Home Sweet Sarah

Nice and safe

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Sarah

Parenthood has sort of forced me to be a nice and friendly person, which is certainly not my regular personality baseline. I don’t think I’m mean, but I just tend to leave people alone, because I generally like to be left alone. I guess most people aren’t like this, because when I’m out with LG, we get a lot of people saying hi to us and while LG continues to be skeptical of everyone (that’s my girl!) I do try to teach her nice manners. Like, reciprocating when someone waves hello, things like that. Basically, I would prefer not to raise an asshole (such as myself.)

Unrelated, I was recently thinking about how being out and about with LG makes me feel safer. Take, for example, my runs around the neighborhood. The other day I got up early and ran in the dark-ish and I literally thought for the first mile or so that I was being followed. (I was not being followed.) I spent pretty much the whole run with my hand on my phone, silently cursing myself for not wearing a hat to cover my ponytail. (I did run very fast that morning, so at least there’s that.)

Now, when I go out running with LG, I do not fear for my life at all. Granted, I don’t take her out for runs at 6am, but still. There is something about pushing a stroller that just makes me feel safe. Like, nobody would mess with a lady with a baby! And if they did, I have zero doubt in my mind that I would seriously fuck that person up. I said I’m not a mean person, but even thinking about someone messing with my baby makes me see red and so if we ever find ourselves in a situation that requires me to kick some ass in order to save the little lady in the stroller, well, I will kick some ass.

I don’t think that’s a unique thought about your child (or any loved one), but just interesting to me how the presence of a baby can have me go from OMG IS SOMEONE FOLLOWING MEEEEEE I’M GOING TO DIE to I DARE YOU TO MESS WITH ME, FUCKER.

Regardless, I think I’ll teach LG some roundhouse kicks, in addition to nice manners.

Posted in LG | 1 Comment

Some unrelated, non-spoiler-y* thoughts on last night’s Mad Men

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Sarah

– I would like every piece of furniture in Roger Sterling’s office, especially the mirrored credenza and his desk (but I could do without the trippy dots picture, as it gives me a headache.)

– Confidential to Matthew Weiner: MORE JOANIE, PLEASE.

– Sally continues to be my favorite ever.

– Ken Cosgrove was not his usual self and I’m intrigued to see what that is all about. Has Ben Hargrove got writer’s block? Is it something to do with Peggy’s move? (Didn’t they have a I’ll Take You With Me clause in their friendship?)

– I remember Ted Chaough being more of a dick (no…pun intended?), but he was so nice to Peggy last night. I think the move to CGC was a good one.

– What will they do about the P in SCDP? RIP Lane.

– Chris was like, “Who’d give away a random stranger at their wedding?!” and I was like, “You would. You so would.”

– Linda Cardellini as a woman with a 19-year-old kid? Even with the hair and makeup, I’m not buying it.

– More Pete (okay, mostly more Trudy), please.

– WHAT WAS UP WITH THE RAPEY FOREPLAY THING OMG BETTY YOU WEIRDO.

– I totally called Roger crying over his shoe-shine guy (I’m sure you did too), which only makes me think Weiner lost his touch there.

– (He totally got it back, though, didn’t he?)

*If you didn’t watch last night…WHY THE HECK NOT? and also you’re welcome for not spoiling anything. Now, I’m off to read the recaps! (Looks like Entertainment Weekly and Esquire have some new recappers; here’s hoping they’re as good as last year!)

Posted in Book, Movies, TV, & Music | 4 Comments

More randoms

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Sarah

My brain seems to only be working in tiny snippets these days. Sounds about right.

– I tend to think people are older than they are and then when I find out they’re actually younger, I get worried…Do people think I’m older than I am? I mean, I hope people don’t think I’m 40 (NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT), but I recently thought a girl who was 27 was in her mid-30s. She looked about 22, so I think it’s more a personality/demeanor thing, but still. I would like to just look and act my age. Not younger, not older. (But when I’m older, I think it goes without saying I would be on board with looking younger.)

– I abhor baby-talk and do not/have never baby talked around LG and yet she calls water “wa-wa.” I can’t imagine the school calls water “wa-wa,” so I guess it’s just an innate thing, but still. Why not just “wa”? Anyway, every time she says “wa-wa,” I say “wah-TER,” in the same tone Dr. Evil asks Goldmember, “Oh, you mean FAH-THER?”

– I have a running list (in my head) of celebrity couples who I never want to break up (as well as a list of celebrity breakups I’ll never get over.) It’s totally silly, but whatever, I can’t help but get attached to some of these people.

Never break up: Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith (although a quick perusal of Google headlines tells me they’re in an open marriage?), Ken and Lisa from RHOBH, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr., and I know there are a handful more, but of course I can’t remember on the spot.

Still not over it: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe (I know they’re totally over it, but I’m still not, whatever), Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams (although I would approve of Ryan with Emma Stone, you know, in case they’re looking for my approval), and again, I can’t remember anymore right now.

– Mad Men starts back on Sunday, so I think I should get on planning my menu. Last year we did steak and potatoes and some sort of wedge salad or creamed green and gin martinis. I think the gin martinis should stay (obvs), but I’m on the lookout for a good ’60s throwback meal. I’m thinking something with a puffed pastry?

I hope everyone has a happy Friday and happier weekend! I am sick-ish for the one millionth time in the last six months, but am going to pretend I’m not. I have tomatoes to get in the ground (thanks E!) and obviously that gin isn’t going to martini itself.

Posted in All About Moi, Book, Movies, TV, & Music, Food & Wine, LG | 7 Comments

Randoms

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Sarah

– When LG wants me to sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider, she twists her thumbs and forefingers together, tilts her head to the side, and says, “It’s spy? It’s spy?” I dare you not to sing to her after that.

– The Real Housewives of Orange County is back and I am thrilled. Every year I think maybe it’ll be the year that Jim sees what a douche he is and decides to work on his issues and change, but nope, I don’t think that’s going to happen this year. Meanwhile, Alexis’s hair looks fab and the new housewife seems awful. Perfect.

– I am back to running after a month-long hiatus in March. I went out for my first run on Monday and was pretty surprised that I was able to run (mostly) three miles at a pretty decent pace. I guess those Nike app workouts I did all of March helped my endurance. In April, I am going to try to keep up the strength-training, as well as the running. I’ve had zero success doing this in the past, but I hope I can keep it up for one measly month.

– LG turns two in 17 days. (And that is all I have to say about that, because EXQUEEZE ME? No.)

– Awhile back, I ran out of my M.A.C. eyeshadow base color (Shroom) and I thought I’d try a drugstore brand, because everyone is always having success with drugstore brands, so I bought one by L’Oreal and it sucked. I begrudgingly used it for awhile, but then I found myself at a M.A.C. counter last month (there’s not one close to my town and I refuse to buy online because they don’t ever offer free shipping, even though I always buy at least $50 worth of product that probably weighs all of 10oz. and really? You’re still going to charge me to ship it?) and I ran back into the arms of Shroom and it was wonderful.

– I am still enjoying watching The Following (aka: The Kevin Bacon Show) and The Americans (no aka for that one, but I should come up with something…aka: The Commie Hour, how about that?) and Nashville must’ve heard my plea because they’re finally back (and including a guest star who is also on The Commie Hour, go figure.)

That’s all I got today. What’s going on with you?

Posted in All About Moi, Beauty & Fashion, Book, Movies, TV, & Music, LG, Workin on my fitness | 5 Comments

LGish

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Sarah

I feel like it’s time to do a check-in on my favorite little person. Despite her often incompetent mother, she is thriving and doing quite well.

Awhile back, I wrote a whole post about dinnertime as a family and when would we make that work and then pretty much right after, LG started staying up about two or so hours later in the evenings, so that solved our problem. It was really perfect timing, as around that time, Chris got a new job that has him home a little later, so now when he gets home, he can get some QT with LG and we can all eat together and it seems to work pretty well. So, I dunno, ask and ye shall receive or some shit.

She still eats everything or nothing or whatever she wants and then five minutes later decides she doesn’t want. It’s pretty fun. Right now, she’s really into corn tortilla quesadillas (with hot sauce, thanks to Dad) and has finally started eating apples and carrot sticks (harder foods were a little touch-and-(no)-go there for awhile because she didn’t know to actually chew and would choke herself. But now she chews! My baby is growing up.) Something that doesn’t need chewing, though? Gefilte fish, which she ate on Passover at my grandparents’ on Sunday. (And here’s where I don’t tell you how the gefilte fish manifested itself on our drive home. Crack a window.)

Although I don’t really think either Chris or I talk on the phone all that much around LG, she has taken to holding her play phone to her ear and saying, “Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa” over and over again before saying, “Bye!” I mean, you guys. “WHOA.” I die. We’re working with her on colors (everything is “boo!” or “lellow!”) and manners (Cheerios continue to be shoveled in by the handful, but she’s pretty much nailed, “More please?”)

I’ve been doing those Nike app workouts in the mornings and she does them along with me and if you’ve never seen a toddler try to do a side-lunge, then, well, get on that. Although I must warn you about doing situps with a toddler because damn, it adds another almost-30 pounds when you have someone laying on your stomach.

She is still scared of our adopted-to-us-cat, Tab, even though the other night she sat on Chris’s lap WITH TAB and petted him/her. But then yesterday I was in the backyard trying to get some stuff done and she screamed literally the entire time we were out there because Tab was…about 30 feet away, peering from behind the shed. So I don’t know. I did teach her to say, “Go away!” to Tab, which in her voice comes out as, “No way!”, and which she combines with a hand-flap, so that’s pretty cute.

Giving Tab the side-eye AS WE SPEAK.

She loves animals (two-dimensional ones) and can identify anything from flamingos to penguins and whenever she can, she grabs a lion (she has a few puzzles with lion pieces) and runs up to us screaming, “ROAAAAAAR!” and then I channel my drama days and cower in terror. That might be one of my favorite parts about parenting (for now), the way it’s practically required for me to give an over-acted response to everything. (This must why I excel at book-reading.)

Most days are a little bipolar — she can go from crying to laughing or vice versa about something within 30 seconds (see above re: cat), but most of the time, she’s fun and funny we spend much of our evenings talking about her after she’s gone to bed, which either means we’re lame or she’s awesome…

…Or maybe a little bit of both.

Posted in Chris, LG | 4 Comments

Love/hate

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Sarah

I’m taking a cue from K and Caitlin and giving you my list of loves and hates. Contrary to how it may seem, it is quite hard for me to wrastle up a list of hates, but I did the best I could.

Love: The mini-trip we took to Tahoe to visit friends this past weekend.

I mean, honestly. A two-hour drive to THIS? Further proof northern California is the greatest place on earth.

Hate: The fact that I thought mixing tequila shots and glasses of champagne that night would be a good idea. It was not. It was not a good idea at all.

Love: That a neighbor left me a bunch of daffodils on the doorstep last week.

Hate: That I worry she wanted to cheer me up because she overheard the bad parenting that went on here last week. (Please no.)

Love: Tina Fey on Inside The Actor’s Studio. Catch it in reruns if you can.

Hate: That Nashville has been repeats for the last almost-month. MORE DEACON, PLEASE.

Love: These two goofballs.

Hate: LG made it clear she hated our taste in music on the way to Tahoe:

$Doesn\'t like her parents\' taste in music.$
I’m so sorry this wasn’t the ABC song, your favorite.

Love: The 80-degree temps we’ve been having lately. Dining alfresco? Best ever.

Hate: The allergies that my body all of a sudden decided it gets.

Love: My new sunglasses from the LOFT outlet.

They’re PINK!

Hate: I never have bad things to say about sunglasses.

Love: Taco salad.

Hate: That I always eat so much of it that I get a stomach-ache. I just. Can’t. Stop.

What do you love/hate recently?

Posted in All About Moi, Beauty & Fashion, Chris, Food & Wine, LG, Travel | 4 Comments

Watch anytime movies

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Sarah

To change gears from the doom and gloom I’ve been bringing lately, I thought I’d talk about movies! Fun movies! Holly recently posted a list of the movies she (and Garrett) could watch whenever they’re on TV, even if they’ve seen them 100 times, own them on DVD (or VHS, no judgment), or have them saved on the DVR (ahem…who’d do that?)

Here’s my list (which was actually really hard to keep to only 10 items. I need sub-categories here or something.)

1. Clueless
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
3. French Kiss
4. You’ve Got Mail
5. Almost Famous
6. Tommy Boy
7. Back To The Future
8. The Godfather
9. Pulp Fiction
10. Empire Records

What are your watch anytime movies?

Posted in Book, Movies, TV, & Music | 16 Comments

Animal child, animal mother

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Sarah

Yesterday was not a banner day here at at the Home Sweets. LG was her usual delightful self until she…wasn’t…and like I told my mom this morning, I don’t know a day is shitty until it all of a sudden turns shitty and I find myself screaming at my kid for screaming at me.

Are we not supposed to admit that we scream at our almost-two-year-olds? Oops. I didn’t get the memo. I screamed at my almost-two-year-old and, unsurprisingly, it did not make me feel better. At all. And I don’t imagine it made her feel much better, either.

I felt really awful about that — still do — because no one deserves to be screamed at, especially not this sweet little lady, who as soon as she is done screaming, is giggling as she lays on me and hugs my back as I clean up the shitton of matzoh on the floor.

(I’d say she’s not a fan of the matzoh.)

I was chatting with my friend about all this this morning and she sent me a link to this article. I don’t usually read stuff like this, for no other reason than it’s not really on my radar, but boy did I need to read this today. My favorite part(s):

“What is it with toddlers and losing their minds all the time? Is it normal that my son wails if his shirt sleeve isn’t all the way down, loves the bathtub one day but hates it the next, and manically screams “MINE!” two seconds after handing our dog a ball?”

…

“If your universe were amazing and terrifying and frustrating and unpredictable, and you didn’t have good communication skills or a whole lot of experience or much of a frontal lobe, you’d freak out every once in a while, too.”

THE SLEEVES. YES.

Anyway, I’m passing this on because maybe you need to read this today, too. Meanwhile, thank god it’s Friday.

Posted in LG | 2 Comments

Happy camper

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Sarah

I’ve never known anyone to wake up so happy.

After naptime

Even on days when I have to wake her up (RARELY)…

What are you, 16?

…She’s still delightful.

Oh to be (almost!) two.

Posted in LG | 1 Comment

Free exhaustion, come and get it!

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Sarah

It seems like it’s popular opinion that you shouldn’t complain about being tired to someone with kids. I’m sure I’ve seen it on Facebook and I know I’ve had people tell me, “Oh, I shouldn’t complain about that to you — you have a kid!”

But, well, no. Everyone is allowed to be tired. There is enough tiredness to go around and if you want to complain about it, go right on ahead. I hear ya. I hate being tired, man, and my being tired isn’t solely because of LG. I was exhausted much of the time before she came along and I’ll probably continue to be tired long after she moves out.

Everyone’s got their own shit going on, whether it’s kids who wake you up in the middle of the night or insomnia that wakes you up in the middle of the night or you’re wrangling kids all day long or you’ve just traveled to a different time zone for work. It’s all tired-inducing.

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but saying that people without kids can’t complain about being tired or don’t “know” real tiredness? That’s bullshit. If you’re tired, you’re tired, so feel free to tell me about it and I’ll commiserate and buy you a cup of coffee.

*The birds outside my window, not LG, woke me up this morning, which got me thinking about why people say obnoxious things like this. This is your brain, this is your brain at 5:45am, etc.

Posted in All About Moi, LG | 3 Comments