Dinner without Crayons

Andy's on his way home from dropping off my niece/babysitter. She (along with the rest of her family) just moved from five minutes away to 25 minutes away. Quite a different story. But the end result is the same: Andy and I had a date!!!!

We went to The Barking Crab and for those of you who linked over 'cause you were curious (admitted 'linking around' slut, here), when they say 'casual', they mean it. It's a paper-plate kind of place that the Board of Health has investigated more than once. But it's actually on a pier on Boston Harbor with boats parked beneath. How much better does it get than that on a cool summer's evening following a thunderstorm?

Well for starters, you could ignore the "parents of small children" aroma we give off and not sit us in the kiddy section. Actually, that is complete sarcasm - yes, we were in the kiddy section but no, I didn't mind. I'm so in tune with being the mommy, that the slow withdrawl is probably the best option. I can see the bare feet but I don't have to be the one yelling to put. the. crocs. back. on.

After dinner, we took a walk along Boston Harbor and ended up in Fanueil Hall. Definitely a tourist trap/meat market at its finest. We got a seat in an outside place and people watched/talked.

A couple of thoughts on tonight's evening:

- I love going out on a date with my husband

- I love going to some of the 'old places'

- I would not be 21 again for all the money in the world.

I am approaching (slouching toward) 40 years old, I am married to the person I should be married to, with the children (and the dog...and the cat) I was meant to have, living where I should with the friends, and the life, and the 'stuff' I should/need to have.

I look at these women and know they want what I have. I say this not in superiority; I say it in gratitude and honesty.

Ten Word Tuesday (Wednesday Edition)

Have you played Bossy's 10 Word Tuesday? So far, Bossy's got 428 comments so it's entirely likely you did. I didn't get around to it until today (thus making me commenter number 428).

This week's challenge was to summarize your favorite movie in exactly ten words. Here's mine:

Newman and McQueen.

Guess who's hotter.

Them, or the fire.

What's your movie?

The S-JAMM Awards

Well, Joan Rivers has crawled back into her coffin, E! is ripping apart Gwyneth Paltrow's latest disaster, and everyone's still wondering how Cameron Diaz manages to get her perfectly toned ass invited to these shin-digs.

Welcome to the Innagural Every-So-Often S-JAMM Awards. Here is your host, two-time winner of People's Sexiest Man Alive Award, George Clooney!

George: Welcome, folks! (charming, witty monologue ensues) MM, you look positively ravishing. See you later in The Green Room?

MM: ...I...um...ahhhh... (drools into the decolletage of her Carolina Herrera gown - luckily, Renee Zellweger has a spare)

George: Well, we've only just begun and the show's already run 2 hours over, so let's hand out some awards!



First up, in the category of animation, please welcome Jessie from Toy Story 2. She's presenting The You Make Me Smile Award, given to Manic Mommy last February by the colorful and flavorful KC, star of Where's My Cape.

And the winner is...Holly at June Cleaver Nirvana for her recurring role in Holly's Animated Life.

Excerpts from her acceptance speech include "maybe I can put it beside the fruit bowl."

It was a real coup for Manic Mommy to get Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson to present this next award right on the heals of their Nipplegate exoneration. Ladies and gentlemen, The Blog Buddies Award, previously presented to Manic Mommy by the lovely and lusty JCK of Motherscribe.

Justin and Janet happily pin this award to the chest of that Swanky Mama, Denise at Real. Life. Ramblings. Oh, there seems to be a delay; Denise stops three times on her way up to the stage to change shoes.


Next up, please welcome Nicole Kidman, 45 minutes postpartum wearing a size negative 2 (she's already lost all 1.3 pounds of baby weight through an all flax seed and pomegranate diet). In another S-JAMM first, The Five Blogs That Make My Day Award is a tie! And all five winners are The New Girl!

She was long considered the front-runner in this category. But the edgy/modern/informative/unique brand of humor exemplified in her blog has managed to stun even Vegas' most knowledgeable odds-makers!

Manic Mommy had previously won this award given by none other than JCK at Motherscribe.

What a night for The New Girl, The Man, and of course, everyone's favorite TLNG!


Our next award defies requires no introduction. This is largely due to the fact that none of it's recipients thus far is fluent enough in Spanish to accurately translate its full meaning. Of course ladies and gentlemen we speak of none other than The Arte y Pico Award. presented to Manic Mommy by LA's fastest rising star and spokesmodel for Best Buy, Fran from Merlot Mom.
Here to present the award are Salma Hayak and Penelope Cruz. Uh, because they speak Spanish. And they're gorgeous.

And the award goes to Georgia Getz, best known to Manic Mommy's husband as Bossy! And the Kodak Theatre erupts in thunderous applause as Bossy arrives in her very own Saturn Vue.

It had been widely speculated that Ms. Getz would send a young Native American girl in her place to decline the award. But to the delight of S-JAMMers everywhere, she is here tonight! Bossy, please get your brilliant son to translate. Or at least put on a tux for us to leer at!


And at long last, we arrive at tonight's final award.

I just thought of In keeping with the long-standing tradition at the S-JAMMs assigning presenters based on their close (working) relationship with the winner, here to hand out the You Make My Day Award, we are hot, sweating, pleased to introduce Viggo Mortensen to give a not-so-little sumthin' sumthin' to JCK for her performance in Motherscribe.

In a near repeat of the 46th Academy Awards streaking incident, Jennifer begins her walk to the podium naked but for a pair of her signature fishnets to launch herself at accept her award. Viggo meets her halfway and the two are quickly ushered off stage by Rumer Willis.

George Clooney (throws an arm over the back of a Green Room couch as he straightens his tie to cover lipstick marks from his previously crisp white collar and unbuttoned shirt): Well folks, I hope you all had as good a time tonight as I did. God give me the stamina to do this again!

Manic Mommy: And again...good night everybody!

1 Year Blogoversary - 100 Things

I started reading blogs around April or May of 2007, when my friend and neighbor send me a link. By June, I was hooked. By July, HRH fell and split his head open - and my first post was born. I started my blog right around the time of BlogHer 07. It seemed fitting.

This week, I am again home while bloggers from across the nation converge to discuss, learn, and drink. But it was different. This year, I would have had friends to hang out with. I may have even had a roommate. And each day, each month, I find more friends and more in common with women I may never meet but whom I feel I know well only through their words and my own.

In honor of my first Blogoversary, I give to you, My 100 Things:

1. I had my tonsils out when I was 4. When I was in my late 20s, I went to an ENT specialist following a series of strep throat infections and learned that they had grown back.

2. This same thing happened to my mother-in-law

3. I can touch my nose with my tongue

4. When I was eight years old, I knocked boiling water onto my left ankle while we were camping. I can still remember my mother and uncle grabbing me and peeling off my sneaker and sock, and watching my skin peel off with it.

5. When I was 20 and all my friends had already turned 21, I had a fake ID that I used.

6. My name was Maria Siasios and the license listed me as 5’ 2”. I’m 5’7”

7. One night at The Boston Beach Club, a guy I was flirting with talking to saw it and told me he was with the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Commission). My friend, Jen grabbed me and we hauled ass out of the club.

8. Years later, I was telling this story and my brother-in-law told me this was a ploy he used to use.

9. I’m going to be co-maid of honor in my younger sister’s wedding next spring.

10. My older sister is the other maid.

11. We are both married but refuse to use the term “matron”

12. I have been in eight weddings.

13. We were also co-maids-of-honor at my cousin’s wedding, nearly 9 years ago.

14. This same cousin and I were engaged at the same time, got married within six months of each other and have been pregnant with each of our respective two children at the same time.

15. She’s pregnant again and due in January.

16. She’s flying solo this time.

17. Despite my earlier yearnings, I think we’re gonna sit tight with the two we’ve already got.

18. My driver’s license expires on 09/09/09.

19. The same thing happened a few (uh, like 10) years ago, when it expired on 9/9/99.

20. On a work boondoggle trip to Vegas, I learned how to play craps and kept winning on number 9.

21. That was my third trip to Vegas for work and the first time I actually enjoyed being there.

22. Andy and I went to Vegas three months after 9/11 and stayed two nights at the New York New York, with non-stop round trip tickets from Boston for $550.00 total for the both of us.

23. I have a restraining order against an old boyfriend whom I found in my bedroom closet five years after we broke up.

24. Andy and I were introduced by JD Power’s daughter.

25. She’s married to Andy’s cousin and I used to work with her.

26. Two years ago, we had JD and his wife over for Thanksgiving dinner.

27. I pushed Andy away for more than a year, insisting we were “just friends” because of my steamer trunk baggage.

28. He didn’t give up on me, thank God.

29. Both of my boys were born with their umbilical cord wrapped around their neck.

30. HRH was born a month to the day early at 5 lbs 9 oz.

31. RC was born via emergency c-section at 6 lbs 14 oz.

32. I much preferred the Cesarean to pushing a baby out of my vagina.

33. I love Mexican food.

34. I could eat nothing but guacamole and chips quite happily for the rest of my life.

35. I was eating and later threw up guacamole the night I went into labor with HRH.

36. I like California Mexican better than Tex-Mex.

37. I visited San Antonio on business quite a few times a few years ago.

38. People in San Antonio really do wear cowboy boots and cowboy hats – and drive pickups.

39. The Alamo is really, really boring. And small. The Riverwalk is quite cool.

40. I have a theme song. It’s Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.

41. Jimmy Buffett does a nice cover of it and when we’re at the concert, I pretend he’s singing it just to me.

42. This will be my 11th year seeing Jimmy Buffett in concert.

43. I’m claustrophobic but not debilitatingly so. More like, if given a choice, I’ll take the stairs.

44. I’m not ticklish.

45. Change is really hard for me. Even if I’m going out to do something I really want to do, part of me is thinking “maybe we can just stay home and watch TV.”

46. I have a head for trivia and useless knowledge.

47. My sister recently called me for that word that describes words that are spelled the same backwards and forwards, like racecar.

48. That word is palindrome.

49. I love board games. Trivial Pursuit in particular. Go figure.

50. The problem is that I judge people’s intelligence based on their game-playing prowess.

51. I also do this with misspelled/mispronounced/misused words.

52. This is why I find texting language so difficult.

53. Kevin Bacon is A Number 1 on my List.

54. You know, the free pass your spouse gives you to sleep with one (usually famous) person should you ever find yourself presented with the opportunity.

55. KB has been on the top of my list since I saw him in Footloose when I was 15.

56. George Clooney currently resides in second place.

57. Ocean’s 11 is on right now and I hate Julia Robert’s gold lame dress.

58. I also think she walks with the grace of an elephant, although she’s supposed to play elegant.

59. I think Michelle Pfeiffer is luminous. George described her as such in One Fine Day.

60. Andy and I both love The Mummy with Brenden Fraser and Rachel Weisz.

61. Rachel Weisz is probably currently Andy’s A Number 1.

62. I was baptized Catholic and spent 12 years in Catholic school.

63. We baptized both our boys Catholic.

64. I went to church religiously weekly until after we were married.

65. Clearly Andy’s converted me to The Dark Side

66. I used to be a lector at my church.

67. These days, I am an ala carte Catholic

68. There’s too much I don’t agree with.

69. I wanted to convert to Episcopal but Andy believes “you gotta dance with the one that brung ya.”

70. I absolutely believe in God.

71. There’s too much out there that had to be created by a higher power.

72. I also believe that there is a universality that exists, linking all of us together and affecting the outcome.

73. I think that people who say they are spiritual but not religious haven’t figured out what they’re looking for.

74. We’re sending HRH to Catholic school in the fall.

75. We’ll have to start attending church again.

76. You know, so we’re not hypocritical.

77. I’ve been cramming with him to learn The Sign of the Cross, Hail Mary and Our Father.

78. We have been doing ‘God Blesses’ with the boys since they were infants.

79. We talk about God and Heaven and they know who The Big Man is.

80. We’re sending him to Catholic school less because we want him to receive a Catholic-centric education as because we don’t like the alternatives available to us in our current public school system.

81. Generally, I feel that good public schools offer more alternatives than parochial schools.

82. Education is a top priority in Andy’s family.

83. He and his four siblings all went to top private schools.

84. I’ve completed four years of college but don’t have a degree.

85. That is really, really hard for me to admit.

86. I had this stupid idea you were supposed to know what you wanted to be when you grew up in order to complete college.

87. My dad was a blue collar hero whose favorite expression was ‘fucking yuppies.’

88. As a result, I didn’t get a lot of support from him on the college front.

89. Especially when I was initially an undeclared major.

90. Working without a degree and doing pretty well taught me that you don’t have to love what you do to be good at it.

91. One of my biggest regrets is not going away to college. I partially blame a tiny Catholic school and a really shitty guidance counselor for that.

92. Not having a degree is my biggest insecurity.

93. I’m very smart but don’t have the piece of paper to back it up.

94. I have finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up; interior design.

95. I get to go to school when RC starts full-time kindergarten. Two years and counting.

96. I think if I were to pursue a career without first finishing my degree, it would be Real Estate.

97. Part of the reason I will get my degree is so I can never be an excuse for my kids.

98. I used to think I was a very good writer before I started reading blogs.

99. I still think I’m a good writer.

100. I know I am a survivor.

We Can't Have Nice Thingz - The (letter between R and T) Edition

Five Weekz. I don't know what I'm complaining about. I mean, my lovely, lovely laptop waz whole and complete with all 26 letter keyz pluzz all thoze otherz for a whole five weekz.


Now we have thiz:
And, following my attemptz at repair, we have thiz:



(Iz it juzt me or doez four piecez for a button the zize of my ring finger pad zeem a little excezzive?)





Damn you, June Cleaver Nirvana and your damn Pot Luck! If I weren't on your zite, RC might have actually recieved my attention and not climbed onto my lap to flick the (letter between R and T) right off my keyboard!

What waz that? You were zerving me up an AWARD when thiz occurred?



Um. Never mind. I'm delighted! You make my day everyday! Ezpecially thoze witty and wonderful pot luckz!

Vacation Moments

HRH: His Royal Halibut...we couldn't keep him out of the water. RC in his Hawaiian Elmo "bagging suit"

My mom and I went out one night and Andy got the boys out of bed to catch a rainbow. I hope you can see it.I can't recommend the Pirate Adventure highly enough for ages 3 to about 7 or 8. Arrr.
Yes, I was wearing a blue golf shirt and khaki shorts also. No, we didn't do this every day. They boys and Andy were a coincidence, then I saw it and decided to geek out and join in. Andy called us the Griswolds.

Bless him, Andy got up every morning around 6:30 with the boys to go fishing. By Wednesday, they had yet to catch anything. He thinks it had less to do with his skills as a fisherman and more to do with the large number of rocks being thrown into the water beside the fishing lines.

At this point, it was time to find a boat. Let me give a shout out to another local, Cap't Danny and Clamneck Charters, who have a very kid-centric 1 1/2 hour catch-and-release fishing trip staying inside Lewis Bay. Each kid must have caught at least a school of porgies.We had a fantatic deck off our bedroom where we were able to set up a telescope and show the boys the moon close up.

I don't think they made it to bed at the correct time the entire week. Vacations are about saying 'yes' more than you normally can.

Maybe they'll be astronauts or astronomers.

Or maybe they'll just remember another family vacation on the Cape.

You Belong To Me

July 15, 2000 Andy and I were married.

He is my best friend, my lover, the best father I could ask for my children, my reward, and the answer to my prayers.

Then we went to Italy:

This is really what Venice looks like from the air, when you're arriving at Marco Polo Airport. I thought I understood a city on canals. I didn't until I saw this.

We walked everywhere in Venice, mostly following our Fodors Guide and getting hopelessly lost.

This is the Grand Canal and it really looks like this.

Everywhere you look is a postcard waiting to be shot.

When my sister, Danni and I were tweens, we stayed up late one night when my parents were out watching a movie called A Little Romance about an American girl and French boy who run away to Venice. They were told by an old man (Sir Laurence Oliver) that if you kissed under the Bridge of Sighs that your love would last forever.

Andy and I kissed under the Bridge during a gondola ride.





Happy Anniversary, Babe. I wouldn't change a minute.

**Except maybe for that labor and delivery part.