You were a good year!

My last day of being 37 is today. That means I have 730 days left before I’m 40. I find myself reflecting on the years when I thought 40 was ‘forever’ away. And now, I can see it. It’ll be here before I know it.

Who said that 40 is the new 30? I love that person.

I graduated from high school in 1986 and I thought the year 2000 was an eternity away. Now in the year 2007, it seems like high school was just yesterday and sometimes I act like I’m still in high school. Why not? I’m almost 40, I can do whatever I want right?

Argh! Happy Birthday to me.

Every now and then we have a defining moment in our lives. As a mom of older kids, those moments come few and far between. Teenagers don’t usually provide you with moments that make you feel good about being a parent.

But mine did.

The other day I was picking up my 15 year old daughter from school. She had been in a good mood recently, and particularly on this day I saw a spring in her step. I mentioned it to her. I said “Honey, it seems like things are going really good for you, you seem really happy.” Her response, “Ya, I’m finally comfortable in my own skin.” I was floored!

I’m not even comfortable in my own skin, but for her to say that to me…it brought tears to me eyes. In the land we live in full of material things and airbrushed models, for her to say that to me made my year.

Did I have anything to do with it? I like to think so, but who knows. Regardless, the comment will never be forgotten.

It was a good mom day.

I’m sitting here watching American Idol and they have digitized an image of Elvis and he is singing a duet with Celine Dion. Okay, why?

This is just too weird. I mean Celine is powerful enough, why did they have to bring the ‘King’ back from the dead? It’s super creepy.

I wonder if the studio audience can see him?

Rosie announced today that she did not renew her contract to continue to host the View. After June, she’s out. She said that she would come on to do guest co-host spots or specials on depression.

I wasn’t a fan and I have to say I am glad she’s leaving. Ever since she joined the View the show turned into somewhat of a circus act. When I would watch, it was more to just see what she was going to say or do next. Who was she going to piss off today?

The banter between her, Joy and Elisabeth lost its value to me because they argued too much. Rather than get any points across, it was just like…oh here we go again.

So will the View ever be the same? That’d be a hell no. I don’t know if they’ll be able to get the show back to what it was before Rosie left her mark. As annoying as she was, she did bring in the ratings.

Side note: Did you ever notice that every time she walks out at the opening of the show, she has her arms out and looks surprised? The other ladies smile and/or wave to the audience while Rosie just looks like she didn’t know anyone was going to be there.

Like I said, I’m not a fan, so I’m glad she’s leaving.

I discovered a new scent that I absolutely adore at Victoria Secret. They have these body lotions that come in all different flavors scents ie: Appletini, Passion Fruit, Strawberry Fizz, etc. IMO the best one is called Grapesicle. Now the scent is nostalgic to me because when I was growing up (in the 80’s) my favorite gum was grape Bubble Yum…and now it’s a lotion. This smells so good and lasts all day. Next time you are in Victoria Secret, test it out. I’m sure you’ll agree that it is just delicious.

Take the time during the day to treat yourself to something nice. It only takes 20 seconds to apply lotion, but you get the benefit all day.

On my recent trip to the big apple I treated myself to a visit to the Coach Store on Madison Avenue. While I was in there I got to smell the new Coach perfume. OMG, it smells so good. It has a light floral scent with a hint of vanilla.

I bought a purse spray and I adore it. It is so chic and is covered with all my favorite C’s.

This is something I would recommend putting on your wish list for Mother’s Day or a Birthday.

It’s really a great buy.

My favorite flat iron by far is the Chi. It works so fast and so well, I love it. Even in humidity, my hair survives. I wasn’t thrilled with the Chi curling iron, but the flat iron is a must have. It heats up within seconds and feels so smooth when your pulling it through your hair.

You can find this at most high end beauty supply shops. It runs about $150 bucks, but well worth it. I’ve had mine for about three years and it is still working great.

I never really liked wine until about four years ago. A friend forced me to have it with a steak we ordered for dinner. I’ve never looked back. : ) Over the years, tasting wine is something I look forward to. I’m not a drunk, don’t worry, but I do enjoy the first sip of a good red wine. Pino Noir if available. The movie Sideways steered me away from Merlot.

I discovered a fantastic wine that is cheap and very smooth. It’s a great wine to keep your cabinets stocked with when company drops by, or after a rough day. The best part is that you can even find this wine at Target. This Yellow Tail Shiraz is a must have at any bunko or cocktail party. Try it! You’ll agree!

My 12 year old son and I spent the weekend playing Paper Mario on our Nintendo Wii. That’d be the Wii that I slept outside Circuit City to buy for him for Christmas. So now it was all worth it. We love Mario, so it’s a win win situation. We take turns at different chapters, we battle evil monsters, we conquer chapters together, it’s so much fun.

Anyway, if you have kids going in to their teens or in their teens, I recommend, even for a day or an hour or a minute…find your inner kid and communicate somehow on neutral grounds, even if you’re not really talking, just do something you both have in common. Oh and once you find that inner kid, don’t lose it.

My son’s friend from elementary school lost his battle to cancer last week. He was 13. I’ve been thinking about this at length because I can’t comprehend it. I mean 13. It is so unfair. How was I so lucky to have two healthy children? My heart is heavy right now with thoughts of him and his family.

When something like this happens, you tend to pull your children closer. I look at my son with a bit more appreciation now. They are really precious and even though they get older, they are still your kids.

The service for this boy had about 500 people in attendance. The reaction of our community to this tragedy was very uplifting as we all celebrated his life together. This was the only funeral ceremony I’d ever been to where they asked everyone to applaud loud enough so that he could hear us. The applaud soon turned into a standing ovation. Hearing all this noise in honor of this child was amazing. I thought it was a fantastic idea and it felt good for us to have an opportunity to show how we felt.

Thank God everyday for your children.