sarah jessica parker and me in the same room!

I lived in the West Village of Manhattan for 5 years. And although my apartment was JUST blocks from Sarah Jessica Parker’s, I never saw the “Sex & the City” star. Not once in FIVE YEARS.

Just her husband Matthew Broderick. And he was sort of frumpy and a little chunky.

Of course, my husband would leave the apartment for 3 minutes and bump into SJP. It was slightly aggravating.

But finally finally finally this week, I saw the fashion icon. I was invited to a taping of Anderson Cooper’s new talk show and he was interviewing SJP and the rest of cast from her new movie “I Don’t Know How She Does It.”

Normally, I’m not into show tapings. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll be trapped in a studio for 12 million hours. And I can’t afford childcare for that long.

But this was Carrie Bradshaw!

Plus, they asked me to film some “great mom tips” to possibly be used in the show.  Ones like this…

Summary for those too lazy to watch the video: I recommend music and dancing as a way to calm down fussy children. Of course, Harlowe never stops crying the entire clip so it might not be the greatest mom tip ever.

They didn’t use any of my videos but I did go to the show and I was just feet from Sarah Jessica whose hair is insanely gorgeous.

That’s my photo which I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to take. They might have made an announcement about no photos but no one specifically told me not to take pictures. They probably just meant the rest of the studio audience.

There was a lot of discussion (based on the movie) about whether women can really have it all… the marriage, the kids, the career, etc. I don’t know what the “etc” is. Maybe a pet goldfish.

Anderson Cooper made the very valid point that SJP (a mother of three) is asked, “How does she do it all?” in practically every interview. And her co-star Greg Kinnear (who also has three kids) has never been asked it once.

But then the show veered into the stale, manufactured tension between stay-at-home moms and working moms. I don’t know why this imaginary debate continues.

The reality is most of us moms do some kind of hybrid of working and taking care of our kids and lots of other things and we are really too tired to make any kind of judgement on what another mom has chosen to do.

They had a few mom experts on as well, including two ultra fabulous ladies… Selfish Mom and Married My Sugar Daddy.

Anderson’s staff handed the studio audience a brown paper bag before the show.  I, of course, because I’m a half glass full kind of gal, was really hoping it was a new flat screen or maybe even a house. Just not one in a flood zone.

It turned out to be two chocolate chip cookies.

We had to figure out which cookie was store bought and which was homemade based on a scene in the movie where the working mom (played by Sarah Jessica) tries to pass off a store bought pie has her own.

I did eat both cookies. Because I’m an overachiever and I want to be a mom who has it all.

I thought Anderson Cooper was quite good as a talk show host. He’s funny, likable and smart.

I did find two seconds of fame on the show. Here I am in the studio audience (I took this photo of the TV screen so excuse the poor image quality)…

For some reason, I look like I’m about to be sentenced to 3 to 5 years in the state penitentiary.

But that woman next to me seems like she is having a blast!

mama bird notes:

I am honored to have a post up on the What To Expect website! It’s about being pregnant for the first time and all the fear, I mean, joy that goes with it. Enjoy.