Do you know what happens when Lucie is your friend?

Oh, just this:

She throws you Annie-themed parties JUST to cheer you up


I was having the worst week ever and she decided to throw a party to let me know I was loved and that life would be OK and also gave me the chance to wear a wig.

(she even provided the costume for me!)

She used red T-shirts for the girls' Annie costumes:

She made and/or bought my favorite foods

Provided theme-appropriate decor

And sent everyone home with party favors

All my favorite adorable people were there:

Just when I thought she couldn't fit one more thing into her day - she goes and does this.

It was funny because it was supposed to be a surprise and I was told to be at her house at 5PM but I missed her so much I showed up an hour early and ruined my own surprise. It actually took a long time for me to accept that what I was seeing was Really for me.

Thanks Lucie!

When Lucie is Your Mom

Remember doing dioramas in school and there was always that one kid who's project blew everyone away?

Yep - that's Lucie's kid.

This scene has everything from violence to animals to drying beef jerky.

I could not take enough photos - I wish my camera was better quality!

Jacob is a really smart kid and he did do a lot of this. He also had help from his brother James and of course the Amazing Lucie.

Lucie is Resourceful Like No One Else (sorry Pioneers)

OK - you can correct me if I'm wrong - but I believe Lucie got the Girls (age 4) tap shoes and the tap outfits before they ever took a dance class. I might think that because @lisa, my LA sister, did the same thing with my niece. Or I might think that because it's true.

So this is the order in my head:
1. tap shoes
2. dance outfits
3. tap DVD
4. abandoned counter top as a dance floor

When Lucie + fam were in the middle of renovating their kitchen she held onto the old counter top for a few extra days. One night Lucie put in an instructional tap dancing DVD for the Girls (after they changed into the perfect outfits) . . .

. . .and then said, 'I knew there was a reason I kept that counter!' She ran out the door and Voila! returned with a 'dance floor.' So the Girls got to dance their heart away and make the cool tap tap tapping sound.

How Fun is Lucie?

I made a video of her family and friends all crowded in an elevator (there were 13 of us) and someone is saying, 'don't squish him' and Lucie shouts 'Squish him! Squish him!'

She's fun to be around AND she's funny (which happens to be my 2 most favorite things).

Example:
She is training for a second marathon AND has a half marathon coming up in a few days & how does she train?
When she drops her 7yr old off at a party she takes the 9 & 10 yr old with her (all boys) and instead of taking the subway home- she walks them to the West Side highway bike path and tells them to run.
So the 3 of them ran I think 35-40 blocks home (maybe 2 miles?). So she's spending time with her 3 oldest, working out and keeping her kids healthy and active.


And on a completely unrelated note - she has the skin of a 20 year old - and it's the perfect golden brown color.

OK but back to the FUN note. . .


You know you have an awesome mom when your Pine Wood Derby cars look like this




And you know your mom is Lucie when you win first prize in creativity (Wii car) and get 2nd prize for speed (Empire State Building)

Why Lucie's the Best Around (in the Karate Kid way)

I kept trying to put my finger on Why Lucie was so amazing . . . I mean there are a million reasons but there had to be ONE big one, right?

And I think this cake explains it:
Lucie's friend was having a birthday so she made a beautiful cake - mixing William Sonoma's Almond Cake mix and a Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake mix. She planned on doing 3 layers with homemade frosting (more on that later). She made the cake & set it on a cake stand & then out of nowhere without being provoked the cake fell apart.

Instead of being mad or frustrated - she thought, 'That cake looks like Cookie Monster & put paper eyes on it



Then went on with the best birthday ever.



Lucie gets A Lot done & yet is so calm about things that if they don't turn out perfect she'll turn it around to make it even better.

Advice about 3-year olds

I once babysat a 3-year-old child (you don't know him) & was floored at how horrible it was. Oh come on! Don't judge me - it's a tough age & I'm not around kids that often.

The first thing I did was go to Lucie & ask her advice.

She told me that 3 yr. olds were like 17 yr. olds (AKA difficult teenage years) & you kind of lose them for a while -- they're frustrated because they can't communicate. She assured me after about a year they come back to you.
She said that it's not the 'terrible 2's' it's the 'terrible 3's'.

Alas, she didn't have 1 easy solution for me but her words of wisdom helped me when I was with a Different 3 yr old & reminded myself that this child was frustrated & I should be EXTRA patient.

Or you could just cook the delicious child in the oven(this one's too young though)

Valentine's Day with Lucie

Lucie + her family have the best traditions [more on that as the year progresses]. They're original & creative but not so structured that they lose the 'fun' part for parents + kids.

Here are her 6 kiddies. I can't seem to get all 6 together - but I'm working on it.

She told me for Valentine's in the past she likes to write each child a special Valentine telling them the things she loved about them that year.





This year she said she ran out of time so instead
she gave the family a Valentine's Basket filled
with games they can all play together.
Like THIS GAME (I played it with them & LOVED it)






But why did she run out of time?
Maybe b/c she made all the primary kids at church these:





They are paper heart baskets that she weaved together. She taught me how & I can email you directions if you like - they're so easy I could do them. She printed out the 'Friend Chip' message & taped it on each one.
Then she put a mini-chips bag in 'em.












Oh & she made 100 homemade sugar cookies. . .

I stopped by her house en route to a Valentine's Day Party & told her I was supposed to bring cookies & I showed her my lazy version . . . cookies in a bag from Trader Joe's. She didn't say a word but whipped out a tray, sprinkled red hot hearts on it & then began frosting fresh cookies for me to take, wrapped it up & told me to keep the platter.



Everyone needs a friends like Lucie.

My friend Lucie won't like this

Here are 6 things you need to know about my friend Lucie:
* She lives in New York.
* She is a wonderful mom (Note: I am of no relation to her so I can say this without bias).
* She has 6 kids.
* She is an Amazing cook.
* She is really funny (and I'm a harsh judge of humor).
* Her first concert was Def Leopard.

Here are 5 of her 6 beautiful children

(again I can say these things because I am of no relation)

But seriously - these kids belong in a vintage Benetton ad or Vogue Bambini.

Reason for starting this blog:
I first saw Lucie at church about 1 year ago. She had this calm-zen expression on her face & 5 well-groomed (I noticed because I'm shallow) kids trailing behind her silently & her newborn strapped onto her like this:

(only much more stylish because hers was a French stripe and her baby isn't made of plastic)

I introduced myself and eventually invited myself over to her home. After spending more time with her and her family (mostly playing with her kids and eating her food) people at church would ask me, 'Is it really as perfect as it seems?'
And to their chagrin I'd have to say, 'No. It's Better.'
No one wants to hear that but it was true.
So I thought I could share her knowledge.


Now don't get all bent out of shape - I'm not just bragging about my friend and trying to make people feel insecure. This isn't a Mom Competition.
Lucie is a highly qualified lady. She got her degree in Special Education and taught mentally challenged children for many years. She never gets offended and she has turned the other cheek so many times I want to punch someone just to make things a tiny bit even. And did I mention she knows sign language? (OK that might be bragging, sorry).



When I told her my idea for this project she said 'no thank you.'
Then I'd start to ask her questions and jot things down in my notebook - when she saw she said, 'I'm not answering anymore if you keep writing.' She's so funny. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer.

Then her twin daughters asked for my Lucie notebook . . .
Wait, let me explain - the left side are the 'instructions' to make me & the right side is the 'finished' me.
NOW does it look like me?

And what Lucie doesn't know is I've had people ask me how she would hypothetically deal with a problem or what her day entails. (I knew this was a good idea).
Mostly people want to know how she does it all (including me!) so I'm just recording how she DOES do it all.

Anyway, this just might be something I read one day when I have kids or her family can read to catch up with her life or her kids can read one day (if the internet still exists).

Lucie's a good sport about playing with the kiddies.