Obsessing Over…

To give just a glimpse into my ridiculously easy days right now, this is what I’m obsessing over at the moment:

The Naked Bee Orange Blossom Honey Hand & Body Lotion
I would love to give you a link to this, well, because it is the bee’s knees, but it appears to only be sold by retailers and is not available or purchase directly from the company. I have eczema on my hand. Call it an occupational hazard that comes from years of harsh sanitizers, surgical scrubs for the NICU, and washing one’s hands a gazillion times a day. I have seen my family doctor and a dermatologist. I’ve tried prescriptions and over-the-counter lotions, creams, and cleansers. Some of these have been really expensive, too. Some have improved it a little, but none have really worked. So one day, having taken my lotion home from work (I usually buy a bottle to keep in my locker) to try on Zach, who also has bad eczema, I was kinda stuck. I had found this stuff the week before because a coworker was using it and it smelled so nice, prompting me to buy my own bottle in the hospital gift shop for $15.99 for an 8-ounce pump bottle.  So I tried it on my hand that one lotion-less night. Holy Cow! It worked. I’ve been using it ever since. All that is left of my eczema on my hand is a scar on my middle knuckle. If I don’t use this for a night of work, it comes back, So tonight, I couldn’t find Zach’s lotion (dye-free, unscented). If we do not slather him with lotion before putting his pajamas on, his whole body is red and itchy in the morning. So I took a chance and tried this on him. A couple of hours later, his skin is already looking better.

I googled the stuff and discovered they make a whole line of skincare products. Soaps, lotions, creams, hand sanitizers. Mind you, the stuff isn’t inexpensive, but if it works? Pshhh. So now I am going to desperately search for the body bar and hand sanitizer. I’m curious to see how it works.

Chipotle’s Adventurrito.
Yep. I know, it’s cheesy. Well, here lately, with only enough cheese to taste. Ha! This is some clever marketing. I love Chipotle. And if I use a little restraint, John and I can eat here without feeling like we’ve wrecked our lives or clogged John’s newly-stented arteries. The beauty is that they give you enough food in one serving for 2 whole meals, so I either split my buttito bowl with Zach or save half for another meal. My bowl consists of chicken, fresh tomato salsa, corn salsa, romaine, brown rice, and just a teensy bit of cheese. If I’m feeling extra naughty, I’ll get a tortilla on the side and roll my own tiny burritos with it, as it is one huge tortilla. John, after the heart incident, gets a meatless bowl with 2 types of beans, brown rice, romaine, and all three of their salsas. No tortilla for him. So this meal, other than a veggie sub with no dressing at Subway, is the only quick-service meal he can eat.

So Chipotle is giving away free burritos? Hell, yes, I’m down with that. The grand prize is 20 years’ worth of free burritos (one per week, I am assuming). Other winners can win free burritos for one year. You are entered when you play the online game, whether you win or lose. To win the grand prize, you have to get all 20 of the puzzles correct. I think there might be a drawing or something for those people. These puzzles are little riddles posted online at 20:20. The 4 they have had so far have been kind of challenging. For example, the above picture is of their basket liner they are using for their anniversary, The answers to one of the riddles involved all of the integers on the liner. They didn’t tell you that, though. Instead, in the clue, they mentioned one should ponder it over a burrito or taco. Of course it was in the middle of the night and Chipotle was closed, but I happened to remember that they posted the above pic on their Facebook page, and Score! I got the puzzle correct. So now I am all geeked out over this little contest because, hey, Fatty loves her burritos!

Bailey’s Mudslide coffee creamer
Because I realized the calorie content of my venti Mocha at the ‘Bucks. And I cannot give up on coffee. I tried the nonfat versions. I tried the soy. I tried every-damned-thing, including black coffee. I decided I am not grown up enough for black coffee. And so a splash of this. I can handle that. So long as I remember to log the calories in my little calorie counter app, I’m good. Thanks for keeping me sane, Bailey’s Creamer.

Barefoot Moscato

I’m not even gonna talk about a bouquet or that other crap. I know nothing about wine, but I wanted to start learning. I’m sure that, at the whopping $13.00 I paid for the bottle of this wine, it is most definitely not high-brow. Yeah, whatevs. I mentioned to some of my wine-drinking coworkers that I wanted to learn to appreciate wine, and this was what was recommended to start with. Because though I am all women-power/ fight the patriarchy, I enjoy some good frou-frou sweet booze. And I was told this would fit the bill. And they were correct. The plan is to start here and get a little more sophisticated over time. With different wine types and vineyards.  I would like to be able to have conversations about it eventually. Because I have been elected to the board of directors for the association of women MBA’s at my university, and our introductory meeting is at a wine tasting in a few weeks. I’ve also been told that I would probably like Beringer and rieslings.  If this is your area of expertise, please leave any suggestions you may have for me.

Laughing Cow Smooth Sensations Cream Cheese Spread

Ummmmm. I love this stuff. I love that there are only 45 calories in a wedge and a whole english muffin (whole wheat, thanks) only takes me about half a wedge. The same can be said for a whole wheat frozen waffle, toasted with this and a little organic strawberry preserves–tastes delicious and only 100 calories total. I love that it travels well, so I can easily pack it for lunches or snacks at work or for trips to the park with my offspring. I love that it comes in a gazillion flavors, though I haven’t tried them yet. Hey Laughing Cow people, if you would like more free marketing, feel free to send me some free stuff and I will be glad to offer up my opinion of your fabulous products. Wink, wink. Because I am a struggling grad student and I am currently slathering this stuff on everything.

“Whodunnit” on ABC

I cannot look away when this show is on. Part Survivor, part Big Brother, part Clue (yeah, the Milton Bradley board game–the old version, not the new-fangled stupid stuff). Because in my mind, I am playing along, trying to guess, getting aggravated when the contestants can’t get it right.

If you haven’t watched the show, it is like a murder mystery. They get clues. Each week, another guest gets the ax, and the remaining guests have to use clues to determine how it happened. The “killer” is among them. The more wrong/ less correct they are, the more at risk they are to be the next “victim”. Some of them have resorted to tears in fear, leaving me to wonder if they are really that dumb and think ABC is going to have them murdered on set on national network television. But still, it’s entertaining, and I am all about that these days when I have no class to worry about. Even soon-to-be MBA’s don’t want to think about marketing or finance or accounting all of the time.

Devou Park Backcountry Trails- Covington, KY

About a 2-song drive from my house (it’s that close that I have no idea how many miles or minutes–I can listen to two normal-length songs!). Pack a little cooler bag of water. Some yoga pants and good shoes. All-terrain stroller in the back of the SUV. Off we go. The way the trail is designed, we can hike/ speed-walk as much or as little as we want. It’s peaceful. It’s cleansing. You can pass anyone from the elderly out getting their exercise, to young families, to serious athletes out for a trail run or bike. When it is raining, or has recently rained, the trails are closed for their own preservation, but at the same park, there is a lovely paved trail as well. We’ve walked in a light rain before, on the paved trail, only turning back when it turned into a thunderstorm. We have had days where it was too hot and we had to stop halfway find a spot to relax in the shade. We also park next to one of the playgrounds so Zach can get some playtime in before we head home. I have pulled a muscle somehow and this have been resting this week, and so I miss this. We had been going everyday, walking briskly enough to work up a sweat. Love it.

So that’s my life right now. Or a little bit of it, anyway. Until next time.

Time Flies (Still)

So the boys had some more photos taken with a coworker of mine who is working on honing her photog skills. She has taken their photos before, and this time she got some great candid images of my babies. We met her at a gorgeous park in Cincinnati, which is a prime spot for photography, it would seem. Well, at least there were a bunch of others there that day for the same purpose. We saw baby bump photos, wedding and engagement photos, and family photos being taken. I just wanted some playful, casual shots of the boys, as they are growing up before my eyes. And as always, I see the photos and I still see the newborns they once were. Time goes so quickly, and with grad school now, I am always hustling and bustling to and from one destination or another. And I miss them so much. While I wasn’t looking, Evan turned eleven years old. Two more years with him until he is a teenager. I want to clutch them to me and beg them to slow down. In the mean time, I remind myself daily that I am doing all of this for them. At some point, so help me, I will be able to honestly say that I can give them anything they want. Anything. The best home, the best education. Opportunities that they may not have had if I had not pushed myself to get these higher degrees. But in the meantime, I keep my nose to the grindstone, cherish every tiny moment I am given with them, and count the days until I am finished.

The (Before Grad School) Bucket List

I guess the point behind the bucket list is that is is what one would like to do before they die. Well, I have no intention of going anywhere, but I am starting a rather “ambitious” first semester of grad school. (My advisor’s words, not mine.) I have this feeling that between working, school, and family, there will be precious little time. But the thing is, I love Cincinnati. It is my hometown. My memories of my childhood are here. But there are some things I have never done or have not done in years that are soooo Cincinnati. I want to take John and the boys to do some things and experience the city in ways they haven’t  to date.

1. Findlay Market

What can I say about Findlay? Huge farmer’s market meets international market meets a shopping center full of ecclectic and non-traditional shops. All local merchants. You can grab a gourmet lunch at a little cafe, shop for organic produce, and just about anything else from what I hear. Street performers wander the crowds, from what I hear. I wouldn’t know first-hand. I’ve never been. There, I admitted it. I am as Cincinnatian as they come and I have not been to Findlay. I want to fix that. Here lately, I am becoming more aware of what we put into our bodies, and I know that this would be the place. Finances have stopped me, as I know I will spend a ton. But I plan to fix this all sometime before the summer ends.

2. Coney Island
Yeah, in Cincinnati. We have one, too, though I am sure it is not the same as the origiinal. I am not big on amusement parks, but Coney is small enough and nostagic enough to feel more like a fair, from what I hear. Never been here, either. I want to take the boys. Zach needs his first real taste of a funnel cake, and Evan would have a blast on the rides.

3. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Of course we’ve been to the zoo a gazillion times. Evan has with us, with visiting grandparents, on school trips. Zach? Well, Zach has never been. And we certainly haven’t been this year. I’ve been off of work. It’s been…weird. But the boys are due for a zoo trip, and we have a great zoo here. I would love to be able to do this before my nose hits he grindstone.

4. The Precinct

I am sure there are people in this city who can afford to dine here everyday, but we are not those people. And this is most certainly not the place to take children. But one night, I would love to have a date night with my husband and have dinner here. Never been, but I hear the steak melts in your mouth, and we …we are some carnivores.

5. Sunlite PoolSunlite pool, well, is technically a part of Coney Island, but it is an all-day adventure, also. I want to be able to take the kids. I haven’t been able to go swimming at all this summer. John works during the day and I have one good arm right now. My hope is that, sometime before summer ends, we can do this. I know Zach will love the water, and who could resist that cool, crisp blueness?

6., 7., 8. The Cincinnati Museum Center

Nothing is more Cincinnati than the Museum Center in Union Terminal. The building is totally art deco and has still has the cool retro feel of the 1930’s train station it once was. And it’s profile is just a part of the Cincinnati landscape.

Inside the terminal, there are several museums. The Children’s Museum houses all sorts of interactive activities for the little one, and for once, there is no need to worry that my boys will destroy something.


Aside from this, there is the Museum of Natural History and Science, which is about like any other. There is also an Omn imax and many other special exhibits, so we could make a day of it rather inexpensively, and I am all about that these days.

So there is what I want to do with the little bit that will be left of our summer after I finish recovering from the herniated discs and am able to get on with my life. The little time I have before hell unleashes on my schedule and I have no time to breathe. Realistically, if I could get the boys to cooperate for just a few of those outings, I would be tickled pink. The difficulty in having children so far apart in age is that what would interest one will be of no interest to the other. It is difficult to find things to do that are fun for all.

Restaurants Have Plates

That’s all I’m sayin’.

After hearing the peeps at work rave and croon over this barbecue joint, we headed there for lunch. City BBQ.

So we head there, even though Evan is lamenting the notion that maybe, just maybe, they won’t have chicken tenders on the menu, and ohmyGodwhatwillwedoiftheydon’t! Now is the point where I ‘fess up that in all of my Midwestern-ness, I have never eaten a barbecue sandwich of any sort. My mom used to love them, and they looked like scary pseudo-meat to me. Eww. But we go. I am expecting a better version of the slop that looks more like chemical sludge than actual meat. And I order a pulled chicken sandwich. And then John orders pulled pork and I think, shit, he’s done this before. And so I get what he does. And we wait in line for our food, while we watch a guy actually pulling the meat from the hog carcass in the back. Thank God the pig did not have a head or I would’ve fled the joint in tears for poor Porky. The events to follow leave me feeling somewhat ashamed and dirty in a way,

First of all, there were no friggin’ plates. None. We got our food on these tin trays that looked like a damned slop pan. And our sandwiches were on wax paper and were more like mounds of meat with bits of bread on either side. Where’s the barbecue sauce, dude? Mercifully, they put my mac & cheese and John’s green beans in little bowls.

And so we head to our table. Where are the napkins? The silverware? And so John goes in search of them, only to return and tell me they are on the table. What? You mean that roll of paper towels on a paper towel stand doodad??? You cannot be serious. It isn’t a five-star joint, but I did just pay over $40 for what is essentially just sandwiches. Really, now. And then I found the sauce. And there was a selection of 6 sauces, in squirt bottles, artfully displayed…in a damned empty 6-pack cardboard carton. Yeah. Classy. And the floor was concrete. And I was just about to die as I tried to tear off a piece of paper towel from the classy napkin dispenser/ backwoods paper towel roll thingy while barbecue sauce started to dribble. Fancy shit, y’all. I was not amused.

And then I ate the food.

Oh. Oh my God that shit was delicious. And there was tons of it. And I felt so damned guilty because there is no way a fatty should be eating it. But if I was going to die right then of a clogged coronary artery, it would have been worth it.

A lardass'e heroin.

John loved it and kept saying, “Now this is Southern.” (He grew up the in the sticks of Kentucky, and married him a Yankee girl, y’all.) Evan was just thrilled that they had chicken tenders. And I was ashamed that I was eating this messy stuff without the plate, out of a slop tin, to the point that I finally tried to eat the sandwich with a fork. Not an easy feat when the sanwich was on waxed paper.

Take it all, big boy.

I soooo  wanted to point out to John that he was in the great Buckeye State. Not the deep south. Him saying that reminded me of the guys you see driving the huge pickup trucks on lift kits, with the western wear, belt buckles the size of a hubcaps, and cowboy hats, blaring country music and friggin’ forgetting that they are in Cincinnati and we are not known for rodeos, damnit. We are in Ohio. And what do Buckeyes know about barbecue?

Apparently plenty.