What Ana Does

Another trip around the sun and I'm ready!  My 40s ruled! My kids grew up. We moved back to the east coast. We lived in friggin PARIS. I made a career change. We adopted our adorable dogs, including my best friend Pepper. We killed it  So yes, I'm ready for my 50s. BRING. IT. ON.  Here's 10 things about Jessica at 50: I read A LOT. And mostly romances. And I love it.  I love to travel. My days are empty unless I'm planning for our next trip.  My kids are my favorite people. How did I get so lucky to have two of the greatest young women who call me Mom? Who knows.  My hubby of 20+ year is also darn amazing. Again, not sure how I got so lucky as I am still very much in love with that guy. He's just the best.  I have to mention my bestie Pepper, too. She follows me around, jumps in my lap every chance she gets. And protects me against every and all perceived threats. Bestie.  I'm still very much an introvert who doesn't like calling offices, has a so...

This weekend we celebrated Leah's sweet 16. 16?! How?!   Had a great time. And can't even SAY how proud we are of this girl. 

I'm an utter failure when it comes to getting birthday cards in the mail. Most family birthdays, I don't even buy a card. But sometimes, as I'm strolling by the card section of Target, I may pick up a few funny/inspirational/adorable cards for some upcoming birthdays and genuinely mean to send them. In most cases, I'll even fill them out and ask the girls to sign their names, too. Then, they sit on my counter, and my To Do List, for a few weeks, but they don't get anywhere. And then, I'm embarrassed to even send them so many weeks late. Currently Waiting to Be Sent - Weeks Late I'm not sure if it's a mental block or what. It's silly. I'm pretty good at a lot of things, but this is definitely an area I need to work on. So, if you're wondering why you never get a birthday card from me, here's your answer. Related links Other Birthday related posts 

Lately I'm enthralled by the fact that one year is equal to one trip around the sun. The more I think about it, the more it makes time into a physical thing instead of something so ephemeral. Like we're going somewhere (traveling!) without giving it any thought. Even to just end up in roughly the same place as we started. But if the earth was a car, we could look out the window at the passing galaxies and cosmic landmarks, and see the same sights each year. Maybe we do and don't even realize this. (Now that I think of it, I'm sure astrologers and cosmologists definitely do.) This is all to say ... it's my birthday and my 42nd trip around the sun. And I tend to like even years over odd ones. And I have a lot of big things planned this year (the goals planning is going splendidly). And to be spending it in Paris, in our apartment, feels surreal. And it's even been sunny today with only a small chance of rain. And I went to a Mary Cassatt exhibit and wal...

I'm going to come clean about something ... I am no cake maker. I try, but I stink at it. Big time. I try to make a cake for each of my kids' birthday parties every year. And every year it's a mixed bag of results. This weekend, I made an Angel Food Cake for Leah's 11th and it came out pretty good. It's a simple cake to begin with, so tough for me to mess up. Though, I forgot some kind of (chocolate) frosting. Fortunately we had whipped cream and chocolate ice cream at the ready so this year was a win. Last year she requested whale-shaped brownies, and that was a disaster. You should also know I have an on-going feud with icing, that's were it usually goes wrong. I've never been able to get it right. In the early days, I just used store-bought but have you SEEN what's in that?! It's chemicals in a plastic cup. No bueno. But it's still the go-to when the homemade attempt turns into cement/soup. And that's 90% of the time. Each birthday...

Yup. 40. I know. I'm doing just fine with it, actually. You can't stop the flow of time, it's ridiculous to deny the years, but you CAN make the most of your days. Isn't there a poetic saying about that somewhere? Dave threw a SURPRISE birthday party for me on Friday night at my favorite restaurant. It wasn't something I would have done for myself. But I loved it. It was fun and great to chat with friends all night and eat pizza and drink wine. And not have any of the stress of planning it. Perfect. And now I know why Dave thought next weekend for Leah's party made more sense. heh. It's My Party! I love birthdays and the weekend was so fun. And the next year will be just as exciting. Besides, I always like even years better. 

This girl is now a whole decade old! Where did those 10 years go? She's bright and sassy and confident and makes the best of any situation. And it Snowed On Her Birthday! The morning of her birthday I hid her gifts and created a 10-clue scavenger hunt around the house. I did this a few years ago before she was a good reader, so we had picture clues. Much easier to write them out this time. Morning Scavenger Hunt with Alice

Alice celebrated her birth day in London, but we had the party, that officially triggered her "birthday" in her seven-year-old mind, at home this weekend. Four of her bffs were over for a Paris-themed sleepover party. We ate French fries (with le nuggets) and French bread for dinner. And I made a chocolate cake, decorated with the Eiffel Tower for dessert. Breakfast, we ate croissants, of course. (But they tasted nothing like the real thing, sadly.) They all the best time and the house wasn't that much worse for the wear. And it wasn't like a Paris-themed party was too difficult for me to pull off. I just gathered all my Eiffel Towers and Paris decor and voila! The Party Room! The Cake! Alice Helped Me With the Icing Related posts: All my "birthday" stories

This is Adam. And that's me, trying not to faint. Adam and I The night of my birthday, Dave and I went to a Guster concert in downtown Chicago with our friend Jeff, my brother Nic and his girlfriend Bobbi. Awesome people for an awesome night. Guster is a band Dave and I have been fans of since collage. And they are super-awesome live. Lots of dancing and singing to songs that we've been singing for years. Anyway... afterwards, we went across the street to a bar with karaoke. We sang, we drank. We pretended being at a bar after midnights wasn't such a unique event. THEN in walks the opener -- this strange Asian violinist. And behind him is Adam -- the guitarist from Guster. Whoa! Of course "no-rules" Jeff had no problem asking him to take a picture with me, after telling him it was my birthday and we were at the show. Here's the thing, I am a spaz when it comes to meeting artists/celebs. My head tingles and I can't control what I'm saying. A...

My big girl celebrated her ninth birthday with a small party at our house. She's so funny about her parties. For the past several years she's requested small at-home parties with a few friends instead of the big parties out at places such as jumping gyms like we did when she was little -- or that her friends are doing. She invited four pals and allowed her little sister to include two friends. We had a few games scheduled, but mostly they ran around outside on the swing set. We pulled out bubbles and jump ropes and were thankful it was a sunny, warmish Spring day. Leah Requested Brownies Instead of Cake or Cupcakes We Asked Guests to Bring Sea Animal Stuffed Toys and We Awarded Prizes to Each Then, We Played Pin the Tale on the Whale! Fun party! Related posts: More birthday successes

I love birthdays. Mine, especially. But those of my children the most, too. Today Leah turns 9. NINE! And I'm looking forward to a week-long celebration. As usual, she jumped into bed with me this morning to hear her birth story. It always starts "{insert birthday number here} years ago today ..." and I skim the details about labor and c-sections, elaborating on that moment when she entered the world, pooped on the scale (her favorite part) and we laid eyes on her for the first time. Pink as a strawberry. Her sister created a treasure map to find her gifts this morning. And we've got a special afternoon planned before play practice. Reading the Map Opening Gifts So, yes, birthdays are special.

I love birthdays and even though this year I'm on my last year before 40, I still want to celebrate and tell random strangers. That's just who I am. So, on Friday after being serenaded by the girls and working all day, it was time to head downtown Chicago for the night. My little brother and his girlfriend drove in from Minneapolis to see the show with the hubby and I.  We've been going to Guster concerts since collage and they're one of my favorite bands to see live. The venue was great and the guys played a good mix of old and new stuff. We all had a great time singing and dancing to some of our favorite songs. Dave had sent a tweet to Guster about it being my birthday and wanting to hear Parachute -- my favorite song. And I was hoping/anticipating a shout-out through the entire show. But, there was none. Still a fantastic show.  Afterwards, we went across the street for karaoke and a few more drinks. The DJ was fantastic and it was one of the best bar exp...

This weekend we finally got around to celebrating Alice's 6th birthday with a party! To save on costs, we did it at our house and she picked, no surprise, a Frozen theme. She was also very selective and decided to only three gals, as she didn't want it to get "too crazy." And Leah was allowed one friend to include at the party. We played a few games, painted a craft and ran around in princess dresses for the two-hour soiree. We had planned to screen the Frozen movie for the last bit of it, but ran out of time. As for the cake, I made a Devil's Food Chocolate Cake that turned out AWESOME, but, as usual, the chocolate icing didn't work out. It never quiet hardened, so it was more a liquid-y ganache that I poured over the cake 10 minutes before I served it. WILL I EVER FIGURE OUT ICING?!?!? The Table, Almost Ready for Friends! The Craft All Ready for Creative Kindergarteners! And Benny Hiding Under the Table A fun time was had by all,...

A few years ago I listened to the Julie Julia audiobook and was really drawn into the story and the idea of cooking French food. But, I didn't have the book (or time or inspiration). I always thought that I'd stumble upon Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a used bookstore -- stained and dog-eared. Well-loved by its last owner. But this is so much better! My birthday gift from my beautiful big sister. LOVE!

As it's Leah's GOLDEN birthday, we decided to celebrate with a BIG trip to Disney World next month. But, in the meantime, we still needed to commemorate the big day with some gal pals. So, six girls were running around my house on Sunday morning. We painted little houses, ate homemade pizza and sang silly songs around my big dining room table. The shindig was owl-themed (of course) and even included a homemade Pin-the-Beak-on-the-Owl game. We got lucky with some breaks in the rain for outdoor time. And, at the end, a big hide-and-seek game. Great fun! It all reminded me how little you really need to do to throw a good kids party. Since Leah turned 2, we've been celebrating her birthday at those big jump places or gyms, but we decided after last year she was too old for those kiddie-themed gigantic parties -- as we near the age of sleep-over parties and smaller sets of besties. Plus, they're so pricey! Sheesh. Anyway, the most important thing is Leah and her gu...

Yup it's my birthday. Today. And I love my birthday. It may be weird, especially for a gal pushing 40, but I don't really care. I believe everyone should embrace the one day they get to celebrate themselves. Go up to as many random strangers, or anyone who calls you up on the phone, and say "Hi, it's my birthday." Because, if the day you entered the world isn't a big deal -- even to yourself -- than, well, I question your feelings of self worth. You are a big deal on your big day. Birthday Selfie I was treated like a queen and got a delicious breakfast in bed. I opened some cool gifts (more on that later) and decided to work from home. Then, it's off to coach Leah's first soccer practice of the season -- which I couldn't be more excited about. And then a little dinner and a LOT of ice cream.  

This week my family celebrates three birthdays, all in a row! My baby brother Nic is turns 28 (gah!), my lovely niece Alessandra turns 4 (congrats for making it out of the 3s with some sanity, big sister!) and my baby girl is turning 5 years old. We should just all take this week off to celebrate three major arrivals. Happy Girl on Her Birthday!

At a birthday part for a friend, Alice had the need for speed! Alice the Speed Demon!  Relate posts: More more and more Alice

If you know me at all, you know I'm not shy about my birthday. I never understood the point of not telling everyone, going all modest, and dropping it into conversation a week later: "oh, it was my birthday last Friday." Silly. It's your ONE birthday! It's like having your own national holiday. Come on! A Toast to Me And it was a great day with lots of family hugs and lots of phone calls and messages. And with Leah's birthday so close to mine, I intend to continue celebrating until the end of the month. Because I'm looking at only a few more weeks of full-time work (more on that later), I decided to work all day. It was a pretty easy day (except for some morning chaos), so no big deal. When I got home, I got all dressed up for an awards banquet for David. He won an award for another project he was on (what a guy!). At first I was down on the idea of spending my birthday with his work colleagues but it turned out great! The company president announ...

My dearest, sweetest, first-est baby turns 7-years-old today! Where did the time go? Will Someone Please Tell Me Where this Little Baby Went?!  Lots planned for our big girl this year!