Did I die and go to heaven?

I am surrounded by literally hundreds of cookies, biscotti, marshmallows and dulce de leche espresso brownies. Maybe thousands...Mark said on facebook that he made over a thousand the other day. He's been baking like a madman all week in preparation for 2 big food events this weekend and everything's getting packaged and boxed tonight. Therefore, ALL the goods are out. Saturday is the Chile Pepper Fiesta at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and Sunday is the Atlantic antic.

Here's the weird part...you all KNOW I am a carb craver, a chocoholic and a proud mom, so normally I'd be indulging myself of Mark's treats but that just hasn't happened yet. I'm not even tempted. I have had a couple of tastes of things but only a couple of times. That's not like me. The only thing that's different is the new medication I'm on for breast cancer prevention...tamoxifen. Could that be doing it? I'm going to look it up.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Mark has concocted a new delicacy: cashew cocoa nib brittle. Holy mother of Vishnu. I did find the scraps of some today and tried it, not expecting much as I'm not a brittle fan. But, guess what, I'm now a fan of cashew cocoa nib brittle. Of course it tastes great, but the texture was incredible! Can you have silky brittle? Well, this is.

OK, enough with the products. I'm still loving being gramma, although sometimes I feel like I'm all thumbs. A lot comes back, like giving tons of hugs (no-brainer) and the active listening...I love that part...figuring out behavior. But the things about how they like to be entertained and how to discipline, etc. are distant memories so I kind of fish around, feeling my way to effectiveness. Naturally, it is both rewarding as well as frustrating, but overall I think we're all surviving.

For the next two days I'll pretty much be on my own with both girls because Mark and Jenna will be gone all day each day. I wonder how long the tea parties can last? This will be the ultimate test of my gramma-ness! Where's my list of stuff to do with them???? Oh, skype Lara and let her entertain them...I like that idea: long-distance babysitting! Dan, too.

Stay tuned for news about a wellness video on hydrotherapy that Lara's in. It'll be on msnbc.com next week. Exciting!