Countdown to 40: Dear 39 year-old body, we need to talk

Dear 39 year-old body,

As we only have a few more days together, I wanted to air out a few grievances. To lay the cards on the table, if you will. I want you to know that I originally started out this letter by attacking you. Condemning you for the way you looked and the way you felt. I had the whole 'It's you, it's not me" dissertation outlined in my head. I was going to ask you why you felt like you had to torture me all the time with the shear lack of energy.

Why you felt it necessary to leave me with saggy boobs, thunder thighs and bowl full of jelly where my stomach used to be.  I was going to tell you how much I wanted to have you replaced with the 29 year-old version of you if funding were available to do so. And how disappointed I was in you that we still couldn't fit into that little black dress hanging in the closet since 2007. Or the pre-pregnancy pencil skirts that I so hopefully hold on to.

I was going to tell you that you better get it together because if we were going to live a long happy life together, we couldn't continue on with theses shenanigans for much longer. And I wouldn’t have taken any responsibility for what I’d done to you. Nope. None.

But then I realized that it was never your fault.

Looking back now, I realize how terribly I abused you both physically and verbally. And yet, you stood by me.  You never gave up on me even when there were many times you had every right to.

I forced you to carry around all that extra weight and then blamed you for hanging on to it in the first place. I kept you up until all hours of the night, so many times without allowing you to properly recover before doing it again. I didn't listen to you when you told me not to have that extra glass of wine or that extra slice of pizza for that matter. I have cursed you for being so big and flabby when it was me who decided to skip the gym. I have called you ugly and fat and wished you were someone else's body. I ignored your pleas for outdoor activities and made you endure hours of Desperate Housewives.

You were strong for me and carried the most perfect child in the world without much protest. You never gave up when more and more demands were placed on you, stepping up to the plate with each and every expectation. You healed quickly and never complained after being turned inside out and then put back again.

You have fought to keep me safe and healthy despite my attempts at defeating you.

For everything that I have done to you, I cannot blame you for taking revenge on me. I'm learning to appreciate you more and more each year. The thing is, you see, I just don't want to make the same mistakes when the 40 year-old version of you walks in the door next week. So, we need to make some promises to each other if this relationship going to work.  So, I promise:

• We're going to sleep when we're tired. You're right - keeping us up late to watch that final Lost makes no sense when there is such thing as a DVR. 

• I'll try to eat more vegetables. That’s how much I love you.

• I'll take you out more to visit the gym. I know I keep teasing you with short bouts of routine exercise only to quit as we start to see results. But, I promise I’ll get back to a regular routine if you’ll promise to give me back my energy.

• I'll stop calling you ugly, fat and flabby and refrain from threatening to have parts of you remodeled. 

• I will no longer fill the void with poison containing diet drinks. It's either the real stuff or nothing.

• I promise to drink more water. I know I have been ignoring your warnings with the kidney stones and all.

• I promise to try to listen to you more, now that we’re a little older.

It's a work in progress, as are you. Thanks for always being there for me over the last 39 years – and thank you for the amazing child you have given me.  We've been through a lot together, and I can't wait to see what the 40 year-old you will accomplish.

– Shari

The beginning of my 40th birthday odyssey

To borrow a word from one of my favorite bloggy mamas, I've been a little slackity on the blog lately.  It's been slightly crazy at the House of Sippy, yet again. We've all been trying to get over a seriously unruly bug. I've been trying to enter the job market again, and just about all the energy is being sucked out of me lately running after the little man.

And then, my fantastic husband kicked my ass with a surprise party last saturday.

I had never had a surprise party before in all of my 40 years, so this was pretty exciting. And since my actual birthday isn't for another 5 days, I was caught completely off guard and totally speechless. I might even have cried a little. I mean, he even had family fly in from out of state to catch my jaw when it hit the floor.

Yes, the hubster can sometimes pull one off, and this time, he was nothing short of amazing. To walk into a room full of all these people who love me and were there to celebrate me was about the best gift I could have ever received.

However, having a surprise party for my 40th birthday made me realize a few things:

• The morning after drinking a few sips out of something called the "Scorpion Bowl" is just not as easy as it was 10 years ago. (and BTW where did those 10 years go?)

• You probably shouldn't be signing in front of people that aren't directly related to you unless you are being paid thousands of dollars to do so. No matter how good of an idea Karaoke sounds after that second Scorpion Bowl.

• You need a really good concealer–and not just for the morning after the Scorpion Bowl.

• You need to hire a professional photographer to only capture "your good side" and ban all other cameras from the vacinity. And that includes security.

• One month before your birthday, make sure you dress up in your cutest outfits no matter what mundane task you may be performing. That way when you walk into a room full of people yelling surprise – you'll at least have a great outfit on, even when the mascara is running down your face.

• You truly find out who your real friends are.

Wow. What a weekend. I'm still completely exhausted. And if this is any window into what my forties are going to be like, I'm in trouble. Big trouble. I cannot believe that the hubster totally pulled of the most amazing surprise for me. And from what I've heard, the next month of my "Birthday Odyssey" is going to be a blast. It's a good thing I got that concealer. Stay tuned!

Caution - The mom will be "offed" in the first 10 minutes. Please fast forward.

Opening Scene:
Two loving parents-to-be commence in a joyous banter revolving around their excitement of becoming parents and the shear happiness their impending children will bring them.  Two minutes later the mother-to-be and her unborn children are wiped out in a horrific tragedy.  Leaving the father alone to raise his only son. No, it's not the latest blockbuster movie. It's Finding Freakin' Nemo.

Way to set the stage for my toddler's nightmares tonight. Thanks Disney.

Apparently the tragedy, violence and systematic "mom offing" in these so-called kiddo movies isn't any new revelation. But I had no idea. As I sat paralyzed with my little guy watching this tragic story unfold I couldn't believe this little fish flick was on the recommended movie list for 2-4 year olds. I was dumbfounded.

When I told my girlfriends about my movie mortification, they all laughed and shook their heads, giving me a look like I had just discovered my belly button. You know, that "aww, how cute" kinda look? However, I felt like I had just discovered a hole in the universe and needed to alert the media.  But my brigade of "been-there-done-that" moms quickly flattened my enthusiasm with their sage insight. "They're all like that" one friend had told me, "You just have to fast-forward through some parts".

Wow, really? Everyone knows this? Does every first-time parent come to this revelation and then just "fast-forwards"? I mean, everyone knows that Bambi is pretty graphic.  I remember that growing up – kids being carried out of the theater screaming hysterically. I guess I just assumed that was the exception and not the rule. Not having been exposed to babies or other small children before becoming a mom, I mistakenly thought all kiddo movies were filled with puppy dogs and rainbows. In reality, in the kiddo movie, the puppy gets taken out back and shot.

While gaining no support for my concerns by the "been-there-done-that" brigade, I decided to do a little research online. Did you know there are "reasons" for the number of missing and dead parents in Disney films? Yeah, here they are:


This is sometimes due to the nature of the source material on which the films were based – orphaned children are a common theme in fairy tales, allowing children to have adventures and develop the traits of self-reliance and bravery without the comfort (or hindrance) of parental/authority figures. A few Disney films show the actual death of a parent as an emotional plot device – Bambi and The Lion King (a retelling of Hamlet) both use this technique. Occasionally the parents' death, while not shown onscreen, is thematically relevant to the movie (Lilo and Stitch, The Sword in the Stone). At other times, it is necessary to the main character's initial situation of hardship (Jungle Book, Snow White, Cinderella, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame).

Some people might disagree with me, but I feel like the world is filled with enough "situations of hardship" already. Before we know it our kiddos will be faced will all kinds of tough situations. Do they really have to be exposed to these things so early on? Can't they just be kids and believe that the world is made up of sugar plums and gum drops?

At the end of the day I do have a choice in what the kiddo watches. I just wish there was some type of warning like: "Caution, the mother in this film is violently killed off in the first 10 minutes. Please fast forward".

Everyone at Stonyfield is my total BFF! YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals review and giveaway

***This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!**

About a month ago I had reached out to Stonyfield to see what I could do to help promote their products. I love Stonyfield and I want everyone I know to love them as well.  Yeah, yeah, I know its just yogurt – but the reason I love Stonyfield runs a little deeper than their seriously yumtastic blueberry yogurt. Not only does this company care about the people who buy their products, they also care about the people supplying the ingredients to make their products. In fact, the company was founded on making a difference for family farms and sustaining the land they farm. It isn’t just a tab on their website that talks about how they “give back” or a division of the company focusing on ways to “go green”.  No, it's their mission. And I know its a little bit stalker-ish, but I kinda feel like everyone at Stonyfield is my total BFF.

So when one of my BFF’s at Stonyfield  suggested I try the YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals (they actually hide veggies in there – plus yogurt and fruit – sneaky, sneaky) I was nothing short of thrilled to do so. A few days later, in my mailbox, I had a hand written note and a couple of coupons to try all 3 varieties; apple & sweet potato, pear & green beans (can you believe it? Green freakin beans!) and peach & squash.  The only problem was, there wasn’t a store within a 50-mile radius of me that carried the meals. I was pretty bummed since I was all high on the fact that I was going to pull one over on the kiddo and get him to eat a green bean.

But, now here comes the part where I totally prove that everyone at Stonyfield is my BFF. I sent a quick note over to let them know that I couldn’t find the meals anywhere and that I was completely disappointed. Well, you know what they did? They over-nighted me the product! No really. There was a box of ice-cold YoBaby meals sitting on my front doorstep by 10am the next day. Okay, well maybe it was a few days later, but seriously, they bent over backwards to make sure I could sample the YoBaby meals. How awesome is that?  As a consumer, it feels really good to be handing over my hard earned nickels to a company who will go the extra mile for you. And as a mom, it feels even better knowing I'm giving my kiddo the very best organic products I can get.  And BTW, the K man loved them. He had no clue I was pulling a fast one on him. We even shared a few with his little friends, and they loved them too. Silly little monkey's thinking they are only eating yogurt!

Well, it gets even better. I have the awesome pleasure of being able to pass on this organic goodness to one of my fabulous readers. The K man loved these meals (and I loved that he ate veggies even if he didn't know it) and I know your baby or toddler will love them as much he did.  One lucky reader will win this awesome pack:

1 Yobaby tote bag 

1 Yobaby travel bowl with lid 

1 Yobaby organic cotton bib 

1 Eric Carle growth chart 

3 free Yobaby Meals coupons

EASY PEASY ENTRY: To make this a simple as possible all you have to do is visit Stonyfield and let me know what product you either love or can't wait to try.  Thats it! If you want additional chances to win, you can do any of the optional entries.

OPTIONAL ENTRIES: You can do any combination of the following things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do!

• Become a fan of Stonyfield on Facebook (be sure to leave me a comment with your user name) - 1 entry
• Follow Stonyfield on Twitter (be sure to leave me a comment with your user name) - 1 entry 
• Vote for Tales from the sippy cup on Top Mommy Blogs (simply click on the button on the sidebar) and make sure you leave me a comment to tell me that you voted! – 1 entry

Of course there are rules: Giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Friday, June 4th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted.- Contest open to U.S. residents only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner must have valid email address (please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private) will have 72 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

WE HAVE A WINNER  - TAYLORSBAGLES. AN EMAIL HAS BEEN SENT.

Disclosure:  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  I was provided with product from Stonyfield for my review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by the providing company in any way (other than their total awesomeness).  If you have any questions about this review, please contact me via email at talesfromthesippycup (at) Yahoo (dot) com

Sleepless Nights, Snotty Days and Horton at the House of Sippy

Things have been a little crazy around the house of Sippy lately. Whatever airborne ailment that hitched a ride back with us from Phoenix has been relentless and refuses to let go of me and the K man. I'm hoping that we are at the tail end of the nastiness, because quite frankly, I'm just sick of being sick. And the shear helplessness that you have to endure watching your child struggle to breath is incredibly frustrating. Thank god we never gave away the infant swing, because at times like these, its nothing short of a life saver. (I know, the pediatrician was surprised he still used it as well).

And to compliment this situation, apparently the 3-hour nap fairy has been on vacation and failed to inform me that her sister, 1-hour nap, would be filling in for an undisclosed amount of time. I have to tell you, I am not thrilled with 1-hour nap.  Her work ethic isn’t up to par with what I am accustomed to. Sometimes, she doesn’t even bother to show up.  Other days, she saunters on in late in the afternoon completely unannounced. 

It's also very conspicuous that the 3-hour nap vanished pretty much at the moment I had publicly made a comment at how fantastic of a sleeper the little man has been since day one and how lucky we were that we didn't even have to "sleep train" or go through the frustration of "crying it out". Yeah, note to self: Karma doesn't like it when you bring it to her attention that she's been slacking off and will make adjustments accordingly. Just keep your mouth shut and nod in agreement.

So, mix in one part sick kiddo, one part sick mom and a lack of sleep all around and it makes for a very messy concoction. This past week I haven't even had the opportunity to enjoy some of my favorite hobbies, such as doing the dishes, laundry or even housework. Much less that creative outlet that some might even call indulgent, "making dinner".  It's very hard to accomplish anything with a little being tugging on your leg or wanting to sit in your lap at all times.

I have, however, sat through about 20 movies in the past week. Well, maybe not 20 different movies, but 20 movies none-the-less. I don't know why the little man is so enthralled with "Horton Hears a Who" but he loves it. He wants to watch it over and over again.  And I guess as long as he is happy and forgets about how miserable he feels for 86 minutes, I'm happy too. But, seriously, on the 15th time through "Horton Hears a Who" I'm desperately hoping that everyone in my world actually does become ponies, eats rainbows and poops butterflies.  Just to mix things up a bit.

Today seems like a better day. Less coughing, nose spewing and leg tugging. So maybe, just maybe I can actually put some makeup on and manage my hair into some sort of presentable up-do. One that doesn't require a hat would be preferable. I'm sure the hubs would like to see that as well.

So hopefully we are finally on the road to wellness. Being sick sucks. I'm totally over it.

Freschetta Pizza Review and Giveaway

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sitting in bed right now writing this post and feeling like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving. Maybe I shouldn't have had that last piece of pizza. Maybe I should have shown a little restraint. Yeah, well, that's not my strong suit. Especially when it comes to pizza. I think I could eat pizza until I burst. So when the fantastic people at Freschetta offered to send me some coupons to sample their newest creations in culinary contentment, I really had to think that one over...for about 10 seconds.

I wasn't able to find the new Flatbread pizza in my area, so I opted for a Pepperoni Naturally Rising pizza, as well as the Brick Oven version. Tonight we thought we would pop in the Naturally Rising pizza and give it a whirl. Being the pizza aficionados that we are, this little frozen pizza had a lot to live up to. Seriously, we seek out the best hole in wall pizza joints in Chicago and New York every chance we get.

Obviously by now you realized that it didn't suck. This pizza was really good. And to quote my husband about 10 times through the whole pizza gobbling experience, "This is the best pizza I have ever had in my whole life". No seriously, that's what he said. Like 10 times. You can ask him. It was annoying.

The sauce was delicious (a little sweet) and the dough was like fresh baked bread. For a frozen pizza, this was really good. About as close to fresh baked hole in the wall pizza as you can possibly get. I know we will be "test-driving" more of the over 15 varieties of Freschetta pizzas in the near future.

Want to indulge in some pizza perfection yourself? Right now, you can go online and get a coupon for $1 off your next Freschetta pizza.

And if that's not awesome enough, I also have a chance for 2 lucky readers to enjoy a FREE pizza as well. And since these coupons expire on 5/31/10, this will be quick one. I will also give 1 person a chance to "instantly" win via Twitter, so follow me @sippycuptales if you don't already! Here are the details:

Freschetta FlatBread

EASY PEASY ENTRY: To make this a simple as possible all you have to do is let me know who in your family is the "Pizza Fiend" and which variety of Freschetta pizza you want to try.  Thats it! If you want additional chances to win, you can do any of the optional entries.

OPTIONAL ENTRIES: You can do any combination of the following things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do!

• Become a fan of Freschetta on Facebook (be sure to leave me a comment with your user name) - 1 entry
• Follow Freschetta on Twitter (be sure to leave me a comment with your user name) - 1 entry 
• Vote for Tales from the sippy cup on Top Mommy Blogs (simply click on the button on the sidebar) and make sure you leave me a comment to tell me that you voted! – 1 entry

Of course there are rules: Giveaway will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, May 20th, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted.- Contest open to U.S. residents only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner must have valid email address (please leave a valid email in the comments if your Blogger profile is private) will have 72 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!

I'm the TMC Featured Blogger at Theta Mom Today!!

When Heather at Theta Mom asked me if I would be interested in being her featured blogger this week, I thought to myself, are you kidding?  Would I be interested in being featured on the most amazing site, completely dedicated to fostering community among women, while inspiring and supporting each other? Hmmm...Let me think about that one for a minute... Come on, that’s like asking a 5 year-old if he wants to go to Disneyland for the day. I’m sorry, I wouldn’t be interested – I’d be honored!

So today is my day as the TMC Featured Blogger! YAY!! I’m so excited to be part of this community of very talented, creative and inspiring women bloggers. Through Heather and the TMC, I have learned a great deal, met some absolutely fantastic people (you know who you are) and obtained the support I was looking for when I set out on my journey into the unknown.

For those who are visiting me for the first time welcome! I'm thrilled you stopped by. Here is a little nibble of who I am:

In October of 2009, I had reluctantly left my job as a marketing professional to take care of my kiddo full-time. It was probably one of the most difficult decisions I had made. One that required wine and more wine, and maybe a little chocolate.  I had never envisioned myself as the "June Cleaver type" so staying home full-time was a scary thought. But the health and well-being of the little man won out over the career.

After a few months in my new role, I realized that my world had taken an incredible left turn. The path I was previously on was now nowhere in sight and the road ahead of me was frightfully unfamiliar territory. Becoming a stay-at-home-mom was definitely harder than anyone ever had led on.

I barely had time to put on clean clothes or brush my teeth and it hadn't even occurred to me that using the bathroom alone was a simple luxury I would soon grow to miss. I also never thought I would obsess over sippy cups or know how to suck gooey snot out of a wiggling child's nose with the type of precision only a week of intense, dedicated Olympic-style snot extraction could produce. I never thought the words "hold still so I can clean your butt" would be a daily mantra, or that I would ever come into contact with the shear amount of poop that I have had the distinguished opportunity to dispose of in the last year and a half.

Yes, becoming a stay-at-home mom was clearly going to be an adjustment. It was perplexing, and slightly strange not having a deadline or project to work on. And the only all-day meetings I would now be having were one-way conversations with a one-year-old held on the living room floor, accompanied by Brobee, Tootie and DJ Lance Rock.

I wondered how all those recently showered, perfectly styled, pulled together fashionista mamas managed to pull it all off.  Looking down at my chipped and neglected pedicure, I thought there just had to be other moms like me out there running around with fuzzy teeth and unruly hair.

Tales from the Sippy Cup was created in an attempt to find some much needed therapy, as well as an outlet to tell my story and reach out to other moms and hear their stories.  Through blogging, I have become connected to an amazing group of supportive women who are smart, creative and always inspirational.

The blog is a collection of rants, raves, challenges and successes revolving around this crazy adventure called mommyhood and how as moms, wives friends etc., we somehow find a way to “do it all”.  I hope you will join me and share your story as well to inspire, support and sometimes just make a mommy laugh – because let’s face it, sometimes we just have to laugh.

Thanks again for stopping by!

– Shari

Wordless Wednesday - The Hill

Be sure to check out  “Angry Julie Monday’s Wordless Wednesday Linky” to post a picture(s) that you took in the past week.

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As moms, why do we constantly second-guess ourselves?

Go with your gut and stick to your values. Two things that I have learned over the past 1.5 years as a first time mom, as well as my 7 months writing my own blog.

I recently found myself faced with a decision whether to go against my own personal values, just because it might be the right thing to do professionally, or stand my ground and simply say no. After a night of second-guessing myself, I chose to stand by my values hoping that, by making this decision, I would be perceived as a more reputable and trustworthy advocate when it came to future projects.

Since becoming a mom, I have discovered that second-guessing myself has become somewhat second nature. I find that I am constantly bombarded with outside influences that, whether I openly admit it or not, weigh in on the decisions that I make for myself and my family. Whether it's the length of my son's hair or the fact that I want him to go to a certain school, these little "influencers" are constantly in my ear. Which is about as pleasant as a swarm of mosquitos on warm summer night.

I'm not sure why as moms, we constantly second-guess ourselves or why we sometimes dismiss our instincts and make decisions based on outside influences. Maybe it's because we are scared to death to make a mistake, to scar our child for life if God forbid, we let them watch 20 minutes of Yo Gabba Gabba while we brush our teeth or use the bathroom alone for once. Or maybe it's because becoming a parent doesn't come with an all encompassing instruction manual with a checklist and scorecard in the back so we repeatedly ask ourselves if we are doing the right thing. Wondering if we are being good moms.

Or just maybe, it's because becoming a mom instantly propels you under the microscope for anyone and everyone to scrutinize your every move, to give you advice and let you know "When I was raising my kids, we didn't worry about [insert 1950's or 60's thought process here]" or "You really shouldn't let him do that [insert any number of 'thats' here]".

According to Jen Singer, creator of the popular site, MommaSaid, Today’s moms second-guess themselves because the bar for parenting has reached all-time highs–and it’s damn near impossible to reach it.

So after taking all this in, I have finally learned that I have to stick to my values and listen to my instincts when it comes to making decisions for myself and for my family. I need to trust that whatever decision I make, it will ultimately be the right decision. Because it was my decision. And every time I have listened to my instincts I have always been right.

The same theory holds true when it comes to blogging. Stay true to yourself and ultimately that will make you happy.



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Yeah, my toddler Skypes - doesn't everyone's?

The hubs and I were having a conversation in which I was detailing my latest Skype session.  I had actually never “Skyped” before until a few weeks ago, which I know is crazy since I have spent the last 10 years of my professional career in the IT industry. I knew all about it, I just never did it.  But, oh man, that first little hit of Skype left me feeling like Carrie Bradshaw standing in front of a new pair of Manolo Blahniks. I couldn’t wait to do it again.

So, I enlisted my dad to Skype with me knowing that it would be fun for him to be able to see the K man whenever he wanted.

I had no idea what to expect. I actually thought he wouldn’t pay much attention at all. But he did. I was amazed at the way the little man waved at the screen and then tried to hand my dad something as if he was really able to reach out and accept the offering. And that left me wondering what type of thought processes must be going on in that little brain. What he thought about hearing his name and seeing these thousands of pixels respond back to his babbling banter.

This made me realize something. I am almost 40 and I just had my first video conversation and my son will have had his when he was 1.5.  Which sent my brain into a flurry of thoughts on how he will grow up having video conversations as if it was always so. That one day he won’t believe that we actually had to put a device up to our ears to talk to another person. That the technological advances that he will see in the next 10-15 years will be astonishing.

At 1 he was already an iPhone game master. At 1.5 he has already “Skyped”.  When I was 1, the hottest technology in my house was an 8-track tape player spewing John Denver’s "Sunshine on My Shoulders".

And sure, I took computer classes in high school. But that consisted of unintelligible DOS formulas that you had to type onto the green screen of this big white box in order for it to spit out some other unintelligible formula. Sure, it was actually intelligible by someone, but come on people I was 16. What did I care about these little bits and bytes? And you could only wait so long for those giant floppy disks to finish loading a game on the Commadore 64.

It’s amazing to think that my son will grow up with absolutely no comprehension of not being constantly connected to anything and anyone. That he will never know a day where instant access to music, television, information or people wasn’t as easy as a click of a button. And with all the buzz about the iPad being perfectly positioned to replace the picture book, coloring book, audiobook, TV and educational game player, he may never carry a sack full of books home from school.

Gartner’s latest research report predicts that over 50% of the computers purchased for children will have touchscreens by 2015. That’s in 5 years! He will be 6! I guess I better hold on to the “mouse” as a relic to pull out and embarrass him later in front of all his friends.

It will be interesting as well to see as parents, what pressures we will have to endure as the rapid advancements in technology force us to keep up with our kids – and their friends. I remember being one of the last families to own a VCR.

And what about all the little things that we hold dear, like the bedtime stories selected from a packed shelf of favorite books. Will it be the same story coming from a cold hard device instead of a bound collection of pages and ink?

I wonder what things our parents held dear that we poo pooed as old hat? I’ll have to ask my dad the next time we Skype.


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My snotty nosed kid

Not only did I come back from Bloggy Boot Camp with a renewed sense of excitement for blogging, I also came back with a cold. And so did the little man. And you know having a 1.5 year-old sick at the same time you are  is just a recipe for utter misery.

I feel bad for the little mucus maker, who I lovingly now call "The Snot Faucet". He cannot breathe so sleep has been somewhat of a struggle. He cannot tell me that his head, throat or ears hurt, since his vocabulary is limited to the likes of ball or da-dee. And wiping the ever dripping snot flowing from his nose is almost more of a wrestling match than changing his diaper.

Over the past few days at home with "The Snot Faucet" I have realized that I just may owe a few moms out there an apology. You see, before I had my little rock star, I would see these mothers toting their kids through stores with crusty snot-filled noses and I would hold an intense internal dialog about how anyone could tote her kid around like that. My kid would never be seen with a snot encrusted nose. Why didn't they just wipe it?

But, as with many other things that motherhood changes, so has my compassion and understanding for all things kiddo.

Because now I get it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still not letting "The Snot Faucet" run all willy nilly – I'm just saying, "I get it". I get that it's almost impossible to keep up with the endless flow of snot and the piles of Boogie Wipes that seem to be everywhere. And that when you do finally get up the nerve to adventure out into the world, that it's not going to be a day at the spa. That the moment you step out of the car, the flow will intensify and then where do you put all the snot-filled wipes that seem to fly out of the pack at an astonishing clip?  Back in your bag? Just hold on to it? Because, last I checked there wasn't a pitch can on every aisle of the grocery store, which is what I require when out and about with the "The Snot Faucet".

I get that it's practically impossible not to have a thin layer of dried crusty snot smeared across his little face from ear to ear. For some reason these kiddos just don't want their noses wiped, thus becoming a moving target, shaking their heads from side to side in protest. It's not easy to make sure it doesn't end up in their eyes, ears, hair, etc.

Becoming a parent is a humbling experience. I never thought pre-kiddo, that poop, vomit and snot would be hot topics of conversation . But not only are they hot topics - they practically rule my life. So now, I get it. And I would like to publicly apologize to all those moms I have so foolishly judged. So here goes:


Dear mom I saw in the grocery store with a snotty-nosed kid in tow whom I secretly judged,

I totally get it and I apologize for any judgement I may have passed on you. I am humbled by my inability to keep up with the almost super-human amount of snot that my son seems to ooze on a consistent basis. I understand why your child has those really gross stains all over his shirt. I now know that you didn't just forget to do the laundry and that your child has not been wearing the same shirt all week. I understand that its possible that you feverishly rummaged through your bag looking for a tissue or a wipe  just to realize that you left them on the kitchen table (where they were readily available 15 minutes ago) and then became completely desperate and used his shirt to stop the flow - if only for a minute. I understand that you can't just hold up in your house until the kiddo stops oozing and that things need to get done.

I totally get it. And I hope that you will accept my sincere apology.

– Mother of The Snot Faucet

I'm Back from Bloggy Boot Camp with Blogging Tips and Tricks!

It's been two days since my enlistment at Bloggy Boot Camp and all the inspiration and excitement that I felt durning the conference has followed me back to the "real world".  Even though I am back in the trenches of snot and laundry, the magic is still there. Instead of waning, it's growing. The more and more I mull over all the information that was presented by some of the most energetic and inspiring women I have heard from in a good while, the more I cannot wait to put this information into action.

I am so excited to be able to share some of the information with you. But more, than that, I am really thrilled to share the passion and enthusiasm that encompassed a day at Bloggy Boot Camp. This conference is so much more than just learning about tips and tricks for maximizing your blog’s exposure, or how to work with brands – this conference is all about connections. After all, it's the relationships you build that compel sponsors to keep working with you and the connection that someone has with you that makes them want to come back or refer your blog, product or site to others.

A day at Bloggy Boot Camp is filled with a buzz and an energy that is nothing short of contagious.  From the assigned tables that switched after every speaker, to enable everyone a chance to meet and mingle, to the speakers themselves, the whole room vibrated with an excitement you wouldn't normally find at a conference who's agenda includes "SEO (Search Engine Optimization)" or  "What are your responsibilities with the FTC?". It was great to meet some truly fantastic women (and men) this past weekend, to learn from them and to share ideas. The SITSgirls are amazing at what they do and I'm thrilled that I was able to share in the awesomeness.

Here are the top 10 things I brought back from Bloggy Boot Camp:


10. Good content is key to having a successful blog – Stick to one subject or theme. Don't confuse your readers by posting about too many subjects. For example, if you blog about design, resist the temptation to post about that great recipe you just ran across.  Your readers come to your blog to find information. If you write posts that are informative and provide value, you will be perfectly positioned to be successful.

9. Google pays attention to the quality and frequency of your content – Post frequently and you have more chances for getting search engines to notice you. Remember to stick to one theme per post.

8. Don't write a post that reads like a novel or like a Post-It Note (too long or too short) – You want your readers to make it through your entire post without feeling overwhelmed. As well, you want to provide your readers with valuable information. 150 words is optimal.

7. Start with a picture – people want to see the finished product first. For example, if you are posting about a specific craft idea or recipe, start with the end result to pull readers in.

6. Transparency doesn’t mean telling everything to everyone – You can still be authentic and real by writing a heartfelt, informative or interesting post that doesn't "spill it all out".

5. Choose your title carefully – This is one that really struck me as an "Ahh Ha" moment. As writers we can get caught up in the catchy, witty post titles. But these don't help readers find you vis search engines. As you write your post consider what information people will be looking for and make it clear in the title.

4. For the love of god, turn OFF comment moderation and word verification – Readers get frustrated with these features and will often not comment because of them. Don't worry about spam  – just delete it.

3. Steer clear of the drama – Don't get caught up in the draft of negative issues. Remember that what you post is out there forever. Stay professional.

2. Purchase your own domain name – No matter if you use Blogger, Wordpress or anything else, having your own domain name is important to "owning" your brand.

1. Be passionate about what you blog about – This passion is what will keep your blog interesting to you and your readers. If you find that you are not having "fun" or are not passionate about what you are blogging about, hone in on what you are passionate about.

Hope this information was helpful! If you have a chance to make it to a Bloggy Boot Camp - It's so worth it!