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...]
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...]
Love the Little Bundle, Hate the Pre-Baby Shin-dig
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date January 14, 2008. Thank goodness times are changing and some baby showers are no longer this way. In fact, The Fifth Element's was a brunch with vodka and champagne. Fabulous. I attended a baby shower this weekend in one of those spacious clubhouses that can only be found in a brand spankin' new community. My friend is about to have her first baby. So I, like many of her other friends, turned out to celebrate this new bundle of joy and welcome her to motherhood.In theory this is a great idea. Beyond theory it is fabulous for only one person. OK, maybe two. The mother and the baby. The mom gets pampered and showered with attention and she gets the items she needs for little junior's arrival. … [Read more...]
Saturday Afternoon Fever
Cross-posted and archived DC Metro Moms post. Original date February 17, 2008. Re-reading this makes me think, "BLD! I want to go to there! Again!"I have a confession to make. I hate kids stuff. Go ahead and tsk tsk me if you want to, that's fine, I'm used to it. If you admit to not loving spending hours putting together the same puzzle or picking up leaves in the freezing cold then I applaud you. I find nothing fun about going to fairs, going on rides, or petting zoos either. Spending the afternoon, day, or a vacation with a cartoon character is not my cup of tea. I can play puzzles, coloring and tea party just so long with my daughter before I have had my fill and I want to go read Newsweek aloud to her instead. And truthfully? I feel just awful about it. I feel like less of a … [Read more...]
Sex and the City Fan- In it for the Froth
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date May 31, 2008. This was based on the first film. The second sadly was all froth and no content, which I found deeply disappointing.Sex and the City makes its long awaited debut this weekend and the media attention this movie has gotten makes it seem like the second coming. The critics, many of the manly persuasion, have given it the old, "meh, it's OK but it's not deep" review. As an avid fan, I refuse to listen to all the buzz and the boo's. From the very beginning when the show was on only in the wee HBO hours I was hooked. I was single, young and out there. I found myself as a cross between cynical and realistic Miranda and the ballsy Samantha. Each Sunday night show was not just clothing crack but like a drink … [Read more...]
My Tax Dollars at Work
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post date November 6, 2007.Coming home from a work trip this past weekend I noticed a business card from the County Sheriff's department by my front door. Grrr... I knew exactly what it was for but I asked my husband anyway. "Hon? Why is there a card from the Sheriffs department by the front door? Did they come by about the new signs?" He replied that, yes they did, and it was then that my blood began to boil.See my husband and I run a business. We regularly put up signs to advertise this business throughout our county. It is all A-OK to do so in most areas but there are some that are verboten. Sometimes our sign guys put them up in a no-ad zone and we get a fine. A $100 a sign fine. Wait. That isn't what makes my blood boil. Just … [Read more...]
The Price of the Pump- That Old Boob Dilemma
Cross-posted from October 2007 DC Metro Moms. If you work outside the home and you plan to breastfeed after the birth of your child then there's a good chance that you probably already know what dilemma I'm talking about. Pumping. Will you be able to pump at work? Has your company made sufficient accommodations or are you going it on your own? When I gave birth to my daughter I knew without a doubt that I would breastfeed and it went off without a hitch. She was a natural. I was lucky. She was also colicky. I tried to persevere but even after I had already paid the rental fees on the pump for the next few months, I knew my days were numbered. My boob dilemma was rearing its ugly head. How was I going to pump at work? I had a cubicle without a door. Sure the walls were high but anyone … [Read more...]
When the Spouse is Away
Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post from March 16, 2008. This wasn't the case this past week, though we did take a small road trip, when H left on a work trip but more often than not there is more freedom in our schedule and we enjoy it as long as there are no anxiety issues about Daddy being gone. Man, there is a lot of freedom! I kid. Well, not really. My husband recently left for a work trip that will take him away from us for about three weeks. As a former military spouse I've learned that during this time I need to stay busy. Now a mother with an active two year old I realize just how wide open our schedule has become when we don't have those "Daddy Breaks" in our days. Yet, there is also a certain freedom. The freedom to not have dinner at the … [Read more...]