Where Is My House?

I love the holidays and all the fun, over-scheduled craziness that goes along with them. It would have been great fodder for blogging this past month, but instead I just chose to revel in it all and blog about it Later. Well, now is Later. And Later, I'm kind of over it all (but still loving this time of year). Later, I'm just ready to reclaim my house. The week between Christmas and New Year's is my second favorite week of the year (the first being the week of Thanksgiving), I love shopping for great clearance deals, doing fun stuff with my family (yesterday my younger brothers got to experience the "joy" of going to the movies with a toddler--we saw The Muppets), and just enjoying the fact that so many people can easily take time off from work.

Now that Christmas is over, I'm left trying to find my house again. I'd love to say that in the couple of days around Christmas things got a little out of hand with all the cooking and presents from different celebrations, but that would be a complete lie. My house is far more than a little out of hand at this point, and it started far before Christmas. I just couldn't seem to get on top of it and stay on top of it, and since we haven't had a lot of house guests, it hasn't really been an issue. But now, I can't put it off any longer. I've got my work cut out for me.

First, the Christmas stuff has got to go. According to Facebook, my most important source for information, a lot of you take the tree down right away. December 26 comes and it's gone. I like to keep it up a bit longer to drag out that Christmas feeling until New Year's. But this was our first year to not use the ugly, yet wonderfully effective Giant Gate Around the Tree, and I didn't like it one bit. Despite the fact that I have a three year old, I do not have a kid-friendly Christmas tree and I don't care. It's a beautiful, winter wonderland-themed fir (real) with mostly silver and blue ornaments, snow flakes, icicles and my pièce de résistance, these gorgeous feather garlands called snow drifts. It is lovely, if I do say so myself. This year, with a curious three year old and no gate, we had more than a few casualties. We lost one or two while decorating the tree--no biggie. We lost another when the kiddo decided to throw the Christmas ball against our tile fireplace to see if it would bounce--biggie. We lost another when she got a little plastic golf club in a kids' meal and used it to smash an ornament to pieces--don't even get me started. We lost several others through the weeks as she enjoyed decorating and redecorating the tree. The extra tree that I made "her" tree did no good. It's not the end of the world, but let's hope we don't lose this many each year. I don't mind buying a few new ornaments, but I do mind cleaning up millions of glass shards every couple of days. The tree comes down tomorrow. Here is one last look at it in all it's drooping glory. Yes, I purposely cut off the bottom of the tree because that's the part the toddler did and it's a bit...uneven. The picture doesn't quite do it justice and well, this year's version is kind of a disgrace to previous years' versions, but hey, this is it.

And a close up of said pièce de résistance (thanks Wikipedia for providing the correct accents).

Once the Christmas stuff is gone, I need to do some serious cleaning. Kitchen, bathrooms, every room. I seriously miss the cleaning crew I used to have come in once a month to do the down and dirty cleaning. It's just such a mess right now and trying to figure out how to tackle it is completely overwhelming. I'll just take it one room at a time.

Next, we start a whole-house reorganization. Really, that's what makes everything else seem so daunting. It's the fact that even after I get the house clean, I'm just going to tear it up again.

So, that's what I'm facing over the next week and well, probably month or so. But, for my immediate future, I need to come up with a good New Year's resolution. My husband didn't seem to think the whole-house re-org was much of a resolution. My resolution for 2011 was to send more cards. Snail mail cards. Birthday cards, sympathy cards, Easter cards, whatever. And as of December 29, I can say I did a pretty good job. It's probably the first New Year's resolution I've ever kept, so good for me. Could that be my next resolution? Just to keep my resolution? Oh wait, there has to be a real resolution before that.

Anyhow, here's to clean houses and making New Year's resolutions you can keep. Got any good ones I can steal?

Ode to Thanksgiving - Part 3

Just a quick post because I promised to share one last recipe I made over the Thanksgiving weekend: Fried Confetti Corn. It was delicious, of course, because it had bacon. Need I say more? The confetti part is red and green peppers for beautiful color, plus onions for flavor and a little cream cheese for creaminess. I brought it to my family's Thanksgiving dinner, so I put it in a Crock Pot to keep it warm. Delish!

What's for dinner tonight, you (don't) ask? Chicken Taco Chili in the Crock Pot...thanks Pinterest! It's actually a Weight Watchers recipe. I'll let you know how it tastes, but it looks amazing!!

Ode to Thanksgiving - Part 2

Well dear readers (Mom & Dad), I just finished making the ugliest batch of cakeballs ever. Red velvet cake with white chocolate is not a very forgiving combination, so once the cakeballs start to crumble a bit in the chocolate, it all becomes a pink mess. I started out dipping them in almond bark, which was a new ingredient to me. Did you know that if you add a little milk to almond bark to try and thin the product it completely ruins the whole batch? Yeah, it says so right there on the packaging if you actually read it. I didn't. Dumped that part down the sink. Next, I was able to gather up some pieces of leftover white chocolate that I had in my baking cabinet. Still thick, but wiser this time, I added shortening as directed. That worked alright, but it wasn't enough, so I finished off with some semi-sweet chocolate. They'll probably be gross. So much for my husband's birthday request. I'm a cakeball virgin, so tell me, are they normally this ugly and difficult?

Next, I did a little night-before pre-prep for the Confetti Omelette Casserole I'm making in the morning. Just cooking the sausage and chopping some onion. If I was smart, I would always have some chopped onion in my fridge. It would save me a lot of prep time for all those times when my sous chef has the night off. If I was lazy, I'd buy frozen chopped onion. Probably not gonna happen.

So, Confetti Omelette Casserole is a favorite in the Rose household. You use Egg Beaters and add bacon or sausage, cheese, pimentos, onion and parsley (for color). It's very pretty and festive for the holidays, but as egg casseroles go, it takes awhile to cook, so it's good to do some stuff ahead of time when you can. As an extra bonus, it keeps well, so you can have it for breakfast for a couple days. Oh, and a word of warning, do not add any salt as directed in the recipe. Bacon and sausage are both such salty meats that any added salt is just over the top. And to give credit where credit is due, this is yet another Southern Living recipe...shocker.

I've got plenty more cooking ahead of me tomorrow, so I need to get some rest, but this leads me to the one thing I don't like about this time of year...my husband's job. As a .com buyer for a big retailer, Thanksgiving Day is the equivalent of Black Friday and because in the online world there aren't store associates to handle any glitches that come up, he has to handle it. His conference calls start at midnight tonight and pick up again around 6 am. He'll have another at 6 pm tomorrow (yes, right in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner) and more of the same on Friday. Oh, and to add to that Friday is his birthday. Happy freakin' birthday--now get back to work. Poor guy.

To the rest of you who don't have to work tomorrow, Happy freakin' Thanksgiving. I mean, Happy Thanksgiving!

Ode to Thanksgiving - Part 1

This is my absolute favorite week of the year. Food, visiting with family, food, shopping, food, you get the idea. I love Christmas too with all the spirit and festivities, but Thanksgiving is just so much more simple. It's so easy to lose sight of the spirit of Christmas during a crazy search for those last two gifts and trying not to stress about going over budget, but at Thanksgiving we simply get to enjoy food, family, friends and reflect on the blessings in our lives.

I love the feel of this week. Back when I was a Trophy Wife/working woman (because I've ALWAYS been a Trophy Wife), I loved that it was a short, typically slow work week. Now I like just being out and about and enjoying the vacation feel that is everywhere. The mood is light. For me, the most complicated part is figuring out when I'll have time to cook everything I want to cook for our different gatherings.

So, for my Ode to Thanksgiving, I will be sharing with you all the yummies I'll be making this week. Beginning with the Thanksgiving week kick off meal I made last night...Thanksgiving Casserole. I got the recipe from friend (she is married to one of my very good friends from high school) and fellow blogger, Camila Knowles. You can find the recipe on her blog, Mattornety Life. You can probably guess, but Thanksgiving Casserole involves chicken or turkey and stuffing. There are plenty of other ingedients, but those are the main flavors and really, need I say more? I made it last night and it looked like this:

Delicious! I've made it twice and I add about a cup of Craisins to the mix, just to make it extra Thanksgiving-y, but we decided last night we might have to try and add something with a bit of crunch next time. Perhaps sliced almonds or even just some lightly sauteed celery. I usually try to make it a little lighter on calories by decreasing the amount of butter I use and using low fat cream of mushroom and mayo, but even with those modifications, this is not a Weight Watchers-approved meal.

I WILL be posting more this week. Here are a few more recipes you can look forward to hearing about this week:

• Classic Scalloped Potatoes (from Southern Living magazine)
• Confetti Corn (also from Southern Living)
• Red Velvet Cake Balls
• Confetti Egg Casserole (yes, I'm making two things with "Confetti" in the name)

Is your mouth watering yet? What are you cooking this week? Or, what are you looking forward to eating this week?

Catalog Flog

'Tis the season, I know, but to borrow a phrase from Jerry Seinfeld, "What's the deal with all these catalogs?" The Friday before Halloween I went out to my mailbox to find it stuffed with catalogs. I seriously had about five pounds of mail that day. And so it began...

Now, each day I break out my forklift and head on down to the mailbox for my daily catalog flog. L.L.Bean, Hickory Farms, Athleta, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Dogs...okay I made that last one up, but you get it. By the way, am I the only person in the world who is not on the Pottery Barn bandwagon? I feel like it. I have to wonder how I got on the mailing lists for some of these. Boston Proper? Mrs. Fields? I mean, I used to know that ordering from the Victoria's Secret catalog was a sure-fire way of ensuring I'd get at least three catalogs a week from them, and who knows how many people they sold my information to? But now, I do so much online shopping, there's no telling.

I think it's hilarious that most catalogs still include a mail order form. It brings back memories of when I used to do that in high school. Of course, back then I also got to ask my mom for a check to pay for it too. Does that still work? Mom, can I have a check for $242.78? I just bought some stuff at Ann Taylor. No? Kiss your what?

Not all of the hundreds of catalogs I've gotten have gone straight into the trash. Here are a few of the ones that are in my pile to look at sometime before Christmas...or right away.

• St. Jude Children's Hospital Gift Book: Give a gift AND give to charity. It has lots of great ideas for those people you just want to get "a little something" for.
• Nordstrom: Need I say more?
• Sundance: I had never heard of this one, but I was intrigued because the brand is owned by Robert Redford. Really beautiful clothing and jewelry...a bit out of my price range though.
• Eddie Bauer and L.L. Bean: These clothes aren't really my style, but I love looking through the catalogs and wishing I lived in a place where I actually needed those warm, cozy clothes...at least for a month or so. Know what I mean? My dad is a big fan of the Eddie Bauer button downs though, whenever I'm at a loss for what to buy him (which is always) I know I can fall back on that.
• Initials, Inc.: Full disclosure here, I didn't get one of these catalogs in the mail. I ran across these products at a craft sale and loved them enough to host a party (it's a Scentsy-like business, but with bags and stuff that are all personalizable). The stuff is really cute, so if you're interested in ordering, use the link I provided and get your order in by Friday, November 11. So okay, this mention is a little self serving, but I really do like the products and would have totally saved the catalog had it come in the mail.

Are you feeling the catalog flog too? Any really great catalogs out there I should (or shouldn't) be getting? Oh, and on a marginally related note, the people one street over from me have their Christmas lights up and ON. They've had them up since November 2. Too. Soon.

And with that, I say, "Good day dear readers!"

Faaahhhhhlllll!

Today's cooler weather has prompted me to break out the Trophy Wife uniform...my Juicy Couture track suit. That's right, nothing says I'm comfortable AND stylish like head-to-toe, hot pink velour with JUICY written across the rump. Okay, mine doesn't have anything written across the butt, I made sure of that, but it does have a larger-than-I'd-like Juicy logo on the back of the jacket, which is probably why I was able to find it on sale at Rue la la (LOVE that site if you've not visited).

I'm trying to get back on track and find a routine that keeps me connected to the world available through my computer without leaving me chained to it. I've had a lot going on and lots of changes over the past six months, so here's a little summary...

Until April of this year I thought I'd found the perfect balance in life. I was working part time at imc2, the place I had worked since 2006, and was off two days a week, getting to enjoy a bit of stay-at-home-mom life. The end of April brought a major upheaval in that lovely balance. My department went through major, unexpected budget cuts. My position was essentially eliminated, though I was offered a different, lesser position that would have required me to be in the office five days a week, but for five hours only. Considering I was driving two hours a day to get to work, that arrangement just didn't make sense for me. It hurt at the time, but I'm loving life now and there are no hard feelings.

So, this summer I found myself in a situation I hadn't been in since...high school. No work. It. Was. Awesome. I always had some kind of job in college, even if I only worked a few hours a week, and I was one of the lucky ones who graduated during the .com bust of 2001 with a job in the .com industry. Now I could thoroughly enjoy sleeping in (though my daughter rarely lets me sleep in past 8 am, it's still nice to not have to set an alarm clock), catching up on daytime TV like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live with Regis & Kelly and endless reruns of Grey's Anatomy, and shopping and running errands whenever I felt like it. Considering my daughter was still in school three days a week, it was great having so much "me" time. Of course, I soon realized that all these things were much more fun when I also had that steady second paycheck coming in, so I was rarely seen at Trophy Wife Mecca, AKA North Park Mall. Yes, it was this experience that inspired the whole Trophy Wife Life stuff.

After awhile, I realized I needed to do something more productive with my time. For years I drove past a boot camp class by my office, trying to figure out how I could make that kind of workout fit into my schedule (taking my long commute and irregular schedule into consideration). Now I had no more excuses. I attend a boot camp(ish) class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 am and I love it. Adios flab! Now if I could just get more committed to better nutrition I'd probably see even bigger changes.

Somewhere in July I also started suffering from a lot of eye strain. At first I thought it was just getting used to a new computer, then I thought I needed glasses. I made the appointment and got outfitted with a stylish pair of eyeglasses for my slight farsightedness only to realize that wasn't the issue either. I still suffered from a great deal of fatigue, vertigo and a kind of detached feeling in my head and the biggest trigger was working on the computer. A visit to the doc yielded a different diagnosis...labyrinthitis. Basically, it's just an inflammation of the inner ear likely caused by a cold that got out of hand. He told me to start taking Dramamine to help with the symptoms and it would likely work itself out. Well, more than three months later, I'm still waiting for that to happen. Things are better, but still not great. Thankfully I'm not working, so avoiding the computer is at least an option, even if I don't particularly like it. That would be why I was so excited about starting this blog and then totally and completely flaking out on it.

Starting this Fall I put Lanna in a new preschool and have been looking for some part-time freelance work so I can keep up my professional skills without going back to the grind full time. I'm not having a lot of luck, but I know things will fall into place eventually. I've enrolled my daughter in a tumbling class which I absolutely hate. There's nothing like trying to get your almost three year old to cooperate with a group for an hour-long class. I'm trying to make myself stick it out until she's three and can be in a teacher-led class, but I'm dying to put her back in swim lessons.

Finally, a few weeks ago we lost my cousin Allen Feld. Allen was one of my Iowa cousins and was just a week older than me. I have a TON of cousins and many of them live out of state, so it's hard to say we all have really close bonds, but I get along well with them all and always enjoy seeing them every chance I get. As a child we'd always spend about two weeks in Iowa each summer and since Allen lived in the same town as my grandma, we saw him a lot more than many of the other cousins. My brothers were also close to him, so this is has been hard on all of us. We'll miss him a lot. We all attended the funeral in Rockwell City and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who was really bothered by what I thought was a really crappy eulogy. The priest based it all on what he referred to the "rule of threes," the idea that things often happen in threes. He mentioned three different people, including Allen, who died at age 33. Except, oh wait, Allen was 32. It's forgiveable considering Allen would turn 33 this month, but still, he could have done the math. What I really didn't like was his comment, "So I guess if you make it past 33, you're alright." Inappropriate. Maybe I was just oversensitive about it considering my emotions were pretty high at the time. I know it can be hard to write a meaningful eulogy about someone you didn't personally know.

Okay, please considering this rambling recap my attempt at getting back in the blogging saddle. I'll be back soon with something more topical and concise. :) I'll leave you with this...what do you think of the new look? I just LOVE the awesome caricature of me from the talented Lorraine Garrison! She is amazing and if you're looking for a graphic designer, I certainly hope you'll look her up at her website.

My Texas

My blogging friend Camila Knowles asked me to write some thoughts about My Texas, which she will share as part of a series on her own blog, Mattornety Life. Camila was part of my inspiration to start a blog of my own, so of course I was happy to oblige. She started her blog about four years ago and in the past year has done an amazing job of posting several times a week. Considering she leads a busy life as a working mother of two, I could certainly keep up with a blog as a nonworking mother of one! I'll save the excuses and apologies as to why I haven't gotten off to the greatest start in that area and move straight into My Texas....

The first thing that came to mind when I began to think about My Texas was the heat. I couldn't help it. It's not very exciting or interesting, but coming off of one of the hottest summers ever here, it's a natural topic. As we've endured the Epic Summer of 2011 with record heat and very little rain, I've often thought of my relatives "up North" in Iowa and Minnesota. I realized that in Texas (and other Southern states too) we have a reverse winter. In most parts of the country people get cabin fever during the winter because they're homebound due to the weather. In Texas, we get cabin fever during the summer. Sure, we don't have a foot of snow literally keeping us homebound. In all honesty, it's just plain good sense that keeps us inside. Who wants to do anything outside when it's 105 degrees? I'm outside three minutes and I'm already sportin' super sexy sweat mustache.

Another important part of My Texas is pride. I've not heard of any other state whose people feel anywhere close to the amount of pride Texans feel in their state. Do people from other states fly their state flags as much as Texans? Is there such thing as Oklahoma country music? For the most part, this pride is a great thing, but I can understand that to some it's probably a little annoying. There is one small subset that really annoys me. Those people who go around with the "Secede" stickers, shirts, etc. Granted, they are few and far between, but there is certainly a presence of those around here. Most people just laugh it off, but personally, I find it very unpatriotic. We are Americans first. In all honesty, I think most of the people who support the secede movement are too stupid to even realize that it displays anything but ignorant Texas pride. Want proof? About a year ago I saw one of them driving around with "SECEED" on her license plate. Really? You can't even spell check your personalized license plate?

So finally, this is what My Texas looks like. Even our miserably hot summers are bearable on days spent lounging (or chasing a toddler) at the lake. With a refreshing Florida Special in hand and a gentle breeze coming off the water, it's pretty nice. Not familiar with a Florida Special? You probably aren't if you haven't hung out with me and my husband. It's his concoction of vodka, Fresca and a splash of OJ (hence the Florida part, but yes, right about now I'm wishing he'd named it a Texas Special). Here is Our Texas, his mom's place on Lake Worth.

My Texas also wouldn't be complete without some Horned Frog football! My husband and I are both proud TCU alums and look forward to football and tailgating every year. Here we are enjoying one of our favorite things with some of our favorite people. Granted, football season is a lot more fun when your team is doing well (and ours is), but who doesn't love the atmosphere at a college football game?

 My little family

 My daughter with Uncle Steve

At the Fiesta Bowl with sorority sisters Liz and Lindsey

Cheering on the Frogs at the Rose Bowl

I apologize if this is over picture sharing, but don't you find that when you're looking at pictures of good times, it's hard to narrow it down to just one or two?

If this was a paper for school, I'd probably end with something like, "In conclusion, My Texas is about heat, pride, football and fun." But this isn't school, so I'll just end with this...isn't My Texas awesome?

I Haven't Forgotten About This Thing!!!

I'm sure you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering when I'd make my next post, so for that, I'm sorry for the terrible lack of posts to my new blog. But there's a reason I've been away. Two actually.

1) My friend Lorraine has designed an AMAZING new look for my blog, I'm so excited to post it, but it's turning out to be more complicated than I expected. Not that I can't post with the current look, but the new one just puts it to shame. To my techy/designers friends, I may be hitting you up for advice on how to do this.

2) The MAIN reason I've not been posting...I have to get glasses. I made it almost 33 years without them, but over the past few months I've noticed reading and computer work (the worst culprit) has been really straining my eyes. I spend 30 minutes on the computer and suffer from terrible eye strain, headaches and almost feel a little nauseous...and it lasts pretty much the rest of the day. It just makes me miserable. I went to the eye doc and she confirmed I'm mildly farsighted and gave me a prescription for my first pair of Spectacular Spectacles (for those of you whose little girls read "Fancy Nancy"). I picked out a pair last weekend and now I'm just waiting for them to get in. They can't come soon enough! I miss working on the computer and I'm starting to feel really lonely without my online connections. I know the glasses probably won't bring immediate relief, but they'll put me on track. I'll post a picture of me and my Spectacular Spectacles when I get them. Until then, sit tight. I'll begin writing again soon, as soon as doing so doesn't make me feel so crappy.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

I tried to think of a different title for this post, but really, what's more enticing than that? With the last weekend of summer approaching, I thought I'd share this great summer recipe.

First of all, you should know that I am a HUGE fan of Southern Living magazine, and Cooking Light is a close second. Pretty much every dish I make for special occasions and not-so-special occasions comes from one of these two magazines. Need proof?

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie (July 2011)

Lucious Spice Cake with Citrus Filling (December 2010)

Some kind of coconut cake (c. January 2011) 

I am a true Southern lady even though I was technically born in the Midwest, never wear big hats, and can't pull off saying "ain't" even if I'm trying to be funny or dramatic. I appreciate all things Southern, so seeing this magazine appear in the mailbox alway puts a big smile on my face.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago and got rave reviews from my family. I'm kind of bummed I didn't take a picture of it. Don't be deterred by the fact that this is actually three recipes in one, it really came together quickly (aside from 8 hours of freezer time, which I condensed into about 4--not recommended). The cake recipe is so good I'll be using it for other chocolate cakes in the future. Oh, and never fear, ganache is fancy for microwaved chocolate and cream that come together to make a delicious chocolate topping that hardens in just a minute. Without further ado...

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake
(from Southern Living, August 2011)

(Photo copyright Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients

• Parchment paper
• Devil's Food Cake Batter
• 1/2 gal. mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
• 10 chocolate wafers, coarsely crushed
• Chocolate Ganache
• Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, thin crème de menthe chocolate mints

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Prepare Devil's Food Cake Batter, and spoon into pans.
2. Bake at 350º for 12 to 14 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, peel off parchment paper, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
3. Place 1 cake layer in a 9-inch springform pan. Top with one-third of ice cream (about 2 1/3 cups); sprinkle with half of crushed wafers. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cake layer and ice cream. Freeze 8 to 12 hours.
4. Remove cake from springform pan, and place on a cake stand or plate. Prepare Chocolate Ganache, and spread over top of ice-cream cake. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

If you haven't learned this already, the first rule of cooking (according to me) is always read the entire recipe first. When you don't, you get started on a delicious meal for your friends that are coming over in two hours, then get to a step that says "Refrigerate 4 hours." Doh! I didn't exactly do that with this recipe, but I didn't allow myself enough time to let it freeze (I did 4-5 hours, it called for 8-12) and it wasn't as hard as it was supposed to be. Even with that little setback, it was delicious!

I'll leave you with this thought...which is a better flavor combination? Chocolate and mint OR chocolate and peanut butter? It's a toss up for me. Leave me your thoughts in the comments.

Just Wait 'Til...

With school starting yesterday for many people, I know a lot of parents out there feeling a little bit wistful about their babies growing up. Whether it's the first day of kindergarten, the first day of high school or anywhere inbetween, it's an important new beginning every year. And with that new beginning comes the need to commiserate. We all need to do it on occasion. Whether it's something we're dealing with at work, a tough time with our kids or significant other, sore muscles from a new workout routine or whatever is challenging us at the time. Everyone has a need to just sit down and vent and whine to a friend willing to lend a sympathetic ear. But I'm curious, does anyone else get as incredibly annoyed as I do when that friend begins his/her response with the phrase "Just wait 'til..." That phrase is almost never followed with something positive like, "Just wait 'til your daughter is potty trained and then you'll save tons of money on diapers and pull ups." No, it's usually something like, "You think potty training is frustrating? Just wait 'til she is potty trained and then you have to make a mad dash to the bathroom everywhere you go." Or, "Your kid is cute now, but just wait 'til she turns 11 and is embarrassed of everything you do."

Yes, most of my examples are from parents commiserating about parenting things because I think we are the absolute worst offenders of this. There are continuous ups and downs during the parenting experience, but why do we feel the need to tell other parents of how it gets worse? What's with the one-upping? Why can't we just let someone express their frustration and just nod along or offer helpful suggestions and words of encouragement? This makes me think of the It Gets Better Movement, which began following a startling number of suicides amongst GLBT teens. Most of us are probably familiar with it, but if you're not, it's a collection of user-submitted videos featuring celebrities and everyday people sharing words of encouragement about how life gets better after the bullying and general anxiety about fitting in during high school. Why can't everyone do this for each other?

We're all guilty of it. I'm sure I've done it, but soon after I had my daughter I discovered how often we use this phrase. Let's all try to be a little more mindful of how discouraging these words are. Next time a friend is commiserating about a challenge he or she is facing, resist the urge to say anything that begins with the phrase "Just wait 'til..." Instead, remember the golden rule and find something encouraging to say.

Is this thing on?

I have wanted to start a blog for a very long time and have let too many minute things stop me. I've thought, "I can't create a blog now, I don't have a good name for it." Or, "I can't start posting yet, I need a better design." True, the design as of this date (8/18/2011) does kind of look like I'm hawking Massengil or something, but those are all totally lame excuses. Acceptable real excuses might include:

1) I have a 2-ton boulder sitting on my legs and I cannot reach my computer.
2) I am too busy filming my reality show about my collection of Barbie shoes.
3) I am currently living in Siberia and don't have a reliable internet connection.
4) I have nothing to say.

None of these things is true for me; therefore, here I am, sharing my first, albiet somewhat pointless, post. I actually have a whole list of ideas piling up of things I want to talk about. I love cooking, especially baking, so I'll definitely share a few posts on recipes I've tried. I'm a writer and marketer by profession (although since I'm not currently working I may have to give up my pro status for the time being), so expect an occasional rant on advertising I love or hate and the current sad state of our grammatical affairs. And I'm a mom and trophy wife, so I'm sure I'll have some funny little anecdotes about daily life.

So, where did "The Trophy Wife Life" come from? Well, I left my job a few months ago and decided to take some time off instead of rushing off to find more work. I've not had more than three weeks off of work since I graduated college (not counting maternity leave...glorious maternity leave). Between not working and having my daughter in school part time, it took some time to adjust to the extra free time. I was filling out some forms out one day and needed something to enter in the occupation box and well, I just wrote in "trophy wife." Sure, something like "stay at home mom" would have been fine, but I wanted something a little more fun than that. By the way, why is it that stay at home moms feel so defensive about it? When asked "what do you do?" some women seem to respond as if someone asking what they do with their time is a totally unacceptable question or as if raising children isn't a totally important job. I think about half of working moms would tell you they'd love to stay at home if the budget allowed. We should consider ourselves lucky!!

Okay, enough for now. This was a totally crappy post, but I needed to start somewhere and quit with the excuses. Expect more (and better!!) posts from me in the future and don't forget to click Follow so you can keep up with "The Trophy Wife Life!"