Still hard to believe...

It's been six years since that horrible September day. We all remember exactly where we were when we heard the news. Many of my neighbors lost their lives that day. My daughter has a classmate who's father died. Meg was only 2 when it happened. Now she's 8-and wants to know about Avery's dad-who was at work in a big building when some "bad guys" crashed a plane into it. She has so many questions-that are pretty tough to answer.

Today (and everyday) we need to count our blessings and appreciate what we have. I know I'll hold my kids a little tighter tonight when I tuck them into their warm safe beds-and pray that we can find a way to end all the hatred in this world.

I've been tagged-(for the first time!)

I've been tagged by the Tickled Pink & Green, so here goes:

4 Things That Make Me Happy:
1. My daughters-they crack me up.
2. My 2 doggies and kitty cat. They're a pain-but I totally adore them.
3. Playing tennis with Hubby.
4. Where I live. I drive around and feel so glad that I live here.

4 Movies I Could See Over And Over:
1. Annie Hall-love it every time-a classic. (Also love Manhattan-Hannah and Her Sisters-anything Woody Allen.) Woody might be weird...but he's a genius.

2. Napoleon Dynamite-Hilarious-either you love it or hate it-I get such a kick out of it and I love to imitate him. (But only for my kids and husband.) Just looking at him kills me.

3. Mean Girls-Starring Rachel McAdams and Lindsey Lohan. Tina Fey wrote this movie. What a crack up. So many funny lines-and you've gotta love "The Plastics"-including Gretchen Weiners-who's father invented the Toaster Strudel.

4. Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers. - Ben Stiller has the best face and dry delivery. Robert DeNiro is the BEST as Jack Byrnes. Owen Wilson has a small role in Meet the Parents-a complete standout. It makes me laugh every time I watch it!

4 Favorite Drinks:
1. Propel-(Berry Flavored) switched to it from Gatorade-and lost 15 lbs. in a month!
2. Diet Coke (fountain drink - although I like it any way I can get it-I very much prefer it from 7-11 or any fast food restaurant.)
3. Chocolate milk-only as a treat since it's sooo fattening.
4. Hot tea-Sleepy time at night. So cozy.


4 Places I Have Lived:
1. Philadelphia, PA
2. Syracuse NY
3. Rumson, NJ
4. Hoboken, NJ

Yes-I'm a Jersey girl!

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm
2. Weeds
3. The Office
4. Big Love

4 Favorite Colors:
1. Pink
2. Green
3. Navy
4. Chocolate Brown

4 Places I've Been On Vacation:
1. St.John
2. Aspen
3. Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
4. Martha's Vineyard

4 Things On My Floor Right Now:
1. Toys
2. Clothes
3. Magic Markers
4. Empty juice boxes

(socks, my daughter's dress up costumes, a 95 lb. chocolate lab..I could go on and on!) I better pick up-Brad will be home soon!

4 Blogs I Read Regularly:
(see blogroll)

4 Of My Favorite Foods:
1. Sushi (especially Tuna)
2. Steamed clams
3. Rocky Road ice cream
4. Chef's salad with ranch dressing from Brennan's my favorite deli.

4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. The Colony Tennis Resort
2. Caneel Bay
3. Annapolis, MD
4. San Francisco

I Tag: Rhonda-from Counting to 3!

SCAM!

I received the following e-mail over the weekend. This is an example of "phishing." If I click the link they ask for my PayPal sign in (with password). They then proceed to ask for my social security number, my credit card number and bank information. According to these thieves-this will enable them to cancel this transaction.


LOSERS! I was pissed. Hopefully they don't have an in to any of my information. I must say - this e-mail made me feel very uneasy.

Dear Jill ,

Stairway to Stardom (1982) - Michelle Sutlovich

Back in the 1980s, a public-access television channel in New York City aired Stairway to Stardom, an amateur talent show many see as a low-rent precursor to American Idol.

My friend Mitch is an expert on this show. Thanks to Mitch and the dedication of a few die-hard fans, Stairway has now become an Internet cult hit.

If you go on YouTube you can catch lots of these classic hilarious moments.

This one cracked me up. At precisely the same time (1982)-my cheerleading squad was doing a similiar dance to The J. Geil's Band "Flamethrower" during half-time at our basketball games. I had the exact same hair style as the lovely Michelle.

Make sure you catch the interview with Michelle following her dance number. It's hard to believe-she is self taught-with no formal dance training!!

Sleepover Patrol

I am on sleepover patrol. It's only 10:40 and I'm already exhausted. THEY WON'T STOP TALKING! They are also getting out of bed, poking at each other and accusing one another of inappropriate language.

I knew it was coming...and I let it happen. I am writing this down as a reminder to myself next time Meg asks if more than one friend can sleep over.

The party was fun. They are quite an energetic bunch. Next year we're going to do something quiet. Like go to a yoga retreat, or a monastery.

I shouldn't complain...this is way better than what my parents dealt with when they were my age. I was a freshman in college, my sister was a senior in high school and my youngest sis was in eighth grade. Christmas and summer breaks were a nightmare for Mom and Dad. All three of us were out-god knows where-and my parents stayed up waiting for all of us!!!

I'll be 51 when Meg is a senior in high school. I think I'll have to sneak LoJack in her shoes so I can keep tabs on her. But for now-I know exactly where she is-8 years old, wide awake at 11 PM and gabbing with her two best friends. I should consider myself lucky.

A Sleep-Over Party (without the sleep-over)!

Meg is having her 8th birthday party from 6-9 tonight. All the girls are wearing pajamas-we are making mini pizzas, popping popcorn, watching movies and making ice cream sundaes.

The girls should be sufficiently wired by the time their parents arrive. I'm sure they'll appreciate that we got their kids all hyped up on sugar right before bedtime!

Just to add to the drama-8 girls are coming to the party (in addition to Meg and Cat). Only 2 of which are really sleeping over. It's a SECRET! Let's see if we can pull it off with no hurt feelings. FAT CHANCE. I'm sure someone will catch wind of the covert operation-and feel slighted. Oh well-I guess they should learn at a young age that life isn't always fair-sometimes someone else gets lucky and gets to spend the entire night wide awake getting yelled at (by me) to pipe down-and the next full day cranky and miserable! WoooHoo!!!!!

But seriously - Meg's friends are for the most part really sweet. She tends to gravitate towards nice people. So far so good. She really doesn't seek the approval of the "Mean Girls" aka "Queen Bees." (Trust me by third grade-there are PLENTY!) But that's the subject of a future posting-so you'll have to wait for my fascinating insights on that topic.

Navy Nail Polish

Navy nail polish is sooo in style. I just had my hair cut and colored which afforded me the opportunity to read Elle, Vogue and Allure. All three magazines confirmed it...OPI Russian Navy is all the rage! It's a beautiful deep indigo color.

Well-I couldn't resist. I sauntered over to the manicure table and slapped some on my nails and I completely love it! (Although it is a bit goth.)

The problem is...I'm a 42 year old suburban housewife who drives a Toyota minivan. I'm just not cool enough to pull it off. This stuff definitely is made for young urban hipsters. :(

Here's my plan. Flip-flop season is almost over here in NJ, so the next time I get a pedicure-I'm going for it. That way I can enjoy my little dose of coolness in private.

Okay-nail polish update.  I was obsessing-so I ran to my favorite pharmacy,  (which will be the subject of another posting-that's how amazing this pharmacy is) and purchased the Russian Navy.  As I said-a little bold for the fingernails-unless I'm heading to some hip bar or restaurant.  (yeah right!)   On the toes-gorgeous!  My advice-go for it.  Snatch up a bottle while you can.  Apparently it's flying off the shelves.