Happy Birthday Mr. O

Owen, today you turn six years old. You are a kindergartener and you are growing up too fast. While at the park on Sunday, you made friends with a two year old boy. You played by placing your cars on the slide and letting them go to see who went furthest. After, you told the little boy that he could have your Lightening McQueen because “that is for little kids”. The Dad said thank you, but followed with: “Maybe you want to take this home with you, I know you said he can have it, but maybe you will want it back”. To which you responded, “Ahhh, maybe not.” Then you said bye and walked away, your Dad and I laughing.


You are so funny, sweet and kind. That is not to say that you don’t have your moments, you do, but they are so few and far between these days. You are growing emotionally, mentally and physically. Serious, dude, you are a giant. There is no way your father and I will be able to feed you as a teenager. No freaking way. And aside from your gargantuan build, I love the person you are becoming. This past weekend in a very tough and scary situation, see ambulance trip, you were brave, patient, polite, funny and so, so smart. It blew me away. I was proud to be your parent.

I think now that you are in grammar school it is hitting me exactly how much you have grown, how you are no longer my baby but this handsome, bright and sparkling little boy. You are the world to me and I love you very much. Happy Birthday Owesie.

P.S. I know you are gung ho about Catholic school, but maybe you should think twice about meeting a person and launch immediately into “Bless us o lord, for these are gifts”, it is just a little weird.

P.P.S. Even though your Dad hates it, the fact that you are putting ornaments, lights and snowflakes everywhere around the house in order for it to “be so very Christmassy” is super awesome.  Your Dad doesn't know what he is talking about. 

Babycenter Helps Me Determine Owen's Giftedness

I get e-mails from babycenter.com extolling such gems like, “Your 3 year old - Ms. Bossy.” Oh really, Babycenter, I think mini-tyrant may be a better title since we share living space. Also, you people out there with kids that have not reached three - leave, just leave, actually run, for your life. Today, I got the following - “Signs of Giftedness in a 5 to 8 year-old. I have a 5 year old! Immediately, after clicking on the link, I realized this was not a tutorial on how to wrap up child up in shiny paper with twisted curls in order to give him away. Assholes! Instead I read a list of bulleted pointed items that would help me deduce if my 5 year old was gifted which means smart, I guess. So, shall we:


Your child may be gifted if he:

Thinks abstractly; that is, he grasps advanced mathematical and linguistic concepts and can talk about such complex issues as ethics, morality, and religion.

Yep. On Saturday, I asked Owen how long he wanted to remain swimming, and he said to me 100 minutes, NOT an hour and 40 minutes. Also, before we eat, he is always quick to say “Thank you Jesus (pronounced “Cheezits”) for this meal. And he told me I did something mean, when I DID DO SOMETHING MEAN.

Is able to intensely concentrate and focus on one activity for long periods.

Absolutely, he can sit focused on the TV for hours.

Has a large vocabulary and understands words not typically used by peers.

Yes, most of his friends do not know of the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

Is confident in his accomplishments and ideas.

There is never a person quicker to show me his poops. Also, the other day he suggested we get married. Again. And I told him (again), “Get an effin job already.”

Is sensitive to other people's feelings.

Whenever I am crying over an empty bottle of wine, Owen is there with a hug.

Well,  I think we know our answer, don't we?

Also, check out who can swim -

Four For You Friday

1.  Last week Owen was the unfortunate recipient of a stomach bug. This virus gave him, as my mom likes to say, “the shits.” There is nothing worst than the word diarrhea. I mean look at it. That being said, on Saturday after his three epic bathroom stints, I asked Owen how his stomach was feeling. To which he replied, “It is not absolutely great.” “Not absolutely great” instantly becoming my favorite saying of all time. Kids, you have to love them.

2.  Tomorrow is The Kentucky Derby and there is a horse named Sabercat. First, what the hell is a Sabercat? This is what I think:

You know, I think Sabercat is the only cat I could ever like - CAUSE HE’S AWESOME.

3.  You don’t know what hell is until your husband gets an incline trainer treadmill. I am obsessed with incline treadmill training. And my “training” I mean holding on for dear life while cursing and huffing as if my lungs might just combust from overuse. It is awful, but awesome. I just said exercise was awesome. Who am I?

4.  On my bike ride to work the other day (because I am a fucking hippie now), I saw this guy smoking while riding a bike. As in smoking a cigarette, while riding a bicycle. Because you know, smoking and biking are the new big thing. I am happy because I was able to pass him. Finally, someone.

Also, May the 4th be with you is stupid.

Maggers Turns Three

Happy Birthday Maggie! Typing this today I am overwhelmed by the fact that you are three. It seems impossible that three years ago I was in a hospital bed, 5 cm dilated, 100% effaced with broken water and still not in labor. Thank god for pitocin, because once I got that, you were born in less than 40 minutes. One Push McCall should have really stuck more than it did. Oh well.

You are very proud of the fact that you are now “a big girl”. “I not a little girl Mama, I a big girl.” However, last weekend, after your repeated pleas to go into the bottom bunk of Owen’s bed and abandon your crib, this fact was put to the test. As you lay down in the bed and looked around, you eyes grew wide. You jumped out of bed, saying “Mama, I not a big girl. Look at me, I still little. I still very, very, very little. I go downstairs.” It was impossibly cute, and the best thing was when Owen was tearful that you would not be sharing a room, you said “Owen, I just not ready. I’ll be ready soon. I give you a kiss.” I don’t think anyone can argue that for a just turned three year old, you have a very good sense of yourself. You know what you want, when you want it. And this a very good quality, even if at times it borders on bossy, and, believe me, it does.


Recently, you were moved from the 2 year old class to the 2/3 class at preschool. There were some concerns that you might have a bit of difficulty, emotionally and academically. But you did extremely well, took it in stride like “a big girl” and caught up no problem. You are so smart. I try to stress this often since you also get a lot of “she is so pretty” comments. You are both, and I want you always to know that. And somehow, I don’t think you will forget.


Yesterday, I looked up famous birthdays and you share yours with Joan Crawford. And nope, I am totally not going to sugar coat it. You have a temper. Maybe not wire hangers in the closet temper, but close. Your Dad and I are thankful that you were second, I fear that if we had not had Owen first, we would cater to these episodes and make you a mini-megalomaniac. But unfortunately for you, we have been “through the shit” and we know when to walk away when a crazy eyed semi-psychotic toddler has a fixed idea. You will wail, howl, cry. All of this will not even cause us to raise an eyebrow, and when you realize this, which is often quick, you pick yourself up, huff on over and say, “I sorry. I need a hug.” Oh, by the way, you give the best hugs. They are full body in, arms tight across the neck, head firmly pressed against the chest awesomeness. And I am Boston Irish Catholic, we don’t ever like to be touched (except, when intoxicated), so yeah, best hugs.


Also, you just happen to have this older brother that you adore. I know at some point you will be reading this and say, “Oh my god, Mom. I SO did not like Owen.” But guess what? You did, and you do, you idolize him. You imitate what he does constantly, you demand his attention, which he thankfully gives (see temper). You love your brother, so, so much. And he you.


Maggie, you make me so happy. You make your Dad so happy. I can’t imagine my life without you and have a hard time remembering it without you. I feel so lucky, so blessed, and so overly emotional right now so I am going to stop before the waterworks come. My baby girl, my monkey, my little spitfire full of piss and vinegar I am sure to regret 10 years from now, I love you. Thanks for making my life so much better than it ever could be without you.

Love, Mama

P.S. Your singing is just sort of rad.

Why Some Day I Will Be Committed - A Continuing Series

Like no one else on the planet, my resolution for the New Year was a healthier me: to eat better, to go the gym more, to workout on weekends. As we near the end of February, I can say my commitment has been solid. In fact, this past Monday was the first day since February 4 that I did not work out. Who exercises on President’s Day? Fifteen consecutive days of working my ass off (literally). As someone who needs distant goals to keep my will strong, I signed up for my office building’s Beach Body Challenge, a weigh-off with a grand prize of a trip for two to Hawaii. I know! However, in the back of my mind lay the following - “Too bad this was not in January because I have SO lost weight. I mean, whatever, it is still motivation.”

Imagine my surprise, when after body measurements were taken, I got on the scale to peer down and see the exact same number that was revealed the beginning of December. I don’t usually weight myself as it tends to piss me off, which is a good rule of thumb, since I was instantaneously fucking pissed off upon reading said number. “Seething” would be more appropriate. Why so mad? I have been killing myself at the gym. I have been killing myself at home. In fact, last weekend after completing an advanced 45 minute workout from the Nike Training app, John asked me if I had been gang raped. I think that right there details my level of exertion and commitment.

Oh yes, I know the entire muscle weighs more than fat bullshit, and that my clothes do fit better, blah, blah, blah, blah. I know this. But that number! I am pretty sure God hates me. Or my boobs weigh 30 pounds. And honestly, both of these things could be true. This now means I have gone from “No way I will win this thing” to “It is on, assholes. I am going to Hawaii.” Let’s be absolutely clear, I am competitive to the point of psychosis. And my psycho switch has just been turned on. So if you don’t hear from me, I will be at the gym not drinking beer (OMFG), not eating carbs and cursing scales everywhere.

Yes, I am crazy.

The New England Patriots: A Love Story

The reason I started watching the Pats is a simple one. My father bet on the games. He would make bets at the bar, and then watch the games. I watched them too, because these were the days in which you had one TV for one house, and no way was your Dad going to let you watch Scooby Doo when the Pats were playing. Although let me be honest here, most games during this time were blacked out. Blacked out as in not enough fans came to Sullivan Stadium to watch the Pats play. Hard to imagine, I know. Also, I was in love with Patriot Pat. Dreamy.


My true fandom was not experienced until the magical 1985 Cinderella season wherein we started 0-3 and finished 11-5 but still 3rd in the AFC East. We beat the Jets, Raiders and Miami (all on the road) to reach Super Bowl XX against the Chicago Bears. This logo proved untrue.


Let us revisit the 12 year old me after that game:


This was a very painful year for my sports psyche as not only did the Pats have a humiliating loss (fine I said it), the Red Sox lost to the Mets in Game 7 of the World Series. Two words: Bill Buckner. I also turned 13 and still had no boobs. So yeah, it was a fucking hard year.

As time went on, there were lots of games and lots of coaches and lots of players. We even had a 1996 trip to the Super Bowl wherein we suffered a loss to the Packers. The only good thing about this time period is that I got boobs and I started drinking. As any true Boston sports fan knows, drinking helps ease the pain, that and swearing. Swearing is good.

Also Drew Bledsoe went crowd surfing at the Paradise during an Everclear concert (his favorite band). And that right there perfectly sums the 1990s.


The year 2000 began with the firing of Pete Carroll (thank fucking god) and the hiring of one Mr. Bill Belichick in scandal. Bill was the head coach of the Jets, but then resigned, to come to the Pats. Obviously, Mr. Belichick is smart. In the 2000 draft we drafted in the 6th round Thomas Edward Brady. We went on to finish last place in the AFC East. The following year, the Patriots were not expected to do much better. During the second game of the season, Drew Bledsoe was hurt and in came back up QB, Tom Brady. Although Tom lost that game, the Pats went on to finish the season 11-5 with Brady at the helm. We went on to beat the Raiders, Steelers and finally the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Adam Vinatieri’s final seconds field goal.



Chills. Anyhoo, the aughts were a fun time to be a Patriots fan. We won two more Super Bowls and then had an almost perfect season that was destroyed by one Mr. David Tyree. How the hell do you catch a ball off your helmet? Anyway, that was bad. Especially since I watched that game with my friend Grant, a Giants Fan. Yeah. Then there was this dude named Bernard Pollard whose main purpose in life is to maim Patriot Players - Tom Brady, Wes Welker and most recently Rob “GRONK!” Gronkowski.

But here we are a mere 5 days from another Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVI. So that means 26 Super Bowls from my first Pats Superbowl (holy shit I am old). I am nervous, feeing a mixture of dread and happiness. Happiness that we somehow are having a great season with no secondary, dread because of the people named Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz. I am not going to jinx my team so the only predictions I am willing to make revolve around my beer consumption and cursing. (Over/Under: 5,258). But in the end, it always remains the same. I love me some Patriots football. Go Pats!

Soul Mate - Don't Jinx Yourself

Recently on a blog I read, the writer announced her separation from her husband of ten years. I should have been thinking, “Oh wow”, “That is awful”, and “No freaking way”. Instead I was thinking, “That is what you get when you call someone your soul mate.” Can we all agree that nothing will destroy your relationship eventually than the flagrant foul of calling someone your soul mate? It is a jinx.

Let us visit the definition of a soul: The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. To me, the soul sounds awfully similar to a snowflake, in that every single one is uniquely formed. A perfect mate for a snowflake seems impossible. Yet time and time again, people use soul mate. And surprisingly, not in humor. They actually mean it. I know!

Maybe I am a cold, heartless, dead fish of a person incapable of attaining the enlightenment that is soul mate-yness. (I feel compunction to say ARRGHHH here, so I will. AARRGHHH). But how is it possible for any person to use it seriously. I once knew a girl who dated her “soul mate” 503 times. I know this because instead of referring to these guys with their actual names, I would ask “Where did Soul Mate 152 take you tonight?”

The point is that life is a somersault of good, evil, happy, sad, sober and drunk. Whatever you experience will change you. If you are lucky enough to travel that road with someone hope to god the people you become are fortunate to still love and be kind to each other. The point is that your soul mate of today may not be the soul mate of your future, so stop using the effin term already. However, we with true soul mates are free to carry on.

Joys of Parenting: Toddler OCD

As someone that the sight of an open cabinet immediately creates within a spastic twitch in the cortex of my brain signaling - CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE - the fact that my daughter is a creature of habit bordering on psychosis should not come as shock. Since having children, the phrase “you get what you give” has been painfully defined. On one hand, I have an ultracompetitive sore loser who I much preach the concept of “fair play” to and the other a girl whose bedtime routine is an exercise in torture (and probably might be in Dante’s version of a modern Inferno).

A few weeks back, John once again came upstairs after putting Maggie to bed exasperated and shaking his head, reaching for the immediate beer. Since we have been alternating Owen’s bedtime routine, I said “You know, maybe we should share Maggie’s stories too?” (Usually I cook during this time). John responded, “Totally.” He then may have danced a bit and praised Jesus and smiled at me with a face of “You have no fucking clue what you are getting yourself into.” I realize this now, at the time I just though - what is the big deal?

Let me explain the big deal to you. After the kids finish their bath, and get dressed, at 6:45 p.m. it is time for Maggie to go to sleep.

Me: Maggie, it is time to go to bed.
Maggie: TWO MINUTES. TWO MINUTES. TWO MINUTES.
Me: Okay, two minutes.
(Two minutes pass).
Me: Mags, time to go to bed.
Maggie: TWO MINUTES!! I WANT TWO MINUTES!!
Me: Time for bed.
Maggie: I need to kiss Daddy. DADDY, DADDY, KISSES!
Me: Okay Maggie. Bed.
Maggie: OWEN, OWEN, kisses for Owen.
Owen: (Kissing Maggie). Good night Mags, I miss you. (Awww).
Me: Maggie, bed.
Maggie: I pick out my bottle.

She picks her bottle; we fill it with ice and water. The left side of my skull starts to throb. We head down the stairs to her room. She first goes to the computer to turn it on so that her Mozart playlist can be played (brainpower!), then she goes to her heater to turn it on, then she throws her bottle over her crib and climbs in. For those thinking: She is still in a crib? How old is this kid anyway? The answer is 3 in March and she sleeps from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every single day. She will be in that crib until she is 18 if I can help it.

Now, the stories. At this point in the adventure, Maggie chooses one book which is usually a Dora book. These books are long, and if you try to skip words, you are in trouble. Like last night when I skipped the part about crossing the sea on the pirate ship to avoid the snake and we did not say “Arrggggh”. So then we said it 18,000 times. Mama you forgot AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH. ARRGGHHHHHH. MAMA ARRRAGGHHHH. Mistake. After the first story this is the time when Maggie goes to the bathroom. We head in, where she turns on the light. I DO IT. Then sit and go pee and try to go poop. If she can’t poop she will strain until you are pretty sure an aneurysm will be had, and you are okay with this. She climbs off, flushes and turns off the light. POOP MAMA!

We exit the bathroom, wherein we have come to the touching shadows portion of the evening. “I TOUCH SHADOWS.” She proceeds to touch all the shadows in the room taking care not to step on the treadmill “This is Daddy’s Mama, IT’S NOT A TOY.” Thanks Maggie, I keep forgetting.

Back into bed for more stories. But first, “I NEED BIG ICE”. I get a piece of ice for her to chew on. THAT NOT BIG MAMA. I find another, my headache growing. Goodnight Moon is now read, a favorite since she repeats everything I say. This is a good moment, I almost love her again. That is until the Cheerios book. The Cheerios book has me wishing for death. How can a six page book seemingly take six hours? Oh, because she has to point out every color, and then pretend to take cheerios from one page to put them on another. Then count them, over and over, and then tell me which mice don’t have glasses. I need to get him some glasses Mama. TIME FOR BED MAGGIE. GLASSES MAMA. More placing of pretend cheerios. Until finally every mouse has glasses, every fish has bubbles, every car has wheels, and she agrees to end story time.

We next discuss her day. This is another part of the routine in which I kind of forget that I want to hang myself. She informs me who was her friend, who wasn’t her friend, how she sang Wheels on the Bus and the baby went Wah, Wah, Wah, how she pooped in the potty. The life of an almost three year old is quite compelling. I then tell her, “Good night Mags”. She then asks for a fist pump. We fist pump. Then we high five. Then we high five again. One more high five. I zip up the crib tent and start for the stairs, Maggie then pulls off her all of her blankets and says, “MAMA, MY BLANKETS!”. Shocked. As if she did not take then all off when I turned around. I go down, unzip to tuck her in. First one blanket (tuck, tuck, tuck), her baby blanket (tuck, tuck, tuck), her Dora fleece blanket (tuck, tuck, tuck). LOOK MAMA, DORA!!! AND BOOTS!!! Said happiness and joy, as if she does not say this every single freaking night. My love is back. Good night Maggie. Good night Mama. WHERE IS OWEN? Going to sleep. WHERE IS DADDY? Going to sleep. WHERE YOU GOING? I am going to sleep Maggie. DADDY TIRED. OWEN TIRED. MAMA TIRED. MAGGIE TIRED. Yep. Go to sleep, sweet dreams. NIGHT MAMA. Night.

As I climbed those stairs I know that I am free (to drink copious amounts of wine). And although torturous in its execution and not to mention high pitched cries of anguish for any transgression of the “routine,” I try to tell myself that this will be over someday, I will miss this, I will ache for this. But you know what? I really don’t think so, I really don't. At least she is cute. She has to be.