Question of the day....

Came across this while walking around Avalon on Catalina Island. This sign was found in front of a garden nursery-which made it so much more odd to me. So my answer? About 37. Yes, that is right folks- I feel exactly my actual age. I don't feel younger..I don't feel older. I feel 37 years old....and that is okay with me. and if given a choice-I would pick this age to be as well.

How about you? How old would you be?

Playdates and Me

Playdates and me have had a rocky past. I have always been the fan of having other kids play with mine..when they were toddlers it was to help 'socialize' them (cuz everybody loves a social toddler ya know) and when they were a bit older it helped them to share toys and learn to do team activities. But my biggest challenge was always the fact that along with little Billy or Bobby came their MOTHERS. Don't get me wrong- I love to sit and chat with a lady friend from time to time- but it is really hard to do it WHILE trying to supervise small children. So I was always left at the end of the playdate feeling like I missed out on what my boys were doing- and I felt like I hadn't really completed a sentence in my mommy visit either. This once reached a terrible pinnacle when during a 'playdate' me and the other mommy found ourselves in the middle of a juicy conversation when one of the kiddies who was potty training had to go NOW. Well we ended up all sitting together in the potty room waiting for the little potty-trainer to do his business and we mommies continued our conversation there. Yes, talking and chatting all thru it including the 'now wipe me mommy' part. Lovely right? But now, my boys are older and playdates are so different. For one- we don't call them 'dates' anymore. And best of all- the kids get dropped off. So I no longer have to worry about having the whole house clean and perfect kid AND mommy snacks to serve. Nope- now the invited kid runs from the car to my door- and I wave to the mommy and she drives away. And happily my boys have pretty darn good taste in friends. I really enjoy these boys who visit. They allow me to see my kids through a new set of eyes. Like today I learned from Jack's friend who went to the beach with us, that Jack is known as the super nice kid at school. Really? How wonderful I thought. Um, I also learned Jack is known as the one who does the best arm-farts as well.....oh, this mother is so proud either way.

(Photo note: Jack and his buddy Baylor...a heck of a playdate and a good friend)

This is YOUR Life- Live Version

Okay here is a little tid-bit of inside information about me; when I am in public and I 'run into' people I know, or might have known I generally run the other way. Not always- I mean not if you are a relative or in my inner posse (um, my inner posse is like 3 people and one lives 400 miles away)...but you get my point don't you? I have always wondered why I do this....I mean sometimes it is because I might not look my best but usually I do it because I am afraid the other person will not REMEMBER ME. I am terrified of the awkward pause...the 'um, so okay well great to see you' thing. So just now (literally JUST now-I ran in to write this post) I was at the grocery store when it happened. (It happened on July 4th too if you can believe it- read here) Only this time I didn't see the other person first. I was ambushed. No place to run. No way to hide my face while pretending to inspect bunches of radishes. I was trapped in the frozen food section when I heard "oh my gosh MARCY! IS that YOU?"....for a split second I considered lying or throwing out a 'no habla English'....but I couldn't. This woman looked so happy to see me. And I stood there with no memory of her at all. Turns out she knew me from college....and all I can recall about her was that she drove a Jeep with no doors on it. And then she said it....'wow you haven't changed at all!'....now there was a time in my 20's, heck even my earlier 30's that hearing that comment would have bummed me out. I would have thought- "Hell yes I have changed- I have changed for the BETTER!"....but today, as I am closer to 40 and fighting gravity with all I can muster...well to hear I haven't changed at all...is a HUGE compliment to me. I wanted to tell her that actually I have changed. After college I was really HOT and SEXY and now I have just changed BACK to my old self..but that might have been strange. Okay note to self: wear bra, make up and contacts next time I leave the house....

Special to the Register! Whaaaa?

I came home from Catalina today to see a photo spread of ME and my first article for the OC Register spread out on the kitchen table. It was a great welcome home. My favorite part? Under my name (in the print version) it said "Special to the Register".....like magical words for me!

Take a look online and please, please (pretty please) click reccomend. I would love all your comments over there as well. I am trying to get a shot at more articles!!!

Thanks!!! Click here....

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/flash-shoot-photos-2087975-one-force

Still here...but thinking of you!

Still on Catalina Island today.....

enjoying the perfection of it all ......

I will be back soon...but meanwhile I wanted to share this lovely vintage ad with you!

Wish you were all here with me!

Been here- Seen that....

A few nights ago I watched CBS's new hope: "Swingtown".

I imagine the concept meeting sounded like this...

Carl: Hey Fred, any ideas for a show this season to help us get out of this slump? Fred: Yeah I was thinking- how about we do the ol' 3-5 women who have very different lives but they are stuck together for some reason thing.... Carl: You mean like Golden Girls? Fred: Yeah- only lets give them their own houses-I am dating the set director and she could use the work... Carl: Sounds good. Any objection to setting it in the 1970's? Fred: Sure..then we can reference drugs, smoking and alcohol like crazy....people like that. Carl: Yeah, THAT and I am dating the costume designer and she would love the work too.... Soooo, there are 4 women who all live in the same nieghborhood. One is conservative, one is a free spirt, one is confused and one is a wacky single mom. Sound familiar? It should.... First there was Knots Landing.....

Then there was Desperate Housewives....

Then there was Army Wives...

I am sure there are plenty other shows out there with the same format...

can you think of any?

Catalina here I come!

Today I am lucky enough to be going to Catalina Island for a few days with my mom, my boys and my two nieces. Mom has rented a small house there near the beach. For those of you who do not know what/where Catalina is...let me give you a little back ground. Catalina is a small island right off the coast of Orange County, California. It was once owned by the Wrigley family (jeez what didn't those people own?), and the a Wrigley mansion still stands (now a hotel). Catalina is virtually the same as it was when it was populated in the 1920's. No cars and absolutely no new buildings at all. More than half the island is a Buffalo reserve. The only real town is Avalon...with its picture perfect pavilion, bike rentals and wave less cove- Catalina is a dream come true.

This photo is from 1948.....

And this is current. As you can see not much has changed....

The ONLY bad part? No WiFi.....so this will have to be a REAL vacation- even from blogging! I will be back in about 4 days- expect lots of photos then!