Le Nez Couverture: c’mon, I know you want one

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Jilly, my little sprite, the one with the munchkin voice who flits around here like a ballerina on stimulants, will be six in a couple short weeks.

Six!

As hard as it is for me to accept that I have an eight-year-old daughter, it is even harder for me to wrap my head around Jilly turning 6. Maybe it is because I can still lift her with one arm, or because she still prefers to sit on my lap than anywhere else.

Maybe because she’s “little” physically, I keep her little in my brain.

I think I expect less of her because of this: when she reads or does math in her head, I’m thrilled. When she goes to a playdate at a friend’s house without me, I marvel at her independence. When she does her chores without being asked, I beam.

When she makes me a nose blanket all by herself, I am stunned by her ingenuity.

What? You do not know what a nose blanket is? Why, it’s a. . .oh, I’ll just show you:

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Hey, my nose gets cold easily. What’s a girl going to do?

So thanks Jilly, my smart little inventor. I think you are on to something.

And, I think D is trying to tell you something:

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“My nose is cold too!”

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I have a guest post today on MamaPop. If you would like to read of my affection for an Italian chef, I’ll see you over there.

And, check out Fairly Odd Reviews for a little shout-out to the ball of fur in my life.

Debbie Does Dallas, but replace "Dallas" with "NYC" and "Debbie" with my name and then get your head out of the gutter


I’ve decided that if I lived in New York City, I’d be sweaty all the time.

And confused.

And stuck in a subway turnstile (oh, yes, I did get stuck and it sure isn’t easy to do).

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE going to the city. It’s just that I’m about as natural in the city as a baby deer in high heels.

But, when I had the opportunity to go to NYC for my most cool job to cover Toy Fair, I jumped at the chance. Two days without children! On my own! Wearing grown-up clothes and handing out business cards!

The only thing I forgot to do was train for a marathon. Because walking around Toy Fair for two days is like walking a marathon of epic proportions. Especially when you are carrying a heavy laptop and about two dozen press kits.

If you are wondering what I saw at Toy Fair, let me just say that you do not have to worry: even in these times of recession, there are plenty of people making loads of toys for your children. Some of them are great and many are not.

But, eh, who am I to judge those who want to play a little Finger Football? To each their own.

Embracing my inner weird and showing off some muscles (sic)


I’ve done it.

I'm Going to BlogHer '09


I’ve booked a ticket to attend the “big” BlogHer in Chicago this summer. Just typing this makes my hands sweat, but I know how excited I’ll be to meet some blogging friends in real life.

I can’t really justify the expense—it’s not like I’m raking in big ad bucks (any ad bucks)—nor do I ever expect to be an “A-Lister”, but after doing this for (gulp) two-and-a-half years, I want to get in on the party, learn a few new things, meet some of the people behind the blogs I love, and have an excuse to visit one of my favorite cities.

Plus, the 23rd is my birthday, so when I arrive Thursday night, I will be ready to have a little fun. Will you be there too?

For those of you who don’t know what the heck I am talking about, I will leave you this little gem:

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It is Jilly, posing with her muscles–er mussels. Yes, those are the shells of the ones she ate all by herself.

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Impressive, eh?