Disney AppMATes (my son's favorite Christmas gift)

This year's biggest hit seems to be the Disney Cars 2 AppMATes app & toy cars for the iPad. From what I saw in Toys R' Us, they sell sets with Lighting McQueen and Holley Shiftwell, Tow Mater and Finn McMissile, and Lightning McQueen individually. I got the set with Lightning and Holley right before Christmas for $19.99 and download the accompanying free app after my son opened up his gift. Let me just say that he absolutely LOVES it. He loves it so much that I can just threaten to give it back to Santa to get him to do what I want. (Just kidding! Well, sort of ...)

It's been over a week since Christmas and my son has gotten to try pretty much most of his presents. Thankfully, most have been hits with very few misses this year; it  sucks when you get them something and turns out they don't really care for it—what a waste of money, right?


In a nutshell, the child can use the toy cars to interact with the app. They place and move the toy cars on the surface of the iPad and "drive" around Radiator Springs, compete in races, and play various mini games. While the screen of my iPad is dirtier by the end of the day, I haven't noticed any damage caused by the toy cars. (Although I've had to occasionally warn my son to be more gentle, as he sometimes gets too excited and taps on the screen a tad too hard for my liking.)

So as a fairly tech-savvy adult, I find the whole idea fascinating—why didn't anyone think of this sooner?! But to a fairly tech-savvy four-year-old who loves all things Cars? It pretty much blew his mind and would probably spend all day playing if we let him.

You can download the app to try it out before buying the toy cars—it comes with built-in "paper" cars that the child can play around with. While my son did try these out, the experience of using a physical toy with the iPad is what he has really enjoyed.

Pros: Fun, innovative, has plenty of different mini games to play, free app.

Cons: The toy cars cost $15-$20, and they sometimes have trouble being recognized on the iPad.

Christmas Breakfast Inspiration

If someone were to ask me what are some things I could live without, the Internet would be mighty high up that list. From finding a video online to entertain my kid for a few minutes to looking something up on Google, I'd be lying horribly if I said I didn't rely on the Internet much.

One thing I use it for A LOT is cooking. I am always looking at recipes (or drooling over food porn). My latest success was making homemade cinnamon buns for Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve, my husband brought up something I totally forgot about: Christmas breakfast. (Granted, if you read my previous post, it will make things a little clearer as to why my brain wasn't working properly.) Growing up, my family didn't really have any Christmas Day traditions since we celebrated the night before, so I often rely on my husband to clue me in as to what family traditions he would like to continue. One of these is having freshly baked cinnamon buns for breakfast on Christmas morning.

I quickly looked online for recipes, and sure enough, there were some good choices on my favorite recipe site allrecipes.com. I settled on a recipe called Cinnamon Rolls II because A) it looked easy enough and B) I already had all the necessary ingredients. Now, the original recipe was designed for a bread machine, which I don't own. What I love about allrecipes is that the commenters and reviewers are actually helpful; in this case, a couple of reviewers gave some tips on how to make the rolls without a bread machine. I also had to ask, on Facebook, a question about prepping the dough the night before and baking it the next day. (See? I DO rely on the Internet a lot!)

Here they were, on Christmas morning, fresh out of the oven:

Finally, here they are coated with a basic sugar frosting:

These were so easy and yummy that I'm already planning on when I can make them again. (Specifically, with cream cheese frosting!) So THANK YOU, Internet, for helping my family continue this decadent Christmas tradition!

Christmas Eve Meltdowns

In a surprising turn of events, today's meltdown wasn't by my son. It was me. Yes, I admit I had a sudden emotional breakdown this Christmas Eve.

Why? To sum it up: it's been a rough year for me. Between serious marital issues, the everyday stress of raising a spirited young child, a miscarriage, the passing of my last remaining grandparent, and the usual holiday hoopla ... it apparently all came to a head after a brief conversation with my brother this morning, during which I got stressed about not really getting anything for my parents AND two nephews. After I hung up the phone, all I could do was put my head down on the table and burst into tears.

My son - my dear, beautiful, and caring child - immediately came to my side and asked what was the matter. "Mom? You sad? Why you cwying, mom? Mom? Why you cwying??" I've always been so proud of how easily he tunes in to other people's distress; he always notices when a baby is crying nearby, and it melts my heart when I see him try to comfort friends when they're crying. Recently, a friend of his had a little crying meltdown during a birthday party - my son knelt down next him and put an arm around him for comfort, then ran off to give him a tissue for his tears. Later that day, I told him how proud I was that he was being so nice to his friend when he was sad.

 Tonight, I made sure to tell him again how proud I am of him and how happy he made me. This morning, when I was having my own meltdown, the sincerity in his voice when he kept asking me why I was crying, and even the very simple act of running to the bathroom to get me tissues, was reason enough for me to snap out of my funk and appreciate the good things in my life.

Shopping Tantrums

You know those times when you either have no choice but to bring your child with you shopping — or if you're like me, you have days when you have absolutely nothing to do, so for some bizarre reason you think bringing your child with you to the shops is a good idea — and then at some point he just freaks out about something small, like when the shopping bag falls off his shoulder, but then he keeps fiddling around with it so that it keeps falling off, and the whining just grows after each time, and then after the 50th time, you just say, "OH MY GOD, ENOUGH!"and you bite your tongue because the general shopping public doesn't need to know just how large your obscene vocabulary is (and I guess neither does your kid), and your kid is standing in the middle of the store shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Yeah, in hindsight, the the other shoppers probably wouldn't even have heard your cursing over your kid's banshee-like screams.

(Probably the worst run-on sentence of my life, but screw it, it's been a rough day.)

I've been MIA (or What Happens When Moms Get Addicted to Video Games)

I've severely neglected this blog for the last few weeks. I have no good excuse. Unless you count the determination to finish a video game a good thing? But take that, Dead Island! I'm done with you now!

It's been a long time since I've gotten into a video game; the last being BioShock in 2007 while I was pregnant with my son. I would have loved to continue playing World of Warcraft, but I just didn't have the time or energy to commit to it. What works best for me are games I just pick up whenever (like when my kid goes down for a nap) and put down whenever (like when he wakes up).

Tomorrow, however, might mean a new game for me. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is coming out!

I do hope to not be as obsessed with this one though. There are some things going on (and coming up) in my life that I would like to share and write about, so I hope to find the time and motivation to keep writing.

Fall in Los Angeles

Who says we don't get seasons and changing leaves in Southern California? I smile every time I drive through this street.

Vegas for Old People

So what do married people in their late 30s do in Vegas? In my world, the answer is: EAT. Weekend "benders" now involve obscene amounts of food instead of alcohol. And I'm fine with that.

Whenever we go to Vegas we try to stay someplace new. This time we ended up at The Venetian. I like the fact that all their rooms are suites, most with a large sunken living room and an L-shaped couch. Our suite had a view of the Strip hotel pools below.

Our King bed.

The first order of business upon arriving on Saturday afternoon was to get some food. After failed attempts at Noodle Asia at the hotel (closed for renovation) and i♥burgers at the Palazzo side (long wait time), we ended up at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. We all opted for the day's specials: lasagna for my husband and a friend, ravioli for another friend, and artichoke pizza for me. All the food was incredibly YUM.

Evil, but divine.

While the  guys drank Italian beers, we drank blood orange cosmopolitans.

Potent, but oh so yummy.

After lunch, we raced around a bit so the guys could secure a place to watch football on Sunday. Take note: if you want a reservation at Lagasse's Stadium, book a couple of months in advance. (They'll just laugh at you if you walk up and ask for seats the day before.) While at a pit stop at the Wynn to figure out what to do, Barry the bartender at the Stratta bar concocted a Blackberry Bliss for me.

Fresh blackberries count as a serving of fruit!

After finally securing a spot for Sunday, we did some light gambling before dinner at Tao. The place was busy, which wasn't surprising since it was Saturday night. We had reservations at 6:30pm, although I don't think we got seated until closer to 7:30pm. I do like the fact that they had a lobby with plenty of couches and drink service while we waited.

We sat next to this guy.

We opted to go family-style for our food, sharing everything between the six of us. For starters we got Lobster Wontons with Shittake Ginger Broth, Kobe Tartare Tempura, and Pork Potstickers with Chile Sesame Glaze. They were all very good, but I was surprised at how much I loved those mushrooms that came with the wontons! For our main dishes, we got Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, Kung Pao Chicken, and Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon with Tempura of Onion Rings. Again, all were simply scrumptious, but  if I had to pick a "winner" it would have to be the Chilean Sea Bass. That glaze was to die for!

Even though the plates weren't very big, I think we ordered just the right amount for our group. Their dessert (and tea) menu looked very promising — especially that Lemongrass Creme Brûlée — but the rest of our group wanted to venture someplace else. We ended up at a bakery that was also in the Canal Shops where I picked up a few small pieces of pastry.

Sunday was mostly about football, Vegas-style. We got a spot at Blondies in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. While the guys got out there to catch the early games, I took my time to get ready and met them there around lunchtime. I got some wings and a Bloody Mary, which were good, but I think all the spiciness did a number on me because I felt bloated and gassy for most of the day afterwards. Later, for the afternoon games, I got a ginormous margarita and some donut dippers. The dippers were great, but I think they forgot to put the alcohol in my margarita. For something that large, I should have been stumbling over myself, but I felt surprisingly sober.

After Blondies, I headed back to The Venetian to get a hot stone massage at Canyon Ranch SpaClub. For one thing, the facility is HUGE with lots of hallways to walk through. I was a little bummed that I didn't have all day to just laze about and check everything out. My massage therapist, Tanya F., did a lovely job though and those 80 minutes seemed to fly by. (Maybe because I kind of dozed off?) I did have time to check out the Salt Grotto and the Wave Room though; the Salt Grotto was nice, warm, and potentially relaxing if it weren't for the chatty couple who were already in there when I stepped in. I wish a staff member poked in to tell the guy to use his inside voice. Oh, and to stop snorting his snot. Not exactly the sound I wanted to hear while attempting to relax. The Wave Room, thankfully, was nice and quiet, and the moving water images projected on the ceiling added a nice touch. Overall, not a bad experience, but I'd have to rank this place third behind the spas at the Wynn and Aria which were much more Zen for me.

After my time at the spa, it was time to stuff our faces again. This time, we headed over to SushiSamba over at the Palazzo. I love the idea of mixing Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisine, and they certainly had plenty of offerings to satisfy anyone's curiosity. Our servier recommended a drink called Sad Samurai for me, which is how I felt after trying it since it didn't live up to the fruity concoctions from Otto and Stratta the day before. We all decided to get our own dishes this time, and I opted to try some of their Samba Rolls (Maya, Green Envy, and a special Kobe Beef).

Kobe, Maya, and Green Envy Rolls.

My husband and one of our friends got the five-meat Churrasco plates, which, if you've never tried it, is a shit-ton of food. These guys are full-fledged carnivores, and even they will tell you one plate would have been good enough for both of them. I guess considering how small the plates were at Tao the night before, they assumed these would be similar, and it would have been nice if our server warned them about how much meat was involved in those dishes.

Five-Meat Churrasco with dipping sauces.

That aside, the food was pretty damn tasty, and it was a shame we couldn't finish it all. After dinner (and a quick change into looser clothing), a few of us stayed up for a bit of gaming before calling it a night.

Monday was our last day in Vegas and we had time for one more meal. After rave reviews from another couple of in our group, we decided to try Bouchon Bistro off the 10th floor in the Venetian Tower. This time we were warned that the plates are fairly generous, so we split a Pain au Chocolat and a Croque Madame with Pomme Frites.

Dip the frites in the mornay sauce, yum!

Now, we're back in LA and reality. I'm slightly poorer and heavier now, but overall it was a lovely trip spent with good friends, new friends, and great food.

Thank you, Steve Jobs

As most of us found out yesterday, Apple co-founder and chairman Steve Jobs passed away. And I'm sure many found out the same way I did — by reading about it on a device that Mr. Jobs pioneered. In fact, I was at my son's swim lessons; I was about to take a video of his progress when I decided to check in on Twitter and saw the flood of posts about his death.

Now, I normally dislike commenting about any famous person's death. I have never met them, I am not family, so I always think that any words other than a curt, "My condolences," serve only the purpose of feeding the writer's ego. A way to force oneself into a topic, so to speak.

But Steve Jobs is different. No, I have never met him either, and even I'm shocked at my emotions. Why am I so bummed about his death? Enough that I feel compelled to write about it? Because unlike "celebrities" like Amy Winehouse or Elizabeth Taylor, Jobs wasn't just a public figure to me. He's been, in one way or another, a part of my life since the late 80s.

I mourn the loss of Steve Jobs because he helped create a company that truly introduced me into gaming when I played the heck out of Ultima IV on our Apple IIe in all of its pixelated glory. Then, in the late 90s, I celebrated his return to the company by purchasing my very first computer: a PowerBook G3. Now, as a parent, I watch with awe and pride as my young child reads an interactive book on our iPad. I easily record his life's stories by taking photos and videos on my iPhone, and then quickly share them with family and friends through social media. As I sit here typing this on my iMac, my son came up and asked if he could play with the iPad. We are, by definition, an iFamily.

In 1997 Apple revealed its Think Different ad campaign and the "Crazy Ones" commercial, narrated by actor Richard Dreyfuss. Below is the unaired version of the commercial in which Steve Jobs provides the voice-over. In reflection of his life and death, he is undoubtedly the embodiment of whom the ad speaks.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Like him or not, one cannot deny his charisma nor his role in shaping how we communicate today, or for some like me, how we run our daily lives. So thank you, Steve, because your contributions have been a big part of my life, and now in the life of my own child.

Crafts: Halloween Candle Jars

I love Halloween. Even though I don't go all out on the decorations, I really do love the the holiday. (Maybe it's just the candy ... and having a kid suddenly gave me an unquestionable reason to go out trick or treating again.)

A few years ago, I saw this craft on Skip to my Lou. I loved the simplicity — it was something even I could do to make our house a little more festive. All you need are some small jars or glasses, votive or tea light candles, orange streamers, black construction paper, and some kind of adhesive (I used Mod Podge).

First, cut out some shapes to make faces out of black construction paper; eyes, noses, mouths (and accessories, if you are so inclined). Apply a thin layer of glue on the outside of the jars, wrap streamer paper all around, then paste the faces on.

Halloween Candle Jars by day ...

Light up some candles, drop them in, and you're done! Easy!

... Halloween Candle Jars by night!

I only have four of these made, but I plan on making some more this year. Our mantle is currently 90% empty and I think a few of these spread out would make nice non-perishable, low-cost, and out-of-reach-of-my-curious-and-rambunctious-child Halloween decorations.

10 Things I Would Do (if I weren't busy parenting)

For this week's writing prompt, I chose to tackle the Since my current "job" is that of a full-time mother, it's hard to think about what I would do if I weren't "working." While I certainly have been vocal about the hardships of doing this kind of job (and still question whether I'm the right candidate for it), there isn't any doubt that this is the most passionate I've felt about or vested so much of myself into any other job I've held thus far. In short, no, I would not trade my current job for anything else right now.

With that in mind, of course I occasionally think about what else I could be doing. Here is my list of Top 10 jobs I sometimes fantasize about:

1. Professional photographer: I have loved cameras and photography since middle school. I am lucky enough to have some decent equipment and interesting subjects to photograph (my kid and friends' kids), and I get enough compliments that some days I dream about doing it professionally.
2. Chef: My other passion is to cook. I'm not fancy, and I mostly cook out of necessity (rather than to create fantabulous-looking masterpieces that taste great), but I still dream about getting paid to cook for other people.
3. Café Owner: Not only do I want people to pay me for the food I cook, but I want to serve it to them in my own little cafe. I would have small bites to offer, sandwiches, and desserts galore! Oh, and some damn good coffee.
4. Writer: Writing is another passion that's been with me for a long, long time. I have dry spells, but I've always tried to write something in one capacity or another. I was a journalism student in college, and some days I think about what it would be like to chase after a story in this day and age.
5. Editor: What do I love as much (or even more than) writing? Editing. I consider myself pretty anal about checking other people's work, and I've have ended up being the unofficial fact-checker at most of the jobs I held after college.
6. Musician in a band: I'll be honest, I don't have a lick of musical playing ability. I tried to learn to play the piano and flute while growing up, but they never stuck. I'm a big music fan though, and going to concerts was a big part of my life up until I gave birth to my son. Yes, I've dreamt about being a rock star.
7. Forensic investigator: Why yes, I do enjoy crime dramas on TV! I think what forensic investigators do is utterly fascinating! Remember what I just wrote about being anal? These guys and gals need to be detail-oriented, and I like to search for clues to solve mysteries. It would be a perfect fit! Well if only I chose a more science-related route in college than one that focused on the arts.
8. Paper store owner: You know shops like Paper Source? Yeah, I would totally love to own and run a place like that. I have had such a strange fascination with paper since I was young that being surrounded by all sorts of paper would be heavenly.
9. Stationery designer: As I mentioned, I love paper. This is actually a job I already had when I started my own small business as a greeting card and custom invitation designer a few years before I had my son. I loved it and sometimes wish I put more time and effort into growing my business.
10. Travel journalist: Last, but definitely not least. This dream job mixes my two biggest passions of writing and photography, with the added bonus of traveling all over the world. I used to watch shows like Globe Trekker and wished I could travel alongside Ian Wright, writing and taking pictures in Sri Lanka, Tahiti, and Japan.

Fifth Grade Awkwardness

Fifth grade was, on the whole, an awkward mess for me. I had spent half the year in fourth grade, then because of my age, was moved to fifth grade for the second half of the school year. Not only did I have to adjust to the curriculum, but I had to make new friends in the middle of the year. Thankfully, I did make friends, and some really good ones.

So at some point in the fifth grade, there was an incident where I felt like I was wronged by my teacher. We had just come in from the playground. It was close to the end of the year, so it was warm outside, and yeah, I was probably a little sweaty. Upon sitting back down in the classroom, our teacher suggested I take off the short-sleeved button down shirt I was wearing on top of a fitted tanktop.

Excuse me?

Mind you, even though this was fifth grade, I was one of those girls who had tits blossomed developed early. As if puberty wasn't bad enough, I was going through it alone; it was a small private school, and none of the other girls in our class were even considering training bras at that point. When the teacher told me to take my top shirt off, I knew I didn't want to. "No, it's OK," I muttered meekly. I wanted it to go away. I did not want to bring attention to it.

Then she began to INSIST that I take off my shirt.  Loud and often enough that by that time, everyone in the class was basically following the argument. I wanted to crawl and hide somewhere; I had no desire to put my curves on display for the entire class, especially to the boys who I thought were cute. Eventually, I gave in and took off the shirt, and spent the rest of the day in silence and avoiding all eye contact. I was so embarrassed; I already felt awkward about my body, and bringing attention to it like that made me feel 100 times worse.

I didn't know and still do not understand today why that teacher did what she did. Maybe she was concerned that I was too hot and needed to cool off. Maybe she was a sick pedophile that got a kick out of pubescent girls. Maybe she hated me for some reason and wanted to embarrass me in front the boys I was crushing on. Who the f*ck knows. Once in a while the topic comes up while talking with a very dear friend of mine who was in that class. "Remember when Mrs. X told you to take your shirt off in class?" she'll ask, with a hint of bewilderment still in her eyes. And to this day, more than 25 years later, I still cringe at the thought.

I Wish Someone Told Me That ...

In the last three years and eight months, I have learned a lot about parenting, but I am FAR from being an expert in anything. In fact, I still consider myself a newbie, and believe that part of the "adventure" is that you're always learning something new or different.

This kid's got quite a set of lungs!

In the excitement of pregnancy, 99% of what I heard from others were all the happy, feel-good stories about child-rearing. Maybe some people brought up the not-so-glorious moments, and maybe I just chose not to hear them. Now, almost four years later, I wish I had listened better, because damn, I could have probably saved myself (and my child) some headaches. I wish someone had told me that being a new parent isn't going to be 100% about sweet, I WILL CHERISH EVERY DAMN SECOND kind of thing. There will be days when you have to go outside out of frustration and string a bunch of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. And you know what? That's OK. 

Of course there are wonderful moments, like snuggling up with your new baby, or the first time your baby smiles (for real, not because he just let out a satisfying fart). Everyone talks about how awesome that new baby smell is, but people don't go around telling new mothers that potty training could possibly be the worst battle she will face as a parent in the first five years. I suppose it's because people don't want to be Debbie Downers in front of pregnant women or new mothers, but in hindsight, I do wish more people gave me realistic advice and less of the lovey-dovey stuff. For one thing, I ended up with postpartum depression, so hearing people tell me how in love I was supposed to be with my newborn — when I was already having personal bonding issues — probably made me feel worse that I already was feeling.

I'm not saying that hearing "horror stories" would have made me change my mind about becoming a parent. New parents already have so much going on that feelings of inadequacy or loneliness could make overwhelming situations feel even more unmanageable. New parents should know that it's fine to feel a little nutty, and that if things get too crazy, there's always help available. Most hospitals have programs to help new moms deal with PPD, and there are places online like Meetup.com that allow you to connect with others who share similar interests and situations. A little craziness is part of the adventure that is parenting; worrying that you're the only one who feels that way is something we can all do without.

Give the Moon to You

Occasionally, my son says some pretty random things to which my immediate response can only be to stare and blink at him. Things like, "I wanna wissen to Wady Gaga!" or "My butt 'tinky. Peas fix it!"

Lately, kiddo's been talking about going up to the moon in a rocket ship — undoubtedly inspired by a children's story app I recently downloaded on my iPad called Moon Secrets (iTunes link). In the story, there's an astronaut that sits on the moon to eat a sandwich. Maybe it's just coincidence, but ever since I got this app, my son's been saying, "I gonna fwy up to duh moon and bwing duh moon to you!"

It makes absolutely no sense and I can't even really say how he came up with it, but it's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.

Sephora is Coming to Westfield Culver City!

You know what gets me excited these days? This.

Sephora!

Fighting Boys

First, let me say (admit?) that parents can be some of the most judgmental people out there. Especially when it comes to opinions about other parents. Knowing this, I always try to remember the rule of "Judge not, lest ye be judged."

Of course, I'm not perfect, so there are times that I just can't help but judge. Like over the weekend, when I witnessed a couple of young brothers fighting at Knott's Berry Farm.

The two boys, who looked like they were ages six and nine, were waiting in line for a ride right in front of me and my son. I don't know what started the fight, since I wasn't paying attention then, but once they were throwing punches at one another, I couldn't help but look. (They were standing just a foot or two away from us, so part of it was that I didn't want my son to get caught in their scuffle.) Both kids were pushing and trying to smack the other with their hands and arms, the younger one was even trying to kick his older brother. With them was their dad who did try to break the fight by standing between the boys, but of course they were still trying to get at each other around him.

What caught my attention the most was the dad. (Here's where the judgment thing comes in.) I stood there and couldn't help but think, "Why in the world aren't you getting out of the line and taking these boys and putting them in time out or some other way to calm them the f*ck down?!" I wondered why, other than just stand between them, all he did was mildly tell them to stop fighting? I thought, "Dude, if that was my kid, we'd be heading back to the car. Party's over." Eventually, the dad picked up the older boy and said a few things in his ear; for the rest of our time in the line, the dad carried the older boy, who got all somber and looked very much like he was holding back tears, while the little brother kept "shooting" at his older brother with the toy popgun they sell at the park. On the ride, the dad made them ride together — younger bro was had a ball, but from what I noticed, older bro didn't crack a smile the entire time.

This reminds me of another incident a week or two ago at our local gym. I was waiting for my son to come out of class, when two little boys came running past. I guess they were trying to fight for space to peek through the window into the class, but I sat there almost horrified when they started hitting each other. Now, these kids were even younger than the ones at Knott's — I'd guess two and four years old. And I'm not talking any sort of play fighting — these kids were throwing punches with the intent to hurt. But like what I witnessed at Knott's, the shock came more from the parent's seemingly blase´ attitude. In this case, the mom was busy talking to another parent to notice that her kids were hitting each other. By the time she came over to them, all she did was tell them sweetly, "Guys, stop that." When the three of them trotted off, I noticed that the brothers were still trying to shove each other.

OK, the part about me not judging others ... obviously, I know it's none of my business, and just as I don't want others to judge the way I parent, I really shouldn't judge others how they parent. If you let your kids hit and shove and kick — whatever, that's your business. But here's what I can't let go of: these boys were doing these things within close range of my own kid. I have no desire for my son (or me) to get smacked by accident. (Granted, the boys at the gym were in a different room, but my son could be in a class with them at some point.) Not to mention, my son is young and impressionable, and he's at the stage where he imitates just about everything he sees and hears. The last thing most parents want is for their kids to learn behavior we consider inappropriate, whatever that behavior may be. It's just like having overly rowdy kids at the playground — they're in a public place where other kids around, some sort of respect for others and their personal space have to be recognized. When the parents seem like they don't or do little to discourage this kind of behavior between siblings, how are they teaching them not to treat others the same way?

Now, I'm not a complete pacifist. I know boys tend to be rowdier and that one day, my kid's going to get into an actual scuffle. I also know there are situations where people might have to fight to defend themselves. Of course I want my son to know that when necessary, he needs to stand up to bullies or anyone threatening to harm him. But the key word is necessary. I don't want him to throw punches just because he's annoyed at someone. If he does start doing that, he'd be in time out so fast, he wouldn't know what hit him.

The 10 Dos and Donts of Airplane Etiquette

A writing prompt courtesy of Mama Kat. As someone who has had a number of flights under her belt (the longest being approximately 8,500 miles), I like to think of myself as somewhat of a seasoned air traveler. Here are some of my personal DOs and DON'Ts of airplane etiquette. These are just some general things, though I do plan to write another one geared specifically for parents of young children in the near future.

Ze plane! Ze plane!

1. If you're prone to gas while up in the air (AKA "jet bloat") DO take a Beano before take off. Sure, you can avoid spicy foods, carbonated beverages, and any other items that might cause you toot more often, but nothing saves you (and your seat mates) from your noxious ass fumes than some good old Beano.
2. Along those lines, if you're the type to take bathroom breaks often, DO request an aisle seat. It plain sucks for your seat mates if you're always getting up and asking to pass by. Better to avoid the question of giving the ass or crotch?
3. Speaking of ass or crotch, when getting up, try to use the back of your own seat to help push yourself up if necessary. DON'T grab the backs of the seats in the row in front of you, as you're essentially rocking their seat for them. Not a nice thing to do when they have not asked for it.
4. Before you recline your seat, DO check the seat behind you to make sure anyone seated there isn't leaning forward or has placed anything precarious (like a drink) on his or her tray. If the person does have his or her tray out with stuff on it. After you've checked, recline slowly.
5. DON'T be a jerk and push your seat back suddenly and forcefully without regard to the person behind you.
6. As much as possible, stay within your alloted space. DON'T hog a shared arm rest. You technically "paid" for half that arm rest, so use your half. (Doing so also makes it harder for your seat mate to hog it as well.)
7. This is simple, if you suffer from stinky feet, please DON'T take your shoes (and socks) off during the flight. Or at least take measures to avoid or minimize the stench.
8. If the person sitting next to you is a stranger, DON'T use your seat mate as a pillow. If you plan to nod off during the flight, bring your own neck pillow and/or use the pillow provided by the airline (if applicable). If you just met your seat mate, you have not known him or her long enough to use a free shoulder to prop your sleepy head on.
9. If your seat mate has headphones on, chances are, he or she doesn't want to talk to interact with you. Apart from a friendly nod or a brief greeting, DO respect his or her peace and privacy.
10. DO be courteous and polite, not just to your fellow passengers, but also to the flight staff. Like it or not, you guys are stuck together for the rest of the flight, and chances are, if you're nice to them, they will be nice to you. We really don't need any more Steven Slater stories propping up.

Paying Kids for Good Grades

I saw this post on The Stir last week and have been thinking about it since. The basic premise is: should kids be paid in cold, hard cash for good grades? While I'm many years away from even considering having to "bribe" my son into doing well in school, my personal answer to the question is WHY NOT?

Growing up, I was never paid for getting good grades. However, some time between elementary and middle school, my brother and I were paid for chores and other things around the house. Our parents offered them as incentives: remember to put the cap back on the toothpaste, get a nickel; make your bed, you earned a quarter; do the dishes, fifty cents! Thinking back, maybe the cash incentives helped set in my brain that these normal, everyday duties weren't only necessary, but not such horrible things to do after all — after all, in my current life as a domestic diva, I would probably feel incomplete if I didn't do these things. I like having a clean and clear sink free of dishes; I not only replace the toothpaste cap, but I make sure to squeeze from the bottom; my bed is always made. These are things that are on auto-pilot in my brain.

So back to cash for grades ... some commenters on the original post say that it leads kids to be materialistic or otherwise worship money, and that getting good grades should be all the reward they need. In a perfect world, yes, kids should want to do well in school because they realize it will only benefit them and their future. But we don't live in a perfect world. Sometimes, some kids need more or different kinds of motivation. (For me, I did so poorly my sophomore year in high school that I had to re-take some classes over the summer. That sucked. After that, I cleaned up my act.)

Does it lead kids to become more materialistic? I'm more concerned about all the products that are pushed onto kids these days. I'd rather have a kid who will say, "One day I want to make enough money so I can buy whatever I want," than a kid who expects me to just buy him the latest clothes and toys. Between seeing what other kids in school have and all the product advertising that we're surrounded by, how do we teach our kids the difference between need and want? I think what makes us a materialistic society is that too many parents have made it easy for their kids to accumulate (often unnecessary) things. Sure, some families can afford to buy whatever they want, but again, how much of it is necessary? How are we teaching our kids to value things? If they get everything they want without "working" for it, how is that going to help them out there in the big, bad world where, you know, most people do get paid for doing good work.

For my son, he will most definitely know that he cannot have things just because he wants them. While it's tough to say how much motivation he will need in school (or even with household chores), I have absolutely no problem with offering him opportunities to earn money. If he wants something that bad, then he can work for it, whether it's by doing extra chores or projects around the house or earning better grades. He won't just get paid for the hell of it, he's going to get paid so he can learn to save what he earned and (hopefully) put it to good use.

Down Time (Few and Far Between)

This week I feel like I've failed on my promise to write more. I have posts that have been stewing in my head, but I haven't been able to find time to sit down to write. Mostly because this was the first week my son was out of school, so I just haven't had much "free" time. Plus! Keeping him out and/or busy wears on me, so the only thing I've been wanting to do at the end of the day is play some Sudoku. Oh, and his regular sitter has also been out of town AND he only napped (I think) one or two days this past week.

Excuses, excuses!

That said, I wish there were easier ways to blog from my iPad. Writing is easy enough, but when I want to add photos, I feel slowed down by not having a mouse. I might have to give that a try though, since my iPad pretty much goes to bed with me. I'd take my laptop to bed, but it gets hot and the battery drains way too quickly. Also, more cumbersome than an iPad.

Health: Starting with myfitnesspal

I was doing well earlier this year. I really was! While I wasn't on any strict diets, I was working out regularly, having found love in Zumba. Then came a two-week trip to New York in June with my son to visit my family, and I just could find time to keep working out. (Rather, I kept finding excuses NOT to work out.)

After returning home from our trip, I just couldn't get back on the wagon. With the daily craziness that goes with rearing my son, plus other personal issues I was (am?) going through, the excuses just kept coming. I'm too tired. It's boring. My son's schedule is just not cooperating. I don't want to.

It's now almost September, and I've just been feeling BLAH. I know how much better I feel, inside and out, when I'm working out regularly. I don't even have that much weigh to lose, but I just need more help with keeping myself motivated to keep going. I was doing a lot of tracking on SparkPeople — and I love how they offer free apps for the iPhone and iPad — but I felt like I needed something new.

Enter myfitnesspal. Yes, it's another web site that lets you track your diet and exercise. What I think drew me into signing up was their iPhone app. What's different about theirs is that it has a built-in bar code scanner — when I ate my favorite low-calorie snack the other night, a pack of roasted seaweed from Trader Joe's, I was shocked that all its info came up when I scanned the bar code. Honestly, the ease of letting me do that with a specific package of food that's not available nation-wide, totally sold me. I almost shop exclusively at Trader Joe's, so being able to scan their items is a definite plus.

Oh, and yes, their service and apps are free! And they have mobile apps for Android, Blackberry, and Windows smart phones as well.

Their service also has some social networking features, where you can connect with friends who are also on there and share feeds & updates. This is also supposed to help motivate you to stay on track, but since I only have one friend on there at this time, I'm not quite getting the advantage of the features just yet.

Now that I'm tracking my food again, it's also time to put my sneakers back on. It's still difficult for me to get to my favorite Zumba class, but I still have the Wii version (which nearly killed me the other day because I've been so out of it). I also managed to get back on the elliptical machine at the gym today while my son took a tumbling class. I do hope to make the Zumba class tomorrow night, but if not, I plan on firing up the Wii at home.

So if you're also looking for an online diet and exercise tracker with a good mobile device companion, check out myfitnesspal. (And feel free to add me as a friend! My username is phoofy.) Also check them out on Twitter and Facebook.

Saturday Distractions

We had to get out of the house earlier, so we ended up at one of the local malls. I don't know how long these rides have been there, but they're new to us, and my little thrill-seeking was absolutely ECSTATIC about the "roller coaster" simulator.

Thankfully, he was appeased with two rounds. At a buck per ride, I really didn't want to spend more than $2 in one go. "You can ride again next time," I told him. To my surprise, he didn't fight me. (Of course, actually getting out of the mall was a whole other issue — one that involved plenty of stalling because he just had to "look" at this or that.)

Want: Aprons!

I've been cooking a lot this week, which reminded me once again that I have yet to find an apron that I love. The one I've been using the most lately is a half-apron I received from a friend; it belonged to her grandmother, and it's adorable. (I only wish I had a full-apron version of it!)

So tonight, distracted from my search for a superhero costume for my son on Etsy, I picked out a few that I like.

I Love Lucy inspired apron.

Yellow and strawberries.

Dandelion turquoise and red.

Gidget Lemon.

Rose toile and polka dots.

While I saw so many gorgeous ones, many of them (I thought) just don't seem ... practical? I suppose as "hostess aprons" they're meant to be worn while serving food instead of cooking, right? As someone who hardly entertains (other than my son, who could care less if I serve him while wearing sweats), I have no need for something I'd worry about getting dirty in the kitchen.

That said, maybe I should just get some chef's whites? (Oh look, they even come in pink!)

Cooking: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (with chocolate chips)

I didn't do any cooking today since we have plenty of leftovers in the fridge, but I felt an itch to bake something tonight. I got busy in the kitchen right after I put my son down early for bed (since he didn't nap today).

Late night baking.

This must be one of the easiest cookie recipes I've ever tried. In fact, it was so easy that I was worried it would come out tasting like cardboard. Thankfully, they came out quite yummy!

I have this giant bag of Coach's Oats in my pantry, so I wanted to see what it would be like in cookies. Since they're closer in texture to steel-cut oats than rolled oats, I think they gave the cookies a lighter crunch. The smaller pieces of oats, rather than flat blades of rolled oats, seem to mix in more uniformly with the batter, so you get an even, "oaty" texture all around. Does that even make sense? I guess I sometimes find that when using rolled oats, I get small chunks of oats mashed together in a cookie, while other parts of the cookie seem oat-free.

This might have to be my new go-to recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. I'm already thinking of different ways to make them. Adding coconut flakes, using dried cranberries instead of raisins, peanut butter chips instead of chocolate, etc. Thank you, Jamie Oliver, for a super easy and yummy recipe!

The Last 3.5 Years Have Been a Lie!

According to Jessica Alba, that is, who was recently quoted as saying,

It feels like you're really officially, really truly a mother when you have two kids. One kid you're a mother for sure but two takes it to another level.

So for the last three and a half years, I haven't really officially, really truly been a mother. Damn it! I knew I could have kept going out to bars and following bands around the country, since, you know, my only child doesn't count as far as me being a full-time MOTHER.

Sheesh. Still, even though I agree with writer April Daniels that Alba's comment borders on the insensitive — after all, what does that say about women who want more than one child, but for one reason or another, can't? — I'll chalk it up to the idea that she's just ecstatic about her new family addition and wasn't intending on sounding like a high and mighty bitch.

As for me, yeah, I definitely identify myself really, officially, and truly as a mother. My only child and I are practically attached at the hip; of the approximately 95 hours he's awake each week, we're together for probably 89 of those hours. (I've gotten six hours "free" because of preschool, which will be upped to nine come September — yahoo!) In my case, there's no escaping the fact that I am a mother.

Cooking: Slow-Cooked Lime Chicken & Rice

I'm trying to use my slow-cooker more often these days since I like not having a lot of extra things to clean up at the end of the day. Slow-cooking allows me to prep things in the morning or even while my kid's napping — easier on my sanity to clean up then than at the end of the day when I have other things I need to do.

Tonight's dinner was a lime chicken and rice dish I found on allrecipes.com. I heeded the some of the user comments and made a few alterations by adding extra garlic and cilantro; and since I only have regular, non-instant rice on hand, I added a cup and a half of uncooked rice to the pot with about an hour left of cooking.

I was worried about the salt — on one hand, I love salt, but was afraid it might dry the chicken breast even more. (The chicken did seem a bit dry at the end, even without added salt while cooking.) I ended up adding several generous dashes of kosher salt at the end, just before serving, as well as extra chopped cilantro. My husband said it needed something else, so I gave his (second) serving a few pinches of red pepper flakes. I'll probably try this again another time, but perhaps with even more garlic and/or red pepper flakes.

Apps For Kids: Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

Opening screen.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, by New York-based game developer THUP, is a collection of seven educational mini games for preschool-aged kids. That said, my son has been enjoying the app since he was around two years old.

While far from a new title, this is, hands down, one of the best app purchases I have made. (It's only 99 cents!) My son has been playing with it since late 2009 when I first got it for my iPhone, even though he was still a little too young to understand what he was supposed to do. Regardless, he was immediately attracted to the crisp, colorful artwork and variety of interactivity. The music and voices were lively, not obnoxious — a perk for mom! Even now, at almost four years old, my son still loves to play with this app. Bonus points to THUP for making the app Universal, making it playable on our iPad without an additional purchase.

Colors game.

The seven mini games focus on matching, counting, puzzles, shapes, finding differences, letter recognition, and colors. Each game is quick, simple, and straight-forward. After starting the app and pressing the Play button, a random game starts immediately. You can't choose which game to play; they just cycle through one after another, in what seems like a random order. There's no menu or "home" button, and no settings button — it makes the app sound really basic, but when you have a young, curious child, sometimes the less options there are, the better the experience is.

The games are:

• Matching: flip over eight cards to match pairs of fruit.
• Counting: count the number of fruit on the screen.
• Puzzle: place four puzzle pieces to put the fruit back together.
• Shapes: find and touch a specific shape from the choices given.
• Differences: find and touch the fruit that is different from the rest.
• Letters: choose the fruit that starts with a specific letter.
• Colors: find and touch all the fruit corresponding to a specific color.

Counting game.

Each game screen has written instructions at the top of the page ("Count the fruit."), and voice instructions are given at the start ("This monkey wants six raspberries.").  The monkey responds to the child's action by either cheering for correct choices, or shaking its head for incorrect ones, as well as jumping for joy at the end of each game. After every three games, there is a "reward" page where the child gets to choose a virtual sticker to place on the screen before continuing on.

As I mentioned, this app was really easy for my son to pick up. Even at around two years old, he could easily "play" the counting game because all he had to do was touch each fruit and the app counted for/with him. It's been fun to watch him grow with this app for the last couple of years — I remember how he struggled a bit while placing the puzzle pieces in the right places because his hand-eye coordination was still very young — and now he just loves working on more complex puzzles and matching games. The sticker reward page is also a nice touch, since it helps give him incentive to play for a while and collect stickers.

Earn stickers!

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (iTunes link) definitely gets two thumbs up from both me and my son. The engaging yet uncomplicated gameplay, the good graphics, and the very low price makes this app a must-have for iParents with young children. For all the time my son has spent on this app, the 99 cents has been more than worth it!

Conversations With My Kid: Sick

My son's been sniffly all day, so tonight when he sneezed, I asked, "Are you sick?"

To which he replied, "No, I'm not sick. I'm happy!"

Cooking: Jamie Oliver's Sausage & Zucchini Carbonara

I finally tried out the Jamie Oliver iPad app last night to make dinner — Sausage and Zucchini Carbonara. (I joked to my husband that I wished we had the technology where a virtual Jamie Oliver would be standing right there in my kitchen while I cooked.)

Effort: mostly painless. The ingredients were easy to get (all from Trader Joe's), while prep and cleanup were easy to manage.

Result: Yum. The zucchini adds a nice, lighter compliment to the sausage and bacon. However, it's still a  fairly heavy dish. The cream and egg in the sauce, along with the pasta, sit quite heavily in your belly afterwards. I made the dish to serve four, and even though my husband took seconds last night, I think there are at least another two to three servings left.

Things To Do in LA With a Preschooler

This week marks the end of the summer session at my son's preschool. While he's only been going since the end of April, having him go twice a week for three hours at a time have been sanity savers. (I can finally do my groceries, Target runs, and even pedicures!)

The fall session doesn't start until the second week of September, so after this week, it's technically our "summer vacation." We're not planning on going anywhere (I've already taken him to New York in June), so I'm a bit anxious about what to do with him for the next several weeks. I'll miss my breaks, but I'm hoping our regular sitter can occasionally relieve me. After all, I've stayed home with him since he was born and before he started going to school — we can do it again! At least for a few weeks, right?

Thankfully, we still have some playdates with our moms group from Orange County (where we moved from last year). On top of that, he still has gym class and swim lessons Monday through Thursday afternoons. But what to do on those days he used to be in school and there aren't any playdates scheduled? Here's a list of my Top Things To Do in LA with a Preschooler:

1. Giggles N' Hugs at the Westfield Century City mall. It's $9 admission for each child, and they can play for as long as they please. Their indoor play area is great for kids my son's age (three and a half), because there's a slide, things to climb, a mini carousel, a play castle, video games, and more. Plus, they serve pretty good, mostly organic, food. (And now they even serve beer and wine!) My son also loves climbing the large "tree" right outside.
2. Family Fun days at Westfield Culver City. Totally free! These are on Tuesdays and Thursday each week, from 10am to 11am, at the Punctuation Station area right outside JC Penny. On Tuesdays, they usually have a guest performer who'll read stories, sing songs, and sometimes perform magic tricks. On Thursdays, it's story time followed by a craft activity. They also do raffle giveaways on both days for anything from free food to gifts from one of the mall shops. 
3. Aidan's Place Playground at the Westwood Park (1350 S. Sepulveda, just north of Ohio). Free! This is one of our favorite playgrounds because of the simple fact that, if you're like me and not a fan of kids covered in sand, it's mostly sand-free! There's actually a large sand area, but the play structures offers so many things for kids to do that I haven't had much trouble keeping my kid away from it.
4. Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier. Admission prices vary. This is a new discovery for us, but definitely thinking of hitting it up again before school starts. Thrill rides my son can go on that's just a few miles away? Yes, please! See my previous post about our trip there.
5. Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. Admission prices vary. I'm hoping that by the end of August and beginning of September, the crowds will die down a bit. My son loves it here, more than Disney, because there are just more "thrill" rides he can go on. His favorites? Timberline Twister, Charlie Brown's Speedway, Lucy's Tugboat, Balloon Race, Log Peeler, Joe Cool's Gr8 Sk8, Rocky Road Trucking Company, Woodstock's Airmail, and Snoopy Bounce. We pretty much stay in Camp Snoopy, though we occasionally venture out to ride Hat Dance and Timber Mountain Log Ride. (All the other coasters are kind of a tease for my son; he so desperately wants to ride them, but I have to keep telling him that he needs to grow taller first.)
6. Zimmer Children's Museum at the ground floor of the Goldsmith Jewish Federation Center (6505 Wilshire Blvd.). Adult admission is $8, and $5 for kids 2-17; kids under 2 are free. Closed Mondays and Saturdays. This is also a recent discovery that my son loved. It's not a big place, especially when you're used to places like Pretend City in Irvine, but there's more than enough things to keep my son occupied. What I love about children's museums are all the hands-on and pretend play activities. At Zimmer, my son just loved the Corner Store and Cafe, as well as the water table, all on the lower level. On the ground floor, he definitely loved the Discovery Airplane; so much that he had a very hard time leaving it when it was time to go. 
7. Last, but not least, there's ... our pool. ;)

Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier

After our horrible evening last night, I felt like I needed to do something fun with my son today. He's a thrill ride enthusiast (at the tender age of three and a half), so I figured we could finally check out Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier.

We got there around 11:30am; enough time to go on a few rides before lunch. I parked right at the pier ($8 cash), then it was a short walk to the entrance to the park. I had purchased our tickets online before we left the house, but we still had to wait in line to pick up our wristbands. I highly recommend buying online before you go since they offer a discount; I paid $18.95 for an unlimited rides wristband for me (ages eight and over, $21.95 at the park), and $13.95 for another one for my son (ages seven and under, $15.95 at the park). Having never gone on the rides there before, at first I wasn't sure how many of the rides my son would actually be able to go on, but again, their web site provided some rides and height requirements information that I checked out beforehand. Alternatively, you can pay in cash as you go; each ride is either $5 or $3.

The main ticket booth was right next to the entrance to the West Coaster roller coaster, so of course my son wanted to jump on it first. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite meet the minimum height requirement yet, so we ended up on Sea Dragon, which was also right there. Needless to say, my son loved it! From there, we hit up Frog Hopper, Inkie's Wave Jumper, Sea Planes, Inkie's Pirate Ship, then Pacific Plunge before breaking for lunch. We walked over to the Pier and got some grub, and I was reminded of how aggressive the pigeons and sea gulls would get around food dropped on the floor. (A seagull almost crashed into teen a couple of tables away from us as it flew off with some prized crumbs.)

After lunch, I let my son go on the Sig Alert EV bumper cars ride. He had a blast trying to maneuver his car around; the round cars are controlled by two levers for each hand, without any pedals. Afterwards, we hopped on the solar-powered Pacific Wheel ferris wheel. That thing was huge! And it went way, way up into the air; half-way up, I was reminded of how I'm not really fond of ferris wheels. (I don't really mind heights, but stopping at 130 feet up while sitting in a slowly swaying car is a little unnerving for me.) You get some great views from up there though!

Next up was Inkie's Air Lift, followed by Inkie's Scrambler. I told my son that Scrambler was like Log Peeler at Knott's (which he loves), but bigger and faster. (I recommend that adults sit closest to the door; that way, the smaller rider smooshes into you, and not the other way around.) On our way out, we hit up Crazy Submarine, then finally Eurobungy (which was an additional $5 cash since it's not included in the unlimited rides wristband).

All in all, it was a fun outing. Including time for lunch and absolutely no games, we were out of there by 3:30pm, and the only ride we didn't go on was the roller coaster. We'll definitely visit again!

Check out their Facebook page for more information and chances to win free wristbands! And if you're on Twitter, you can also follow them @pacpark.

Anger Management

Yesterday was a rough day. I came out of it thinking that I need some anger management classes.

Or a therapist. Perhaps take up yoga?

After a silly argument (about getting him to drink out of a cup instead of using a straw), he grabbed a kitchen rug and threw it about on the floor. I sternly told him to put it back in it's place, which he ignored (twice), so I gave him an ultimatum: put the rug back or it's straight to bed.

He chose to go to bed.

I hauled him to his room, and as I changed him into his pajamas, I tried to tell him why I was angry. Then I saw him smirking. That took me over the edge. I got right into his face and started spewing some very angry words.

I don't think it was so much what I said, but he definitely felt the anger in my voice. Or maybe that's what I'm hoping for? He suddenly became visibly upset, and maybe deep down, that's what I was trying to get at: for him to take my frustration seriously. "NOT EVERYTHING IS A JOKE!" I said to him, through gritted teeth. He kept his head lowered, but I saw the tears. Part of me was convinced I went too far — I suddenly remembered an episode of Super Nanny where the dad would get right in the kids' faces to tell them what they did "wrong" — but part of me also knew that I while instilling fear into my kid isn't exactly the best way to go, I didn't know how else to make him listen.

We finished up with a trip to the potty, brushing his teeth, and washing his hands, and I tried to do these with him as calmly as I could. I tucked him into bed and tried, again, to calmly explain what had happened. (And again, I just can't tell from him if he understood one iota of what I was saying.) I closed the door to his room and felt the sudden urge to make a vow to work on my anger management.

Here We Go Again

I used to be an avid writer. Well, I suppose I still am, but in the last three years, I seem to have lost focus.

Why?

Because I spawned.

I'm not pointing fingers, but it's true. When my son was born in early 2008, parenting became my main focus in life. I jumped with both feet in, with nary a clue about what to do, and it's been an adventure, to say the least. I had been journaling and blogging online since 1999, so I knew I would also end up blogging about my new job. Which I did. Here, here, oh and even sometimes here.

Obviously, I couldn't focus.

What I quickly found out was there are a bajillion mom bloggers out there, and even though I was "one of them," I never felt comfortable where I was. I couldn't find my niche. And so, after some posts here and there, I gave up on a blog ... only to start another one shortly thereafter.

Writing is an itch I must constantly scratch. (How much or how little I care about actually having an audience is another matter.) So here I go again. Have I found my focus? My niche? Well, sort of. My topic of choice is still, of course, parenting. While I'm far from being an "expert" it's what I know most about at this point in my life. What I want is a home for my stories as a parent; the ups and downs, the good and the bad. You know that line from The Princess Bride, where the Man in Black says:

Life IS pain, your highness! Anyone who says differently is selling something.

It's kind of been my motto about parenting. Yes, it can be glorious. But it can also be maddening. I swear NO ONE warned me about any of this before I got pregnant. Not that it would have changed my mind, but it would have been nice to have had someone tell me, "When your kid is two years old, sometimes they will just fall on the floor in hysterics all because you got on the wrong elevator."

And that's it. I hope to share our stories in the hopes that others may find them amusing, entertaining, or sometimes even enlightening.

Thanks for reading,

M