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Jun 5, 2008

The First (and Probably Last) Time I’ll Ever Be Called an Expert

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You may have noticed I haven’t been posting as frequently in the past couple of weeks. It’s not that I’ve lost the urge to write, or even that I couldn’t think of topics to write on. Instead, I’ve been busy. Really busy. But beyond finals week for school, and trying to keep Mira from being pushed over by Cordy and Cordy’s hair out of Mira’s hands, there’s been something else.

I’m cheating on all of you, and kept it a secret until now. I’ve spent the past few weeks writing for someone else. Well, it’s for all of you, too, especially those who live near me. It all happened so quickly, giving me no time to plan so that you wouldn’t suspect anything. Today, though, the secret is out:


Technically, I was ordered to keep it a secret until now. Under the guidance of Stefania Pomponi Butler (aka CityMama) and Stacey Boyd, nearly 30 bloggers across the US were gathered to make SavvySource.com not only the place to go for preschool reviews and finding fun activities to do with your kids at home, but now the place to go to find things to do with your 2-6 year old in your hometown. Yep, I’m now the City Expert for Columbus, bringing you all the fun and educational activities in the greater Columbus area. See that? City Expert. I feel so professional now.

How did I get this amazing new title? Dumb luck. Lots and lots of begging, pleading, and bribing. OK, maybe a little begging, but mostly by seeing the call for bloggers on Twitter. (P.S. LOVE TWITTER!)

And now that we’re live, I can officially say I’m working with some of the best bloggers out there, and if you live in or near any of the cities Savvy Source features, you should check them out. The talent feeding into this project is amazing, and they’ve made me wonder more than once how I managed to sneak into this group.

We all have our own URLs, too. You can find me at columbus.savvysource.com.

Here’s just a small selection of what I’ll be writing about:

99 things your must do with your child in (or near) Columbus

Room to run: tiring out your preschooler

5 things to do in Columbus on a rainy day

The littlest Picasso: where to go to make art

The Columbus blog will also feature book reviews, toy reviews, and interviews with local child development experts. The media push has started too – there’s a chance I might be on TV soon! (Ahem…EEEK!!)

Now that we’re live, this space will be getting more attention again. It’s like having another child – you somehow find enough time and room in your heart for both. I hope you’ll come visit me at Being Savvy Columbus!

Filed Under: me me me, mom blogs, shameless promotion ·


May 20, 2008

Complicated Workout Equipment Isn’t For Me

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CityMama is giving away a Wii Fit (and a Wii), but the condition is you have to tell your most embarrassing fitness story to win. Despite my best attempts, I wasn’t able to get in on the pre-sale of the Wii Fit, and I want one baaaaad, so if I must share my shame with you to have a chance at one, I will.

OK, Spring, 1995. The second half of my freshman year in college. My university had just opened a state-of-the-art rec center. It was the only workout facility for the entire campus population. It was enormous. The cardio workout room alone took up the entire second floor of the east wing, with 75+ machines and workout stations available for use.

What you need to know ahead of time was that this was a very image conscious university. Lots of perfect people, filling the rec center all hours of the day and night, working out obsessively to maintain that beautiful image. (And the women in this group always cleared out the salad bar at every dining hall. Try a burger, ladies!)

And then there was me. Not perfect. Not even close, really. I’ll admit to being intimidated by all of those pretty people. But a friend of mine was also a fitness nut, and knowing that I wanted to fit in, convinced me to join her three days a week at the rec center. It also helped that a guy we were friends with would be there, too, and I had a serious thing for him.

So there we were, 7pm on a weeknight, and as usual the place was packed. Elliptical machines were all the rage at the time, and the sign-up sheet to use one of them was filled for the night. The treadmills were also taken, and when I suggested the bikes my friend rolled her eyes and told me that stationary bikes would never give me the real workout I needed.

Our guy friend found us at this point. I was ready to suggest walking the indoor track – you know, a nice low-impact, lazy, scaredy-cat easy workout, but he surveyed the room (he practically lived at the rec center, and knew every machine in this place) and said, “If you want an awesome workout, you should try the NordicTrack.”

For those who aren’t aware, this is the NordicTrack:


Only the one at the rec looked bigger and more complicated. The woman, however, looks NOTHING like me.

I should also add that not only was I overweight at this point in my life, I wasn’t exactly known for my coordination, either. I had sprained my foot earlier in the school year by falling down one step. But at the urging of my two friends – one of which I was trying to impress – I examined the machine. It looked a little scary. Treadmills I had figured out in high school, and I had been on an elliptical once without any injury. But this looked like some medieval torture device. I wasn’t even sure what body part went where, other than my feet.

My guy friend jumped on one of the NordicTrack machines (which, in a room full of occupied machines, these were conspicuously empty of able-bodied fitness nuts) and in a few swooshing motions, showed me how to use it. I tried to play it cool, saying, “Oh yeah, I remember now! I used one of these back in high school. Piece of cake!”

He jumped off the machine in one graceful movement, wandering off to say hi to one of his buddies staffing the towel desk nearby. My female friend turned to me: “Well, let’s get going. We should get in some kind of a workout before this place closes for the night.”

“It closes at midnight, Jen. I think we have time.”

“Yeah, I know. I was planning on being here for a few hours. No pain, no gain, right?” she said with a smile. I wondered at that point how I missed the sadistic streak in her earlier.

I hesitated, looking at the NordicTrack ski machine, realizing I really had no idea how to use it. But I watched my guy friend use it – he made it look effortless. I glanced around at all of the beautiful people around me, happily gliding through the motions of their particular machines, all as graceful as figure skaters. I can do this, I thought, I’ll just get on and glide. This might be so easy that I won’t even feel like I’m getting a workout!

Taking a deep breath for confidence, I climbed onto the machine. I carefully put my feet into the toe holds, maintaining my balance so I didn’t move either ski. My friend took the machine next to me.

I shuffled my feet back and forth slowly, not more than a few inches each way, to test the skiing motion. It seemed pretty easy. Eh, this is easy, I thought. Oh, how cocky and unknowing I was in that moment.

The next events were only a few seconds and play in slow motion in my mind. I reached for the hand grip for my right hand (refer to picture for what I’m talking about), and when I did that, my weight shifted and my right foot suddenly shot out behind me on the right ski. That, of course, forced the left one forward and my upper half pitched forward onto the belly rest to keep my balance.

At that point I aborted grabbing for the right hand grip and tried to regain my balance by bringing my legs back together, but I didn’t anticipate just how easily those skis moved. As I summoned the strength to pull my legs back together, I overcompensated and in one swift motion they shot the other direction – the right going forward, the left going back. Only this time, I had been holding my upper body upright, and now it was moving backwards too.

The force of this sudden, uncontrolled motion sent me flying backwards off the machine. I remember looking briefly over at my friend and saw the confused expression on her face as I fell. I don’t remember the rest of the fall, although I heard a yelp. I was so outside of my own body at that point that I didn’t realize the screech was mine. Before I knew it I was staring at the lights hanging from the ceiling, followed by my two friends and one of the rec center workers standing over me. My guy friend looked horrified, but Jen could barely contain her laughter.

“What the hell?” she asked, trying to stifle her giggles. “Are you OK?”

“I…yeah, I think I’m fine. Can we please leave? I don’t want everyone to stare at me.” I started to sit up, realizing one foot was still on the instrument of my flight. I gently extracted my foot from the machine.

She couldn’t help but laugh at that point. “It’s a little late for that!”

I looked up, and saw several of those beautiful faces staring at me. Everyone on that end of the workout room heard me yell and saw my subsequent tumble from the NordicTrack, and now their eyes were all fixed on me. (Although I should point out that very few of them stopped their workout – most were still going, just with their heads turned in my direction. Priorities, people.) Some looked concerned, but most looked at me like I was a puppy chasing my tail – amusing and pathetic at the same time.

My guy friend helped me up. “Maybe you should try something a little…safer…like walking the track.” He was trying to be helpful, but I felt humiliated.

“Yeah, I’ll do that…” I mumbled.

The guys at the towel desk were still smirking, and applauded me as I walked past. “Nice dismount,” one laughed. “You totally made tonight more interesting.” My already red face burned hot as I hurried towards the locker room.

I didn’t go back to the rec center until the next school year, and even then I stuck to the track for the first several months. I had never made such a fool of myself in front of 100+ people before, and the bruises healed far faster than my embarrassment.

See? This is why I need a Wii Fit. The balance board is less complicated, and if I do fall off it, at least there’s no one around to stare and laugh.

Filed Under: clearly insane, me me me, memories ·


May 9, 2008

Haiku Friday: A Feminine Topic

By ·

“You’ll feel a small pinch”
said the doctor. Liar. More
like a stabbing pain.

But in a flash it
was over. And now I’m not
fertile (for a time)

A temporary
solution before we make
a permanent choice.

Do I want more kids?
I thought no way, but I can’t
commit to that thought

We now have five years
to decide if there will be
more diapers to change

Sorry to any guys reading this today. I’m sure the last thing you want to read about is birth control.

This week I decided to get an IUD. Partially because I’m sick of condoms and never want to take birth control pills ever again. (Can you say psycho mood swings?) Did it hurt? Well, I’ll say it’s amazing how pain from one small area can radiate up your spine and into your teeth.

This wasn’t exactly the plan we had set up before Mira. Originally, after Mira was born, we were going to wait about six months, and then Aaron was meeting up with a doctor to discuss severing certain cords to prevent any more little people. And after Mira was born – after 21 long hours of labor – I was still committed to that plan.

But as we drew closer to our V-Day, doubts started to creep in. Are we sure we never want another baby? Truth is, we’re not 100% sure. Probably 95% sure, but that lingering 5% still nags me every time I see a fresh new baby, all red, wrinkly and squishy. I think Aaron still wishes for a son, too. We’re not in a position (financially or mentally) to have a third child at the moment, but in a year or two our situation may be different.

So nature and her biological drive to procreate have won this battle for now. Our fertility is halted, but not eliminated. We’ve got up to five years to decide if we want another baby before this IUD has to be removed. If we don’t want another baby by five years, then the vasectomy will be a reality.

(And yes, I know the the IUD has the risk of a surprise pregnancy, too.)

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below or at Jennifer’s blog with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). DON’T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, contact Jennifer or myself.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top.

REMEMBER: Do not post your link unless you have a haiku this week! We will delete any links without haiku!

Filed Under: Haiku Fridays, me me me, TMI ·


May 7, 2008

Did You See The "Mommy Bloggers" On The Today Show?

By ·

Yes, with air quotes.

If you haven’t seen the video yet, go watch it before reading further.

So what are my thoughts on it? Well, it was OK. The taped segment with Mir, Kristen and Jill was a good segment, although I felt like something was missing. In talking with Mir and Kristen on Twitter, I learned that the topic of community was brought up more in that interview, but was edited out, along with the sentiment that much of what we blog can be seen as a love letter to our children. It seems that Today wanted to focus more on the financial and moral aspects of being a mommyblogger this time.

Each of these issues has been featured on mainstream media before. Good Morning America spoke with Susan Wagner about making money online, and who can forget the Today Show feature on cocktail playdates. This time, questions seemed to be focused on the effect of corporate America’s new attention towards mom bloggers and issues of privacy in blogging about our children and families.

Mir, Kristen and Jill couldn’t have done a better job with the questions they were given. Kristen’s infamous duck came back to haunt her, but at no point in the interview did any of them look uncomfortable with the discussion.

Following that taped segment, Kathie Lee Gifford then did a live interview with Heather Armstrong (aka Dooce). Again, Heather did a great job with the questions she was given, but I felt the interview was doomed from the start when Kathie Lee said that she didn’t understand computers. Soon it was clear that Heather was being put on the defensive because she writes about personal issues in a forum where anyone can read.

At one point Kathie Lee said, “You seem like a lovely lady….BUT…” and while the “but” was sugar coated, the underlying message was that she disapproved of Heather posting intimate details and pictures of her daughter on the internet. Before Heather had a chance to answer, she was cut off for an introduction to the next segment. (And let’s not even get started on how Kathie Lee talked about her kids on TV on a near daily basis when she was with Regis. How is that different?)

I wondered what the Today Show expected its viewers to take away from this segment. Did they want them all to rush out and start mommy blogs, because clearly there was money to be made from it? Or were they trying to caution moms against exploiting their children and opening them up to stalkers by blogging about them? The messages seemed contradictory to me, not unlike the old dichotomy of “Women should have equal rights! Get out there and work! Oh wait, you’re going to be a mom? How can you abandon your child by working? You should be at home!”

I’m already tired of the privacy concerns thrown at mom bloggers. Do you seriously think that we didn’t consider privacy when we first blogged about our children? Yes, anyone can come by and see pictures of my daughters. But any stranger could also see them (live! and in person!) if we were walking down the street, shopping at the grocery store, visiting an amusement park, etc. Stalkers aren’t exclusive to the internet – they live in communities, too. And it’s not like all of the internet comes past my blog daily. The handful of visitors I get here each week is less than the number of people who would see them if we went to a concert.

As for the issue of future embarrassment over what I write about them, I also have thought about that topic. As the girls get older, I will give them more privacy, and stop the minute they ask me to. I already blog less about Cordy’s daily life than when she was younger. I have limits on what topics I’ll blog about – for example, I’ve said Cordy is not potty trained, but you won’t be reading the finer details of how potty training is going. And really, they’re going to be embarrassed by me for far more relevant reasons when they’re teens – this is minor compared to your average teenage angst topics.

There will always be aspects of my daughters that readers will never know about. Some of it I can’t find words for, and other parts I selfishly hold close. I love sharing my story – and as a result, their stories – with those who come into my blogosphere, but some of their unique characteristics are just for me and those who are close to us to share. No matter how much you read about them, I guarantee you that you would still be surprised about aspects of their personalities were you to meet them in person. The same could be said about me, or most any other blogger, I’d imagine.

While the entire segment wasn’t a train wreck, it still lacked a lot of information. I’m saddened that the entire aspect of community was glossed over. Listen, I doubt there are many moms out there who start blogging because they want to make a ton of money, gain power with corporations, or find new ways to exploit their kids and guarantee future embarrassment. Most of us do it for the community. We seek out other moms who we can identify with, sharing our stories, gaining knowledge from those who have been through what we’re going through, or just providing support for others when they need it.

There aren’t a lot of new moms in my neighborhood. And most people here keep to themselves, so making mom friends isn’t easy. But I can count several moms that I met online as friends. We may not live in the same state, and we may have never met in person, but we have a common experience that ties us together.

I wrote in the comments of another blog yesterday that if I was forced to give up blogging tomorrow – completely quit posting, reading, commenting, everything – I might miss the product promotions and giveaways, and I might miss the little bit of ad revenue I make each month. But not being able to participate in the community, to laugh and cry and commiserate along with friends – friends I made not because we live in the same area, are in the same socioeconomic group, or look similar, but friends I made because of our words alone – would be devastating to me.

You’re all my people. My community. That’s why I keep doing this. And I hope that my daughters will someday read these ramblings and have a new appreciation and understanding of their mother, along with an account of days they can’t remember. The money, the trips? All icing on an already tasty cake. Yummy, but superfluous.

Kathie Lee? You don’t know what you’re missing.

Filed Under: me me me, mom blogs · Tagged:


Apr 21, 2008

I Feel 27 Again (Well, 27 Plus Two Kids)

By ·

I guess it’s been awhile since I gave a Hot by BlogHer update. You might wonder how I’ve been spending the past month, and if I’ve been keeping to the (vague) goals I set for myself.

The verdict is: it’s working. Here’s the breakdown.

Weight: I’m now down ten pounds since I said enough is enough. Did you catch that? T-E-N pounds! Sure, ten pounds in two and a half months isn’t a lot of weight – it works out to roughly a pound a week.

But those ten pounds have even more significance than half a dress size lost. First, my weight now begins with a 1 and not a 2. That’s an impressive feat, considering at one point in my life I weighed 245 pounds. Also, I’m now at the same weight that was recorded as my “starting weight” back when I was 27 and sitting in my paper gown on the cold table for my very first OB appointment ever. I haven’t seen those numbers since that day my doctor confirmed that Cordy was on her way into our lives.

Food & Exercise: I’ve cut a lot of the junk out of my diet. Fast food still hasn’t been eliminated from my diet, but when we do eat out, I’m making healthier choices, eating more vegetables, and passing on giant desserts. Portion sizes are the key for me – I’m still eating some of the junk I love, but not as much of it. Just two days ago, Aaron and I went out for ice cream, and instead of getting my own giant scoop of Graeter’s cotton candy ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone, we split a hot fudge sundae, and I ate maybe 1/3 of it total. Maybe less.

Exercise is, well, always a stumbling point for me. Finding time is hard, and finding the energy is even harder. I’ve been inspired by Karen, though, and now that the weather is nice I’m taking the girls out for long walks, and then trying to do a little weights work at home following the method that Madonna’s trainer uses. (Hey, if it works, right?) My goal for the next month is to make exercise my #1 priority.

Self-image: Earlier this month, I attended Camp Baby in NJ, and at first I was a little nervous about seeing some of the gorgeous women bloggers I know. I fretted over what to wear and how to do my hair, and for one tiny moment worried that no one would talk to me because I wasn’t worth talking to. However, I caught myself and quickly dropped the negative self-talk, and resolved to have a great time. I wasn’t going to let my self-image ruin this trip. I did talk to lots of bloggers, big and small, I dressed for comfort, and only rarely did I feel insecure.

Overall, I’d give myself a solid ‘B’ for my efforts. There are still lots of things I could improve on, but the changes I’ve made so far are working, even if they’re not producing results as fast as I might prefer. I don’t feel deprived of anything, I’m losing weight, currently at my lowest weight in four years, and I’m feeling better about myself. July is coming up quickly – I’m going to be ready for it. Maybe I’ll even wear a cute summer dress to one of the cocktail parties at BlogHer this year?

How is everyone else doing?

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