my go-to book for any kind of roast - beef, pork, lamb. It's just great. Everything is easy and nothing has come out bad. It was so good.
• Monday - Chicken Stroganoff w/ Salad or ; Kids - Turkey Cutlets, Mashed potatoes (Shelagh just decided after 3 1/2 yrs that she likes them after I bribed her with M & Ms to try them. I knew it...how could you not like mashed potatoes?? Rory won't eat them, but he usually only eats 1 of the 3 things on his plate anyway...it will not deter me from putting it on his plate and then eating it myself off his plate later)
• Tuesday - Leftovers; Kids - Turkey Cutlets
• Wednesday - Garlicky Pork Ribs on Greens - think I bought bok choy...it called for Collard Greens, but Collards are one of the few vegetables I don't like. Kids - Chicken Sausage maybe
• Thursday - Salmon, Brussel Sprouts, Quinoa & Wheat rice; Kids - Quesadillas? Rory ate black beans the other night for the first time in a long time so I'll have to try that again quick before he forgets he likes them.
• Friday - Mexican restaurant with friends w/ kids
  

Movie: A Mighty Heart

We watched A Mighty Heart on Friday night. We both enjoyed it and thought Angelina Jolie did a wonderful job along with all the supporting cast. That being said, I didn't think it was worth the Golden Globe nomination. There was one incredibly moving scene when she finds out that her husband didn't make it (yes...I bawled), but I don't think that was enough for the nomination. It's movies like this that make me realize how apathetic I am about what is going on around me in the world (for more examples of this phenomenon see also Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda, and The Last King of Scotland). I knew about Daniel Pearl being held captive for a month, but I had no idea how hard Marianne Pearl and the other journalists and local police worked together to trace him and his contacts. Nor did I realize how close they came to getting to him before he was executed. It was a moving story and you just feel devasted for Marianne Pearl and their son, Adam, who was born a couple of months afterwards. It was a tad too long, but I suppose it's hard to cut things out when you are telling a true story; especially one adapted from a book written by the person going through it. Also, when you are dealing with a movie taking place in a foreign country with foreign names, it's harder to follow (this also happens to me with books where I make up my own pronunciation for foreign names and usually skip them all together). I highly recommend it.

As much as I should take this feeling of apathy and decide moving forward to be better about reading the newspaper, I won't. I will continue to waste my Sunday away reading Entertainment Weekly and People. And, my camp alumnae newsletter. And, playing with my kids and our nieces who slept over last night. And, watching Cars and Super Why with my kids. Productive.

Saturday Date Night: Gaslight

Joe and I went out for an early Valentines dinner to a restaurant in the South End of Boston called Gaslight. There was a nice write-up in Boston Magazine and I've heard it was pretty good from a few different people. The restaurant itself had a nice atmosphere - beautiful lighting, nice tiles, etc. Overall, the food was really good and the service was lacking. It was well priced - all the entrees were less than $20 and the bill was not much after apps, entrees, dessert, and wine.


We started with escargot and a smoked salmon plate. The escargot was delicious...dripping in butter, garlic, and chopped parsley. There was no bread on the table and I didn't see any around on other tables so I didn't ask - my bad. Huge mistake not to ask b/c there is nothing better than dipping your bread in the leftover escargot drippings. Yum. After they took it away, she realized we were missing our bread. I wished she hadn't even said anything b/c then it was in my head. The smoked salmon was surrounded by chopped red onion, chopped egg, and capers and was topped with creme fraiche. It was very good but the proportions were off...too little salmon, too much creme fraiche. Good flavors though.

I had the Duck confit with garlic braised escarole and roasted herbed potatoes. I usually get duck at a Bistro/French restaurant b/c I never cook it at home (Joe doesn't like it and it's a pain to find usually) and I was so glad I got it here. It fell off the bone, was crispy on the outside and had a rich and yummy orange glaze. The potatoes were fine - nothing special but good. I was so looking forward to the escarole - you don't usually see it on menus. It was missing salt and I had to salt it several times...it was cooked well, but the lack of salt brought it down a notch. Generally, I was pleased though and the duck made up for the lack of pizazz in the sides.

Joe got a cuban sandwich made with fontina on a crusty looking roll with fries. I probably should have tasted it - we usually share, but I just loved mine and didn't want to mix the flavors. He loved it and was glad he got it. Usually he would have gotten lamb, but I'm making that for dinner tonight and unlike me, he doesn't like to eat the same thing 2 days in a row. We shared a carafe of Syrah to go with it which was really nice as well. I actually drank more than 1 glass plus my sparking wine starter. Big night for me! Usually I top out at 1-2 drinks and don't finish the second in favor of dessert.

For dessert we each got a decaf cappucino, Joe got creme brulee, and I got the molten chocolate cake with a vanilla sauce. The cappucinos were perfect. My chocolate cake was heavenly...really gooey inside and semi-sweet and well matched with the sauce. I didn't try Joes dessert b/c I have a problem with creme brulee...it's a texture thing...I don't like flan and only like certain kinds of pudding. I'm feeling mealy-mouthed just thinking about it.

All in all, a good meal and it was great to get out and have some time alone with Joe. We were actually supposed to go with friends, CT and PT, but CT got sick and they couldn't make it. They would have really liked the place and we haven't seen them in awhile. Plus, Joe told me that the original plan was for CT and I to get massages first while Joe and PT had drinks and then we were heading to the restaurant. How perfect would that have been???? ...Newman.

Fridays Singing Extravaganza and Saturdays Lunacy

On Friday, Shelagh decided not to nap. Instead, she played next to me on the computer and sang for 2 hours straight. You might say "Awww, that's cute", but seriously...2 hours straight. And, the same 2 songs. And, the wrong words. She followed me into the bathroom while I showered after that - I threatened her with the loss of all privilages if she didn't maintain full silence the whole time.

She usually still naps for me 1 1/2 to 2 hours each afternoon, which I definintely need for me, but she is almost 4 and I think this might be the beginning of the end. I suppose I should be thrilled that she still naps at all, but now I'm used to having 2 hours to myself in the middle of the day. It really is not just for me though...she definintely still needs it. She's all wound up and sort of like the Tasmanian Devil if she hasn't rested. Yesterday, she also didn't nap and for a good 1/2 hour or so she ran back and forth along our couch saying the same phrase over and over, knocking into me, jumping up and down. Sigh.

I've Been Accused of Being Very Negative Lately...

I prefer to think of it as sarcasm. But okay, sir, I will accept that statement as a challenge and now list my favorite things about my awesome kids...(I'm being sincere here)

1. I love the way Shelagh will ask me a question with a really serious tone scrunching up her face and turning up her hands as if she is really puzzled. I have to try to get this on film...it's my favorite thing she does.
2. I love the way Rory says "I NOT a freshie" when asked "are you being a freshie, mr. man?".
3. I love the way Shelagh spontaneously says "Mommy, you are my best best friend in the whole wide world. You are my best mommy."
4. I love that when I am holding Rory and giving him kisses, he laughs and says "AGAIN, Mommy"...his smile is huge, he gazes at me and has the best dimple. He can never get enough and neither can I.
5. I love watching Shelagh take care of Rory. She is such a little mommy now. If he even comes close to crying she is immediately over by him and says "Buddy, do you want a huggie? Come here, Rory, do you want to hug me?" He goes running over to her now for comfort.
6. I love the look on Rory's face as he is about to cry...He has a very slow lower lip pout that is so cute. He is devastated when he is scolded or given a time out (which doesn't happen often) and there is something so endearing about that.
7. Shelagh gives me my "favorite hugs" - one where she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs so tightly (after moving my huge hair out of the way) and one where she puts her arms under mine and gives me a "pat-pat" hug and gently pats my back. Heaven.
8. Rory says "Mommy, you hook your hair" which means he doesn't like it when I put my hair in a pony tail. At which point I take it out and dump it upside down over his face and yell "HAIR CAVE" and he cracks up.
9. I love the way a toddler learning to talk mixes up their pronouns...both my kids did that and I forgot how much I loved it until Rory started doing it. Examples: Rory would say "Shelagh hit you". Or, "You tired. You want to go to bed in your crib". He's not doing it so much anymore...it's one of the best parts of watching your kids develop language.

Anyway, I suppose I should play "I appreciate" a little more. This is a game my girlfriend, Lynn, and I used to play in high school. Have you ever gotten a headache or something and thought to yourself "I wish I appreciated it more when I didn't have a headache", because you never do. So, we made up the "I appreciate" game where we'd just rattle off all the things that we were happy were not happening to us or that we weren't feeling, etc. The above is todays "I Appreciate".

"Having Kids is Like Slowly Getting Pecked to Death by Chickens"

How funny is that? Friend at work shared that frig magnet phrase with me at lunch today. Hilarious. I will now list the things my kids do that annoy me the most:

1. Everything is a negotiation ("Shelagh, please feed the cats", followed by "Mommy, how about I read to my brother and you feed the cats? Does that sound good?")
2. I am a broken record ("Finish your breakfast. Finish your breakfast, please. PLEASE, finish your breakfast. If you don't finish your breakfast, you will lose your privilages today. EAT YOUR BREAKFAST. I WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR STORIES.")
3. Food likes and dislikes depend on the alignment of the planets ("But you love chicken, Rory", followed by "I not like Chicken. I like Nuggets", followed by "But nuggets are chicken, buddy", followed by "They NOT".
4. Default volume setting = 20 and screaming is fun
5. My daughter refuses to get dressed upstairs in the morning when everyone else does. Her new thing is eating breakfast in her jammies. By the time breakfast is done (see #2 above), we are late, I am tense, and she still has to get dressed and get her hair done. It's petty, it shouldn't bother me so much, BUT IT DOES!
6. Food disguise does not seem to work with Rory. He can identify a pea buried in pasta immediately. Drives me crazy.

I really do love my kids. Just venting... :)

Super Tuesday

I just got back from voting in the Massachusetts primary. I would just like to say that the voting process is a complete joke.

1. No one asked me for ID
2. I am registered Undecided. In Mass, that means you can vote in either primary, but not both. The primary ballots are color-coded - blue for Republican and red for Democrat. Where's the privacy in that?
3. I know this probably has nothing to do with anything, but the whole station was run by old ladies. They take your address and then name and check you off in a book. They announce your affiliation out loud and ask you what ballot you want - Dem or Rep. You vote at a high table with curtains on the left, right, and front, but no curtain behind you. You hand in your ballot to more old ladies who ask you again out loud your affiliation. Finally, the ballot goes into a machine.

Seriously, have we learned nothing? How hard would it be to write a quick software program to collect voter data the same way across all states? Each state would fill in their own candidates. It could be a student project at a University. Build 1 database to store all the states data which would be output the same way. Put 4 or 5 backup systems in place to pacify naysayers and propagate. Done.

Good Bye Coin Slot

In reading one of the many gossip blogs I troll through every day, I stumbled upon a post that pointed to this site. It is a garment that extends your t-shirt over your low-rise jeans so that when you bend over to pick up your tantruming kid or the toy your tantruming kid just threw or your keys you dropped while focusing on your kid not running into traffic, your ass won't be exposed. Or, your thong underwear I guess if you wear thong underwear. (Side note...while thong underwear do remove your panty line, they almost always show above your pants line. What's the point again?) It's $20, which is too expensive in my opinion, but a very cool idea. If I had a sewing machine and any talent or craftiness, I'd just make one.

Tough Morning

Lots of tantrums, lots of unreasonable behavior from the kids and from me. I used to have a lot of patience. I'm not sure where it went, but it was no where to be found this morning. It all started when Shelagh accidentally popped me in the nose while I was helping her get her PJs back on. It was a complete accident but it really hurt. I tried to grit my teeth, but it didn't work and all hell broke loose. Nothing significant, just silliness and then it was 2 tantrums from her followed by one from Rory later (I think his was a sympathy tantrum...he's starting to copy her). And, me scolding them, snapping at Joe, and crying about it b/c my stupid nose hurt.

Yes, I was crying all morning (not out loud, but still tearing). What a goober I can be sometimes. I think what really upset me was that I was so irritated and annoyed, but really there was nothing worth getting so worked up over. I have 2 wonderful, healthy kids and I'm too controlling. I need to learn to relax and let things go. How do people do that??? All I was thinking about was how on earth moms that have kids with special needs or other real issues keep their cool. They have real, daily, complicated challenges to deal with. The few moms I know that are in this situation do have endless supplies of patience and a well of kindness from which to draw. Sometimes I'm a real shit.

More Lost Episode 1 - Top 10 on PopCandy

I've mentioned before that PopCandy, the USAToday blog that I read religiously, has a huge Lost post after every episode. Whitney makes a few remarks, but it's the comments from all her readers that are the draw. I think the comments topped 600 this week and I gave up after a few pages. There are probably too many people posting in there now for it to be worth reading...Even if you want to post an original comment, you'd have to read too many to see if yours has been mentioned. Whitney picks the top 10 comments a few days later and posts those separately. Here they are and they are WORTH READING! This is why I love Lost... I have to remember to watch each episode twice.

Even though the Pats didn't win :( ...

I'm still posting the kids in their gear...Rory watched the 1st half with us and part of Tom Petty (I knew he was lip-synching). He liked all the different colored guitars and even yelled out "Touchdown" a few times...Too bad they weren't scoring. RIP 18-0...maybe next year although it seems like it was a once in a lifetime type of roll the Patriots were on. Joe will probably kill me for even writing that.

Meal Planning Wk of 2/2

Last Weeks Results
I made most of what I planned for last week. The pasta with leeks and sweet potatoes came out great. The chicken was good, but not a re-do. We ate those leftovers for another day and then Joe was out another night and I decided not to cook anything new. Didn't get to the steak or shrimp dinners, but I'll move those to this week since they are still in the freezer.

This Weeks Plan

• Saturday - Joe is going skiing overnight, so I'll eat the pot roast leftovers with the kids
• Sunday - Kids: Pasta & Meatballs, Me: Pasta probably since Joe won't be back until PM
• Monday - Steak, quinoa (have wanted to try this grain and just picked some up), ? veggie; Kids: Quesadilla with whatever I can sneak in there. Pureed some yellow squash so I'll try that under the cheese. Beans. maybe some quinoa or rice.
• Tuesday - Shrimp, wheat rice or pasta like a scampi, snow peas maybe?; Kids: Mac & Cheese probably
• Wednesday - Sausage & Peppers w/ Polenta (have wanted to try this too) for all of us
• Thursday - Turkey & White Bean Chili, roasted veg - cauliflower maybe? or salad for all of us
• Friday - Possible dinner out to mexican restaurant with friends and kids

Lost !!! Episode 1

The much anticipated 1st episode of Lost delivered. As usual, it was FANTASTIC looking in HD...it is the single best program - sports included - in Hi-def. I have mixed feelings on the episode. Here are my notes:

• Hurley irritates me. I like him generally - good friend/good heart/generous/blahblahblah, but he still irks me
• I totally cried when Desmond told Hurley that Charlie was dead and when Hurley told Claire the same. I am a sucker, but I think that's the first time there was a moment of pause when someone died that seemed meaningful. It always bothers me on this show when people don't give nor do they ask for full explanations. I know you need to leave a lot in the air, but everything is so incomplete all the time. I feel like you never have closure on much. As a side note, Charlie annoyed the hell out of me and while I did get a twinge of sorrow when he locked himself in the room last season, I totally felt so much better about him when he told Desmond it wasn't Penny's boat.
• Sawyer is still hot
• I'm having a love/hate thing for Locke and equally for Jack. They are each on a similar trajectory, I think, but at opposite times. When Locke is bad, Jack is good and vice versa. They are both alpha males and leaders of the group, but I never stay with one for long. Jack is so arrogant on one hand, but is also trying to keep control and keep the group calm and cared for. Locke is so earnest in his faith of the island, even when he is blowing up submarines and throwing knives at potential saviours, I think his intent is the same. One is science and 1 is spirit. I'm really enjoying the joust between these 2 guys.
• Ben is so snarky. Love it. Rousseau just nailed him and it was great.
• I LOVE the flash forward. I think the Oceanic 6 make a deal to get off the island and I think the guilt is racking Hurley and eventually gets to Jack. For some reason I don't care who the Oceanic 6 are right now other than Jack, Kate, Hurley, which we know for the most part.
• I LOVE Desmond. He is likable, he is macho, he is desperately in love and worships Penny, he is passionate, he is just the best character. I can't wait to see what happens next with him and I so want Penny to find him.
• The whole Jacob thing is super creepy. I read on Pop Candy Lost comments, which are at 530 as of 4pm, that someone thought Jacob might be Christian Shepard, Jacks dad. This is one story line that I don't mind being up in the air. I like that we don't know his ultimate fate.
• Another blog specifically about Lost if you are so inclined

Anyway, that's all for now. Feel free to make comments about the episode.

Museum Morning

Took the kids to the Boston Childrens Museum this morning with some friends. First time we've been able to pile another family into the van. THIS is why the van was a good idea. It did take me a good 10-15 minutes to figure out how to remove the 2nd row middle seat, which was not that hard actually. We had a great time at the museum! It wasn't too crowded, the kids could run around safely and we got a good 2.5 hours in before the sleet came down as we walked to the van to head home.

They have this great climbing structure from the lobby up to the 3rd floor for kids to work their way up. Shelagh went right to the top, but Rory likes to meander at the bottom, trying out 3-4 different climbing ramps and being perfectly happy hanging out near me and then resting.