November 24, 2006

Style Friday: the office party

Sparkly green party shoes.

From the Holiday E-mail Bag:

I have a question that only your expertise can answer!!

Amy

First can I say that having the office Christmas party at a wine bar is BRILLIANT? I love wine bars; more sophisticated than a bar, but less stuffy than a restaurant. Fabulous. Have a nice glass of white for me, Amy.

For a post-work office party, build on what you will wear to work that day, rather than starting over with a new outfit. Start with a nice pair of trousers or a skirt and add a beautiful blouse, something dressier than what you would normally wear to work. Amy could chose something a little bit sexy and cover it for the workday with a great jacket that she takes off for the party, or she could go with something festive but less revealing. Another popular option this season is a great dress; again, Amy could wear a jacket or cardigan over it to the office, and pare down for the party.

Amy should also think carefully about accessories. I had a good friend in graduate school whose significant other had a Real Job (the rest of us were married to grad students). She often met him for cocktail hour work functions, and her strategy was to wear something simple and basic (a little black dress or a sweater and nice jeans) and to pack a few fabulous accessories: a great necklace or some really fabulous earrings, a pair of sexy shoes, a little evening bag. At the end of her work day, she swapped her practical pumps for her party shoes, changed her jewelry, and headed for the party.

While Amy is changing her shoes and her earrings, she can touch up her makeup a little. No matter how little makeup you wear during the day, you can always go with more for evening. Amy could pack a brighter lipstick (a nice holiday red, for example) or some shimmery eye shadow. As with her outfit, she doesn’t need to start over; a sweep of shadow is all it takes to make your eyes look more festive. Chose one feature to play up; lips and eyes are the easiest. Don’t go overboard but feel free to be more dramatic than you would during the day. If you are someone who wears no makeup at all during the day, just a sweep of black mascara can be a festive change.

The key is to wear something that is appropriate, comfortable, and festive. Combining pieces you would wear to the office on a normal day with pieces that you would wear for a party is an easy way to bridge office-to-cocktails. Have fun, Amy! And report back about what you wore.

Coming Monday: What to Wear to His Office Party (you know, the office where you don’t work, that one).

November 23, 2006

holiday tally

The color of cranberries. Mmm . . .

number of hours Wade worked yesterday: seven

number of times he called to say “I’ll be home in an hour, I swear!”: three

number of times he had told me he was TAKING WEDNESDAY OFF: four million

number of times I believed him: zero

number of days he will work this weekend: one (so far)

number of times Wade predicted I would change my clothes before we left for his parents’ house for lunch today: five

REVISED number of times he predicted I would change my clothes (after I got all offended and said, “NO, I’m TOTALLY wearing THIS!”): three

number of times I changed before we left for lunch: three (dammit)

number of rolls the boys ate for lunch: four

number of other dishes they tasted: zero

number of pieces of pumpkin pie Henry ate: two

number of times someone cried: zero (whoo hoo!)

number of times Wade had to offer to take the kids to the park WITHOUT ME: one

number of things I am thankful for today: eleventy million

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us.

November 22, 2006

ten minutes of live blogging

House shoes. Not to be worn out.

I just spent ten minutes walking around my house looking for my Lost Cup of Coffee (I finally found it sitting on the back of the toilet in my bathroom, which is better than finding it in the PANTRY, as I did the other day) and it occurred to me that if I could take ten minutes to look for my crack coffee, I could take ten minutes and WRITE SOMETHING.

So! Ten minutes of Free Form Playdate. Ready . . . go!

My kids are out of school today–dude, when I was a kid, we went to school, ALL DAY, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And we actually DID SCHOOL WORK, we didn’t have some big Thanksgiving lunch and a pep rally and extra recess. And that was FINE! We also didn’t have laptops and cell phones, and life went on. Remember when you used to get sick at school and instead of calling your mom and INSISTING that she drop whatever she was doing and come RIGHT NOW to take you home, the teacher would take you to the nurse’s office and she would let you lay down on a little cot in the corner while she tried to call your mom every forty-five minutes or so? And no one cared if she wasn’t home and couldn’t come get you because it was OKAY for a mom to be OUT OF TOUCH for a couple of hours? Remember THAT?

My god I’m old.

There was no exploring of the backyard this morning; instead, there was sleeping until a blissful seven am, for which I am thankful. Other things I am thankful for today: my washing machine (Charlie had a bloody nose last night, which means that for the SECOND DAY IN A ROW, I am washing ALL HIS BEDDING), generic Tylenol (I woke up with a ginormous headache, which I am totally blaming on SCHOOL BEING CLOSED TODAY), cheap jeans from Old Navy (the pair I’m wearing right now aren’t made properly–the zipper is off center–but I got them on the clearance rack for like $3.00, which makes it okay that they are constantly pulling to the left just a little, causing me to walk in circles and lose my coffee).

In the five minutes since I sat down to write this, the kids have come asking for clean laundry (HOW is it POSSIBLE that no one has clean laundry?) and drinks, and have had to be asked TWICE to STOP poking each other with plastic drumsticks. (Note to self: HIDE THE DAMN DRUMSTICKS. Again.)

But also there was this: when I got down on my knees so I could look Henry in the eye and remind him that if he jumps off the furniture at my in-laws tomorrow, I will bring him home immediately, whether he has eaten any pie or not, he put his arms around me and said, “I love you, Mom.”

And Charlie, on his way out the back door to terrorize the yard, announced, “Mama, I love you. Because you’re sweet and huggable and TICKLISH! What does ticklish mean?”

I should probably go supervise the Broom Jousting in the backyard. But first I need to find my coffee. Again.

November 21, 2006

we’re much cooler parents when we’re sleep deprived

Mom shoes. With just a little heel.

Last night was a long night chez Friday Playdate. Charlie wet the bed around 3:30, which was really a bummer because his backup sheets were in the laundry. We cleaned him up and put him in the Big Bed with me, and Wade went off to sleep in the guest bed. At 5:45 Henry got up and went potty (which involves turning on ALL the lights in his room AND the bathroom and talking to himself in a very NOT quiet voice). At 6:00, Wade got up and went to see what he was doing. He found Henry fully dressed in cargo pants, a tee-shirt, a rugby shirt, and his school sweatshirt, looking for his flashlight.

“My brother and I are going to explore the backyard, while it’s still dark,” he told Wade. “Where’s Charlie?”

Wade explained that Charlie had been up for a while in the night and needed to sleep. “Okay,” Henry said, “but can I still go explore the yard?”

When I got up, at 6:15, Wade was sitting in the family room drinking his tea and Henry was exploring the pitch-black yard. When Wade told me what was going on, I said, “Whatever.” Then I made coffee.

(Wade also told me that he woke up at 2:30 and never went back to sleep. NEVER! So as I write this, at 4:45 in the afternoon, my husband has been up for, oh, over fourteen hours. And has only had maybe three hours sleep. Sweet!)

Henry had a good time exploring, and Charlie cried when he realized that he had missed the exploring-in-the-dark part of the adventure. And it is entirely possible that I MAY have suggested that we set an ALARM CLOCK and get up early tomorrow morning ON PURPOSE to go explore before the sun rises.

My kids think I’m cool, but I’m pretty sure I’m just an idiot.

November 20, 2006

pondering the mysteries of the universe

Sneakers. For running (errands).

I went to the grocery today (again! because god forbid forty eight hours should pass in which I do not do five loads of laundry AND go to the grocery at least once!) and bought, among other things, three bags of Parmesan-flavored Goldfish crackers.

I came home with TWO bags of Parmesan-flavored Goldfish crackers and a plastic travel box for soap.

Which begs the question: why don’t the Parmesan-flavored Goldfish come in the big boxes?

November 19, 2006

be true to your (graduate) school

Particularly when they’re this close to BOTH a national championship AND a Heisman trophy.

Yes, that’s the front of our house and yes, that’s our Ohio State flag. Wade’s dad called yesterday morning to ask what time the game was, and when I said, “I have no idea,” he said, “I’ll bet you don’t even have your flag up!”

Challenge accepted!

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the Heisman trophy pose! (Sort of.)

Actual Game Day Conversation, following touchdown run by Anthony Gonzalez

Wade: You can see him saying, “I love you, Mom.”

Me: If one of our kids ever scores a touchdown in a game like this, he damn well better say I LOVE YOU MOM to those TV cameras.

Wade: Heh.

Me: And not say a swear word.

Wade: Heh heh.

Me: Charlie would say it, don’t you think? Henry probably not.

Wade: No, Henry would do his superhero pose.

Me: Heh.

Wade: Actually, it looks kind of like the Heisman pose. We could work with him on that.

Me: Good idea! And then remind him to say I LOVE YOU MOM.

Feet up, recovering from the Big Game.