Because sleep is overrated

I just ate one too many fig newtons. If I had to do it over again, I would not have eaten that last one. That has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but I was in a sharing kind of Facebook status mood.

How I wish we could take full advantage of New York City with the boys. It’s not always so easy to co-ordinate schedules around naps or find a museum or activity that is worth the cost of admission and even more daunting – the schlep. That’s not to say that we don’t hit the occasional museum, but we certainly are limited in what we can do especially given that they have the attention span of ... wait ... what was I saying?

I remember what I thought family life would look like before I had kids. Gabriella and I would travel with the kiddies all over the world, meet people from every walk of life and taste every flavour of culture and activity. I believed that our days would take the form of whatever kind of life we designed. We’d do anything and go anywhere the wind took us and not conform to a regimented and oppressed existence. Not so much. I’m not saying it isn’t possible for some, but routine has been paramount to our sanity, and naps are sacred.

The cost of pushing Levi through his nap so that we can spend the day out is exceptionally high. The child who is deprived of his nap is a child possessed by a demon of mythical and monstrous proportions. One minute you’re enjoying a wonderful day out with your sweet angel, and the next minute – without warning - Satan’s spawn is screaming and contorting and spitting fire in every direction while you curse the day you imagined being a parent and pray you can get home in one piece so that you can throw Rosemary’s baby in bed. We don’t get out much...during the day.

Mom and Mommy go to sleep when the boys do, and Deborah and Gabriella come out to play. We have a reputation of being quite social. Unlike Blagojevich, we are unable to deny the photographs, voice mail recordings and videos that prove that we are, in fact, a social team. Nightlife for me is a necessity not only because it allows me to wear lipstick but because I can take off the mom-hat and relax. I don’t have to think about the imprints of my every word and action. That mom-hat gives me the worst hat-head which is a serious problem for a girl who likes hair product as much as I do.

Perhaps I’d feel different if I worked outside of my home each day. I might long for my house and my family and a cozy night at home. But after 8PM, I’ve punched out, and the anti-mom comes out of hiding, and she wants to play. I love spending time with friends and taking advantage of our proximity to New York City. A night out in Manhattan requires far more planning for parents in the burbs than it does for singletons in the city, so we don’t go in nearly as often as we would like.

The downside of nightlife is that I’m toast during the day. I forget appointments. I’m cranky. My eyelid twitches to the beat of a random disco song that I can’t get out of my head. I forego the gym because I just can’t imagine running on the treadmill when I can barely hold my head up. But I’d rather all of that than giving up grown up time. That being said, we are careful to plan evenings we know are going to be worth the cloud in which we’ll be living the next day. Luckily, we have friends who make it all worthwhile.

And the shows we’ve seen? Well, there’s one in particular that is so good that we have seen it more than once....on a Sunday night....in the city....and it doesn’t start until 9:30PM!! If you are a parent you are either thinking that we have absolutely lost the plot or that this show must be the most amazing experience since ... well, I can’t think of another experience that would be worth the painful sleep deprivation of the morning after with small children who wake up at 6AM. It’s true that the rest of the week is a wash, and we do try to avoid operating heavy machinery. But you know what? It IS worth it.

The show is CASHINO - a lounge act performed by the loveable Johnny Niagra and Pepper Cole who have married classic pop tunes and Broadway hits in a medley that can only be described as genius. We laugh until our faces hurt, but we try to come up for air long enough to appreciate the artistry. Read more here. There are 4 versions of the show which means you can appreciate their talents again and again...and we have. And every time, we invite newbies to join us so we can spread the gospel. So, I tell you here, and I’ll it on the mountain: See Cashino. It hurts so good.

Sunday February 8th: “Casino Classic”
Monday Februray 9th: “Dueling Duos”

Laurie Beechman Theatre in the West Bank Café, 407 W. 42nd St. (betw. 9th & 10th Aves.), Reservations: 212-695-6909; 9:30PM, $15/$20 food/drink minimum.