Lifestyle. Parenting. Blogging. Where raising a family intersects with running a business. No topic off limits.
You ask: Where have I been?
Celebrating, a little bit. Just a tiny bit. Not with Leonardo, but with my family (and of course, my friend Stef).
For months (possibly more), I have been torturing many of you with my vague and nondescript answers when it comes to the Braduct. It has not been easy – trust me. The last 8 months or so have wrecked me, tied me in knots, and brought me to put a big dent in my filing cabinet with my foot.
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As moms (and dads), we are constantly discussing the after-school dilemma. Where do the kiddos go when school lets out in the middle of the afternoon? Childcare options can be expensive and not always sufficient and/or reliable
Beside after-school care, summer break looms like a big, dark cloud for many working moms and dads.
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Perfection and Parenting. Two words that really do not always go hand in hand. Just google the 2 words together and you will get nearly 3 million results on the subject. Parents trying to be perfect. Parents who think they are perfect. Parents who reject perfection. The psychology behind parents wanting to be perfect. A+ Parents. A+ Kids….You get the point.
I admit over the last 12 & 1/2 years in which I have been a parent, I have grappled with perfection in all of the aforementioned ways. Am I trying too hard to be perfect? Can I be perfect? Do I want to be perfect? Are my kids perfect? Do they look perfect? Act perfectly? Are they A+??? Am I?
This is especially true when it comes to holidays, like Mother’s Day. (uh -hum) Jump on Facebook or Instagram or just take a walk down to your local eatery, and you catch a glimpse of all the perfect kids having a perfect brunch with their perfect moms. Hair is combed, sport coats and little sundresses are abound, and smiles are a plenty. The breakfast in bed trays feature bud vases and little boys and girls sit with their hands in their lap at breakfast out.
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Lost track which bday this was for, but still eating Prantl’s & shmearing my name for good luck
I was dreaming, no, not dreaming, but salivating over the upcoming piece of Prantl’s birthday cake awaiting me on Friday in honor of my mom’s birthday. I was contemplating running a few extra miles in order to justify a 2nd piece, when it occurred to me that I had to still order the cake. Damn. That meant another phone call on my to-do list.
This also came to me while I was on HOLD with the doctor’s office for my son for an ungodly amount of time only to be told to call a different office where there were appointments available. Really? As if I have an extra 2 hours in my day to sit on hold!
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I know I live in Pittsburgh, and I have been slow to admit that Philadelphia is a cool city, but it is. I am not going to say that it is better, just cool.
I will say this: Philly is a pretty easy road trip from the ‘burgh and a great place to head on a getaway with kids of any age. The boys loved the sights, sound, and FOOD on the other side of our state. We also dragged our baby cousin, Em, around quite a bit and she loved it all, too. So, our motley crue ranging in age from 1&1/2 to 45 was all happy with The City of Brotherly Love (how appropriate with my 2 boys).
Thanks to the Four Season Philly, we had a prime location to stay where The Franklin Institute, The Rocky Steps, Rittenhouse Square and Shake Shack (a fav of ours from NYC) were all within walking distance. Word.
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May 6 – Today is a BIG birthday for my mom. I will not say exactly how big, let’s just say I am 38 and my mom gave birth to me when she was 26 years old. If you want to do the math – be my guest.
Anyway, I was mentally taking notes all weekend about what I would write today in honor of my mom: How we started out just the two of us, How my mom kicked ass as a single mom, How my mom was the original backngroovemom….You get the picture. I was beginning to think that I would end up boring you all with a incredibly long post that no one really wants to read because after all, we all think our moms are awesome in their own way.
Although we often sometimes disagree on swearing, drinking beer from the bottle, and the misogyny of women (I do believe that was our last argument), and we are in constant communication despite the fact that my mom doesn’t believe so – I love my mom. I do not even adequately think that I could do justice to how much I love my mom.
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I am heading to my 2nd Mom 2.0 Summit this week. Opposed to last year when I boarded a plane to Mom 2 all by myself and knew no one except for Stacey Ferguson and Liz Gumbinner. This year, I am looking forward to seeing a lot of people I know. I met the majority of these women (and men) last year at Mom 2 when I was brazen enough to go all by lonesome.
This year, I am even lucky enough to have a roommate, who makes the experience all the more fun.
But, don’t mistake this upcoming trip as simply a reunion. While it is exciting to reconnect with women who I have not seen since last Mom 2.0 or Blogher, I am heading out with goals in mind.
Last week, the WSJ posted a piece which claimed mommies (mostly stay-at-home/digital mommies) use conferences as a front to escape their homes, families, and day-to-day responsibilities. Many bloggers have already written responses to this which would dwarf anything that I would have to say on this subject. You can read them here and here and here. I am definitely NOT going to throw my hat in the ring in responding to that post.
What I will say is that conferences provide a much-needed foreground for meeting people IRL in this digital age. Often. I read and write about the new level playing ground afforded to us with the intro of the internetz. We can network, chat online and grow relationships all from behind our screens in our very own offices or while wearing our bathrobes at home. The truth is, these digital connections only take it so far, and I am a big believer in moving digital connections into something face-to-face.
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