10 Things You Might Not Know About Me as I Turn 40

WHAT????

Somehow I turned 40.

FORTY.

Let me roll that one around on my tongue for a bit.

F.O.R.T.Y.

Since I refuse to sit and cry I have decided to share a little more about me. You may know some of these things. I honestly have a terrible memory and can't remember if I blogged about any of them. If you have questions, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy this little window into ME.

1. I did not have a middle name until I got married

For a brief time, in 6th grade I believe, I toyed around with the middle name, Victoria. The problem is that Victoria was the name of my dad's stepmother which would have left my other two granmother's really PO'd. Plus, not having a middle name minimized the impact of the you're-in-trouble-now yell that many parents do when they hollar out their child's full name.

2. I have a tattoo

It's a star with angel wings and it's on the inside of my left wrist. It's in honor of my dad. Whenever the question, "Who's your hero" comes up my answer was and still is My Dad (although my Mom is now my hero too). So the star is because he's my hero AND because he was a Marine. The angel wings you can figure out.

3. I have been inside the Pyramids in Egypt, awed by the Taj Mahal, helecopter skiing in New Zealand, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and on safari in Africa...twice.

Me hanging out at the Treetops Hotel

Much of that I did before I even graduated high school. I still have the travel bug. But life, kids, and reality has scratched that 'itch' for now. Whenever I'm asked what I would do if I won the lottery I always say, "TRAVEL". Maybe I'll get that PowerBall ticket today.

4. I'm addicted to hand cream

Rarely will you find me without a small tube of cream, Aquaphor, or something I can use on dry skin. I HATE the feeling of dry skin on my hands. In a pinch I'll use chapstick. Sometimes I think the more I use, the more I need.

5. I am very trusting, and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but if someone burns me, I'll never forget.

I'm not vengeful, but I will keep that little piece of history in the back of my head...forever.

6. I was an extra on an episode of Sex & The City

I had just had the girls and my hair was really short. It's a restaurant scene where Kim Catrall has pasta spilled onto her by a little kid, and if you blink twice you'll miss me. But the best part was getting a tour of the set, hanging with Mr. Big (Chris Noth) at the food craft table while he was dressed in a hospital gown, and watching Kristin Davis (Charlotte) and Evan Handler (Harry) rehearse the 'tea-bag scene'...clothes on.

7. I like to swear...a lot

Classic Jon Wye belt and comic buckle. Be jealous.

I don't swear on the blog and I rarely cuss on Twitter but sometimes a good four-letter word just FEELS so good rolling off the tongue.

8. I have a flawless British, Australian, and Southern accent

OK, not flawless but if a big Hollywood type is googling "flawless Australian accent" this post will surely be on page one! I have always been able to mimic accents well, and then when I was 30 (gulp, 10 years ago) I took a few acting classes at Studio Theater in DC and one required that I listen to an Australian accent CD over and over. I got pretty good. It would take some refreshing but I bet I could head down under and survive.

9. My most famous quote, "It's not who you know. It's what you know about them that counts."

That landed my photo on a giant screen in a huge ballroom during a work conference in the 90s. You know, one of those conferences where there was a LOT going on outside of the conference sessions? People were giving me funny looks the rest of the weekend. Truth is, I'm always the LAST to know anything. Just ask my friend Linda.

10. I like airplane food

image via Wikimedia Commons

I always have. All the salt and fillers and preservatives. MMMM. Not that I get to eat airplane food anymore what with cutbacks and all. But I loved it all. The salsbury steak, the pasta, the little cherry pie dessert you had to scrape out. It was like TV dinners but everything minaturized. First class and business class are of course the bomb. But I'll take a cafe sandwich with my own little salt and pepper packet any day.

OK, that's it. So is there anything I didn't cover that you really wanted to know? Leave me a comment and maybe I'll answer it!

For now, thanks for helping me celebrate turning 40!

Janine

We made it to Disney thanks to quick thinking, phone waiting, luck, and God

Now I'm not a religious blogger, nor do I ever talk about religion, my beliefs or anything probably remotely related to that.

But I have to say there was some Devine Intervention yesterday as we got out of DC before snomageddon, snopacolypse and snOMG #3 came barreling down on us.

Powered by Whrrl

Here's a brief recap of what happened:

We are scheduled on a flight for Wednesday 2/10 at 1:20pm

On Monday 2/8 I'm looking at the upcoming storm and see they upgrade it to a 'warning' calling for 10-20 inches of snow.

Around 10:30 am I am chatting with other DC area bloggers headed to Disney and someone on Twitter alerts me to the fact that many airlines are NOT charging change fees for people trying to avoid the storm.

I immediately get on with Air Tran and sit on hold for about 30 min. Lo & behold they are NOT charging change fees AND there are 4 seats available on a Tuesday morning flight! whoot!

Now we start scrambling to finish work, get packed, find a hotel room, etc.

Later in the afternoon it dawns on me that I can check in 24 hours in advance! Oops!

I go to the AirTran website to check in and I realize I'm on a different flight!! WTH?

I then scramble to call AirTran to figure out what happened but the flight is for 12:28 so I still think we're safe. We stick with the flight and spend the rest of the day/night getting ready.

Day of Trip

I just have to say that it was really a miracle we made it.

1. Of all days this day we leave late for the airport

2. Somehow there is no traffic going to the airport despite the snowy roads (some have been reduced to one lane because of all the snow)

3. The line at security was minimal...I could have sworn it would be awful with everyone and their brother trying to get out of dodge before the next storm. But maybe everyone's flight had already been canceled and they didn't want to get stuck at the airport?

Anyway, wishing all my friends good luck getting here...some are on busses, trains, and driving down. In the mean time I'll just be grateful we made it safe and sound.

Janine

Packing for California...clothing optional (Twincident #148)

No, we aren't going to a nudist camp. We aren't even going to California. But the Twofer is...in their own mind anyway (ahem, going to California not a nudist camp, sheesh!).

Play Travel is Serious Business

The Twofer got their own little wheeled suitcases for Christmas from my mother-in-law and so far they have really enjoyed going nowhere but pretending they are going everywhere. The latest trip took them to California, via train (the guest bedroom).

When the Mister told me what they had each packed realized I have two very sensible girls who definitely have their own, very different priorities. You can tell a lot about a girl from looking into her suitcase.

Little Girl Suitcase

El packed:

books

flashlight

writing journal/sketch book

more books

hairbrush (this is particularly cute since she has curly hair and we never use a brush on it except when it's wet)

Em packed

2 handbags

shoes

snack

laptop

her wallet

and MY book The 100 - A Guide to Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own by Nina Garcia

NOTE: It seems it's no coincidence Em got the suitcase above with the Paris theme.

One can only assume they plan to buy all the clothes for the week once they get there. Or hit the laundromat. I didn't ask.

What do your kids pack when they are taking a pretend trip?

Janine

Disney Magic - NOW I get it. I get it and I love it. Here's why...

I believe in Disney magic.
There. I said it.

And, I cried like a baby during the Wishes Fireworks, but more on that later.

Disney Twofer

As you know from my earlier posts we planned a trip to Disney World for the Free on Your Birthday promotion to celebrate the Twofer's 6th birthday. Last week we flew down Wednesday and only had Thursday and Friday to spend at Magic Kingdom but that was enough to catch the bug.

If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed some tweets go by with the hashtag #disneytwofer – that was me and the folks following along on the journey. And it was quite a journey. I may have to break this up into 2 different.

The Magic of Disney at the hotel

OK, there was definitely a line and some time spent waiting for the Disney Magical Express bus. But at least we didn’t have to wait with our big bags, just our carry-on bags. We got to the hotel (we chose Pop Century) and were able to check in right away and enjoy the pool. Later on, our bags were delivered to our room – voila!
Other highlights:

• The Dining plan felt magical because we didn’t feel the pinch of pulling out our wallets each time we ate.
• I told the front desk we were celebrating our twin’s birthday and there were balloons and Mickey photos in the room when we returned after dinner!
• The pool was open until midnight and what is more magical than swimming on a warm Florida night?

Magic at The Magic Kingdom

Rides


On each ride I allowed myself to really see things from a child’s perspective and I’m telling you I remembered. I remembered how excited I was at age 5 to climb aboard Dumbo, and wind through It’s a Small World. I allowed myself to really feel like I was flying over Never Never Land with Peter Pan and witness a battle on Pirates of the Caribbean. I did something I haven’t done in a long time…I used my imagination. And I liked it.

The Castle

I have ALWAYS wanted to go in that castle. The one way I knew I could get in there was to make reservations to have lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table and seeing as it was the Twofers’ birthday, I knew they would love it too. So this is what it’s like:

First we met and took photos with Cinderella – fabulous blue dress, white gloves, and all.

Then we headed upstairs for our meal and a number of other princesses stopped by our table for autographs and pictures. Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Jasmine were gracious and charming. The dining area had big chairs, wooden beams, and large windows with a view of the park. The food was surprisingly good and the desserts were deeeelish. Throw in some wishing stars and wands and you’ve got Disney magic…bippity, boppity, boo!

After an enormous lunch and all the excitement We headed back to the hotel for a break and returned in the evening for more rides, dinner, and those darn….Fireworks.

The Magical Fireworks

Yes, I cried during the Wishes celebration fireworks. But here’s what was swirling through my head: I remember thinking about what a great day we just had and how good it felt to be able to share this with my girls. MY girls who are no longer babies but big 6 year olds. I thought about all that is wrong in this world, and how lucky I was to have my family safe, healthy, and experiencing this together.

I thought of the Make-A-Wish kids who often get trips to Disney World and what their parents feel as they watch those same fireworks night after night. And then I thought of how my dad, who passed away just weeks after the Twofer were born, would have f-ing LOVED the whole damn thing.

What I realize now is that it was not just the fireworks that brought me to tears. It was the combination of fireworks + touching music about wishes + lack of sleep that most likely caused me to tear up (ok, bawl).

But what happened when we got back to the room was truly magical.
And that you will have to come back to read in my next post…Why you should celebrate a birthday at Disney.

Read more in this series:
Help! Disney World Questions - Need Your Input!
The Twofer Get a Disney Surprise

Wearing my mouse ears,
Janine

This. Is. Cool. KaBOOM! mapping 100,000 play spaces in 100 days

Imagine you are on vacation at your inlaws and just really need to find a great playground for your 2 and 4 year olds...nothing too big, shade preferred.

You go to KaBOOM! 's playspace finder and BOOM! There's the perfect park not 5 miles from where you are.

But KaBOOM! needs your help.

KaBOOM! wants to map 100,000 playspaces in just 100 days. I'm helping the Mom Central team add play spaces because for every space we add, $1 will be donated to Jumpstart, a non-profit that brings at-risk preschool children and caring adults together to improve literacy.

What is considered a playspace for KaBOOM?

a playground
field
skate park
roller hockey rink
lake
dog park
community center
basketball court
ice rink

or any place where kids can engage in unstructured play for free or a nominal fee.

A playspace listing on KaBOOM! consists of an address or cross street and a description, one photo and one rating.

Join KaBoom! (registration takes 1 min.) then join the Mom Central team. Be sure to log your playspaces. Look up the ones you frequent on the internet and when you are there take a quick picture with your phone - you can upload it to twitpic! Then be sure to add a rating and any other information you think parents might want to know.

Boom! You just earned a dollar for Jumpstart.

But hurry - as of today there are just 68 days to go!

I thank you, Mom Central thanks you, and all the kids and parents looking for places to play thank you.
Janine