Pink Colored Mud

Since Roo was a young baby girl, she has always veered towards the more masculine toys. Daddy would buy her Hot Wheelz and Monster Trucks and she adored them. My daughter loves nothing more than playing in the dirt and riding in Daddy's truck.

Now, I was a tomboy to the core when I was younger. I'd always opted to play GI Joes with my brother than to play dolls with my sister. I see nothing wrong with having a daughter that prefers combat boots to Barbies.

But lately I've been noticing a change.

She wears her pink tutu with her Johnny Cash prison stripped onesie. She takes her Barbie doll with her as well as her Hot Wheelz when we go out. She carries her farm animals in her purse.

And today, oh today, we played Tea.

We dug out the tea set, sat at her tiny pink table in her impossibly tiny pink chairs and drank copious amounts of water.

My heart melted as my precious daughter kept refilling my tiny purple polka dot tea cup every time I took a sip.

Sure, we got more water on the floor and all over the table then in our mouths, but it is a moment I will never forget. One that reminded me that no matter how many four wheelers Daddy buys her and while her dresses may be covered in dirt, she will always be a girl. My girl.

The most perfect thing on this planet.

Mommy Confession: I hate spiders.

Maybe it's because I've been bit by one. Or maybe it's because I live in a place where spiders are around every corner. It could also be that they are just flat out creepy, but: I. Hate. Spiders.

Hate them so much that my skin crawls just thinking about them. Oddly, it crawls and it freaks me out to the point where I think I have spiders on me.

Weird, I know.

Today, a doozy of a spider was on the truck. Of course, we noticed this as we were driving said truck.

It was huge.

Big, gnarly looking and brown... and I swear it had spots and the legs were at least two inches long, each.

(You can picture me shuddering right now, because I am).

So when my hubby had to get out of the truck, he proceeded with caution knowing the spider was surely somewhere still on the truck. The sucker had crawled into the door jam near the weather striping.

Mr. Me gave me a choice, he could attempt to swing at it and risk it crawling into the truck, or he could just close the door and see what happens.

We opted to just close the door, me not wanting to risk the spider crawling in and biting my baby (You can also picture me crouched in the back of the truck, flip flop in hand just in case the damn thing managed to slink past the weather striping and miraculously get inside).

When he came back out, the spider was still there but something happened to make it crawl towards the front of the door, along the bottom and then hop right in by the pedals.

Yes, by this moment I was F.R.E.A.K.I.N.G. out and you know that nothing makes a toddler flip out more than a mommy flipping out.

I snatched her up out of her car seat and shot out of the truck as fast as my bare feet could take me.

Mr. Me smacked at the damn thing with the torque wrench he had in his hand but the stinker slipped up under the dash.

We were at least three miles from home.

I've never been in a more tense car ride home. I swear we weren't this nervous or worried the first time we drove with Roo in the car. My eyes were trained the whole time on the dash praying the spider wouldn't magically appear in front of Roo's feet. I was staring so damn hard I gave myself a headache!

Somewhere in the back of my mind I was hoping it wouldn't bite Mr. Me's feet as well, seeing as he was wearing flip flops. But I was mainly hoping it wasn't going to jump out and bite my girl's precious piggies.

Oh, I was so thankful when we pulled into the driveway. I grabbed my daughter and jumped out of that truck so fast...

And you know what, to this minute that spider is still up in that dash.

I doubt I'll ever get in that truck again until I see a carcass.

Twenty minutes later I'm still nervous, I've still got a stomach in knots, I'm still keeping my eye open... all because I. Hate. Spiders.

I'm a weanie, I know.

What is safe?

So I'm reading the local paper while I eat dinner tonight and run across an article titled "J&J formulas questioned."

Upon further reading I found out that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson to remove 1,4-dioxane and preservatives that released formaldehyde from its personal-care products.

This is where I admit my ignorance, what the hell is 1,4-dioxane?

I had to google it.

According to Wikipedia, it's defined as: 1,4-Dioxane, often just called dioxane, is a clear, colorless heterocyclic organic compound which is a liquid at room temperature and pressure. It has the molecular formula C4H8O2 and a boiling point of 101 °C. It is commonly used as an aprotic solvent. 1,4-Dioxane has a weak smell similar to that of diethyl ether. There are also two other less common isomeric compounds, 1,2-dioxane and 1,3-dioxane. 1,2-Dioxane is a peroxide which forms naturally in old bottles of tetrahydrofuran.
1,4-Dioxane is classified as an ether, with each of its two oxygen atoms forming an ether functional group. It is more polar than diethyl ether, which also has four carbons, but only one ether functional group. Diethyl ether is rather insoluble in water, but 1,4-dioxane is miscible with water and is hygroscopic. Its higher polarity and slightly higher molecular mass also gives it a substantially higher boiling point than diethyl ether. When used as a solvent for a Grignard reaction, Dioxane favorably affects the formation of magnesium halide salts in the Schlenk equilibrium.
The name dioxane should not be confused with dioxin, which is a different compound but is also a diether (two ether functional groups).

And here's where I admit my stupidity again, because I read that and was still like: Huh?

Upon further research, I found this from the SafeMama website: "Formaldehyde contaminates personal care products when common preservatives release formaldehyde over time in the container. Common ingredients likely to contaminate products with formaldehyde include quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of a chemical processing technique called ethoxylation, in which cosmetic ingredients are processed with ethylene oxide. Manufacturers can easily remove the toxic byproduct, but are not required by law to do so. Common ingredients likely to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane include PEG-100 stearate, sodium laureth sulfate, polyethylene and ceteareth-20."

It all sounds horrible to me, especially because in the article from my local paper it states: (the) two chemicals (are) suspected of causing cancer."

I ran into the shower and quickly read all the labels on the products I use for my baby. Of course, none of them mentioned 1,4-dioxane but the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics recently issued a report that stated an independent laboratory had tested 48 products for 1,4-dioxane; 28 of those products were also tested for formaldehyde.

The report found that:
17 out of 28 products tested – 61 percent – contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.
23 out of 28 products – 82 percent – contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million (ppm).
32 out of 48 products – 67 percent – contained 1,4-dioxane at levels ranging from 0.27 to 35 ppm.

Some of the products in my shower where listed on that report.

Now, Johnson & Johnson's website says the following about 1,4-dioxane: Some of the ingredients in our products may contain 1,4-dioxane as an incidental ingredient at extremely low levels. This trace ingredient is common in the personal care industry, and results from a process that makes products mild for even the most delicate skin. 1,4-dioxane is also a natural component of such food products as vine-ripened tomatoes and tomato products, fresh shrimp, brewed coffee and fried chicken. Recently, several environmental activist groups erroneously claimed that in 1985 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the cosmetics/personal care industry to voluntarily limit 1,4-dioxane to a certain level. However, the FDA has set no limits for 1,4-dioxane in cosmetics and personal care products, and the low levels in some of our products present no risk to consumers. Test results recently released by these groups state that some shampoos and bath products contain trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane. We are unclear as to the testing methodology used by these groups and cannot verify the data that was listed in their press release.

I don't know about you, but it all sounds funny to me. I'm planning on switching up all of my daughter's baby-care products to those the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has deemed safe for my child.

I'm also going to be writing to my Congress and joining the NO MORE TOXIC TUB FOR BABY movement.

Let's see if we can get these toxic chemicals out of our children's personal care products.

Oh, that smell

When I brought you home from the hospital, you had that new baby smell.

A unique blend of babiness that is hard to replicate.

I would sniff you for hours when you were a baby. It was the kind of smell that would make me sigh with happiness and feel oh-so-comfy. It was soft and warm and distinctively you.

Over time, that new baby smell wore off.

As you began to toddle around, speak more and play more, your scent changed. The powdery smell that enveloped you was becoming faint and I found myself trying to find it. I would catch a glimpse of it on your old toys or clothes you had worn when you were tiny.

Today while cuddling in bed, I realized that you have a new smell.

Still warm and fresh, it's more toddler than newborn.

A smell that invokes a new kind of warm fuzziness to take over me.

I could never label what it smells like to anyone else, all I could ever call it is the scent of you. It smells like a warm summer day full of playing in green, green grass and a cold winter day eating soup and cookies in front of a fire all wrapped into one.

It smells like home to me.

You are home to me.

Reconnect

Lately I've been reconnected with old friends.

Particularly a friend I thought I'd lost a lifetime ago.

A friend that molded me, made me who I was at the tender age of 12.

I met Tara on the school bus in middle school. She was this tiny slip of a girl with the most amazing pair of green eyes. She didn't like me at first (most don't), but one day I invited her over and after slicing open my toe while playing volleyball, we bonded over pizza.

And we were hooked.

We sat together on the bus, we passed notes in the hallways, we would call each other and talk for hours on the phone at night.

She was my everything.

She knew about my obsession with Pearl Jam, all the boys I liked (and disliked) and my love of Marlboro cigarettes.

We would swim in her pool, listen to grunge music, read insanely long books (especially for 12 year olds) and watch Showtime late at night.

She became part of the family and I was part of hers. I would spritz on her mother's cologne when she wasn't looking (the mom, not Tara, but she could always smell it and yell at Tara for it after I'd gone). I was such a part of her family that her rottweilers loved me too.

It was a wonderful feeling at such a young age.

Attending different high schools, we grew apart but I never forgot about her. She was in the back of my mind and when ever I saw a VW Beetle or listened to Stairway to Heaven, I was crushed with memories.

I stumbled upon her MySpace page two years ago and we caught up, now we comment on each other's Facebook crap everyday.

And it feels good.

It feels real good to have a part of your past in your presence.

I'm so grateful we were able to reconnect and find that while we live totally different lives, we still have a friendship and we still have each other's back.

I'm so glad to have found you again, Tara.

The Mom Nose

Before I was a Mom, I would cringe and pull away from the tiniest of smells.

The smell of anything revolting would revolt me.

But the second my child was brought into this world, everything in the nose department changed.

I'm not entirely sure how this happened, but it did.

My nose can handle anything now.

The nasty, toe-curling smell of baby poop is no match. The disgusting smell (and feel) of 3am throw up all over everything (including my face) doesn't stand a chance.

Hell, I can even stand the smell of fish now, which is a great feat as I could not stomach it prior child.

I'm sure there's no scientific research in this department, but I imagine somewhere in utero the baby plants a chip that allows us to smell crap and live to tell about it.

For the Love of Disney

Ever since I was a little girl I've been a fan of Disney movies.

When a new one came out to theatres, it was cause for celebration. I can still remember the time I went and saw Little Mermaid. I went with my best friend Rose and saw a boy from elementary school and hid from him.

I remember when my Mom bought me Aladdin and my sister, brother and I spent the entire summer vacation watching it.

I started collecting the videos (this was before DVDs were truly popular and affordable) so that one day when I had kids, I could share my love for Disney movies with them.

And while I'm tickled pink that I'm finally able to do that, I think I may have kicked myself in the pants with this one. Especially one of my favorites, Toy Story.

I found this movie while unpacking a long lost box from our move three years ago. I unearthed the Toy Story movie, dug out the VCR and popped it in for Roo.

And the rest is insanity.

We've watched Toy Story 1 & 2 (I found the second one at Goodwill for $2), every day for the past two weeks.

I mean, I'm not too disappointed in this because like I said, I enjoy the movie. But I can quote the entire movie from heart. I don't even need to be watching the screen to know exactly what Buzz and Woody are doing.

I do have to tell you though, I love how my girl lights up and jumps up and down when I mention watching the movies. She races as fast as her toddler legs can take her to the bedroom shouting: BUZZZZZZZZ!! WOOOODDDYYYY!!!

And I melt.

Sure, I've tired the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, but the Princesses will have to wait. For now, Toy Story rules this house.

Maybe She'll Potty Train One Day

Ahhh, potty training.

Where do I even begin with this subject?

I read somewhere that girls potty train early so even before Roo turned two I bought her her first potty. A hard plastic pink thing from IKEA that didn't cost more than $4.And when we got home and she immediately sat on it (with clothes), I literally jumped up and down while clapping my hands.

I must have scared her because she didn't sit on it again for months.

On her second birthday, she got a really pretty potty with a soft, squishy seat and again, she was curious but nothing concrete. Sometimes she would sit on it but sometimes she would cry if I dared asked if she wanted to sit on it.

After more reading, I heard about bribing your kiddo to sit on the potty and bought M&Ms to encourage her.

Bad mistake.

I gave one to her once, now all day long she's running to the potty shouting "M&Ms!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Not that she's done anything on that potty but look totally cute naked and scarfed down way too many M&Ms.

I'm just going to give her time, but like I've said before, she'll go when she's ready.


This post is part of the Parents Bloggers Network blog blast in conjunction with Pull Up's Potty Training Project

Book Review: If You Give a Mom a Martini

You all know of my love for books.

You also know of my recent venture into product reviews.

Now I've found a way to combine the two.

BOOK REVIEWS!!

I was lucky enough to snag a copy of Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern's new book If You Give a Mom a Martini.

From their website: the book is a love letter to the uber modern mom, and a reminder that even the most “together” moms need time to reflect, to dream, to relax, to take care of themselves, and to find the good energy required to go back out there and face the music, even if it is Mr. Golden Sun.

And let me say, I love this book! Not only is it snarky and quick-witted, it's got beautiful illustrations by Izak Zenou. With a foreword by Christie Brinkley and tips from well-known celebs like Kelly Ripa it's the perfect indulgence for a over-worked Mama.

One of the best parts of the book, it's short, sweet and to the point. Because we, and our authors know, Moms don't have all the time in the world. It's a guarantee that any Mom can find a helpful tip to find 10 minutes of peace and quiet for herself.

You can pick up this book at your local bookstore or order straight from their website.

Eeewey Gooey Love

And continuing my list of being a sucker, I think my daughter is on to me.

I think she is catching on that I am oh-so infatuated with her and is learning just how to make me dance for her.

:)

She's got a whole bag of tricks she pulls out when I want her to nap, or bathe, or behave. Her newest trick is kissing me on the nose.

She puckers up her cute little lips and lays a wet, gooey smacker on my nose and I melt. Just melt into a puddle where I hand over the keys to the truck, my credit cards and jewelry.

I wonder if this infatuation last forever? I mean, is there a mother that looks at her kids everyday for years and just falls in love all over again?

Please tell me there is.

I don't think I'll ever fall out of love with Roo. Every week she's adding tools to her arsenal to insure I never fall out of love with her. I have a feeling that when she's 13 and yelling that she hates me, I'll be falling in love with how passionate she is.

Loving your child is a slippery slope and I'm quite happy in the bottom of this pit and imagine I will be forever.

Mommy Confessions

I don't know when it started, hell, I don't even know when it became popular but I have to admit it, I'm a SUCKER for reality TV.

S-U-C-K-E-R.

You name it, I've watched it. The Deadliest Catch, Tori & Dean, Rock of Love, Operation Repo, whatever, I've watched it and drove my husband crazy in the process.

I'm not really sure what about reality TV makes me like it, but I do. It might be the reality of it, the way it shows people in their element. It might just be all the crazy stripper chicks that get so wasted and are ridiculously falling down drunk that they are making asses of themselves. Maybe it's because I like to take a peek at a dirty job I'll never have.

Who knows.

But I'm hooked. I've got my shows programmed a week in advance and I actually get excited when I know a new one is starting or a new season is starting.

Pathetic, I know.

But the best thing about this mommy confession is I'm not alone. I know scores and scores of people that have the same addiction I do. So I must not be as insane as my husband swears I am... right?

Review: Eden Fantasy

(Note to Family Members: Skip this post).

The other week I received a very nice email from a man asking me to do a review for the company he works for. While I mostly love emails like this, this one gave me pause.

And it's only because it was for Eden Fantasys.

Not that I'm against these sort of business, on the contrary, I love them.

I was mulling over the fact that my parents and other family members read this blog. In the end, I decided to do it, because after all, I'm a girl and what girl doesn't love sexy things?

So after pouring over their catalog and picking a very tame product (much to the hubby's chagrin) to review just in case my Mother disobeys me and reads past my caution warning.

I choose Aqua Erotica because I love books and the idea of a waterproof book made me really happy. I tend to read a lot in the shower and the end result is a mess.

From their website: (Aqua Erotica is) The first ever waterproof book for adults. This book is so unforgettably sexy that you will want to take it with you to the bath, the sauna, or the night-lit pool. 18 erotic stories that quite literally go places you never imagined books could go. Featuring today’s boldest erotic voices.

Eden Fantasys confirmed my order and had it shipped to my house super fast. So fast that when I received the package (which was completely inconspicuous. It wasn't plastered with the words sex or erotic or even Eden Fantasys, if you're worried about ordering something and keeping it on the downside).

I hopped into the shower that very night and while I loved the fact that I could hold the book under the spray and no ink ran, I was disappointed on the words.

I admit it, I've read a lot more raunchier stuff and this did nothing for me.

If you like the tamer stories then this book is definitely for you, but if you're like me and need something with a little "Omph" you might want to save your $15.99.

The fact that I didn't like the book doesn't not mean you shouldn't head on over to Eden Fantasys website and find yourself an adult toy or an erotic book, because you should... besides, their library collection has much more dirtier stuff than this.

And I intend to do the same thing.

Roo-Ca-Choo - 26 Months

Dear Roo,

Sometimes I catch myself watching you while you sleep. But not in the creepy Freaked-Out Mom way where I'm making sure you haven't stopped breathing, but in the so dreamily in love, can't get over how pretty, ooey-gooey way. I call it the gushing pile of mush Mommy way.

I like to look at how you pucker your lips slightly while you snooze. I also adore how your mouth is also open a fraction and how you sleep on your side just like mushy Mommy does. I get a kick out of the fact that your belly shifts when you roll over just like Daddy's does.

:)

Glimpsing you in this nocturnal form is rare this past month. You shun naps at least two times a week and tend to stay up until 11:00pm lately. While yes, this does drive me crazy, I try to keep the peace by packing your schedule full of activities (splash park, gardening, running in circles...) so that by the end of the day your eyes are rolling into the back of your head. I refuse to let you give up naps 100%, so get that idea out of your gorgeous head.

You've discovered old Disney movies this month as well. Your Auntie April brought over some VHS tapes, since your Dad and I are the only humans that still own a VHS player, and I popped in one one day to entertain you and you've been hooked since. Your favorites are Toy Story 1 and 2. Every night (and morning and afternoon) you come running at me and say: Watch!

I tend to give in and curl up behind you as you glue yourself to the TV, because you have so much energy and spend so much time rushing around everywhere (the grocery store included), that the rare chance to cuddle with you is not passed up.

Sure, my blog and my writing suffers, but you are worth it.

You are worth everything in this life and I could never imagine my life without you. I love you so very much, Roo.

Love,
Mommy

Review & Giveaway: Exergen Temporal Scanner

My husband is somewhat of a hypochondriac and ever since our daughter was born, it's increased 100%. Every time her cheeks get flushed or she coughs, his Daddy Radar goes up. Now, this is cute to an extent but every time he whips out the thermometer, both Roo and I cringe.




Thankfully, a new product is on the market: the Exergen Temporal Scanner.





What is it, you ask?





From their website: The Temporal Scanner Thermometer is a totally non-invasive system with advanced infrared technology providing maximum ease of use with quick, consistently accurate measurements. Advanced, patented technology measures temperatures with a gentle stroke across the forehead.


So with my nut-job of a husband, this thermometer is an answer to my daughter's prayers. I have to admit, at first I didn't like it. I didn't feel like it was getting an effective reading. I felt silly constantly running the scanner across her forehead.


Of course, once I read the directions a bit more and checked out the FAQ they sent me, I found a perfectly acceptable spot (behind the ear) that I felt gave me the best results. And now, I love it. No more poking in the tushy in this household. The Exergen Temporal Scanner has a permanent place in our First Aid kit.



And guess what, you can be as lucky as me! The generous people over at Exergen have given me one of their Temporal Scanners to give to one of my reader!



Want to enter? All you have to do is leave a comment here.



Extra entries can be gained by twittering this contest, becoming a follower or posting your own blog post about this giveaway.

Giveaway ends May 21, 2009. Open only to US and Canada Residents (Sorry!).

A special thanks goes out to MomFuse for this opportunity!

Review: The Watchdogz

Living in Florida means we spend a lot of time at tourist traps. You can't help it, when Mickey lives so close to your own house, you tend to drop by.

Visiting theme parks also means huge crowds of people and an increased chance of your kid getting separated from you.

It's something that crosses every parents mind and it isn't something you never want to experience.

The fabulous people over at the Watchdogz came up with a great idea to help you out if, god forbid, your kids do get lost. Temporary tattoos (that are FDA approved and 100% safe)that allow you to write down your phone number directly on your kiddos just in case the unfortunate occurs.


From their website: All of our characters are dogz, because dogz are innately protective of kids. Each Watchdogz has a name and personality that children can look up to and be happy hanging out with at the beach, an amusement park, sporting event, camp outing or other crowded place. Watchdogz Temporary Tattoos are a kid friendly way to give parents comfort when your child is on the go.





Retailing for $8.99 for six tattoos and one non-toxic marker, the Watchdogz is a very smart idea.

Thank you for MomFuse for this review opportunity.

Speechless... for once.

Opening my email this morning I found one of the most fabulous emails I've ever received...

"During the last few months we've been scouring the internet in search of parent bloggers to be a part of our inaugural Parents Picks best blogger award. I'm thrilled to let you know that the final selections have been made and you’ve been nominated in the "Best Local Blog" category on Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks website. Voting is just starting and will continue through mid-July. Feel free to encourage your friends, families and fans to vote and vote often!"

I am so darn honored... :) :) :) and speechless!

For Local Blog
in Orlando

Are You Serious?

The other day someone mentioned to me that it was okay for me to admit I was depressed.

When she said this, I about dropping everything I was carrying and tripped over my own two feet.

Me? Depressed?

They said that because I was still sad about my grandfather passing and since I was so tired lately, I might need to go on medicine so my "depression" doesn't get out of control.

Of course, when you insist to someone who thinks you're depressed that you're not, they swear you're in denial.

To set the record straight: I. AM. NOT. DEPRESSED.

See, my issue is that I'm human.

And humans tend to have emotions.

When a beloved family member passes away, no matter how prepared you are for it, you still cry about it. You have emotions because death is not easy.

And when you're exhausted from chasing around a very active toddler and you stay up all night writing, you tend to show the emotion that you're tired and yawn... a lot.

I do not believe in taking medicine for feeling perfectly normal human emotions. I understand that for some this option has worked wonders for them, but it's not for me.

Besides, why do I need to mask my emotions with medicine? Why do I need to dull life in general because I go through normal, typical temperments of a woman?

Crying does not make one in dire need of medical attention. Yawning all the time does not mean you are on the road to crazy town.

I'm not posting this to offend anyone who needs medical help or treatment for their issues. I'm writing this because I'm tired of people assuming they know what's up with me.

Quick, Like, NOW!

Ever heard of Womb to Bloom?

No?

Well, why the heck not?

Go here and discover what all the fuss is about. It's a great site devoted to Moms that covers the whole 40 weeks and beyond. Plus, they have forums, a fantastic community and articles that cover everything you could ever want.

Plus, they have me.

I was recently featured on their Friday's Fantastic Blogroll.

Go me.

So seriously, drop everything you're doing and rush on over and discover Womb to Bloom!

Happy Mother's Day Ladies!

Dr Hippo Winner

Congrats to Andrea M for winning the set of Dr. Hippo books!!

6am Wake Up Call

This past week has been a trial.

A no-napping child means early bed in this household, which leads to early (very early) wake-up calls. Frequently this past week I've found myself up at 6am and let be honest here, Mommy doesn't function well at 6am.

I'm not sure what's going on with the no-naps either.

Roo just flat out refuses to nap.

Typically, come 1pm I take her into the room ,grab the essentials (i.e. binky and taggie), tuck her in with smooches and she goes to sleep. It's been working great since I weaned her and we've had minimal problems.

Lately, no.

I do the routine and as soon as I turn my back to leave, she shoots up and starts giggling. She wiggles out of bed and ends up in the toy box before I can bat my eyes.

I've spent an hour putting her back into bed, telling her no, being sweet about it, anything I can do to get her tushy back in bed and sleeping.

Nothing works.

So for the past week, she hasn't napped once. Not even that one time we woke up super early, played at the park for over an hour and her eyes were rolling to the back of her head. Nope, no nap.

Today we're going to the opening of a new splash park with feverish prayers that it wears her out.

I'm also praying that this isn't the end of naps in general. I love when she naps because it means she stays up late with us. When she doesn't nap and falls asleep at 7pm, I miss her. I miss watching cartoons with her and snuggling and goofing off. When she falls asleep at 7pm, I miss hanging out in the garden and watching the sunset and playing with the ladybugs....

Wish me luck.

Full Force, Baby

The terrible twos are in full force in our household.

Sure, I've mentioned it before a time or two. But this time, I'm serious.

Dead. Serious.

Not only is my adorable little nugget of a toddler going on a rampage that includes ripping keys off of keyboards, smashing photo frames and tossing sippy cups (which, by the way, could be an Olympic sport), she's doing it all with a smile.

Yesterday as I was making dinner, she walked into the kitchen holding one of my husband 11x14 glass negatives, grinned up at me before dropping it. Just unclenched her pretty little fingers and letting it fall to the floor.

This pales in comparison to her pushing over my husband's professionally framed (and just picked up and paid for the day before), ready for show 20x24 photo. She laughed, pushed it down and then stood on the back of it.

And what about her refusal to nap. Or her refusal not to drop food at dinner time.

I could go on and on.

The catastrophes my daughter has created lately is enough to make this Mommy nutty. I mean, what can you really do? I've tried discipline. I've tried time outs, a smack on the tushy, stern words... and nothing works. She just continues on without a total lack of concern.

Is this karma for me being a rotten child when I was younger?

Am I just going to have to wait 10 more months until she's three and the terrible twos have passed? Am I going to have to deal with it?

At least she comes and hugs me after she's turned into Captain Smash-a-Roo.

Right?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

When we become parents, not only are we charged with giving them a safe, healthy upbringing, we are charged with bringing up our children to have respect.

Not just the Aretha Franklin kind either.

It's our job as parents to raise our children to be good, not judge others and most importantly, to have the respect for others that they deserve.

While it's a lot of pressure for parents to be under, it's nothing we can't handle. The Give Respect campaign has faith in us that we can teach our children right from wrong. Dedicated to preventing dating abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, the Give Respect campaign wants to teach children that strength does not equal violence.

From their website: The RESPECT! Campaign is the Family Violence Prevention Fund's (FVPF) latest initiative to advance a national movement to promote healthy relationships through positive role modeling and respect education. By individuals everywhere to be part of the solution, the RESPECT! Campaign provides everyday tools and resources to show help teach young people about respect in relationships. Through this campaign, the Family Violence Prevention Fund seeks to amplify a national conversation about the critical role that parents, teachers, coaches, and other living, breathing role models to young people have to play in helping all of our sons and daughters shape a world that is free of relationship violence.

In coordination with Macys, the Give Respect campaign has these gorgeous faux-leather bracelets for sale. Half of the proceeds from bracelets purchased will go to the Family Violence Prevention Fund's RESPECT! campaign.

In honor of teaching respect, the Give Respect campaign has given me one of these bracelets to giveaway.

To enter, leave a comment below and tell me how you plan on teaching your children respect.

Contest will end May 15th, 2009 at 11:59pm (eastern standard time).

No Worries Allowed

Someone recently asked me why I didn't have Roo signed up for any of the billion and one "educational" classes that are offered for toddlers.

And I admitted to her that I'd thought about it, even once felt guilty that I didn't have my enthusiastic child signed up for gym or music classes. I'd once complained to my husband that all the other Mommies had their babies learning Cantonese, while mine was just mastering plain old English.

He rolled his eyes at me and told me I was silly (which he often says to me). Then life started happening and we moved and all this other stuff happened and the desire for music classes and tumbling took a back burner to more important things.

Then I realized, Roo doesn't need any kind of class at all.

Roo is two years old.

She's a child.

She should act like a child.

She shouldn't have to worry about learning a foreign language until high school. If she wants to tumble, I'll show her in the front yard. If it's music she desires, I can crank up the radio and sing along in a horrible fashion.

Roo is never going to get these moments back, why waste them stuck in a classroom? She's going to have nothing but pressure to learn when she gets older. Why can't she just enjoy being a kid? Why can't she just learn how to pull the tails off of lizards and chase ladybugs in the garden for now?

This is the only time in her life she won't be feeling this pressure to perform. This is one of the only times in her life she doesn't have to worry about squat.

And I'm totally fine with the other toddlers doing their thing, while my baby does hers.

Review: slotRadio

Music is an important part in my life, I have to hear it. In the car, at home, while I’m cleaning horse stalls, I must hear something!

The music fairies brought me something new to try out recently. Enter SanDisk’s slotRadio player and I firmly believe I have found the next best thing to sliced bread.

Cute, compact and loaded with over 1000 songs of every variety makes the slotRadio a busy Moms best friend. There’s no need to sit at your computer, download song after song and then search out your connection cable and transfer.

Nope, it’s all done for you.

With the slotRadio all you do is pop in this tiny memory card and you’ve got music ready and waiting for you.

The downside to this fantastic device, the packaging is horrible to open. Also, if you flip past a song too fast you can’t go back to it and when you’re outside, there isn’t enough lighting on the screen for you to really see what’s playing.

Overall, the slotRadio is amazing and best of all it’s got some of my favorite Jack Johnson songs on it.

Thank you MomFuse for this opportunity!