About Widow

Large Handbag Collector. Obscenely Expensive Shoe & Handbag Lover. Blonde. Redhead. Brunette. Breastfeeder. Pug-fox terrier belly scratcher. Drunken Break Dancer. Bartender of the stars. Semi Conscious Writer. Earth loving. Tori Amos Listening. Loud Mouth. Chef Loving Lady...

Our new hood on the East Side

Our house is officailly rented.  We have found a house for ourselves as well.  It is virtually the same size as our house, the same mortgarge (minus the utilities!), and on the other side of town.  We told our families yesterday and both pairs of parents had no idea what in the hell we were talking about.  I came to the conclusion that parents really don’t listen to their kids, even if they are grown ass adults.

When we moved back from Brooklyn we put our house up for sale.  It didn’t sell and we had to focus on opening The Greenhouse, so we put the thought of moving out of our heads.  We opened the restaurant and told everyone (including the world on this blog) of our intentions to move closer to the restaurant.  The whole idea behind a move was that the Chef would actually see his kids more than 4 hrs a week.  Crazy right?  When we finalized the lease this week we told both sets of parents and they literally responded “since when did you decide to move?‘  Uhhhhh yeah like 3 yrs ago.

We live in suburbia. We drive two cars 30 minutes each way to work.  We don’t like driving two cars 30 minutes each way to work.  We don’t like having two cars. We like walking.  We like public transpo.  We like boutiques and independent restaurants.  We like pitbulls and cities and white people and black people and orange people and werid freaky people.  Our kids enjoy museums and art and culture.  As do we.  Why should we not move to a part of town that embraces the life we want to lead?  We have been living in a succubus of soul since we’ve moved back from the city.  The only good aspects about where we live is the fact that our families are super close.  However I rarely see my family.  Moving is going to put some distance between us and drastically change our babysitting options but it will also allow us much more time with the Chef.  He could come home mid day hang with us and go back for service.  He could take the train to work.  We could possibly eliminate one car.  One insurance.  The possibilities are endless.

It will be good.  We will be good.

And now I need to figure out how in the hell I am going to pack a house in 30 days.  Shitballs.  Anyone know any free movers/packers?

After turning around for literally 1 minute, this occured.  Louisiana obviously loves baths as much as her mommy.  This happened five minutes after she got out of the bath and got her pj’s on.  It’s always a rager at the widow household.

Two Years ago today I couldn’t believe how time flew.

Three Years ago today I was still in awe that you were actually mine.

Today I am so delighted to be lucky enough to watch you grow.  Every day is an honor to me.  You make my days vibrant and beautiful.  Sometimes the things you say sound so adult.  You make sense of things that took me years to figure out.  Your memory is rememarkable and your sensitivity shocks me.  I am so madly in love with you.  Today you have been on this Earth for 1460.9688 days .  The best of my life.

I am so proud of the little man that you are.  I am so proud that you are who you are at all times without falter.  You hold nothing back.  Your creativity is exponential.  Life is yours and you have no problem living it.  Your face, your smile, they way you demand that I give you a hug every morning.  Mawwwwm GIVE me a hug. Those words could be the last I have ever hear, and my life would be more than complete.

I know that you are destined to be a great man.  At 4 I can see who you will be at 34, at 44, at 94. Each day I have to punch myself in the face to actually understand that you are real.  You are incredible my boy.  Thank you for choosing me.  Thank you for being the boy who spotaneously rocks out to punk music evey day all day.  You are a constant inspiration for me to fully live.

Happy birthday C-money.  I heart you 8 billion 9 hundred 94 thousand and 3.

The Widow’s future self (yes I do wear fruit pajamas and sunglasses in the morning)

The next month of our lives is going to be I-N-S-A-N-E. Our schedule is jammed pack starting tomorrow:

Stars & Bars Celebration at the restaurant, then the Iron Chef’s annual 4th of July bash.

Monday is Catcher’s 4th birthday and I think we are going up to the islands to celebrate and possibly to the point.  You know how we love the coasters.

Tuesday, the Chef is filming Good Company.

Thursday I have a tattoo removal appointment, ouch.

July 12th is Catcher’s Superhero Social and July 13th is the Slow Foods Bastille Day Celebration, both at the restaurant.

July 14th the Chef goes to NYC to film Iron Chef & Nickelodeon’s Best Local Blog Contest Ends (vote today!), July 15th The Tavern is doing WOW, and July 16th-18th the whole family heads up to Sawmill Creek for the Veggi U Food & Wine Festival.

The 21st, the Chef goes back to NYC (I am trying to go as well but flights are $400) to film another episode of Iron Chef America.  Anybody got any In’s at the airlines?

July 23rd I leave my family for the first time ever and head to Chicago for BlogHer 2009!  I am super stoked but super nervous because I literally know one person that is going to be there.  I am excited for the conference but the party schedule is off the hizook.

The Chef is participating in the First Cleveland Food Rocks Chef’s BBQ on the 25th and I get home on the 26th.

The last 5 days of July are pretty seamless and then we start all over again for August.  Woo Hoo! The life of a chef’s family.

Happy Independence Day.  It is now ours again.

I am not a fan of conventional deodorant.  Frankly the whole aluminum debate turned me off of the product years ago.  I know, I know. I’m an ex-smoker(20 day smoke free!), I am most likely going to get some form of cancer.  I just can’t handle the whole cancer thing through my armpits, plus the fact that 99.9% of deodorant companies test on animals really turns me of.   So what is one to do when they don’t use conventional deodorant?  Well they go natural of course.

And natural usually means smelly.  Really smelly.  Because of my desire to go au naturale,  I have tested multiple “natural/aluminum free/organic/crystal/paraben free deodorants.  After years of buying trying new brands, I have finally found one that works.

Fuck yeah.

Before I reveal the most awesome natural deodorant first I will tell you about some sub par naturals.

My first delve into natural deodorant was the Crystal Body Deodorant Stick.  I chose this one because it has the lowest EWG toxicity rating of 0 (out of 10).  No cancer. However having absolutely no risk of cancer most likely means having absolutely no chance of actually working.  This deodorant crystal needs to get wet before applied and then when you do actually apply it, it really does feel like your rubbing a crystal in your pits.  Which if you didn’t know, hurts.

Bye Bye crystal.

Trader Joe’s Unscented Deodorant w/ Cotton was my next attempt at smelling like a lady.  Paraban and aluminum free is what drew me to this brand.  Also it was on sale at Trader Joe’s.  I am guessing it was on sale because it sucks.  It smells like wax and seems to make me sweat more.  Don’t know how this is possible but it is.   The EWG has not yet rated it but after getting a serious rash on my lady pits I quit the product.

After the Trader’s Joe’s rash experience I gave up on deodorant.  I stopped wearing it all together.  I found myself warning people that I might smell and I think the Chef may have actually gotten into my stank.  Marriage is really weird.  A couple moths passed and I realized that I couldn’t stand the smell of me.  So I went back to EWG, looked at all their deodorant and found that Tom’s Long-Lasting Aluminum Free Deodorant Stick has a EWG toxicity rating of 3 (out 10).  I bought it and started using it immediately.  Literally. I put some on while walking to my car.

Tom’s smells superyum.  I got the Lemongrass flavor and when I put it on I want to put it everywhere.  It smells that good.  And it also actually works.  For the most part.  If I put it on before the restaurant I am guaranteed to smell 2 hours later.  If I put it on before a nice relaxing day at home the stank never comes.  I have really liked this brand and was getting pretty used to it being my ‘deodorant’ choice.

Until now.

My pits’ peeps

A few days ago my deodorant obsession emerged during a trip to Whole Foods.  A giant NEW sign was screaming out to me: “Look at me lady, I’m a new deodorant you can try &…I AM A SPRAY!!!!!” I succumbed to the marketing genius behind that cardboard sign and caved.  My new Avalon Organics Deodorant Spray was going home with me.  I am proud to say I have bee odor free since that day, three days ago.  I have worked, I went running, I did yoga, and the Chef & I even had a date night wink wink.  No more smelly mcsmellerson.  And the toxicity rating is only a three, higher than the crystal, the same as Tom’s but way the hell lower than my old all time favorite REAL deodorant/antiperspirant Degree, who’s rating is 6.

This is day 3 of smelling like lavender and I must say I am quite pleased.  I just hope this relationships lasts forever.

Soon summer will be a distant memory and snow will fill our lives…

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