5:00 Fridays

Black Friday Martini
3 1/2 ounces Ketel One vodka
1/2 blackberry brandy (raspberry liqueur will work too)


Shake it all up in a cocktail shaker over ice.
Strain into an old fashioned glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.



Ah, now that should take the edge off of holiday shopping stress.

Giving Thanks

There is so much for which to be thankful. It is a cliche. Yet it is true. While I am normally verbose, long-winded, call it what you will, ironically today I have few words.

My heart is heavy with the news coming from Mumbai. It is a city I visited as a child. My uncle lived on the water there, and my few memories of India are from my time at his home. We played ball and often overshot our throw only to watch the ball plop into the ocean. We curiously stood on tiptoes and peered over the retaining wall at the crashing waves, my cousin, my brother, and I mesmerized. I also recall some soft threats to toss me over the wall if I tattled on their constant teasing of me.

My family is spread all over India. Thankfully my one cousin in Mumbai is safe. India is a war zone, says my uncle whose home I visited. My parents are deeply affected by this violence, this rape of their home country. We are helpless from our new homes stateside. A donation and pleas for blood donation are about all we can do.

Today I am thankful for so much. My family and our health and safety. I am thankful for simple things that are priceless.

Sunnyside Up

My son Deal was literally born sunnyside up. That's what the doctors called it when he popped up head first and face up (as opposed to facing backwards, as most babies come out). His sweet cherubic face was not smushed since it was all so fast but it was splotchy from the whole sunnyside up ordeal. When the nurse plopped him on my chest he did not scream or cry or look dazed and confused. He simply looked at me and grasped my finger. Then he looked intently at his daddy, the man whose constitution he shares.

That instant I knew that he would live on the sunny side forever. To this day, Deal grabs my finger when he is feeling a bit weary, overwhelmed, shy, or just needs some wonder twin power from Mom. He is an utter joy and really lights up all who encounted him. I am not just saying this because I am his mother. This child has the brightest disposition I have ever encountered.

Case in point:

While playing with his teddy bear and doctor kit yesterday, Deal pulled out the toy syringe to give Beary a shot.

"Don't worry, Beary. This will not hurt. This a sunny shot."

"Hmm...a sunny shot? What does that do?"

"A sunny shot makes people happy so they have a good day."


Yup, born sunnyside up alright.

A Page out of My Playbook

Ah, I can breathe again, let my gut hang out, my hair down. Mac Daddy is home. HOME! Running the household, taking care of Bird and Deal, working, and of course, blogging and tweeting, are pretty damn hard as an army of one. Mac Daddy's job beckoned so off he flew to Chicago for six days. Six. Days.

And you know what, it wasn't so bad.

Even I, the glass half empty, angry, whiny, pissy pessimist of a girl, saw the silver lining so bright that it was more than just a bright side. I got to spend time with my boys. We played games galore, we colored, we made Thanksgiving turkey art projects, we kicked the soccer ball, we told jokes, we read books, we snuggled, we tickled, we danced, we ate cookies and popsicles, we played with our food. You see, I'm not usually the "fun one."

Mac Daddy is the jovial ready-to-roll-around-arms-wide-open-kneeling-to-the-ground-in-an-enveloping-hug guy. He's the one who plays the role of banshee, super hero, spy, wrestler, dragon, wide receiver, and point guard. I'm just no good at that stuff. For starters, I don't know what a wide receiver and point guard are; I just heard the terms somewhere. Where was I? Oh, I play differently than Mac Daddy does. Pretty true for most moms and dads, right? Given the choice, the boys would way rather play all rough and tumble than the more cerebral, creative, and gentle ways that I play. Well, with Mac Daddy being gone, it was just the boys and me. Guess what? We had a great time.

Oh, the week was also hard. Tiring. Stressful. Hurried. But we had fun. I'm in no rush for Mac Daddy to take off for a week again any time soon, mind you. But when he does, we'll have a good time.

And just so you know, all THREE boys trashed the house wrestling and romping all weekend. They clearly made up for lost time.