FALLING FOR TV

Lazy summer days are almost a thing of the past and fall will soon be upon us. For this mom that means just one thing…Fall TV!

With two young boys my nights are now filled with endless reminders to my three-year old that chicken can come in a form other than nugget, struggles to get him into the bath, then the inevitable arguments when it’s time to get out of the bath, requests to read Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, followed by my son insisting on reading it again to me. Then we have to get the baby to sleep.

This routine usually leaves me about 20 minutes of free time before I collapse into bed, so that means that my DVR is always about to explode (right now my DVR is brimming with almost the entire season of The Newsroom and a couple of episodes of Friday Night Lights that I taped on ESPN Classic because I just can’t let it go). I decided to compile a list of must-see premieres for those who also have limited DVR space.

 

Here is the list of what I plan on watching this fall. I’m no expert, but I play one on TV…

 

Guys With Kids (NBC)

Premieres 9/12 at 8:30PM
Three thirty-something guys…with kids. Since Will Arnett is not one of the guys, this probably won’t be as good as Up All Night, but Jimmy Fallon is behind it so I’m semi-intrigued.

 

The Mindy Project (Fox)

Premieres 9/25 at 9:30PM
A successful OBGYN whose personal life is a mess. I have been a fan ever since I saw Mindy Kaling’s Off-Broadway play Matt and Ben. This will hopefully make up for the fact that The Office has gotten so bad.

 

Revolution (NBC)
Premieres 9/17 at 10:00PM
In a nutshell, the power goes out and no one seems to own a generator. Other than Fringe, J.J. Abrams has consistently let me down since Lost, but I am still a fan and will give any of his pilots a chance (except for the pilot from Lost because, well, you know…)

 

666 Park Avenue (ABC)
Premieres 9/30 at 10:00PM
A creepy tale about one of the scariest things known to man: Manhattan real estate. Terry O’Quinn is starring. See above.

 

Nashville (ABC)
Premieres 10/10 at 10:00PM
A country singer tries for a comeback. Honestly, I only want to watch this because Connie Britton is starring and I am loyal to Mrs. Coach Taylor but if this gives me the same nightmares that American Horror Story did, I will not be sticking around for very long.

 

Partners (CBS)
Premieres 9/24 at 8:30PM
A comedy based on the lives of creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick (the creators of Will and Grace). Sounds cute and it has a fun cast.

 

Knots Landing revival
Ok, this doesn’t exist, but I got so excited hearing the opening credits of Dallas again this summer (growing up I always preferred Dallas to Sesame Street) that I wanted to pitch this idea to any television executives reading this blog.

 

Which new show are you most excited for?

HAPPY HOUR AT THE SUPERMARKET

Before I had children, Friday night usually meant meeting up with friends for drinks, trying a new neighborhood restaurant, or maybe seeing a movie. 

Last Friday night was spent at the supermarket.  

As I parked my car in the almost empty parking lot, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for myself that this was the way I had to begin my weekend. I headed into the store pouting, and decided that since I had some quiet time to myself I would at least try to unwind with some music. I put on my headphones and headed up the first aisle.

The first song that came on was Madonna’s “True Blue.” I was immediately brought back to my childhood, since this was the very first cassette tape I ever bought. As I headed up the fruit aisle, remembering that my son had demanded I bring home some watermelon, I felt like a kid again.

True Blue ended and the next track came on. Ok, Missy Elliott, if you insist, I will “Work It.” I headed down the cereal aisle with a little swagger in my step and pretended for a moment that I was out dancing with some college friends, not choosing whether to buy another box of Cheerios or treat my child to some Lucky Charms for a change.

Next came some Ani. I very quietly started singing the words to “Untouchable Face,” but soon realized that it’s pretty difficult to sing any Ani DiFranco song quietly. As I was humming along I also concluded that Ani is just not as much fun to sing when you’re happily married. I made a mental note to pick a fight with my husband when I got home and then put on Dilate.

As I continued down aisle 17 (as a City Girl it took me a while to adjust to a supermarket with more than five aisles but now I am very used to it) I realized that I was actually feeling more relaxed than I had in a while. It was nice to be out of the house and on my own for an hour, and even though I didn’t have a cocktail in my hand, I was starting to feel a little drunk from the freedom.

As I approached checkout, James Taylor came on. The secret of life is enjoying the passing of time. Some words of wisdom to end my evening with. Suddenly I was very at peace with the fact that I had spent my Friday night at the supermarket. True, I definitely do not have nearly as much free time as I used to, but life is still pretty good. I arrived home from the supermarket in a great mood, invigorated from the time alone. Then I made myself a cocktail. It was Friday night, after all.

MY CAR

When Hubby first brought up the idea of moving from The City to The Suburbs my initial response was, “How am I going to get to the store?” It really did not occur to me that I would want to drive to get my grocery shopping done. See, I’m a City Girl, and I was being asked to use a CAR to GO OUT. This was a completely foreign idea to me.

“You know,” said Hubby. “You may end up finding a car to be a convenience.”

Inconceivable.

As it turns out, a car can actually be a useful thing to have.

When my older son was born the car was the one place we could be sure he would fall asleep. I remember one particularly bad night early on when he wouldn’t stop crying and at about 3:00am Hubby went into his room; a few minutes later I heard the front door slam. In my sleepy state I momentarily wondered where they could possibly be going in the middle of the night, but then decided the answer could wait until morning and rolled over to go back to sleep. It turns out they had gone out for a drive around the block, and after circling around five times my son had finally fallen asleep. 

My car has also become somewhat of a sanctuary for me. When I need a break from dirty diapers and spit-up I get behind the wheel, pump up the music and head for the open road. Sure, most of the time I end up at Buy Buy Baby for some emergency Diaper Genie refills (seriously, how many of those things can a person go through in one month?), but along the way I get some much needed private time and return home rejuvenated.

Of course, my sanctuary is often invaded by two small children who need to be transported to music class, doctor appointments, the playground, etc. And the car does not seem to magically lull the Baby to sleep as it did for Big Bro. Is there anything more frustrating than hearing a baby wailing in the backseat when you are driving and cannot stop? And if the Baby does miraculously fall asleep, Big Bro will choose that moment to insist I turn off my “boring” music and turn on his CD. He has also become a little bit of a back-seat driver. ‘Mommy, there’s a red light up ahead. Mommy, watch out for the big truck. Mommy, there’s Old McDonald’s, can we stop for fries?”

I was not immediately sold on the idea of having a car, but now, just like my iPhone, DVR, and Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Green and White Iced Tea, it is a luxury I cannot imagine living without.

The Weighting Game

A few weeks ago, Hubby and I were winding down after a long day visiting friends. “Wow,” said Hubby. “I think I lost a whole pants size today. Must be a little dehydrated from the heat.”

True, we had both spent the day in the hot sun, but we had also both enjoyed a hearty brunch and divulged in some tasty treats at a barbeque. My pants were actually feeling a little snug from the extra calories, but apparently all that my husband needed to do to go down a pants size was spend a few minutes SITTING in the sun. This news was a little disheartening to hear, especially for someone trying to shed some leftover baby weight. Getting a little “dehydrated” didn’t seem to have the same magical effect on me.

Other ways I wish I could lose weight, but have discovered do not work so well:

• Filling up Pez dispensers.
• Changing three diapers in less than 3 ½ minutes.
• Taking a walk around the block with a toddler who stops every time we pass a fire hydrant, a garbage truck, or a leaf.
• Frantically catching spit-up before it hits your shirt.
• Mousercize.

Ways you can lose weight:

• Diet.
• Exercise.

A couple of weeks ago I decided my first attempt at real exercise would be going to my first spin class. After I fed the Baby and hugged Big Bro goodbye, I informed Hubby I was heading out.

“Good luck! I’m sure it will go just fine,” exclaimed Hubby.

I was a bit frightened. He had never wished me luck before hitting the gym or going for a run.

“It’s just that spin can be kind of intense. But I’m sure you’ll do great!”

Now I was flat-out scared, but it wasn’t so often that I had a free hour to myself so I decided not to overthink it and headed out.

Recently I’ve gotten into the bad habit of being 7 ½ minutes late to pretty much everything, so I was thrilled to arrive to class 10 minutes early. I paid my $20 and was told to grab water and a towel and choose a bike.

“Good luck!” exclaimed the man taking my money.

I decided to choose a bike in the middle row, that way I could easily keep my eye on the instructor but hopefully disappear into the crowd. The instructor approached me and asked if this was my first class. Maybe she could tell because while everyone else was busy warming up, I was carefully placing my towel on the machine and wondering how many bottles of Poland Spring I would have to drink before making my $20 back. I was shown how to add resistance to the bike and a couple of other little tricks and then the instructor wished me luck.

I wished people would stop doing that.

Class started and I had no idea what the big fuss was about. I was doing great! I marveled at the great shape I was in just three months after giving birth. I didn’t need anyone’s luck.

I was a spin goddess.

The instructor told us to add resistance to the bike. Maybe I didn’t add as much as some of the others in the class, reasoning that I was just a beginner and really should take it a little easy on myself. The instructor then told us to lift our butts off the seat for the uphill climb.

Then it happened. I fell off the bike.

I didn’t end up flat on my face. I just kind of slipped. I almost ran out of the studio. But I stayed. I looked around to see if anyone else had seen this.

“Look ahead. Don’t look at anything but your own bike.”

Was the instructor talking to me? It didn’t really matter. I listened and I didn’t look at anything but my own bike for the remainder of the class.

And I held on a little tighter when going uphill.