Moms

I’ve been to The Lady and Sons, the renowned Savannah, GA., restaurant owned by America’s lard-loving Food Network star Paula Deen. Not gonna lie: we waited on line for an hour, easy, to eat there,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

By NICK CHILES When I decided to become a journalist about three decades ago as a junior at Yale, I envisioned myself stomping across the land, pointing my laptop (well, at the time I was actually... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Remember how annoying it was to spend hours getting your baby down for a nap, only to have some asshole ring the doorbell and undo all of your hard work, leaving you with a screaming, unrested child and a rage towards encyclopedias or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? I, for one, will never forget it. Etsy is filled with sweet little signs to delicately ask people not to ring the doorbell. They’re sweet, they’re gentle, and they’re adorable… Well, fuck that shit. Back when I had a newborn, if someone woke that baby by unnecessarily ringing the doorbell, sweet and gentle wasn’t going to cut it. This was what I wanted to hang on my door. or this… Sadly, we’re over the waking of sleeping baby faux pas now, but it’s been replaced by something even worse: The eating or using of stuff that I have bought exclusively for my eating or using. Like the time I bought myself a pint of emergency coffee chip PMS Häagen-Dazs only to later find the chocolate chunks picked out and tell tale signs of microwaving and refreezing evident. Now, my ice creams contain the following warning… And the deep conditioner that Lily insists on using even though I’ve told her repeatedly that it’s too expensive, her hair doesn’t need it and to keep her grubby paws off of it? These days, it’s plastered with this: Want to scare away annoying neighbor children selling cookies at two o’clock in the afternoon or claim the chips, jewelry and bath salts as yours and only yours? Now you can! Kidecals has long been my choice in personalized stickers and decals and I’m super excited to have designed a line of Scary Mommy decals and door signs just for them. Prices start at just five bucks and shipping is always free, no matter what quantity you order (love that part!) I mean, isn’t it time we took back what’s ours? That was a rhetorical question. Of course it is. Author informationJill Smokler, AKA Scary MommyWhat started as an innocent on-line baby book to chronicle Jill's stay-at-home days with her children, (Lily, Ben, and Evan) quickly transformed into a vibrant community of parents, brought together by a common theme: Parenting doesn’t have to be perfect. Learn more here.TwitterFacebookGoogle+The post Taking Back What’s Ours appeared first on Scary Mommy: An honest look at motherhood.

Maybe these are pictures for your eyes and heart, not your camera. The was a comment by the Indian wife to her husband as he fretted about some camera troubles in the helicopter. I thought it was a great sentiment: be there in the moment and don’t worry about posterity.

Once there was a little girl who was waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And dreaming. She wanted a dog. And though it’s not grammatically correct to say this, there’s no other way. She wanted a dog real bad. She wanted a dog so much that she would watch out her bedroom window for her neighbor to come home so she could go knock on his door and ask to play with his dog.  Often. She wanted a dog so much that she cried in her bed at night, begging her mom and dad to relent.  Too often. She wanted a dog so much that at four years old, she got on her mommy’s iPhone, opened the her mommy’s blogging app, created a New Post, titled it simply “Dog” and hit publish.  She got 99 comments. She wanted a dog so much that she wrote about it in kindergarten. Every. Single. Day. It wasn’t that the girl’s mom and dad didn’t want her to have a dog—they just wanted her to have the right dog. They wanted her to have a dog that wasn’t too big or too small. They wanted her to have a dog that wasn’t too old or too young. They wanted her to have a dog that the girl could rescue—a dog that needed the love of the girl as much as she needed to give it to him. One day, not so long ago, the girl visited the animal shelter, only to leave once again disappointed. So her daddy, being the sweet man that he is, took her to the Farmer’s Market to get a snow cone. There at the market, between kale and kettle corn, was a little booth ran by another local shelter, this one just for dogs. It was there, snow cone in hand, that the girl met the dog. Sparks flew. It was a forever kind of love. The girl and her daddy raced to the shelter’s office to put a hold on Sparky. They were first in line. Sparky had to have a little “work done” before he was ready to come home. But the girl was used to waiting. And then, suddenly, the wait was over. Sparky came running home. Where he belonged all along. Where he’s always been wanted. Where he’s already loved. And is already giving love back. Welcome home, Sparky. You’re our dream come true, too.

It’s not every morning that you begin your day on LIVE TV. Angela Ganote and the Fox59 Morning Crew reached out to feature KidVentures on air, and we were happy to bring the whole fam!  Live television usually comes with some anxieties for me. I work better with lots of tries, but I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out. {Biggest self critic}  The boys did amazing (minus Henry chewing on the stick)– they love the opportunity to ham it up with the camera guys. Overall, I love talking about one of my passions, getting kids outdoors, with any listener, so it was great to give some ideas and encouragement as well as give the book a shout-out! Have you got a copy of KidVentures yet via PDF, Kindle, or Nook?  What do you think?!!!! I’d love to hear your feedback!

This post on travel accessories for women was inspired by product provided for review.  This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are mine and mine alone. Lately I have found myself traveling more often.  When I first started traveling, I had no idea what to pack or what was involved. I found myself taking things that I did not need to bring and leaving behind things I wish I brought (like Tylenol).  With my latest trip to Austin, I thought I had done pretty well.  I managed to get almost everything into the one carry on suitcase I was allowed.  I remembered my Tylenol and only brought the clothes I was certain I would need.  Since I shared a hotel room with my sister on that trip, we managed to streamline things we both wanted (like a blow dryer) so only one of us brought it. As luck had it, I did manage to forget one thing that I really should have brought… something comfortable to relax in once I got back to the hotel room.  After a long day of conferences and meetings, the last thing I want to do when I get back to the hotel room is stay in my jeans and shirt.  Wandering around in anything too skimpy is definitely not an option when sharing a room though. I forgot to bring along something light and comfortable to wear during my down time.  I’ll be heading to Arkansas in about a week and a half for another event (more coming soon) and this time, I am prepared. Travel Accessories For Women Chilly Jilly Lounge Pants are an amazingly soft, wrinkle free pair of pants that feature a fold over waistband a long inseam that can be cut to fit. They are made of a high quality, brushed micro fiber that is super soft and comfortable. Each pair of Chilly Jilly Lounge Pants comes in its own drawstring bag which makes them ideal for travel.  They take up practically no room at all in your suitcase. They are available in either black or dark brown. I am a huge fan of lounge pants to relax in at the end of the day. Since I’m 5’8″, one of the issues that I have is that the lounge pants are too short. I really don’t like pants that skim my ankles.  With the Chilly Jilly Lounge Pant, I can cut them to a length that works for me and it leaves behind a smooth unfinished hem. If you are traveling anywhere warm and have long hair, I have one other thing to add to your must have list of travel accessories for women. Remember to bring a hair band. My sister spent several unhappy days in Austin because she had forgotten to bring along a hair band to put her hair up.  The problem with most hair bands is that they we don’t really think about them until we need them.  Chilly Jilly The Duelette is a stylish bracelet that is also a hair band.  The beads are 14k gold and silver plated for shine and durability. Bands are available in black and white.  Beads are gold, silver, or a combination of both.  You can easily leave this on your wrist as a bracelet until you need it to put your hair up.  You can wear it alone or stack it with other Duelettes for added style. The non fray band means that it will stand up to constant use. These travel accessories for women are ones you won’t want to leave home without. Chilly Jilly travel accessories for women can be purchased direct from their website or from Amazon. This post on travel accessories for women was inspired by product provided for review.  This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are mine and mine alone. The post Travel Accessories For Women appeared first on Confessions of an Overworked Mom.

The only sounds are the steady hum of the gymnasium's a/c on full force as it desperately attempts to triumph over this sudden and oppressive heat wave. I can see my 7 year old's gymnastics' team through the viewing window and it isn't difficult to spot my own child in the sea of flipping girls. Her green and orange tie-dyed leotard screams for attention. She is so... strong. Hours and hours of dedicated physical work have transformed my baby girl into an Athlete with a capital "A." Never again will I be able to watch gymnastics during the Olympics without knowing how much time and dedication they have invested... To say nothing of the cost!She is on the bars now, doing an extremely repetitive drill: pike and swing, pull-up and over, cast and flip and land. And again. And again. AND AGAIN. A break to chalk up her palms... And Again. Small corrections to toes and elbows... And Again.Wherever her determination comes from, it definitely isn't from me. Wherever her drive and push stems from, it isn't from her Momma. In many ways, I do see myself in her, but I see myself at 37, not 7. When I WAS 7, no adult outside of my immediate family could have known how blue my eyes were as I didn't want anything to do with them and wouldn't look them in the eye, but this girl? This girl will introduce herself to you and your children and invite you into a conversation so detailed, you would think she was an adult instead of barely out of first grade...This girl has confidence and curiosity and a fearless quality about her that most adults envy.I know that I, for one, do.More Just Write pieces found here...

Krissy Sherman Bonning, 5 Minutes for Mom contributor, is here to share her insights into SimpliSafe through this review and giveaway. While we were compensated to write this post, our writer’s views and opinions remain her own. As moms we’re always worrying about our kids. Worrying about whether we are playing with them enough, teaching them enough, nurturing them enough. But what is really our biggest worry for our kids? Keeping them safe (so that we CAN play, teach and nurture them), right? Well SimpliSafe can help ease that worry at home with their simple and secure home security system. SimpliSafe is Easy & Affordable! Regardless of the neighborhood or area in which you live, you still want to feel that your kids and family are as safe as can be. SimpliSafe makes home security in any area and for anyone simple. I have to be honest and admit that when my SimpliSafe Deluxe Home Security System arrived in it’s little box I was intimidated. I was sure that it must be too complicated for me to install alone. It sat for days while I waited for my busy fiance to help install it. Finally I gave up; he wasn’t going to have the time. I had to tackle this myself; mama-style. I was ready to dig out the tools and get my hands dirty. THEN I watched the 5 minute installation video… and I couldn’t believe I had waited for help. This was EASY-PEASY! No tools required. Wireless and simple. I honestly never thought I would be a person that could afford my own home security system. But the best thing about the SimpleSafe Home Security System is that it’s affordable enough for any mom to make home safety a priority. Unlike other home security systems that charge high monthly fees and require an expensive landline phone, SimpliSafe is only $14.99 per month for 24/7 LIVE monitoring through a cellular connection. “No extra charges, no activation fees, no installation fees, NO PHONELINE needed.” So if you want to set aside the worry of keeping your home safe and intruder free so that you can focus on the playing and teaching and nurturing, try out SimpliSafe. In fact, you can enter for a chance to win your very own 8 Piece Plus Home Security System today! Enter to Win Your Own SimpliSafe Home Security System! One lucky reader is going to get their chance to win an 8 Piece SimpliSafe Plus Home Security System. Use the Rafflecopter form to enter this giveaway. New to Rafflecopter? Watch this 45-second video on how to enter! a Rafflecopter giveaway Krissy is a former art teacher turned full time mama of 3. She blogs at B-InspiredMama.com to connect moms with kids crafts, easy recipes, learning fun, and creative parenting tips.

At Radical Parenting we always want special occasions to be celebrated right. What about when you want a gift the whole family can enjoy? This is hard to find especially when you have different age groups. Our interns have come up with some great gifts for families of all ages: Best Family Gifts 1. Wii Family [...]