Congrats to AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH!!

Mum & Lily On The Ice Couch

Just wanted to say a quick congrats to Al Gore for his Oscar win for AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. I'm sure the Bush White House still thinks it should have won in the comedy category rather than documentary.

In the spirit of global warming, Lily and mum took a much needed break from skiing on this lovely ice couch. You know, I've been trying to get my mum 'on the couch' for years...this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I'm sure my father would say she's not only cold hearted now!

I hope the ice couch made up for all the energy used to operate the ski lifts and power the artificial snow making devices.....my bad.

Skiing With Small Children

Lily's First Time On Skis!

One of the cutest things ever is seeing children under five skiing. With no poles and their arms stretched out into the wind as if trying to catch it they're ever so adorable.

Over the winter break, mum and I took Lily skiing for the first time. We all had a great time. After a one hour lesson Lily was ready for the bunny slopes. We put on her harness and I snow plowed behind her as she dragged me down the slopes for hours. I felt like I was in the Iditarod.

The only truly unenjoyable part was gathering up all the gear and trying to coordinate it all and get us up on the mountain. Between all the scarves, hats, mittens, skiis and boots it's like Chinese Water torture. You've got all your gear on so that your arms are free to help them so you're sweating like a bastard before you even start moving. But it's still worth it!

The Year Of The Boar

Yesterday, February 18th, we went into Manhattan for the annual Chinese New Year Parade. We braved the artic temps and the M train (M standing for Maybe, maybe one will come in another hour) and I'm happy to report it was all worth it. The frigid air temperature kept the normal street stench of Chinatown at a bearable level. Normally, the aroma of rotting fish, urine and plastic-y, bad Gucci knock offs overwhelms one. Actually, the knock offs are getting so identifiable they should just be renamed Hoochi.

Lily was completely enthralled with all the dancing dragons and the multi colored streamers. They provided a welcome splash of color in an otherwise dreary February day. We became entranced by the constant beating of the new years drum and followed its winding path down the crowded city streets like the pied piper. The sun poked it's head out for a few hours so we didn't lose complete feeling in our extremities but nevertheless we were thrilled when the lunch hour hit.

Being as it was new years, mum was anxious to buy some fortune cookies. Why is this woman still looking to stale cookies for advice? How dysfunctional is she?!

Chinese New Year is a lot of fun for children. In most western cultures new years is celebrated at night and with a lot of alcohol....at least that's been my experience...unfortunately I didn't see any in Chinatown....however the Chinese celebrations are much more family oriented. The children collect little red envelopes with dollar bills in them for good luck and feed them to the dragons. Maybe they celebrate at night too with wild parties but their daytime celebrations are much more exciting than the Tournament Of Roses Parade.

It's the year of the boar - the wild pig not the Queen of England. Apparently, this lucky Chinese zodiac symbol only comes around every 60 years so this year is going to be a lucky one. So go out and make sure you buy a lottery ticket tonight. Maybe the year of the boar will be the one in which we conceive a sibling for Lily. I hope it is. Let's just hope the M train doesn't jinx me. Maybe we'll get pregnant. I'm going to make sure I ride the F train again and soon. On that note, I'm going to stay away from the Q train. Am I pregnant? Que???

Cupcakes For My Cupcake

Today, in the northeast, we were snowed in for Valentines. Oh well, doesn't matter, just another over rated, Hallmark induced holiday. I remember when we were growing up that Valentines was a somewhat negligible holiday mostly celebrated by kids with handmade cards and by a few horny, single people.

Luckily, school was not cancelled so Lily still got to experience her Valentines Pre-K Pajama Party.

We had our annual cupcake decorating party this afternoon at the house. Needless to say, the weather kept most of the guests away. In total we only had 2 but we had a lot of fun with them. I have a large assortment of sprinkles (from Halloween bats to Batchlorette party tiny pink penises - I quickly removed them before the other mothers saw) and decorative baking sugars for them to choose from so we stepped back as the kids got all Van Gogh on the cupcakes. It was great.

They loaded up the cakes with frosting so thick they rivaled the brush strokes in "Starry Night"...fortunately, no ears were severed. They truly created little works of art that were a joy to look at and devour. It's amazing how much joy kids derive from the simplest, cheapest activities. Now I have to figure out a way to make cleaning fun.

My husband actually remembered to get me chocolate with nuts this year!!!!!!!! I am so thrilled. This is a major milestone people. He actually heard me! I bought him a great bottle of red wine - his favorite - and made him a delicious Italian meal. Lily decorated a cupcake for him with dinosaur sprinkles.....he was delighted. All in all, this was the best Valentines ever.

A Valentines Nut Cruncher

“Balentines Day.” That’s how our 4 year old pronounces it. I think Balentines is going to be a bust for me again this year….for the 13th year in a row. Every year I ask my husband for nut clusters or some type of chocolate with nuts, a Snickers bar would do just fine…….but nooooooooo he never listens. He never gives me what I ask for. It’s enough to make me want to bust his nuts.

You know Valentines used to be one of my favorite over-rated holidays until I met my husband. Now it's just an annual reminder of how low I rate on his (supposedly huge....or at least I say it is to make him feel better) totem pole of affection.

He just gets me the first thing he sees on the shelf…whatever is easiest and requires the least amount of effort/thought. I asked him tonight, on the eve of Valentines, if he got me some type of chocolate with nuts and again he lamely replied, “They didn’t have any.” I don’t know exactly who he is referring to when he says ‘they’ but I think he means the entire free world.

Yet tonight, despite the fact that I work from home and take care of our daughter at the same time and have to travel all over the country just to make a living, I still managed to put a delicious, hot meal on the table. I still remembered to make him a cup of tea when I made mine. Actually, it’s not that I ‘have’ to remember it just comes automatically. I always think of him…..but he never thinks of me. And he thinks he’s getting laid tomorrow??…..I’m sorry, “They aren’t getting any.”

Looks like I’m going to have to raid Lily’s knapsack for Valentine treats again this year. I’ve been reduced to stealing sweets from the sweetest person in my life.

Happy Balentines Day. Ain't it depressing?! Forget the nuts bring on the chocolate covered Prozac and the Zoloft champagne floats.

A Not So Good In Door Actity For Cold Winter Days

It's been severely cold for weeks here in the northeast and I've been desperate for good indoor activities for Lily. We went with our friends Liz and Hunter to the NYPD Museum in the city last week. I think it's better for kids who are 8 or older as I never thought I'd hear myself saying to a couple of 4 year olds: "Look at the lovely hand grenades"; or "those machetes were confiscated". Very strange. If it wasn't for the do-it-yourself-siren exhibit it would have been a complete waste of time.

Please post some ideas for indoor fun as I'm running out of them or suggestions for things to see in your city this winter.

Funny Mom on Sirius Satellite Radio Wednesday, 2/07/07

If you've got Sirius Satellite Radio check me out on THE JUDITH REGAN SHOW: UNSWAYED AT ANY SPEED today, 2/07/07, on Channel 102 - The Stars Channel. Here are the show times: 11 am, 1 pm, 6 pm, 8 pm & 10 pm ET

Spank The Monkey Not Your Kids

I just found out...now bear with me as I'm the mother of a 4 year old so news is something I'm always behind on...that California Assemblywoman Sally Lieber announced Jan. 17 that she planned to introduce a bill making spanking a crime. When did a slap on the bum become child abuse?

It seems that everyone has lost their sense of proportion in this world. Does the childless Sally Lieber actually think that criminalizing parental discipline will reduce child abuse?! Yes, the honorable Assemblywoman is not a parent....but she does have a cat named Scoop. Whom her veterinarian advised her not to slap. "And if you never hit a cat," she's been quoted, "you should never hit a kid." She's obviously an expert on the subject.

Now believe me, read this carefully before you go shouting at me in the comments section, I AM NOT A PROPONENT OF SMACKING OR HITTING OF ANY KIND. I HAVE ONLY HIT LILY ONCE. I not only don't believe in hitting children as a form of punishment but I believe it degrades the parent even more. WHAT YOU DO IS YOUR BUSINESS BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT NOR THE DEATH PENALTY...ON THESE TWO I SHALL NEVER BE SWAYED. I reserve smacking for the most extreme of circumstances....like when Lily ran into our busy, Brooklyn street last summer, without even looking for cars. I lost my mind for about 5 minutes and shouted at her and smacked her bum and gave her a time out.

My family is both Catholic and Jewish. That means I bring my lawyer to Confession. I prefer time outs. I wish the nuns at my Catholic School had felt the same way when I was growing up. You know nuns...none of this none of that. I swear I've seen more of those lesbians smacking young girls bums in Catholic School than I've ever seen even in the best of pornos. I remember that 10th grade was hotter than any Russ Meyer film I've ever seen. It was all that great Catholic discipline doled out by the nuns that made me into the Jew that I am today.

Nevertheless, this Assemblywoman's fight to criminalize smacking is just more over-reaching on the part of our government into our personal lives....or Ms. Lieber is just grandstanding to get some publicity. She should just marry Kevin Federline if she's that attention starved. Then she'll believe in smacking. I happen to believe that most people possess enough common sense on this issue not to physically harm nor abuse their children when they discipline them.

Now go ahead....scream in defense of nuns in the comments section.

FUNNY MOM Got A Mention In The NEW YORK TIMES!!

Hey everyone I was mentioned in the NEW YORK TIMES and I didn't even have to kill anybody! Please check out this link if you have a moment it's a really interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/fashion/01girls.html?_r=2&ref=style&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

This FUNNY MOM blog for iVillage caught the attention of the NEW YORK TIMES. Pinch me, I still can't believe it's true. I was interviewed for the article "And For My Princess, A Pedicure". Here's the quote:

Sherry Davey, who has a daughter, Lily, 4, and a blog called Funny Mom on iVillage.com, said she has developed what she calls a “mommy callus,” which makes her more immune than most to tween riots. And yet.

“It’s like an invasion,” said Ms. Davey, recalling with a laugh a group of 8-year-old girls who walked in while she was having her own biweekly manicure in a Brooklyn salon. “It’s adult private time. You kind of want to chill out.”

Not so funny, but to be recognized by the Times made my day. Thank you to Stephanie Rosenbloom, the writer, for taking the time to contact, interview me and include me in her wonderful article. I'm reallly thrilled.