I weighed myself this morning to find out how well I did on week 1 of the Hippo Diet. The result was 1.5 pounds lost. Now, before you cheer, you should know that these are the same 1.5 pounds I’ve been losing and gaining for months. So I really don’t consider them real weight lost.

I’ve done better with food choices – no Shamrock Shakes, more vegetables, less snacking. For our anniversary I ate with abandon, but it was a special occasion, and I feel no guilt for it.

Of course, it’s Easter candy time, and I did fall prey to those damn Cadbury caramel eggs. I wish Cadbury would invent a lower calorie caramel egg. I ended up buying a four-pack, but did manage to restrict myself to one a night (instead of eating them all in one big chocolate and caramel orgy). They’re gone now, and as long as I can avoid that aisle at the grocery, I think I’ll be fine for the remainder of the month.

Exercise has been, well, non-existent. Can’t go walking outside – it’s been raining for 7 days, and it’s supposed to rain for another 7. (If it keeps raining, I’ll get lots of exercise building an ark from our backyard fence.) I’ve danced with Cordy to the Wiggles, and I’ve done my regular 36 laps chasing her around the downstairs each day I’m home with her.

But I haven’t found the time for the workout tape I dusted off. It’s been so long since I did any form of structured exercise; I admit I’m a little frightened of it. I know how out of shape I am, and it would seem depressing to realize I can’t even complete Leslie Sansone’s 3-mile walk.

So that’s the report for week 1. This week, I hope to continue making better food choices, cut back on portion sizes, and do some kind of exercise that doesn’t involve just walking out to the mailbox to get the mail.

1. Life is a delicate balance. For every yin, there must be a yang. The yin of a fantabulous day must have a yang of a night filled with screaming and little sleep. That’s what I get for saying how great the day was.

2. Carbon monoxide detectors and menthol vaporizers don’t mix. Did you know that a Vick’s vaporizer with menthol in it could set off a carbon monoxide detector? Yeah, me neither, but it’s true. Of course, the detector was in Cordelia’s room, and we didn’t realize it’s loud enough to wake anyone in a three mile radius.

3. If you have an important thing to do, the night before is bound to be the night that something happens to wake the child. Aaron was trying to catch a little sleep before returning to Cincinnati for more classes, and I had a Very Important final exam this morning. We had used the vaporizer in Cordy’s room many other nights, but the detector waited patiently until last night to express its displeasure with menthol.

4. Rocking to sleep works better for mommy than child. Three attempts at rocking Cordelia to sleep, and three successes at putting mommy to sleep instead.

5. Being right isn’t always good. Earlier in the week, my mom said she thought Cordy’s runny nose and cough was teething. I disagreed and said I was sure it was a cold. Now, I can’t be sure, but unless I’ve suddenly started teething in the past 24 hours, I can say I was right. But I wish I wasn’t.

6. Blog posts really can come to you in the middle of the night. It’s amazing how blog fodder can just fall into your lap, or screech in your ear. I scribbled down these notes during #7.

7. The child will fall asleep long before the adult can. After the hour of battles to get Cordy back to sleep (and my drifting off in the rocking chair), she finally gave in. I crawled into bed, exhausted. But my mind was wide awake. What if it wasn’t the vaporizer? Will I wake up and find my child dead from carbon monoxide poisoning?

So I then had to get up and set up my own test, putting the detector in the bathroom and closing the door, so if the furnace was malfunctioning, it would detect it in the small enclosed space. It never went off, and Cordy woke up fine this morning. I, on the other hand, woke up tired.

Today it’s cold, grey and rainy in Columbus. In other words, a typical Spring day here. It’s also finals week for me, so I’ve been studying every free moment and taking several exam to finish the two online classes I’m registered for. Aaron is in Cincinnati this weekend for a stage combat workshop, which means I’m a single mom for the weekend.

While I took an exam today, Cordelia spent some time with her grandpa. A new weekend kids activity has started in his neighborhood called PB & Jazz. It started last month, and is running one Saturday a month for now.

It’s an hour long event where the kids are served a PB&J sandwich, juice and cookies, while they listen to local jazz performers. They have songs the kids can sing, and they have a mascot, the Jazz Bear, who even has his own song.

Grandpa reported that Cordy had a great time. She was one of the smallest, but one of the most outgoing. No surprise to me there.

While they were giving instructions on songs, she’d wander up to the band and say hi, then walk back around the kids. She’s never happy unless she’s said hi to everyone in the room. My daughter, the socialite.

He said she would elbow her way past the bigger kids to get right to the front. Ugh, let’s hope that habit doesn’t continue. I’m all for an independent child, but I have a feeling she could go from independent to diva before you can say Celine Dion.

She also loved the food (again, no surprise there) and near the end, she got to try out the drums. Apparently she was quite the drummer. While she may not know it, percussion is in her blood – mommy was a percussionist in school. I expect her to be rockin’ out by her fourth birthday.

The other side benefit of Cordy spending the morning with grandpa? This mommy got to have a special treat: lunch! Wait, not just lunch, but my entire lunch, eaten slowly, without a nearly three foot beggar urchin attached to my leg. I’d forgotten what it was like to eat lunch without getting heartburn from eating so fast.

And to top off an excellent morning and afternoon, the PB & Jazz event ran her so hard that she crashed in the car on the way home. A nap also? It must be a rainy day miracle! Happy toddler, happy mommy, and full bellies for each of us. Yay for Jazzy Saturday!

One last thing: grandpa has also finished a new video of Cordelia. Go check it out.

Damn you, Noggin. Just when we had an afternoon routine, you go and change it. At 4:30, Jack’s Big Music Show is normally on. While I try to limit afternoon TV to emergency only (like when I need a trip to the bathroom, or need to switch the laundry, or when dealing with a major grumpy child), we do tend to watch Jack’s Big Music Show each day.

Cordelia has shown a strong preference to music since she was very little, and we’ve been encouraging it because, well, her daddy’s an actor, and we encourage all things artsy. Jack’s Big Music Show has a wide variety of music types, and showcases some off-beat children’s performers. It’s through this show that we found Laurie Berkner, who comes in at a close second to Cordy’s first boy band obsession, the Wiggles.

Anyway, we turned on Noggin, and Cordy spent the first few moments watching Moose in-between shows (she loves that moose, too). Then suddenly the Backyardigans came on. I was a little surprised, but Cordy seemed interested in the opening song, so I left it on.

Not 5 minutes later, Cordy was walking around the living room, hunting for a particular object. She eyed me on the couch, then got that “ah-ha!” look on her face, and ran to the couch. She reached past me and grabbed the remote control, then placed it in my hand.

I did my usual “oh, thank you so much!” routine for when she hands me objects, then set it aside. But she picked it up again, turned my hand palm up, and put the remote in my hand again. Being the dense mommy that I am, I said, “what do you want me to do?“

Cordy, giving me her best “duh, mom!” eye roll along with a big sigh, walked towards the TV and then looked back at the remote.

Message received, little one. Apparently the Backyardigans is not to your liking, and you want me to change the channel. I switched it to Disney West, which had JoJo on, and she sat down, content with the new program.

My child, the critic. Hey Noggin, save me some grief here – don’t change the programming!

Oh, wait. Jack’s Big Music Show is now on at 5pm. Alright, off to watch the show.

After my last post, I realize that I’m not alone in my love of musicals. I’m not the only geek out there – I’ve seen the posts about the cheesy songs you listen to on Mrs. Chicky’s blog.

Now, I know many people know of the “big” ones: Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Cats, etc. But there are an abundance of musicals out there that, for one reason or another, never got the notice that they should have. For all of you who enjoy musicals, or just good music, this post is for you.

As my musical public service announcement, I’d like to share with all of you the best musicals you’ve probably never heard of or seen. Yes, I’m a theatre person, but I did consider briefly majoring in music in college (along with the other 4 majors I considered, along with the 4 I actually changed to).

I recommend these musicals on several factors. For some, the CD is packed full of amazing singers. For others, the story is beautiful, and the music and lyrics can really inspire emotion. And most have both features.

Give the samples a listen, e-mail me if you want to hear more (I can hook you up with some full tracks), and give some lesser known musicals a chance.

Martin Guerre – This musical was written by the same duo who made Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Why this one wasn’t just as big of a hit, I’ll never know.

It’s the story of a man in 16th century France who runs away from his village after being forced into a marriage as a teen. A man returns years later, and everyone thinks it’s Martin, but it is his friend. The friend and Martin’s wife fall in love, and he pretends to be Martin. Beautiful story, gorgeous music. The song Why? is one of the best I have ever heard.

Notre-Dame de Paris – This is another Hunchback of Notre-Dame story, but told with beautiful music. Ignore the first track, sung as a promo by Celine Dion. The rest of it really is much better than her. I will advise that this is not for the traditionalists. If you’re hopelessly devoted to Oklahoma and other musicals from the Rodgers & Hammerstein era, this isn’t for you.

I’ve never seen this on stage, but I’m told it’s done in a very modern way – no period costumes and such. But regardless, the music is somewhat of a pop-rock variety, combined with the lush depth of music from darker musicals. Belle is probably a favorite song of mine.

Jekyll & Hyde – OK, this one is more well-known, but I’m not talking about the current Broadway version of this. To truly appreciate this musical, you must listen to the original concept album. I first saw this musical when it was on tour to campaign for Broadway. I saw it again when it was touring after its Broadway stint. While they are very similar, the changes made by its time on Broadway in no way helped it, in my opinion. Removing the song Bring on the Men was a shame.

This is the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and his formula to separate good and evil. Amazingly, Jekyll and Hyde have very different voices, despite being sung by the same man (in this case, the amazing Anthony Warlow). While impressive, it’s even more impressive when Jekyll is battling with himself in the song The Confrontation. Switching voices like that has to be tough. Go. Listen to all of the samples on Amazon. You’ll be hooked.

Once on this Island – This one is very different from all of the others. The music is strongly rooted in Caribbean beats. It’s a story from Haiti, of a peasant girl who is plucked from death by the gods to one day test the power of love against the power of death.

This is one musical that will make you laugh hard, and cry hard. It’s simply beautiful, and the music will stick with you for days. A great musical for children as well – I think the story is appropriate for most ages. Mama Will Provide will make you dance, you’ll be cheering the heroine along against the power of Papa Ge, and sobbing when she realizes she cannot be with the one she loves.

There are so many more I could list for you: Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Bombay Dreams. The list is endless. I encourage everyone to get out there and expand their musical knowledge.

Go listen to some music that isn’t kiddie music!