The Best of Chick Lit Is Not Dead 2010

2010 has been an AMAZING year. On a personal note, Lisa schmoved across the country to be with her man, got married and is soon to have her first baby (due Jan 3rd!). Liz celebrated her ninth wedding anniversary (next year is the big 10! What's the gift for that? Paper? Hmmm..Lisa better figure that one out soon.).

On a professional note, We're very excited about the tremendous support Chick Lit Is Not Dead received from all of you and we again must shout THANK YOU from the top of our lungs for being so freakin' awesome! And although it hasn't happened overnight (WTF with that anyway?!), we're confident our manuscript, The D Word will find a home. And we're super excited that we've already planned our next novel and will begin writing it in early 2011!

But back to CLIND. We love this site because we can write about one of our favorite things-reading. We can share our favorite books and authors with you. And of course, we love having an outlet to tell our personal stories that we find so amusing (hopefully you do too?!). And with so many magazines doing the "Best of 2010", we were inspired to pick our favorite blog posts of the year or what we consider the Best of CLIND 2010. 

You'll notice this won't be including any author posts-we found it impossible to choose just a few! We've loved having each and every one of them on sharing their 5 things we didn't know or their bucket lists with us. Each in their own way, they've been funny, insightful and honest. And we look forward to having many of them back next year and also meeting some new ones too!

And if you leave a comment today, you can win bundle o' books of some of our favorites of 2010 including, Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler, Love In Mid Air by Kim Wright, You Had Me At Woof by Julie Klam and Gunn's Golden Rules by Tim Gunn.  We'll choose the winners after midnight EST Friday, Jan 31st.

So grab a glass of champagne and review the year in CLIND with us!

CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS: LIZ & LISA'S BEST OF CLIND 2010

1. Mommy Monday: Till Death Do Us Part When Liz's beloved German Shepard was diagnosed with cancer, she struggled with how to explain death to her kids without scaring them to, well, death! And when she passed away a few months later, Liz considered this post as her swan song to her.

2. The Bride Card by Lisa- Lisa's wedding in February was a shining moment for both us in 2010.  And because Lisa AND Liz had so much fun playin' that Bride Card during (before and after!) Lisa's wedding, we had to choose this post.

3. Maternity Monday: Open Letter to the Third Trimester We're happy that Lisa's struggles with the last trimester of her pregnancy (heartburn!  Waddling like a duck!) made y'all LOL a bit.  And Liz was just happy that she finally understands why she was so cranky during her third trimester!

4. Mommy Monday: Mommy is Tired! When Liz sat down that Sunday to write her Mommy Monday, she was so tired that she could barley lift her fingers to the keyboard.  In fact, she couldn't think of anything else except how damn tired and cranky she felt.  So she did the only thing she could-she wrote a post about it!  And she was overwhelmed by the support it received from other Moms were also so f*cking tired they couldn't see straight.

5. Writing Wednesday: Does this manuscript make my ass look fat? We can't remember which rejection letter sent us over the edge, but we're so happy it did because we finally realized that our manuscript might be giving us camel toe... We had a blast writing this one.

As much fun as we had writing these posts in 2010, we can't wait for 2011!  We've got some exciting things planned for our 2nd anniversary and as always, we'll be bringing you the very best authors and books.  Oh, and we'll still be ROCKING the giveaways too!

So cheers to all of you-because without you guys, we'd just be two girls talking to ourselves.  Happy New Year-we love you guys!

xoxo, L&L

Mommy Monday: My Mommy MUST List by Liz

It's been a while since my last Mommy Monday. Lately I've been hanging out over at Momlogic.com, bitching about things like Chuck E Cheese and summer camp.  I'll be blogging there couple times a month so don't forget to head on over if you've had one of those days and need an instant mommy blog fix. Today I'm talking about one of my favorite subjects.  Myself!  Or rather, my MOMMY MUST LIST.  You know, those things that I just can't live without.  And maybe a few things that, well, I could live without but just don't want to!  And the Mommy MUST list will be a regular feature here, so don't be shy-let me know what your Mommy MUSTS are.

What are the things that make your day easier? What are your guilty pleasures?  What do you absolutely HAVE to have or you *might* just kill someone?  Tell us here or email me and maybe I'll include it in on the next Mommy MUST list!

But for the first Mommy MUST list, I just started with the basics.  Things that are as essential to me as food and water. Things that I would do just about anything for.  Things that I might cut a bitch for if I had to.

Liz's Mommy MUST list: The essentials!

Starbucks Green Iced Tea-  You don't want to get between me and the nearest Starbucks in the morning.  After patting myself on the back for kicking my daily five shot iced Americano habit, I realized I traded it for another addiction.  And just because I don't get a headache and crackwhore shakes when I don't have my green tea doesn't mean that I'm not just as obsessed with getting my daily fix.  Damn you Starbucks and your refreshing beverages!

Mac Macbook- He helps me blog, email, shop, keep in touch with friends and crop my vacation pictures. He tweets, keeps my calendar and lets me know when I've eaten too many Weight Watcher's points.  And even though he's been a bit slow lately and I'm thinking of upgrading him to a younger, sleeker model, he still gets the job done and never talks back. If he could cook and do laundry, I'd leave my husband for him.

My iTouch-He drowns out Spongebob, Johnny Test and my kids fighting over those lamesass Mighty Beanz. (WTF with those things anyway?)  I'd never would have written one chapter of The D Word without him blaring my favorite playlist as a soundtrack for each chapter.  He can even facebook or tweet for me in a pinch! And most importantly, he plays my music without any commentary about how lame Barry Manilow and Nickelback are.

A weekend getaway- We all need a break sometimes,right? So when I get the chance to get out of town sans kids, I head the most adult place I can find: Las Vegas! Between the pool, the spa and the free drinks, you'll be saying, "Kids? What kids?"  as you play Blackjack next to D list celebrities at The Hard Rock Casino or as you dance on the table at the Playboy Club. My new favorite hotel?  The Aria.

A Good Book- If you don't have the time or money for a quick getaway, why not escape into a good book?  I highly recommend The Divorce Party by the lovely and talented Laura Dave.  Want to peak into someone else's life?  Then check out Julie Metz's fascinating memoir, Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal.  And on that note, tomorrow we'll be introducing new Lit IT Girl Kim Wright and her fabulous debut, Love in Mid Air!  Make sure to stop by and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy.

Happy hour with the girls- It's muy importante to take  the time to have a glass of wine and detox with your girlfriends every so often. Staying connected with your besties is the best gift you can give yourself!  My favorite place to relax and talk some shit with my favorite girls?  The Rooftop Bar in Laguna Beach.  Their view is amazing and the sunsets there are like no other.

So there you have it!  What's on YOUR Mommy Must list?  Leave a comment and I'll enter you in a random drawing to win one of TWO copies of Christine Lemmon's Sand In My Eyes.

xoxo, Liz

Mommy Monday: Mommy is tired!

Remember the days you thought 7am was oh-so early? When you used to spend all day Sunday on the couch watching VH1?

I used to think I knew what being tired felt like-something I could cure by sleeping in until noon the next day or adding an extra shot to my Americano. But then I started having children.  And I've been tired in some capacity ever since!

And it's not just me.  Everyone around me with kids under five just seem like they would happily curl up into a ball and take a catnap if given the chance. And all the B12 in the world doesn't seem to make it any better.  Believe me, I've tried the shot in my ass, the pill and even that new nasal B12.  And I'm still f*cking tired!

My now three-year-old didn't sleep AT ALL the first year and I used to walk around like a zombie, wearing my exhaustion like a badge of honor, daring anyone within fifty feet to try to compete with my tiredness.  I quickly discovered that  long-term sleep deprivation made me a humorless beyotch with bad skin.

Had to wake up at 6am to make it to Yogalates? Boo F'ing Hoo!

Stayed out too late with the girls and had to recover by watching SATC on TBS for four hours straight the next day? I'm hatin' on you just a little bit.

Anytime anyone over the age of ten gets to take a daytime nap? Super. Insanely. Jealous.

And even though most nights my munchkins now sleep peacefully, (although sadly WILL NOT sleep past 6am, no matter how late we keep them up) I still find myself tired most of the time.  Not the bone-aching, mind-numbing newborn baby tired, but more like a constant feeling like I'd like to stop whatever I'm doing and go lie in bed. Which btw, is a very impractical thought when you're in the middle of a presentation at work.  Or in the middle of a conversation with, well, ANYONE!

And while I recognize that heading out for a jog or spending some time at the gym would help this problem, I just can't seem to find the time or motivation to drag myself there.  The thought of waking up at 4am to go the the gym makes me want to take a free weight and punch the person in the face who suggested it.  Or wrap them up in a Pilates mat and roll them down a hill. Or use them as my kickboxing class punching bag.

And don't even get me started on that research that claims you need to get at least seven and a half hours of sleep each night in order to lose weight.  Another strike against any mommy trying desperately to take off those last eight pounds. Clearly a man came up with that sh*t!

So until I reach that promised land where my children are able to wake up and get dressed without parental assistance, I will remain slightly tired at all times. And I'd like to give Lisa a big shout out for enduring MANY early morning bitchface emails from me! Sorry!  I should be banned from any forms of communication besides grunting before 7am.

So to all you tired mommies out there, this one's for you.  Let's band together in our slight everyday crankiness.  Tired Mommies Unite!

And for those of you who think this post is kinda bitchy, sorry! I was super tired when I wrote it. =)  To make it up to you, I'm giving away a SIGNED copy of Emily Giffin's latest release, Heart of The Matter. Leave a comment to be entered!

xoxo, Liz

Mommy Monday-Till death do us part

Most parents dread the day they have to explain the concept of death to their children.  That they'll have to shatter their belief that we'll all be here forever. And while some people like to go with  Honey, we sent Daisy the dog to live with another family when their animals pass, I've always been more of a realist. When Goofy the guinea pig inexplicably dropped dead last year, I gave it to my five- year-old straight.  And what else could I do, considering the fact that we had found her lifeless body together?  She was pretty upset, but after a proper burial, impromptu memorial service in the backyard and a brand new guinea the next week, she seemed to move on pretty quickly. *big sigh of relief*

But when our beloved German Shepard, Jordan, collapsed late Tuesday night, explaining to a five year old that the dog she's loved since she was born might not come home was a whole other story.

In fact, it was one of my first thoughts as I raced to the "Animal ER".  (Well, that and the fact that "Animal ER" would make a great reality show) As I waited the THREE HOURS to see Dr. McDoggy, I wondered what I'd say to the kids when she wasn't there to lick their faces in the morning and silently prayed that she had just eaten something really, really bad.  But four hours and *gasp* $1500 (WTF! Are animals eligible for universal health care too?) later, Dr. McDoggy gave me the diagnosis and it wasn't good. Jordan had cancer.

Needless to say, it was turning into a bad night.  The only bright spot? That Dr. McDoggy was damn cute.  And had an accent. In fact, his only flaw was his tendency to have more dramatic pauses in his speech than Ryan Seacrest on elimination night of American Idol. It's 4am, dude! Just spit it out!

And because I believe in being honest, I broke the news to the kids the next day.  That Jordan was very sick, she may not be with us much longer, so let's just give her all the love and enjoy every minute that she's with us. That should do it, right?

WRONG.

*insert three hours of screaming and crying followed by thousands of uncomfortable theological questions*

But now a few days later, they seem to be getting through it. But I have to say, there is a part of me that wishes we hadn't told them. Which begs the question: How long should we shield our kids from death?

I've always been the mom that told my kids that if they crossed the street without me, they would get hit by a car. Same story with the pool.  Don't go in without Mommy. Why?  Because you'll drown.  And while some of my friends thought my approach was a bit, um, harsh, I always felt like it was better for them to know that if they step out in front of a moving car, the shit's going to hit the fan.

But now, I'm not as sure.  Life and death are such complex concepts that I'm not sure they grasp them.  And the last thing I want is for my kids walking around being scared to death of, well, death!

Sadly, our elderly neighbor passed away this week. And after my experience with Jordan, when the kids asked me why I was buying his wife flowers last night, I just smiled and said nothing.  Because I think they've had enough life lessons for one week.

xo, Liz