A Caged Animal

First things first: hello to all of you. Thank you for your comments. The sweet things you say about me and my girls really make my day!

To answer some of your questions: Yes, filming a season of Housewives takes a really looong time. We started filming Season 2 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey back in September (when I was still pregnant with Audriana), and we wrapped when she was 5 months old. And as I’m sure you saw tonight, we are coming back on May 3!

Another common question: Where do I find time for my husband and four kids? The same place you all do - wherever I can! Joe and I have "date night" every Friday night, but beyond that, we sneak in as much time as we can. And no, I don't have a nanny. Besides Jacqueline and Caroline, I think I’m the only other Housewife without "people" (but I do have the most kids!) I don't have a nanny, a chef, a personal trainer, or a publicist (what you see is what you get with me). I do the laundry, cook all the meals, take care of my kids and I love it.

And yes, I think you’re all right - Kelly’s daughter said, "Talk to the BOOTY, 'cause the hand's off duty." Gia confirmed I had this wrong too. Oops!

Finally, the comments about me bashing Bethenny ... please. In my last blog, I said she "exhausted me," that we’d make a funny team, and then complimented her dress and her hair. That’s bashing? I totally get that you might be a huge Bethenny fan, and that’s great. You can like both of us. I’m not the kind of friend who demands you only like who I like. All of your friends aren’t best friends with each other too, right? I’ve said that I liked her a lot in the first season, and that I think she’s changed this season. Love her or hate her, you know it’s true. People change. They get successful and change. They get unsuccessful and change. We’ll see where she ends up (hopefully it’s in a good place because she needs to be a good mommy to that little baby!) It’s still early in the season...

My thoughts on this week’s episode:

I thought it was weird and inappropriate for Kelly to ask Ramona about not being invited to the Labor Day lunch in front of Avery. Ramona was only trying to be polite when she answered. Then Ramona stopped being polite (and started being “real”?)

Ramona was like a crazy person the rest of the episode. (The other wives should put a "no Pinot Grigio" clause in their contracts.) She was winking and singing and dancing and insulting the hell out of everybody. Talking about Kelly’s boobs in front of other people – when Kelly was clearly uncomfortable with it – was not cool. Telling Alex in front of LuAnn something LuAnn had said about her was really mean. And bringing up the “rumor” about Jill and Saks was just evil.

What honestly bothered me the most about Ramona’s behavior though, was how she treated Avery. I thought it was so sweet that she took Avery to her first fashion show, but then she ditched her daughter for a last-minute party with Perez Hilton? Really? When she was shoving poor Avery into a cab at night BY HERSELF, I thought the poor girl looked like she was going to cry. She was what, 14 when that filmed? I would never put my kid in a cab at night by herself.

I was happy to see Jason promise Bethenny a “commitment” before they moved in together ... although she already looked pregnant sitting on the couch. Hmm...

Bethenny and LuAnn’s fight was pretty insane. I thought the worst part was when Bethenny told LuAnn that Jill had been saying LuAnn sleeps around. Not cool. Say what you think of LuAnn to her face. Great. But bringing other people LuAnn is friends with into it is a low blow. It was not Bethenny’s place to rat out Jill to LuAnn for something they probably both talked about back when they were friends.

The one thing I could relate to with Bethenny though, was when she explained that at the fashion show she felt like "a caged animal." Housewives is real, yes. We say what we’re thinking at the time. But filming our real lives is a huge production that takes a long time. Sometimes you have to sit there for hours and hours while the show is being produced. You have no idea how hard it is to be trapped in a close situation with someone you can’t stand. Normally when you meet a person you don’t like, you might have words with them, but then you walk away. When you’re filming a show, you can’t walk away. You’re stuck, and sometimes you blow. Now keep that in mind when you watch my season!