It's Fall. Time for pumpkins, brightly colored gourds, bales of hay and hot mugs of cider. Make that cold cider because it is just too hot! Temperatures are supposed to reach 90 today and while I would love to be breaking out a nice sweater and boots I'll be wearing capri's and a tank again. This severely extended Indian Summer has me agitated for a variety of reasons.First, it throws me off balance. I miss the smell of the fallen leaves, the damp air and the fall rain. I can see the Occoquan river from my deck and it is incredibly low. It breaks my heart. This is not normal and it is distressing. Our water supply is in jeopardy. We need rain. We need cooler weather. Second and way more trivial, is that my anniversary is in the fall. My husband gave me a nice shopping spree as my gift. A … [Read more...]
Losing a Job- Like the Five Stages of Grief
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date July 25, 2008. It has been one month since my husband walked through our front door suddenly unemployed. Laid off. One month of us spending time together as a family, having long, quiet talks about everything from the state of our finances, job searching and health insurance quandaries to who we are as a family. During this past month we have frozen our gym memberships, eliminated contributions to our daughter's college fund and taken away all of life's tiny luxuries that we often take for granted when stockpiling unnecessary items at the grocery store, Target and almost everywhere else. It's been all about less waste and less consumption this past month and we are probably all the better for it. I have however noticed … [Read more...]
Kid’s Parties- Is It Just Keeping Up With the Joneses?
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post from February 27, 2008. My daughter turned two this weekend. Yes, I know, it is hard to believe. I can barely wrap my brain around it either. However, you know what the hardest part of her turning two was for me? It was- To have a party or not to have a party? It was the ultimate question on my mind. What would people think if we opted out of this birthday milestone? Would we be labeled as bad, unloving parents?I drove myself mad with this conundrum. I wanted so badly for her birthday to go right I kind of freaked out. There were blog posts about it. I consulted friends and family. Everyone had an opinion and an idea of what I should be doing or forgetting all together. When it came right down to it I felt like my … [Read more...]
Is That a Hooker on my Block?
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Orginial post date June 15, 2008It started with a late night knock on a neighbors door. Then another neighbor and another. Slowly, the houses on one side of the street all began experiencing late night visitors. Especially if they had a red door. In the last few weeks the street traffic on my block has increased and it comes in the form of a John it seems. That's right. You heard me. We seem to have some prostitution brewing on our street. In an area that looks suspiciously like a cross between Disney's 'It's a Small World' village and the movie set of 'Pleasantville' our block has suddenly gotten a lot of late night callers. All of them heading to the same location in the dead of night. Many leaving in the early hours of the morning. One … [Read more...]
Not So Disposable
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date December 24, 2007.We all know that once you have kids messes are made all the time. Almost every 2.5 seconds it seems and there is more trash than you ever thought possible leaving your home. If you own a diaper genie or some other stink holder then you know that the trash you put out more than doubles once that cute bundle arrives. It is like the diapers are having diapers inside that contraption. Diapers that clog our landfills and linger for years to come. There must be something we can do right? There must be a better way that does not involve those cloth diapers. Because really? We are not all cut out for the washing of the poo. This video, Not So Disposable, by Dana Hackley, gets to the nitty gritty of what … [Read more...]
Verizon Customer Service is No Friend of Mine
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date February 15, 2008. Scene: My home, afternoon, precious nap time/work minutes ticking away. I am on deadline. My Internet connection goes down and after fiddling with it all day I decide to call Verizon.After spending a few minutes on hold I am finally put through to a person who doesn't sound like she is from halfway around the world. Is this even possible? That has never happened before! Yet, her voice does sound suspiciously not human. I've verified my name, number, address, H's name, my third cat's birthday and how old I was when I learned to ride a bike and I think, "Are we done yet?"Customer Service Rep: Please state your telephone number again ma'am.V: 875-3425.CSR: Is that 759-3324?V: No, (tight smile forms on my … [Read more...]
Blogher’10 – Good Times, Indeed
So I had like this whole post about how awesome Blogher '10 was and then Blogger decided to act like total a douche on me and I don't have it in me to rewrite it. Here are some bullet points and let me just say, it was totally worth the trip!-My roomie was awesome and summed up Blogher best in this post.-I met women who have inspired me throughout this blogging and motherhood journey and I stand amazed. Katherine, I'm talking to you. Thanks for all the kind words, even when you made me cry at one point. They were happy tears. I'm honored to know you and work with you thus far. Susan telling me I am an inspiration as I hauled ass around the conference was jaw-dropping to say the least. -Spending the day on Ellis Island was fantastic! … [Read more...]
Pregnancy: Thy Name is Insecurity
Typically, I am fairly secure in my marriage and overall relationship with my spouse. He does a wonderful job of taking care of me, telling me how he feels, attending to my needs and showing affection. I'm the one that often lacks in that department. I never doubt how he feels about me or his family. But I had to face facts the other day when I realized that the ugly green monster of jealousy and its sister insecurity had reared their ugly heads. Why you might ask? It's simple and something I shamefacedly admit. When I become pregnant I become insecure. All those changes with my body, the break-outs, weird bodily functions, mood swings and right, how can I forget, not only do I gag and puke frequently I also tend to pee myself if I sneeze too hard lately. Last count had me wetting … [Read more...]
A Bit of a Rant on the Secret Lives of a Soccer Mom
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date March 6, 2008. Does anyone even remember this show from TLC? Maybe I am looking into it too deep. Maybe I want more information and I should just relax because after all it is only television and it is a reality show. However, I recently watched TLC's newest venture, The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom (SLSM), and found that the show left me with a bunch questions. Questions that were left unanswered. The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom is the latest in reality shows. It takes one stay at home mom and gives her a week to secretly see what her life would have been like if she had chosen to go back to work instead of staying home with the kids full time. OK, first off? You can't go back. There is no ramping off the career … [Read more...]
Has Blogher10 Jumped the Shark?
A good portion of the blogosphere is all aTwitter (literally) about the upcoming Blogher 10 (#blogher10)Conference happening in New York City this week. I'll be there with swollen cankles and full-on maternity couture. Is H&M and Old Navy maternity considered couture? No high heels for me at this point. If you are taking bets on me giving birth (#BirthHer10) while there you can just put your money away now. My OB is convinced I'll be right on time for a late August delivery. I'm not buying the Hilton a new mattress.I'm excited about Blogher like I am every year. The friends, networking, seminars, parties and chance to dress up a bit and have some fun in a way only we bloggers can, but I'm beginning to wonder about it all. It's … [Read more...]