Mommy and Love

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: http://mommyandlove.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: My name is Monica. I recently graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in International Studies and minor in Religious Studies. I am married to the most wonderful guy I know and we have a baby girl named Amelia June who was born July 10, 2011. I was inspired to start this blog due to my ability to talk non-stop about having a baby. I am so excited! Since I am younger many of my friends are not even thinking about having children, let alone being close to marriage so I can't ramble on and on expecting them to feel the same excitement. Hence, a new blog has been birthed!

I have another blog, Fricken' Fashionable where I give fashion tips and information for teen and young adult women. I have a small section on Maternity Fashion in case you're interested in cheap, easy ways to maintain your fashion style throughout pregnancy.

Please feel free to leave comments and/or personal experiences beneath individual posts. I respond quickly to those comments. :) If you don't want to leave a comment, I can also be reached by email. To remain updated with current posts please follow my blog and/or follow me on Twitter. ThAnKs!

My Interests
* Traveling, Foreign Languages, Culture, Religion, Philosophy
* Beach Volleyball, Swimming, Working Out [Health & Fitness]
* Hiking, Backpacking, Biking
* Gardening, Animals, Beautiful Sceneries
* Fashion, Style, Sewing, Beauty
* Reading, Writing, Blogging
* Music, Piano, Singing, Guitar
* Arts & Crafts, Decorating, DIY Projects
* Games, Being w/Family & Friends, Parties
* Cooking, Baking, Attempting New Recipes
* And many, many more!

MY REVIEW:
This is a fun blog written by a new mommy, one with a wide variety of interests. Her posts aren't the run-of-the-mill mommy posts either, as evidenced below.

So check it out.

Sample post

What Do Baby Kicks Feel Like?
Before I could feel my baby move in my belly, I was always curious to know what women meant when they asked, "Do you feel flutters?" or "Do you feel the butterflies yet?" I didn't have a clue and I was dying to find out fast. I wanted to be included in this special moment that so many pregnant women were experiencing. The only thing I felt at 16 weeks pregnant was pressure in my lower abdomen, which many times turned out to be excess gas. Once or twice a week, I began feeling "something" in my belly. This "something" I knew to be the baby but I also thought my mind was playing tricks on me.
For any ladies in the same situation as I was, Have No Fear! You will feel tremendous amounts of movement sooner than you expect. I am currently in my first pregnancy and it took a good 20 weeks before I really began feeling my baby. Just try your best to be patient [very difficult I know!] and give your baby some time to grow! I am 30 weeks pregnant now and I will try to give you a better explanation of what these baby movements feel like.

Baby Movements are like...
* The feeling you get going down a roller coaster but much shorter.
* Someone is kicking you or giving you an elbow shove from the inside. [High chance this is actually happening!]
* Someone is smoothing out the inside of your belly with a door knob or end of a rolling pin.
* A baseball being pushed against & rolled around on the inside of your belly.
* A bunch of rustle & bustle deep down without touching the surface of your belly.
* Someone is flicking you on the inside.
* Something is trying to push itself outside of you. [When the movement gets further up near my ribs, I especially feel this way!]

Everyone begins feeling fetal movements at different times during their pregnancy. These feelings vary from person to person, so if you are already experiencing fetal movements and our feelings don't compare, don't worry. I'd be interested in hearing other comparisons for what these movements feel like. I have never felt "flutters" but I honestly think the movements compare to having butterflies in your stomach. Regardless, feeling my baby move is by far my favorite thing about being pregnant!

RECENT POSTS:
# 10 Things I Love About Being a Mommy
# Are You Spoiling Your Kids ROTTEN?
# Do Babies Dream in the Womb?
# 10 Things I Hate About Pregnancy
# 10 Things I Love About Pregnancy
# Milky Oatmeal Bath to Help Eczema
# What Do Baby Kicks Feel Like?
# Anyone Thinking About Getting Pregnant? [Here's my experiences so far.]
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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Coffee Addicted Mommy - parenting

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Coffee Addicted Mommy

WEB ADDRESS: http://coffeeaddictedmommy.blogspot.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and let's chat! Are you a mom with a sense of humor? Then you will LOVE this blog!

MY REVIEW:
These days, raising kids is more stressful than ever. Moms and moms to be will enjoy this blog about what it takes to raise a kid in today's world.

The ever so sacred Girl's Night Out
Before I was a mother, I rarely felt the need for a girl's night out. Although I worked 40+ hours a week, I was perfectly content to spend the weekends and evenings at home. Home was my break, my rest place. Yes, I had some light housework to do, but frankly, there wasn't much. Since I hate cleaning and we lived on two salaries, we had a cleaning lady. So, other than laundry, cooking, and whatever school work I brought home, I spent most my time at home relaxing.

I spent a lot of time with hubby. On weekends, we'd either go out on dates, go to parties, or on double dates. About once every few months, I'd go out and grab a bite to eat with a girlfriend, see a chick flick, or go shopping with my mom, mother-in-law, or sister-in-laws.

If I did need some quality girl time, I could always travel! About 6 years ago, my sis and I took a sister's trip to San Francisco. Also, about once or twice a year, I'd travel to go see some of my closest girlfriends. We are all spread out now in places like New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

A regular girl's night out was just not in place back then. Probably because I knew I could go out whenever I wanted.

Now I am a stay at home mom. Home is my work place and my rest place. Who am I kidding? Mostly my work place! This fact really hit home yesterday.

After spending 3 hours practicing animal cupcakes (pics posted on my FB page!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffee-Addicted-Mommy/277475352313970), I picked my son up from preschool. I coaxed him into the car without a fight (phew!), and gave him his lunch to eat in the car. When we got home, the tantrums began. He didn't want to get out of the car so just getting him inside the house was challenging. Once I got him in, it was just about time for nap. Enter: the naptime battle. After I finally, FINALLY, got him in his bed and closed the door, I breathed a quick sigh of relief and started tackling my to do list.

First on the list is always: eat lunch. Yes, I have to put this on my list. By this time, it was about 2:00pm and I still hadn't eaten. As I sat down to eat my lunch, I noticed the baby monitor going crazy. I could hear the thumping sound of my child jumping on his bed. I could also hear his loud chipmunky voice singing at the top of his lungs. "I'll give him until 3:15", I told myself, "Maybe he'll fall asleep by then!"

After over an hour and numerous check-ins, I realized this kid wasn't going to sleep. I was so tired I could barely keep my head up and had not gotten to anything on my to do list!!! SO FRUSTRATING!

Fast forward to 6:00pm. I was looking forward to getting A to bed early since he skipped nap. I fed him dinner and was about to start on dinner for hubs and I when the phone rang. It was the hubby, telling me he'd be late.

Ok, breathe in, breathe out. This meant I'd now be responsible for every single nighttime battle too. Just the fight to get him into the bathtub resulted in a 30 minute tantrum and crying spree. (The boy, not me, although I seriously thought about crying too!) Eventually I got him in the bath and ready for bed. For some reason, he didn't want me to leave his room at bedtime so he decided to cry and scream then too. Luckily, the child must have been so exhausted that he quickly passed out.

About 7:45, I finally sat down and ate a bowl of cereal for dinner. The hubby showed up around 8:30pm and of course, everything was done. When I told him I had a bad day, he just couldn't fathom it. According to him, I didn't have to go to work and I got a 3 hour break in the morning while our son was in preschool, so how could my day had been bad?

How indeed????

Back to my original topic: girl's night out. As you can see from the story above, I now LIVE for girl's night outs. Or ANY girl time I can get! It's become such an important part of my life. I live for the chance to dress up and have a peaceful meal (and wine!!!!) with my closest friends. I know most of my momma friends feel the same way.

How far would you go for a girl's night out? Would you risk your life?

I did.

A few weeks ago, I found out my sis was coming to town for President's Day weekend. She is 13 months younger than me and my best friend. I love to go out to dinner with her when she visits. This time, I decided to invite two of my momma friends along. We spent the entire week before talking about how excited we were to get out and go to one of our favorite sushi restaurants.

The night finally arrived. The whole day there had been miserable weather and there was a chance of snow at 9pm that evening. Around 5pm, it started snowing. "Dammit!" I thought.

"I hope my friends don't want to cancel!" I told my sister, "I'll text them, but I doubt they'll cancel. One has three kids, one has two under the age of 3! I'm sure they need to get out. Besides, the roads don't seem too bad."

I texted both of them and lo and behold, both mommas still wanted to go out. Sis and I barely thought twice about our decision to go. The snow was light, my sis has an SUV, and we're from the North so we KNOW how to drive in snow.

As we drove towards the restaurant, the weather got worse and worse. Still, I didn't even think about turning around. We were so close to our GNO and we'd been looking forward to eating sushi ALL week. When we went to get off the exit, the car was swerving all over the place. You see, in the south they are not prepared for bad weather so the roads are not taken care of as swiftly as they are in the north.

The roads were so bad, I called my friend and told her we were going home. (The other momma was in the car with us). Although she was already at the restaurant, she agreed. We drove 20 miles an hour back to my house. It took us about an hour and it was the longest hour of my life. The roads were slick and the snow and ice were still coming down.

At the time, I saw my life flashing before my eyes. Now I just think it's hilarious that we were willing to put our lives in jeopardy just for the chance of a nice 2 hour meal without the hubbies or the kids. Not that I blame us. Girl's night out really is that sacred.

By the way, we've rescheduled dinner for this weekend. There is a zero percent chance of snow. ;)

RECENT POSTS:
--The ever so sacred Girl's Night Out
--The MOM code: It takes a village
--Nailed it!
--Valentine's Day!
--Stay-at-home NOTHING
--Why can't we all just get along? by: guest blogger...
--Bladder after baby
--TEN Million Moms
--Naptime-a mother's holy grail!
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New reviews published twice a week.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Mummy Whisperer (parenting and couples with kids)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

WEB ADDRESS: mummywhispererblog.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: As a 'Mummy Whisperer' my priority is to help the Mum, because when she is happy and contented either her family tends to settle around her, or she rediscovers her own natural instinct to help her family deal with it's daily challenges.

I'm not here to tell you what to do, or offer another one-size fits all parenting technique which can't possibly work for all the shapes and sizes of family.

Instead I teach skills that adapt as the family grows and I use techniques that help Mums clear the stress, fear, guilt and brain noise from their lives. The aim is to boost your self-belief and increase the contentment, sparkle and closeness in your family’s life; as you are the expert on your own family, sometimes you might just need reminding of how fabulous you are!

MY REVIEW: This is both a parenting blog, and a blog for couples who still want to keep the excitement and romance in their own personal lives while also raising children.

The author is British so Americans will have to get used to some British-isms, but of course that's not a difficulty.

A very interesting blog - check it out.

Sample post:

Men, did you miss an opportunity for sex with your wife?
At the weekend I was pointed to a blog by a guy called ‘Athol Kay’ about making sure you still get sex as a married man by the Daily Mail; yes I admit it, sometimes I skim the front page of the mail’s website for fun or annoyance. I’m so going to have to blog about this guys site loads, because it was full of all sorts of ‘you must be kidding’, ‘really?’, ‘thats so true’ and ‘seriously no ones going to believe that are they?’. In general though, its a pretty good blog, very much written from a blokes perspective and in that bloke language that they keep hidden from us, if wise.

So it had me thinking? How many blokes were out there this weekend complaining that their wife doesn’t give them sex, who were so involved in the complaining that they didn’t take the opportunity that the Royal Wedding afforded? I bet there were tonnes who wouldn’t know an opportunity if it slapped them in the face.

Let’s run through all the opportunities that there were, especially if they went to one of the hundreds of royal wedding parties …

- Compliments: Tell her how pretty she is when she comes down the stairs in her outfit for the party. Compliments might not get you sex, but they will definitely get a warmer wife. Bear in mind though that they need to be accompanied by the right tone of voice and a fond/amorous look. Plus it’s not the same as telling her she looks hot in her underwear. She knows your a bloke, so that is kind of a given.

- Make her feel appreciated: At the party, unless it’s an out and out lie, tell her how lucky you are to be with her and how pretty/beautifully dressed/gorgeous/’most true compliment you can find’, in comparison to all the other wives there. She needs to know that you appreciate her and know how lucky you are to have her.

- Cuddle up: sitting next to her during the ceremony and cuddling up would be bound to give extra bonus points. Plus being in physical contact, kind of makes being in contact later more likely. This doesn’t work from across the room with a drink in hand and all the other blokes making ‘guffaw we’re not very interested in all this girly stuff noises’.

- Talking to her: reminiscing about your own wedding, feeling nervous on the day, the honey moon, joking light heartedly about the stresses (unless they were so bad they should never ever be mentioned again), will give her that warm romantic feeling.

- Kissing: Athol’s blog recommends a 10 second kiss, and as a big fan of kissing I’m in total agreement with him. Any guy who didn’t make sure he got a kiss in soon after the balcony scene was totally missing a trick.

- Looking after the kids: If your wife was really enjoying the wedding, then keeping an eye on the kids for her is bound to be seen as a big gold star. Plus a harassed, ‘been running around after the kids all day at a party’ kind of wife, is much less likely to fancy you later on.

- Buying her something: Some husbands might have even seen the opportunity to treat their wives to a new dress for the party, or some flowers, or a little something that reminded you of your own wedding.

Any husband who hit all or some of these was then bound to be seen in the light of a romantic royal prince, and be rewarded with a honeymoon night to remember (unless after all that he drank too much beer and passed out on the sofa, or managed to mess it up in some obvious way). Bear in mind you have to translate them to your wife’s language as well, so into what she likes doing or having; but they would be a good start!

So to the guys now hitting their heads and going ‘Doh’; don’t worry, but stop complaining and keep your eyes open as there are bound to be other romantic sure thing options at some point. There’ll be another wedding at some point in the next ten years I’m sure! I’m kidding. The lesson is to look out for opportunities, and to be really caring. Ironically, just as in other things in life, if you don’t really care about your wife and it is all about the ulterior motives, she is going to smell a rat and it won’t work. So the final important thing is that you really care about making her feel good!

I’d love to know from the Mums out there, what do you think? Would any of the above have worked on you?

RECENT POSTS:
--What makes a Man sexy?
--Amazing Competition: For a Radio Flyer!
--Men, did you miss an opportunity for sex with your wife?
--How David Tennant Made My Day
--Question Corner: What would you advise a husband whose wife doesn't want to sleep with him

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Faith-FilledFood For Moms and Grandmothers (parenting, Christian life)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: N/A

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Hi,my name is Shari Lynne! I am a stay at home faith filled Christian midlife wife,Mom,Step Mom,Grandma! Whew,that’s a mouthful.

I am so excited to share my experience,strength and hope with you! I have been married for 24 years and am a stay at home Mom of 7 (3 still at home). I also have 3 beautiful grandchildren. One of which I get to babysit everyday:) Yeah,for me! (that is my only claim to fame:)

..We are a blended family. When my husband and I got married,24 years ago,he had two children and I had two children. Ages 9,10,11,12.

Well when our older children were almost all grown and out of the house (all except one) my husband began to suggest that we have children together.

I was pretty young,36,So with much more prayer I gave in to God and my Husband. And as Martha Stewart would say “It’s a Good Thing”

Another part of my journey that I feel compelled to share and encourage others about is that I have been in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for 27 years. I feel very called to share that there can be joy and real life in sobriety. That God does indeed restore the years the locusts have eaten away!

Whether you have come to this blog seeking positive encouragement, laughter or spiritual insights you have come to the right place!

Or maybe you’ve come for some great parenting and homemaking tidbits to add to your toolbox…you’ve come to the right place!

Possibly you have come out of frustration and desperation, even despair…you’ve come to the right place!

May Faith Filled Food For Moms be a daily resting place where you find the “Food”you need to be the best you can be. Let’s encourage one another and build each other up!

MY REVIEW: This blog will be of interest to parents - and grandparents, in particular those who are Christians. The author has led - and leads - a fascinating life, and shows how to overcome problems in one's life.

Check it out!

RECENT POSTS:
-- Guessing Game
-- Red Lights–Give Thanks
-- Wife,Mom,Step Mom,Grandma ….I’m just me!
-- Easy Pumpkin Muffins
-- Listen To The Children –Giving Our Full Attention
-- Step Parenting–An Investment in the Future
-- Taking Time To Relax!
-- Have a Plan!
-- Buying in Bulk
-- Book Review –Bible Stories for Preschoolers

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Stay At Home Dad (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Stay At Home Dad

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Information for Stay at Home Dads from the CDO, Chief Domestic Officer

MY REVIEW: Too often in today's society, the Dad as parent has been ignored or marginalized. (The stereotypical dad spends all his time at work, comes home to pat his kids on the head and send them off to bed, while he relaxes in front of the TV.) In actual fact, Dads are very important to the development of a child or children.

So it's nice to see a parenting blog written by a dad (there are a few of them out there.) This blog is written from the perspective of a stay-at-home dad, and its interesting to see the "stay at home" type stuff written from the dad's perspective.

Both moms and dads can benefit from reading this blog.

Sample post:

Media Challenge: Add a Dad Advise Column/Blog (or at least include us)
With more and more dads choosing to stay home to raise their children I am surprised that media outlet have yet to embrace dads for blogs, parenting advise columns, guest writers and the like. At the very least, rename the “mom” columns and blogs to “parents” and have both moms and dads input. Whether a major news network site, national parenting magazine or advertiser, each blatantly lacks advise or input from dads.

The days of the hands-off dad are vanish quickly. More and more dads are playing an active role in raising their children and sharing duties around the house, not to mention being the primary care giver while mom works.

As a stay at home dad, I do everything a stay at home mom does. Primarily, raise my son, teach him life skills, love and nurture him. After that comes, all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, home repairs, appointments, scheduling, transporting, bill paying, chaperoning, school involvement, and making a little money on the side consulting. I list these tasks not as a badge on my sleeve, but to eliminate the forthcoming questions from the nay-sayers that think stay at home dads play with their kids all day and leave the chores for mom to do on the weekend or evenings after a full day of work. It is a stereotype that I am frankly tired of hearing and reading about. The only way to eliminate the stereotype, just like any other, is through education. So here in lies the challenge:

Affiliates with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Parenting Magazine, Parents Magazine – seek out and include dads in your blogs, ads, guest columns, articles, advise columns and features to help quash the stereotypes of the stay at home dad. You may be surprised at how much we know about parenting and how much help and advise we can offer from a slightly different perspective.

RECENT POSTS:
--Part 1 – The Bully Debate: Is all bullying bad?
--Stay at Home Dads Are Quickly Being Noticed By Savvy Retailers
--The Cut-off Date. “Red Shirting” – Trending Towards Later Kindergarten
--Have You Become A Talking Head When Correcting Behavior? Passive vs. Active Interaction.
--Daddy, That Lady is Big! – How to Handle the Not-so-subtle Questions
--Start of Fall: Wild Mushroom Risotto
--Moment of Reality: The first family vacation
--Simple (and inexpensive) Home Improvement
--Media Challenge: Add a Dad Advise Column/Blog (or at least include us)
--Make Your Own Pizza Night

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

We Got Kidz (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: We Got Kidz.

WEB ADDRESS: wegotkidz.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: We are so happy to finally have this page up and running. It’s been a long time in the making. It all spawned from our need for attention and our super charged love for our family. Seriously – We have a story to tell, and we’re sure you’ll find it intriguing if for no other reason than because it’s a story that may be similar to your own. Our dream is for this to be an open forum for parents just like us – either married or single – to have a place to express their fears and air out their insecurities… A huge resounding “YOU’RE NOT ALONE!” Most of it will be absolutely hilarious.. We’re just a funny couple by nature – what can I say. Once we get the hang of this blog thing, look forward to silly videos, our Comic Strip of the week, and whatever other silliness we come up with to share. If nothing else, whenever you have those moments with your partner where you stop.. look at each other… and both say with disbelief.. WE GOT KIDS – hop online and share it with us.

MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed this parenting blog. It's a nice mixture of serious stuff (pointing out the problems with glorifying teen pregnancy) to informative (Target diapers are cheaper and work just as well when little kids let go of big...well, you know!) to just plain fun or humorous (the 9 types of crappy handshakes.)

The author writes well, and has much good stuff - and funny stuff, to say. And she's so clearly in love with her fiance and her twins - a boy and a girl. Like most parenting blogs where this is evident, these entries are a joy to read.

There's also a section of amusing comic strips, recipes, and a calendar of daily events happening in Atlanta, Georgia.

Check it out!

Sample post:

Teen Pregnancy Is Awesome! WTF?

A letter to Teen Mom’s who think it’s cool: Dear Teen Mothers, Okay, so what’s up with this whole teen pregnancy craze? I’m not one to judge, I mean things happen. I understand… But the way that it’s been glamorized in the media lately is just plain weird. 16 and Pregnant? Teen Mom? WTF?? It’s not cool to get pregnant prematurely ladies. I mean you’re a kid for cryin’ out loud! I waited until I was thirty to birth some babies and some days I still don’t know if I was ready for what I signed up for: loss of freedom, and certain luxuries – And let’s not talk about sleep. What the hell is that? I’m blessed to have a Fiance that supports his family to the death. We don’t have a lot, but we have each other. A lot of you all can’t say the same about your partners. To have a “baby daddy” who is sixteen years of age is psycho. You know girls mature faster than boys. You remember being on the playground running from Jimmy with the booger on his finger? Well at 16, it’s about the same mental capacity. Just trade the booger for a penis. I hear you all have a new member to welcome to the club. This is an interesting twist – 19 year old Dominican model beauty Rose Cordero has recently announced that she’s been knocked up. Congratulations and a welcome basket are not in order here. Sure, she’s the “it” girl in fashion right now. Her biggest achievement to date has been becoming the first solo “black” model to grace the cover of French Vogue. She’s a millionaire – or at least a “hundred-thousandaire” who I’m sure is more than capable of providing for a child… But can she provide for that child mentally being a child herself? I don’t think so ladies. Be young! Have fun! Live your lives, and wait to have your kids. Sincerely, Kesha C of WeGotKidz.

MY REVIEW:

RECENT POSTS:
--Stumble Saturdays – 9 Types of Crappy Handshakes
--Dinosaur Wearing Weirdo? Not MY son
--Video of the Week! ❤ Beyonce’s Fake Baby Bump??
--BET’s “Reed Between the Lines”…hmm
--Getting Down & Dirty With Diapers
--Teen Pregnancy Is Awesome! WTF?

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

World Baby Report (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: World Baby Report

WEB ADDRESS: http://worldbabyreport.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A world of news and information for your pregnancy and parenting journey. Receive the latest pregnancy and infant health and wellness news. Plus- parenting tips, product news, and baby/toddler centered stories of interest.

MY REVIEW: This is an excellent blog for parents of newborns and toddlers. It has all sorts of news - from how to care for baby properly to the prejudice against parents these days. (For example, one story recently in the news: "Swedish Family Ousted From Residence Due To Crying Baby", and of course we all know how vicious folks get if a baby on an airplane dares to start crying!

The website itself has links to half-a-dozen news articles each day. The blog entries that go to the Kindle have a couple of news articles, plus links to the internet.

Sample post:
Mothers of Premature Infants Pump 75% More Milk Using New Product
A joint study between Rush University Medical Center and Medela, manufacturer of breast pumps and accessories, has revealed incredible results with lifesaving implications for premature babies. Preemies are susceptible to many serious health problems related to their immature systems. Such fragile infants gain tremendous benefit when nourished with sufficient quantities of breast milk. Too weak to suckle, their mothers resort to pumping. However, such honorable efforts do not routinely yield adequate quantities. The problem as described by lead researcher Paula P. Meier, R.N., Ph.D., FAAN was that “Previous breast pumps were not designed to mimic the unique sucking pattern of full-term infants when they feed at breast before the milk comes in.” Medela has solved this deficiency by developing a new cycle feature for it’s standard 2.0 Hospital grade pump. The Symphony Preemie+ cycle is modeled after the special suckling pattern of a full term newborn, which is significantly different than babies a few weeks older. When mothers of premature infants pumped using the the new preemie cycle in concert with the the standard cycle, they achieved milk volume commensurate to that of a full term breast fed infant in just six days—a 75% increase.

Family-Work-Life -Balance Support Waning
A major setback for working families occurred last week when a federal judge delivered a ruling favorable to Bloomberg, LP, casting aside discrimination complaints filed by pregnant and working mothers who had alleged improper treatment after maternity leaves. The judge, essentially cited that companies are not required to institute or abide by work-life-balance policies. She wrote that the law “does not require companies to ignore employees’ work-family trade-offs — and they are trade-offs — when deciding about employee pay and promotions.” In a tight economy, the playing field is getting ugly. Childless workers view family-work arrangements as unfair exceptions to company rules and often devalue the contributions of working mothers. Fearing a backlash from co-workers, loss of position or even a paycheck some women are choosing work over family. In the end entire families suffer and systemically society is hurt, when long work hours rob parents of their most valuable task of raising the next generation. Ironically, study after study has demonstrated that flexible work relationships create loyal and highly dedicated employees that impact overall company success. ABC news explores the Bloomberg ruling and the working mom dynamic in a series of videos .

RECENT POSTS:
--The World Baby Signal
--The World Baby Bonanza
--World Breastfeeding Week August 1st – 7th
--The World Baby Bugle
--The World Baby Herald

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:
Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Parenting With a Dash of Inspiration (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Parenting With a Dash of Inspiration, by K.D. Rausin

WEB ADDRESS: http://kdrausin.wordpress.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: KD Rausin's blog has been described as Chicken Soup for the Soul on a more personal level. She blogs about her family and life in a way that inspires readers to make a positive difference in their world one day at a time.

MY REVIEW: This blog will be of interest to every parent, but particularly to those parents with kids with disabilities - the author is the mother of a daughter who is in a wheelchair thanks to a car accident many years ago.

She also spends a lot of time talking about food!

Check it out.

Sample post:

My husband has a saying he likes to repeat to me, “You must fail to succeed.” He said he learned this from going to the gym. The only way he can improve his strength is by choosing a weight so heavy he is only able to do four to six reps instead of the normal eight to twelve. In failing to lift the weight the full amount he succeeds in building his muscles. Eventually the weight he could only lift six times is lifted twelve and more weight is added. The process begins again.

This saying of his has been on my mind lately. Is it true? Is it in failing that I succeed?

Two years ago I met the most amazing group of women. Seven of us traveled to Honesdale Pennsylvania to attend a two-part writing workshop called, “The Heart of the Novel.” Our teacher was the well known editor Patti Gauch. She was the reason we were all there. On our first visit we listened carefully to Patti’s every word, ate incredible food and then retreated to our individual cabins to write. Our goal was to have a completed novel in six months and send it to Patti to edit before our next gathering.

When we all returned to Honesdale it was like a family reunion. We had kept in touch through email discussing what we had learned and supported one another in our writing. We were all anxious to see Patti’s notes on our novels.

This was my first children’s novel and at the time I was still figuring out the differences between an editor and an agent responsibilities. I had two drafts written of MYSTIC and in my mind, I was done. It was ready.

I’ll never forget the rainy afternoon that I received my notes from Patti. I sat on the bed listening to the ping of rain on the tin roof of the cabin reading through her pages and feeling as though I was the worst writer in the world. I wondered why I even tried in the first place. I felt foolish and embarrassed.

I got out my cell phone and climbed to the top of a hill, umbrella in hand, trying to get more than one bar on my cell in order to call my husband. He would comfort my failure and probably even lie to me and tell me I was a great writer. Because that’s what husband’s do.

When it was time for my meeting with Patti, I asked her if she thought I should take a creative writing class. Here I was at a writing workshop with women who had already been published. Women who had graduated from prestigious colleges and I was just a teacher who liked to write. I was feeling very sorry for myself. Patti said no to the writing class and then said something I’ll never forget. “You’re closer than you think.”

Saying those words to me made me see her notes in a different light. I realized that everything she was telling me about my story was necessary in order to make the story better. My expectations of what I wanted to read in her notes were unrealistic. An editor is a teacher and a guide. A talented soul who helps writers hone their craft.

We focused on the first chapter. She showed me my mistakes and challenged me to try again. Still feeling vulnerable I went back to my cabin and forced myself to sit down with my laptop. I rewrote the first chapter. The next morning the sun shone bright. The dark clouds had disappeared taking with them much of my insecurity. I was not going to give up. Patti read my chapter and smiled. I learned and improved. The process of storytelling was finally sinking in.

If Patti had told me that my story was brilliant, which is what I wanted to hear, I never would have grown as a writer or as a person. I had to fail in order to gain the strength to persevere.

Isn’t that what life is all about? Perseverance – through the perceived good and perceived bad. If I don’t falter in following my path, I know all my failures are just stepping stones to success.

This morning I typed J into Google. I wanted to research the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. But when I typed J – pictures of J. K. Rowling appeared. I had to look because last night I watched the Lifetime movie of her life. And a few days ago I wrote about Daniel Radcliffe. That’s when I found the following in Wikipedia.

Seven years after graduating from university, Rowling saw herself as “the biggest failure I knew.”[42] Her marriage had failed, she was jobless with a dependent child, but she described her failure as liberating:

Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one area where I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea.
And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. – J.
K. Rowling, Harvard commencement address, 2008.[42]

Bonus, it tied right in with today’s title.

Thanks for reading and here’s to failure!

RECENT POSTS:
--Yummy Desserts
--Peachy Entrees
--Celebrity Iron Chef II – So Much Food!
--Healthy Dinner For Tomorrow
--Fail to Succeed

_______________
Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
___________________________
Check out my kindle BOOKS!:Whose Body, by Dorothy Sayers (the Annotated Edition)
The Coldest Equations (science fiction)
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
The Lady and the Tiger...Moth

Adventures in Lake Schooling (children's education, parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES, with Reservations

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Adventures in Lakeschooling, by LakeMom

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Adventures in Lakeschooling Blog chronicles our family's journey of eclectic, passion-centered homeschooling from our perch on a lake. We are also a family formed through both adoption (from Haiti) and birth. There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 little mookies. I call them Rhubarb (b. '00), Eggplant (b. '01), and Blueberry (b. '04). I am LakeMom. I knit. I write. I homeschool with my kids.

Unfortunately, this is one of those blogs where you get a READ MORE link to take you to the web to read the rest of the article.

MY REVIEW: Every parent - well, every good parent! - wants the best education for their child, and there's long been a debate on whether public school, private school or home schooling is best.

I'll let you parents make up your own minds, but thought I'd share this home-schooling blog so, if you have been thinking about home schooling, you can see how much hard work it is for the parent - as well as for the kids, but how rewarding it is, also.

It's not on the Kindle, but check it out on the web.

Recent post:

Outschooling: How I Am Outsourcing Our Homeschooling
It's a funny thing when my child opens a game he has never played in my house (Backgammon) and starts playing it. "How do you know how to play that?" I ask innocently.

"'F' taught me," he says. "F" is our upstairs neighbor, the German father of the two small children with whom my kids like to play. Apparently, while my girls play with his girls, he plays Backgammon with Eggplant.

Like our constant stream of spontaneous learning experiences, this sort of thing happens a lot lately (I have listed some of them below as examples). My kids, it seems, have found a whole bunch of mentors.

These are all situations that have developed organically, over time, and have been completely free. All of the mentors are neighbors, friends, friends of friends, or professionals we have patronized. All of the mentor-student parts of our relationships began with a simple question, typically one of the kids inquiring about the mentor's expertise.

I remember a time when all my kids were younger and I would attend homeschooling conferences or homeschooling parent meetings and leave feeling discouraged and overwhelmed. Parents would tell stories of their own children's mentors and I wondered how I would ever have the time to find mentors for my children. I was sure I would have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to pay for experts to teach the areas where the kids held passions (the areas where HotNerd or I lacked experience). I was also sure that those sorts of adult-child relationships just didn't exist anymore.

The problem was that I was expecting those relationships to form when the children were still so young.

Basically, small children aren't at a point yet where they want that. Most of their passions can be satiated within the confines of their family and friends. My dear friend "J's" mom was teaching her daughters to quilt before they could ride a tricycle. This grew naturally out of their desire to spend time with Granma. It doesn't matter what Granma (or Dad or Uncle Joe) loves to do, smaller children will typically join in when given the chance.

Parents of young children should give the process time, allow the kids to grow into their own passions, and trust that it will happen when the time is right.

In our home, mentors started popping up around 9 for Rhubarb, 7 for Eggplant, and 6 for Blueberry. The ages mean nothing except that this was when THEY were ready to ask the questions that led to the answers that forged a new path in their relationships. When THEY (not me) REALLY wanted it, it happened (in shy Blueberry's case, she REALLY REALLY had to want it to leave her comfort zone and ask the questions).

And it can happen for your kids too. Just don't push it. Let it happen organically. Give it time.

Let the list below encourage you. I was a mom who worried it would never happen -- until it did.


Mentoring relationships my kids have formed (I am only listing situations that are free, as the teachers of the classes they take fit into a slightly different category):


"K" taught Eggplant to play tennis.
"C" gave Eggplant beginning marimba lessons.
Captain "S", a pilot, taught Eggplant, Rhubarb, and a friend the rudimentary principles of aerodynamics during a semester long course he taught in our home.
"G", our neighbor, taught Rhubarb all about Judaism.
"L", a college student friend, taught Rhubarb Irish fiddle.
"W" provided a loom for Rhubarb and is searching for weaving books for her and helping to hook us up with teachers.
"S" created the apprentice program where Rhubarb helps teach movement classes to toddlers and pre-schoolers.
The same "S" will teach Blueberry CPR.
"Dr. M", "Dr. N", and "Dr. D" freely and happily let Blueberry listen to my heart, check my ears, check her own temperature, etc.

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--Art Place in a Small Space
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--Code Red Vegan Mole Peanut Brittle
--Growing into the Next Phase of Parenting
--Sunday Funday 5: Blueberry's Punk Rock Era
--Blogurday 5: Motherhood and More
--A Timeline in a Small Space to Record The Bigness ...
--Reviewing "The Happiness Project" and Feeling Happ...
--Rhubarb Spoke and the Universe Listened
--How the Key Snafu Saved the Day
--Spontaneous Saturday, Trip to the National Museum ...
--Sunday Funday 4: In Honor of Teachers
--Blogurday 4: City Kids Homeschooling
--Huck Finn and the "N" Word
--The Bad and the Ugly
--A Day in the Life (And I Purposely Chose a Great O...
--Beauty and the Sleep-deprived

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

Typecast (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Typecast

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Typecast is not your average parenting blog. In fact, the title is somewhat of an oxymoron. The author, Nickie, is a young grandparent with a a myriad of life experience and is trying to break the mould of typical parenting. With a grip on social networking and a honest approach to everything, each update on the Typecast blog will leave you wondering how Nickie manages to cram it all in.

Nickie OHara is wife to one, Mum to three and Nana to two. She is trundling through life, coping with whatever is thrown at her. She works full time, is studying for a degree with the Open University and tap dances in her spare time.

MY REVIEW: This is a fascinating parenting blog - not for young parents who have toddlers but even more difficult, parents who have teenage children! The author lives in England so, for American reades, it will take some getting used to (we speak American, they speak English!) but it is certainly a fascinating read.

Sample post

Too Accommodating?
from Nickie @ Typecast
Earlier today I had agreed that a friend of the youngest of my brood could have tea and stay the night. They had been to Halfords earlier in the afternoon, eyeing up some mag wheels for BMX bikes (aside: I love how his priorities have changed since going to high school. A few months ago he was happy with an hour on the park and an ice cream from the corner shop), called in at his friend's house to pick up a change of clothes and a toothbrush but rang me to say that they would be a little later than expected. I asked why. He explained that his friend was having his tea before coming to our house. So I asked if Jake was being invited to eat too as we were ordering take-out a little later but he said that he wasn't. He simply hadn't been asked if he wanted anything to eat. Am I alone in thinking that is unusual?

When I was younger, being invited to a friend's house for tea was a rare occurrence and considered a treat. You planned for what seemed like ages, talked about it excitedly and usually went home after school with said friend rather than setting off on your usual route home. A sleep-over was even rarer, almost non-existent.

There has always been a constant stream of stray and random children through our house. I've enjoyed having the children's friends over at our house, more so that I knew where they were and there was no excuse for wandering the streets aimlessly. I wasn't an Enid Blyton mum - there was no freshly squeezed lemonade made by Cook - but the contents of the biscuit tin usually took a bit of a beating. We had little tea parties for friends after school occasionally and birthday parties were always fairly traditional; at home, party food, games and a cake. I have no shame in admitting that it was because we could never have afforded soft play parties or magicians. A minimum of £100 before birthday presents? Plus, we were different by having these parties at home.

Recently habits seem to have changed. I know my children are a bit older now (the two at home are 17 and 11) but at weekends it appears to be the norm to be asked if so-and-so can stop for tea or if Mate X can stay overnight. I know I have probably made a rod for my own back by saying "Yes" most of the time but it seems to be happening almost every weekend now. They don't want to be out hanging around on the local park in the dark or getting drunk on the bowling green- for that I should be grateful, I suppose. Maybe I am the unusual one for being so accommodating?

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--What is a QR Code?
--Parenting 101? Not in this house.
--To Have And To Hold, Until Death Do Us Part.
--Cybermummy Sponsorship Required
--Looking Back Over My Shoulder

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

More Than Just A Mother (Parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: More Than Just A Mother, by Elinor CArlisle

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A no holds barred account of parenting, this blog is not for the faint hearted. With posts about recycling vibrators, having crushes on other mums and that infamous account of needing a wee on the motorway, this blog is for all those women who are more than just mothers.

Emily Carlisle lives with her husband and three small children in the Cotswolds. She is a freelance writer and has just finished her first novel.

MY REVIEW: This is a fun blog, both for parents and for people who don't have kids but like to read reviews of various computer items (such as the Hexbug). The author is based in England (for about a year I believe blogs available for subscription on Amazon were strictly from the US, but for the last few months, British blogs have been available, and people from the UK can subscribe to all blogs, as of course can people from the US.)

The author writes well (indeed, she is a professional writer, having just finished a book) and is amusing. So check it out.

Sample post

Why doing reviews could be bad for your bank balance

Next year I'm going to be cutting down on the number of reviews I do on the blog. This is in part because the last product I reviewed, the Hexbug Nano, cost me £160. With an individual Hexbug retailing at just £8.99, that can't be good business sense.

The Hexbug Nano is a battery powered micro-robot which scuttles about your floor like a cockroach on acid. When it meets a barrier - or another Hexbug - it changes path and hurries off in another direction. When it's flipped on its back the Hexbug will simply right itself and carry on regardless. It's unstoppable. These collectible fellows work by the power of vibration, so they make an intense buzzing noise as they scurry about your house. Geeks will love them - there's all sorts of collectible stuff you can do online to find and register particularly rare Hexbugs. They are perfect stocking fillers and great gifts for guys.

When they arrived I turned each Hexbug on and scattered them on the floor. The children squealed delightedly and chased after them; I couldn't help but lift my feet up onto my chair - they're just a little bit too realistic for me... The kids built Lego mazes for them, they tried them out on the kitchen table, the bathroom floor, the hearth - which is where it all started to go wrong.

Quick as a flash my son's Hexbug scuttled into the fire place and through a tiny gap in the gas fire. Immediately the entire grate began to rattle as this malevolent toy vibrated its way through the hollow frame, the noise growing steadily until it sounded as though a thousand centipedes were tap-dancing on a tin roof. My husband looked at me in horror as I grabbed the Hoover and tried to suck it out, to no avail. He bent a wire coat hanger and fed it into the gap where we'd last seen the Hexbug, but it was useless.

Two hours later, having taken the fireplace apart and still not located the Hexbug, we admitted defeat and grabbed the yellow pages. The engineer was far from reassuring.

"If it's gone up the gas pipe you've got real problems - we could have to evacuate the street."

He came out to us straight away. Well, so would I if I charged £160 for my mere presence. The Hexbug was lodged in the entrance to one of the pipes and was retrieved with a pair of pliers.

And that is why doing reviews could be bad for your bank balance.

I've got five Hexbug Nanos to give away to readers of More Than Just a Mother, so just leave a comment below to enter. If you want to double your chances of winning, just tweet "I've entered the #HEXBUGUK giveaway with @MTJAM". Oh - and keep them away from the fireplace.

RECENT POSTS:
--Having a Mummy Crush
--Frost
--The End
--I smell dead people
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NEW Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Retro Reviews published Tuesday and Thursday.

_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
Seaborn: Oceanography Blog
Star Trek Report: Space Sciences
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters
Rush Limbaugh Report

Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.mrs-marine.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Hectic life of a Marine Wife and stay at home mom. Blogging through daily life as a married single parent. Deployments, parenting tips, crazy kids, cooking, crafts, and random ranting.

MY REVIEW: When I was a kid, my father, who was in the Air Force, was gone a lot. And when he retired, he was gone a lot also, because he got a job flying cargo. So he'd write me letters and postcards, which I treasured. [And, he was never on the front lines during a war, so I had no insecurity on that score.] Today, as long as a soldier isn't on the front lines, he (or she) can communicate with their children using a laptop computer and a camera, and they can each see each other and talk in real time, which makes life a lot easier.

The author of this blog talks about the typical mommy things, seasoned with the fact that her husband is off in Iraq. I can't really relate because when *I* was in my twenties and thirties, I would have given anything (short of getting married or having a live in boyfriend) to be able to stay at home. Not to look after kids, which I never had any interest in, but to do my own thing. Researching books I wanted to write, learning things I wanted to learn.

But this woman seems to be bored...to have no life outside wishing her husband was home and taking care of her kids. Well, I suppose that's moms for you. But when she talks about all the other military wives and how bored they are, doing nothing but sitting at home watching soap operas, I just want to shake them and tell them to get a real life! If they're bored at home, get a job. Go to school to learn a language, or some skill that could come in handy later, like child psychology, or how to handle Post tramautic stress disorder. Anything except just sitting at home sighing about how bored you are!

Okay - that is somewhat of an off-topic rant. This author hasn't had more than one post out of all that I've read that says she's bored, but I live in a military town and when I'm standing in check-out lines at supermarkers and women are talking in front of me or behind me, I hear quite a bit about how bored they are because their husbands are away for weeks at a time...

RECENT POSTS:
--The Military Housewives of Hawaii
--Aloha Friday. Goodbye Lost ; (
--That's Not Daddy
--Scentsy Sunday - Simply Irresistible

Sample Post

Whenever Bobo sees a man in Cammie's he yells, "Daddy!" And I always have to tell him "No, that's not daddy".

Yesterday we were walking to Princess's classroom to pick her up and a man in Cammie's passed by us walking fast. Bobo said "Daddy" and started chasing after him yelling "Wait, Stop". The man was oblivious to the fact that he was being chased by a little boy.

I started calling his name and telling him to stop running, but he kept going yelling over and over "Wait, Stop". He reached his little arm out for the man and finally I stopped him (fighting off the tears) and told him "That's not daddy, its a stranger".

He doesn't understand why Daddy "disappears". I tell him and try to explain it the best I can, but I know he doesn't fully understand. Princess has a hard time comprehending the length of time that Daddy will be gone. I show her on her calendar and she marks off the days and knows what day and month it is. But still, kids dont have a great concept of time. Even as adults, sometimes a week seems to fly by, other times it drags on forever.

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

The United States of Motherhood (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The United States of Motherhood

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Scout's Honor, Seattle 'burbs, WA

Red Head. Writer. Wife & Mother of Three. This is my kitchen drawer of thoughts. Jumbled. Insane. Full of treasures...and junk. Deal with it. Boldly going where most women dare not to mention. This Seattle swim mother, former PTA president, former US Army Lieutenant, Berkeley grad, dog pamperer, coffee addict and now screwy, stay at home mom who loves her red wine is one windy motha full of inanities.

Oh, no she didn't!

Oh, yes, my friends, SHE DID GO THERE.

*** WARNING to my FAMILY, FRIENDS, & NEIGHBORS: Enter at your own risk. You make not like what you read.***

MY REVIEW: I recommend this blog. Well written, in a personal style. Posts regularly, with each post full of content.

Sample post:

(I don't reproduce the photos, which show the chef in question strutting her stuff, much like Danica Patrick (at least the chef isn't tweaking the lesbian button that apparently guys so love to see). Then of course there was Heidi on Tim Allen's Tool Time, she of the shorts up to her butt. And was Dukes of Hazzard - the series - be as popular without Daisy of the cleavage and the short shorts?)
Giada Rhymes with Giardia: Both are Dirty

Guess what my husband's afternoon plans were? What? Take the kids to swimming after a rough, emotional draining week for me you say?

Uh, no.

He plans to stand in line at his hated Costco to see this tomato slut in Issaquah:

[Source: Esquire - photo not shown]

Seriously? Seriously.

My thoughts?

She is an embarassment to the chef profession. If this is the only way you can sell cookbooks, you aren't far from the oldest profession in the world. Besides, can we say airbrushed to the extreme??

Source: Esquire [photo not shown]

My husband also has a thing for Rachel Ray. In my search to show him how dirty Giardia is which I am sure he already knew, we came across these:

Source: Bumpshack.com [photo not shown]

How pathetic. Now I know why he has had a thing for Rachel in years. I thought he was over it when he tweeted this recently:

Source: CG's Twitter [photo not shown]

Do you see Tom Colicchio, or Wolgang Puck, or even hot little Jamie Oliver selling their bodies for exposure?

Source: Wolfgnards [photo not shown]

Um, no. Tom would not approve me thinks.

Her behavior is just demeaning to women who have worked hard to be taken seriously. Sadly, Tom's co-host Padma also has fallen under the pressure to be exploited

Source: Wolfgnards. [photo not shown]

Even worse?

Source: Only Knives [photo not shown]

It seems Giardia's time is so precious that "The author will sign up to two books per person; due to the number of attendees and time constraints, de Laurentiis will not write personalized messages in the books."

Well, aren't we miss thing. Buy my books and I will deign to sign them with the least amount of effort possible after you stand in line for hours to look at my boobs.

I might have seemed adamant in my insistance she was a less than desirable person to buy a $20 cookbook from just to get an autograph.

CG asked for clarification if I would be mad if he went. He asked me if I was telling him he couldn't go.

I told him to do what he thought was the right thing. Make the best decision....

He's in his office now sulking.

Thoughts?

RECENT POSTS:
--A Conservative Mother & Gun Control? Get Out!
--Whining About Wine
--Boys Scouts, The Great Outdoors, and... Video Games?
--Boobcakes or Boobquakes: It's all for a Good Cause

___________________
Ms. Cairo writes three blogs of her own:
Topical Murder and Dated Death
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters

Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha (lifestyle and culture, parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha, by Stesha Sims

WEB ADDRESS: http://hotchocolatecaramelmocha.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Married mom of 7, puts a funny spin on life, love, marriage, and parenting with daily doses of random shots of chocolate. 1/2 Mommyblogger. 1/2 Hot Chocolate Caramel Mocha.

MY REVIEW: Moms will probably like this blog. Lots of photos, just a little bit of text, but of the interesting variety that moms will like. (Can you tell I'm not a mom?)

It's worth checking out.

Sample post - one with more text than usual

We Hate Laundry
Posted on May 1st, 2010 in daily mocha
Well. I’ve totally slacked on my Project iPhoto 365 photos. It isn’t my fault. My iPhone charger won’t charge my phone. Which means it’s broken. Again. I love all things Apple….but this is simply a joke. In the last 3 months I’ve bought 3 chargers. Do you know how much money that is, people? LOTS. Steve Jobs I’m looking at you. And I’m not smiling, my black turtleneck wearing friend.

In other news.

So. I have a website that I’m about to launch any day now – We Hate Laundry. It’s basically a coalition of like-minded people who hate laundry. It should be a fun website. The design will be completed shortly,and then we can do some serious laundry hating. Do you hate laundry? You can join us on Twitter and Facebook. If you really hate laundry, tell us why and submit a photo.

Finally. That’s all I have for you today. Whoring out my website under the disguise of complaining about my broken iPhone charger. But you knew that already. That’s why I like you.

RECENT POSTS:
--We Hate Laundry
--Project iPhoto 365: 32/365- Little Fingers
--Home Alone
--Project iPhoto 365: 31/365 – Rooftop Gardening
--Project iPhoto 365: 30/365 – Late Night Blogging

___________________
Ms. Cairo writes two blogs of her own:
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters

Woo! Jr. Kids Activities Network (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: No, unsuitable for Kindle

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Woo! Jr. Kids Activities Network, by Wendy Piersall

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: 5 blogs providing coloring pages, educational activities, and other fun stuff for kids. Themes include animals, popular cartoons, fantasy, space, and kids crafts.

MY REVIEW: This is a fun little blog (well, actually it's a big blog), that has dozens of things parents or caregivers can print out for little children - bubble letters, coloring sheets, etc. Which is why it's unsuitable for the Kindle. The only way to be able to download this material is to get it from the actual website.

I suppose you could subscribe to it via the Kindle so that you can see what's on offer daily, and then if you find something of interest you can then go to the website to print it out...

RECENT ARTICLES:
--Lowercase bubble letters
--Learning colors worksheets for preschoolers
--May Day coloring pages
--Printable May Day baskets
___________________
Ms. Cairo writes two blogs of her own:
Winged Victory: Women in Aviation
Volcano Seven: Treasure and Treasure Hunters

2 and a Half (parenting)

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: 2 and a Half, by John Duke

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.2andahalf.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: 2 and a half is all about the fun and crazy world of raising two wonderful little girls - from a dad's perspective. The blog got its name based on when it was founded - one daugther was 2 1/2 years old and other 2 1/2 months old. The goal is humor but also to provide parenting perspective and to reassure other parents that everyone goes through this stuff! Enjoy!

MY REVIEW: This is a first rate parenthood tales blog. Anyone who has raised children, has any sense of humor, and has lived to tell about it can relate.

It is not cutesy, it does not go into unnecessary details. What is does is relate true stories that are so funny – after it is all over, you have recovered the pieces, realized that everyone is still alive and no animals were seriously hurt. You are in this together, even at those times when ask yourself, "This was the plan?" (Of course, I can see a lot more humor here as an empty nester!)

It is a pleasure to review a well written honest blog, that tells life like it is, with a sense of humor.

Sample post:

First piece of gum
Your first piece of gum is a big deal. It's a rite of passage of sorts, or so it seems.

For her 4th birthday Audrey got to chew her first piece - I believe it was Wrigley's Spearmint but am not sure. It wasn't a full piece, just half. And she chewed it so long that I'm sure she must have forgotten that gum doesn't dissolve like candy does. Clearly her her goal was two-fold: to show everyone she was chewing gum and to savor the experience of growing up. Another milestone achieved. By the time she deposited the tasteless rubbery glob into the trash it was bed time.

I've been trying to lay the groundwork to restrict gum-chewing on a regular basis - after all, stepping onto a glob of the stuff or finding some underneath the table is supposed to happen at places like carnivals and baseball games and parks, only. I don't want it to happen in our household. Nor do I want to find it embedded in rugs or couches. She chewed another piece today which means so far I've failed to restrict usage - right now I can only hope she'll be responsible about it.

That's the pleasure and the plight of being a parent - watching your kids revel in new opportunities and privileges, and worrying about what they will bring.

RECENT ARTICLES:
- Happy Valentine’s Day
- When it gets quiet
- Jewelry
- 30 Degree Burns
- Boats and livestock

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

Makes Me Wanna Holler - Man, Dad and Husband (Lifestyle, African American)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Makes Me Wanna Holler - Mom, Dad and Husband , published by Eric Payne

WEB ADDRESS: http://makesmewannaholler.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: The evolution of a family man in NYC and all the joy, pain and insanity that comes with the love affair I have with my wife, my thirteen year-old boy who's growing out of control and eating me out of house and home, and my three year-old evil-genius princess intent on having her way at all costs. It's all about living life from the father/husband lane (and laughing a lot) --- one day at a time.

MY REVIEW: Another blog that I enjoyed reading, for all that it isn't really my cup of tea. I have no kids (and find life so much easier that way).

But it's a joy to read the writings of parents - in particular dads, who get so little credit sometimes for what they bring to a child's life - who so obviously love their kids, and bring them up right.

This is another blog that all parents will enjoy reading, and maybe even kids, too, who want to see just what parents go through to bring them up.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS

I'm typically very cool under pressure. However the one thing I cannot endure is my child not being able to get a full breath of air. I get angry quickly and begin to bark. Why? Because I've had bronchitis more than once as an adult and unless you've actually felt what's it's like to not be able to bring air into your lungs, you can't relate. I can call 911, I can tell someone or write out (to conserve air) what's wrong. My daughter, nor any child for that matter cannot. And for this reason I hate cigarette smoke, cat dander and anything else that can trigger such a thing as if they were the Devil themselves. What made matters worse, is we were out of medicine and I had overlooked refilling the prescription because it's almost been a year since her last episode.

Tuesday night I didn't sleep. I sat in her room on my iPod Touch, surfing the Net and watching the rise and fall of her chest, regulating the heat and the humidifier in her room, sitting her upright if she coughed, patting her back and rocking her (as my dad did me) back to sleep when she awakened from the discomfort of it all. At sunrise I picked up her prescription, her symptoms subsided and somehow I made it through the day with no sleep, a bit of personally disappointing news and the threat of the snowstorm of life being flashed on every channel on television.

Yesterday afternoon I took her to a park in my neighborhood where, armored from head to toe looking like a pink Stormtrooper (or pink mercenary), she pelted me with little snowballs, chased her grandfather at 1 mile per hour and made snow angels, laughing through all of it the whole time. I had to literally pick her up off the ground to get her to leave.

When I dropped my daughter off at pre-school this morning, my heart swelled as it does every morning. I lose a piece of me every time I part ways with her. But I don't own her. Despite all of what I described above she is NOT my human. She is my child and what I own is the responsibility of raising her and her brother, who currently believes he is God's gift to women and football, (Update: he managed to pull up all of his grades to a modestly respectable level for his 2nd quarter of high school. Now his challenge to to continue to pull them up even higher), protecting them and teaching them as much as I can until they leave the nest.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Touching Robes (musing on ambitions past and present) (Feb 24, 2010)
-The Winners - The Soldier of Love CD (Feb 23, 2010)
-I (Didn't) Invented Sex - (talking to his son about music) (Feb 18, 2010)
-Make it wearable (comment on custom t-shirts) (Feb 16, 2010)
-Will it be Yours? (Valentine's Day) (Feb 14, 2010)

Mocha Dad (lifestyle, African-American)

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Mocha Dad, published by Frederick J. Goodall

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

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Learning how to be a better father one day at a time.

MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed this blog. Mr. Goodall writes well, has a sense of humor, and so clearly loves his children. It helps that he also seems to have some pretty cute kids - well brought up and so well-behaved. These are stories that every Dad will enjoy reading. It's fun to see how much fun dads can have with their kids. I think moms, dads and even kids will enjoy this blog, and learn from it, too.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPHS

Rocking the Vote

Since my daughter, Nee, has been at her new school, she has really blossomed. I give most of the credit to her teacher, Mrs. Scott.

Mrs. Scott was the first teacher who has really nurtured Nee and pushed her out of her comfort zone. Under Mrs. Scott’s tutelage, Nee has done things that take courage, confidence, and determination.

I was shocked when she informed me that she had decided to run for Student Council. My eyes glazed over as “Hail to The Chief” started playing in my head.

“Don’t get all excited, Dad,” she said. “I’m only doing it because my teacher made me.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

The world would be a better place if all politicians were so adorable.

“She said that I was lazy if I didn’t fill out the nomination form,” she said. “And I don’t want her to think I’m lazy.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked. “Being on the student council is a lot of responsibility.”

“What will I have to do?” she asked.

“You’ll be the voice for your classmates,” my wife, KayEm, explained. “You’ll help to make your school a better place.”

Nee thought about it for a while and then agreed to proceed. As a former student council member, her decision made me very happy.

RECENT ARTICLES:
-Rocking the Vote (Dad and his daughter, student council)
-Old School Hip Hop Meets New School Toddler (Dad and young son learning to dance)
-Freeway of Love (Dad and young son's love of cars)
-The Ultimate Player (checkers with 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter)
-25 Romantic Ideas For Men From Women

Freaky Frugalite

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: NO

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Freaky Frugalite

WEB ADDRESS: www.freakyfrugalite.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Views, reviews, trends, and loads of crazy mom stuff and stories.

OUR REVIEW: I want to say that this blog has a religious bent, which I think it does since the first post I read contained 2 bible verses. The blogger has a neat feature at the end at each post where there are links to older related posts. However, on a Kindle these links are not accessible.


THE GOOD: The blog is updated frequently.


THE BAD: There is no rhyme nor reason to its randomness. It rambles . . . to a point where I feel like I am the only one in the room to have indulged in too many adult beverages, and everyone else suffers from ADD. The conversation (topics) range from aide to Haiti to earphones to new rules for credit card companies to unconcious mutterings. Stop the train I want to get off. The blog is posted to frequently, but I cannot recommend it. It is described as “crazy mom stuff”. True, my girls say I’m crazy but I don’t fit this category.

RECENT ARTICLES:

• Beware the twitter phishing scam
• World's crappiest mouse
• WFW: Priorities
• Haiti Charity Fail
• Would someone please turn off the world

________________________

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