Monkey
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Putting your best face out there…

Okay, so Marlena has a new favorite TV show. It is campy, and cheesy, and the special effects are much closer to soap effects than they are to movie effects, but Marlena thinks “Charmed” is the end all be all of afternoon television. Having indulged in the guilty pleasure of watching that show (positive all the while that liking it meant I had burned all my brainpower or was suffering from some sort of head injury), I know it does not contain inappropriate language, sexual activity beyond kissing, or realistic violence. It does have demon vanquishing, and the witches wear some skimpy unrealistic outfits, but there is little for me to complain about. It has the added benefit of strengthening her belief in magic and magical creatures, a belief I still desperately hold onto myself, as the workaday world does it very best to violently wrest it from me.

SO… I am letting her watch it. It is the only thing she is interested in watching. She will forgo every other show or movie for a chance to watch “Charmed”. She will often suggest forgoing any other activity, including seeing friends, if there is a small chance “Charmed” is on. She often laments having missed it when we return from some other type of activity. She is officially addicted to “Charmed”.

I am not particularly upset about this addiction so much as I am bemused. However, yesterday we were in the car and she was muttering to herself in the backseat while I concentrated on navigating the route home from school. After a while my brain began to notice what she was muttering and tune into it…

Marlena: “mutter…mutter… the drama continues on TNT with Charmed…. mutter… brought to you by Jergen’s lotion, Put your best face out there.”

Hmmm…..

Maybe I should watch the commercials in between “Charmed” to see if there is anything inappropriate there. We have already had to stop watching the Simpsons, as Network TV execs seem to think 6:00 is a good time to show gruesome advertisements for all the latest hack and slash and horror movies. Boy did she not need to see any of those!

Happily, the commercials during the day aren seemingly not inappropriate, and while I am disturbed with the power of the TV to convince my child that she needs to use a particular lotion or she will not be putting her best face out there, I have to admit it is better than having her beg me for the barrage of toys shown on other channels. (Channels we have never watched, preferring ones with children’s programming and no commercials.)

This did bring me to two commercials commonly seen during the day that I think are potential bombshells. Commercial One: KY warming and personal lubricant lotion. What exactly do I tell her when she inevitably asks me what a personal lubricant is used for? Commercial two: Erectile dysfunction medication. Yeah, so making her dad explain that one when and if she asks. But why are these ads on our daytime programming along with all the tv considered appropriate for young people?

Okay, so most kids do not prefer “Charmed” to Noggin. Marlena is not most children. But still, these programs are not rated in way that warns parents not to let their children watch them, unlike most evening programs, and I believe the commercials should match the friggin programming! KY lubricant belongs with Jay Leno, not “Judging Amy”!

Anyhoo… here are some cute chubby baby pictures, as I have chastised for failing to post them more often.

This one is doctored to censor… but I had to share with you all his cute pudgy thighs! And you just can’t see those baby thighs with a diaper on.. so here he is, with frogs.

Look at those creases in his thighs! Look at that balloon belly!! And those chubby little arms!!! There is absolutely no failure to thrive in this house!!

Law, Otter
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Babies, frogs, and ceramic tile…

Cute baby picture:

Yes, I have found it! The portable baby swing with lights and soft soothing music, the co-workers willing to work with a sling hanging from their shoulders from time to time. The sweet sounds of sleeping infant while working… human companionship, brain activity, and a potential paycheck! It is mommy heaven. The world’s best working environment for a new mom.

I have had a great week, I got started on my first grown up lawyer case, got paid for one of the cases I worked on last year, found a place to live for the next year or so, and begun packing the house. Marlena is preparing to finish school, Lee is getting more and more emeshed in his growing role at Vonage, and Oliver is getting used to being at the office with me.

Here is a picture of my first client: the Mississippi Gopher Frog.

Look closely at this sweet creature, because at the time it was designated as Endangered by the Fish and Wildlife Service over 5 years ago, there were only 100 adult frogs left and a commercial site was being constructed less than 700 feet away from their sole remaining breeding site. Sigh.

In other news, we have decided on the new home Lee and I are sharing with Devon for the remainder of the time we are here in the “Garden State”. That is assuming that we actually sign the lease and agree to all the terms, but that is pretty much a forgone conclusion. We have been negotiating with the landlord for a week or so now, and are still haggling over a few things, but are ready to accept the house. It is a lovely home, with spanish tile floors, a granit kitchen with a huge island in the center, and bathrooms in each bedroom. We love it. It is in Freehold, near Ellen, just a few blocks from downtown.

I will take pictures and add them to the blog when we are moved in. I am glad to be finished looking for homes, so I can get back to packing. (Okay, I am not glad to get back to packing, but I am glad to be done with finding a home.)

house"keeping", Moving
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(Everything but the) Kitchen Sink Curry…

Conundrum. What does one make for dinner every night the month before moving? You know, that month when the last thing you want to do is go to Costco to stock up on three months worth of green beans, rice, cereal, and coffee?

I stood in my cupboard, which is far from bare, but somehow always seems to have nothing in it anyway, and attempted to decide. Pasta, nope, had that last night. Hmmm…. I have ground beef and garlic, okay, fry that up with some olive oil. What to add…. Oh look! Savory mushroom rice pilaf! Great! Get that cooking…. still not quite a meal….Voila! Dried shitake mushrooms! Boil some water and get those ready to add. Anything else? Well… here is some red wine, some dried cranberries, and some curry powder. Why not!

So yes, we are having what I call… (Everything but the) Kitchen Sink Curry. It is surprisingly tasty.

Oh, ask not for whom the baby cries….

Managing life with chronic illness requires savvy spoons