Mom in DCity

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Reporting Live on Hurricane Sandy

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Many moons ago, in a previous lifetime I was a journalist– the kind of journalist that stands out on the beach in the middle of a hurricane and tells people to stay inside. I don’t know how many times I said things like: “we’re the only idiots out here” or “I wish I could be at home snuggled up under a blanket instead of out here.” Well, today was my big chance! Washington, DC shut down, and guess what I did…

1. Ignored all warnings about leaving the house. After going stir crazy at 9 am (yes, that’s how long it took), I packed the husband and kids into the car and didn’t come home for hours.

2. Took pictures of anything and everything:

Check out the guy covering himself with a plastic tablecloth!

3. Judged all the news coverage. If all you have to say is “Caribou is still open,” do you really need to be out there getting blown around in the rain?

4. Criticized the city. Why didn’t they clean up these leaves before the storm? Are they actually hoping for a flood caused by clogged drains? Huh, Mayor Gray? Is that what you want?

5. Put on makeup in case a real reporter needed someone to interview. But only if they need to talk to someone who really knows what they’re talking about (flips hair over shoulder).

6. Drank too much coffee. I forgot I didn’t need to be up for days on end, and now I’m all jittery.

Starbucks was closed but Caribou wasn’t!

7. Updated Facebook on area business closures. Well you were all wondering, weren’t you?!

8. Went to the airport to see if all the flights really are cancelled. They were for the most part. And while we there there, the girls ran a few laps around the terminals and then ate some lunch at the only place open: Dunkin Donuts.

“Reporting live from the airport, I’m Zana.”

9. Looked out the window every 5 minutes to see if things have gotten worse.

Still raining out there…

10. And of course… blogged about it.

I tell ya… you can take the girl out of the trailer park, but you can’t take the– wait that’s not the one. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t– no, that’s not it either. Oh what-the-hell-ever.

I’m sure it sucks if your power went out or if you’re roof flew off today. But since that hasn’t happened here (yet), I will continue to make light of Frankinstorm.

Keep it here for the latest. Now back to you…

Happy (Not Really) Columbus Day!

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In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

And thanks to that, a lot of Americans had the day off today– especially in D.C. I wasn’t one of those lucky ones. Instead, I spent the day at work panicking over a contractor in the U.K who disappeared when I needed him most. Does the U.K. celebrate Columbus Day too? Anyway, the rest of the fam had a lovely day hanging out without me.

Columbus Day sure has changed since I was a kid. I remember making construction paper boats signifying the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Christopher Columbus was a hero to be honored. These days, people seem to be keeping it real. I saw a whole lot of this on people’s Facebook feed today:

Since Dave is a history buff, I was curious to get his take. He said “Columbus enslaved the Indian population in the name of converting them to Christianity.”

And there are a lot of people, quoted on the internet, with much more harsh words that that.

One historian called him “an unrelenting social climber and self-promoter who stopped at nothing— not even exploitation, slavery, or twisting Biblical scripture— to advance his ambitions”

Well that doesn’t sound like someone I want to sing songs about. Do he make you want to sing? That doesn’t even sound like someone I want to take the day off for. (ok, I’m lying– I still want to take the day off.)

The wine shop/florist on Lincoln Park had a lovely sign outside that sums it up well:

 

Perhaps I’ll end the day with a glass of wine while thinking about Columbus… or maybe I’ll just have a glass of wine.

What’s your take on Columbus Day? Should Columbus even have a day?

Princess Abuse in the Name of Birthday Fun

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“Look– a Flynn Rider piñata! That would be perfect for your Rapunzel birthday party!” Yes, Lira and I are pouring over the internet, discussing the logistics of her December birthday. Don’t all moms start planning 4 months in advance?

“Do you think you could find a Rapunzel piñata instead?” Lira asked.

“You and your friends don’t want to line up and smack Rapunzel in the head, do you?” (For some reason, smacking Flynn in the head seemed ok. Maybe because he’s pretty douchey for most of the movie.)

“What about if we line up to smack her in the face?”

I suppose we could beat Rapunzel senseless if it means we’ll be showered in candy.

“Ok, we’ll look for a Rapunzel piñata.”

She wears this dress everywhere

And so it begins… [Read more…]

Get Out the Wine Glasses: I Miss My Mommy!

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If you’ve ever had a kid, other than your own, stay with you for an extended period of time, you know there always comes a moment when they miss their Mommy.

For my visiting niece, that moment came today. I almost missed it, thanks to all the screaming going on at my house full of girls. But when the sobbing lasted more than a minute and wasn’t followed by any finger pointing or tattle-taling, I knew something was wrong.

I picked her up, sat her in my lap and asked what the problem was. “I miss my Mooooooooooommmmm sob sob snort mmmyyyyy!”

After attempting to call her parents, who were both at work, I had to come up with some other way to make her smile.

I thought about what would make me feel better if I were sad… ah ha!

Cheers to feeling better!

I pulled out the fancy glasses and the red stuff (V8 Splash), and let the girls drink their sorrows away. They clinked glasses, giggled and said things like “this tastes magnificent!” Then they asked for more, and more, and more…

Glass #4– slow down, girl!

And soon, my niece’s frown turned upside down and the whole day got better. Drinking has worked for me for years now, so why wouldn’t it work for them?! College taught me so much. And these girls are already ahead of the game. What will they possibly have to learn when they get there?!

Lessons in Life With Three Kids in the City

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My niece is visiting from Houston, and she and my girls have been tearing up the house, changing into priness dresses, coloring with Sharpies and fighting about Barbies (even though we have at least 30 of them). After sitting on my couch watching them whirl around me, I decided to quit acting like a tornado victim and leave the house.

The plan was to go visit one of the Smithsonians that stays open late during the summer. Not a big deal, right? Ha! Going from 2 kids to 3 isn’t what I thought it was. I forgot about the fact that they feed off of each other’s energy and get progressively wilder as they multiply.

I also forgot about a few other things:

A Stroller
When I take the metro, I never want to bring a stroller. It’s a pain; when you metro with a stroller, you either have to walk extra blocks to find an elevator or risk your child’s life by taking the stroller up and down the escalators. However, not bringing a stroller is worse.

Don’t we look sweet and innocent?

Zana either sprints from block to block, forcing me to chase her so she doesn’t run into traffic or sits down to pick flowers every few steps. I always end up carrying her, which is especially fun when it’s 90+ degrees out. Then she screams because she wants to get down, and sometimes (on lucky days like today) she throws a fit and smacks me in the face. Then she gets her way because I have to put her down in an effort not to smack her right back (man, that takes a lot of restraint). After a “saw-wee Mommy,” the cycle begins again—sprint, flower picking, scoop her up. [Read more…]