I don't have much to say about this except Please tell your daughters--and sons for that matter-- that they are beautiful as they are.
Kids are mean and growing pains hurt, but this is more damaging than cathartic.
I recently read an article about girls as young as 8 going to spas with their moms, not just for a fun little mani-pedi, but for bikini waxes. No, you're not forgetting anything, there's literally no need to wax at that age. If dramatic and expensive spa treatments start at 8, it's no wonder that breast implants are given as Sweet Sixteen presents.
I don't have much to say about this except Please tell your daughters--and sons for that matter-- that they are beautiful as they are. Kids are mean and growing pains hurt, but this is more damaging than cathartic.
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My baby is two! How did this happen? To make things worse, he got a somewhat drastic haircut a couple days ago and now all his baby curls are gone. He looks absoultely adorable, but like an adorable boy, not an adorable baby.
He's always been a big guy (starting with a 9lb 12oz birth weight!), but his chubby cheeks and dimple smile always kept him looking like a baby. Now, not so much. He's running around in big boy pants as I write (risky, I know, as I should be running behind him with a bucket or towel of some sort). Pretty soon he'll be packing the car for college... In the meantime, is it time for another? Baby, that is. I'm not in love with the idea of gaining 30 pounds (which before I actually was in love with), or being uncomfortable, or of 3 (ok, 18) months of sporadic sleep, but I am in love with the idea of kids. So how do you know when to stop? I mean, at some point I will need to stop. Financial impracticality and spousal disagreement aside, I don't want 10 kids, but I could do 3...or 4? I think it's all about the stage you're in. 5 years ago my uterus would do backflips at the site of a newborn. Now, although I love the site and smell and feel of an infant, I like the 2-4 ages much more. But I think that's because that's what I'm enjoying right now. In a few years, I'll look back at terrible two's as just that, and love the curiosity and maturity of the 6-8 year old phase. Right? Or will I forever want little kids? Pregnancy is one of those yes or no kind of things; either you are or you aren't. Like being dead only, like, the opposite. But determining if you are or are not pregnant can be pretty hard.
One friend has always said that she thinks your big toe should turn blue if you're pregnant. Not like too-tight-heels blue, like smurf blue. That would take all confusion away, and eliminate the need to pee on a stick, have anxiety for 60-90 seconds, then try to match the picture on the instructions with the tiny results window. Soon (read: immediately) after we decided to stop not trying, I started to feel funny. Seasick actually. (That's the closest description of morning sickness that I have been able to think of.) The only test I had in the house was from the dollar store. Don't laugh, they work. And if you're going to take five tests in a row, make one or two namebrands and the rest dollar store. Use the other $20 to start a fund for baby- those things are damn expensive (the tests, not the baby), haha. Anyway, I took the dollar store test. I thought I saw a very light pink line, but I wasn't really sure. It was almost like a photo negative- like the absence of a line in the exact right spot. Ok, that makes no sense unless you've seen it. But that's what I'm talking about-- it's so confusing! And in your state of excitement/terror, your vision is all but clear. But clear enough to notice if your big toe was bright blue. What were your pregnancy test experiences like? Who was the first person you told? This is the story of an 8-year-old boy who is continually searched and questioned each time he attempts to fly. He shares his name with a terrorism suspect and therefore, is subject to these searches.
As the mother of a child who recently responded to the question, "What's your mommy's name?" by answering "Mommy," I doubt this questioning does much more than terrify the kid. I am ALL for security-- even if that means long lines and hassling restrictions-- but this quote pretty much sums it up, "Certainly, Mikey’s date of birth, less than a month before 9/11, should prevent him from being mistaken as a terrorist." I'm well aware that terrorists come in all ages, shapes, sizes, and nationalities; and that there are crazy horrible parents out there who use their children for unconscionable means, but can't they add a little note to the file? Something to the tune of, "Not wearing a SpongeBob t-shirt" or " Not the blonde kid we've been patting down since his first trip to Disney"? A little common sense could go a long way here. After a bath (for them), and a story (for them), and a drink of water (for them), and a trip to the potty (for them), and cuddly blankets (for them), it's Mommy Time!
Ahhh, Sleepytime Tea. I'm not a big tea drinker, but there's something about this one that does the trick. Sometimes it's paired with my laptop, sometimes with a book, sometimes with Tivo, sometimes with my hubby, sometimes it's traded in for wine, but everyone needs some way to wind down after a long long day of mommyhood. So you've got your bedtime ritual for your kids down to a science (or, well, as much of a science as the inconsistency of a child can be), but what about you? Do you have a favorite wind-down drink? Take the mile-long mommy-route upstairs? Or drop into bed dead tired, as soon as possible? Sooner or later, we really do all turn into our mothers...it's only a matter of time.
Even Hollywood can't change that: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/the-thread/morphing-into-mom-hollywood-style-562553#photoViewer=1 There are many special guests scheduled for the 40th anniversary season of Sesame Street. Cameron Diaz learning about habitats, Greg Kinnear teaching about machines, Kobe Bryant muppetized in a lesson about size...ok, that one sounds odd. But this season is filled with guests.
This is a guest skit that caught my, umm, ear. I'm Yours is one of my favorite songs, and Outdoors is a close contender! And hopefully they can still run this clip next year, unlike the one featuring Chris Brown and Elmo street dancing which, I'm pretty sure, has been deleted from Sesame's rerun pile... Reading The Lovely Bones was a completely different experience 5 years ago than it is now that I have precious little babies. I literally stopped reading and got out of bed to check on them last night.
I hate to admit this, because I heard it from my mom a couple times during some teenage "I'll-be-fine-just-let-me-go" encounters, and from other friends who were parents before me, but parenthood gives you a completely different perspective. I now worry not only about the safety of myself, but my kids also. Back when I read the book the first time, I think I considered myself as the little girl, Suzie, even though she was only 14. This time, I identify with her parents and the horror of losing a child. Even in less morbid cases, it's so true that we become "parents"-- even if not duplicates of our own parents-- much easier and faster than we expect. Have you ever listened in disbelief as your own words echoed back through your head? Did I really just say that? I sound like my mother! I'm going to keep reading, mainly because the movie looks amazing and I want to reread the book before I see it, but also as a lesson to myself: Maybe our parents did know what they were talking about...in a couple instances, at least. Apparently there seems to be a link between fertility and bad hair. Although I'm usually against ridiculous studies, this one needs some research, stat. Both Michelle Duggar and Kate Gosselin are known for their large families and inexplicable hairstyle choices. As the Duggar's claim to be self-sufficient and debt-free; and the Gosselins get everything for free, in addition to being paid ridiculous amounts per episode, we can't blame it on lack of money. Well now they've each done something about it, but only one of the changes is really for the better. Michelle has updated her hair. It's not great, but it's a vast improvement. She toned down the poof, and swept her bangs to the side. It also looks like she's been tanning, but we'll save that for another day. 19 kids later, good for her. On the other hand, Kate "Clean Slate" Gosselin, as she is tragically referring to herself these days, just took her trademark hair and added a huge hairpiece to the back of it. I suppose any departure from the spikey, long-bang thing she had going on since the sextuplets birth, is good, but it looks badly blended, badly colored, and, well, bad. These moms were overdue- are you? If not a haircut, don't forget to take a moment to care for yourself-- inside and out-- while you're caring for your family. I'm not exactly a hair guru, heck, there're days that I don't even brush mine, so what do you think? 1.9.10 Update:
7,000 what? Dollars?! http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/kate-gosselins-new-hair-extensions-reportedly-cost-7-000-564143/ I love crafting a cool birthday cake as much as the next parent, but this is a little excessive for every day to me.
But, if my earlier claim is true, and food really is a representation of love, then this dad takes the cake, or rather the overworked artistic lunch... http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=9481052 |
AuthorWith a love of children and a passion for reading and writing, Kelly decided to share her experiences with others through the pages of the Crib Notes book and site. Join me on Influenster: www.influenster.com/r/1290177J
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