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Erin Zammett Ruddy is a seven-year survivor of chronic myelogenous leukemia and the author of the acclaimed book My So Called Normal Life, which was published by The Overlook Press in 2005. She has chronicled her battle with CML in the award-winning "Life with Cancer" column for Glamour Magazine, where she was an editor for eight years. Up until recently, she also wrote a daily blog on glamour.com that gave hope, laughs and support to thousands of young adults with cancer.
Erin is a frequent guest speaker and sits on the board of directors for both the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's New York City chapter and Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation, founded by Denise Rich. She has raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research and has appeared on several television programs, including Nightline, The Today Show, Dateline and Good Morning America. The University of Tennessee graduate lives on Long Island with her husband and two children. She is a full-time freelance writer (her work has appeared in Glamour, Playboy, Modern Bride, Real Simple, Redbook, and Parenting). Her cancer remains in complete remission.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 09:56
The past few days in the northeast have been positively fall-like. Thanks to the lack of rain all summer, the leaves are already falling from the trees and the once sweltering temps have dipped into the 70s. It’s been gray and damp and windy--and I love it. I’ve realized that while all the funning and sunning we’ve been doing has been great, I’m kind of over it. I know I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t been a big fan of summer in recent years and I always long for fall, but this year was different. I wrote about just how much I love being a mom in the summer. And posted pictures that illustrate the amazing time we’ve been having.
And, full disclosure, I am gearing up for two more chaos-reigning weeks of summer, starting in a few hours when I pick up my college friend (and her two kids) from the airport for a visit, then my sister Meghan comes home, we go out east, we have a big family party, more house guests and then, finally, a Ruddy rager for Alex’s third birthday (more on that later). So, I’m still in full summer mode and enjoying every second of it. But I’m not gonna lie: I’m exhausted. And I’m more than excited about the impending change of seasons. I know my teacher friends will hate to hear this, but I’m ready for summer to be over. Here’s why:
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - 11:10
We are just getting back today from our “official summer vacation.” I put that in quotes because in some ways I feel like this whole summer has been a vacation. Thanks in part to the awesome weather and largely because of the newfound can-do, embrace-the-chaos attitude of yours truly. We spent the past five days in…Florida. I know what you’re thinking: Why would you go to Florida in the middle of August? Yes, the temps are so hot that your sunglasses fog when you walk outside. And the humidity, well, let’s just say that even Nick’s hair is curly and it’s usually pin straight. But we came because it was free (we stayed at my parents’ house) and because hot or not, it’s gorgeous here. And there is a beautiful ocean nearby and pools to swim in and cold beer to drink and air conditioning and lots of other things that make the heat bearable.
I love this picture!
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - 10:09
Anyone who’s taken little kids to the beach can tell you: It’s no day at the beach. But can it still be fun? Even a little fun? Is it worth all the effort? I like to think so but lately I’m just not so sure…Read Full Post
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - 10:10
Over the weekend, I did something that I am not proud of—number 1 on the list below, to be exact. As it was happening, I thought to myself, Really? Are you really doing this? Wow. New low, Erin. And then I thought of all the other things I do as a mom that are embarrassing/uncool/less than motherly. And because my blog is all about over-sharing and throwing myself under the bus, here they are:
1. I ate a piece of food that had fallen out of Alex’s mouth. To be fair, it wasn’t chewed and had barely grazed his lips, but still. It was a piece of chicken coated in melty-gooey cheese from a soft taco I’d made him. All I know is he took a big bite, things went everywhere and, like a dog waiting for table scraps, there I was.
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 10:13
As of last week, Nora is six months old and I have reached my pre-pregnancy weight. Yay! It was just in the nick of time. My goal was my friends’ wedding on July 10, two days before Nora’s six-month birthday. Six months may seem like a long time (I have two friends who were back to their pre-baby weight in three weeks!), but I am not in to breaking records with weight loss and I wanted to let myself relax a little before becoming slightly obsessed (which is the only way I know how to lose weight). With Alex it actually took me a whole year, so I’m pretty happy. Especially given the fact that for three of the last six months I was cooking, eating and writing about food. I am feeling so good I think I will keep going and shed a few more. Because, if I’m being completely honest, my pre-pregnancy weight ain’t exactly skinny, it’s just a number where I don’t hate myself. Anyway, I digress. Despite the fact that my weight is back to normal, my body is not...Read Full Post
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - 10:49
I’m not gonna lie, I care what people think about me. Always have. It’s not a crippling flaw—i.e., I go out of my house without makeup on (often with spit-up stains on my pre-millennium clothes), I proudly watch Gossip Girl and I’m not afraid to speak or blog my mind—but I know I waste a lot of time worrying about how I come off to others. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve lied awake obsessing about a less-than flattering blog comment or an awkward phone call with an editor. As a mom, I am not quite as bad. Because I only have to look at my kids to see how cute/happy/well adjusted they are. I know I have done a good job. But, for some reason, I still feel the need for others to see that as well. And as any of you moms out there know, we are all constantly being judged—by our mothers, by strangers, by the other moms on the playground. Some are immune to it; others, like me, are not….Read Full Post
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 - 12:32
Since today feels like five Mondays rolled into one (there’s nothing like a four-day weekend but man does Tuesday hit hard), I thought we’d take it easy and talk about our weekends. Mine was just what the doctor ordered. 4th of July weekend usually winds up being a letdown for me because everyone expects you to have great plans and, well, we never do. Not the case this year. We went to the beach on eastern Long Island with some friends who have a house out there and we had an absolute blast. There wasn’t much sitting down and there was certainly no book reading or staring quietly into space (unless you count the shooting star sightings we got every night!) but boy was it fun.
Nick and I took Friday off and spent three nights and four days in full-on vacation mode(vacation mode with two children with us 24/7—we all slept in the same room—so not quite vacation vacation). We swam in the ocean, cooked delicious, fresh foods, ate ice cream at the beach, caught lightening bugs, played kickball and, yes, drank lots of wine. When we pulled into our driveway yesterday, Alex and I headed straight to his bed where we both passed out for two hours. An awesome weekend, indeed. Here are some pictures. Enjoy! And tell me how you celebrated the 4th….
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - 09:51
I feel like this is the first summer in a long time that I have thoroughly taken advantage of and actually enjoyed. I guess I should say that I am enjoying since it technically just started—our weather in the northeast has been so good I feel completely summerfied already. I was pregnant two of the last three summers, which was aiight, but summer is tough without the occasional (i.e., frequent) corona and lime or margarita or oyster on the half shell. And the summer in between, we were too obsessed with Alex’s nap times to really get out much (the best part about number two: you realize a 20-minute snooze in the car will not kill anyone). Of course there are things about this time of year that make me crazy—the battle to apply sunscreen, mosquito's and all other bugs that bite and don’t light up, the fact that the ice cream man does loops around my house right before dinnertime—but for the most part I am in love. Here’s why (with photos at the end!):
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 08:46
I know this is a random topic for today but it’s one I’ve been thinking about lately and I’m curious to hear your thoughts. I’ve started reading the books I recommended a few weeks ago and just finished Just Let Me Lie Down by Kristin Van Ogtrop (who, full disclaimer, is the person who hired me at Glamour back when I was 23 and she was the executive editor there). I am not overselling it when I say this book is so damn good. If you are a working mother you must read it. Anyway, in one section Kristin talks about how she grew up in a house where the phrase “I love you” was rarely spoken. And now she rarely uses it with her three kids. Does she love them? Of course. Beyond words. Beyond those three words in particular. And I completely get it.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 10:34
Nick is a great father so of course I want to do something nice for him this Father’s Day. And now he has two kids, which means he’s twice the dad and deserves twice the honor. Or something like that. But I’m feeling more than the usual what-to-get-him pressure. I’m not sure if you remember this post from a while back about how Nick feels like he does so much more parenting than other men. And he does. When it comes to our kids we’re pretty much 50/50.Read Full Post
