Motherhood and More (motherhood)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Motherhood and More, by Annie

WEB ADDRESS: www.motherhoodandmore.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: I'm Annie, a Baha'i homeschooling mom of three who writes about the daily delights, doldrums, and disasters of motherhood. And life. And chocolate.

MY REVIEW: I think mothers will enjoy this blog (and dads too, for that matter!) as the author has a wonderful perspective on the whole subject. She writes with warmth and humor about all kinds of parenting topics, that all mothers will recognize!

Give it a try.

(I had to look up Baha'i, I admit: The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.)

Sample post

Here's to the Moms I Know . . .
I was thinking today about the deep pool of amazing moms in my life. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by how they've overcome backgrounds, circumstances, and difficulties that I can't even fathom. And sometimes I'm just awed and humbled by the love and effort they put into their parenting. I have learned important lessons from the moms I know, and I'd like to recognize them.

So moms, I honor you with a virtual toast . . .

Here's to the moms I know who decorate their homes to the hilt on every holiday, even the minor ones. From you I have learned the art of making special times truly special.

Here's to the moms I know who read piles of parenting, child development, and education books, trying to be the best moms they can be. From you I have learned that motherhood is a perpetual learning process, and that there are no experts.

Here's to the moms I know who found themselves pregnant when they didn't plan to be, and who have embraced motherhood with humor and gusto. From you I have learned to go with the flow of life.

Here's to the moms I know who have struggled with infertility, who have wondered if their dreams of motherhood were really meant to be. From you I have gained a greater appreciation of the miracle each child truly is.

Here's to the moms I know who have welcomed children into their families through adoption. From you I have learned firsthand that family is not defined by bloodlines.

Here's to the moms I know with girls, who carry the weighty responsibility of being their daughter's first role model. From you I have learned the importance of following my own dreams and showing my girls what is possible.

Here's to the moms I know with boys, who adore their sons and strive to nurture that funky blend of masculine energy and sweet sensitivity. From you I have learned to appreciate the gender differences I don't fully understand.

Here's to the moms I know who have broken cycles of abuse, addiction, and dysfunction from their own childhoods with beautiful examples of mindful parenting. From you I have learned to be conscious of every interaction with my children.

Here's to the moms I know who are parenting on their own, who don't have someone to share the load. From you I have learned that women are capable of amazing feats, and not to take help for granted.

Here's to the moms I know who have lost their precious babies, who have had to endure the grief most of us won't even let ourselves imagine. From you I have learned strength and faith in the face of suffering.

Here's to the mom I know who chooses to wake up at 4:00am every day to go to work, so she can be home in time to meet her kids at the bus stop after school. From you I have learned the value of sacrificing my own comforts for my kids.

Here's to the mom I know who is a recovering alcoholic, who begins each morning with prayerful conviction and ends each day calling herself to account. From you I have learned to take life - and motherhood - one day at a time.

Here's to the mom I know who has twice as many kids as I do, and yet takes the time to cradle her child's face in her hands and smile when he asks her a question. From you I have learned the value of giving kids your full, loving attention.

Here's to the mom I know whose husband took his own life while she and her kids were home with him, and who has carried on by pouring her heart and soul into her children and her faith. From you I have learned that nothing in life is guaranteed, and that "with God, all things are possible."

Here's to the woman I know who is not, and probably never will be, a mom in the literal sense, but who sees all the world's children as her own and strives each day to help them realize their beauty, creativity, and worth. From you I have learned that moms don't have a monopoly on changing children's lives.

Finally, here's to the moms and women I know who love, teach, nurture, worry, agonize, relish, laugh, cry, yell, apologize, wonder, ache, dream, counsel, encourage, pray, play, and otherwise experience the adventure and privilege of life with children. From you I have learned that motherhood is both an individual and communal undertaking, and I am grateful for your examples, inspiration, and support.

Blessings to each and every one of you. :)

RECENT POSTS:
--Attack of the Killer Strawberry
--Here's to the Moms I Know . . .
--Death Warmed Over
--"Me Time" for Mommy
--Book Club Slacker
--Snotty Little Kids
--How to Build a Geodesic Dome in 20 Not-So-Easy Ste...
--BoyWonder Discovers a New Sport
--Einstein = Mighty Cute (Squared)
--Twitterpated
--20 Things I Hate About Everything
--P-Diddles, My MomFriend
--Fasting and "The Hunger Games"

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

The Jet Set (lifestyle and culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Jet Set, by Carina

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.jetsetcarina.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Self-effacing, filled with experiments, soapbox issues, rants, the Truth about Motherhood, and the insane exploits of a professional writer, design freak, crunchy mom, EBF, reluctant sleeper, show watcher, Spanish, and reveler in pretension.

MY REVIEW: This is a pretty interesting blog. Well written, on a variety of topics, including motherhood.If you want to learn how to mix drinks, this is the blog for you. ; )

Sample post:
[Several photos in post not reproduce]

EVO Conference Day Two: Wherein I Confess To The Fuzz

There was no revenge. I didn’t have it in me. I’m all talk.

When Jyl first described the keynote topic for Friday morning as social med

ia for causes I was indifferent. How foolish was I? Extremely. The Utah Make-a-Wish foundation addressed us, covering how social media and the Internet has changed the way the entire Make-a-Wish organization functions. In case you were unaware, Make-a-Wish helps sick children fulfill a personal Wish. You might think Wishes are all trips to Disneyland, and you’d be wrong. One kid wanted a corral in his backyard. One girl worked with a veterinarian for a day. Another boy got to “save” Seattle as a superhero--with hundreds of volunteers and a call from Spider-man. Wishes that used to take months to fulfill can now, with the help of social media and the Internet in general, be accomplished in days (Prince doesn’t know what the crap he’s talking about.)

The description of Wish-granting and how it changed the lives of these children left me in ruins. I wasn’t alone; there was not a dry eye in the house. People were sobbing in their seats. I got up and left the ballroom, found a bowl of napkins left from breakfast, and returned with a stack to hand out; it was brutal and incredible at the same time. The last half of the keynote was the Williams family, who brought their little girl Eliza, and talked about the difference the Make-a-Wish foundation made in their lives when her Wish of a Birthday Party was granted. Unreal. You couldn’t have kept it together either. Afterward, we went into a working session with the Utah Make-a-Wish where we came up with ideas of how they could improve their online presence and increase donations. That was really great, actually, hive mind wins.

That afternoon I attended the food blogging class. Allison has been begging me to start a food blog and I’ve been countering that I really do not have the time. The workshop did not help my cause because I had a ridiculously fun time. My roommate Helen did a marvelous job with her presentation. I spent an hour in the kitchen with Chef Clement learning how to cure and smoke a salmon.

Under his instruction we made grilled flatbread with creme fraiche, cured salmon, garnished with eggs, scallion, and caviar. Insanely delicious. I made Stephmodo take a bite and it accidentally spilled on her. I felt bad about that. Or did I like it? You decide (sorry Stephanie.)

Later that night a few of us went for a cruise in the MKT that Lincoln lent Jane for the trip. I called shotgun because a new fancy car like that would certainly have an iPod jack, leaving me in control of the music. And did I ever control! I spun that wheel! Hip-hop, gangsta rap, Def Leppard, Justin Bieber, there was no limit to the selection! (Bieber was Kami’s selection.) At the end of Park City, we noticed a cop tailing us. After about a mile his lights went on and pulled us over. There was a rapid scramble to turn off the Tupac.

“Out having fun ladies?” he asked, flashing his light into the cabin. “I noticed you were hugging the white line.”

“Yes,” said a chorus of voices.

“Well, I don’t smell anything,” he said.

“We’re Mormons!” someone said.

“We don’t get out much!” said Allison,

“And this is water!” I contributed, raising the plastic cup with its pathetic condensation.

Immediately Marie asked if she could take his picture for Twitter. The officer shut down, completely refusing, and asked for Jane’s license and registration. We nervously waited for his return.

“Did you know that you have a warrant out for your arrest?” He asked. “Have you done anything you want to tell me about?”

“I got a speeding ticket two days ago,” Jane responded, her eyes widening in panic, “I thought I had more time to pay it!”

“I’m just messing with you,” he said, and waved us off with a wink and a smile.

RECENT POSTS:
--Mocktail: The Fresh Virgin Bloody May
--Date My Friend: Tiffany Edition
--Alligators and Meatballs
--Untipsy Tuesday: Brazilian Leomade
--Seashell Mermaid Cake

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Ms. Cairo writes several blogs including:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Topical Murder and Dated Death

Motherhood Uncensored

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK:
Motherhood Uncensored

WEB ADDRESS: http://motherhooduncensored.typepad.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A frank, humorous look at motherhood, authored by Kristen Chase, a Yankee transplant, military wife, and mom of three kids living in the Deep South.

MY REVIEW: This blog is not quite what the description says, but is still a good blog.

The blogger is a mother dealing with life, as we all must do, and giving her take on it. And, it is a humorous, realistic look at the world as it goes by. The posts I read were a hit and miss on different subjects with no theme (and I prefer a blog to have a unifying themse!) She just comments on something in the news, or something a child did, etc. bringing with it humor and a woman's perspective. And most importantly, she posts regularly and frequently!

She has been blogging for years so the blog has some depth to it, which is refreshing. The number of comments and followers is impressive - that speaks volumes in itself. I imagine there are some themes and characters she writes about and one gets to know her family.

I recommend this well done blog. It is nice to see a dedicated blogger who wants to do something other than rant.

RECENT POSTS:
--Hey Jillian Michaels: rescue yourself
--My little runaway
--Cheerleader nation
--The father, the girl, and the snack
--Chicago

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Ann Currie writes two blogs of her own:My Life a Bit South of Normal Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

The Prissy Mom Chronicles (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION:Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK:The Prissy Mom Chronicles

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.prissymommy.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Wife and mom of one dishes about her adventures (and misadventures) raising a boisterous baby boy in The Big Apple, while also juggling household, career, and maintaining her identity as self-proclaimed priss-pot!

MY REVIEW: Yes, it's an "I'm gonna survive motherhood and come out with my identify intact - if it kills me" blog. But a well-done one. This mother of a delightful not-yet 2-year-old toddler who is expecting her second son does a great job chronicling life around her household. The blog is full of pictures and video clips - fair warning to Kindle subscribers. The text is good and entertaining but there are a lot of pictures (and hey, he's cute - I'd have pictures too.)

You can follow along as she goes through the pain and joy of raising a boy and trying to maintain yourself while doing so. She manages to show us the real side of a toddler without the gory details that some mothers find amusing or funny. There is enough fodder to write about with a toddler, trust me. One does not have to stoop to descriptions of bowel movements and she doesn't. She has a supportive husband. On her profile, she says she is "A psychologist by day and a blogger by night." The blog has a feature called "Wordless Wednesday" which just features photos. She posts 2 or 3 times a week, but she is consistent. Her entries are amusing and wide ranging (as is her life.)

It will interesting to follow along and watch as the family grows from 3 to 4. Then she will have her hands full. Hopefully, she will still find time to write about it. I recommend the blog.

Sample post:

Sticking to Your Values as a New Mom
I was recently talking to a friend, another psychologist who has a child (a year older than Chase) at the same daycare, and we were discussing how important balanced sleep is for children. She stated vehemently that she protects Maya's sleep at all costs - and I told her that I do the same. The conversation began because I was trying to figure out how to finagle leaving work early to spend time with out-of-town family visiting, which would entail picking Chase up from school around his naptime (the kids go down from 12 pm -3 pm). I wasn't sure whether I should pick him up before, during, or afterward - but my main priority was making sure he got all the sleep that his little body needed. My co-worker/girlfriend was on the very same page - and ended up giving me some really great advice that proved effective. It felt good to have my concerns validated.

Because of how strongly I feel about this I found it best to establish a routine for my baby early. I've had a sleepy-time routine for Chase that, with my mom's help, we established within the first couple weeks he was born. This is the best thing we could have done. His bedtime routine consists of me taking him into the back at 6:30 pm, closing the door, dim lighting, changing him into pj's, quiet voices used, feeding, then story-time/quiet talk. He's in bed by 7:00 pm, and asleep shortly thereafter. His days at school are active and fun-filled, and his little body is physically and mentally drained by the end of the day. These days, Chase even tells us "Night-night" when its close to his bedtime and he's feeling sleepy, and will add emphasis by laying down on the floor with his blankie or walking himself to the back. He sleeps well and generally doesn't awaken until 6:30 the next morning, when we all get up to prepare for work/school.

Obviously there are the instances when exceptions have to be made, like while on vacation or when we travel and get home later than usual. But I think sticking as closely to the routine as possible is important - for him more so than us. Babies appreciate the consistency and familiarity of knowing exactly what is going to happen. It's what makes them feel safe, secure, and comfortable. I know enforcing a schedule is going to become that much more imperative as Chase gets older and begins sports and music lessons and wants to hang out with his friends, which is why I think it's important to establish a routine now.

I marvel at my peers who's toddlers are up, watching TV and running around the house with the adults, at 10, 11 pm... midnight. I suspend judgment, and bite the comments back on my tongue, when they tell me about how the baby went to sleep with them at 1:00 am. *shrug* It's not my place to impose my practices onto them. Everyone's household runs differently - and different ways of doing things work for different folks. I know that, personally, I'm not the best mom I can be at that time - and I'd be doing a disservice to my child to try and parent him when I am also tired and cranky and in need of my own "adult time."

With that said, I've found it important to set boundaries with folks around this issue. Nothing bothers me more than people who sporadically drop by at night to try and see our son - knowing full well that he is in bed by 7 pm. This disrupts his routine and I am the one affected most by it, since I'm the one who soothes him and puts him to sleep when he is throwing a fit due to being over-tired. When I was a brand-spanking-new mom I wasn't completely comfortable asserting myself on this matter. I got over that quickly. Its funny, I was told not too long ago that a few folks have viewed my choices unfavorably. The term "crazy" was even thrown around. I find these sentiments baffling. You see, I'm at home with Chase all day long on weekends (and home from work by 5:15 pm) and this is when anyone can spend time with Chase, if they choose to do so. And I encourage them to! However, folks don't choose to do so - I guess they're busy with their lives and own commitments, which I understand. But then they're indignant when I don't indulge said late night visits, and that I actually do enforce a routine. And I become the "over-protective" mom who isn't letting Chase spend time with folks. Well, those are my house rules, and how I've chosen to raise my child. Its disappointing and hurtful when folks don't respect them.

My dad traveled over 5000 miles to visit Chase - he spent a few days with us, during which time he was able to really bond with his grandson. He was so tickled with how cheerful and playful and well-behaved Chase was - and marveled at how in sync our routine was. The one thing my dad just kept stressing was: "Just do what you normally do - I don't want to disrupt your schedule at all." That made me feel so good - that he cared enough about Chase's well-being and also my "house rules" that he wanted to be respectful of that. I wish more people shared these sentiments.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Wordless Wednesday
--The Nursery is shaping up
--Sports Fan Collection (Cocalo Kids) Giveaway
--Discovering the Magic of Spring
--It's . . . a Boy!!!!

_______________________
Ann Currie publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal
Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

History of the (Whole) World (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: History of the (Whole) World

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My progress in writing, revising, sending to my editor, re-revising, fact-checking, galley-reading, and promoting a four-volume history of the world...along with reflections on life as a writer/parent/amateur farmer.

MY REVIEW: You have to admire someone who takes on the world – writing its history up to the Knights Templar. (I assume she thinks we can take it from there!) The author is a professor at William and Mary, a mother, and has a farm outside Williamsburg. Any one of these four occupations is a fulltime job, juggling four is impressive.

She journals about writing her book and the “birthing” process of getting it published. Oh, and did I mention, she also runs a small printing press (publishing business) of her own on the side? And, she does mention sleeping.

One of her children, a son, is spending his gap year in South Africa, so you have a mother’s pride/fear of a child’s travels to add to all else going on. The author is an excellent writer. In one post, she notes that her book is now listed as #1 on the medieval bestseller list on Amazon. I’m impressed, I just got my blog on Amazon and it doesn’t have a rank. She has an interesting feature once a week where she lists her twitter feeds.

A most interesting blog – well done.

Sample paragraphs

I haven’t posted an update on my reading for a while. Actually I haven’t posted anything lengthy for a while. I’ve been submerged in researching, editing, and keeping up with daily life; tax returns had to be done; I have papers to grade; filling out all of the financial aid forms for my rising college freshman killed untold brain cells; my nine-year-old gave herself a concussion and fractured her clavicle; you get the idea.

But I still read books, no matter what else falls off my to-do list.

First up, Michael Ruhlman’s food trilogy: The Making of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, The Reach of a Chef.

Grades: A- for the first, A for the other two.

I’ve always enjoyed food writing, and if you find that genre dead boring, you probably won’t like these books. But what I appreciate about Ruhlman is his sense of drama. He can take the preparation of a poulet saute, the reaction of a food critic to a single pasta dish, a not-too busy lunch service, and turn each one into a fully developed narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. He sketches out characters with a few strokes and makes them real. I envy his skill.

Of the three, The Making of a Chef spends the most time on kitchen minutia and the least on characters and story, so that drops it a bit on my grading scale. (Also the font in the new Holt paperback version is way annoying.) The Reach of a Chef is my favorite of the three; in it, Ruhlman traces the inevitable trajectory that afflicts professionals in every profession. Get good enough at what you do, and eventually you’ll find that you’re not doing it anymore. Instead you’re administering your own career, and there’s hardly any time to devote to the activity that created that career in the first place.

SAMPLE TWITTERS

Going off the grid for a (silent) family day. #
Trying to answer interview questions by email. Making my brain hurt. #
Inside house: half-sick mom trying to nap. Outside: children w/sticks trying to find object on farm which will make most noise when struck. #
Voice half-returned, is gone again. This is getting boring. #
Need to change time of departing flight to New York. Change fee: $150. New one-way ticket: $59. How does this make sense? #
That's it. NOT watching American Idol after this year. Competition can't sing on pitch, judges apparently listening by satlink from Mars. #
YES, I watch American Idol. YOU spend YOUR working hours submerged in classical rhetoric and see what YOU want to do at the end of the day. #
Heading off the grid to write. Today's agenda: the Sultanate of Cairo and topics for middle-grade writers. (Different projects, obviously) #
Cleaning up DD9's room. How is it POSSIBLE to have this many stuffed animals? Wouldn't it give you the creeps, being so vastly outnumbered? #
Just finished Connie Willis's BLACKOUT. Yelling FOUL. Ends mid-story, conclusion in new book not out til fall. BAD DECISION, angry reader. #
At the W&M library reading. "A New Approach to English Grammar, on Semantic Principles." FUN. #
Clouds + cold + drizzle + church over = nap. #

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Twitter weekly updates
--Quick Photo update on the gap year
--Twitter weekly updates
--Medieval World sightings

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

Holy Mackerel (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Maybe

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Holy Mackerel

WEB ADDRESS: marymoores.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A humorous look at life in the slow lane, which was once the fast lane, and is often detoured.

MY REVIEW: Blog owner's note: The only blogs that receive NOs at the Kindle Blog Report are those that are inactive for some reason, or are unsuitable for the Kindle (consisting only of videos, for example.)

The only blogs that receive YESs (from now on, anyway!) are those that reviewers like.

A MAYBE means that the reviewer doesn't like it, based on their own blog preferences, but that others may. As long as the blog is regularly updated, and formats well for the Kindle, and doesn't have egregious bad language, it will typically receive a MAYBE.

Such is the case with "Holy Mackerel." Now, on to Ann's review:

Some folks may enjoy this blog, I personally did not. I found it a bit crass and really did not need to have explicate details of the results of a sick child – I’ve been there often, got the t-shirt. You don’t need to describe it to me. Just mention the situation and the humor is still there – go into the details and I’ m gone. In fact, there are many fine points she writes about that I don’t care to read about, but hey, it’s a free country!

She writes like she is talking fast (which of course I’m southern and cannot relate to that – but I don’t hold that against her.) It is definitely a blog following her days and she stays on track. It doesn’t bounce all over the place like some people's blogs tend to do. She chronicles her life with her husband, Mr. Handsome, and her children. And, she posts fairly frequently, several times a week.

Her personality comes through. She is a mother and a wife at a turning point in her life – deciding whether or not to go back to school to study nursing or to be a paramedic (both very admirable occupations). This is no easy feat – to start over.

PARAGRAPHS FROM A SAMPLE POST

Today's post is in honour of a very special person. As you can tell, it's obviously a very special person because here I am posting on a Thursday, which I don't normally do. Sorry for screwing up your routines, guys. But this is important.

Her name is Joanna. Joanna's from the Czech Republic. My site stats told me so. Everyone, say hello to Joanna!

Joanna gets the prize as my first hater! Prize details to follow at the end of this post. I'm still in the midst of putting it together.

This is what Joanna told me the other day in the comments section of one of my posts:

I just found your blog via Warsaw Mommy whose blog, in turn, I clicked on via Finslippy. And, after reading for about 20 minutes, I find myself agreeing with your husband, the everso cutely nicknamed Mr. Handsome. You are not very funny, and frankly you seem like a somewhat unpleasant person who is finghting a lot of petty wars. But you seem to enjoy blogging and have some readers who like your writing, so to each his own, I guess.
Finslippy is a good blog. Check it out sometime to find out what "funny" is like.

Seems to me Joanna has a few issues, no?

Let's see...First of all, Joanna, I wanted to thank you for visiting my blog, and all the way from the Czech Republic! Awesome.

I just wanted to clarify a point you make early on. Please don't take offense when I say this, but you actually weren't on my blog for 20 minutes. It was more like 17 minutes 56 seconds. Which is actually still an awful lot, seeing as most people kind of read a page or two and then move on. But you? You went to seven different pages, I think, and really did due diligence before making assumptions about me. Good for you! I;d just like to point out that you either (a) were purposely taking your time in reading my posts to pick out as many faults as you could, or (b) you are an extremely slow reader to have taken almost 18 minutes to read a whole seven pages. Either way, you're diligent. Always a good thing.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--This Is For You, Joanna From The Czech Republic! Thank You For Your Patronage
--How I Saved The Country
--The list, or how to do Toronto real good with lots and lots of puke and poop
--Gowan loves me

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Ann Currie publishes publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Glamorous Life Association (Lifestyles & Culture)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Glamorous Life Association

WEB ADDRESS: http://marcywrites.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A humorous look at a not-so-glamorous life of a stay-at-home-mom and wife. Trust me, motherhood is nothing like the brochure. Come on by, just step over the legos and laundry on your way in....

MY REVIEW: An excellent irreverent blog that takes no prisoners. It is well written with witty graphics and photos. This mother has the same take on life I do, "You’ve got to be kidding me?"

She uses this wonderful technique that I can only best describe as alter ego writing. An example is, “Remember my very rude effective front door sign?” Brilliant! She often says she didn’t get the memo, but it doesn’t bother her, because I’m not sure she would have read it or followed it had she gotten it.

Like most us, this is not what we signed up for, but we are going to make the best of it and get even with those who changed the rules – when we find them. In the mean time, we might as well laugh as our way through it, crying will get us no where, besides who has time? Maybe this is just a nightmare dream and when we wake up, prince charming will be there with the household staff. After all, my favorite line from the Sound of Music was when asked what the Countess had planned for the children, her reply, “Darling, haven't you ever heard of a delightful little thing called boarding school?”

This is a great entertaining, well written blog that I highly recommend.

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Looking for me?
--Moving day . . . come on over
--Saturday, what a day!
--We’re off to the circus

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Ann Currie publishes publishes:
My Life a Bit South of Normal:
www.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

The Elmo Wallpaper

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: The Elmo Wallpaper

WEB ADDRESS: theelmowallpaper.blogspot.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: An Ivy League-educated, thirtysomething mother of three young boys survives motherhood in suburbia. Just barely.

MY REVIEW: A blog of honest emotion by a mother struggling with daily domestic life with her three young sons. Her posts, unlike those of many mothers, are not cute or coy. She is right up front, not bitter, but truthful. She questions her life and what woman hasn't has some point? How did I get here - I did everything right - I went to the right school, did well, fell in love, married a bright guy. Here I am listening to the Wiggles, spending part of my valetine's evening in Border's, and treating goose eggs. There have been many times when I could have related to this lament. But it is not negative, it is well worth the read and well written. You want to offer her your support, cheer her on, and follow her vicariously. She comes through with strength and humor. She posts several times a week.

RECENT ARTICLES:

• If you are needing catharsis today . . .
• Other peoples pictures
  
  
• Ask me anything
• Why I am wound:
• My graceful friend

________________________
Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normalwww.abitsouthofnormal.com/
and also, Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiarstrangeandpeculiarsilver.blogspot.com/

I Don't Have Time to Write This!

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: NO

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: I Don't Have Time to Write This!

WEB ADDRESS: dreamama.wordpress.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: For 10 years I was a journalist. I turned one article—where I pretended to look for a roommate as a ploy to meet guys—into a novel, Room for Love, that St. Martin’s Press published. Then on 2-29-08, I had a baby: Aidan. And writing became a thing of the past. My gorgeous 1-year-old son consumes my every second. If I’m not gazing into his big brown eyes, he’s probably asleep and I’m lying comatose on the couch wishing I had the energy to write, but knowing I have mommy mush brain and should probably nap—or puree some more squash. ‘Cause god knows I don’t have it in me to write. I love this boy more than I could imagine loving anything and never for a minute resent him for taking my time. And yet, in Life Before Aidan, I didn’t have just any job. I was a writer. I loved my work. Maybe if I write this blog, great things will pour from my fingertips. If not, at least I have a forum for describing Aidan’s daily cutenesses and my own anxieties. And that will feel awesome.

MY REVIEW: She's got the title correct, she doesn't have time to write and should admit it. When she does post, it is long with pictures, but since I don't know her personally I can't figure out why she is living in different locations (she never explains that.)

Anyway, the most recent post is current and in it she admits that she has been remiss because of her pregnancy, which she is just revealing to her readers. That's fair. But in going back, some of her posts are 3, 4, 6 weeks apart. (Now some are 2 or 3 days apart.) But, even then when she posts, the posts are very long, IMHO, blogs are intended to be updated - on a regular basis. I cannot recommend folks subscribing to this blog. Maybe I can when she gets into a routine of posting more frequently, and does find time to write.

RECENT ARTICLES:

• I'm knocked up (February 15, 2010)
• Peace, Quiet and missing So Cal in 2010 (January 10, 2010)
• Bitch bitch bitch (November 24, 2009)
• Three Halloweens (November 5, 2009)
• Putting it all in perspective (November 1, 2009)