1m2aSandbox

My month-long marathon of rehearsals and
shows is finally over – show, closed; makeup case, put away.


Now to deal with the clean-up.

This is not my story, but it’s too
delicious not to tell. Pun intended.


Maddie’s friend Elise has historically disliked chocolate, to
the point that Elise’s friends will often choose a vanilla
cake for a birthday party so “Elise will want some
too.” This is not anything the girl has done to force her way
– it’s simply a measure of how much her friends like
her.


So when Elise asked for a chocolate bunny for Easter for the first
time, to call it huge would be an understatement. Both parents
checked in – yes, she really meant it. Rite of passage, or a
genuine taste change? Who could tell, and who cared. The bunny was
coming, and the subject of much discussion. Elise made it clear
that the bunny was hers – and ONLY hers – and she would
savor it slowly in her own time whilst it remained off-limits to
the rest of the household.

I’ve posted before about other mommy
blogs I really admire; I do enjoy reading other sites on a somewhat
regular basis, mostly just to remind myself that I’m not in
this crazy thing alone. Even words from a stranger can be
comforting when they echo my feelings.


But one site – target="_blank">Steady On, Mama – is not written by a
stranger. It’s written by my best friend Abby,
waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in New York. And I’m so thrilled
she’s started writing! She’s got an incredible talent
for saying what I’m thinking – only better. And now I
can finally keep up with her inner thoughts – and the issues
she wrestles with – along with all the other mommies out
there.


So check it out- I promise you won’t be disappointed.

For the first few years of the
girls’ lives, our only car was a 1995 Mazda with a tape deck
and hand-cranked windows. When we added a 2000 mini-van in 2009,
there was still a tape deck, and though the front windows were
powered, the back windows, alas, did not open at all.


So when we got our new car last August, the girls marveled at many
“new” technologies, like touch-screen navigation and
iPod-ready portals, but nothing excited them as much as the power
windows. They are entranced by the power at their fingertips, and
will endlessly roll the windows up and down; Cora is practically
dog-like in her love of hanging an arm or even foot out the window
whilst traveling.

Brian had to go out of town on a business
trip this week – at the last minute he headed to the
northwest early Tuesday morning, coming back last night. And
because I’ve been working so much recently, the girls have
gotten a tad used to Daddy being around.


So he was, ahem, missed.

Today is officially tax day, and to help
people celebrate (read: spend their anticipated returns) many
restaurants are offering discounts today.


I fully intend to take advantage of this.


You can Google "tax day restaurant discounts" to see what's around
you; href="http://eater.com/archives/2012/04/13/the-epic-national-tax-day-2012-dealfeed.php"
target="_blank">here is a partial list of nation-wide
stores. The two I took note of were the Maggie Moo's/Marble Slab
free scoop and the 15% off at P.F. Chang's.


I feel Chinese takeout coming on.

I’ve written before about the
afternoons Maddie and I have spent during one-on-one times at
Starbucks; we were looking for a place to rest and have a drink in
between events one day, and she quickly fell in love with the huge
leather chairs and almost-as-large cookies. She and Cora have been
having a rough time with my work schedule the past couple of weeks,
and so once a week I’ve carved out an afternoon to hit the
coffeehouse.


And let me tell you, it is absolute greatness.