Yesterday was one of those days. Desperate emails were sent out to my close friends with sentences along the lines of, "I love her but I don't like her." and "I no longer know what to do." TD is three and has turned from being the cheeky, lovable imp of a dictator, you know sort of like Mussolini in sprite form, if Mussolini would have ever considered sprites and fascism a wise political move, to all out Pol Pot mode. Seriously. The hell fire back talk that has begun in the last day or so is vicious. I would not be surprised if I found her using a grizzled bone to pick her teeth with as she squatted on her bed with a three-headed dog at her feet. I might have to start referring to her as Zuul. It's that bad. I am at a loss on how to discipline someone who in a split second goes … [Read more...]
Ringling Bros.and Barnum & Bailey is Over the Top
As a kid I absolutely loved the circus. It's perfect only child entertainment. No need to bring a friend and you don't need siblings to enjoy the festivities either. I loved the lights, the animals and especially the aerial acts. When MomCentral and Feld Entertainment asked me if I would like to help them out with the DC Metro area promotion I jumped at the chance to participate in the 'Greatest Show on Earth'. It was a great night for the whole family even if TD was a little bewildered at first. She refused to have her picture taken with the performers we were able to meet before the show and even when we took our seats. However, once the show got started she loved watching the dog tricks, elephant paint, clowns cavort and see Daniel Raffo and his Bengal and Siberian Tigers. She … [Read more...]
Angry Woman Kicks 1,4-Dioxane to the Curb
I'll admit I'm a bit cantankerous today. I was up all night with TD who has a hellacious cough and the poor kid is just not herself. Combine that lack of sleep with an issue that just generally gets me riled up anyway and you've got one angry woman on your hands.That must mean it is time for a SOAP BOX RANT! I've climbed up. Attention please! Let me begin.I love my kids. I want what is best for them in every possible way. I want them to feel safe and secure at all times. Their welfare and health is at the tip top of my list on a daily basis. So that is why I get so steaming, hell-fire breathing mad when I read that companies that many parents have trusted for generations, companies that love to court us mommy bloggers, just really don't give a shit. There. I said it. They don't. … [Read more...]
Dial 911 to Get Rid of Unwanted Stuff
The other night I went in to check on TD as she lay sleeping. As I tucked her in I heard a loud rumbling engine in front of my house. Upon peering out the window I saw that an ambulance was parked out front and the driver was exiting the vehicle and walking up to my front steps. "What the..." I said to H and we both ran down the stairs. Everything seemed OK in our house. The alarm had not gone off. What the heck was going on? Did Lex the dog suddenly decide to go the way of the Chicken McNugget lady because we are out of dog treats?We opened the door, both standing there, surprising the ambulance driver as she hadn't even knocked on our door yet. "Oh! I'm here to pick up the puzzles?" She said. "Puzzles? What puzzles?" I asked. "The puzzles you are giving away on Freecycle? … [Read more...]
On Life, Death and Our Children
I have never felt so inadequate or so much like an adult as when I attended my friend's mothers funeral a few weeks ago. I was alone in attending and unlike other funerals I didn't have my grandmother, or my father or my husband to lean on. As I sat there listening to my friend and her sister eulogize their mother with such tremendous poise and grace I felt that we were passing into a new phase of our lives that needed plenty past life healing. Our parents are dying now. We have officially grown up. Then I thought back to my childhood and remembered a few of my school friends whose parents passed away due to long illnesses while we were still in grade school. In first grade I celebrated my birthday with cupcakes at 8 a.m. so that the whole class could attend a fellow classmates fathers … [Read more...]
The Longest Hour
To all you women out there who bring your many tiny tots to the grocery store all at once I commend you. I. Just. CANNOT. Handle. It. At all.Granted, I can't seem to get the handle of the Ergo Baby while holding a purse which would free up the cart versus putting the baby carrier in there because there is NO grocery cart for people with a toddler and a young baby. None. Sure, I can use the car cart but then the seat to balance the baby carrier is always too small. I end up placing her sideways over the basket and have minimal access to the cart and ooh I'm already sweating and stressing out before I have even entered the store. Now, H can handle all this. He just sticks TD in the cart and straps Dash Two into the Baby Bjorn and goes. It's all stress and nightmares for me no matter … [Read more...]
The Greatest Show on Earth Great Offer
Catchy title, n'est pas? To all my DC Metro readers have I got a deal for you! I've teamed up with MomCentral to offer you a great discount on tickets for the upcoming Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus (coming to town on March 19th) - here are the deets-Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® proudly presents Over The TopWashington D.C. Show dates: March 19 through March 22Washington D.C. location: http://www.verizoncenter.com/Fairfax, VA Show dates: April 8 through April 19Fairfax,VA location: http://www.patriotcenter.com/Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at select ticketing channels**. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle … [Read more...]
The Only Child Syndrome?
What's up party people?! I'm on like no sleep. I think I might actually be undead today. If not for reals then I could probably win an Oscar for looking the part or at least a Golden Globe. When my kids are in their twenties and all cozy in their beds I swear I'm going to start calling them between the hours of 3 and 5 a.m. and just chat away on the phone with them for a minimum of thirty minutes at a time. I'll do it at least four times a week. What? Don't tell me you haven't vowed the same thing after being woken up for the eleventy-ith time in one night.I'm hearing a weird scritch-scritching noise in my house presently and I just realized it is TD rubbing two graham crackers together. Maybe she is trying to make a s'more. Ba dum dum!I wrote this post earlier this week about … [Read more...]
Possibilities
The sun is out today and I feel like things might be a bit brighter. It doesn't feel like I'm going to break my face if I smile. Yesterday, I only felt like crying maybe three times instead of thirty. One of those three times? I couldn't get my health insurance's website provider section to actually provide me with a therapist and that just seemed like a sick joke.I *might* not have a headache today unless that Irish jig music on the sweetpeace continues at such a loud volume. TD cannot seem to get enough of galloping around the house with a broom as her horse and a glittery purple bowler hat to that music. It's maddening. And ridiculously cute. And then maddening again.It seems I have joined a book club too. How in the holy hell did that happen? Do I even have room for that? Considering … [Read more...]
Let A New History Begin!
It's Inauguration Day! Immerse yourself in some history! Maybe you don't live in DC and maybe your town hasn't gone all pastry-otic (too much?) crazy but it's still a day to mark and remember. TD and I will be sitting in our pj's today eating Obama cupcakes and other treats, learning a civics lesson or two while we watch this amazing day in history. This is quite possibly one of my favorite days. It's like Christmas for history freaks like me. … [Read more...]