DC Metro Mom

Here's an underdiscussed baby bunching issue: WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE KIDS, TRIPS TO THE BATHROOM RUN YOUR LIFE. Seriously.

I've always been aware of it, but I'm definitely noticing it more now that we're on vacation. No matter where we are or where we're going, we have to stop at take kids to the restroom (or change a diaper) a zillion times a day. It's gotten to the point where we automatically ask "Anybody need to use the potty?" anytime we approach an establishment that looks like it will have remotely sanitary facilities. And to be honest, it's driving me crazy!

First somebody has to pee. So we take them. We try to convince the other that they should "try" too so as to avoid a second trip for the second one soon after. Inevitably, the second child insists that they don't have to go and refuses to make the trip. Fast forward 20 minutes and sure enough, that one has to go. OR we drag the second one to the bathroom at the same time as the first and force them to go. It doesn't matter. Thirty minutes (ok maybe an hour) will go by and one or both has to go again. Throw in the baby's diaper changes and it's a wonder I get anything else done. Factor in the public restroom scenario (grimy, toilet paper shortage, each kid insisting on using their own cycle of the hand dryer) and you can see my frustration.

I just can't wait for the day when I'm not intricately involved in the bladder and bowel happenings of anyone but me!

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

So this is what it feels like to have only me to worry about!

I arrived in Seattle last night for a work event and am still getting used to flying "solo". The plane ride was so uneventful - no diaper bags to lug; no preschoolers to entertain on the plane; only one bathroom run for ME...I felt like I was on vacation. And I guess I sort of am! I slept the entire night (which I haven't done since June 22, 2008) and then woke up and went to the fitness center. I didn't have to warm anyone's milk; change the tv channel from the Today Show to Handy Manny, or get.anybody.dressed. How indulgent!

And now I'm sitting here, gazing out of my 27th floor hotel room window with a panoramic view of the city, leisurely reading blogs and contemplating where to go for a quiet and relaxing breakfast. It's all forcing me to ask myself: "Will I ever return home?"

But we all know that's a big fat joke because by approximately 3pm today, the novelty of it all will wear off and I'll be wondering how school went, what new thing the baby did today, and missing Giggles' giggles. So here's to me enjoying the next few hours of my Mommy Vacay.

I wonder if they miss me?

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Today Giggles turned 3! She has been so excited about it for the past few weeks and was looking forward to her big day. This afternoon, hubby and I went to her school to have a birthday party for her with her classmates. These school birthday parties are a big deal to the kids and they all rave about whose birthday party it was at school and what kind of cake they had, etc. So we were all expecting a fun time - we had the Minnie Mouse party stuff, the Dora and Boots cupcakes, the party hats, the goody bags - but we didn't expect Giggles to burst into heaving sobs when everyone started singing "Happy Birthday." The poor child was so upset and we have no idea why! Maybe it was because they had just finished naptime. Or maybe the excitement was just too much to bear. Or maybe having the spotlight on her freaked her out. Whatever the reason, she was distressed and wanted to go home. Hubby ended up letting her sit in the car for a little bit until she calmed down. She eventually came back inside and sat on my lap and had a cupcake. With her coat on. It was a sad sight.

I'm thinking she's having a hard time with the idea of becoming a "big" girl. We've been using that term in trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb, etc. and lately she's taken to saying "I don't wanna be a big girl." And so the Mommy Guilt invites itself over for coffee. Maybe she's feeling like she had to "grow up" to fast because of L'il Buddy's arrival? I have no idea. But I will be making extra sure to give her comfort that she is still my baby and always will be.

Even if we did waste $40 on party supplies.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/

It's Friday. And usually I am looking forward to the weekend to catch up on life (i.e. laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping, errands, etc.), but today I just feel beat. The madness will begin today at 3:30pm when I will leave work early to go see Chatterbox and Giggles perform in the Black History Month program at their school. After that I'll need to swing by the grocery to pick up something to bring to Chatterbox's dance recital tomorrow morning (at 9am). Saturday, after Chatterbox's recital, we'll head to Giggle's ballet class, and to return library books which are due tomorrow. If I'm we're lucky the girls will take a nap before it's time for our afternoon with Giggles' Godmother. We're going to see a children's show and then to dinner. Already as it is, I will be missing a meeting for my mother's group fundraiser tomorrow evening. But something had to give.

Sunday will be here in no time and we'll have the usual chaos that attends getting to and from church. Then we'll need to go to the party store to purchase party stuff for Giggle's school birthday party (on Thursday) and her home birthday party (on Saturday). I'll have to do that stuff this weekend since I don't have time to run errands during the week after work - especially since I  don't drive to work anymore.

Throw in a(nother) run to the grocery to shop for the week and that'll be my weekend in a nutshell. Boy, I can't wait until Monday so that I can come to work and get some rest.



Hope your weekend is more relaxing than mine!

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Uh oh. We've learned a new word in school. "Popular." Such a loaded word when it comes to being a girl in school, isn't it? I've been so busy dealing with the rudimentary needs of babies and toddlers (feeding; changing; dressing; bathing), that I never saw the complex social issues associated with school-age kids coming.

Chatterbox came home today saying how "so and so" was popular. And truth be told, "so and so" is popular since both my girls talk about her at length on a daily basis and scream her name like she's a rock star when they see her. But still, I wasn't ready to hear all that in the middle of making spaghetti. I asked her what that meant and who taught her the word and it seems that it was the topic at school today.

Then, during bathtime, Chatterbox proceeded to tell me that she would be popular too if she "did this" (and tossed her hair over her shoulder). Oh lawd. A Mean Girl in the making.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Yesterday a friend called me for advice about a "friend" of hers whose name she couldn't divulge. The dilemma was this: the "friend" recently got engaged and her fiance proposed to her with a ring that she isn't absolutely in love with. Now, let me tell you up front that the ring she received was a beautiful diamond ring with a platinum band that her fiance had upgraded from the original band. As nice as the ring is, the girl wishes that the band was different. Apparently it's "very thin." GASP! (insert sarcastic eye roll here)

At this point in the conversation with my friend, I started to get irritated. I started out suggesting that the girl gently suggest to her fiance that they get the band changed, but as I started talking, and as I learned more details, I decided that the whole issue was shallow. After all, she wasn't marrying the ring - she was marrying the guy. He took it upon himself to select a ring for her, have the band upgraded, and then propose. How ungrateful and selfish would it be for her to ask for a different ring? That was his gift to her.

Now my friend was trying to get me to see the girl's point of view by pointing out that it was the girl who was going to be wearing the ring for the rest of her life, and not her fiance. That is true. And she is a newly engaged woman who is, of course, all about showing off her ring...but she doesn't adore it. So her feelings are understandable.

But, I still think that she should just be thankful and appreciative of the symbol her fiance gave her. For one thing, if I've learned anything in these past 6 years of marriage, it's that the male ego is a terribly fragile thing. Whether he let on about it or not, I'm certain her fiance would be crushed and his ego bruised. Something like that would be a difficult thing to recover from and the damage could be irreparable.

My friend pointed out that my opinion might be biased because I loved my engagement ring immediately. And she's right. That said, I still think that I love it not only because it's pretty, but because I know my hubby researched before buying it, asked for help from his dad, and chose it just for me. Isn't that enough? Or maybe that's me being a romantic again.

Perhaps it's true that you learn everything you need to know in Kindergarten. Hearing "You get what you get and you don't get upset" might be just the advice she needs in this situation.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

If you know me then you know that every 6 months or so hubby and I get the itch to move to another state. This also means, that if you know me, you are likely to get irritated and roll your eyes when one of us announces "we're moving!" Because in your heart of hearts you know that it's probably not true. But you're a good friend/family member/co-worker/guy at the grocery checkout and so you tolerate our ramblings about the reasons why we need to move and how REALLY! THIS TIME! IT'S FOR REAL! All the while whispering "Ok, whatever" underneath your breath. You might even humor us by looking at the real estate listings that we email you to check out or remind me that "you guys won't be here, remember?" when I'm telling you where Chatterbox will be going to Kindergarten in the Fall. Some of you will even give me the phone number for your property appraiser and put us in touch with your realtor because you're good people like that. Others will connect us with contacts that might be able to hook us up with new jobs in our new state. But most of all, you guys listen. And you support our dreams no matter how much you are thinking that we're full of it. For all these reasons, I just want to say that we love you for putting up with us and also...thanks in advance! Because we're getting that itch again.
Hey, it's been about 6 months, right?

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

It's safe to say that I had a blast last week. We had tons of family and friends come to town and stay with us for Inauguration and boy did we get our celebration on. The weekend began with the girls' weekly ballet class and SIL and her family driving up from Atlanta to spend some time with us. What a treat! Chatterbox and Giggles were beside themselves with excitment at having their big cousins to play with. We all braved the cold weather (it was freezing!) and took the Metro downtown to the National Mall and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where the kids reveled in display upon display of dinosaurs. We topped the night off with Blazy's Pepperoni Lasagna and hit the hay. Sunday began with a kids' birthday party and then Hubby, his friend and I headed to a reception hosted by the Young Elected Officials Network and the Chestnut Law Firm, that we were invited to by Justice Jonesie. It was fun! We met lots of movers and shakers, caught up with old friends and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, an open bar and good music. It was great hanging out with Justice Jonesie and her friend K again - good times. SIL was a doll and took the kids to Port Discovery during the day so that we could attend the reception. That night we tucked the kids into bed and left them in the loving care of my dad and stepmom who arrived that morning to help my sister move to the area (talk about a hectic few days). All the grown folks headed to an Inauguration Jam where we met up with my ladies' crew from lawschool. At that point, hubby and I had officially gone out more than we had in the past several months combined...

The next day was our "Party Like A BarackStar" Obama Brunch. We had tons of yummy food and tons of wonderful guests. My best friend Danielle and her friend drove down from Toronto and arrived in the wee hours of the morning. I do have to shout out the stars of the brunch: my friend Danielle's ham & cheese quiche (heavenly!); my Dijon-Tarragon-Chive Salmon; and...our Inauguration cheescake courtesy of Eli's Cheesecake in Chicago!!

In case you haven't heard of this marvelous cakery, Eli's Cheescake is a famous Chicagoan institution, well-known for its delicious cheescakes and succulent steaks. Eli's had the honor of making dessert at the Commander-In-Chief's Ball at the National Building Museum in D.C. for President Obama's inauguration - a 500 pound apple cheesecake! Eli's was generous enough to send me a complimentary (slightly smaller!) version of the cheesecake for my Obama Brunch. How rockin' is that? Feeling left out? Not to worry, you can order your very own Inaugural Cheesecake from Eli's here (really, is it ever a not a good time to eat cheesecake?)

But I digress. After the brunch (and an impromptu emergency trip to the pediatrician) we went to the Young & Powerful for Obama Black Tie & Awards Gala. It was fun getting all dressed up in our tuxes and gowns for the evening. We had a good time at the ball and afterwards, inexplicably ended up in our car stuck in the White House roadblock, unable to get out. By the time we made it home it was after 3:00am and no sooner did I rest my head on my pillow did I need to get up, layer up, and trek down to the Mall for to watch the swearing-in ceremony with 2 million of my closest friends. Ironically enough, we drove all the way into town in Danielle's car at 5am with no problem and even managed to park in a parking garage. We walked through the closed highway tunnel and by dawn we were on the National Mall, making our way as close as possible to a big screen. We ended up at the jumbo-tron that was 2nd from the U.S. Capitol Building! Great location. The ceremony was awesome and being in that crowd, waving our flags with millions of emotional folks was an experience I will never forget. We trekked back to our car (it took THREE HOURS) in the freezing cold. By the time I got home I was ready to collapse; which I did, and didn't wake up until the next day.

Which is precisely when I realized that my cell phone was in Danielle's car. And the car was already back in Toronto.

All in all, the week was great. Michelle looked hot to death in her lemongrass ensemble and President Obama is the leader of the free world. Last week will be a hard one to top.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Ha! Made you look. Not that type of planning - vacation planning. It's time for us (read: me) to map out our family vacations for the year. I've got to figure out just the right combination of vacation factors: location, mode of transport, lodging, activities, etc. that will work for our budget, vacation time, and kids. As of right now I am toying with a trip to Disney. Now I've always said that I would never go until the kids were at least 5 years old+ but the 40% off promotion I got in the mail is looking mighty tempting. We could also combine a trip to Disney with a visit to the grandparents in Miami and drive up to Orlando, so that makes it even more appealing. But am I crazy to contemplate a major themepark with 3 young ones? I'm sure that if we make a stop in Miami we could convince a Grandma to come with us for backup...Are there even rides for preschoolers at Disney? It's been so long since I've gone.

Our second option is the Outer Banks. I'm excited about that one - the beach!! And a vacation home that will fit us all comfortably. And the beach!! Since North Carolina is withing reasonable driving distance, it's just a matter of finding a decent home for a decent price. We went to the Hamptons when Chatterbox was 1 - the day after her 1st birthday, actually - and we had a blast.

And with temperatures like the ones we're experiencing now, I am totally dreaming about summer.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

So we went on an overnight ski trip to a resort a few hours away from where we live on Sunday. Aside from it being one of the most stressful trips we've ever been on, we did end up having a great time. People always tease me for making lists and itineraries and "over-planning" trips, but this past weekend just reinforced why I do all of that. This is the first time since I can remember that I didn't make a packing checklist or map out an activity itinerary and boy did it show. Here's how the stress all started:

1. Hubby did not put my overnight bag in the car.(Please know that I cannot possibly convey to you in words the feelings that little situation evoked. Use your imagination.)
2. Since we were in middle-of-nowhere-Maryland my only shopping options to replace my stuff were Wal-Mart and Cato Fashions. Any store with the word "fashions" in the name can only be bad news. It was, however, a step up from the atrocities the local Wal-Mart was trying to pass off as "sweaters." I never longed for a Target so badly in my life.
3. We also forgot at home L'il Buddy's winter coat and Chatterbox's and Giggles' hats, gloves, and scarves. This was because when we left home it was a record-breaking 70 degrees for some freakish reason and so we didn't bundle the kids up as we normally do when leaving the house. Instead everyone just piled in the car and Hubby threw the girls' coats in the back. So the kids got some winter "fashions" from Wal-Mart too. Thank goodness I had packed the girls' snowpants in their bag which, thank goodness, Hubby did bother to put it in the car.
4. Hubby did not bother to bring any winter accessories for himself (because he "took this trip for granted" - his words, not mine) and so he ended up buying an overpriced ski mask from the resort boutique. He did have ski gloves that his wife packed for him though.
5. Hubby had also decided that there was "no room" for the girls' sled and left it in the driveway at home. Scout's honor. (How could there not be any room? He didn't put anything else in the car!)
6. With no set itinerary we wasted precious time trying to figure out what to do and when and where and how much it cost once we got there. Add three small children to the mix and it was a mess.

In the end we made the best of everything and had fun. J. Ny and her family came too and the first night the kids all went sledding (on J. Ny's sleds, of course) and tubing. My sister and I went night skiing (albeit very late) and it.was.so.great! After a completely sleepless night (the baby did not like his unfamiliar surroundings; Giggles' had a cough; the heater in the hotel room was louder than an army-issue Black Hawk; shall I go on?) we woke up, had breakfast and Hubby and I hit the slopes. We then had a ridiculously complicated time checking out of the room and returning our equipment (check out time came before the ski lift passes expired so we were trying to do as much skiing as possible whilst having checked out of our room), and then we were finally on our way home. Of course, in line with the rest of the events of the weekend, the nipple for L'il Buddy's bottle sprung a leak on the car ride back home just as he was wanting to eat, and we had to find our way to a CVS on dark back roads in the Maryland countryside to buy a new one. We finally made it home, happy and tired from our skiing adventure. End of story.

Or so I thought.

This morning it occurred to me that I hadn't seen Chatterbox's "DS" that she got for Christmas since we had been back home. Of course, being a firm believer in Murphy's Law, deep down I had a feeling that I knew exactly where the game was but I attempted to look for it everyhwere nonetheless. Chatterbox confirmed my suspicions and announced that her "DS is in the drawer in the hotel room." At which point I almost cried. She hadn't even had the thing for a full week!

Ugh, I'm sick. I've had a cold since Thursday and I just can't seem to shake it. Luckily it is not the flu. But it's wiping me out nonetheless. However, lest you think that stopped me from running around like a maniac this weekend, let me set the record straight...

Friday I took a sick day from work to "rest." Yeah right. I ended up running mad errands. I got my hair done, did a return at the mall, bought an outfit for Saturday's holiday party, picked up our holiday cards, and took the girls to the library after school to get a book in order to be prepared for Saturday. Friday evening we (finally) out up the tree! Thank heavens for "shatterproof" ornaments. Really, I have no idea why it was so hard for the girls to get the ornaments ON the tree.

Saturday I took the girls to see If You Give A Pig A Pancake. It was an adorable show and I was glad that I had them read the book beforehand because they were able to follow along which made them even more engaged. Then we went to the bakery to pick up holiday cookies for a party we had later that evening. Next we stopped off at home, had lunch, picked up L'il Buddy and Hubby and made our way to a birthday party at a kids' museum. It was lots of fun. After a speed change in the museum bathroom, we were all ready to head to our church holiday party. Where I ate way too much.

Sunday we went to church (and I was so proud of Giggles for going to Children's Church like a big girl and not even coming back to look for me once!) We went home, had lunch and Chatterbox and I went on a special excursion to pick up some hair products for Giggles that a woman at the birthday party told me about. Giggles has SO MUCH HAIR and I am continually searching for some helpful products. If any of you are in need of hair products for curly hair, check out Miss Jessie's - and they are actually having a buy one, get one FREE sale right now! After that we did our usual Sunday evening grocery run and I came home and made bacon burgers. Hubby and I also did the girls' hair, which was a big production as usual. I texturized Chatterbox's and Hubby washed and deep conditioned Giggles' It was a 2 hour affair. Then I had a conference call for church and THEN I was finally free to collapse into bed...and get ready for the start of a new week.

Say, if you have a pre-paid vacation that you are dying to give away, throw it my way would ya? I'm beat.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Remember this post? Well, since that day I (shamefully) have not exercised again. The baby wakes up 4 -5 times each night and I'm beat. It's all I can do to get through each day, let alone exercise. But going shopping on Black Friday and over the weekend and realizing that nothing fits put me over the edge. So I signed up for Weight Watchers yesterday and registered for aerobics class which starts tonight. I really don't have a spare moment, but I've got to do this. Oh and I am also planning to join Mrs. Schmitty in her BlubHer Overhaul. I need all the support I can get!

Will report back soon.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

Here are some of the random things on my mind today:

(1) I keep reading about how the Nebraska lawmakers want to amend the child safe haven law to make it clear that it only applies to abandoned infants. I fully understand the intent and purpose of that law, but there has been a total of 31 children abandoned since the broadly-worded law was passed. It seems to me that there is obviously a need for some type of help for parents who, for whatever reason, can no longer care for their child, no matter what the age. Now in no way am I encouraging parents to abandon their children, but it's apparent to me that a parent who drives from Florida to Nebraska to drop off their 11 year-old clearly has run out of resources and options. What will happen to the families (and children) in those situations once the law is passed? I guess what I'm trying to say that changing the law to apply only to infants won't eliminate the need that obviously exists out there for a safe alternative for parents of older children.

(2) Yesterday as we were walking into a bagel shop a (homeless?) guy asked us for money to buy breakfast. Hubby bought an extra bagel and cream cheese and offered it to the guy on our way out. Can you believe the guy looked at the bagel and said: "Nah, I'll catch you next time." Huh? What? You'll catch us next time? Think again buddy. Clearly he just wanted cash and not food. How rude!

(3) Anyone out there with a nanny that's in your house all day? How do you handle the food situation? Is she free to eat whatever she wants from your fridge/pantry? We never laid any ground rules so our nanny has been eating our food here and there, which is totally fine. But lately she has eating more and more of out leftovers which causes me to (a) have to make an entirely new meal for dinner each night and (b) buy more groceries. Any thoughts on how to navigate this? It's a delicate situation.

Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

By now you've heard about Motrin's unfortunate screw up where they made a video meant to advertise their product to moms who use baby slings. Instead of appealing to their target market though, the company completely offended many moms by running a snarky, insulting video ad. Since the weekend, moms have been going crazy on Twitter, and YouTube, and the mommy blogosphere has been abuzz; many moms calling for Motrin to apologize and/or vowing to boycott their products forever. To make matters even worse (for Motrin), it's International Babywearing Week!

Well, it's clear that the power of moms using social media is not to be ignored. Today Motrin made a public apology for the misstep and took down the ad. You can see the statement made on their website here.

The irony is this: companies obviously understand and appreciate the power mommy bloggers have to influence opinions about their products (as evidenced by the flood of product reviews on mommy blogs these days, ours included) but, here, in their haste to woo us influential moms, they failed to take the time to craft a message that moms could relate to, and instead came up with an ad campaign that backfired on them completely.

As the Chicago Tribune printed today: "Offend mommy bloggers at your own peril. They can chew you up and spit you out in a day." That's right! Mommy bloggers are a force to be reckoned with. If companies don't know, they betta ask Motrin. Or Disney. Or Eggland's Best.

Shout out to all the mom bloggers who made their voices heard.

To borrow the phrase from JJ at Mischief Makers, I am in Single Mommy Boot Camp this week as hubby is at a week-long conference in a LUXURY HOTEL in SAN FRANSCISCO. Poor soul. The week got off to a promising start. Yesterday hubby left in the morning and the girls got their hair braided. In the afternoon, my good friend came over to provide me with "backup" at the grocery store. I had planned to do my grocery shopping for the week on Saturday while Hubby was still home, but the day escaped me. The shopping trip went well thanks, in large part, to my friend who pushed Chatterbox and Giggles' around in their own shopping cart, took them to the inevitable trips to the potty, and fed them yummy store samples much to their delight. Couple that with the fact that L'il Buddy slept the entire time, and I was able to get everything on my least without breaking a sweat, raising my voice, or cursing under my breath. Hooray! My friend even came home, helped me unload and put away the groceries and set up the kids' dinner. Thank God for girlfriends!

Last night was a bit rough since L'il Buddy woke up his usual 4 times and I had no one to split the night shift with. And Giggles woke up around 5am wanting to sleep in my bed. The silver lining of my sleepless night is that I was able to wake up early (since I was technically already awake) and get the day started. By the time the nanny came, we were all ready to walk out the door and she dropped me to the metro before taking the girls to school. I even made it to work at a decent hour - woot! Now, let's see how the evening commute and dinner/nighttime routine goes.

I can say this: I only have to swing it by myself until Friday and I have the help of a nanny --single moms everywhere get mad props from me.


Cross posted on http://mamalaw.blogspot.com/.

First let me say how JEALOUS I am of Justice Jonesie's trip to Disney to the Mommy Blogger Weekend! I had to miss it because one of my best friends got married on Saturday - of course the wedding was wonderful and beautiful (another post for another day) but I am still sad that I didn't get to meet all of the sista-mommy-bloggers out there! Sounds like you guys had a blast.

October has been a busy month though! Last weekend I went on (which has become) my annual girls' trip to Bethany Beach, DE. After agonizing for days as to whether I should go and leave my little baby behind, I decided to just do it and am I ever glad that I did! We had the best time. There were 6 of us that went, including A Shorter Mama (who is so much fun). The weekend kicked off with the roadtrip to our friend's beach condo, just a couple hours away, while we chatted and looked forward to sleeping "in" (after all, 8:30am is late when you have small kids) and getting in some "me" time. The weekend did not disappoint: we stayed up late, slept in, relaxed on the beach -- the weather was surprisly warm -- went shopping, drank martinis and ate good seafood. Really for me, the best parts of the trip were the heart-to-heart conversations, the uncontrollable laughter and the feeling of being carefree, if only for 36 hours.

Well, except for the continuous breastpumping of course.

It was a wonderful way to wrap up my summer. Since this was my last weekend before returning to work after being on maternity leave, the girl time was just what the doctor ordered. And of course the kids and the baby were completely fine and barely even missed me all weekend.

SEE THE PICTURES @ LINK .

I'm already looking forward to next year!