Anouchka Talks

Hey hey hey, y’all!   Mama’s back!   I hope you thoroughly enjoyed the past two guest posts from B.   They were a little more personal for me, since I could somewhat relive my family’s 2018 trip to Disney World, but I believe they are helpful for anyone planning a Disney trip.   Since most of my readers are moms, parents, or (at the very least) kids at heart, I wager that at least some of you will be able to take advantage of B’s veteran tips.   They’re boss. Now that I’m back, I once again have some catching up to do on my monthly “New In 2018” posting.   I last left you with reviews of my June experiences so, since we are already nearing the end of September (!), I figured I’d dump July, August, and September into one monster post.   Admittedly, I have been quite a bit less mindful of these new experiences since Jammy started school again and my month off work ended, but I shall make no more excuses.   So here it is… New in 2018 – J...

Here we are again at the start of another year.  I can honestly say that I feel as though last year passed the most speedily of those in my adult life.  I know we all say that time flies, but I really feel like it did in 2017.  A lot happened.  I mean a lot happened.   We became parents for the second time at the end of 2016 and spent the bulk of Bathrobe's first year in 2017; I had major surgeries in mid-spring; Bathrobe's adoption was finalized this summer; Habibi and I went on a little getaway road trip together; Chicky started pre-school; we went to a gala; we added extra French classes at work, altering my teaching load; our family planned a few staycation weekends; I read a lot; we discovered they sell my favorite kombucha in giant bottles; my grey hairs multiplied exponentially; I had a much needed girls' weekend with my mom and sister.  For real, these are just a few of the big events, highlights, and major activities of 2017. Without sharing eve...

Life is unfair to women.  Some of you may agree that this is the understatement of civilization since the dawn of time.  Some of you may not.  But before you start burning your bras and going native, let me expand upon what I mean. Being a woman is hard.  Being a professional  woman in a man's world is harder.  Being a mother  is the hardest of all.  Never in our lives do we feel so helpless as we do when we become parents.  Even if your life was a mess pre-baby, you can bet that a baby will turn that mess into a disaster.  The simple necessity of caring for a completely helpless life, while trying to mend your own post-trauma (birth), is the most difficult task a human being can face.  I don't mean to imply that we don't ferociously and unconditionally love our babies - quite the opposite, in fact.  If we didn't love our little ones more than our own lives, motherhood would be simple...and the human race would cease to ex...

When my sister B was in third grade, her teacher asked the students in the class to go around the room, naming their favorite dessert items.  From among the common answers of cookies, brownies and ice cream emerged a gem:  upon her turn, B confidently stated that her favorite dessert was... ka'ak. Ka'ak  is a traditional pastry in the Middle East. Now, the word above is a transliteration of a traditional pastry in Middle Eastern cultures.  It is a general term for "cake" and, depending on the dialect, this Arabic word has a slight harshness or subtle division of syllables in the middle (represented by the the " a'a ").  But many anglophones don't hear or pronounce that subtlety. So imagine Mrs. Smith's surprise when her star pupil stated that her favorite dessert was "cock." I always felt a little different than most of my friends, growing up "brown" in a "white" suburb.  I had a big crooked nose (the...

If you are bothered by pregnancy-related, borderline "TMI" language, stop reading now and just scroll down for the recipe.   You have been warned.   (Insert maniacal laugh.) No, I am still not enjoying pregnancy.  Thank you for asking. Our due date is rapidly approaching and I cannot help but beg  God to let Hulk come a little bit early (not too early... healthy  early) for a variety of reasons.  Of course, many of these reasons are selfish, but the main one is that my doctor is going to be out of town on our due date AND the subsequent five days!  This means that if our little booger decides to show up on time or just a few days late (a significant possibility given that this is our first kid), a stranger will be delivering my baby. Dammit. Any pregnant woman is well aware that being "with child" (I have elected to use this term today only because it is Christmastime and Mary was not "knocked up.") basically gives license to almost total stra...

As the weeks go by and the skin on my belly feels more like that of a drum than a means to contain my organs, I rejoice that I have passed the halfway point of pregnancy... ...said no one ever. On the bright side, Betty and Alice seem to be getting along a little bit better, thanks to the feline pheromone diffuser we installed to reduce anxiety and discourage Alice from pooping on the floor. UPDATE:   Between the time I wrote this entry and posted it, Betty and Alice have once again regressed in their usual pattern.  One step forward, two steps back...  Such is the life of a gangster. BESTIES! (This was right before Alice growled at Betty and jumped off the perch.) Cat life is stressful.  To prove my point: They make it look so easy. Recently, Habibi and I had our first ultrasound appointment.  It was there that we discovered that we would be welcoming yet another girl into the family!  It seems that Habibi's lot in life it to be sur...

NEWS FLASH!!!  Weird things happen during pregnancy!!! Since learning that I was growing another human being, Habibi and I have been tracking Hulk's progress on babycenter.com .  Each week, we check on the status of his/her growth and development, in addition to reading up on any pregnancy tips on the website.  In recent weeks, I have been warned of an increase in appetite (check!) and an upcoming growth spurt (uh oh...).  Warnings heeded, I have continued to educate myself on birthing classes, a necessary increase in protein for my diet and the importance of nutrients like calcium and folic acid.  All good advice.   However, as my waist continues to disappear and I start to notice an increase of cellulite on my thighs, I can't help but hate how my image is changing.   (Yes, I understand that this is all necessary to give life, but I can still be pissed so back off, Judge Reinhold .)  So, I once again turned to Baby Center for some uplifting...