We decided to take a break in the cocktail lounge and enjoy our chance to walk out on a bar tab with permission. Again we were doted on. The staff came over and sat with us while asking to hear all about the Housewife Heroes contest. They oohed and aahed over the prize package and were very excited that we were meeting Melissa Gorga.
Excuse me waiter, there’s a tree in my drink!We don’t need to go to Rockefeller Plaza to see the Christmas tree. Just look in my drink!Yummiest tree ever.
On our way to Rockefeller Plaza, we had a photo-op in front of policemen riding horses.
Unfortunately, “riding the horse” made me think of the Gangnam style video.
Oh yes I did. I broke out into dance. Right in the middle of Times Square. My kids disowned me when they saw these photos.
I guess I had too many of those Christmas tree drinks…
Decided it was a good idea to get some food in our bellies so we took a taxi to Lombardi’s. Jimmy and Jake had very similar responses when we told them we ate the oldest pizza in the US.
“That must have tasted rotten.” “Was the cheese green?”
Oops. No smiling next to Mona Lisa, right?No teeth allowed.Just think how many cupcakes I could make with THIS!!The only thing green is the basil.
Speaking of green stuff, Rockefeller Plaza was just gorgeous! Although you couldn’t really tell it was a green tree under all the lights.
The bar could make a TON of drinks with all these branches.
(Before you think I’m completely ditzy, I DO realize it was a rosemary sprig in my drink. But, naturally, I had to seize any opportunity for a joke.)
30,047 lights on the tree. I counted.Looks just like our tree at home!Hallelujah!
I decided to stay off the ice. Weak cheeks do run in our family after all (Remember, “A Pain in the Coccyx?“). I didn’t need a pain in the butt during lunch with Melissa. But Jim came anyway. Ba-Dum-Ching. (Sorry Jim, I couldn’t resist.)
I’d hate to have to untangle THAT string of lights.I knew my flute skills would come in handy again some day…Touching the giant ornament…or AM I??
We did some window shopping.
For a city that never sleeps, the chocolate store surely does close early…LET ME IN!Mini Rockefeller Plaza. Lego style.Surrounded by tall buildings!Window shopping on 5th Ave. A must.It may be the city that doesn’t sleep. But it does get tired.
Up next “NYC Part 3 – In The Lyme Light.” What lunch with a celeb is REALLY like.
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As soon as our driver, Hugh, picked us up at the airport, I felt like Cinderella on the way to the ball. Hugh drives Melissa Gorga and other celebrities all the time, yet he made us feel like royalty.
He carried our bags to his pristine black Escalade. As we approached the car, I felt as though I was walking toward our black Suburban. I always wondered what the big attraction was with the Cadillac version over the Chevrolet. Both have pretty much the same frame, so I just didn’t get it. Until I sat in the Escalade. Aaah, luxury. Well, just the fact that it was 12 years newer than our Suburban and didn’t have French fries all over the floor would have been enough. But it also had all the bells and whistles. Plus opera music playing. I felt so sophisticated.
I don’t know why New Yorkers have the reputation of being rude. Hugh was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, as were most of the people we encountered. He gave us a newcomers’ guide to New York during our ride to the hotel. We didn’t get lost once during the trip, thanks to Hugh’s tips.
We checked in at the Time Hotel and, again, got a taste of how it feels to be a celebrity. When we gave them our names, the hotel clerk exclaimed “Oh, you are the contest winner!” We were told we had two care packages waiting for us at the concierge desk. When we entered our room, there was a message on our phone from Voli welcoming us to New York and inviting us to go relax in the hotel cocktail lounge since our tab was prepaid for anything we wished to have. We weren’t ready to start drinking vodka that early in the afternoon, so decided to go sight-seeing first.
The Time Hotel is (appropriately) located right in the Times Square area. We took a stroll around to admire the grandeur.
Wow!I had to get a shot of my morning addiction, Diet Coke.I want to see them ALL!
Everything was so impressively huge. Except the iconic “ball drop.” I will never again look at it the same on New Year’s Eve. That tiny little thing above “2013” is it? I’m not sure what I expected, but I know it wasn’t that.
We didn’t realize the coincidence, but our next 3 stops were Roxy’s Deli, Hard Rock Café and Rockefeller Plaza! I guess we were anticipating a “rocky” time.
We stopped for a late lunch at Roxy’s. I must say after the hype about New York food, this was the one place that did not impress me. We didn’t want to eat too much because we were looking forward to pigging out at Lombardi’s for dinner so we just ordered a couple of appetizers. Perhaps if we had ordered the $25 deli sandwich (apparently they are expensive, but huge. You can share…for an extra $7!), we would have enjoyed it more. The appetizers were just “eh.” Cool atmosphere though.
In the mirror’s reflection, you will notice the walls were covered with caricatures of celebrities.
Maybe the caricatures contributed to my disappointment. It reminded me of the “I Love Lucy” episode where she ate at the Brown Derby, which also had caricatures of the rich and famous. But the celebs often ate at the Brown Derby and Lucy saw stars sitting at the tables next to her. The only famous thing I saw at Roxy’s was the New York Cheesecake.
Photo: media.kicktastic.com
Oh well, if I had someone to gawk at, they probably would have ended up with a pie in the face also. Or, more likely, a cheesecake in the face. (I’m sure all the young’uns reading this right now have no idea what I’m talking about…You can watch the full I Love Lucy episode here. I had forgotten how much I LOVE that show.)
Photo: hollywoodphotographs.com
Hard Rock Café was in fact full of fame and fortune. Mostly in the form of rock star’s guitars. This place got a thumbs up. Lots of them.
Taking a photo by the sign seemed to be the thing to do. Everyone was doing it. So we did also. Good thing everyone wasn’t jumping off the Brooklyn bridge. This post is getting long and I’m out of time right now so I think my journey may need a “NYC Part 2B – Hey Waiter, There’s A Tree In My Drink.” Watch for it later today!
Next stop, fabulous Rockefeller Plaza…with a few detours along the way…
(For the NYC details you may have missed, click here.)
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Yesterday I tried to figure out what to write about my Housewife Heroes trip. I started and stopped a couple of times, wondering what everyone wanted to hear. Should I just stick to the glitz and glam of it all? Does everyone just need the happily-ever-after-fairy-tale version?
But Momopolize is all about telling it like it is. Was it an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Oh, yeah! Does anything ever go perfectly? Oh, no! So…here it goes. The good, the bad and the ugly. And, of course, the funny.
Bear with me on Part 1. It’s not so exciting. No celebrities. Yet. But still part of the story. Parts 2 and 3 will contain the Access Hollywood worthy parts. Actually, there really is an Access Hollywood part to the story.
I was so busy with work and holiday shopping before Christmas, that I didn’t have any time to even think about my trip. Well, I had time to think about it. To stress about it. But not any time to DO anything about it. That was ok though. I’d still have a week after Christmas to figure out where the boys would stay, how they’d get to their sports and various activities while we were gone, buy an entirely new wardrobe. And lose 30 pounds.
No problem.
Until I woke up sick on December 27.
For those that don’t know, I have Lyme Disease. And Lupus. So I’m sick a lot. But this was a snotty nose, can’t talk without coughing up a lung sick. Just what you want when going to have lunch with a celebrity.
Luckily after taking every supplement and medicine known to man, I was feeling better for New Year’s. But I now had a DAY to figure out where the boys would stay, how they’d get to their sports and various activities while we were gone, buy an entirely new wardrobe. And lose 30 pounds.
I splurged on an outfit I wouldn’t normally buy and ridiculous shoes to go with it. I bought another outfit with a leopard print shirt. Because even when you are scared on the inside, animal prints make you LOOK courageous. Jim took care of the arrangements for the boys. We were ready to go. Except for the 3o pounds part.
The morning of, we were packed and ready to send the boys off to school with our heartfelt goodbyes. With plenty of time to get to the airport. Except we realized one child needed a prescription refill. Mad dash to the pediatrician (who luckily had early morning hours that day) and then the 24 hour pharmacy. Then one missed his ride to school. Mad dash to drop him off…in a carpool line that seemed to take for. ev. er. Then another one left his overnight bag at home that he needed to take to the friend’s house where he was staying. Mad dash. Then we noticed one left his lunch money home (won’t name names, but it was the same one who forgot his luggage.). One more mad dash.
We arrived at the airport. By the time we took a bus from the parking garage, got our boarding passes, checked our luggage, made it through security (why do I always get so nervous during that part even though I know I am not guilty of anything??), took the shuttle to the main terminal and arrived at our gate, we had about 10 minutes before boarding.
Our original seats weren’t together but we were told we could switch to the exit row once we arrived at the gate. This turned out to be a fortunate event. Because when we asked about switching seats, the gate attendant realized that while Jim had a printed out boarding pass in his hand, it wasn’t in the system. He wouldn’t be able to board. You’ll notice in my list of things we did when we arrived at the airport, the only thing before getting our boarding passes was taking the bus from the parking garage. The rest of the things listed AFTER that took at least an hour.
Panic set in as I thought the attendant was telling us that Jim had to go back and somehow re-do all of it in 10 minutes 5 minutes before boarding. While the attendant never was sure when or how the glitch occurred, he was thankfully able to make a call and do some magic on the computer to fix Jim’s boarding pass at the gate. As he scanned our passes for us to get on the plane, he looked at Jim and said “it still isn’t working.” He was joking. Not cool Mr. United. Not cool.
I won’t be going on this trip alone after all. Whew.
All of that for a 55 minute flight which, fortunately, was uneventful after that. We even had tons of extra leg room by sitting on the exit row. So it was pretty much like flying first class, right? Just humor me here.
When we arrived at LaGuardia, Melissa Gorga’s personal chauffeur was waiting at baggage claim. Holding this sign…
Let the pampering begin!
To be continued…
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I’m in bed, sick. Until I am up for writing more about my trip, here is a glimpse into my day of glam. And before you ask…yes, I did in fact almost break my ankle. More about that soon…
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I realize it is January, but amidst all the posts about resolutions being broken, I thought you all could use a little more Christmas cheer!
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Jimmy (in a Grinch-ish mood): I hate the wreath on the front door. All it does is get in my way. I hate real trees too. I think I’m allergic.
Eric: Did you just say you hate grilled trees???
Jimmy: Yes, I said I hate GRILLED trees. I prefer my trees lightly broiled.
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While playing a little Christmas trivia with Jake…
Me: “Fill in the blank for the Grinch lyric. You’re a bad _____ with a greasy black peel.”
Jake: “Ummm…give me a hint.”
Me: “They always show people slipping on it in cartoons.”
Jake: “Ummm…give me another hint.”
Me: “It is something monkeys eat.”
Jake: “FECES!”
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Jake was wearing a new shirt and realized he hadn’t taken the size sticker off.
Eric was in an extra chatty mood during a car ride and his noise level was annoying his brothers.
Jake: “Eric needs this XL sticker for his mouth!”
I’m not sure if Jake meant because Eric was being Extra Loud or if he wanted to actually use the sticker to cover Eric’s mouth.
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After making at least 4 shopping trips to Dick’s sporting goods during the holiday season, we realized we still needed to buy a gift card from there for our nephew. Of course, it is at the mall. The dreaded mall. There wasn’t a parking space in sight so Jim decided to pull up in front of the store and run in while the rest of us waited in the car.
Thirty seconds later I see flashing lights behind our car. Busted by mall security. I instinctively grabbed for my license as he approached the window, but stopped myself. Before he could even say a word, I blurted out “I’m sorry sir. We are just waiting for my husband to come out with our merchandise so we can load it into the car.”
Yes, I blatantly and remorselessly lied in front of my children. Well, technically I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell him what our “merchandise” was. But I just KNOW the mall cop watched Jim walk out with nothing but a tiny little card and hop in the car.
When we arrived at my in-laws, Jake announces “Mom, tell everyone how you got pulled over on the way here!”
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Jimmy’s #1 item on his Christmas list was a game called “Far Cry.” Jake used an old game case and Google images to make this…
Jimmy didn’t realize it was a prank until he opened it and saw this…
(He DID get the actual game later.)
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We don’t put any wrapped gifts under the tree until after the kids go to bed Christmas Eve. Initially, the reason was to keep curious toddlers from tearing off the pretty shiny paper before Christmas. Now that they are old enough to know better (in theory), we still don’t put them out until Christmas Eve so the nosey dogs and cats don’t mess them up.
Actually, we don’t put them out until then because I am always up wrapping into the wee hours of Christmas Eve/Morn, but the dog and cat excuse makes me sound less disorganized.
When it is time, I arrange the presents in a beautiful, colorful display under the real (grilled) tree in our family room. We also have a fake tree in our (never lived in) living room. This year, when the boys came downstairs Christmas morning, I told them we had decided to put he gifts under the fake tree for a change. They walked in the living room to find only this…
They weren’t amused. Well, Greg was. Until he realized it wasn’t even real coal in the bag. Getting coal for Christmas is one thing. Getting PLASTIC coal is just downright insulting.
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During Christmas break, my blog (lovingly, of course) became the butt of all jokes. No matter what happened, the response would be “I’m TOTALLY going to blog about that.”
Jimmy enjoyed poking fun at my blog so much, he said he is going to start his own…
We have an awful, horrible family tradition of going to the mall to see Santa…on Christmas Eve. To avoid standing in line for hours, we have to get there by 8am. Now that we have two teens in the house…let’s just say they are less than thrilled about this tradition.
Me: “I know you don’t want to go but I just want a photo of all 4 of you. You don’t have to sit on Santa’s lap. Just stand next to the chair.”
Jimmy: “No, I’m sitting ON his lap. I’m going to make this as uncomfortable for him as it is for me.”
How to get teens to agree to visit Santa at the mall? Bribery.
Since I didn’t send Christmas cards this year (or last…or the year before…),
here is our Christmas Eve in photos:
Me: Greg, scoot closer to Jimmy. Closer. Closer. Jimmy: Why am I here? Jake and Eric: GREG!!! MOVE!!!Greg: Why the heck are you yelling at me??? (The finger sticking up is a coincidence. I think.) Jimmy: Why. Am. I. Here?Greg: Why is everyone in that huge long line behind us staring? Jimmy: Because we are freaks.The perfect, happy family. For a second…Uh. Oh. Jake has that look in his eye…Jake: Stop what? It’s just a hug. Jimmy: No. I am NOT hiding a smile.Jimmy (in his best Mom voice): Now boys. This is not a wrestling mat.Greg: And THAT is for yelling at me! Me: I’m totally blogging about this.
Me: Greg looks like the Peanuts kids when they are singing.
Jake: Yeah, the dirty one!
After all the evil glares, Jimmy appears to be the happiest of all to see Santa!
Eric: Hey Greg, wouldn’t it be cool to have a jersey of someone who actually still plays on the team???All smiles on the way out……and then back to life as usual.
One day last week, I spent the day running around like a chicken with my head cut off, finishing last minute Christmas prep. I must admit I was so stressed by my to-do list that what I saw when I got home made me lose my head. And I wasn’t the only one. I walked in to find this…
And this…
I was 100% sure the guilty looking one – Brownie – was innocent. I’d have bet money it was Cookie that beheaded my “peek-a-boo Santa.”
I told the kids not to eat Santa’s cookies while I was gone but didn’t think I needed to tell Cookie not to eat Santa. Lesson learned.
I attempted to prop the head back on…
But kept finding this…
Even when Cookie wasn’t around.
A little research uncovered a disturbing find…SANTA HAS BEEN LOSING HIS HEAD A LOT!
Maybe Cookie really was as innocent as her expression.
I always visualized Santa as calm, cool and collected. Not rattled by anything. But, perhaps, he gets just as frazzled as the rest of us. And loses his head.
Photos on Flickr* show this shocking proof…
Apparently he occasionally loses his pants too…
Sometimes he can be hot headed…
Other times he blows his top…
So does Santa just have a short fuse like the rest of us?
Or is there a dog conspiracy to steal Santa’s head?
Photo: janebretl.com
Perhaps we’ll never know for sure…
But I will remind you that Brownie and Cookie are known felons.
Does the photo of them in this post remind you of something you’ve seen before? (If not, you need to read “To Catch A Thief…Again.”)
<—beheaded Santa
From “To Catch A Thief…Again”—>
P.S. You can also find videos on You Tube of Santa sans noggin. But I wouldn’t suggest searching for “Santa Lost His Head” there. You get some unexpected results. Including a case of someone who decapitated a man in Santa Maria. And a video about two turtles humping. I don’t even want to know WHY that showed up as a match.
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*Photo credit: All photos not taken by me that don’t have a photo credit listed as a caption can be found on flickr.com on the first page of search results for “Santa lost his head” or “hot headed Santa.”
One week from today we take off for our “Housewife Heroes” excursion to New York City, including lunch with Melissa Gorga and a session with her make-up artist.
As I made plans for the trip, it made me wonder what would happen if a Real Housewife of New Jersey (RHONJ) and a Real Housewife of Boring-town Suburbia (RHOBS, yes the “BS” was intentional) were both asked the same questions in an interview. This is what I imagine their answers would be…
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Interviewer: Tell us about the car you drive?
RHONJ: I have a convertible and I just love the Italian Leather seats and feeling the wind blow through my hair when I put the top down.
RHOBS: I have an SUV with Italian spaghetti sauce stains on my leather seats. Or is it ketchup? Maybe I should pick up one of those old French fries on the floor and find out. The wind blows my hair in my eyes but I can’t roll up the windows because the car smells like spoiled milk. They really shouldn’t call those cups “spill-proof.”
_____
Interviewer: Where is your favorite place to shop?
RHONJ: The best shopping is in NYC, so I usually dash up there for a shopping spree. I can’t say which boutique is my favorite, because of the paparazzi.
RHOBS: Target! You can get a new outfit, groceries, laundry detergent and kitty litter – all in one stop. Best. Idea. Ever.
_____
Interviewer: What do you wear when having lunch with friends?
RHONJ: I love a splash of color. And heels and some bling are a must.
RHOBS: I wear whichever yoga pants are clean. If I can find the matching shirt, that’s a plus.
_____
Interviewer: Speaking of Yoga, have you tried the new craze, Hot Yoga?
RHONJ: Oh yes, I go to a hot yoga class at my gym 3 times a week.
RHOBS: Sort of. One time when I was doing yoga at home, the air conditioning was broken. Does that count?
_____
Interviewer: When you’ve had a stressful week, how do you relax?
RHONJ: A day at the spa for an appointment with my favorite masseuse, a caviar facial and time in the jacuzzi.
RHOBS: Well, last week I decided to try the green tea mud mask that I received as a gift two years ago. The doorbell rang after I applied the mask. When I answered the door, it was a neighborhood kid who ran away screaming something about an alien. I started to draw a bath before the doorbell rang but forgot to put the stopper in the tub. By the time I got back to the bathroom, there was no hot water left. And I think the mud mask was past its expiration date because my face still has a greenish hue.
_____
Photo: www.melissagorga.com
Interviewer: I was just listening to the new single “I Just Wanna.” How do feel about the new song?
RHONJ: I love it! The press has been hounding me since the release.
RHOBS: I love it! When I try to sing, it makes my dog just wanna howl.
_____
Interviewer: What is your favorite quote?
RHONJ: “I never throw the first punch, but I’m always a knock out.”
RHOBS: “If I get knocked down, I will probably just lay there and take a nap”
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Interviewer: How would others describe your life?
RHONJ: I live a life that most girls only dream of.
RHOBS: I live a life that most girls only have nightmares about.
_____
Interview: What is your favorite mixed drink?
RHONJ: Voli’s “Mango Coconut”
RHOBS: Voli’s “Mango Coco-My-Kids-Make-Me-Nuts”
_____
While there may be many differences between the lifestyles of The Housewives on TV and regular housewives, they all are real women, real Moms – and real housewives! So when Melissa Gorga and I meet for lunch, hopefully we will have plenty to talk about while having a cocktail. And maybe some “whine.”
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Have any questions you want me to ask Melissa??? Leave them in a comment and I’ll try my best to get the answers!
Either my family has high hopes for Momopolize, or they were just tired of listening to me complain about my old piece of junk computer. Regardless of the reason, the only thing freezing here today is the road. (Drive carefully if your roads are icy too!)
My new computer even has a fingerprint recognition thingy (official name). It makes me feel so Jane Bond. Even though I’m more of an “I Spy With My Little Eye” type of gal.
I guess I better start working on advertising deals to get Momopolize in the black. (Can I count the NYC trip to get me out of the red??) I feel like I should end every post with a current total like they do on the “Two Broke Girls” show.
I know I don’t deserve another present, but clicking the link below would be a great gift. It would make my competitive side very happy. I’m in 3rd but 1st would make potential advertisers happy also. And then I could take away the negative sign for my current total. 🙂 Just click and voila. Done.
Tomorrow I will post about our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day shenanigans. Whenever all 6 of us are together for many hours at a time, you can count on some really good blog material.
I should have known better than to try to set up a cute little light-up village in a house with cats…
I may have Muzilla in my house, but at least there was no Snowzilla around my house to cancel “Jolly Old Saint Nick Or Treat, Give Me Something Good To Eat” yesterday. Will write more about that soon when I have time for something other than “quick and easy” posts!
Since Mushu was so afraid of that cat Halloween decoration, maybe I need to pull that out as a “scare-crow” or, in this case, a “scare-cat” or a “scare-d-cat?”
I attended my first twitter blog party last night. It was quite fun and I enjoyed meeting some other bloggers. I’m really trying to get with the times on this whole social media thing. What happened to the “good old days” where everyone was just on Facebook and you actually decided which posts you want to see instead of Facebook selecting for you???
The blog party was to celebrate the launch of the eBook “Bloggy Moms Guide To A Better Blog” by Tiffany Noth. I don’t know what the rules are for posting excerpts (need to get with the times on that also) so to avoid any violations, I “x’d” out all but one part (yeah, I need to get with the times and get a good photo editor too).
Recognize any names??
I’m so happy my voice is authentic. Wouldn’t want to sound like Alvin. But I will do my best Chipmunk impersonation to say “time for joy and time for cheer!”
Honestly I am honored to be one of only12 blogs mentioned in the book as examples! And I’m so happy that others view what I write as the real deal, and not fake. That is a huge compliment in my book (no pun intended).
Thanks Bloggy Moms for the mention! Can I say I’ve been published now??
I feel like I’ve been so fortunate lately (in the blogging world, at least), that I almost didn’t write about this. I didn’t want to cross the brag line. But I’m excited…and I write about things I’m excited about. So if I didn’t write about it, that would be fake. And they’d have to take me out of the book. So there you have it.
If you would like to read what is crossed out, head over to bloggymoms.com to purchase and download the ebook. No, I was not compensated for, nor asked to promote sales in exchange for being named in the book. Just want to help Tiffany and…I want people to buy since I’m in it! 😉
Time for a daily click. Thanks to everyone that clicked theses banners in my other posts. I tried to be all computer savvy and put them at the end of each post (instead of the side bar, where WordPress does the coding for me) but I didn’t do the link properly so none of those clicks counted. Story of my life… So much for that college degree in computers (that I haven’t used for 10+ years). I *think* I have the links correct now. Time will tell…
(P.S. After I hit publish, I realized the link was still incorrect. I think I need to give my diploma back. So you should REALLY click on the buttons below. You just don’t know WHAT surprise you may get since I obviously don’t have a clue what I’m doing. Maybe a cute little animated snowman will pop up.)
Don't ask me about my kids or I will Momopolize the conversation!
