Happy New Year

I can hardly believe 08 is over. I can barely keep my eyes open to watch the ball drop on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year....yes, I am that lame! Resolutions are for losers who make 'em just to break 'em ( I know I am one of those losers) but this year I am committing to nothing...at least not in writing. Ha!Ha! Ha! Thank God Kam loves me still.

Snow Day!

Bah Humbug?
Who was that crazy, cynical woman posting ( posing) as me yesterday? It wasn't me. Couldn't be me! After 10 inches of fresh fallen snow and therefore happy children I am once again reminded of my holiday spirit and joy. Or could it be the effects of sugar on my restricted diet? Hmm, I'll give that consideration a bit later, but for now I feel the calm that comes from knowing the cookies are baked, the kids are occupied making snow angels and I have a few solitary, quiet moments alone. I'm so blissed out I could fall asleep. More meds!

Countdown to Christmas

Pokemon and Princesses are the themes in my home this Christmas season.
When asked what Christmas means, my kids both dutifully recite, "the birth of baby Jesus". Do I think they know what this means? Do I think that it brings a deeper meaning to our holiday? Not a chance! They recite what they know I want to hear and then go about making lists: but being good for gifts just doesn't cut it in my mind.

Here's my ugly secret: I cant wait for this holiday to be over. Bah Humbug!!!

Morning Cup o Joe

Random thoughts

Strawberry Shortcake and her friends are all very cute, until that 1st cup o joe is finished and then I wake up....

My dog has an eating disorder - she eats everything without a care whether it's edible or not. She's a vacuum cleaner!

Emily is the emotional leader and caretaker of the house. She makes sure we all remember our manners, say please and thankyou, sorry, and I accept your apology, even when it's not necessary.

Anything that can be rhymed with dead and sang to the tune of a classic Christmas song is hilarious and must be repeated all day long......

Noah, Emily and Puddin are really running the show around here. Kam and I are like Great Britain's Royal Family = we're only figured heads with a false sense of purpose and importance.

Sleep Where Art Thou?

Curse that small wicked child I named Emily! In my loopy, sleep deprived state apparently I'm feeling Shakespearean. Another night of tossing and turning, of kicking and yelling, of bad dreams, and confusing sleep positions: I'm a mess! There is not enough Lunesta on the planet to make me sleep through the drama of that girl. Did I mention she yelled at me for sleeping in her bed? Without the aid of my morning caffeine to help me resist, I nearly lunged for her like an animal. I actually growled.

To add to this sleepless drama, when I did drift off, I dreamt of horrible things: being in a small boat on rocky waters, unclogging a toilet without a plunger and watching Kam cook a meal on our front lawn with a hibachi grill...all very strange and disturbing. Just another day at the Ng house.

Brave and Bold or just scared and old?

These pictures show 2 Amazing Women.
And we look more amazing today than 2 years ago. Me and Rosh! What a friendship we have forged from bickering roommates, to friends, to our family's taking vacations together. I think we are amazing no matter how we look. As long as our vacay's get more exotic.And they keep bringing the drinks were good !:-)

Me and Oprah were separated at birth

...I'm sure of it now. I saw a clip of her on TV talking about her food addiction.
"YES!", I yelled at the TV screen, "Me Too!" On the upcoming cover- or perhaps current, I dunno, she shows herself at her most trim and healthy self and a current picture of how she looks today. I love that Oprah is gutsy enough to do that. Oprah is bold, and fearless in her honesty. She has all the resources and means to make herself look pretty much anyway she chooses ( think Michael Jackson, or Joan Rivers) Eek! Yet here she is, this influential millionaire, and she chooses to put her truth, her body, her struggles and make it the centerpiece of a monthly publication. I applaud, admire and emulate that kind of honesty. I still cringe when I see photos of myself at my heaviest. And the entire world looking and judging me???, just the thought makes me want to eat a chocolate covered doughnut(or two). or maybe more. No! No more!

TheNewMcGee is not just a tagline

...or a slogan or anything else meaningless or trite. Thenewmcgee is about change and overcoming my fears. Change that began when I decided I wasn't living the life I was meant to lead. This is me, rambling, and yeah, I do this sometimes. It helps me to figure things out when I put into words those thoughts that keep bumping into one another, as I try to solve a problem. It happens often. So here is my latest thought. While I've transformed and made changes that have made me a healthier person, I want to make a change that will make me just plain happier. I know we have to try to accept ourselves, and that we all fall short, but I'm not accepting my physical limitations anymore. I'm not going to allow them to make me embarrassed and masking my insecurities about how I look and feel. I'm going, in 4 weeks, into the hospital to have surgery to help me finish what I began in 2006. I've got insurance, my family's blessings, and my courage. What else could I possibly need? Well, besides a new hairbrush, mine fell in the toilet bowl this morning!

Everyone needs a good laugh

When my grandfather died, our family discovered that he was born and raised Jewish. He hid this from everyone when he immigrated from Canada to the U.S. and began his life as a doctor and husband. He changed his name, his birth date and his faith without anyone the wiser. He and my YaYa raised their children in not only the Catholic faith but, in Catholic schools from the time they were small children through high school graduation. While this caused quite a stir as my mother and her siblings wrapped their minds around such a huge revelation, I wonder if grandpa's motivations are best realized by watching this clip from one of my favorite movies. What do you think?

The New Mom Song

Thank you Brian for sending this to me. I had heard the older version and I love this one even more. Noah thought it was silly fun. I think his exact words were, " She's crazy!"

So Uninspiri-Ng

The Bush Doctrine
The Bush Legacy Project
President Bush's revisionist history lesson in his near daily "exit interviews" with major news networks finds me yelling at the TV. That man is Pinocchio and his nose is growing with each re-telling of his policies when it comes to his reasoning for starting and remaining in a war with Iraq, detaining "enemy combatants", and the rest of the fear mongering he has created in the past 8 years. My son Noah is 8 years old. This has been going on for his entire lifetime. Sad. It makes me almost nostalgic for the troubles Bill Clinton created - while morally bankrupt were so small by comparison.

Okay, Im through with my early morning rant. This is what happens when I dont get enough sleep - Emily you tiny troublemaker! - or enough coffee!

Life in Michigan= Not so Inspiri-Ng

Alright, so I don't mean to complain, moan and whine, but has anyone read the cover of today's paper? It's pretty sad. Detroit is literally begging for money from the government to bail out our auto industry and it ain't looking so good. Being I was born and raised in and around Detroit I feel I have more than a little to lose if the Big 3 don't get some cash. Everyone I know is, in some way big or small, affected by this crisis. We are in trouble. People are losing jobs, getting pay cuts and living off of a dwindling savings and retirement.

It's pretty startling and unprecedented front page news. Check it out for yourself by clicking on my post title and tell me what you think.

Down Goes the Tree

Well it was bound to happen at some point. I should have been on my guard. I should have seen the signs. The twinkling lights, the shiny ornaments. It was all to much for a 3 1/2 year old to handle. In fact, it wasn't until I heard the thud that I rushed into the family room and saw her little legs in the air, that I realized Emily and the tree came toppling upside down. I was panicked for only a few seconds until I heard the giggles and then saw the fear in her eyes only when I approached the scene of destruction. She was fine - thanks to a small, lightweight tree with few ornaments hanging from its artificial branches. Tis the season, to be thankful and grateful for the small things including small accidents. I should know she cant resist something sparkly.

No Worry Beef Curry

This morning, before the sun has even come up, Noah is teaching Emily something Kam and I never could(would) how to make Arm-Pit Farts! Yes, this is what passes as educational in our house on any given day. Noah is overly proud of his new found skill and walks around the house showing off this "talent" while giving Emily encouragement and instruction on how to do the same. Wonderful! What a bunch of monkeys we're raising.