IS LIFE

"Film is art.  Theatre is life.  TV is furniture."

- Author Unknown

(Or at least unknown to me!  Let me know if you know the source.)

OVERHEARD

FRIDAY WORDS OVERHEARD

"How 'bout that party last night, huh?  She was wasted!  And she kept being like 'Hey! Why aren't you drinking? You look like you need a drink. I'm buying you a drink!'  She's a mess..."

This particular "overheard" is one that hits a little close to home.  I was in an elevator with these two guys while they were discussing said party; we were on our way up to the 12th floor of a rehearsal hall for a staged reading of a new musical.  And although they didn't know who I was, I knew who they were (the theatrical community is small, people!).  And although they had no idea, I was also at that party the night before (did I mention how small it is?).  And the most uncomfortable example of this small world... I knew the "she" they were talking about.  She's a friend of mine.  They had no idea.  So, I guess I mean that it was uncomfortable for me - they were oblivious.

What a wake up call for me, though!  A reminder that New York isn't as big as it seems, and the theatre world has a million small connections - you never know who you might wind up in an elevator with.

THE METAL CHILDREN

THURSDAY THINK LINK

Warning: Reading Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Vera’s reasoned argument for the aesthetic and moral power of the novel is among the stronger speeches in the play. “As a reader you construct the world of the book with the author,” she says. “You’re in essence a performer. A creationist."

ADVANCED PLANNING (NYC Moms Blog - Book Club Post)

Reading a book about puberty, periods, breast development and "the first time" when your daughter's only 15 weeks old... crazy or brilliant?  I'm choosing the latter.

Honestly, I was not sure what I expected from The Body Scoop for Girls, Dr. Jennifer Ashton's delightfully spirited book on those oh-so-awkward years somewhere between childhood and adulthood, but I found myself right back in high school wishing I had this book 15 years ago.

As I turned each page, I was launched forward a decade from now when my own daughter will be experiencing the amazing, confusing, wonderful, awful time of puberty and self-discovery.  And my reading was peppered with laughter as I thought of her ever-loving father trying to field answers to those confusing questions and offering her the timeless advice to "go ask your mother".  I wonder what she'll be like as a tween, as a teenager, as a young adult - making hard decisions, and forging her own path in this world.  And I must admit, being reminded of those embarrassing first few periods, those uncomfortable sex-ed classes, and the pressures to "do it" before I was ready have really made me think about the challenges my daughter will have to face as she grows up.

I've always heard about how mothers (and fathers!) want the best for their children, want to be able to support them, want to be able to make their pain go away when they're hurting.  And now I know what that feels like.  I'm truly looking forward to being able to have those difficult conversations with my daughter.  And I'm also scared to death.  I suppose I'll tell her my own stories of having to wrap a sweater around my waist when I unexpectedly started my period in the middle of math class, feeling left out when a group of my friends lit a joint in one kid's attic and then teased me because I had the courage to just say no, and how my heart ached and ached for what felt like an eternity when my high school boyfriend broke up with me because I wouldn't have sex with him.  And I'll tell her about my less-than-ideal choices as well, like when I was caught making out with a guy I liked in the music rehearsal room at school, and when I threw up all over someone's front lawn the first time I drank one too many strawberry daiquiris.

However, there is one line from this book that really sticks with me:  "The truth is, girls are smart. Given the right facts, they usually make smart choices."  Oh, how I hope this will be true for my daughter.  (And for her mother!)

Disclosure: I received a copy of The Body Scoop for Girls by Dr. Jennifer Ashton to read and discuss as a contributor for the Silicon Valley Moms Blog. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton is a Board-Certified Ob-Gyn, who specializes in Adolescent Gynecology. At Hygeia Gynecology, her private clinical practice in Englewood, New Jersey, Dr. Ashton has emphasized a return to old-school medicine with a new-age approach. You can purchase your own copy of her book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Indiebound.

Click here to check out other posts inspired by this book.

quit facebook day

TUESDAY NEWS DAY

Delete Your Facebook Account: 'Quit Facebook Day' Wants Users To Leave

I love Facebook.  I cannot tell a lie.  I love it.  And I'm definitely on the verge of being addicted to it.  I check it often, more often than there are actually updates to check, and I find it engaging and entertaining to read my friends' wall posts and see their new pictures and keep up with their lives via the world wide web.  I doubt that I'll join up with the other near 5,000 people pledging to quit Facebook on May 31st... but all things in moderation, right?  So perhaps I will take part in the June 6th one-day protest regarding those pesky Facebook privacy issues. 

What will you do?

Your request i

BLOGGER EVENT

MONDAY MORNING MEMORY

Remember yesterday afternoon when I went to my first-ever blogger event?  Remember how people asked if I had a card and I started thinking to myself that I needed to get some of those?  Remember all the cool products that were being discussed?  Remember the tasty free samples?  Remember this?  Remember how you felt to be part of that trendy, hard-working, fun, normal, active moms' group?

Oh, you don't?  Well... that's just because I haven't told you about it yet.  Stay tuned!

90 DAYS (a third time)

A while back I wrote a 90 DAYS blog.  And after that I wrote a 90 DAYS reprise.  Today is our daughter's 3 month birthday and it makes me reflect on that 90 day cycle yet again.

So much has happened in these past 90 days - giving birth, visiting family, learning to parent, leaning on each other (well, let's be more honest, clinging to each other) for support, going back to work, fitting back into my clothes, getting engaged, planning a wedding... it's all too much sometimes!

Too much of a good thing, that is. 

And I've heard you can never have too much of that.

Here's to whatever the next 90 days may bring...