Sunny With A Chance of 2013 Review!

Hello dear Chickens! It's getting to be the very  end of the year and I've been reflecting on this crazy whirlwind that was 2013. So here is my 2013 in Review:

January: We left MI after visiting our families on New Year's day. I got approved for my back surgery on Jan. 4th (which was HUGE). Colonel turned 3 on 1/14 (I can't believe he's almost 4, WHAT?!). We went to Las Vegas to visit our pals at Dog is God in Reverse before they moved to Alaska and had a mini 10 year reunion with her and our pal Trevor (Chemics!). Watched the SAG awards and loved them as always. Fell in love with Kid President and his amazing motivational talks. I went to The Ellen Show, ended there was no room for us, sigh.

February: I walked a Color Run 5k with my Second City peeps and it was AMAZING. I want to do another one. I met Keith Coogan with my pal Heather (who had the BIGGEST childhood crush on him ever), he's SUPER nice! The Shakespeare nerd that I am got super excited about Richard III being found. I got sick, boo! My surgery got moved back (boo) but only by a day (phew). The webseries 2 Hopeful Spinsters I was an actor in and did wardrobe for premiered with a season opener starring my pals and Michael Madsen! Joe and I celebrated SEVEN years together on 2/12/13. Colonel Mustard broke his ankle on that same day and I bawled my eyes out, I do not do well when my buddies are hurt. He then got a cast that he wore for quite a few weeks to heal, he also chewed himself out of those casts multiple times. I finished Conservatory 4 at The Second City Hollywood Training Center and had to take a break from moving on to Con 5 and graduating as I needed spinal surgery. I found out I had an enlarged thyroid and had to deal with that crap. I had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin and found out that I should never take that (or any penicillin) again so I don't die. I got a bit down and freaked out here.

March: I had a last hurrah before surgery and got to spend the night laughing with good pals who wished me well before surgery. I felt a mixed bag of emotions before surgery here and honestly felt like I was facing my own mortality. March 5th at 5am I went in to surgery. This day changed my life. I was so scared, Joe and I said goodbye just in case, I crawled naked onto a freezing surgery table, I woke up in bed with a huge scar down my front to Joe's face and beautiful flowers and well wishes from family and friends who are like family. I was fixed after 10 years of broken. It was a hard week in the hospital, really hard, but I started to heal. I went home on 3/9 and lived on pain meds for a bit. I got thrush from being in the hospital and cleared it up by oil pulling with coconut oil. My mom came out from MI to take care of me for a week and it was a great week of being super spoiled. Then Joe had spring break and took care of me for another week. Then my pal Benny came out from NYC (on tour with Beauty & the Best) and took care of me for 2 weeks. I was quite spoiled whilst healing up. I got a sweet handicap parking pass which really helped me a lot. We got our wedding photos back, they were gorgeous! I had a lovely Easter with pals and got to spend the day outside, even though I got a sunburn.

April: April is Autism Awareness month and it is very dear to me as my cousin has Autism. We celebrated Zebbie's 1 Year Gotcha Day, cannot believe how fast that flew and how it seems like we've had him forever. We celebrated the birth of Gwendolyn Everlast a.k.a. our pal Natalie. We also went down to San Diego and spent a weekend with our pal K Mac-Bakes. The Boston City Marathon bombing happened which broke my heart. Texas quake happened which also broke my heart. I bought Betty Goes Vegan and my stomach rejoiced. I saw End of the Rainbow starring Tracie Bennett and it was magic. Got a much needed tax refund-huzzah! We lost my cousin Ronnie which was really hard. Loads of states passed Gay Marriage Equality bills and I rejoiced.

May: We had a movie theatre premiere, red carpet and all, of 2 Hopeful Spinsters and it was AMAZING. Stars were there, Joe & I dressed up, it was our first big night out after my surgery. We celebrated our 4th Annual Vegan Beer Fest and it was MAGIC. I actually got in to The Ellen Show and it was awesome. I watched a lot of 90s Nickelodeon shows. Joe and I went to France and it was wonderful. I got super sick in Paris which was NOT wonderful. Turned out what we thought was food poisoning was our son, we panicked then rejoiced once my surgeon okayed us. Then we kept our secret until we were through the first trimester.

June: I was nauseated all month-ugh first trimester was ROUGH. Esther Williams died and my heart broke. Celebrated K Mac-Bakes bday, mys sister's bday, my Tacquito's graduation, struggled through the anniversary of my cousin's death, Father's Day, my pal Bridgey's bday, and Emily's bday. Laughed my butt off at BRF Syndrome. James Gandolfini passed away and my heart broke. Joe and I drove to Michigan (of course our car Rosalita broke down and had to be fixed but it was Firestone's fault). We had a wonderful time at home and I got to snuggle my nephew extra hard. We celebrated the retirement of my high school theatre's dream team.

July: We were still in Michigan for the start of July. Loads more cuddles with my little nephew. Mini reunion with some grade school chums that was pretty awesome. We picked our anniversary/reception spot. I met up with my pal that I had known since I was a little kid and hadn't seen in thirteen years & met her kiddos. We brought back my parents VCR & my childhood VHS collection. It was amazing. Zimmerman got away with murder and I felt sick in my soul. I fell in love with West Wing & Orange is the New Black. Dennis Farina passed away and I was heart broken. We announced our pregnancy publicly. The family I now babysit for and have known since college moved to L.A. I started swimming after a year long hiatus and it felt amazing. Signed up for my Conservatory 5 audition for Second City. Eileen Brennan passed away and my heart was sad.

August: Minnesota and Rhode Island joined those states who gave equal marriage rights to the LGBTQ community and my heart was happy. We found out that I am a carrier for Fragile X and my world came crashing down. I had an amniocentesis to determine if our baby would be born with disabilities, be a carrier like me, or be "normal". Those few weeks before the amnio and after were hell. The results came in here and I felt lost still. There were still so many decisions to make. Our car got towed and we shelled out $300+ for it, blerg! My first pregnant lady brain moment happened when I locked myself out of my locker with clothes and had to wander the gym in a bathing suit looking for Joe. We revealed we were having a baby boy here. The 2 Hopeful Spinsters webseries was apart of the Hollyshorts film festival. I felt the baby move for the first time on 8/23, that was crazy! News of Syria made my heart explode with sadness. I was accepted into the final level of Conservatory at Second City. My pal Monica visited and I got to see the Disney Animation Studios and my brain and heart were so happy I almost died.

September: We celebrated Labor Day with the rascals of Second City Hollywood and it was amazing. I hung with pals and watched Sharknado-it was crappy awesome. I bought my son his coming home outfit (it's this with Bill in blue). Joanna Garcia crushed my dreams of being Ariel on Once Upon A Time so now I hold out hope to be Merida (I have the hair). I let everyone know that being pregnant can be gross here. I wrote a letter to my son here and it's become my favorite post ever and I will give this to him when he is older. I went to my first Dodgers game and wore Tigers stuff cuz I love Detroit for life! My 2 pups were attacked by 2 other dogs and I almost beat the crap out of the dogs' owner for being useless and letting her dogs bite mine and not stopping them or getting them on their stupid leashes. I hate that lady. I graduated up to maternity swimsuits as my bump could no longer be tamed. I got the dreaded pregnancy cold that wouldn't die.

October: We were reunited with our college pal LaFawnduh and received an adorable baby gift from her. Joe and I went to Michigan to celebrate our one year anniversary of marriage. We had a blast and got to soak in some real fall weather, see lots of loved ones, make and eat delicious food, and party it up with pals and loved ones. See the pics here! We got held up in Chicago but made it back to L.A. after a lot of lameness. I hit the cankle phase of pregnancy where my ankles and calves swelled together to form one. My Tigers were kicking ass and taking names. My son received so much swag from all those who love us. Jimmy Leyland announced his retirement and I wept as he will always be my favorite crotchety Tiger. I finished my baby registry on amazon.com (find that right here). Marcia Wallace passed away and my childhood wept. We started our Prepared Childbirth Classes and loved our instructor. Lou Reed passed away, sadness again. I failed my first gestational diabetes test but passed the awful 3 hour one and then almost passed out. Joe and I went as hipster Ariel & Eric for Halloween with the kiddos I babysit and their folks, it was a blast!

November: The mentoring program for kids in less funded schools for writing put on their big show and I was so proud to be apart of it and of those kids' hard and amazing work! It was so special. :) The LAX shooting happened and I got so damn fed up with all the gun violence happening. My Spartans KILLED the Wolverwieners in football and my heart rejoiced. Spartan nation baby! My phone took a big crap and I have been struggling with it since as I can't upgrade until March. Same sex marriage became recognized in Illinois and my heart was happy. We received an amazing gifts of stroller/carseat combo from our pals Lizz & Sherm. I made a list of things to remember here. We hung out with our pals Bridget (came from NYC), Lizz & Sherm (came from San Fran), and Katie (here in L.A.) and it was epic. My son was measuring 4lbs. 6oz. already-BIG dude. My Pops and brother had birthdays and I was sad to miss them. My cousin Kate visited from Chicago and it was awesome. We found a crib we liked! Spartans continued to dominate in football. USC cut off dependent insurance screwing me and baby boy over big time and the hunt for new insurance began. We celebrated Friendsgiving with old pals and new & the kiddos I babysit for and it was a feast of food and good times. We got a storage unit to make way for baby stuff. I did a photo shoot with my cast for the opening of our show in January (check us out here on Facebook or on Twitter or on Instagram).

December: I turned 29 on December 1st and had my baby shower and it was an amazing day. I received an out-pouring of love from friends and family near and far and felt so special. I couldn't have asked for more. We decorated our apartment with our tree, stockings, wreath, etc. and I got into the holiday spirit. Joe turned 31 and I spoiled him rotten and he loved it. My grandma had a mini stroke and I didn't really talk about it to anyone publicly but it's been hard and my brother and my aunt have been keeping me in the loop and I am so grateful to them for all the help they're giving to her and my grandpa. She is now doing better and I am very grateful. I promoted the crap out of my show opening in January and continue to do so, have you visited the pages and liked us yet? You should, it would mean a lot to me. I wrote, produced, and am starring in this sucker. Please show your support! Nelson Mandela died and my soul broke, Madiba means so much to the world and to me. He is an inspiration for all. Paul Walker passed away and my 12 year old self wept. I was apart of this video parodying the Guinness commercial. I performed a lot of shows with my cast-mates of Me, My Selfie, and I (January 6th we open ay 7pm). I met Lily Tomlin and JoAnn Worley both of whom I love and did bits with me about my giant belly and son. The Spartans became Big 10 champs and are going to the Rose Bowl!!! We decorated the tree at our L.A. family's home and were once again awarded the best light crew award. We made a vegan french onion chip dip and my tummy did a happy dance. Second City had its holiday party and I saw so many of the people I love there and got to perform at Gradfest. I hit 9 months pregnant and my son is huge and just dropped causing my hips and pelvis to feel like they're breaking. My Zebbie pup turned 2! My nephew turned 1! We hosted an orphan Xmas and it was awesome and my cousin came down from Beale airforce base and we got to spend time with him and his wife and it was magic. Last night Joe and I went on our last big Date Night as just a couple with fur-babies. We went to Shojin vegan sushi and The Hunger Games Catching Fire. It was so lovely and a nice last big date together before little man arrives. Sometimes it's just nice to date your husband. Now we prep for tomorrow where we get to meet Coach Mark D'Antonio and Coach Tom Izzo-WHAT?!!! So excited!!!! Best Xmas present ever if I do say so myself. Then we spend a low-key New Year's Eve together.

So all in all 2013 was crazy. Major lows but some pretty great highs too.

And for 2014 here is my plan instead of resolutions:
Before Midnight On New Year's Eve: Write down the things you are DONE with in your life on a piece of paper and BURN IT. THEN: write all you want, desire, wish, dream of on another piece of paper. fold it and seal it in an envelope marked "TO BE OPENED NEW YEAR'S EVE 2014". Put it someplace that you'll remember...sock drawer, your Memory Box, diary, etc...When you open it next year, you'll be astonished at how many of those things came true! Happy New Year 2014!

I think this is a much better plan for me than setting resolutions that I forget about. Plus how fun will it be to read that list next year on New Year's Eve. As the year draws to a close I hope you all have a lovely New Year celebrations and that your 2014 is full of love, laughter, fun, and all the good things!

Take care dear Chickens & see you in 2014! :)

 

Sunny With A Chance of 84 Degree Christmas!

Hope you all had lovely Christmases (for those celebrating)! We had our very first one away from our families in Michigan.

First off, super weird not to have a cold snowy Christmas. It was EIGHTY-FOUR DEGREES IN L.A. Whyyyyyyy??????!!!! Ugh! So awful. I know some of you think I'm crazy, but I LOVE Winter. It is my favorite. I love snow, I love cold, I love my nose getting chilled, I love sweaters and mittens and fireplaces and snuggling and sledding and hot tea and EVERYTHING. So this was really lame to me. Really, really lame. I was majorly dreaming of a white Christmas and had to turn on the air conditioner to get some relief from the heat. It was ridiculous.

Second, it was so weird not to be with my folks and siblings on the 25th. My cousin Russ came down from the air force base in Beale, CA and spent the day with us. Visiting with him and his wife was so lovely and we had such a nice time catching up and laughing about our family and missing them. So it was nice to have that family element in the flesh. We also FaceTimed with my crazy fam back in MI and it was hilarious. Most of them didn't get fully in frame so we saw half their faces. It was perfect. I miss those weirdos a lot! It's always good to talk to them but it was nice to see their (half) faces as well. :)

Third: Joe, er, I mean Santa brought me the Little Mermaid on DVD. It was awesome. We're broke right now (shocked aren't you?) so we weren't going to do any gifts but I got a little surprise in my stocking and it was amazing. I love that guy! Russ & Christina gave Joe olive oils, gave me sugar & salt scrubs, and gave Lil' Dude a Sully (from Monster's Inc.) hat & booties. Our dear pal Heather gave us a great Los Angeles bag, Joe's grandma gave us a very generous gift of money, and my folks really took care of us with a very, very, very generous gift of money for the 3 of us. We are very lucky to have so many folks who love and care about us. It made our holiday so special and was such a surprise.

Fourth: Our pals Lizz & Sherm came over and it was so nice to hang with them. And it was the first time Lizz had ever had pot roast & Joe was so happy to introduce her to it. Yay for college pals now living in L.A.-we love it!

Fifth: We ate SO much! Here's what we ate that day: light breakfast was vegan funfetti cupcakes, then at 1pm we had big breakfast of apple butter French Toast, hashbrowns with ketchup, breakfast sausages, and bagels with chive cream cheese. All vegan of course. Then we snacked. Then for dinner we had salad with Joe's homemade balsamic vinegar. I ate Polish dill mashed potatoes and everyone else had those and pot roast (it was meat heaven for them). Then I got hungry later and made pasta with vegan buttery spread, Tony Chachere's spice, pepper, and garlic powder. SO MUCH FOOD! It was awesome. I also played bartender and made quite a few Bloody Marys and Joe had some G&Ts.

Sixth: I worked Xmas Eve & the day after Xmas but it was so nice to have a full day off and rest and laugh and spend time with my puppies (they were so snuggly and silly) and with friends and family. We watched Christmas movies and hung out and wore pajamas and it was amazingly low key and wonderful. For our first Xmas away from the folks and last Xmas as a couple with pups I think we nailed it. Super chill, great movies, great company, loads of great food. I cannot complain.

Hope your holiday was amazing! Cannot wait for the New Year!!! 2014 is going to be a big one for us! Take care dear Chickens :)



 

Sunny With A Chance of Winter Love!

I love winter, love it! I love snow, icicles, cold noses, mittens, warm scarves and hats, snuggling in blankets, fires in fireplaces, holiday feel good movies, hot tea in giant mugs, warm dinners like stew or soup or jambalaya, warm cider, fake nog (a.k.a. vegan egg nog), and so much more. I just wish we had all of those things here in L.A.-it's a little too warm to be real winter to me. I need snow. Lately it's felt like a nice fall day here but nothing to get winter excited about. Le Sigh. But we put up our tree and wreath and stockings and our little apartment just feels so festive and cozy!

We're not traveling back to MI this year for the holidays as I am in my 8th month of pregnancy and am not allowed to. We were a bit bummed not to see our families but now we're getting excited to stay at home in our PJs all day, watching movies, and just keeping it low key. It's going to be a very nice Christmas and a very nice New Year. We're desperately wanting to go watch our MSU Spartans in the Rose Bowl but we don't have $1000 for the tickets so we may just watch them play on t.v. We might try to go to the parade though!

Our little man is coming so soon so we are trying to get as prepared as possible for him. All of the clothes and blankets we've received have been washed and put into his little dresser, we've picked out his crib and my folks are getting that for him, we're putting loads of our extra stuff into storage so we have room for our little guy, and we're looking for a nice glider/rocker that we love so we can sit and rock our little man to sleep. We're excited he is almost here! Only one more month-so crazy! This has been quite the journey for us. Some major downs and some really great ups, we're just so happy he's almost here. I can definitely use a break from all the kicking and punching that seems to be happening 24/7 and a working bladder would be great. This almost peeing my pants every 2 minutes is trying my patience. All in all though I'm so glad that I've had this experience and I'm so, so, so excited to meet Little Dude!

Also coming in January is my show's opening. This is the capstone to my Conservatory program at the Second City Hollywood Training Center. My classmates and I have improvised all the material, re-improvised all the material, scripted it into sketches, edited the crap out of those scripted sketches, and are now putting together our final show. I am very excited for its debut on January 6, 2014 at 7PM! If you're in Los Angeles please come see and support us! Here are our cast pictures from our photo shoot, look how weird we all are:

You can purchase tickets to the show on laughstub.com or at secondcity.com-be sure to click on the Second City HOLLYWOOD venue! Cannot wait for January 2014-big, big, BIG things are happening for me! A show opening, little man arriving, and I am sure so much more!

Hope your December is going amazingly so far-it is the very best month dearest chickens!

 

Sunny With A Chance of Birthdays & Baby Showers!

Well today is my 29th birthday, ahhh! This year flew! Flew I tell ya.

Let me back up a tiny bit. Thanksgiving was small this year but so amazing. Our 5th Annual Friendsgiving was delightful and full of food and good friends, old and new. We had a blast. We spent it with my pals from college whose kiddos I babysit for. It was great to be with the 4 of them and to meet 4 of their pals from Vegas. Joe and I made Polish dill mashed potatoes, New Orleans style sweet potatoes, garlic glazed green beans, chestnut stuffing, homemade caesar salad, and pumpkin pie. All vegan of course! Our pals made turkey which Joe loved since it was the first he's had in 4 years since I became vegan. I didn't partake but I certainly filled up on sides! Such a feast! And we watched Frosty Returns 6 times, Frosty 2 times, and Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas specials 3 times per the kiddos requests. We also watched my Detroit Lions win big. It was great.

Friday I had a cast photo shoot for my upcoming show as my last level in the Second City Hollywood Conservatory. The photo shoot was such a blast and we used my favorite L.A. photog Miss Kate Compton! It was such a blast and I cannot wait to share the photos with everyone and for our show to open January 6, 2014 (7pm at the Second City Studio Theater Hollywood). Please follow our show on Facebook (Me, My Selfie, & I), Instagram (memyselfieeandi), and Twitter (@MeMySelfieeAndI) and come support us! I followed that up with babysitting, to keep myself humble.

Then Saturday we moved a bunch of our stuff from our apartment to a storage unit we got. This is to make room for the ever growing pile of stuff we are receiving for Little Dude. He is going to be here SO SOON! AHHHH! January is so close and he is so big (already about 4lbs. 6oz.). Then I went to rehearsal for the aforementioned show. Then I did a shift interning at Second City Hollywood. Followed that up with making pasta salad for 20 ladies for my baby shower. Then folded about a month's worth of laundry. I didn't go to sleep until 3:30am. Not the wisest decision...

Today I woke up, Joey brought me breakfast in bed, the pups snuggled me-great start to my 29th year! Then I made vegan rice krispie treats, homemade caesar salad, and Joe made buffalo cauliflower whilst I showered and got ready. Then I went to my Birthday Party/Baby Shower. It was so lovely! Loads of food, good friends, well wishes, very thoughtful gifts for little man (and a few for me too), and some major laughs and fun. It was such a lovely afternoon. Then Joe whisked me home where I have been resting with my feet up. A pretty great day  full of loads of calls, texts, messages, etc. for me and my little dude. I am so grateful for all the love being showered on us.

Next up for us is putting up our Christmas tree & decorations! I love this season. I can't wait to curl up in pjs and watch feel good holiday movies and snuggle with my pups (and Joe if I can beg him hard enough). And sooner than later Little Man makes his big entrance! I can't wait to meet him and snuggle him up too. Yay for this season! :D

Take care dear Chickens!




 

Partly Sunny With A Chance of Products!

I thought I would weigh in on some of the products I am loving in the midst of my pregnancy. SO here we go:

1) Anything Acure brand. I've used their shampoos and conditioners, their facial cleanser & creme, their brightening facial scrub, their radical resurfacing lotion and day cream, their toner, their argan oil, and their line eraser and eye cream for a long while now. BUT I recently have fallen head over heels for their body lotions. These suckers are so moisture packed (great for a dry skin and for pregnancy issues like stretch marks and itchy boobs) and are thicker without being heavy. They're amazing! I've tried all 4 and I love them all. Currently I'm using the mandarin orange scented one and it wakes me up in the AM and smells so fresh. Ladies (pregnant or not) try Acure Organics brand anything, I dare you not to fall in love with it. Acure Organics

2) Earth Mama Angel Baby brand Nipple Butter. This stuff is AMAZING. Not just for your nips but for cuticles and dry areas like elbows and knees. Smells delicious too, sort of chocolatey. Nipple Butter

3) Mother's Blend Oil. So frigging delicious smelling, like chocolate almonds. It is sheer and not heavy as some oils can be. It is super moisturizing. I love it! Mother's Special Blend

4) Oh Baby! by Motherhood brand pants from Kohl's. I was having major issues finding pants long enough to fit me being 6' tall. Most maternity pants looked like capris on me. This brand though-thank goodness for them! My pants fit my growing belly and are long enough to cover my entire leg. Huzzah. I also got a few cute tops from them too. All were affordable and super comfy so good work Kohl's for helping us tall pregnant gals out! Oh Baby! by Motherhood

5) Liz Lange maternity tops from Target. They're long, again I'm tall y'all. I need long clothes. Apparently most pregnant women aren't as tall as me so everything is WAY too short on me. Liz though, she makes some long tops for me, they cover and hit where a shirt should and have room for my growing bump. Thanks Liz! Liz Lange tops

6) La Leche sports bra for nursing. No under wire, size 36G for my giant boobs, ultra comfy, surprisingly supportive. I am in love with this new purchase from zullily.com. Fantabulous! La Leche Blue Bra

7) Traditional Medicinals' Organic Pregnancy Tea. It's tasty, caffeine free, and supports healthy pregnancies. Good work. Tea Time!

8) TOMS shoes. As my feet swell with edema and look like flat boards with sausage links attached as toes I am loving my TOMS more and more. They accommodate my large tootsies, are comfy, are vegan, and have stretched with me. My feet and sausage toes thank you TOMS. Vegan TOMS

So that is it for now in the products I love for pregnancy. Try them out, most are great pregnant or not! :D


 

Sunny With A Chance of Pups!

I feel like poor Colonel Mustard and Zebbie have been neglected on the blog. Not at home that's for sure. Just wanted to update you all on the other little dudes in my life (other than the one in my womb). So here's what our pups have been up to:

-sleeping all the time
-cuddling mama's big new tummy
-wrestling like fiends on top of mom's new tummy whilst she tries to sleep
-being ridiculously cute all the time
-trying to eat any new stuffed toy that comes for the baby
-smelling all of the baby's new stuff/clothes/etc. to make sure it's a-okay
-getting spoiled by mom with new toys
-barking at dogs outside the apartment window
-sleeping next to mom at night rather than dad because she is now a warmer temperature than him (very opposite of usual)
-pooping and peeing in the house yesterday. Not their faults but boy did they feel bad, poor little dudes
-getting loads of cuddles, pets, kisses, scratches, and I love yous as we prepare to rock their world with the new baby brother in January.

So that's their super tough life as of late. Rough, right? I wish I had easy days like those two do!


 

Sunny With A Chance of Being Cool (I hope)

If I'm being honest I think I'll be a pretty cool mom. Not cool as in Samuel L. Jackson cool but cool in the sense that my kid will know some rad and random shit, my kid will be able to play and imagine with me all the time and I will encourage it. I'm not going to pretend swear words don't exist-they do and they're awesome. I'm going to encourage my kid to read and question and learn, I'm all about getting dirty and falling down and picking yourself back up, and I live for random silly and singing and dancing and crazy. All of that is pretty cool, I think. I also know this kid is going to have a semi-insane mother and most likely will need therapy as an adult for some ridiculous thing I do or say. It'll happen. I'm honestly okay with this. Here's what I hope I remember though.

-To admit when I'm wrong and say I'm sorry. I am HORRIBLE at this, ask my husband, he always apologizes first because I am too stubborn and bull-headed to own up. I need to work on this BIG TIME.

-to tell my kids they are pretty/handsome AND smart. That way their kid brains don't think one excludes the other because it doesn't. It definitely doesn't. I know I thought it did for a long time and I do not want them to have the body issues I had.

-to not say fuck all the time. I know I will say it, again-totally cool with that, just not all the fucking time Alex.

-to teach them to respect the planet, the environment in which we live, the animals, even the grossest bugs out there because well, this is all we got. I don't want to forget to talk about this often, it's important.

-to not yell when they're being little assholes. It's hard, I know. I am positive I will yell at some point but I want to always go to talking first and asking them to stop or why they're doing what they're doing and explain why we don't do that, instead of immediately screaming.

-to encourage the vocalization of ALL feelings, not just the "good" ones because it took me forever to learn, they're ALL good ones. There are no bad feelings, they're just feelings and there is always a reason behind them and  talking it out helps (thank you therapy).

-that anything about our bodies is natural and beautiful and not weird. You're a ginger who is tall and wears glasses and braces and is super skinny with a frizzball 'fro atop your head? Awesome! Mom was too and y'know what, it is amazing and gorgeous and just the way you're supposed to be. You're tall and lanky and have straight white blonde hair and crooked teeth and feel awkward all the time? Cool beans buddy, Dad felt that way too when he was young but he was adorable and still is and landed Mom (isn't he lucky?!). It's all good and normal and wonderful, embracing me will help my kids embrace themselves. So don't be insecure Alex!

-to remember that kids take everything seriously so when silly, hilarious things happen or are said I want to remember that to them it is SO important. To honor that important feeling in their heart. To also encourage humor and that life isn't always so serious.

-to enjoy food. Seriously. I want to encourage the love of food. It nourishes us, keeps us healthy, and damn it is delicious. We're planning on doing vegan for our kiddos until they are conscious enough to talk to about it and they can then decide for themselves. It's something I'm very passionate about and Joe is on board with me. I love food and Joe and I are both such foodies. We want to encourage a positive relationship with eating and food and body image. I want to remember this and never say things like diet or fat or skinny or any of that junk we're advertised to think about. Food is Good!

-to instill a love of reading and cinema. My imagination was (and still is I think) pretty amazing and it was due to reading my face off as a kid and adult and watching loads of films that are cinematically brilliant. I fell in love with pretend, with learning, with thinking outside of the box, with everything really from reading about it all and from seeing films that made me feel like anything was possible. I want my kids to also have that appreciation and encourage their imaginations to flourish through reading and from QUALITY films (not crap movies, there is a difference).

-to remember that at the end of each day I want to spend some time talking about their day, their feelings and thoughts, anything really. Just some quality time with my kiddos at bed. I want to hold on to that until they no longer want it. I want them to go to sleep every night knowing that I care about them and I love them.

All in all I think that will make me a pretty cool mom. In my eyes any way. Hopefully in my kiddos' too when they're a little older. :)


 

Mostly Sunny With A Chance of Exhaustion

Hello Dear Chickens! Sorry for the extended time off, my life is crazy. Let's catch up, shall we?

1) Joe and I had our One Year Anniversary of being married on 10/11. We had our One Year Anniversary BBQ on 10/12 and our Popriviny (traditional Polish brunch hosted by the mother & father of the bride) on 10/13. All took place back in MI and it was lovely. It was a crazy week for us as Joe, my mom, and I cooked all the food for both the BBQ & Popriviny. We made oodles of food all week and gussied up the favors (apple butter from a local MI Orchard) with cute tags, made some decorations, made signs, got together activities for the kiddos, and loads of other prep stuff. Our friends and my family helped us do it all and we are so grateful to all of them. They were miracles. We had a blast of a time! Here are a few preview pics of the weekend:

 It was the best time!

2) We came back to L.A. and both Joe & I hit the ground running. I am now working 3 jobs, going to conservatory class at Second City Hollywood, interning at Second City Hollywood, taking childbirth classes, prepping for baby in our tiny apartment, mentoring kids in a writing program, and trying to fit in Pilates and swimming (not doing so hot on that right now). Joe is finishing his thesis for his PhD, teaching, and has taken up 2 (so far) tutoring jobs for high school kids in math and science. Needless to say we're both exhausted. All the time.

3) I failed my first glucose test and now have to do the lame 3 hour one which is a pain in the ass because they're making me take a morning off which with my schedule is nearly impossible. Blerg.

4) I tried to laminate our ultrasounds to preserve them for eternity and instead I melted the first 2 pictures we had of our son in the womb. I then proceeded to have a full pregnant melt-down in Kinko's. Those poor people didn't even know what hit them.

5) This has been a shit week, for the aforementioned Kinko's debacle, rough days at work, general exhaustion/crankiness, majorly swollen ankles & feet, and my iPhone decide to delete everything on itself today (apps, pictures, video of my show today, all my contacts, etc.). To replace it through the insurance I pay monthly for it would cost me $199.99, to just upgrade my phone to an iPhone 5S costs $199.99. This is a g.d. scam from Verizon and Apple I swear. Bunch of crap!

6) I am practicing the Month of Gratitude again. Today made it tough but here are my first 3 entries:

     -A day late but my day one in my month of gratitude is that I'm grateful for Joe. He has helped me through a tough week, a really tough year, and is my best friend. Can't wait to see him be a dad to our little dude soon and continue to be the best puppy dad there is. Thankful for him every damn day.

   -Day 2 in my Month of Gratitude: I am thankful that my Spartans beat the crap out of the Wolverwieners! Go Green! Go White! :D

   -Day 3 in my Month of Gratitude: I am thankful for Daylight Savings so I could sleep an extra hour, my Prepared Childbirth class for the laughs, and for everyone coming to my class' first preview today at 6pm at the Second City Hollywood. Please come support us! :)



So that's it for now. Oh baby is the size of an acorn squash and is 29 weeks or 7 months or third trimester-AHHH! It's happening so fast! Cannot wait to meet our little dude. He's going to be amazing!