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Holiday Comforts ~ Smiles, Giggles & Snuggles
Holiday Comforts~ This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.
Holiday Comforts Come from the Little things
It’s that time of year again, the time when the temperature cools down, the chaos level gets cranked up a notch and families come together. I have lots of holiday comforts that I look forward to every single year like cuddling up by the fire with my Big Guy, hot chocolate with my girls after a long, hard day of snow angels and snowman building and snuggling up in the family bed with our little girls drifting to sleep between us as we watch Christmas vacation for the 100th time that year. Thanksgiving was yesterday and we all enjoyed starting off our holiday season with a home cooked meal of comfort food, shared with family and followed up by driving around town with the girls looking at all the Christmas decorations downtown. All of my holiday comforts revolve around family. Sure, it’s great to get a nice gift but all that I really need in life is free; holiday comforts in smiles, giggles and snuggles. Those holiday comforts are priceless. My list of holiday comforts is simple but it is more than ample.
Holiday Comforts in the little things
- The sparkle in my daughters’ eyes when I tell them that I love them.
- The smiles on my daughters’ faces when they are happy.
- The laughter that fills our house as our girls do one silly thing after another.
- The Big Guy’s hearty, robust laugh when he finds one of our daughters asleep in a closet or wearing their underwear on their head.
- My heart swoons sharing the Nutcracker with my girls and now, watching my little girl on stage performing in the Nutcracker.
- Seeing my sweet nieces and nephews on a regular basis.
- Hugs and Kisses, lots and lots of hugs and kisses.
- Snow days spent watching black and white Christmas movies with our girls cuddled under a fuzzy blanket.
- Making the first batch of snow cream.
- Going to my parents house and having Christmas with my sisters.
- Decorating the tree and house for Christmas.
- Christmas Mass and the smell of the incense that fill the church as the choir sings; this gives me peace.
- Thanksgiving smells filling the house as our entire family talks and catches up.
- Watching my children play with my brothers and sisters kids.
- Long talks after dinner with my sisters.
- New babies, expected babies.
- Barton’s Pizza, loud Christmas music and midnight mass remind of my childhood Christmas eves.
- Seeing my daughters’ faces the first time they notice that their elves have arrived from the North Pole each year.
- The palpable excitement the girls exude on Christmas eve when putting out reindeer food with Daddy and cookies for Santa.
- New years eve with our girls, sipping sparkling cider and celebrating the New Year at 8 pm ( after turning the clocks to midnight) so the girls can ring in the New Year with us.
- Midnight New Year’s eve kiss with the Big Guy, at home, together for the last 15 years…and for the rest of our lives.
- Calling all of my family at midnight to wish them a happy New Year and let them know how much I love them.
Holiday Comforts come from the privilege of loving
Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic’s Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. What are your holiday comforts?
2011/11/25
Fashion Haul Friday Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway
The Winner of the Shabby Apple Lois Lane Dress giveaway is Jodie Walcutt. Congratulations, Jodie!
Fashion Haul Friday Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway and Review ~ This week’s Fashion Haul Friday find is a fabulous Shabby Apple dress. I’m pretty sure every woman with fashion sense knows what Shabby Apple is, so I am positive all of you already know of Shabby Apple boutique. If you are not familiar with Shabby Apple,let me tell you a little about them, they are an awesome company who makes chic vintage inspired clothing for women. The clothing has a very classy, feminine feel and is made to fit a woman’s body…a grown woman. A woman who has lived and had children and still has a lot of vivacious living to do, like you! Their vintage inspired dresses remind me a lot of the dresses women would wear in days gone by when silhouettes were more feminine and softer. The dresses are elegant and make any woman feel a little more beautiful. But the best part, aside from having loads of styles available, the price is affordable. Shabby Apple makes fashionable clothing and accessories affordable for every woman, including us Mommies who seldom get the chance to shop for ourselves and when we do dare shop for ourselves we are frugal and feel guilty if we spend too much on ourselves. Shabby Apple alleviates that guilt.
Shabby Apple does not disappoint
The dress that I chose to review was the Lois Lane. First of all, what images and ideas the very name Lois Lane invoke? Super savvy and intelligent, but remove the glasses and she is Superman’s super smokin hot leading lady. What more is there to know? There is just something about a fitted, flattering red dress that makes a woman feel sexy in her own skin. I know every girl needs a little black dress but this red dress packs a punch that you can’t pass up. You will certainly get double takes when you walk into the room. It fits generously but is curve flattering. The color is deep and looks beautiful on just about any skin color. I really love the fact that you can wear the collar down for day time or up at night time to give it a little more spunk. I prefer it up! The Lois Lane is shown here with black pumps, it would also look hot paired with those back leather boots or the 5 inch Steve Madden heels from our last Fashion Haul.
Shabby Apple Lois Lane Night Time

Shabby Apple Lois Lane Daytime
Features:
A tulip blossom collar adorned in ruffles tops the innovative and utterly provocative Lois Lane trench dress. Awash with delightful details Lois Lane’s french coat styling, with asymmetrical buttons running from hemline to left shoulder, ruffled tulip sleeves, cinched-and-sashed waist and flouncy hem is a show-stopper you cannot miss. Wear the collar up for greater drama or down for a sweeter look.
Dress fits generously.
I think this dress is gorgeous and I think many of you will too! And bonus, Shabby Apple has given me the chance to offer a Lois Lane dress to one of my readers. You know you want this! To enter to win is simple.
Mandatory Entry to win the Shabby Apple Lois Lane dress: Follow The TRUTH about Motherhood on Facebook and leave me a comment on my wall.
For more entries:
1) Follow Shabby Apple on Facebook (1 entry)

2) Email Subscribe to The TRUTH about Motherhood (+2 entry)
3) Tweet this giveaway by copying and pasting the following; Awesome #giveaway for @ShabbyApple Enter to win a sassy new dress @truthfulmommy https://motherhoodthetruth.com/?p=6783 Please RT {1 entry per daily tweet}
4) Stumble and like this post (+2 entries)
5) Add my blog to your blog roll ( +2 entries)
Leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway will be closed December 8,2011 Thursday night 11:59 pm EST and chosen randomly. The winner will be announced in next Friday’s Fashion Haul Friday post. Contest is open to U.S. residents only and you must be over 18 to enter.Winner will have 24 hours to respond, if not a new winner will be chosen. Good luck. I’m sure any of you would look gorgeous in the Lois Lane!I have one request and that is that whomever wins this gorgeous dress will take a photo of themselves and share it on The TRUTH about Motherhood Facebook page.
Also, Shabby Apple is offering a 10% off discount to all The TRUTH about Motherhood readers on all of your Shabby Apple shopping this holiday season. The code is Truthful10off and the code is valid until January 2,1012. I hope you will all take advantage of this code and get yourself a hot little party dress for this season; YOU DESERVE IT!
*Disclaimer: Shabby Apple is providing the gorgeous prize for the giveaway. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was in no way compensated for writing about the Shabby Apple company.
2011/12/11
Losing a Child is Every Parent’s Nightmare
Every parent fears losing a child. It is one of my greatest fears. It doesn’t matter how of the thousand ways that I could lose them, but the very thought of not having them in my life scares the hell out of me. It leaves me breathless and overcome with sadness. The very thought of it keeps me up at night on occasion, in fact, I’m writing this post at 3:30 am. I was sleeping.
Losing a Child is something No Parent should have to Experience

I dreamed that I dropped my 4 year old daughter off at preschool and as I walked away, I turned back for one last glance. You know how we always need that one last look to make sure they are safe; that one last glance to let them know that we love them more than life itself? Instead of seeing the back of her backpack walk into the doors, I saw her run after someone. I look, it was a tall man. My little 4 year old girl is screaming “Daddy, Daddy” to a complete stranger and running off into the opposite direction. It’s not her father. I can see that clearly.
Losing a Child is like surviving your own death
I try to run after her but she’s too fast, the crowd’s too thick and my legs won’t carry me to her fast enough. I scream her name, at the top of my lungs, as loud as the universe will allow me to yell. She’s too far away. She does not hear me. I see the man target her. I can’t get there fast enough. I’m out of breath. My heart is beating out of my chest. The man, in the distance, smiles and takes her tiny hand and leads her off into the opposite direction from me. Away from me. I’m trying to push through the sea of people. I’m hysterical but no one notices. No on hears my cries for help. My child is being taken. I am helpless and useless and on the verge of crisis. My mind is breaking, my heart is bursting and my life is ending right before my very eyes.
They are getting further and further away and then she turns around. She realizes what is happening but it’s too late. The man that she so eagerly ran to when she mistook him for Daddy is putting her into his car. She looks panicked and afraid. I am running towards her and yelling for help. Why can no one hear me? Why does no one help? She is crying and screaming for me, “Mommy, Mommy. Help me!” But I can’t help her because I’m on the other side of the parking lot. The car pulls away with my daughter looking out the window, screaming, begging for me to rescue her. I wake up.
My heart is beating out of my chest. I am crying hysterically. I look over and she is peacefully asleep beside me; her little hand reaching out to find me. I willingly take it and kiss her forehead and hug her tighter than she will ever know. She stirs. Her eyes open and she says, “Mommy, me love you, ” and then rolls over and returns to her safe and peaceful slumber. None the wiser of the events that have transpired…in my nightmare. No idea of the heartache and grief that I just survived, right next to her. Me love you too baby!
She may be taking the day off from preschool tomorrow.
Today, I am at the awesome Natalie’s blog; Mommy of a Monster and Twins sharing my Monster Mommy Moment. I know, shocking that I have those, right? I hope you will all stop by and check out Nat’s blog. She is definitely worth getting to know. Not only is she a fantastic blogger, she is a great person to follow on Twitter if you want someone with a dynamic personality and engaging conversation,plus she is supercalifragilisticly sweet and a great friend. Go check her out!
Also, just a reminder for you fabulous readers that I have the Shabby Apple giveaway this week. I am giving the gorgeous Lois Lane dress away to one lucky reader! Entry is easy and entries are low. Giveaway ends Thursday night at 11:59 pm EST and the winner will be announced in this week’s Fashion Haul Friday Post. Enter to win. It’s simple. Here’s to no more nightmares of losing a child and to good luck to you all to win a fabulous red dress for the holidays!
Have you ever had a dream of losing a child?
Photo Credit
2011/12/05
I see Sick People
Sick People get on my Nerves. Now, before you go all batshit crazy on me for making such an outlandish and insensitive remark right at the holidays. Let me explain. (more…)
2011/12/22
How my Disfigured Mind Caused a Disfigured Body
Disfigured~ to impair (as in beauty) by deep and persistent injuries (real or imagined).
Recently, I watched a movie on Netflix called Disfigured. Disfigured was about two women, one who was severely overweight and the other anorexic. Disfigured began with a group of overweight women sitting in a circle at a meeting for a group for “fat acceptance”. This blew my mind.
What comes first the disfigured mind or the disfigured Body
As many of you are aware I have a history with eating disorders and it’s always been a battle for me to accept the skin I am in. I’m not sure that I’ve ever truly been comfortable in my own skin, it’s been more a range of tolerance. There have been times when I could tolerate the body that I live in more than others but I’ve never looked in the mirror and thought, this is good; I am happy with what I see. When I heard this group of women talking about acceptance, it was a foreign concept to me. In fact, it was so foreign that it was unbelievable.
READ ALSO: To the Bone
I would love to believe that there are women out there who are overweight and are happy. Women who accept and embrace their curves. God, I hope there are. I hope there are actually women in the world who are comfortable in their own skin and love their bodies, every single inch of it. I’m not one of them. I will probably never be one of them just because my way of looking at my body has been fucked up for so long and I have an actual diagnosis ( Body Dysmorphic Disorder) that prevents me from seeing myself as I really am. I feel disfigured at my core. I wish that I could just stop being the way I am. I’ve tried but something always creeps back in and plants a seed of doubt. Watching Disfigured was very uncomfortable for me. It’s hard to explain to you unless you’ve spent your life struggling to achieve an unattainable goal and I am sure some of you have. I feel like I have to creep up on happiness because if it sees me coming it darts off in the opposite direction. It’s a moving target like a toddler being chased in the road.
A disfigured mind can destroy your life.
What transpired next was even more unbelievable to me, or believable or just too fucking relate-able. At this ” fat acceptance” group a recovering anorexic woman walked in and wanted to join the group. I completely understood this. While, I am nowhere near my former bulimic/anorexic self I remember well the feeling of making the choice to recover and having to face the feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety and disgust every single day that you eat normally. When you go from starving yourself, to eating anything at all, it is very uncomfortable. You feel like you are losing control and you feel shame that you can’t control yourself and you feel fat. Yes, fat. Even if you are bone-thin and to everyone else, you look like you need to gain weight. When you are in that part of recovery…you truly do need to learn fat acceptance.
Disfigured Soul
Of course, the anorexic walked in the room and the women who were moments earlier preaching acceptance just as quickly threw her out. She was reaching out for help and they wouldn’t help her because she was too thin. I guess acceptance is a one-way street. They wanted acceptance but only for themselves and only on their terms. This pissed me off. I have been on both sides of this spectrum and both are equally as hard, as dangerous, unhealthy and both leave you feeling ugly and disfigured.Unwanted.Unworthy of happiness. Both make you feel like you are weak. Both fill you with shame and cause your quality of life to suffer. The two main characters became an unlikey pair trying to help the other find acceptance of herself through accepting one another,even though they were one another’s biggest fear. They had everything in common even though their respective situations would lead you to believe otherwise. They both were uncomfortable in the skin they were in.
READ ALSO: A Day in the Life of a Girl with Eating Disorders
The identification with both characters had a very profound effect on me. It’s so hard to look at yourself when you are ashamed of what you see in the mirror, too fat or too skinny. It’s not physical at all, it’s all that your perception is of yourself. It’s hard to accept responsibility for making the choices that make you feel so worthless. Unhappiness with what I see in the mirror comes from putting conditions on my own happiness and hiding behind self-imposed superficial limitations. The reason that I can’t be happy with my body is that I am hanging the success of my entire life on what I look like. How ridiculous is that? How has it taken me all this time to finally see what the obstacle truly is? It’s me. I need to get out of my own way.
I need to accept that I deserve all the happiness that the world has to offer. Not when I get the perfect body, the perfect life or only when what I see reflected back to me is acceptable by my impossible standards. I am good enough now! Right now. I have not thrown up or restricted my calories to dangerous levels in about 12 years but I’ve also not allowed myself to fully enjoy my journey. I have to learn to love and accept myself with the unconditional love that I have for others.
What stops you from reaching your bliss? Do you make your happiness conditional based on money? weight? your partner? your house? degrees of success? your child? Why do we have to wait for tomorrow to enjoy our today? We have been misguided. We are not disfigured. This is the almost story of how a disfigured mind destroyed my life.
2011/12/28
Five Fabulous Bloggers
Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!
I have been absent from my weekly Fab Five Friday due to the fact that I have been running an entire month of bloggy love. I’ve been sharing amazing bloggers with you every Monday thru Thursday in an effort to share my favorite reads with you. But I have a mother of all Fab Fives today…right smack dab in the middle of the week.

*Krysta of My Life in Food is an amazing food blogger but she also blogs about life and her family. She is an absolute sweetheart and can cook like the love child of Paula Dean and the Barefoot Contessa. I love visiting her blog because it is great recipes for every woman. They may look gourmet and even taste it, but Krysta breaks it down so that even the most amateur cook ( like myself) can whip up a respectable meal for their family. She’s a little hidden gem blog that I look forward to visiting as often as possible, now I am sharing her with you. I am serious when I tell you, you MUST follow her. She really is too awesome not to…and adorable, did I mention how adorable she is?

*Melissa of Married my Sugar Daddy is truly one of the most entertaining bloggers I read. She writes with wit,charm and honesty. The combination is magical. You will find yourself laughing, crying and shaking your head in complete agreement with her posts. She is a talented writer and you will thank me for introducing you to Melissa and her tales of marrying the love of her life, Sugar Daddy, and living her fairytale; which includes children, no sleep and a constant state of wondering if she’s doing it all right. My kind of fairytale!

*Josh of Dad Street My name is Josh, I’m completely and utterly in love with my children and when I’m not drooling over them I’m doing one of the following: drinking wine, taking pictures, playing with my iPhone, listening to an audio book, trying some kind of new food, surfing online, sleeping, watching TV, yappin’ on the phone, and last but not least trying to spend quality time with “The Boss”. Oh, and I’m extremely sarcastic so please note that about 92% of what I say is crap. True crap but crap nonetheless…
What’s not to love,right? So, if you are not familiar with Josh, please do yourself a favor and stop over at www.DadStreet.com and check him out.

*Cecily of Uppercase Woman (*These are Cecily’s words not mine) Cecily Kellogg is a writer. She also deeply loves using the worst possible language, she’s unapologetically fat, a feminist, a former drunk and junkie with fifteen years sober, a wife, and a mother of the most beautiful little girl in the world. She’s also very liberal (there are drag queens more politically conservative). She’s also famous in the most obscure way she could find: as @CecilyK on Twitter.
I think Cecily is awesome because she is honest and forthright.I have gotten to know her best through Twitter and it has lead me to her blog.It is all very transparent and I love the fact that she lays it all out there for us to read. She is unapologetic in the best possible way.I love no B.S. and she certainly delivers. If you want to be engaged, entertained and feel like you are part of a conversation and not just a third party observer…Cecily is your blogger.

Last, but certainly not least,
* Anissa of #FreeAnissa This was me before I got married, had three kids, had a stroke, had a toddler with cancer, started a blog, then had more strokes, and became inspirational. You may not be able to tell from there, but I am totally rolling my eyes. *This excerpt from her About page should give you just a taste of her incredible sense of humor.
I have gotten to know Anissa, as I get to know most of my favorite bloggers, via Twitter and that led me to her blog. Anissa has a unique perspective on life and an equally unique voice in the world. She is strong, smart and just about as funny as they come. She finds wit and humor in the mundane and ordinary. She makes me appreciate the little things by pointing out the triviality it plays in the big picture. She will not allow herself to be defined by circumstances. She exceeds the bar in every way. And for all that she does, she still finds time to offer kindness to a fellow blogger. She is fast becoming one of my favorite bloggers in the blogiverse. Do yourself a favor and go and read her blog. I give you my word, you will be thanking me for introducing you to such awesomeness.

Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
2011/05/25
A Fairytale, a Princess, Two Teeth and My prince
Last Friday, I kept Bella home from school so that we could watch the Royal Wedding together. I know it may sound absurd to some and it did, even to me, a few days before. But as the week was heading towards the wedding day, all of the sudden it hit me that when I was 8, I watched the wedding of Princes Diana and Prince Charles. I distinctly remember being up at 3 in the morning with my Mom and absolutely exhausted, sitting on the couch in our living room waiting excitedly to see my first ever real life Princes marry her prince. It truly was a magical moment for me. I vividly remember the dress and the ridiculously long train.But more than that, I remember the feeling of witnessing something that was historical and in that moment I felt like I was a part of history. A part of a fairytale. It was exhilarating and magical.
So on Friday, I woke Bella up and we put on our tiaras and snuggled on the couch. We drank some tea and I had a cup ( or 3 ) of coffee, and there may or may not have been some sugary pastry of some sort that found its way into the house. As we sat there waiting to see Kate’s dress, I held my breath and watched carefully the face of my 6 year old, studying it for any sign of significant reaction. I didn’t know if she really got it. Maybe she was too young.Maybe I was a real douche bag for waking my 6 year old up at 4:30 am. Maybe? Then we saw the soon to be Princess and Bella’s eyes brightened and I could see in her face all the awe that I had felt all those years ago.I hope that when her children read about this wedding in school someday, she can look back fondly on it and remember wearing tiaras and snuggling on the couch with her Mommy watching a princess marry her prince. And I hope it makes her smile.
Bella’s two top front teeth have been swaying back and forth , barely hanging on for almost a week now. Bella was determined to get at least one of those teeth out on the day of the wedding. She said it would be henceforth be known as her “Royal tooth”. Poor thing, she really tried to wiggle that sucker completely loose. Friday night came and went and that tooth still hung on. In fact, it hung in there all weekend long, until finally last night it twisted right out followed tonight by it’s companion. We promised her, under duress and tears, that we would still allow the tooth to be known henceforth as her “Royal Tooth” and it is. She said the tooth she lost tonight, she would like ti to be known as her “Love Tooth” because today is her Daddy’s birthday and she loves him. Why yes, yes she did make me cry a little bit.
Which brings us to our last, but certainly not least, wrap up of the last few days…today is the Big Guys birthday. He is turning 36.I have had him for 13 of those birthdays, almost a third of his life and I am a very lucky girl. Today’s birthday was a little hard to handle because we couldn’t celebrate it together. But soon that will be over and we will all be in the same household together like a normal family and that is definitely something to look forward to. But for now, I just wanted to say…Big Guy, I love you and we miss you. This is the last birthday any of us will have to send apart. And I leave you with the lyrics to the song that I think sums up our feelings about the Big Guy on his birthday:

We love you!XOXO
2011/05/03
Feels like the first time
The First Time~I don’t know what triggered this thought but it must be the whole thought of babies in general. I was remembering that lovely 6 week period after you give birth, you know the No nookie zone.I can not stress enough how important it is to wait the full 6 week period. I have known plenty of women who have not adhered to this rule for fear of their husband straying and ended up (more…)
2011/11/12
The Mommy Club;Imperfect parents need not apply
There is a club, it is a large club with a very rigid initiation process.One obvious and arduous requirement; you must conceive, grow and birth a baby. At first glance, you would think this group would be a little more selective in its member selection process, or at the very least a bit more exclusive but alas, one more of the great mysteries of the universe. Of course, it sounds much simpler to join this group than it actually is. If you read the fine print a bit more carefully, you will see that the conception, growth and deliverance of the aforementioned baby only gets you considered for membership in “the club”.
This photo courtesy of Google Image
The “club” of which I am referring to is one that I’ve always felt my invitation to got lost in the mail. It’s the species of Mommies who parent with ease and confidence.They are baby wearing, organic food making, breastfeeding until their children are 5, unwavering patience,non mom brain having, beautifully/impeccably coiffed, healthy, date night having, adorable dressing, PTA loving, scheduled/organized perfection. You know the ones who buy all the educational toys and actually have the time and patience to explain it to their 3 year old 50 times in one day. The ones who always pack a nutritious picnic for the park and also manage to squeeze in a valuable lesson..on a spontaneous trip to the park.I know they don’t do it on purpose ( or maybe they do) but these mommies,with their graceful ease of breezing through Mommying, make me feel like the ugly girl at prom who had no date and, to add insult to injury, had to wear an ugly dress.
This photo courtesy of google Image
I see them everywhere;in the drop off lines patiently waving goodbye, at the grocery store shopping with children in silence, at church not bribing their kids with Barbies and firetrucks to stay quiet, at the park running with their jogging strollers,working out in their yoga pants, at restaurants eating..at the same time as their family ( warm food). It makes me think, am I the only one who missed the parenting class they must be giving out with each baby you birth?I’m assuming upon graduation of that course is where the invitations are being handed out. I missed it.I think it had something to do with the shock I was experiencing as I left the hospital. I couldn’t believe they were actually relinquishing this baby into our care. Both times.I was shocked.Who the hell would give us a baby? We had no real experience. Damn it.I missed all of it.Does this mean I am doomed to this outsider perspective forever? Because, I’m not embarrassed to say ( shhh, come closer) I want in! I’m serious.I’ll do whatever it takes.Who’s bitch do I need to be? Bring it on. No hazing you could inflict could be more torturous than this being on the outside alone. I can’t take it anymore. Someone let me in.This Mommy needs some like minded war buddies.
But the more I think about it, who are these perfect Mommies? Are they really perfect or are they just working harder at concealing their imperfections? I love big and I love hard on my littles.I’m sure I could do better at the mommying on some days but on other days,I’m pretty freaking good at it. I wish there really was such a thing as a perfect parent or an easy button for parenting but it just doesn’t exist. Just like the unicorn and the liger,perfect Mommy club is exclusive because it doesn’t exist or it went extinct back int he 50′s.I just wish there was a memo sent to all the mommies of the world that read: Be ye not afraid of who you are, love your littles, stomp in the puddles, dance like no one is watching, sing like the whole world is deaf, love your Big Guy, have fun, be happy..the end. P.S. The dishes and laundry will wait and nobody’s perfect but …go brush your hair and teeth before leaving your dirty house:) Big Hugs, Reality
2011/01/12
A Romance for the Ages
On my birthday, as a very special treat, my husband and I had the privilege of seeing Romeo and Juliet courtesy of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. This was a particularly sweet part of my birthday because not only am I a big fan of the theater, the works of Shakespeare are my absolute favorite. Even more importantly, I have been in love with the story of Romeo and Juliet since I first read it when I was 13. I remember fantasizing as a young girl about being immersed in a love as deep as that of Romeo and Juliet. You can imagine my delight at being given the chance to watch the production with my very own Romeo.
As you may know, from my last experience at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater , the theater itself is very impressive. We arrived and were ushered into this gloriously enchanting theater, set up very similar to what a traditional Elizabethan theater would have been set up.Basically, the stage juts out into the center of the theater and there is truly not a bad seat in the intimate theater.I particularly love the lighting, upon arrival it was very warm and gave the theater a romantic glow.

The production itself was amazing. This being one of my favorite plays of Shakespeare, I have read the book several times, seen every movie variation ever made ( My personal favorite being Franco Zefferelli’s) , and seen it on the stage via television but I have never had the pleasure of seeing it live on stage. So, to say that I was excited for this opportunity is a great understatement.
I was particularly impressed by how contemporary yet timeless the play was portrayed. It opens with the Capulet’s men and Montague’s men bickering in a fight scene in the street. The two families were easily identifiable by either blue or red stitching on their clothing. It was very gritty and because of the size and shape of the theater you felt like a bystander on the street watching the feud unfold.Actually, the entire time I was watching the play, I felt like I was part of the production; an extra, if you will.The Elizabethan theater shape really is genius. I wish all theaters were set up like this.
I found it very interesting that the costumes transcended time by including clothing from just about every era of the 20th century. It was apparent but very subtle. More of a nuance than a direct appeal to your senses. I was, however, most impressed by the use of the true dialogue. Being that I am such a fan, I always expect to be let down when a classic is produced on stage, especially if it is updated for contemporary audiences. I understand why this is done, to make the production more easily relate able and understood but it has always made me feel like they were “dumbing it down” for their audience. This was NOT the case at the CST production. The wardrobe and the set were changed somewhat to be timely but the dialogue itself was true to the original Shakespeare and thanks to the superior acting skills of the cast, even a Shakespeare novice could understand what was going on and thoroughly enjoy the production.
All of the cast were superior. Obviously, I loved the characters of Romeo (John Lillico) and Juliet ( Joy Farmer-Clary). Juliet was absolutely beautiful and played the part with a childlike innocence and limited view of the world. Romeo was very charming and lived on the stage like your average teen aged boy; feasting on romance and living inside of his own head, oblivious to the reality surrounding him. The chemistry between the two was palpable. The two actors were very well suited for their parts. Even with the combustible chemistry, they played the parts very innocently (as it was meant to be since the characters are young teenagers not adults). It really added to the romance of the show.
Other characters of note were the Nurse (Ora Jones) who gave the part a certain je ne sais quoi that really made her endearing to the audience. She was boisterous, over the top, and vivacious. I loved watching her reactions to the goings on of the other characters. Another fabulous addition to the cast was Benvolio ( Steve Haggard) who made the character very likable and funny. He added a lightheartedness to the play that was definitely needed to balance out the tragedy. But my favorite character was, as it has always been, Mercutio (Ariel Shafir). Mr. Shafir played Mercutio perfectly. He was funny, honest, over the top, loud, sarcastic, and honorable. Mercutio was portrayed as the friend that everybody wants to have in their life. The quick wit of the dialogue coupled with the physical acting of the character provided much entertainment. All of the cast were exceptionally well suited for their parts. Gale Edwards did a fantastic job directing this production.

It is so seldom that we get a night out away from the children and this was also my birthday so I was hanging the moon on this production. I am happy to say it did not disappoint. I would recommend this production to any friend of mine and I highly suggest it for date night for any couple that wants an excuse to snuggle into your own Romeo. The story is timeless, the cast superior, the theater beautiful, and romance is definitely in the air. The Big Guy and I left the building holding hands and the production really did start my birthday celebration of with a bang!
Romeo and Juliet runs September 15, 2010 thru to November 21, 2010,with multiple performance times available. There are also many great activities and attractions going on at Navy Pier this fall so come for the show and make a day or night of it on the Pier! If you live in the Chicago land, Northwest Indiana area, I would highly recommend making this performance a date night destination while you still have the opportunity. For more information click the link below
https://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=2,47
Disclosure: I was provided with tickets to see Romeo and Juliet by The Chicago Shakespeare Theater in order to view the performance and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were NOT influenced by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater..

2010/10/05