How Today Is Going (So Far)

1. Waking up at 5:30 am so you can be on TV at 7:45am is tough. Especially when I barely slept all night, because I was going to be on TV at 7:45am.

2. It was right about here that my stomach decided to climb up and lodge itself in my throat:

Yes, that’s the entrance.

3. I now understand the difference between my husband with his BFA in Acting, and me with my BA in History. One of us has stage presence – the other likes to read dusty old books and learn about dead people, which does nothing to provide any ability to speak on camera.

4. TV studios are far smaller than you’d think they are. And the people working there are amazing. They’re very nice, and so able to change what they’re doing in a moment’s notice if needed. I could never do their job.

5. Remember David Archuletta on American Idol and the criticism that he closes his eyes too much on camera? Yeah, well, apparently I look at the ground a lot. It’s a good thing I was just on local TV, and not national, like other better-spoken bloggers.

Local TV also has no fancy green room with exotic foods. Still, it worked
fine for practicing deep breathing before going on.

6. I’m glad I was given the chance to promote Being Savvy Columbus with 3 of my 15 minutes of fame.

7. I think people in Columbus now think I make a lot of money from blogging. Ahem… HAHAHAHAHA!!!

8. Hot afternoon days make for fun, wet backyard activities.

She’s up…

…and she’s down.

9. Later this afternoon, I subjected myself to having 6 suspicious moles removed. It’s probably nothing, but considering I spent most childhood summers looking like I was trying to be the mascot for Red Lobster, skin cancer is always a worry for me.

10. In the doctor’s office, I had a conversation with my doctor that proves that the internet, web content and blogging are topics that can connect us all. (Hi, Dr. H! Welcome to my blog!)

11. Now that I think about it, it’s a good thing I did the live TV interview first and then have six small circles of skin removed from my body, rather than the other way around.

12. I’m nearly positive my youngest daughter is British. She’s been saying hello for several weeks now, except that her version of “hello” is more like “al’lo!” or “el’lo!” Today, as my mom was leaving, she tried to get Mira to say bye-bye, and instead Mira gave her a proper British-sounding “ta-ta!” Next word to teach her: “gov’ner”.

13. Happy birthday, Aaron!

14. I passed all of my nursing school classes this quarter!

15. I just realized that scheduling a TV interview and dermatology surgery on my husband’s birthday probably makes me a bad wife. Especially since I haven’t even signed the card I bought him yet. Of course, I did buy him a card and gift, so that has to count for something, right?

I really didn’t need all of the excitement for the week to happen in just one day.



She’s Got Good Taste In Music

“Mommy, play the We Will song!”

“What song, Cordy?”

(singing) “We will, we will, ROCK YOU!

“Ah.”

It’s never too early to start them on classic Queen, right? Now if I can just teach her to sing Bohemian Rhapsody.

***************

Speaking of classics…remember Fruit Roll-Ups? They’ve evolved over the years, and now you can create your own customized designs. Want to win some? Check out my review – I’m giving away a box of your own custom designed Fruit Roll-Ups!



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

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!



Breakdown in the Children’s Clothing Aisle

A couple of weeks ago, I bought two pairs of shorts and a couple of t-shirts for Cordy at Target. (Side note: I cannot profess my love of Target enough. I only wish I could walk into that store without walking out at least $50 poorer.) After washing them, the new clothes were placed into her dresser, ready to be worn.

So last week when I pulled out a new t-shirt and shorts, I wasn’t prepared for what happened. I put Cordy’s shorts on, pulled them up to her hips, and they stopped. Tugged a little, got another inch higher. Tugged some more – another inch. A little more tugging and jiggling and telling her to suck in her stomach because it’s good practice for the body image crisis you’re sure to have as a pre-teen, and they finally reached her waist.

The shirt took less effort to put on. But something was still wrong. Instead of a 1-2″ overlap of t-shirt and shorts, there was a gap. I pulled down on the shirt, managing to stretch it enough so it just met the waistband of her shorts. Being a truly lazy parent rushed for time, I let her go to school like this, even though I’m sure it was tough to sit down with shorts that tight.

Later, I tried the other pair of shorts, and they were the same. Here’s the thing, though: I thought I was buying big when I bought them all in 5T. Apparently my 3-year-old is too big for 5T now. See, when you raise Amazons, they tend to grow out of the little sizes faster than they should.

Returning to Target this weekend, I found myself browsing the toddler clothing again. (Can’t help it – I’m just drawn there every time.) I picked up a pair of shorts and nearly put them in the cart when I remembered that 5T is too small now. However, she still needed summer clothing.

My little girl is growing up, I told myself. Times are a-changin’, and I guess I need to change with them. She needs clothes from the big girls section now.

I glanced across the aisle. Large pictures of older girls, in flashy accessories, hats, and stylish shoes smiled and laughed at me. Wait, are they wearing make-up? I felt woozy.

Pushing the cart ever-so-slowly into this new terrain, I examined each new fitted t-shirt, spaghetti-strap tank, and pair of short-shorts and had an overwhelming urge to run away. After all, my little girl is too young for this:
And you have got to be kidding me, no freakin’ way this:


And oh god, kill me now! anything but this:


All were available in her size.

So what did I buy? Nothing. Oh sure, there were some more simple pieces that covered body parts well, but the thought of dressing her in big girl clothes made my eyes tear up and my chest feel tight. I ran away, reminding myself that Gymboree might cost an arm and a leg, but at least the Gymboree 5T sizes still fit her and look like clothing for preschoolers, and hey, I’ve got an extra arm and leg each, right?

She may look physically older than her actual age, but I’m not ready to complete the look with more grown-up clothing. It’s not like she wants any of this clothing, anyway. She has practically no interest in clothing, and wears whatever I put her in without a second glance. The only time she has any opinion is when she spots her Little Einsteins t-shirt and asks to wear it. Otherwise I could dress her in a burlap sack and she wouldn’t care.

Cordy may be big enough for the big girl clothes now, but clearly mommy can’t handle it yet. You can call me irrational – I won’t deny it. I’m not quite ready to let go of clothing cut for a toddler body in favor of clothing cut to make a girl look closer to puberty than infancy.

And at the same time, as I write this, I wonder to myself: when did I become such a prude?



Haiku Friday: The Opposite Sex

Watch them as they bounce
Not just good food at Hooters
Pass me one more beer

Today is our first themed haiku day! I know, we should have given you more notice, and we will in the future. But when Jennifer found out about Neil’s plan for this Friday to be “Write Like the Opposite Sex Day,” we both agreed it was perfect. If you want to join in, please do, but don’t feel like you have to. We’re still happy to read haiku about any topic.

I realize my haiku today is the epitome of stereotype. You can blame my husband – I asked him what a guy would write a haiku about, and this is what he gave me. And just think – he’s an artsy-type of guy. Imagine what your average NASCAR-dad would suggest!

(Still want to see something girly? Pop over to Mommy’s Must Haves to see my review of tiny*prints invitations!)

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!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...