Diary of a Metal Mommy

...I just read that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz named their newborn son Bronx Mowgli.  Mowgli, as in the Jungle Book.  Give me a break!  The poor kid.

Ahhh, the Christmas season.  Baking cookies, gazing at the tree, wrapping presents, and re-living your very own Christmas Story as your son returns from school in tears because he decided to stick his tongue on a signpost by the bus stop on the way home.  !!!  Just last week he was asking if it really would stick and I assured him it would...I guess he really needed to test it out for himself.  You can bet it stuck in this below-zero weather we're having.  The poor guy came in as quite a bloody mess.  Of course the mother in me was angry and exasperated that he had to do this, but also thinking it was pretty darn funny. Luckily it's healing quickly and shouldn't bother him for long.  Hey, I guess I can be happy in a sense...this was a natural consequence for pushing the envelope.  As he cried he was saying, "I'll never do anything you tell me not to do ever again!"  Now THAT may have made it all worth it...!!!  Sullivan announced that he felt like a broken ornament.  Never a dull moment around here...!

A small world indeed, my friends.  There I was at my Hot Mama party the other night when I am told by my boss Beth that 2 other mommies that work there are either now currently in rock bands or were at one time or another.  But that's not the small part.  I was talking to Brittany and finding out more about her old band called Nothing Static, and she politely asked me what my band background is.  Of course I started telling her about Warbride and the moment the word came out of my mouth she grabbed my arm, mouth opened wide, and proceeded to tell me that she has heard of me...and even has photos!!!  Huh?!  It took a while to put the connection together--at first I thought she heard about us from someone I knew from back in the day--but no, it was from my good friend and used-to-be neighbor Gary.  Gary has his own advertising agency and worked with Brittany on a commercial that she did. (she's not only an awesome singer, but an actress as well)  In conversation the fact that she had been in a band came up and he proceeded to tell her about me and Warbride...he had even emailed her and sent her PHOTOS of me and the band, the big-hair ones that make you not want to light a match for fear that we will all go up in (R)Aqua-Net smoke! (can you find me?!)  And she heard this about a YEAR ago.  How crazy and small-worldish is that?!  I can't even believe it.  I truly love that sort of thing, don't you?   You can hear her band here on their MySpace page.  Pretty good. A girl could really hate someone this gorgeous and talented except for the fact that it's impossible--she is so genuinely nice and sweet!!!!!  What a fun place I work, it's chock-full of cool chicks like this. I'll just try not to think about the fact that in these photos we were about the same age doing our band thing...except that mine is from about 19 years ago....yeesh.  (did I mention in the last post that I was feeling OLD??!)

And if thinking that it's a small world isn't enough to get me hooked on that annoying song, hearing Sullivan sing it in the Christmas play at church certainly is. Ahh, the Christmas play--always a source of entertainment.  This year was no exception.  Sullivan was the one and only cow around the manger and I could barely keep myself from running up there every two minutes to kiss him from head to toe he was so ridiculously cute.  He and another boy sang so loudly everyone was giggling--especially when they would stop singing and the cow took about 3 bows after each song.  (how bow, brown cow...??  sorry.) Nothing will make you laugh and cry like seeing your kid in a Christmas play, I'll tell you that.  I always get so choked up at those things, seeing those sweet kids up there talking about loving each other and peace and all that stuff.  You know, the things we are supposed to be doing every day of the year? We can hope, we can hope.

So now--the more relaxing week begins (ahhh) with me baking a batch of sugar cookies that the kids and I will be decorating tonight.  One more thing to cross off the list, yeah! That should help get me in the Christmas spirit!  Hey, my shopping is done and that is definitely something to feel the joy about!

Dang, I hate it when I realize that I really am getting old.  Recently I've switched to decaf coffee because I started to notice that I wasn't feeling oh-so-great soon after my morning cuppa.  This is big news, really, considering coffee is my favorite beverage of all time.  Luckily I'm not too much of a coffee snob to turn my nose up at decaf--you really can find some decent ones out there--so I still partake every morning (and often afternoon) and enjoy every sip.  

The other night I was getting the coffee ready for the next morning and saw that I was just short of what I needed to make my 4 cups (which is actually 1 and a half big cups) to have upon waking.  I threw a little of Coreman's 'real' stuff (he refuses to do the decaf, we have two coffee pots going!)  in there figuring a couple of tablespoons-worth wouldn't be a big deal.  Not so.  I couldn't believe how crappy I felt!  Nauseated, lightheaded, just generally yucky.  I had errands to run, one of which was to use a $15 coupon at Sephora that was soon to be expired and I was not to be denied--hello, $15 whole dollars at one of my favorite stores evar??  Honestly I wasn't sure I would make it.  Walking around the mall I felt short of breath and horrible.  But armed with my coupon I soldiered on and miraculously as I got in there and started poking around I did start to feel a bit better.  Make-up Therapy!!!!  After spending time in there I did just decide to come on home instead of doing my other errands so I could get something in my stomach and try to kick the yucks.  Man, that was weird--and as I said, makes me feel OLD.!

I was actually hopeful to get a nice pleasant little kick from that caffeine, considering the busy weekend I have ahead.  Last night we hosted our gourmet dinner group here--I love it when our turn falls around Christmas-time, which it did last year too. (check out that amazing cake Rosemarie made!!!)  We always do a 'white elephant' gift exchange that totally rocks.  Every year we'll pull something hideous and/or unused out of our closets, dust them off (sometimes we don't even bother doing that) and wrap them up.  They all get put into a pile and we then draw numbers.  The first one gets their first choice of Mystery Gift, then number 2 picks, and so on. After everyone gets their gifts there is some sort of stealing rule--Coreman keeps it all straight, I certainly don't. It's a pretty good time.  I did score myself a pretty dusty candle, some cute Christmas dessert plates and some ADORABLE Christmas dish towels! (hey, one man's junk...) Rosemarie breaks the rules and every year goes out and buys some really cute things.  I think we all know to go for Rosie's gifts first.  It feels a bit funny to steal a gift from the Pastor--our beloved Pastor Tim is part of our gourmet group--but hey, it's all part of the game.  I think poor Tim ended up with some frog magnets.

And tonight, the Hot Mama Christmas party!  I'm so looking forward to hanging out with my fun co-workers.  It's for spouses too, so it will be fun for the Coreman to meet all of the ladies he hears me chat about all the time.  And I'll see them again tomorrow, as I work in the afternoon. Busy Busy!

I have to admit it's been tough for me to feel the Christmas spirit these days.  I feel so rushed and busy lately that it's hard for me to just take it in.  Next week should slow down and hopefully I'll be able to get there.  At least maybe make some Christmas cookies?!  

It's December, egads!  Quick, get the Christmas shopping done, write the holiday letter and get them all sent, send packages to family afar and by all means, bake the Christmas cookies!!!  Are we tired yet?

It just so happens that tonight I AM baking cookies (and Christmas Crunch, another beloved holiday goodie...) and I am tired--especially since I did an awesome kick-butt Tae Bo workout this morning! Getting to the point where I could do the Tae Bo DVD/vid routines that I have in my sleep, I was more than ready to get something new.  I know, I know...Tae Bo is so passe...but I admit it, I love it. My name is Susie and I love Tae Bo.  It totally appeals to my love of karate, something up-beat, and that Billy Blanks is just so darn cute.

The workout I got is Tae Bo Amped.  This goes beyond your basic kicking and punching as it involves this cool 'amplifier' bar that you can open into three different positions, and it packs three pounds in it. Three pounds doesn't sound like much, but when your throwing it around for 45 minutes or so, it gets kind of heavy!  I am definitely feeling it now--and it's a good hurt!  It's just the kick in the butt I needed to get motivated again.  And a kudos to Billy (we all know he reads my blog...;-)) for having some decent music on there for a change!

So on the menu tonight--Lyndsay's Ginger Snap cookies and the aforementioned Christmas Crunch. Lindsay is a friend of Stephanie's I met, and this is her recipe.  They are darn good, to me a much-improved version of the classic Gingerbread.  Once these guys cool I'll dip them in white chocolate--yum!  The Crunch is just a dastardly mix of Corn Chex, Cheerios, peanuts, pretzels and M & M's mixed with a coating of white chocolate. (white chocolate seems to be the theme tonight...!)  The stuff is deadly--once you start eating, it's hard to stop.  So much for the Tae Bo workout....!

How many of you love to bake Christmas cookies?  I've always had a love/hate relationship with it, but it seems the older I get the more 'hate' it becomes.  It's just such a chore, and of course when you make them to give out and have around you are definitely making more than one batch.  I'm such a Scrooge, I haven't done the roll-out kind for years.  Luckily I have a yummy Drop Sugar Cookie recipe that we can still frost and the kids can still decorate...because of course that is the big draw for them. (besides eating them!)  Oh, I'll never stop making at least SOME Christmas cookies--it's a tradition and honestly I'd be really bummed without them--but I'm just going to whine about it. Hmmm, whine.  Wine.  That might make the tradition a bit easier to swallow...??  Or maybe a Tanqueray and Tonic?  I'm sure Bing would approve....;-)