About me

I lived in Manhattan right out of college, pursuing a life upon the stage. (If you know what that phrase is from, you and I are probably friends in waiting) I had a wonderful 4 years chasing my dream and my favorite city. I left New York for fashion school in Los Angeles and have worked for a fashion company for 8 years. I have lived in LA longer than I lived in New York or Omaha, NE (my hometown), yet I identify with both those cities more. Go figure. I have a wonderful husband and a darling little boy who is the center of our world.

I started this after I decided to stay home with sweet T. I love being a mama but I have found it challenging to remain pretty, let alone self-tanned and poised. This blog is dedicated to little luxuries that keep me feminine while being a wife and mama. Sometimes the little things lead us to the big moments or create a moment worth remembering. The name of my blog comes from a fantastic line from my favorite audition song, “Ice Cream” from “She Loves Me.” Something as small as a man bringing a woman ice cream changed her day and eventually her life. Dramatic, yes, but wouldn’t life be more fun if our strongest emotions were always expressed in song?

I love musical theater, the color green, running without a cell phone but always with music, pretty clothes, the smell of new books, all gymnastics, the olympics (frighteningly so), scents, my very funny family, rescue dogs, and many other things.

For the Love of Glee

Posted by

3

Years ago, I took a brief detour away from beloved Karen Kane for a job that turned out to be nothing short of misery. My core beliefs clashed with office policies and I could not adapt to certain things that made me uncomfortable. It grew to the point of me being incapable to make a decision. I am not kidding when I say that my refuge, aside from my husband, was television. In particular, Beverly Hills 90210 reruns. Television gets a bad rap. There are articles written about how it rots brains, etc. Have you ever thought that if you saw a live, staged episode of your favorite tv show, it would be called a play? Munch on that one for a moment….Television was therapy for me those LONG 6 months.
In 2009 a television show came on the scene that changed what we expected from a series and introduced a nation to what a select few of us already knew was fabulous: show choir/swing choir/glee club. Aside from numbers being perfectly executed in a week’s time, some of what “Glee” showed was remarkably true. Social standings from the hallway never mattered in the choir room. The choir room was a refuge. I passionately loved high school and did not want to leave, but like all teens, there were tough times. I forgot the words to the National Anthem in front of the entire school. My choir friends consoled me. A girl in my grade did not like me for a month. My choir friends wrapped me in their friendships. A breakup was never that awful while practicing your favorite songs for an upcoming competition. I participated in many things during high school, but show choir was my very favorite. “Glee” made show choir cool and exposed what some of us have loved for years to many generations at one time. It brings all genres of music to us weekly, and makes school fun.

choir
My heart broke today when I read that Cory Monteith died. I loved him on “Glee.” Through his character, I recognized different boys I knew from my own days. He had such a sweetness to him. Because everything now revolves around my child, I mourn for his mother and wonder if she is thinking about her child as a baby. My own mother wondered if it would impact teenagers to stay away from drugs. I think not, but I think it can inspire us as parents to work harder, to be more present, to be enough. I heard that somewhere, to be enough, and it stuck with me. Please let me be enough of a disciplinarian to keep him safe. Please let me inspire him enough to help him find his own passion. Please let me show him enough of my love so he always knows his self- worth.

choir2

At the end of the school year, there was a song that was always sung and it was really in honor of the members who were graduating. It has been running through my mind as I think of the artist lost. It wasn’t a good bye as much as it was passing on to another phase of life. Rest in Peace Cory and let the river run.

“Let The River Run”
We’re coming to the edge,
Running on the water,
Coming through the fog,
Your sons and daughters.

Let the river run,
Let all the dreamers
Wake the nation.
Come, the New Jerusalem.

Silver cities rise,
The morning lights
The streets that meet them,
And sirens call them on
With a song.

It’s asking for the taking.
Trembling, shaking.
Oh, my heart is aching.

We’re coming to the edge,
Running on the water,
Coming through the fog,
Your sons and daughters.

We the great and small
Stand on a star
And blaze a trail of desire
Through the dark’ning dawn.

It’s asking for the taking.
Come run with me now,
The sky is the color of blue
You’ve never even seen
In the eyes of your lover.

Oh, my heart is aching.
We’re coming to the edge,
Running on the water,
Coming through the fog,
Your sons and daughters.

It’s asking for the taking.
Trembling, shaking.
Oh, my heart is aching.

We’re coming to the edge,
Running on the water,
Coming through the fog,
Your sons and daughters.

Let the river run,
Let all the dreamers
Wake the nation.
Come, the New Jerusalem.

choir3

Workin’ On My Fitness (quote by Fergie)

Posted by

0

I recently decided to take my fitness to the next level.  And by that I really mean that I would like to reduce the circumference of my thighs before my husband’s high school reunion pool party.  I think of myself as a relatively fit person.  I run, hike, and participate in Pilates classes, AND I was once a competitive gymnast.  Yes, it was over 20 years ago, but I strongly believe in muscle memory, and I am quite certain I could still do a back handspring if pressed.  I’m not interested if you have a differing opinion, by the way….  Anyhow, the tiny one isn’t always interested in a long walk, so I ordered 2 videos off of Amazon.  This was new for me.  I figured I could do them while he napped.  I ordered Jillian Michael’s “6 Week 6 Pack” and Insanity “Fast and Furious”, the 24 minute workout.  My reasoning was that I want to be friends with Jillian because I like her energy and this was a way to bond with her, and for Insanity, my friend wet her pants shortly into the video—it was that difficult.  Normally I would not try something that induces someone to wet their pants, but I took it as a positive in this situation, and I want smaller thighs desperately.

I convinced my husband to do the Insanity video with me.  He agreed on the condition that we close all the shades so no one could see us doing it.  5 minutes into the video, I could barely breathe and I kind of hated Shawn (the instructor).  10 minutes into the video and I would have quit if Pat wasn’t there to see me quit.  15 minutes into it I no longer cared if I was doing the moves correctly and was randomly shooting limbs in different directions, hoping that I was somewhat close.  Shawn was cheering me on and I was certain he was secretly mocking me.  Shortly after that, Shawn instructed us to “Jack those Jacks”, I felt something pop in my ankle.  Shawn had no mercy for me.  I finished up the video without jumping and felt extremely proud of myself, and wished I had a video of my performance.  While it nearly killed me, it is an excellent workout in a short 24 minutes that I WILL conquer….after my ankle heals.

Afraid of Flying With a Baby? Go Southwest.

Posted by

1

flight

The tiny one and I have taken 2 roundtrips together.  We have flown Southwest both times.  The first flight was fairly dreamy.  I carried the small bundle of love inside a Moby wrap.  The bestie flew with me on the outbound flight because I was scared to fly alone.  We had an entire row to ourselves and Teeny only cried when people eyeballed our middle seat.  He was cute and sleepy the rest of the time.  On the way home, it was the same.  The first leg of the flight was so empty that most people had their own row.  A woman across the aisle said she was moved by the way I looked at him.  The biggest challenge I had was convincing the person in front of me that the gaseous, adult-like noises were not coming from me, but a 3 month old infant.  That particular plane did not have a changing table in the bathroom.  I thought that was rough.  Little did I know….

We flew again when he was 5.5 months.  I was not nearly as nervous.  I felt I knew his behavior.  I was a little worried about missing his afternoon nap, but he slept almost the entire time on the previous flight, so I assumed he would again.  The first leg was challenging, but doable.  We again flew Southwest and again no one wanted the middle seat.  He fussed, but we walked the aisles and it was ok.  He fell asleep 20 minutes before we landed.  We sprinted for our gate and all hell broke loose.  He was a complete and total mess for the next 1 and a half hours.  I would like to say that when people boarded after us they saw a woman with large blue eyes and youthfully tousled hair, discreetly nursing a baby with just a hint of womanly cleavage showing.  In all actuality, I had a crazed look in my eye with hair that could have housed beavers, and I would have offered my fully exposed teats to anyone who could make this baby stop screaming.  He would not stop.  He missed his nap.  I took his clothes off because he’s a little nudie.  I sang to him.  I offered him a bottle.  I walked the aisles with him and apologized to passengers.  He.Would.Not.Stop.Screaming.  The ‘dude’ (you fake hipster) in front of me kept turning and looking at me, and it certainly was not because he was interested in my still exposed breasts.  I finally yelled that there was nothing I could do to make him stop crying.  He did not turn around even once more.  The kind, princess-of-the-air flight attendant came over when we had to buckle up and offered to walk with him.  I burst into tears and sobbed the rest of the flight.  She assured me over and over again that it was ok.  She walked with my screaming mess and appeared to like him.  I am certain she was the only one on the flight who did.  She was an angel at that moment.  The way back was not nearly as traumatic.  The amazing, fabulous, professional flight attendants let us take our car seat on the flight, which helped immensely, and told me that mothers drink for free on their flight.  I am flying back in a few weeks (with reinforcements) and I had no problem paying an extra $40 to fly Southwest*.  Southwest, you are amazing and are a luxury for terrified mothers.  I am yours….for life.

*I apologize in advance for any non-parents on my flight.

Best Mascaras

Posted by

1

Have you ever noticed that when you are within a group of women who do not know each other well, if there is a lull in the conversation, a compliment is shot out?  It is usually over clothing or makeup, because what else is there to compliment when you do not know what another woman is about?  If it goes the makeup route, it is usually eye lashes, sometimes lip color.  I don’t know why we are so obsessed with proper and thick lashes, but we are.  It is a tad creepy if you think about it.  They are short, odd hairs sticking out of a skin flap.  Yet, we spend money to make them prominent.  I have found myself in many awkward conversations in my life; a couple regarding eye lashes.

  • I was part of a big meeting outside of my regular department where many of the employees were meeting the owner for the first time.  During a social lunch, there was an uncomfortable silence.  There were roughly 12 people there who were competent adults, and still I panicked and decided to pick up the conversation.  I started babbling about my last trip to Sephora, and how placing product at the register for impulse purchases was brilliant.  (I should have left it at that as it was a sound statement relevant to the business.)  I continued to talk about how I fell for the strategy and recently had bought mascara based on its name and its location at the register.  I have now told the owner of the company on two separate occasions that I am incapable of controlling myself while shopping.  I have been diagnosed with diarrhea of the mouth with a mild case of melodrama.  (I can and do control my purchases as needed, just not my need to fix an uncomfortable situation.)
  • I joined a group of women with young children and we went out for movie night.  We stopped at Nordstrom for the amazing Laura Mercier promotion and chatted while waiting for help.  One of my new friends asked what kind of mascara I wore because she needed help.  I asked why she needed help and she said, “Oh Asians have horrible eye lashes.”  I had no clue how to respond.  I innately like to make things better and did not know how to here, so I proceeded to get into her personal space and examine them in hopes she would elaborate.  Nope.

I have 2 mascaras that I love.  I have deduced over the years that I have greasy eye lashes because most mascara ends up under my eyes, but these do not.  One of them is the impulse register purchase, so perhaps it is a good ending after all.  One is high end, one is low end.  Neither of these have ever irritated my eyes.  Enjoy my make up free “before” pictures.

eye2

Covergirl LashBlast Volume Mascara, $6.94 on www.target.com

cg_lashblast_volume_mascara_1

covergirl eye

It stays all day and thickens the lash line.  It says it is smudge proof, and it is on me.  I have used several of their mascaras and they are the best for drugstore brands.  It is the only brand that does not flake off under my eyes.

Benefit They’re Real Mascara, $23 on www.sephora.com

benefit

benefit after

The finished look is very similar to the Covergirl, but it lengthens the lashes more than Covergirl.  This goes on incredibly easy and does not budge.  The downside to this one, however, is getting it off.  It does not come off with eye makeup remover (easily) or soap and water.  I discovered, off chance, that baby shampoo removes it pretty easily.

Here are both together.  The Benefit mascara is on the left, and the Covergirl is on the right.  You can be the final judge!

eyes w mas

Rest Assured, The Toilet Is Clean

Posted by

1

If you have a planned visit to my home, rest assured that you will have an extremely clean toilet to sit on, should the need arise.  I always clean toilets before anyone comes over.  It’s my thing.  There is a difference between messy and clean.  I sometimes fail the messy part, but I never fail the clean.  Dirty base boards and a dirty kitchen sink bother me, a lot.  I keep my dogs’ hair shorter than I would prefer because it means my hardwood floors are cleaner.  I would much rather walk down the street nude than go to bed without cleaning up after guests.  I think one of my mother’s proudest facts about her children is that we all are this way.  Some of us, ahem David, hire it out, but we are all fastidious.  There are moments in life that have stuck out for me regarding my need for cleanliness.

  1. Patrick and I took a fabulous trip throughout France, concentrating in Paris.  I was appalled that Notre Dame and other religious, historical houses of worship were not dusted regularly.  How can you invite tourists in and allow them to see mounds of dust collecting EVERYWHERE?  Patrick asked me how I supposed they would clean regularly.  I did not have an answer, but is it not embarrassing for the tourist board?
  2. I shared an apartment with my beloved C and another lovely girl, and I was the bath tub cleaner.  I was also the only one who sat in the bath tub.  C came home and found our roommate bathing her python in the bath tub.  C assured her I should not know about this and she should scour the bath tub after the python exited.  Thank the Lord I did not know about this until much, much later.
  3. A selling point in the ad for my first apartment in NYC (34th and 9th) was that it had a dishwasher.  When we looked at the apartment, it was filthy.  There were animal excretions on the carpet and the dishwasher had standing water and dead insects (the worst kind) inside.  The landlord assured us this would all be fixed by the time we moved in.  I came from renting apartments in Texas, so I believed him.  Nothing had changed when we moved in.  I referenced the selling point of the ad being the dishwasher and he said that I still had one; it just didn’t work.  I sat on the curb and rocked myself while sobbing.

One of my very favorite go to products for quick cleaning is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Oil soap.

Dr. Brommer's Peppermint Oil Soap

It comes in a huge bottle and I squirt 1 big squirt in a spray bottle, mix it with water, and use it for a million things.  I clean my counter tops multiple times a day, clean T’s high chair, wipe up spills off the floor, clean the living room table, and my base boards!  It leaves zero residue, but a fantastic minty clean smell.  It is my most favorite cleaning product.  A big bottle lasts 2 years.  They make several scents, and while reading about the company, I learned that many of the ingredients are certified organic and the company fully supports fair trade.  I love that you can use it to clean your home and your body.  They have an unscented version that I plan to try with the tiny one the next time we need soap for him.  They have a fantastic website I recommend checking out as there are many products and interesting articles to read.  www.drbronner.com.  Would it be presumptuous to email this to “whom it may concern” at Notre Dame?

When the Day Fails You, You Can Still Smell Good

Posted by

1

This was my day yesterday. I woke up feeling thin. I put on my favorite pink skinny cords with a plunging white tee and my Parisian scarf. I felt good. The tiny one and I headed to an open play class at his gym and, luck of all luck, his daddy met us there!teddy balls

I made a friend at class and told her I had never been happier in life. I swear I could hear music backing up my perfect day. We got into the car and the tiny one started softly crying. I sang “Who Built the Ark” over and over as it tends to keep him calm. (The storm clouds were forming.) We arrived home and the crying turns to wailing. We entered the house and it smelled funky—time to change the diaper pail? I walked into our tons-of-time-and-money spent nursery to see a room that had been s**t bombed. (I apologize for the language, but it really is the only apt description.) Everywhere.

szurpicki-nursery-2-walls

 My long pile rug and my mother’s quilt were covered in canine diarrhea, AND my child was sounding like an abused child at this point. I stood in the room and screamed.
Needless to say, I was brought back down to earth and the music stopped playing in my head. I had a half glass of wine at 2:00 in the afternoon after dragging the quilt and rug outside to clean. At the end of the day, feeling putrid, I sprayed on my perfume to try and feel like the woman who started the day off perfect. Burberry London never fails me. I get excited every time I approach the bottle to spray. I bought it the first time on accident. I went to buy the Burberry scent my friend introduced me to, and bought the wrong one. It was a fantastic mistake.

burberry london

Burberry London is not an easy going scent. It is not a hipster or new scent. It is a rich, primal, and feminine scent. Like a day that encompasses a variety of engagements, it covers all scent arenas. There are layers of florals, citrus, and musk in the scent. If it were a color, it would be a deep plum. It is not a scent that you wear to work, or give to a young girl as her first scent. It is the scent a young girl watches her mother spray while getting ready for an evening out, or a scent an exhausted mother sprays at the end of the day to recapture a little magic.

Cooper, Meet Lester the Molester

Posted by

0

004

I grew up in Omaha, NE and attended college at Texas Christian University.  I thought I was street smart when I moved to NYC because I was an adult.  In Omaha, the streets were so tough that my biggest feud was with the rival high school’s show choir that won contests playing the fiddle to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.  We had one guy in our grade who was Creepy McHandy, but all the girls knew to never share a table in class with him, and that was that.  When I was at TCU, someone tried to break into our house and my response was to play dead.  This was my background that prepared me for NYC.  My parents were a wreck.

I worked at a racketball/personal training gym when I moved to Manhattan because I could do laundry there for free.  One of the personal trainers asked me if he could show me around the city.  I accepted.  My roommate asked me if it was a date.  I said no.  We worked together (I had watched a lot of Melrose), he was 40, and I was 22.  Clearly he would not ask someone that much younger out.  She asked me if he knew it was a not a date.  It went without saying right?  Nope.  My first clue should have been when he became annoyed when some guy talked to me while I waited in line for the bathroom.  Over dinner, he told me about his rescue cat.  I love all animals, particularly ones that have come from hard times.  He asked me if I wanted to go see his cat.  Smarty pants said yes.  We walked into his apartment and he immediately put the moves on me.  I pushed him off and asked where the cat was.  He showed me and I started to pet it.  (Seriously says older me???)  He then tried again.  I told him we worked together and this was not going to happen.  I reference this story with humor because God’s hand was on me that night in that it was only an awkward, and not dangerous, situation.  We did not socialize after that night and I had learned a big lesson.

I often think about situations I have put myself in when animals were involved.  I don’t regret them.  Today, two of my greatest joys in life are my rescue dogs.  My big guy, Cooper, and I have a soul connection.  I have never felt safer in my house, or out walking alone since Cooper joined our family.  Rescue dogs have an innate appreciation for life, and I believe they are more affectionate because of their past.  Cooper had some aggression when we got him.  He tried to bite me when he thought I was taking a treat away on our way home with him. He also stalked all visitors who came over.  We got a trainer, were consistent with him, and today he is the best dog who trusts humans.  He guarded baby T from danger when we brought him home, and goes from room to room with me all day.  He is a gentle giant who would have become a raging giant had he been with me the night I “went to see a cat”.  There are so many wonderful animals in rescue groups or humane societies waiting for you to bring them home.  Every day my day is better because of sweet Cooper and wild Ernie Bob.  If you cannot adopt, support or volunteer, if you are able.

FIND YOUR THEME SONG

Posted by

0

“Hey big girl, make ‘em back it up.  Make ‘em back it up.  Wobble baby wobble baby wobble baby wobble.”  From the prophetic words of V.I.C., I was deeply inspired.  I had a few thoughts while running it out on the treadmill.  1. Was I too old to be in a music video?  2. If I were to audition, would I qualify to play the big girl?  I deeply wanted the lead….  3. Wow.  There is a serious jazz funeral influence on this song, and I want to know more about jazz funerals.

Itunes has changed the way we live.  You can pick and choose the songs you want and create your own albums from home.  Brilliant.  For a mere $1.29, you can have any song you want.  I find that I do my very best thinking when I hit the pavement or treadmill.  Any time I need to have a serious creative session or mood boost, I grab my headphones and take off.  I genuinely survived the ivf process with a pair of hot pink running shoes and head phones.  I end up drawn to 1 song and listen to it over and over while I work out solutions or ideas in my head.  This blog was created listening to “Wobble” and my husband’s innovative thinking.  This morning while T napped, I came up with several possibilities for creative outlets and projects for myself.  Most of the time these ideas are too over-the-top for my day to day life, but they provide fun thinking time and I always exercise longer than planned.   Give yourself some ‘me’ time and get your juices flowing.  Here is what was on my playlist today.

“LA Song” by Beth Hart.  I decided I needed to learn this song for any future karaoke time.  I had some good arm movements to accentuate key phrases.

“Closer” by Tegan and Sara.  Fantastic beats for models walking in a fashion show.

“Love Somebody” by Maroon 5.  Adam Levine keeps me on the treadmill.

“Wobble” by V.I.C.  I actually got an extra workout as I had to get off the treadmill to do my best wobble dance when this was on.  Go abs.

Teenage Boys and Musicals

Posted by

1

I grew up with adults always asking me to sing for them.  This was great for my self-confidence, but not so much for my cool factor.  My husband and I went out, briefly, in 9th grade.  I was really excited about this because he was popular and thought it could help me out.  I invited him over one day after school while my parents were gone.  Like any normal teenage boy, he thought this could be a promising moment to fool around.  Like any focused, future artist, I thought it would be a great moment to sing for him.  He sat down in my tv room and I put on my Andrew Lloyd Webber cd and sang ALONG with Sarah Brightman to “Phantom of the Opera.”  I thought it went pretty well.  We broke up a couple weeks after that.  After we reconnected 10 years later, he told me it was one of the most uncomfortable moments of his life.  Apparently my son shares his view point because he started crying when I sang the high note of “I Had Myself a True Love” recently.  What do they know?

My favorite entertainment in life is musical theater.  It brings people closer.  One of my dearest friends became so after we bonded over our love for “Rent.”  It is not only a little luxury, but a necessity in my life.  Here are “musts” for any newbies to the art form.  I’m only listing shows that are on dvd, but support live art over a recording when possible.  There is always a deal to be found for the ticket.   Most of you reading this have children.   Little kids love musical theater.  Skip the weird new kid shows and pop one of these in.  You can even consider it educational and feel good about your parenting.

Adult Fairy Tales: “Into the Woods” (my very favorite)

Feel Good and an upgrade from Grease: “Bye Bye Birdie”.   Ann Margaret is to die for in the movie.

Swagger: “Guys and Dolls”.  Come on, Frank Sinatra is in this.

True American Nostalgia: “Oklahoma”.  I met Shirley Jones through my husband’s uncle and it was one of the best moments of my life and I had nothing remarkable to say.  I’ve seen her again and in true fan form, I avoid her but stare intensely from afar.

This is the New York I know: “Rent”.  The movie version is a far cry from the stage, but the music is still inspiring.

Probably the Most Beautiful Musical Score: “Camelot”.

Always a Winner with Kids: “The Sound of Music” and “Oliver”.  Oliver was the first musical I ever saw (at Scottsbluff High School) and it was so moving that I begged my mom for days to adopt an orphan.  I was 4.

Sexy and a Motivational Tool to Start Working Out: “Chicago”.

Great Dance and My Dad’s Favorite:  ”Westside Story”