Amazing Moms, Amazing Night

It's taken me a full 24 hours to come down from the incredible high of last night when I had the honor of performing with an incredible group of women at Comic Strip Live in New York City. The event, billed as Open Mom Night, was organized by Role Mommy Beth Feldman, a woman so talented that I have vowed I would follow her pretty much follow her anywhere.

The performers were all contributors to C://Mom Run, a compilation of hilarious essays on motherhood that Beth is editing. Look for it in the fall.

When I was driving around Harlem with my girlfriend, wondering where in the world Malcom X Avenue led to, trying to find Comic Strip Live, I was still pretty calm. My panic didn't hit until I walked through the doors and saw the stage with its worn out leather stool and spotlights. That's when the reality of the situation hit me: I was minutes away from performing at a real New York City comedy club, boring old me, a mom whose kids don't even think she's funny.

Instead of following my instincts and running all the way back across the river to the safety of my New Jersey 'burbs, I sat down and mingled with some of the power women I would be sharing the stage with. That's when I began to feel feverish as I realized how much I was out of my league.

I caught up with Tracy Beckerman and learned that her syndicated column, Lost in Suburbia, is being turned into a web show. I saw Jen Singer and took a look at her new book, Stop Second Guessing Yourself: the Toddler Years. I chatted with one of my favorite New York City mom bloggers and freelancer extraordinaire, Melissa Chapman. I later learned that Melissa's warm and generous laugh is a godsend in the audience. Kim Orlando, another woman I would follow anywhere on her travels around the world, was flitting about, interviewing the performers for Sony and TravelingMom.com, looking dazzling in her funky tights.

I also got to meet many bloggers and writers I'd heard about, read online, or tweeted with. Women like Wendy Stetson of Baby's Gotta Have It, Eden Pontz of the New York City Moms Blog, writer/editor Jeanne Muchnick, Nancy Friedman, and uber-blogger and freelance writer Liz Gumbinner of Mom 101 and Cool Mom Picks. No doubt about it, I was way outclassed.

Instead of dwelling on my impending very public humiliation, I ordered a glass of wine and enjoyed getting my make-up done. I then had an interview with Luvs, one of the sponsors of the Open Mom Night and repeated three times what I stand for as a mom: "Getting kids in the kitchen early and often." After an interview with Kim, this time for Sony and the type of technology that helps me travel (my DVD player in the car to keep the kids entertained as I get lost in Harlem), the procrastination was done, it was showtime.

The crowds began filing in, the lights were dimmed, and soon every table was filled with eager spectators, ready for a laugh. My friends and family were seated close to the front. Noticing my white knuckles and sweating brow, they encouraged me to drink up.

I'd like to say that once the show began, my case of nerves evaporated as I got lost in the entertainment, but that would be a complete lie. Each performer was better than the other. Tracy Beckerman started out with a stand up routine that got everyone laughing hard and the laughs never let up. I started having visions of a stone faced audience, of going down as the buzz kill of the night. I was in the middle of the line up, right after Melissa's hilarious story about a disastrous photo shoot.

I walked up to the stage and grabbed the mike as though it were a life preserver. The bright lights thankfully shielded me from the expectant faces of the audience. I admitted my fear of not being funny and launched into my story. Much to my surprise, I started hearing a few laughs, and then a few more... I couldn't believe it. They were actually laughing with me! Soon I was scurrying back to my seat, heart thumping hard, so relieved that my moment on stage was over that I could have peed right there.

In my life, I've had many occasions to witness the cattiness of women but last night is going down in the books as an example of the power of the solidarity of women. This incredible group of accomplished writers came together and supported each other whole-heartedly, cheering loudly over each well-described diaper explosion and desperate act of sleep deprivation. There was no competition, no bickering, just enthusiasm and reassurance as we celebrated our joint achievement: surviving motherhood and finding the humor in the toughest moments.

I was also incredibly touched by my friends who got babysitters and made the trek into the city to support their crazy blogger friend and by my sister who bagged studying for her last exam to cheer me on. And of course by my husband who now turns to me during stressful dinners out with the kids at nice restaurants and suggests, "this would be a great blog."