The Garden Project - Part 1

Although it may be a long time before Mommy 2.0 ever goes completely green, it looks like 2012 is the year that our family makes a stab at creating a renewable food source, right here in our own backyard (literally!)

I have envied those of my friends whose Facebook photos in the midst of the summer heat, show their kids' freckled faces amidst the verdant backdrop of their summer vegetable garden, picking and eating their homegrown beans and peas. I have longed for quiet moments in the garden with my girls, as they discover the excitement of seeing a new shoot, or the glorious victory of plucking a finally ripe tomato off the vine.

But to be honest, the only time my thumb has ever looked green, is when I have spent more than a few minutes trying to scrub green marker/fingerpaint/or the occasional green-colored candy off of my rug/walls/various body parts of my children.

Plus, in the back of my mind, I know that having a fruitful garden is a Buttload.Of.Work!

I think Sweet Hubby has always been right there along with me; plus, he has the added "I'm-a-chef-so-I-am-supposed-to-grow-and-harvest-fresh-food-for-my-family" kinda thing going on.

This year, despite the odds against us (lack of time, lack of energy, lack of knowledge), we decided to go for it. With a little bit of self-motiviation (and A LOT of enthusiasm from Little Diva), we stopped planning to make a garden, and actually made one.

Since Little Diva, and by extension, The Baby (who, by the way, isn't really much of a baby anymore - but that is a post of a different day), really motivated the process, the Garden is dedicated to them. Though we hope for some decent crops, it is really more of an experiential project for the whole family.

Here is a glimpse of the experience so far . . .

Because of the local wildlife population, namely groundhogs and rabbits, we opted for the Raised Bed style garden.
The wood for the bed is cedar.

Getting to use the gigantic drill from 1975 was just a bonus!

So it is pretty level - a good start!

This was the original frame plan - 8'Lx4'Wx6"deep. We decided it need to be 6" deeper, just to help keep those pests out.

We got lots of help from Little Diva, who was really into the whole construction concept.

With the sides complete to a height of 12", we picked just the right sunny spot in the yard.

Oops, we spotted a little gap, that Sweet Hubby was kind enough to fix, because that kind of thing would just drive me crazy.

We tacked a weed cloth, and a stainless steel hardware cloth (aka chicken wire) to the bottom to keep both the weeds and the groundhogs from poking their ugly little heads up.

We decided on a local company to deliver the soil. It is a Screened Topsoil with Mushroom Soil added.
We also plan on amending the soil with some good organic fertilizer from the bunny cage.

Having the wheelbarrow bust on the first soil run impeded our progress a little, but Sweet Hubby powered on.

This is one very proud dirtgirl and she refers to every thing we are planning to grow as "hers". Her peas, her beans, her tomatoes.
We will see how her tune changes when it comes time to weed the place.

I recruited her to help me measure and mark off the bed in 12" increments.

She happens to be really into using the tape measure, and it ties right into what they are learning about Math in school right now, so I felt very gratified by her participation.

So here we go, ready to start planting! We are loosely incorporating some the "Square Foot Gardening" concept into the project, so I felt that neatly a measured and marked grid would help. The duct tape was not the most aesthetic choice, but it is more of a temporary guide to help us know where to plant everything.

Our first crop of shelling peas and snow peas has been planted and the rest will wait for a few more weeks until slightly more reliable warm temperatures come around.

Anyone have tips or anecdotes to share about your own family gardening experiences?

The Fitted Sheet

I am a little obsessed with perfectly folding the fitted sheet. For me, it is the Holy Grail of Domesticity. There is something so satisfying about tucking that tightly folded little parcel of success into a neat stack on the shelf of an otherwise horrifying linen closet. I don't get it right that often.

How does one properly fold a fitted sheet? Google it, and you will get a bunch of different "expert" opinions on the topic. It seems like every domestic guru out there knows exactly how to do it, and will happily sell you a glossy magazine for $5.95 so you can do it too!

But no matter how well I follow the instructions, I can never do it the same way twice. Sometimes I end up with a jumble of corners and bunches and just stuff the thing into the back corner until however many months pass and I am motivated to change the sheets again. Other times, it looks like I have channelled my inner Martha and could get that sheet right back into its original package. I like days like that, and I will proudly run my hand over the smooth bundle several times before putting it away. I will admire it from every angle. Maybe even show it to Sweet Hubby so he knows that my time spent at home involves more than bon-bons and the soaps. <snicker snicker>

Like so many things, folding the fitted sheet takes practice. You try to do it the same way every time, but you can't always remember exactly what you did last time that worked so well. Other times, you are rushed, and can't take the time it needs. Maybe you were not taught how do it growing up, so you had to figure it out on your own.

And don't you know, you may spend a lot of time trying to get it right yourself, but then along comes someone else, who doesn't place the same importance on the perfectly folded fitted sheet, and will just shove their wadded mess into your organized pile.

You can take one look at that totally together mommy at the playground, and just know that her sheets are perfectly folded. She did it right before baking homemade chocolate chip cookies, and still had time afterwards to jump on a conference call to change the world. You wonder - does fold her own sheets? How did she learn to do it so well? Why. Is. It. So. Freakin'. Hard. For. Me?

Hmph! Maybe she just buys new sheets every time.

Sometimes, if I know I didn't do my best, I will go back and refold that sheet until it looks a little better.  I feel slightly bad for giving up on it so soon. Sometimes I listen to the experts, and sometimes I just do my own thing. I do what feels right.

When I climb into a freshly-made bed, I realize, no matter how the sheet was folded, it feels soft and smooth against my skin, and it is something that makes me happy. It is a fun challenge to make it perfect, but sometimes you just have to shut the linen closet door and try again later.

What is your domestic Holy Grail?

Can You Go A Day Without the Internet?

I am posing this question to all my readers, knowing full well that it is really quite contentious to bring up the topic in a forum that is clearly fueled by the power of the internet. After all, by definition, the existence of blogging relies solely on the web.

And that is only a small part of how the internet is complexly woven into our daily lives, isn't it? A day without the internet (or any sort of web-based applications) would mean using our iPhone only to make phone calls, and having to look up the number in a phone book, or <gasp> call 411. It would mean finding a recipe in a cookbook, not on RachaelRay.com (which totally rocks, by the way!).

I wonder how many of us, as parents, use the web to answer day-to-day questions about everything from how long it takes to roast a chicken, to what should I do if my child's fever spikes to 103? Could we get through a day without Google or Wikipedia?

At this point, I should interject with the disclaimer that my interest in this topic has nothing to do with SOPA or PIPA or any other internet legislation coming down the pike. I am really just curious from a personal perspective.


So why my obsession with trying to get through a day completely off the grid? Well, I have been paying a lot of attention to the concept of "screen-time" for my little ones. This does not mean that I have limited that screen time as much as I probably should. But at least I have been aware, and that is a start.

And as I have tried to set, at least in my mind, reasonable limits, it has led me to wonder - what if my kid told me that she absolutely could not survive a day without going on-line for one reason or another? Would I not feel like just about the crappiest parent out there? Clearly, I would have gone wrong somewhere along the line, if I raised my kid to be so cyber-dependent, right?

And yet, if you were to ask ME to go a day without the internet, in some form, or another, could I do it? Would I even try?

If the answer were no, then it should stand to reason, that my own kids, with me as their model, will someday be just as dependent, I suppose.

But if I really could do it, would the results open my eyes in some way? Would I see that I can turn to friends and family with my tough parenting questions, and not rely on the collective "wisdom" of some user-group of parents, hundreds of miles away, that I will never meet.

Would I find answers to my little one's questions like, "what kind of bird is that?, by finding some old book in library, and leafing through the pages together until we found a match?

Perhaps I could show my budding reader about how a newspaper is laid out, with headlines, and comics, and the weather report, and teach her how to get the day's news and forecast without pressing a single button.

Maybe, just maybe, I would spend 100% of a day thinking only about what is going on in the lives of people I interact with on a human level, not a cyber level. I would not "Update My Status" in any way other than calling a friend a to tell her how I am doing or recapping with my husband at the end of the day.

I left my phone in the car (by accident, of course) when I took Little Diva to sporting event yesterday, and after a good 10 minutes of nervous supposition about how I would make it through the game without out it, I let it go, and we somehow survived three periods of regulation, over-time and a shoot-out. Of course, no one got to see a picture of us posing together in the stands, and there were no OMG's or play-by-plays of our adventure via Social Media.

But we had a great time, and I truly enjoyed the lack of distraction. Those moments belonged to us, and to no one else. I sense that we, as a society, are experiencing fewer and fewer of times like those, and I know I, at least from time to time, feel powerless to change that.

But I am curious to know if any of you are interested in trying this social experiment with me. One day, no internet. Think we can do it? Care to give it a try?


PS - I will not be offended or judgy in any way if people are like "H-no, that is just a totally dumb idea, go buy something on Amazon and get off our backs".

T'was the Week Before Christmas

Where has the time gone? It has been months since my last blog post. And this is hardly the time for me to sit down and start grinding out any of the dozens of blog ideas that have been swirling about my sleep-deprived mommy brain. So I am reposting my ode to holiday spirit that I penned last year, right around this time. I am not surprised to note that it is just about as accurate to this year's preparations as last.

I wish all of you of a wonderful holiday season, a very happy new year and most importantly -a full recovery from the "most. wonderful. time. of. the. year!"

T'was the week before Christmas

T'was the week before Christmas and all through the house,

The kids weren't behaving nor was my spouse.

Their stockings, their jackets, nothing hung in its place.

They left crumbs on the floor and left jam on their face.

A week's worth of dishes were used in a day

And left in the sink for mom to put away.

The holiday baking didn't come out quite right

And the wrapping of presents turned into a fight.

A phone call to Santa was threatened at least once,

But that had grown old since we'd used it for months.

But the countdown is on and we will be merry,

We may even get a visit from the Tooth Fairy!

I'll hear them proclaim, as I kiss them good night,

I love you, Mommy and that makes it all right.

My Favorite Christmas card choice, vetoed by Sweet Hubby!

Naughty Or Nice Christmas Card

Creating Christmas cards has never been this easy.

View the entire collection of cards.

A Humpty Dumpty Birthday Bash

I absolutely love planning parties, and while I no longer do it professionally (at least for now), I have at least two opportunities a year to put my party planning savvy to the test. Of course, having two birthdays within two weeks of each other poses a challenge, but I still try to give it my all for both girls, and this year I chose a Humpty Dumpty and His Nursery Rhyme Friends theme for The Baby's 2nd Birthday. Humpty Dumpty is her favorite nursery rhyme and she laughs out loud every time she sees the illustration.

While  I don't normally post a lot of personal pics on this blog, I thought I would share these because it was pretty hard to find anything with Humpty Dumpty on the web. Hopefully this will help you if you every go in this direction with one of your own parties.

The invitation was tricky. I found just one or two designs on-line and I didn't really care for any of them. So instead I found a Humpty Dumpty drawing that I liked and uploaded it onto a cute Upload Your Own Photo template on www.vistaprint.com.

I kept the decorations simple, and thrifty. I purchased a program to make this cute Nursery Rhyme banner on Etsy. Mine says "Happy Birthday" but it can be customized with any text. I printed the design on cardstock, cut it, punched holes in the corners and strung it together using curling ribbon.

I called every party store and balloon shop in the area to find a Humpty Dumpty balloon, with no luck, so I ended up ordering this one, which was adorable, from Bargain Balloons, a company out of Canada. It was worth the cost of shipping every time The Baby laughed at it, or hugged and kissed it. I used a Balloon Time kit to fill it and the rest of balloons. That part was fun, and easier than I expected. Purchasing the kit at Michaels with a 40% off coupon made it cost effective, too.

And my pièce de resistance, was a homemade Humpty Dumpty piñata. I owe big props to the blog With or Without Nap on much of the inspiration, including making my own piñata. 

And the "how-to" to actually construct the thing, came from a blog called Frugal NJ. 

Here I used that same graphic program from Etsy, to create the decoration for the goody bags that the kids would use to collect their piñata loot. For the  two little babies who weren't allowed candy, I put a pack of gel teethers and a little Sesame Street book instead. I hung the bags on our mantel, using kitchen twine and clothespins. I had a "Three Little Kittens hanging their mittens" image in my mind, but I doubt anyone else would have picked up on it.

So eventually poor Humpty had a great fall and met with his demise. Unfortunately the pull strings didn't work on my homemade creation (who knew masking tape was so strong??), so I instantly turned into the Incredible Hulk and just ripped the thing apart, sending the candy flying onto the squealing bunch of kiddos below.

Our cake was a glorious work of art, created by Sweet Hubby. Humpty was made of chocolate, and the kids had so much fun breaking him apart and eating him before we even got the cake sliced. The cake was just as delicious as it was cute. It was sour cream poundcake with a green apple buttercream. It may just have been his best cake yet. My girls are so spoiled with his amazing cakes.

Sweet Hubby and I also made these adorable Humpty Dumpty decorated cookies to take home. Of course, he did most of the work, but I will take credit for Humpty's cute face and his fabulous packaging.

I would say the party was a huge success, and made wonderful most of all by the fantastic family and friends in attendance. Humpty Dumpty was a great character to include and my girl's happy smiles and laughter made it worth the extra effort to make it special.

Totally Gross

I am generally not a super-squeamish parent. I am pretty much at the bottom of the germa-phobe totem pole. If something doesn't look real dirty, then I am usually okay with it. Yes, I recognize that some of the more nasty bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella can't be seen, and should still be feared. And for that I keep my gigantic warehouse store size of Lysol wipes at the ready. But general dirt and grime don't really skeeve me out (a quick visit to my house on a bad day can really drive this point home).

I am also not easily shaken when my kids suffer the customary scrapes and bruises of childhood. Of course, I feel bad for my little tikes when they rip all the skin off their knee or pick at a bug bite til it bleeds, but it doesn't make me feel ill or anything, to look at their wounds. I can administer first aid like a good Girl Scout, and I rarely have to look away.

What I have discovered about myself, however, is that anything that has to do with the mouth, makes me squirm. I first started to realize this about myself when Little Diva suffered her "tongue injury" last winter.

Now it is becoming more evident as I am faced with LOOSE TEETH in Little Diva's precious, little (though sometimes sassy) mouth.  The whole tooth-hanging-by-thread thing sends shivers up my spine.

She has already lost two baby teeth, and thankfully, managed to get them out herself. It wasn't even that big of a production (especially for her). Except of course, that the first one happened to be extracted on Christmas Eve, so the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus had to orchestrate their travels very carefully that evening.

But that was months ago, and now she is working on the big guys up front. And one of them is really ripe for the picking.

I.Cannot.Even.Bear.To.Watch.

That thing is hanging on for dear life, moving this way and that, and every time she says, "Look at it, now, Mom," I start to sweat. I am oddly fascinated by the whole thing, but am thoroughly grossed out when I see that wee little tooth, dangling sideways from the socket.

Why doesn't she just pull the darn thing out?? Well, she says it hurts when she twists it a certain way. More chills down my spine. And oh, yeah, did I mention, there is some blood? I can stomach gaping wounds in an arm, a leg, even a bloody nose, but one glimpse of that bloody (literally) tooth, and I nearly pass out.

The only thing that makes the situation even slightly tolerable, is when she hangs that dangling tooth over her lip, and busts out her best British accent to say, "I am Nanny McPhee". That one had us rolling on the floor. I don't know where she comes up with this stuff.

Is it true that some parents can actually manage to pull their kids teeth out for them? Well, yes, I know it is, because I am pretty sure I remember my mom doing it for me.

Not this momma, oh no! I would bring her to the dentist, $50 co-pay and all, before I yanked that thing out myself.

How about you? Is pulling out your kids' loose tooth something you have (or could have) done?

Those Tough Choices

Here's is how decision-making goes around here:

Mommy 2.0: Should I make a regular piñata or a pull-string piñata for The Baby's 2nd birthday party?

Sweet Hubby: Um, probably a pull-string.

M2.0: Why? A regular one will be much easier to make

SH: No, it will too hard for the kids to break. They are too little.

M2.0: But they can use one of your golf clubs, and the grown-ups can help them (Can you tell that I really don't feel like figuring out the whole piñata-trap door-string thing?)

SH: So, you know that there is only going to be one kid who can actually hit the piñata alone, and then Little Diva is going to freak out because she didn't get to hit the piñata by herself, and she is going to say "no fair!" then she and her friend are going to say they aren't friends anymore, then they are going to pout at each other for the next hour.

M2.0: Maybe you're right. Maybe we should do a pull-string.

Sometimes it really helps to listen to the voice of reason.

No Rest for the Weary

I just cannot nap. I know there is an entire sub-culture of adult nappers out there who are rubbing the sleep out of their well-rested eyes and shaking their heads at me, but it is an undeniable truth.

On the rare occasion that I let myself lay down for a midday siesta, I inevitably regret it. First of all, I may be dead tired and falling asleep standing up at the sink full of dishes, but the second I climb into bed or curl up on the couch, I get my second wind. My mind starts racing through a million and one random trains of thought and I find it hard to get to sleep. I will have to set an alarm, because once I do go to sleep, my body assumes I am down for the count, and would go a good four hours before realizing that I have slept through then end of The Baby's nap,  missed pick-up at school, and dozed right through dinner. That would not be good. But eventually, the sleep deprivation will win out, and I will drift off.

Once the alarm goes off, no matter how well I have chosen a soothing yet rousing sound, I am jolted out of deep slumber, and feel completely disoriented and unwell. In fact, I can liken my state of being after a nap, to a hangover, without the good time. I am usually sweating, shaking and my head aches dully.  I do not feel refreshed or reinvigorated. Instead, I am trying to figure out exactly how many minutes of snooze I can get away with without running late for any afternoon obligations.

Usually my inability to nap is not detrimental in any way. In fact, it typically allows me to be productive during the baby's nap time, either getting household chores done (which do not get done at any other time, so this is a must!) or spending the one-on-one time so desperately craved by Little Diva when she is off from school, that she starts asking around 9:30AM if it is The Baby's nap time yet.

But on days like today, a nap would be nice, if I knew I would not feel like zombie after. By "days like today" I specifically mean days after a night when The Baby doesn't sleep well at all. I mean when she has woken up at midnight. And at one. And then has been up for two hours straight from 2AM-4AM followed by tossing and turning (and pinching and kicking) next to me in my bed after that for the rest of the "night".

I mean days like today when it is rainy. And dreary. And The Baby is sleeping. And the housework is done. Well, as done as it gets without actually pulling out the vacuum, a mop or the can of dusting spray. In other words, done enough for a Tuesday.

But I better not nap. I will sit on the couch and flip through the new issues of Parenting and Entertainment Weekly. My eyes will get heavy. My head will start to nod. And I might close my eyes for just one minute. And I might just forget that I won't feel good when I wake up . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

But then the rally cry from the nursery will sound. There is no rest for the weary. And it will be time to start Part 2 of our day, the afternap afternoon. Thank goodness for Double Espresso!

Nothing's Free in this World, Kid (Except for Tote Bags)

As a full time at-home mom, I consider it one of my biggest responsibilities to seize the "teachable moments" as they present themselves. As a result, I probably beat a dead horse over-explain everything all the time. I really cannot help it. I always feel compelled to find the lesson in the situation, and relate it to whatever we have going on.

It is completely gratifying to see some of these efforts pay off from time to time. Let me share the story of how Little Diva is evolving into a genius of pragmatism.
<insert image of tongue in cheek here>

So, I will admit, I am rather frazzled hurried on a regular basis. My mission is to get from point A to point B with two girls in tow without 1) having them bicker with each other 2) buying them the various candies/toys/crap that they beg me for on every venture 3)having the whole affair spiral downward into a crying hissy-fit meltdown that typically results from numbers 1 or 2.

Today's "quick" trip to the grocery store was no different. After grabbing the few things we needed, plus some random package of chocolate covered wafer cookies that I caved on, we sailed through checkout. Little Diva was still rambling on about something she started in on in the Produce department, but I pushed ahead. I had The Baby in her stroller, basically because she is now prone to attempting swan dives out the grocery cart since mastering the release on the safety belt. To keep her occupied, she had brought half the toy box, and had various stuffed dogs, blankies and dolls wedged in around her.

As I made a beeline for the door, we passed a display of Kiwi fruit, at which point Little Diva perked up again, and said, "Look, Mommy, this is what I wanted". I mumbled my usual, no honey, not today, and then saw that The Baby had dropped one of the dolls. I called back to Little Diva, who was about 5 paces behind me to pick her up and out the door we went. As we got outside, Little Diva said, "But Mom, don't we have to pay for it?" I spun around and saw that she was not holding Balen, the Baby Doll, but rather one of the coveted Kiwi fruits.

Um yeah. We do have to pay for that, and where is the doll I told you to pick up. Huh? Oh I thought you said just pick one up. Oops.

Poor thing turned about 5 shades of red, and almost walked back in through the "out" door to get that stolen fruit back on the stand. There was also a really confused customer walking towards us with Balen the Baby Doll in hand as we rushed back in.

Over dinner at the pizza joint next door, I complimented Little Diva on asking me about paying for the Kiwi, instead of just walking out without paying for it. I told her that I am glad she understands that it is wrong to take something that you haven't paid for.

A few minutes later, she noticed some cookies that being prepped for the counter display. She asked if she could have one because it looked like they were free. I said, oh no, you have to pay for everything here. She asked if I had paid for the bag of chips she was devouring instead of her pizza. I said yes, and then quipped, "Nothing is free in this world, kid".

With a knowing tone, she repeated it back to me, "That's right, mom. Nothing is free. Well, except for Tote Bags. They always seem to be free".

Tote Bags. They always seem to be free.

It is at moments like these, that I remember, that I am learning as much from my kids, as they are from me. And it almost always makes me smile.

Being a Mean Mommy

It's nice to be writing again after a summer away. Before you get any ideas about glamorous holidays abroad or anything, my summer away was more of figurative getaway (with a few, but not nearly enough, glorious weekends at the Jersey Shore). Mostly, I just unplugged a little. I cannot credit any sort of "I-think-summer-should-be-about-more-than-Facebook-status-updates" attitude. Truthfully, I just don't have a laptop, and blogging from the iPhone is a royal PIA. But anyway . . . as expected, a summer with my two girls provided many experiences to reflect upon.



I knew that giving birth to two girls would eventually lead to tense mother-daughter relations somewhere down the line. I think it is pretty much a given that estrogen-fueled battles of words and of wills will ensue at some point along the journey, most likely in the tween or teen years, or so I thought. I never really considered that I would find myself in power struggles with a five going-on-sixteen six-year old.

My first big parental veto occurred this summer in the form of saying "no" to a collection of TV shows from the increasingly (and somewhat alarmingly) precocious Disney Channel. At first, I found the shows to be harmless, even enjoyed them myself, truth be told. Standard tween fare involving an assortment of sassy girls and boys, with a variety of clever life situations to keep a five year old intrigued - a new baby sister, special magic powers, starring on your own dance show. But what I noticed after a while, was that my own Little Diva's attitude and communication choices were starting to feel like something straight out of the scripts of any one of these shows. My sweet girl was talking back more, getting pouty more, engaging in sassy play with her Barbies and/or Little People. I didn't really like where this was going.

I realized I was going to have to make the unpopular decision to pull the plug on what had become her TV lineup. I knew it was going to be tough, and understood that I should have been more vigilant from the start, thereby avoiding her exposure to these shows altogether, but what was done was done. This style of TV may be perfectly fine for other families, but a parent knows their child best, and in our case, it was not a good fit for her personality and tendencies toward imitation and repetition.

As a sidebar, I have since discovered a resource to help me navigate the tricky task of deciding what are and what are not acceptable media choices based on age. It is a website called Common Sense Media.  It breaks down the content of games, movies and TV shows, and makes age recommendations. Ultimately, it is up to me and Sweet Hubby as parents, to make the call, but it is very helpful to get other perspectives and know what your kids are going to see before they see it.

With little fanfare, I told Little Diva that we were going to take a break from these shows for a while. As an explanation, which she had of course "requested", I explained that sometimes the characters and ideas of the shows didn't seem to be good examples for her, and that sometimes watching shows like this might make little kids her age act in ways that were not good. She was really disappointed. We found some other programming that was more appropriate and she was appeased momentarily.

In the weeks that have ensued, there has been an almost constant barrage of pleas to "please, please, please watch just one show" but I have held firm. She takes it as an almost personal insult that I continue to say no. I see that this is only a mere glimpse into our future of our mother-daughter negotiations, but I am inwardly pleased at my resolve. I have come to realize that it is more satisfying to labor through the arguments, but stand my ground, than to relent to the pressures, and forsake my ideology.

NOT!!!!

I am not sure how some mommies get by, without ever having to be the "mean mommy", but I know they are out there. I have to accept that I will never be one of them and deal with the occasional dirty looks, and hours (weeks? months?) of silent treatment.

How about you? Ever had to be a "mean mommy" or are you and your little ones BFFs 24/7?

Please! No Payday for Casey!!

It doesn't really matter how you feel about Tuesday's "not guilty" verdict in the infamous Casey Anthony trial, you would be hard-pressed to convince anyone that Casey is a morally upstanding young lady. In fact, whether or not she actually pre-meditated, facilitated or even just ignored the disappearance and death of her daughter, most would view her as a despicable human being with no sense of basic human compassion.

What disturbs me the most about her current status as our country's most talked about persona non grata is that she stands to make millions on her story.

We, as a society, will flock to the bookstore to buy her book, and tune in to her talk show appearances to try to understand more about this person that has shocked and horrified us beyond belief. And for this, she will become a very wealthy lady.

How can we somehow dissuade the media from indulging in our curiosity? Is there some way to call for higher moral ground, where we can tell NBC/CBS/Fox, whomever, that we will not watch anything for which Casey gets one dime? Would someone please start a "No Payday for Casey!" Facebook page?

If only we could make every publisher understand that they wouldn't sell a single "Casey Anthony - My Story" hardcover or e-Book, and that they'd lose millions if they tried to publish it.

And honestly, it's not just Casey getting rich that gets under my skin. It is more a sickening fear that her fortune from all of this may just inspire some other repugnant creatures to perpetrate their own hideous acts in the hopes of the same outcome. There are certainly enough desperate, demented people out there that might say to themselves, "Well if she made millions, it might just be worth a try".

There are already way too many threats out there to the well-being of our kids.  I truly hope that everyone who reads this will reconsider before watching her shows, seeing her movie or reading her book.

I, personally, promise myself that I will not contribute in any way to her success. If she gives an interview, I will change the channel. If she writes a book, I will not buy it.

Are you with me on this, or do you think the media deserves its shot at her?



UPDATE: Shortly after posting this, I learned that such a Facebook page has been created!! Yay!
You can visit and Like it here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Casey-Anthony/175983199131341?ref=ts

Meet Little Diva and The Baby

I have never really posted any photos or videos of the kiddos before - I have always relied on the use of prose to communicate the nuances of their quirky little personalities. But today I decided that this moment captured on video was too precious (for me, at the very least) not to share. 

The backstory is that Sweet Hubby, in addition to his culinary savoir faire, also plays the banjo, and often serenades us with Old Timey tunes now and again. Little Diva fancies herself to be quite the little songbird and at any given moment, is "writing" songs to narrate the soundtrack of her life. The Baby just kind of rocks out with whatever is going on around her. 

And from that convergence of talents, the following scene was born:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR_dS1VZ8LI

Back on the Blog!

Yes, it's me! As you live and breath, I have seated myself in front of the aging Mac, to scribe a new post. I really figured my absence would go entirely unnoticed, and I am sure, for the most part, it has. But ... I was tickled to learn that one of my readers, who happens to be a family friend (and one with NO KIDS, no less) had a hankering for a new post, so I realized at least somebody out there would be happy to hear from me, so here I go.

And I am not going to dedicate a post to explaining what I have been up to for the last month or so. Mainly because I would like you to stay awake, and also because, truthfully, there is not much to tell. Life has a funny way of getting busy in cycles and my attention span for things like this is pretty short, so sorry to say, my blogging was the first time and energy cutback that I made.

I am also not going to pretend that my hiatus produced a fabulous backlog of witty blog ideas and content. If I did come up with any ideas that I did not have time to blog about, my inability to recall a coherent thought for more than about one nanosecond ensures that I could not remember them anyway.

So instead, I sit here ready to blog about the first thing that pops into my head, and today, that happens to be about how I live vicariously through my children. I can actually put together a nice Top Five list for you of the ways I live out my hopes and dreams via my two little minions. Not sure if it is sweet or pathetic, or maybe a combo of the two, but here goes.


1) Fashion: Let's face it. I just don't look good in clothes anymore. And I am not in touch with adult clothing trends AT ALL. Honestly, until they started showing up in the kid's section of Payless, I thought Gladiators were some kind of shoulder epaulets that were all the rage. I mean, armor on the runway is nothing new, right? So why would I think everyone was so hot on Russell Crowe's footwear? Instead, I channel my inner supermodel, by dressing my girls in the most fabulous clothes I can find. I actually live for the moments that complete strangers stop me on the street to tell me how cute their clothes are. (One lady in a recent poolside encounter even went so far as to ask if she could take a picture of The Baby in her awesome bathing ensemble. Seriously, it was almost like having a run in with the paparazzi!) Superficial? Absolutely, but it's also the only way to express my fashion sense without actually having to outfit myself in the latest looks. I love it! (Plus I know in a few years, I will have NO say in what they wear, so I might as well enjoy it while I can!)

2) Junk food: I mean, really, what self-respecting adult actually buys Cheetos (or Pop Tarts, or Pirates Booty?!) for themselves? (by the way, if you do, I love you for it!!) But have a couple little kids in tow, and no one in the grocery checkout aisle even gives you a second look! And a meal plan that includes Chicken Dino-bites, Mac n Cheese and Pizza once a week each, means I am catering to their tastes, not mine of course!

3) Dancing to cool music: Somehow, if I was downloading Dynamite and Bruno Mars songs for myself to dance to, I would feel a little like a tween-wanna be. If it weren't for my girls, I would probably have to spend all day singing Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel songs. Thanks to them, I could actually hold my own in one of those trendy clubs downtown (except for the fact that you generally don't get past the velvet rope wearing elastic waist shorts and Birkenstocks, but a girl can dream)

4) Disney TV: Wizards of Waverly Place, Shake It Up, Good Luck Charlie - yup, I love them all. I just try not to let anyone catch me watching them when Little Diva ISN'T home.

5) Campaigning for Votes: If I remember correctly, I was never elected to student government in middle or high school, and I think it left a void in my psyche. That must be why I am compelled to submit photos for every "Vote for My Kid" contest that floods into my Junk Mail folder. (In fact, if you are interested in voting for Little Diva's latest entry click here - shameless, yes I am!!) I really don't even want a superstar lifestyle for either of them, but the allure of seeing their name in lights gets me every time.

I could probably go on, and on and on! (Oops, there I go humming Dynamite again), but I am pretty sure you got the point.

Thank goodness we get cute kids right around the time we, ourselves, start to go down the toilet. In what ways do you live through your kids?

Product Review: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

Now that I am home full time with my kiddos, it seems like I am always up to my elbows in some kind of mess. It may be a sink full of dishes or a pile of dirt from our latest "gardening" experiment, but whatever it is, I feel like I am washing my hands/arms about a hundred times a day. This has not been so good for my once soft and supple skin. So when I heard about Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, I was very eager to give it a try. I was given some samples to review, and I checked out their website for more information before testing it out myself.

Here is what Skin MD has to say about their product:

A shielding lotion does the real work to prevent dry skin in two ways.

First, it assists the inner layers of skin to absorb moisture. The humectant
(an ingredient that attracts moisture) used in Skin MD Natural is unique to
it and has been laboratory tested to be 6 times more effective than any
other you will find in common creams.

Second, a shielding lotion enhances the power of the top layer of the skin
to resist environmental irritants while protecting the inner natural
moisture.

This can be a big benefit for those who cook, wash dishes and garden because
Skin MD Natural helps skin retain its natural moisture and oils in the face
of all those irritating soaps and chemicals.

The manufacturer's website www.skinmdnatural.com has hundreds of
dermatologist and user reviews including many addressing severe dry skin
problems such as eczema and psoriasis. People with sensitive skin -- and
those of us who like to live as naturally as possible -- will appreciate
that Skin MD Natural is hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, parabens and
colorants. It is made with more than 90% natural ingredients and 100%
food-grade ingredients that are on the FDA's "most safe" list.

Desperate for something to help protect my skin from the day-to-day abuse that a mommy must inflict upon it, this sounded like the perfect solution. But I get bored with the daily use of most lotions/potions/creams, so I allowed myself a good month of using this product regularly to see if it would make a difference.

I am thrilled to say, that, YES, this stuff is exactly what I needed!! Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion is designed to create a barrier to protect your skin and it also keeps the moisture in. But it does it without a greasy, I-can't-touch-anything-for-an-hour feel. In fact, my skin was drinking it up instantly and I could move on to my next task without delay. Following the directions, I used the product every 2-8 hours to restore the moisture, and then, once my skin felt better, I continued using every 12-24 hours.

Three weeks into the daily use of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, my hands felt smoother, looked less leathery and stayed soft all day long. I was so pleased, I decided to try it on some other parts, including my perpetually sun-damaged chest, and my alligator elbows. The results have been incredibly positive. My elbows feel much softer now, which is no small miracle, and I have been using their Shielding Lotion + SPF15 on my chest to keep it constantly protected, something I should have started doing years ago. 

I have to say, thanks to my success with Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, I can give this product, two soft and supple thumbs up!!  Mommy 2.0 recommends it for dry-skin sufferers who want a non-greasy, effective skin protectant that delivers on its promises. And since it is manufactured in an eco-friendly, solar-powered facility, you can feel good on the inside about using this product too!


Visit www.skinmdnatural.com to find out where the product is available near you, or to order it online.

Skin MD Natural provided me a free sample of this product for review. I was not compensated for this review.

Mommy 2.0 Featured Today on the Mom Pledge!

I am thrilled and honored to be featured on one of my favorite blogs, The Mom Pledge!! Check it out here, and while you are there, please consider taking the pledge to join a group of moms committed to treating each with dignity and respect here in the blogosphere!

The Mom Pledge Blog 

Have you taken the pledge?

Thanks to my bloggy friends at The Mom Pledge for selecting Mommy 2.0 as your featured blogger today! 

We Made It!

Tonight I am dedicating my post to all the mommies out there who made it through Mother's Day flying solo with their kiddos.

For lots of different reasons, many of our husbands couldn't be around today to entertain the little angels while mommy got some of that elusive extra sleep in the morning. We had to fix our own breakfast and make the bed, rather than luxuriating in it with a mug of hot coffee and the Sunday paper.

Our "spa" treatment consisted of a hurried shower, set to the soundtrack of bickering children and the too-loud TV attempting to distract them so mommy could rinse the shampoo out AND shave her legs before the Backyardigans headed to somebody's house for the day's snack.

We may have stayed at home and conducted our day just like any other. Or we may have braved the brunch front with our kiddos in tow, praying that today just might be the day that our toddler wouldn't morph into a screaming, sticky mess long before the entrees even hit the table. Perhaps there was a special outing - the zoo, the park. Plenty of spots just perfect for watching Daddies chase around their minions while Mommies bask in the warm sun. Nevertheless, we packed our diaper bags with conviction, and managed to keep our chins up as we tackled the day.

Those of us who have already survived some of these solo Mother's Days may have started the day with pretty low expectations, because we know that our kids are way to young to understand that Mommy needs to be treated "extra-special" because it's her day. There is no Santa or Easter Bunny anywhere to be found, so to our small kids, this day seems just like any other, and there are needs that must be meant.

But in some way or another, the sippy cup stayed half full.

Maybe the diapers were just a little less stinky, and the flowers we managed to get in the ground in time for Mother's Day looked a little brighter. The giggles and gasps of joy as the swings flew high in the air, sounded just a little happier today, and whether we got one hug or a hundred, the gentle embrace of our beloveds felt even warmer than usual.

Because let's face it, Mother's Day is about more than feeling appreciated as a mom. It is about appreciating the fact that you are a mommy, and no matter how much or how little the rest of the world does today to make you feel special, there is no better celebration than the love we share with our kids. Today and everyday.

Happy Mother's Day!!

The Royal Wrap Up

Well the verdict is in, and it appears that real-life princesses are not nearly as impressive to a five-year old (at least my five-year old) as their animated counterparts. Though I tried as hard as I could, I could not capture the attention of Little Diva with any part of royal nuptials. She was more interested in watching the groundhog bore holes in our lovely lawn all morning, while I stayed glued to the screen, waiting to catch a glimpse of the newest addition to the British monarchy.

Here were Little Diva's main concerns about the whole affair:

Why didn't Prince William and Prince Harry match? She did not like that one was wearing black and the other wearing red.

Why was Maya from Suite Life on Deck getting married to him anyway. Doesn't she like Zack anymore?

Why did they all have "those things" on their heads?

How come there were trees inside the church?

Why didn't the horses pulling the carriage gallop?

Sometimes you get a completely new perspective on just about anything when you look at it through the eyes of a child.

In any case, I must admit that I was inspired by the transformation of Kate from girl next door to HRH. After spending the better part of the morning viewing the coverage in the comfort of my pajamas, I glanced at myself in the mirror during a potty break, and realized I was about as far from regal as you can get. I immediately put on decent clothing (like some that actually live on hangers in my closet), brushed my hair and put on a little makeup. Knowing that Kate will never have another day to run to the grocery store in a pair of sweats and a pony tail, made me feel slightly guilty about lazing around like a slug.

And since I do not see a horse-drawn carriage waiting for any of us out front, it's pretty safe to say I won't need to shake 3000 hands or anything today, but embracing your inner princess every once in a while can be a good thing. It is a total cliché, but this is the only castle I've got, so I'll make the most of it, and play with my little princesses all day - no ridiculous hats required!

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? And what did you and your kiddos think?

Not in hiding

Hi all!
I just managed to claw my way out from under a 6 foot mountain of laundry under which I have been buried for the last week or so to say hello. How is it that 4 people (two of whom are under 4 feet tall) can generate two tons of dirty clothes on a weekly basis?

Just wanted to confirm that I am alive and well. I have moved on to picking up the delightfully minuscule foil balls made from the Easter candy wrapping that are scattered throughout the house. I have only stepped on (and hence, shattered) three plastic eggs in the process! I consider that a small victory. I have also hidden the chocolate bunnies in the freezer "so they won't melt." (wink.wink) I think the only thing worse than my kids hopped up on sugar, is having them hopped up on sugar with sticky-melted-chocolate-covered-hands.

Hope you all enjoyed your spring holidays as much as I did!

The Hard Way

So I picked up a few pointers from myself yesterday on how not to make life more difficult that it can sometimes be already.

Here we go:
1) Do not go to the park with an eighteen month old when the local elementary school is having some kind of field day/let the wild animals run free/let the teachers stand around and check Facebook on their phone in the sunshine day.  If you do, have a plan in place for the baby therapy that will be needed to remove the scars to her delicate psyche.

2) Do not get your five-year old all excited about rearranging her room furniture without first measuring the spaces - ALL THE SPACES - to make sure your plan will work. And better yet, do not start moving said furniture (said heavy, made of solid wood, with a iron core, furniture) by yourself only to find out the hard way that it does not fit.

3) Do not pull a baby toy out of storage, and expect that your five year old will have any interest in letting an actual BABY play with it.

4) Do not assume that a baby will not want her own treat from the Ice Cream Truck. If you do, you will just end up giving her yours. And along those same lines, pretty much plan on the fact that the treat you choose for yourself will be more appealing to your five year old than whatever gumball-eyed/red dye #5/superhero pop she picks and you will end up "trading". Order accordingly. Why do I always forget that?

Hope this helps your weekend go a little more smoothly.
Does anyone else have any good life lessons that you have picked up lately?