A Few Things About Me…

1. I gave birth for the first and only time at age 42. My precious son, Jude, is now 8. The good news and the bad news? I have infinitely more patience, wisdom, humor, confidence, and tolerance than I would have if I’d birthed at 22. Unfortunately, I am also always tired. I’m sorry, did I say always tired? I meant ALWAYS TIRED!
2. I’m an only child, born to middle-aged parents.  I think that this has prepared me for raising my own only child while in my own middle-age. Both of my parents have passed away, and I plan to do everything I can to stick around for Jude longer than my parents did. I realize this means I should stop drinking margaritas and eating bacon and ice cream…and do more pilates.
3. I’ve been married to my New York/Italian-American/Actor husband, Jimmy, for 15 years. No wait…is that right? Is it 15 or 16? 1995…2012…math (uhhh…). Damn. Almost 17! How’d that happen? Anyway, I’m blessed to have him and my crazy Italian-American in-laws, Mommy and Pop, who have taken me in, and provided a loving (albeit crazy) family for me.
4. I am a Texan. And although I’ve lived in Los Angeles for (gasp!) 20 years now, I will always define myself as such. I’ve mostly lost my accent, though it sneaks in occasionally, usually when I’m tired and/or liquored up. That's right, y'all.
5. I’m an actress. I used to have an actual “career”. Now I’m mostly that woman in  the paper towel commercial giving her clueless husband that wry, wise, wacky look.
6. I sing in my (Catholic) church choir, and it brings me great joy. Singing some rocking Handel or sublime Faure literally strikes a chord deep in your soul.
7. Target makes a really pretty decent pinot grigio in a box.
8. I’ve been told I have an obsessive/big dork personality. A sampling of my obsessions/addictions (in no particular order):  Kisses from Jude, bacon, Pogo Games, NPR, Battlestar Galactica, lists, Facebook, punctuation (my favorites are !, …, – and /), Venti Nonfat Caramel Macchiatos, face/body creams, bleach, e-mail, liberal causes, spelling, do-gooding, elaborate cocktails, NyQuil, using legalese words like whereby, aforementioned and heretofore (certainly influenced by my attorney father) and my little glass of wine after Jude goes to bed. Did I say kisses from Jude?

Comments

[Pat Mills]

Gretchen, your blog is great and I am enjoying it. Almost like having you right here telling me about Jude. What a great little guy.
You have read more children's books than almost anyone that I know...maybe you should write an "Adventures with Jude"... sound good to you? You already have great pictures...don't need an illustrator!
Love,
Pat

[Brian]

To Camp Mama/Gretchen:

My name is Brian and I work for the Sears Cares escalations team. I am very sorry that you are experiencing these issues with your washer and the service that is needed and we would like help with this situation. We are a single point of contact for escalated concerns which means we step into a situation and handle it start to finish with one Case Manager. At your convenience, please contact my office at [email protected] so that we can get this issue resolved. Please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the washer was purchased under (if different than the contact phone number) and we will call you directly. In addition, please provide the screen name (Camp Mama/Gretchen) for reference to this issue, and we do look forward to talking to you soon.

Thank you,

Brian J.
Senior Case Manager
Sears Cares

[paige viharo]

so tickled to find this..thanks for the beautiful xmas card with jude....we miss you. we love you....paige

[middle-aged-woman]

I was trying to tell my daughter the other day, about singing Panis Angelicus in choir as a kid. It still makes shivers go up and down my spine, just thinking of it.

[gwendolyn]

Can't find the one that mentions giving up things for Lent. Where is it?
Your blog is really quite well done.

[Mike]

Hi Gretchen,

I just discovered you from (I hate to say it) the long ago Seinfeld episode you did. Lol. You're very intriguing and I look forward to reading your blog.

Mike from Tennessee.

[Sigrid Rogowski]

I enjoyed reading a few things about me.You have such a great attitute.I will be back to read more about your blog and life.

[Michael]

Hi Gretchen,

We represent a national daily deal site who is just starting in LA who is offering some great deals for your readers. Can you please contact me to discuss?

[Alex Barrett]

Hello Gretchen,
My name is Alex, and I work for a company that has two theaters and 12 shows on the strip, in the V Theater and the Saxe Theater. We're looking to partner with blogs and websites in our new Affiliate Program. I am interested in advertising on your site. I can offer you free show tickets to see our shows and I ask that you write your reviews about them on your blog. I also have a kick back program that will pay you, should you want to create a page on your site with our show information on it, and any sales generated from your site will pay you using a specific coupon code. If this is something that interests you, please contact me and we can go over the details. I look forward to hearing back soon. Thanks for your time and have a great day!

Regards,

Alex Barrett
Social Engineer
David Saxe Productions
702.243.9820 ext.234
[email protected]

http://vtheater.com/
http://www.saxetheater.com/
http://davidsaxe.com/
http://www.vcardlasvegas.com/index.html

[Janice Adcock]

Stumbled onto your blog a few weeks ago and am enjoying it as well as the Spin Cyclers. Here is my fall blog. Hope you enjoy.

http://jadcock.blogspot.com/2012/10/aux-arcs.html

[The Meaning of Me]

Found your blog over at Mama Kat's - you posted right ahead of me. Love your blog! It has kept me up way too late tonight...

[Katrina]

Just found your blog over at Mama's Losin' It!! and just wanted to say hello. I'm 43 and pregnant. I mention that because I liked reading that you had yours at 42. Now I'm not feeling so bad that I, too, am always tired. Oh wait, I meant to say that I, too, am ALWAYS TIRED! There. That's better.
Katrina :)
They All Call Me Mom

[Tracy Rose]

Hi,

Healthline is interested in contributing a guest post to secondblooming.typepad.com. We would be open to contributing any blog that would be of interest to your readers. Healthline bloggers have been featured on a variety of sites including:

Washington Times: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/tango-mind-and-emotion/2012/aug/10/how-healthy-choices-easy/
Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/036515_diabetes_strawberries_prevention.html
Patch.com: http://strongsville.patch.com/blog_posts/where-and-what-to-eat-in-cleveland-to-beat-the-winter-blues

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Warm Regards,
Tracy

[Naela D. Lindsay]

My name is Naela and I am a casting coordinator on a new piloted season of a show called, "Trust Me Im a Game Show Host" for TBS.

I was just up late doing a little research and getting caught up on work for tomorrow and I came across your Blog!

We are currently searching for Moms & Bloggers to come into our offices to do the on camera audition. I found your Blog and I think you would be great for a Family Friend Game Show!!!

We are located in Los Angeles/Culver City near Culver City Studios.

If you are interested and close, we would love to see you.
If not, we would love it if you could pass it along to others you know in the Los Angeles area who would be great on a Family Friendly Game Show!!!

Another department I know is also casting for a new season of the HUB's show, "Family Game Night". You can Youtube the show to see more about it. If you are interested in that show, please Email Conan & Matt for more information [email protected] Subject: Family Game Night - Referred by Naela

I am attaching a PDF of "Trust Me Im a Game Show Host" for more information on that show now though.

Thank you for passing it along to all the amazing people you know.
Hope to hear from you soon though!

Naela
Casting Coordinator @ Zoo Productions/Venertainment Productions
"Trust Me Im a Game Show Host"
[email protected]

[plus.google.com/101230041858965840817]

Just found your blog recently. I loved hearing about your having your first child at age 42. I just turned 39, and I'm wondering if having kids is still even a possibility for me. Of course, I should probably find a husband first. :)

[jenn]

Target has boxed wine? Sadly, not in Minnesota.

[harvey sid fisher]

Hello G,
Thank you for the ink.

All 12 Astrology Songs Samples - in one video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6_VAiznSTc

http://www.youtube.com/astrologysongs (over 1,000,000 views)
http://www.harveysidfisher.com

[Sarah]

I thought your grandparents picture was awesome. I re-touched it for you. https://app.box.com/s/j9kj9xrhxultjoh702s0

[Caldwell Cyndi]

Found one!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Signed-Oil-Painting-Miriam-Blumberg-Framed-/360878370617?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item540606ef39

[Aaron]

Hi Gretchen,

I hope this finds you doing well. So in December we released a new app, Obaby (obabyapp.com). We think it's awesome. :) Would you like to try it out? If so, I'll send you a code for a free download. Please just let me know. Thanks!

Aaron

--
Aaron Marshall | CEO/Designer
Over | +27 (71) 484-1162

[James H]

Happy Friday! I wanted to share this amazing opportunity with you and your followers.

Rush Casting for ALL Types of LA Moms

Major US family brand is seeking real mothers and their child(ren) in the LA area. We are looking for moms comfortable around a celebrity that can engage in meaningful conversation about their children. Do you want to share your experience or opinion about parenting? Do you need help solving a parenting challenge? Does your life revolve around your child’s well-being? Send us an email to apply and for more information!
________________________________________

Please email [email protected] with the following:
- Name
- Location
- Occupation
- Child / Children’s Name(s) & Age(s)
- Photo of Mom, Child(ren), and all together
- Short paragraph about yourself and child
- Short description of any parenting issues you are passionate or outspoken about.

[Nicole Lascurain]

Hi,

First off, I came across your site and wanted to say thanks for providing a great OCD resource to the community.

I thought you might find this infographic interesting, as it shows detailed information about the social signs of OCD to look for, and has proved to be a great hit with our readers: http://www.healthline.com/health/ocd/social-signs

Naturally, I’d be delighted if you share this embeddable graphic on http://secondblooming.typepad.com/second-blooming/2013/11/rtt-.html , and/or share it with your followers on social. Either way, keep up the great work !

All the best,

Nicole Lascurain | Assistant Marketing Manager
p: 415-281-3100 | e: [email protected]

Healthline
660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.healthline.com | @Healthline

[Andrew Burgess]

Hi there,

I represent Anoush.com and I found your blog after one of my friends shared it with me on Facebook and wanted to run a few things by you. I'm working on a wedding/event venue project in the greater Los Angeles area, and I think it’s something you could definitely relate to. Let me know if you have a moment to discuss.

Thanks!

[email protected]

[Shelby Stowers]

Hey Gretchen!

My name is Shelby Stowers and I am the Director of Marketing & Special Events at Aquaview Fencing, a Los Angeles based manufacturer and distributor of glass pool safety fences and glass safety railings.

Along with our philanthropic partners at The National Drowning Prevention Alliance, PoolSafely.gov, and The American Red Cross, we will be hosting a free, all ages event at The Brentwood Farmers Market on May 15th to celebrate International Water Safety Day.

The purpose of our event is to educate the Southern California community on the importance of drowning prevention tactics and to help families stay safe around water year round. We feel that our cause is highly relevant to your audience because drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths amongst children ages 1-4, second only to congenital birth defects. The CDC and The American Red Cross both cite barriers such as our glass pool fences as one of the leading factors that can mitigate accidental drowning risk.

We would like to extend an invitation to you and your team to come to our event and learn more about what we are doing to increase water safety in our community.

You can find the links to our event page, our website, and our social channels below. I can also provide an official press release and any additional media assets if you are interested in working with us on a feature on water safety.

Looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully to meeting you soon!

Best regards,

Shelby

http://www.aquaviewfencing.com/watersafetyday/
http://www.aquaviewfencing.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aquaviewfencing/
https://twitter.com/aquaviewfencing
https://www.instagram.com/aquaviewfencing/

[Deanna Bishop]

Hi there,
     I just saw your page and love it!  I am the manager of Dream Big Children's Center in Monrovia. We are an indoor play center focused on providing children with a fun and safe place to play and learn. We would love to have you bring your little one for a play date at Dream Big. If you would like to visit, I can email you a few complimentary passes I look forward to meeting you. 
Thanks,
Deanna Bishop
626.775.7888
www.dreambigchildren.com 
Instagram @dreambigchildrenscenter
Facebook https://m.facebook.com/dreambigchildren