The Lay-Off- A Month Done and Gone

So there it is. A full month has gone by since the day that H came home declaring himself no longer gainfully employed. So much has happened in the last few weeks and life has taken to flowing a whole new way.

For one thing, we all sleep later. It is as if we are all on summer vacation. Fancy that. Except we are missing that carefree feeling of running to the ice cream truck and lazing by the pool. While H has devised a schedule of job hunting as a full time job and completing long overdue tasks around the house, my work has suffered. While I try to keep TD occupied and out of Daddy's hair it is almost impossible to do unless some electronic box is used to placate her. This annoys H to no end. When it's just TD and me we work together. She plays at my side while I try and diligently work away at least for four minute spans of time or whatever she is gracious enough to give me. Add Daddy into the equation and the kid is a 24/7 Daddy seeking missile. While it is also true that I get to run errands sans child now, a luxury I savor each time I employ it, our days are different and have less structure than they did before.

H and I have had to learn to communicate on a whole new level what with being up in each other's pie holes each and every day. We feel closer as a family though, and I did not believe for one second all that hooey about quality time as a family that people commented on in my original lay-off post, I have found that this indeed is true. Our routine might be a bit changed. We have regained our sense of balance in this new life and found new ways to thrive as a family. It all makes me almost grateful. Grateful to know that despite freezing our gym memberships, eliminating our contributions to TD's college fund and all the other cutbacks we have dealt with, including health insurance hell, we have found the basis of who we are as a family with even more clarity than we had previously. Things happen for a reason and for us it seems we needed to concentrate on our little family, to see who we are as individuals again and welcome this new baby in a much more unhurried fashion. It's a bit beautiful and I never anticipated that.

Are you choking down your lunch now? Are you trying not to vomit from all the schmaltz? Yeah, me too. Yet it is all true.

I get the funny feeling though that when H does go back to work it will be as if summer has ended and fall has begun. It will be back to school time for everyone in the house.

It's a Surreal Life Sometimes

It's been one month since H got laid off. One month of some of the strangest times we've had. From worrying about our health insurance to wondering if we'll make our mortgage payment. Oh, and then we went on vacation. And Graco came calling asking me to do a little car seat campaign for them. Then BlogHer. Just when I thought our life would return to its somewhat banal suburban existence BBC America came calling.

Yeah, you heard me.
BBC America.
In my house.
Today.
What I thought was spam at first glance turned out to be an interview request. There I sat in my pajamas with my hair all askew and my morning coffee by my side just stunned, mouth probably hanging open staring at the request. My DC Metro Moms post, "Day One- I Feel Like a Statistic" had been previously picked up for syndication and now this was a result of it.

With Obama overseas this week the BBC is doing a piece about how for many Americans the real issue is the less than stellar economy. America has changed a lot since the last election and we need to find out what is really going through the minds of a typical American family. A typical American family who until recently may have lived a rather blissful life but now themselves unemployed.

Enter us. I have to say this right here and now to all you bloggers/writers out there. Just when you think you are writing for nothing and no one cares about what you think or say something like this can happen and suddenly you feel not only heard but that what you are writing is actually reaching readers. I'm stunned and excited and a bit stupefied.

Now that the BBC crew has come and gone and our house no longer has camera and lighting equipment in it we can go about the everyday humdrum of fighting the laundry monster, writing reviews about products that scare T.D. and trying to find jobs. Ah, the excitement never ends. Still, I think our life might be a bit surreal.

BlogHer '08- The Newbie Perspective

BlogHer is over and done with and I must say it was a crazy blur. A good blur though and for this Blogher newbie it could not have been better. Is it too Mary Tyler Moore of me to say it was all I could have hoped for and more? Yeah, probably but suck it, I'm optimistic today.

Before I left for the trip I had heard all sorts of advice. Tips and tidbits like-

- There are all sorts of cliques and popular people. They stick together and you probably won't meet them. Don't get bent out of shape if they diss you.

Huh... I found none of that. I heard some griping about it but I met everyone I wanted to and worship blog-wise so I'm good. I can die a happy blogger now. I geeked out over everything sufficiently and feel sated. For this year.

- You will need to pack an extra bag for all the swag.

Oh yes! The SV Moms shindigs alone had my rather large suitcase already filled to capacity. Then I filled a duffel bag that could fit about 6-7 angry chihuahuas and still needed to UPS a box home. That herbicide better make it to my front door in one piece and not get all over my Super Why stickers.

-Don't feel you need to go to all the conferences and seminars. You just can't do it and you'll ruin the experience.

True again. I went to two. Feels a bit wasteful since I have to say I felt I wasn't paying for my portion of the food (some protein at breakfast next year would be vastly appreciated! I'm not even going to go into the plastic I felt was thrown around with wild abandon at lunchtime.) Each one I enjoyed immensely and the mini-one on Sex and Relationships needs to be a full on discussion next year.

For me, BlogHer was a very positive experience in so many ways. It was a fun whirlwind of independence from the spouse and family. A place where I am sure many of us women were reveling in the fact that is was just us, being us, for a few solid days. As Lindsay (eek! I got to meet her!) said it best here. That and it did feel a bit like a women's empowerment movement (I could totally hear the roar.) and a bit like sorority rush but in a good way. BlogHer was a blast. One that I was proud to be able to participate in and felt honored to be recognized as I'm not big fish. I think a good time was had by many if not all and seeing both bloggy friends and real life ones makes the trip across country with stinky toddlers all worth it. When I met people like this fab girl who saved me from imminent meltdown in the scary glass elevator, this one , this one (who knew we suffered the same educational background.) and this one I felt happy and a bit more at home.

And who would have thought that one of the best parts for me was getting to meet Grover from Sesame Street!

I'll be back next year, ready for another Cheeseburger 09!

Greetings from that Rice a Roni Town

Am not dead. Though I swear by the dark circles heavily draping under my eyes I look it. No matter how many free makeovers I score it is not helping.

After a five hour plane ride seated, I kid you not, totally surrounded by toddlers I landed in this busy city by the bay. Seriously, that kid in Seat 14B needed a diaper change for about 90% of the flight and I thought I might just scoop her up myself and change her right there in the seat if her mother didn't finally do it. Geez! The stench of Cheerios hung heavily in the air as I made my way across the country to BlogHer. My shuttle driver felt that for some reason having two pregnant women on board meant he had to slam on the brakes at each stop versus just driving like a normal person.

I'm finding the whole BlogHer experience to be a positive one that I highly recommend. I've learned so much, felt inundated, pissy about not drinking (though I think H has had himself a fine time drinking at home without me. Grr.), and generally have met some of the most interesting, informative and fun people I could ever imagine.

I've geeked out enough the last two days that I'm good for a bit.

Crap! I forgot to pack my fat pants!

I'm headed to BlogHer tomorrow. It's my first time. Be gentle with me. I realized this morning amidst my cramming in other blogging stuff and figuring out what to pack that the last time I was in lovely and chilly San Fran I had to buy fat pants to board the plane.

That's right. You heard me. FAT PANTS. I think it deserves the all caps.

Never before had I gained weight like that so fast. Two weeks in S.F. eating at Mel's, on Bay Street, The Garlic Rose and more and all I came back with was a taste for fine food and an expanded waist line. I remember trying to squeeze into my jeans and having to head to the nearest Gap in horror as I bought a pair of men's drawstring cargo pants. I still own them too dammit and that was back in the year 2000. I use them as snow pants now so I can layer up.

This go round? It's a new type of fat pants complete with an elasticized waist of what feels like steel. Maternity pants. Yippie damn shippymacflippyshadippy. I keep reading all these posts about what to wear and pack for BlogHer and all I can think is, do maternity capris count? If I wear an extra pound of make up and mousse in my hair maybe it will distract others from the fact that my shoes no longer fit and I only wear flip flops now? As for keeping warm in the colder climes of NoCal (is that a word?) I have a light sweater. I possess my own furnace right now and am hardly cold. If anything I might shove someone for simply standing too close and sucking heat off me.

I'm nice I swear.

I smile sometimes too. Just ask these fine ladies.

Speaking of traveling, MPR is holding a giveaway of some handy dandy road trip products- Blink Smudge wipes, Prestone fuel cleaner and more! Go ahead - you know you want to enter!

What's in a Name?

Dash Two's arrival is a mere four months away and when I think of all the things we have yet to do I become positively dizzy. It's not just getting T.D. into a new room and washing old baby clothes and gear but also naming this kid. We are officially stumped. Sure, we have a list of possible monikers but as of yet, nothing is standing out or is yelling, "SOLD!"

I think part of the problem is when you name a kid you run into all sorts of comments and criticisms such as:

A. If it is a girl- many people will say, "That sounds like a stripper!"
B. "Your kid will get beat up with a name like that!"
C. "Poor kid's destined to be a dork now".
D. "Do you want your kid to be a psycho killer who murders you in your sleep?"
or
E. All of the above.

So while we have searched websites, books, films and family trees we are kind of at a loss right now. If we don't watch out our kid will end up with a name like Couch Manhattan or Tuberose Splenda. Hm... I wonder if I could get some Splenda cash for that last one.

In all seriousness, here are some of the possible name choices- feel free to weigh in with ideas and your own "precious" nuggets of wisdom/comments.

Addison Grace
Charlotte
Reese
Madeline (I can't help it, "and the smallest one was Madeline...")
Genevieve (say it with me, 'zhawn-vee-evuh')

And I'm spent. Seriously, last night after my third wake-up by a potty needing T.D. I just lay there reviewing names of characters from favorite novels. Somehow names like Suellen and Careen don't quite make the final cut and neither does Lily.

The New Thirty Day Challenge- Winner!!

After much deliberating I have chosen a winner for 'The New Thirty Day Challenge'. It wasn't easy either. You people are a creative and funny lot, expletives and all. I am happy to hear that this has inspired some of you to jump on the wagon with me too. With that being said, here is the winning entry-

Jacqueline from Atlanta wrote:
About two months ago I made a little sign for my desk.
It says:Use it up.Don't replace it.Keep it neat.First things first.
The use it up referred to my tendency to stockpile stuff, like your beauty products. If it's a really good sale (can you say, "Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Clearance Sale?) I buy three!The don't replace it referred to not stockpiling junk anymore.Keep it neat was mainly for my desk.First things first means to do the important things in the day right off the bat and do the one chore you are dreading the most first and get it out of the way so you can enjoy the rest of the day.First things first also refers to long term planning, such as putting aside money for retirement or kids' college before buying doodles.Which is all a long-winded way of saying, "I feel your pain." (read that in a half-choked voice)Call it:SA: Shopaholics Anonymous - 30 Days on the Wagon that Isn't Headed to the Mall.

Congratulations Jacqueline!!! Email me (veamason AT gmail DOT com) soon so I can get in touch with you!! You'll be receiving the surprise pack of products shortly. It will be mailed before I leave for BlogHer on Thursday, I swear!

You can read more about the SA- The 30 day challenge over at this site too- I'm updating it frequently with my progress and hope you'll join me in climbing on the wagon that isn't going to the mall. Easier said than done, I know.

A new review of Hanes Kidswear is going up today at MPR. Check it out- I'm giving away a whole outfit, plus more free stuff to one lucky winner.