DC Metro Mom

As a mom of 2, running my own business, and an avid lover of life and community.. I noticed something recently. I have NOT BEEN TAKING CARE OF MYSELF! AGH!

Does your child cry and scream when you drop off at daycare or school? How do you handle the goodbye drama and the parent guilt? Perhaps creating a goodbye routine will help.

A butterfly kiss, Eskimo kiss, mommy kiss, doggy kiss (no real licks involved), a hug and a promise to be back soon. This was the goodbye routine my son and I created when he was in preschool. Every day I would walk him to the classroom and wait in line until the teacher opened the door and individually greeted each child. Most children gave a quick hug and kiss before running into the classroom. My son, who is now in kindergarten, had to do “animal kisses” first (don’t ask). The first week it was really cute. Halfway through the year I started to get a little embarrassed, especially when the teacher pulled me aside to ask about this “unique” goodbye ritual. But, as the end of the year approached (and yes it continued to the very end), I decided to embrace and enjoy the over-indulgent goodbye show. My oldest had already banned all public displays of affection, so I knew it would only be a matter of time before I longed for animal kisses.

You would think that after 10+ years of motherhood, 3 children, and a history of happy classroom outings that I would be more relaxed about field trips. You would be wrong. I dread them. For the kids, it’s one big party full of excitement, escape from the confines of a classroom and a chance make new discoveries with their friends. It’s a learning experience, it’s enriching. I KNOW. Or should know.

Nicole Dash, The Tiny Steps Mommy, with her youngest daughter

Nice title…right? Well let’s face facts it is true. There are some wicked women out there and (shudder) some are even moms! Until I recently had my second child…I had sort of forgotten about the bitch factor that exists in Mommyland. I have lived in the area for 12 years, have two children and, thankfully, a large circle of friends that I cherish. I haven’t much thought about the ruthless shrews that made my life miserable when I was a new mom. While woman everywhere can be nasty and mean (as can men) I am specifically talking about bitchy moms with young children.

If you’re like my boys and me, you’ve been chasing around space shuttle Discovery over the past week. I heard about the shuttle coming up from Florida to the Air and Space Museum by Dulles a few months ago from one of my wonderful Northern Virginia mommy blogger connections and have had the days blocked off on my calendar ever since then. My twin boys are obsessed with all things space.  

On Tuesday the boys and I went down to the National Mall to see the shuttle fly over atop a modified jet. What I found the most intriguing was the sense of waiting expectantly with so many other people--  on the ground or on the tops of buildings— all waiting for the same thing.  We were by the Capitol, and judging from the crowds on the terraces, there were not many people left inside the Capitol. Everyone looking at the sky.

Have you ever read an article about the importance of “unplugging?”  This idea that, if we turn off the electronic devices that connect us to the world for a while, we’ll start to get some of our Zen back?

Down time has a new look these days.

Yesterday, I laid in bed for 1.5 hours with my baby. This is what we did.

A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING.

Many women come to yoga during pregnancy and/or for a mom/baby class and have not had the pleasure of studying for years before parenting... I really feel the BENEFITS of studying yoga are just fully coming into bloom NOW!
Backbends, balancing, heart openers, inversions,  forward bends, mediation...all have implications for our physical mat practice, our parenting practice and our OWN self awareness.

After a recent conversation with a friend about balance I wrote some thoughts about the connection between our balancing postures and our lives. No, this is not a polished essay, more just thoughts. I'd love for you to share your as well. (See the beautiful Yanna balancing so well below!)

How do you want to BALANCE your precious time? I want my children  to have plenty of mommy time but see me working in a way that helps this world. That creates peace and healthy living for families- where I am connected to others and working on service- giving my life in a meaningful way to things that are important to me.

There are many benefits of practicing balance postures such as an increased awareness strength our in our physical body starting from the feet and moving up the body to an increased awareness of our own thought patterns and  tendencies. For example, while standing in tree pose we can notice how we stand, where we lean and bring ourselves back into alignment. The same is true in our lives, we can step back when we feel out of balance and see what areas are pulling us down or off of our center, and we have a chance to re-align ourselves.

In yoga, our postures often represent more than just what physical arises on the mat. In balancing postures, we “ground down” with our feet in order to rise up with our heart and to align our skeletal system, bring ourselves into a full expression of  the pose and ourselves. Balancing poses give us a chance to notice our patterns and practice new ways to come into the pose and new strategies to come FULLY into our life.

When you come into a poses there are often has physical and mental implications. One benefit of yoga is the centering and realigning that occurs with your body and your life. Balancing postures help us to center our selves physically and mentally.

Able to help clear the path of intuition for raising my family, living with intention, what do I want to do with my time? Who do I want to spend it with- living with intention and clarity and returning to the mat, cushion, nature,  movement to help give me space and clarity.

How do you balance?

For me, Yoga is as  Judith Lasater has said, “When one is deeply in the state of yoga, who you are really is most evident, and when we are most truly ourselves, we express what yoga truly is.” She went on to liken yoga to the actions of a sculptor uncovering the shape already present in the stone, removing the obstacles to letting whatever is present reveal itself, shine forth." 

If you still have shopping to do, a party to attend, or just need a little break before the holidays you could probably use a safe place for your children to go for a few hours.  Fortunately, there are plenty of local venues hosting special holiday Parents Night Out programs this weekend and throughout the season.  Whether you have a toddler that loves tumbling or a tween that just wants to hang out, there is sure to be a local program that fits the bill.  For listings by date check DC Metro Mom's Parent's Night Out Calendar and for listings by location check our Childcare Guide.  Most programs require pre-registration, so act soon!  

During the past two weeks I have had to take a few short trips for work. It's been a very busy couple of weeks. I was anxious, because the first two times I left Miss L for work (both times she was younger than 2) did not go so well. You can read about it here.

It's not that I don't trust my husband. He can keep a kid alive. He can even get her dressed (her hair, however, is an entirely different matter). But these are the things that are part of my normal routine--getting Miss L ready for school, fed, cleaned up. Mr. A will get the job done, if he has to, but he won't do it the right way my way. Which means, of course, that Miss L continually told him he was wrong (I probably should correct her on this, but whatevs). Pajamas are not called p.j.'s. Miss L needs a cup of water before bed. It is critical that the blue spoon be used for cereal. Actually, the spoon thing wasn't even an issue, as it turned out, because Mr. A did not give Miss L cereal for breakfast. He gave her doughnuts.

The Highlights 2011 State of the Kid (SOK) survey asked kids from across the country about their experiences and concerns related to bullying, their parents and gender roles. The results of the survey were shared and discussed at a special event at the National Press Club in Washington last week. "Our hope is that adding kids' voices to the conversation on these topics will enrich and deepen the dialogue, and help all of us who work to make children's lives better," said Christine French Cully, editor in chief of Highlights magazine.

Recently DC Metro Mom interviewed Dr. Patricia Quinn, a developmental pediatrician in Washington, D.C., and expert in child development,  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and learning disabilities.  Dr. Quinn is the author of more than 20 books on ADHD, including the best-selling "Putting on the Brakes: A Young People's Guide to Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder,"  is on the board of ADDitude magazine, and is currently the director of the National Center for Girls and Women with ADHD.

During this interview Dr. Quinn discusses the signs of ADHD, how to help a child deal with ADHD at home and at school, updates on medications used in the treatment of ADHD, and the differences in how boys and girls experience ADHD.







For more information about ADHD and parenting tips please visit http://www.addvance.com/about/quinn.html and http://www.additudemag.com/

Walter's Birth Story - Part I

I wanted a fourth baby, my husband was a little unsure. I was so happy with the three we had, but there was a little something more in our future. I could just feel it. It took much longer than normal for me to get pregnant, six months when usually it took around 2. I took the test without my husband knowing because I didn't want to hide my disappointment if it was negative. I was over the moon when I saw the two pink lines and immediately went to share the news with him. He told me later that when I gave him the news, he knew he was ready. I wish I had known that because it would've relieved some of my guilt later on.

Now it's one thing to have to wake up in the middle of the night with your child. Luckily (knock on copious amount of wood), Henry never wakes up in the middle of the night. So, I go to bed at 11 planning on waking up at 7 or whenever the babe rises. Good deal.

It's a whole completely different thing to have to wake up in the middle of the evening, night, morning, naptime with your baby monitor. As a mother, I didn't sign on for taking care of a sweet baby boy and an *sshole baby monitor.

Let me explain. We have the Angelcare monitor that detects motion. We bought it as a recommendation from friends who have a young son. They said it was the best thing they owned. It was especially nice once Henry was born considering he spent the first week of his life in the NICU with breathing problems.