Super Size Baby

The other day I was in Target. I saw an interesting couple. Or at least what I initially perceived as a couple. A decently tall man holding hands with a very stocky "little person" woman. I didn't think much of it until I turned around and realized that stocky woman was actually a toddler! This poor little girl was so chubby it looked like it hurt for her to move, let alone breathe. I could probably swim in her clothes. I wanted to go up to the father and slap some sense into him. I truly believe that consistently overfeeding (just as underfeeding) or let's just say poorly feeding your children in general is a form of child abuse. We read so many stories in the news about kids being starved and/or malnourished in these abuse/neglect cases. But what about the people that feed their kids anything and everything?

We constantly hear about the child obesity epidemic but are these parents really doing anything about it?

The Cruelty of Randomness

What a great title, eh? Not my own I must admit. I pulled it out of this article in the New York Times magazine, The Other 0.1%. Read the article when you get a moment, it's short and sweet and pretty relatable. The author shares a story about an accident his toddler had in the back seat of their car while driving. He goes on to discuss the things you don't think will happen to you. Or maybe you're one of those people like his father, a defense lawyer, who walked around expecting those things to happen, in fear. The kid ends up being just fine, ending the article on a funny, practical note.

But what about those times they don't end up fine? Of course none of us want to think this way. And we know far too many stories that don't have happy endings.

This morning I was telling my husband about the second time I've been beeped at in a parking lot in the last week or so to hurry up as I'm putting Cub into the car. Now I am no slow poke. It's not like I'm moseying around, taking all the time in the world. I'm actually moving swiftly, already nervous that I'm holding people up. The first time this happened I ended up leaving my groceries on the sidewalk, fleeing the scene as fast as I could. This time, I was adamant about not leaving anything behind, but I was still nervous and jumpy until the nice lady behind me told me to stop worrying about the beeping guy and take my time, "he can wait." As I told the story my husband had the look on his face that said "haven't we been over this before? Safety first." And he's absolutely right. If I'm in such a hurry trying to please some impatient person, what if I forget to strap Cub in? What if I'm not watching where I'm going when I flee the scene and end up hitting someone else? And all the other "what ifs..."

Accidents do happen. We can't avoid them, but we can do everything in our power to try to avoid them. And yet, at the end of the day, we can't walk around in absolute fear either.

I remember when the DC Sniper attacks were happening. Around that time it seemed as if all hell was breaking loose across the nation. People were paralyzed with fear. They didn't even want to leave their homes. But in reality, bad things can also happen right inside our homes. So what are we to do? Stop breathing?

I guess it all boils down to that great B-word: Balance. Yes, be cautious. Yes, be wise. But, no, don't live in fear.

Besides, usually when I'm nervous about something happening I end up manifesting it! If Cub's sleeping and I'm trying my best not to wake him while putting away dishes, I end up dropping a dish as loud as can be!

What I'll take away from this NYT Magazine article is, chill out, but don't sleep (of course not literally)!

What's Your Status?

Read an interesting article from the Today Show today called, "Reasons to Unfriend Your Spouse on Facebook". My husband was actually reading it this morning while eating breakfast. He read bits and pieces out loud. I was washing the dishes and caught little tidbits here and there. Later, I decided to read the full article myself and then to present it to you guys for your thoughts.

The gist of the article discusses how in the social networking age of Facebook, Twitter, and yes, even Blogger and every other like-minded site, there's no mystery left to the imagination. Everyone just puts it all out there. From what they ate that morning to sometimes their deepest and most private convictions. Sex therapist, Ian Kerner, argues that before this tell-all age, there was actually an element of excitement to romance and getting to know people. The unknown, as scary as it could be, also ignited that giddiness that relationships thrive on. We all remember how much fun and nerve-wracking it was to wait for that special someone to call. But now with everything being instantaneous, are we heading into a life of tell-all over-kill? Complete boredom with the expected?

I must admit, I still mourn the old-fashioned love letter. When you had to wait for the mail, heart thumping as you opened up the mail box, praying that you'd find a letter in there with that special someone's handwriting. Now love letters are typed out and sent instantly. And you can reply instantly. Of course there's always the choice to wait before responding, but it's still not the same. When opening up a letter, you can feel the ink, smell the person, even kiss the paper! There's something very romantically tangible about that.

Now back to Facebook, Dr. Kerner, warns couples of allowing Facebook and these other sites to fizzle out their romance. The article also gives a few testimonials with people expressing their facebook disdain and why. One man complains he doesn't need to know when his wife goes for a second cappuccino or is feeling bloated! I can relate to the article. I've heard many friends complain that their spouse is on Facebook too often. It's very addicting. Some friends even complained their spouse was taking their computer into the bathroom with them to play on Facebook while "handling their buisness"!

I guess we must ask ourselves, where's the fine line? As the article mentions, Facebook allows for some great catching up, sharing and even serves as a temporary outlet for people. But when is it too much? Is Facebook postpoing our intimacy? Would we really rather be updating our status more than spending valuable time with our spouse and children?

Sadly, the answer is sometimes yes. And when that's true, what is it about Facebook that's so much fun and fills that void, big or small? Can we find that missing link and put it back into our marriages during those times?

When my husband comes home from work a lot of times I am a complete Chatty Cathy. I want to tell him everything that happened that day down to the minutia. I'm just so happy to see him and after spending all day talking to an infant, I'm craving adult interaction. But a lot of times the stuff I want to tell him is so trivial and pointless. It's just me unloading all of my random thoughts throughout the day. I must say, he's usually very patient and listens quite well. But I'm sure many times he'd rather put some duct tape on my mouth and turn on the game and veg out! I'm now trying to bring it down a notch. Is this something he has to know? Or does he have to know that very minute? Me not telling him something doesn't mean I'm "hiding" it or keeping secrets from him. And what I'm describing isn't "omission". Simply, prudence. It's a lot like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". After so much jibber jabber, people are going to start tuning you out and possibly miss out on the really important stuff.

So instead of updating our status moment to moment this week, maybe we should try updating our

Sex lives
Marriages
Quality time with children

and whatever else we've been neglecting in the name of social networking!

Used to Be

This afternoon I was at a park with Cub. We were enjoying ourselves, sitting under a big tree and eating some baby squash. Mmm. As I was feeding him, a mom passed by with a little boy who had to be about 1 1/2 years old and said, "Nice eater. Mine used to be." I asked her if he's still a good eater and she sighed in defeat and said, "Nope. Now he won't eat anything." Then walked off.

There was another mom with her daughter eating on the next bench over. Her daughter was about two years old. The mom pointed over at Cub to her daughter and said, "See, look at the cute baby eating. He's a good eater. Now you eat your food." The daughter glanced over at Cub and could care less whether he was eating or not. The mother came over and joined us on our bench. We started talking. She continued to try to encourage her daughter to eat like the nice baby. Most of what the mother had to say was how her daughter used to be this way, but now is this way. She used to be very pleasant but now throws terrible tantrums. She used to like this, but now she doesn't. The poor mother was discouraged and exhausted. What happened to her "used to be" daughter?

Recently a few friends expressed similar frustrations. One of them described how she felt apologetic about her baby's behavior at a recent event. She felt the need to explain to everybody, "she's not usually like this." She was so embarrassed by her baby's crankiness. Worried that people would associate it with her parenting. After the event she thought about her reaction and felt silly. She didn't know why she felt so compelled to explain away her daughter or be apologetic. She's a baby. Babies have off days too. And many times they're just trying to keep up with their own changing bodies and minds.

One bit of advice I got over and over again when I was pregnant and when Cub was a newborn is babies change... often, be flexible. Just when you get used to one thing, they switch it up on you.

I'm not a baby expert nor am I a psychologist so I don't know how we're supposed to navigate through these changes. But I do know they will happen. All I can do is to try to embrace the many different changes and to try to laugh through them along the way.

Truth be told, thank God babies and people change! How boring would we all be if we remained the same all of our lives?!

The Soundtrack of Your Mind

What's the soundtrack of your mind? Does it sound anything like this:
"Did I pack enough diapers?" "Is it getting close to nap time?" "Did I check on the babysitter?" "What am I cooking for dinner?" "Did I register for preschool yet?" "What about that pile of laundry?"

If you're anything like me, we're listening to that same static station. And it ain't cute!

This morning I kicked myself out of bed while my husband was putting Cub down for his first early morning nap. It was about 7 AM. I put on my running shoes not sure if I was going to run or walk but knew some fresh air would do me some good. As I began walking, I started to pray. I used to go on daily morning prayer walks and they were great. Just me, God and the early morning... and of course a few dog walkers here and there!

As I walked today, my prayer sounded like this: "Lord, do this. Lord, why can't so and so do that? Lord, why do we have to xyz? Lord, I'm so tired of blank, Lord, Lord, Lord..." Yuck, yuck, yuck! Capital NEGATIVE! When I started listening to myself, I thought, why would God want to hear that? I don't even want to hear it. So I manually shifted gears and started to praise God. Sure, it felt forced at first. But before long, that forced praise subsided and I eased into a natural grateful state. A blanket of peace settled over me and I could literally taste and smell the peace. As my mind quieted down, I was able to enjoy the moment. The sun was starting to rise, the birds were beginning to chirp, a light mist was falling. Beautiful.

Then a scripture came to mind that I had "accidentally" stumbled across in bed this morning while looking for something else:

Thou wilt keep him [her] in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

Awe, so that's what that was about! It made perfect sense now. No accident afterall!

There will always be something for us to worry about, stress over, roll our eyes at, etc. There's no shortage of stressors. But what I was reminded of today was why not take some time out to enjoy the moment? Or several of them! Why not remember how blessed we are, the wonderful GIFT of this motherhood, the breath we breathe, the fact that we can see and read this post! There may be a lot we can grumble about, but there are far more things we can be thankful for!

So today amidst everything I have to do, I'm adding one more thing to my To-Do list: Be.

Long Division

Being a bi-racial woman, I've experienced my share of division. Not from others necessarily imposing it on me. Often times it's been my own struggle to find balance. Trying to find a place where I fit in.

Division is no new issue among women in general. Heck, even mankind. But as women, we often experience or play into it more with our cattiness, insecurities and hormones!

Since I've become a mom, I've been around more mommy circles and have listened to some of the common struggles and divisions a lot of moms face. The most common one is the "working mom" vs. "stay at home mom". The working mom may feel guilty for going back to work and leaving her child in the hands of someone else. Guilty about missing milestones or the baby possibly bonding more with a stranger or another family member or friend. I wrote a term paper in college about working moms and nannies. Most of the mom's interviewed expressed being heart-broken when their child cried as the nanny left for the night. On the flip side, I've listened to stay at home moms express guilt about not working. Fearing the perception of being unfulfilled or not living up to their career potential. Since I've been at home with Cub I've heard constantly "are you going back to work?" Or a condescending, "Oh, you're staying at home with the baby. How sweet." It used to really bother me. But now I just let it roll off my back.

There's a true internal struggle we all face at times on whichever side we stand. Sometimes the two sides are even at "polite" war. You can sense it at the birthday parties. The working moms on one side, the stay at homes on the other!

Earlier today I witnessed another division. I was at the park with Cub. I often go to a small neighborhood park that is frequented mostly by nannies. The first few times I went I felt the awkwardness. The nannies were all sitting together, some speaking other languages, playing with the familiar children. I would enter in feeling extremely self-conscious. Like I had trespassed into a private party. Some of them would toss me reassuring smiles, the others nothing. So I'd sit on the edge of the park with Cub watching the other children play with their nannies, wishing a mom would hurry up and come. Finally after Cub started getting bored staring at me, I'd begin to inch my way over to the nannies and ask "do you mind if we join you?" Before long, I became friendly with these nannies. Now when I go to the park we all smile and greet one another like old friends. But as I sat in the comfort of my nanny circle today, I saw another lonely mother on the outskirts. She made eye contact with me and I smiled. I could tell she wanted to interact but was too shy or maybe felt uncomfortable being seen with "the nannies". Before I had the opportunity to go to her, she packed up and headed out. Next time I'll make sure to welcome her sooner.

Comfort of Love

Early mornings are probably one of my favorite times with Cub. It's when he's still in that yummy sleepy state. His face is all mushy from a good night's sleep. He has that cute little half smile and starts to babble in a soft, raspy tone. The sun is also starting to peak through our blinds casting a nice soft glow around the room. And it's just the three of us -- mommy on one side, daddy on the other and Cub in the middle. (He doesn't sleep in our bed, but we always bring him in to feed in the morning and start the day off with some cuddling!)

This morning I was enjoying watching Cub roll from one side to the other, touching parts of my face then rolling over and touching daddy's. He was so content being right there in the middle, surrounded by the comfort of both parents. It was a moment oozing with love.

As I watched him in a perfect state of bliss, I wanted the moment to last forever. For me, but more for him. It was one of those mommy moments that makes you wish your child will never experience hurt, heartache, sadness, or any other unpleasant experience. Then I looked over at my husband equally enjoying the moment and it felt so right.

This got me thinking about an article I read recently about arguing in front of your kids. The article was from a psychology website and said children who become very distressed when their parents argue are at the risk of developing a wide range of psychological issues down the road. It also said that these children have higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in their little bodies. Yikes.

Sure it happens to the best of us, disagreements are natural and at times healthy. But all of the articles I've read stress (no pun intended) the need to argue "fair" and smart. Arguing can actually be beneficial for children to witness IF it displays respect, problem-solving and conflict resolution. They don't have to live in a Stepford's wives bubble!

But in that sacred moment this morning I vowed to myself that I want to keep this little boy surrounded by as much love as I can. Starting with the love he witnesses between his parents.

Take a look at two articles I've included below. I'd love to hear your thoughts...

The Dangers of Arguing in Front of Your Kids | Parenting | Disney Family.com

Shared via AddThis

Arguing In Front of the Children.

When Moms Are Gatekeepers

Every mom has experienced it at one point or another. That rolling frustration maybe even resentment toward their husband or the father of their child as they go off to work, play golf, hang with the fellas', or come home too exhausted to help with the kids after a long day at work. As if our days haven't been long too, right?

But what about all those times when the father IS involved? When he's more than willing to help out and is even proactive in doing so. Are we able to let go and let him? Your first response may be "heck, yeah!" However, many times when it really comes down to letting go and allowing someone else to help us, we're reluctant to accept the help or only as long as it's done our way. A lot of this is purely instinctual. But if we're honest with ourselves, most of it is just us being control freaks!

When Cub was first born I just knew that I was the only person that could soothe him... at least the right way. I was a nervous wreck whenever someone else was holding him and he was crying. I was certain they wouldn't be able to soothe him. I was positive he needed mommy 24-7! I felt like a small caged animal when someone has taken away their young -- hovering around, frantic, and at times right out vicious! And there are still times I feel that same way. I want to run inside a phone booth, spin around, and come out with my super mommy cape ready to save the day! But can I really save the day? What if I'm wrong? What if what I try doesn't work? It's okay, right? Because at least it was me trying it. But if someone else is wrong? Uh oh.

If I added up all the times I have gridded my teeth at my husband parenting for no other reason than it was different than what I would have done, I'd be a rich woman. And quite frankly, my husband usually has a much sounder, peaceful way with the baby. He's an excellent father. He's also had more first-hand experience with babies. Before Cub, I had never dealt with a newborn. Thankfully he had, and was able to help me get the hang of it. So it's interesting that I would assume my ways are better simply because I wear the "mom" title.

For those of us that stay at home with the little ones we have all day to make mistakes and get second chances. We get to parent with a trial and error approach. When our husbands or others come around, we seem brilliant! Natural experts! But it may have taken us one or two times at least during the day to get it right. So why is it when someone else makes a mistake (or tries a different approach) with the kids we're so quick to jump all over them? Where's the grace?

As I mentioned earlier, I never wanted Cub to cry. I'd do anything to prevent it. But now, as I'm easing up a little with experience, I know he's going to be okay. He won't have life-long psychological issues from crying a moment or two! But he may have those issues if I smother him or stifle everything and everyone who has a different approach with him.

Read this article, When Moms Are Gatekeepers. It may sound like your home. I know I caught a glimpse of myself in there a few times!

Man Poop!

We hit a few different milestones today...

The most important one was when I discovered a small little bulging tooth pushing through my Cub's bottom gum! It took me by complete surprise! Just last week we were at his 6 month check-up and the doctor said she saw no signs of any teeth popping up and it probably would happen more around the 7 month mark. So while changing his diaper today and catching a quick glimpse of a pearly white, I couldn't help but tear up! You know you're a first time mom when every little milestone makes you teary-eyed (except for the one I'll be dishing about next ). We're quite blessed with this new addition since it hasn't seemed to cause him any mood or behavioral changes other than his usual drooling and possibly a runny nose which we thought was just a little bug coming on. Guess mommy will have to be extra careful now while nursing! Ouch!

Ok, so here's what I really set out to blog about in this post (those with weak stomachs may not want to continue reading)...

This morning I had a peak into my future. I opened up my little Cub's diaper to discover a MAN POOP! (This was a different diaper than the one during the tooth discovery.) Now I've seen all sorts of poop since Cub's been around. And as you know, mommies can get quite obsessed with poop -- it's a very "colorful" topic, if you will. We check the consistency, the color, the shape and everything else. I am definitely one to examine a poopy diaper if anything's different. I must confess, I've actually asked my husband to save a dirty diaper if I'm not around if there's something a little different about it. Gross, I know. But it's true.

So back to this morning, Cubby has been eating solids for a few weeks now. Naturally the poop changes whenever introduced to a new substance, be it formula or solids. I watched it change first when we started supplementing formula. That runny seedy breast-milk poop started turning into a greenish earthy clay poop. Much harder to clean up! Now that he's eating more solids, the poop is getting, uh, more solid too. This morning was a big one. Cubby's had his share of "big" mess, but this one reminded me that I have a BOY. Suddenly, I imagined what life could be like in the years to come when I'll have to share my bathroom with a full-fledged teenage boy! More air freshner, please. Have I turned you off completely? I'm just keeping it real!

I could write a book full of poop stories with Cub. But I'll spare you... all of them. There's an SNL skit called "Macgruber" -- I used to call Cubby "MacShooter" or "MacTooter" in the Macgruber tune. Does that say enough?

One of the funniest poop stories was when my sister and her girlfriends came over for a visit before going out to a party. Now all of these women are beautiful, single women. They were dressed to the nines and ready for a fun night out in the town. One of the ladies had never met Cub before. She asked to hold him and they were having a great time. Then I saw it coming. The stop and stare look. Cub gets a glazed look right before the BM. I quickly swept him off of her lap in fear of a "MacShooter" poop. He had on little shorts and I would hate for it to leak through. Once on me, Cub continued, puffing out his cheeks, face turning candy apple red, and I thought we were in the clear. Until the friend looked down at her lap and saw a nice warm, you know what! Yes, a perfect pile of mess right there on her cute outfit. She screamed! Luckily, she didn't live too far and was able to run home and change. The funny thing is, in that moment I forgot to assist her or give her anything to clean herself up, instead I hurried Cub over to his changing table and swapped diapers, leaving the poor girl sitting with a pile of poop in her lap! He definitely made a lasting impression on her that day!

Any other great poop stories out there? Call it crude, vulgar or just plain disgusting but these stories really do bring us together! And again, as the book says...

Sleep Guilt

We've all witnessed the overstimulated, overly tired, inconsolable baby. The nervous mom and/or dad frantically bouncing, shhing, rocking the baby. The baby continuing to scream -- "get out of my face and let me sleep!" But the parents continue to offer the child anything and everything to get them to quiet down. I've been there before.

As parents, especially new parents, we want to do our best to love, entertain and teach our babies in every way we can. We make the silly faces, narrate everything we do, sing fun songs, you name it. And most of the time, the babies love it! They gobble it all up. But what happens when we cross over the line into the "too much" territory. Uh oh. Danger! Danger!

This often times happens in the sleep realm too. We feel guilty putting our little ones to bed too early or too soon. They look tired, but they're not quite fussing yet. They're not showing ALL the sleep signs, maybe one or two. They can probably go a few more rounds, right? No need to rush them off to the lonely crib yet. Let them stay and play with the family just a little longer... uh oh!

As we began to read up on all of the sleep tricks and tips, most of them instructed us to have a solid, consistent routine and to get the baby to bed EARLY! We started working out our routine and trying out the 7 PM bedtime, the supposed "magic sleep hour" for infants and small children. But every time that 7 PM time crept up on us, I felt so guilty. It's still light outside! Other children are still playing out in the streets and with their families. Am I depriving my little guy from the fun these children are having? Then I started hearing it from the good 'ole family and friends -- "you're putting him to bed too early, that's why he's not sleeping through the night yet." Or "7 PM?! I've never heard of putting a baby down that early." I'm sure there may have even been a very slight resentment or saltiness as we had to rush our little guy home away from the fun to make it home for this early bedtime. Nevertheless, we stuck to it. And started to see results. As the late afternoon and early evenings began to settle in, Cub would naturally start to wind down and demonstrate sleep signs. His body was biologically and habitually trained to go to bed around 7 PM.

This early bed time also offered my husband and me much needed quality time together. With my husband working all day and the baby soundly asleep by 7 PMish, we had a few hours just to ourselves to share our days, eat dinner and brag about all the wonderful things our baby had started to do developmentally with each other! Thankfully, because my husband is able to get home around 5:30/6 PM, he still had a good hour of special time with the baby to do the bath ritual and storytime.

Yet even with this added quality time, I felt guilty. Am I sure this isn't too early? What if my relatives are right? Maybe I should put him down later?? Maybe I AM depriving him!

Then we started sleep training. I had dreaded this moment. I happen to be one that has an extremely difficult time hearing babies cry. Especially my own! It goes against every instinct in my body! I want to run to them and save the day! But after so much bouncing and rocking, I was desperate. I just couldn't tip toe my sleeping baby over to the crib anymore only to have him jump out of sleep the moment I softly laid him down. I was BEYOND exhausted. So we read up on a few of the different strategies and blended them into our own. Naturally the first few times was PAINFUL. However, not as painful as I expected. And only a few short times later, our Cub was sleeping soundly -- on his own!! If you want more info on sleep training, here's a great site: sleepyplanet.com.

So flash-forward, our guy is now sleeping great. So why the lingering guilt? He's waking up more rested and happy. He's more alert and focused! Is it because I'm trying to place my own feelings on him? Maybe my own attachment struggles? Maybe it's ME that wants to stay up with him and cuddle. Maybe I am the one that doesn't want to put him into that dark, "lonely" room (as I perceive it, not him!). But feelings aside, I know I'm giving him what he needs -- the GIFT of sleep!

Last night Cub was tired quite early. He didn't nap much on his last nap and started winding down around 5:30 PM. He was quickly moving into the sleep zone and I was getting a little nervous about it being too early. Could he really sleep through the night going to bed so early? We ended up getting him into the crib by 6:15 PM, much earlier than usual. By 6:30 PM, he was silent and knocked out. I sat in the living room staring at the clock again feeling guilty about putting him down so early but resigned my feelings. Around 9:45 PM, I heard a baby crying. The poor guy was hysterical. I knew that cry well. It was the "Put me to sleep NOW!" cry. The baby sounded angry and frustrated. If I could translate his sobs it would be, "why am I still awake?! Why don't you have me in bed!" My heart dropped. I felt so sorry for the little overly tired baby wailing. Then I listened to the SILENCE on my baby monitor as my little guy slept away... I smiled. Cub slept straight through the night and woke up with the biggest smile on his face. He was soooo well rested!

Right now as I sit here and type, Cub's on nap #1 of the day, peacefully sleeping, while that same baby is fussing away, tired and cranky.

I've learned my lesson. I have a much happier baby now.

Pocket Coach

Mamas, if you had your own personal "baby" coach, someone you could pull out of your back pocket in a moment of desperation to show you how it's "really" done, who would that be and how would they help you?

With,
Nursing?
Soothing?
Understanding your baby?
Sex after a baby?
Sleep training?
Preparing to go back to work?
Finding a Nanny/Day Care?
Getting a schedule?
Feeding habits?

I don't know about you, but there have been plenty of moments where I was by myself with this little cute bundle of joy (or bundle of hysterics!), and had NO idea what to do? I've read many of the books, watched the painfully boring how-to videos, but wished I could just be a fly on the wall at someone else's home to see how they do it. Or have one of these so-called "experts" in my home during a meltdown or moment of need.

I've been a victim of the subtle bragger parent, you know the ones that drop hints about how EASY their baby is, how he's been sleeping through the night since the hospital, always smiles, never fusses, yada yada...

Now I must say, I do have a very sweet and easy baby, but he's also a NORMAL baby -- a baby with his own personality, needs and wants. A baby just like us that gets frustrated when those needs and wants are not met, who is cranky when he's tired, fussy when he's hungry.

So how do these so-called perfect parents or experts do it? Are they lying? Is it all in "theory"?

Wouldn't it be nice to see how REAL parents do it?

Let's put a pause on all of the parenting philosophies, intellectual discussions, textbook stuff, and SHOW ME how it's done! How do YOU parent in the thick of it? When you're in zombie autopilot mode? When you actually have no idea what to do?

If I could send someone over to your house right now to help you with a specific parenting or baby issue, what would it be?

Talk to me...

What Do You Really Want?

Ok, mamas, there's hundreds upon hundreds of mommy blog sites, baby websites, online communities, pretty much every resource imaginable out there just for you! So how do you find which one is best for you?

What are you looking for? Are you a highly social mama, hopping all over the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter? Are you a more down to business mama going directly to the sites that direct you to the best private schools, nannies, etc.? Or are you a new mommy, unsure of where you fit in, just trying to figure this whole mommy thing out?

What SPEAKS to you?

What DRIVES you?

What INSPIRES you?

What KEEPS you?

Talk to me...