Regarding the Sleep is for the Weak giveaway, commenter Mary has won! The drawing was highly scientific - I cut little sheets of papers with names and Arun drew one. Mary, please email me your info (cagey333ATgmailDOTCOM). (Also, do NOT ask Haley if she has received HER giveaway yet. Gulp.)
Regarding the book, Rita and I are doing a Sleep is for the Weak book signing at the Barnes and Noble on the Plaza here in Kansas City. It starts at 6:00pm. Please, oh please come to see us so that we do not look like two assholes wielding a box of Sharpies just hanging out at an empty table. Or something like that. Otherwise, we will have to put all those Sharpies to good use giving each other tramp tats (Although, I should warn Rita, I totally have dibs on The Hungry Little Caterpillar tat. Oh, sister.)
Okay. So...... This is one of those days when I actually wish I was a Power Blogger. But not for what you would think. You see, I am on the hunt for Legos for Arun's birthday. He has already requested a rocket ship and that will soon be ordered. However, I was also thinking he would enjoy some Legos. Lately, I have noticed that the Mega Blocks are maybe not enough and that he really needs something a little more versatile. He is having fun with the Mega Blocks making "chickens", "rockets", "telescopes", "trains" and "cameras". His little imagination is taking off and I would like to encourage that.
So, I began by looking at the Legos website and good gravy. My head exploded. The variety, the choices, the decisions. What the hell are the Duplos? They are supposed to be for Arun's age groups, but what is the difference with them? However, Arun has really good fine motor skills, so I think he could handle the regular ones. I am confused.
Now, if I was a Power Blogger, I could post this question and within a few minutes have over a hundred comments telling me what to buy, where to buy, how to buy and when to buy these damned plastic pieces. So, here I go. Blatant begging. I am a Lego Virgin, I did not really have a set growing up and have little to no experience with Legos. The Lego website sucks and is not very helpful. What, oh what do I buy?
And yes, I am absolutely looking forward to crunching my feet on those little plastic bastards in the middle of the night. Totally.
Showing posts with label sleep is for the weak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sleep is for the weak. Show all posts
September 3, 2008
August 18, 2008
Can I brush my teeth?
A Giveway!
First and very foremost - I am giving away a copy of Sleep is for the Weak. I bought it at the book signing at BlogHer, but unfortunately, due to a variety of distractions, was only able to get autographs from Amalah, Motherhood Uncensored, Not Calm (dot com). Oh sure, I suppose I could sign it, too. However, I fear that may devalue the poor thing. Anyway - this giveaway is open to residents of the US and the rules are simple:
Comment on this post by Thursday, August 21st, Midnight (CDT) and I will draw someone at random.
I have not been doing much mommyblogging lately, I realize. I think I was just worn out from so much of the negativity that has been directed towards those of us who dare to pimp our children's eternal souls, not to mention privacy, in lieu of having nothing better to talk about. So here you go - a post about my kids.
I Am MommyBlogger, Hear Me Brag
Okay.... So the question for today?? I hear this about 4-5 times a day. No kidding, joking, or joshing. Arun has always loved to brush his teeth. At first, I wrote it off to teething. Then, I wrote it off to that he liked the toothpaste. Now? I have to accept that my child is simply odd. He does not even want the Sparkly Fun toothpaste any longer. Hell, no. He wants the Minty Fresh tartar control stuff. One must have dental standards. Is my kid the only kid in the universe who likes to brush his teeth? Come on - 'fess up. You only hear about the kids who hate brushing their teeth.
Now. New Topic. What I am about to write, I have not really written about this before. I was fearful of coming across as an unrealistic braggart. Even more so, I was afraid of jinxing myself. So, here goes......Arun is an easy kid. Really, really easy. *gulp* You know those public tantrums that you always hear about where kids flail and kick and create general mayhem and the parents are mortified? We rarely get those. No, make that "never get those". Once in awhile, if he wakes up from a nap too early, he will cry uncontrollably and stomp his feet a bit. But rarely do we ever get full on, Category 5 tantrums. Yes, I do get embarrassing episodes at Target from his screaming, but those are happy screams. Which is almost worse. What the hell do you do about Happy Screams to make them stop? Make the kid UNhappy? And no, he is not perfect, he does push my buttons All the Damned Time. But overall? He is easily mollified when he does not get his way.
Why do I mention this now? Well, the only reason I am comfortable admitting that my kid has been easy thus far is because in the past month or so, he has increasingly become UNeasier. I am beginning to experience Defiance and Attitude from him. Which is quite shocking to us. Who is this kid and who the hell does he think is with all these Instructions, Directions and Demands? So yes. The Twos were not so Terrible for us, but I am bracing for the Threes, which seem to barreling at us like a freight train.
And to add to all this, Anjali is already shaping up to be a stronger personality than Arun ever was. So, she will be hitting the 18 month mark (when the Terrible Twos actually begin) just as Arun is in the throes of the exerting his plan for world domination. Sadly, his current regime is monocratic and does not appear to need a running partner, so I expect lots of fun times to be had as Anjali attempts to get in the mix. The most difficult part about Arun right now is that his language skills have exploded lately, which is really cool except that these new skills also include some twisted, bizarre logic that only a pre-schooler could dream up. Arun is getting really good with pitching out "reasons" for a variety of situations that range from "reasons" for why he cannot help me pick up toys to "reasons" why he needs a milkshake today. Fortunately, most of this activity from him is still firmly camped in Too Cute for Words territory, so X and I are having quite a few laughs over Arun's antics. I do not look forward to when these antics turn more serious.
The main side benefit in this recent turn in Arun's personality is that his imagination is going gangbusters. Giving him some construction paper and scissors is just as much fun for me, as it is for him. Playing pretend makes me giggle just as much as he does. My favorite is when he lists a whole string of activities that we are going to do today "We going to eat breakfast, go to the beach, go to the zoo, go see trains. Yay! That's what we going to do today! Yay!" Within reason, I sometimes go along with his plans, if we can. One day, he wanted to go to the moon and obviously, that one did not really work for me. And while he always retains a firm affection for all things Spider and Trains, he has recently been particularly obsessed with rockets, robots and monsters and the PBS show WordWorld.
He has been off from school for the month of August. While I know he is excited to go back to school (he keeps talking about his friends and how he is changing classrooms and how excited he is to have Miss J as his new teacher), it has been nice having him every day. However, pre-school has been so wonderful for him - it is just 2 days a week, but he loves it . He has definitely been getting more antsy this past week, so I know he will be ready when September rolls around.
And Anjali? She is an utter delight these days. Walking and talking, she is all over the house, commenting on everything as she toddles by. The talking is the part that amazes us. Of course, it is perfectly normal for a 13 month old to have so many words already, but Arun was such a late talker, this is new stuff for us. I am grateful that she is taking to The Talking so readily - she is already showing such a strong personality and gets so easily frustrated when she wants something that I am hoping her being able to communicate will help her.
Music is still her Thing and that stupid ABC song is shaping out to be her favorite song. Argh. I guess it is worth watching her try to sing it, but still, that song is not very fun to sing........ I will be taking her to our library's rhyme time next month. It seems just last year I was taking Arun to that. Oh wait - I was taking Arun to that last year. Anyway, I really love this particular library's rhyme time - the songs are better and the group is smaller than another rhyme time I had gone to.
I was telling my doctor yesterday that I wish I could bottle up this time right now to save for later (well, except for this damned chest cold I am fighting.) We are in a nice little lull with both kids - they are both still relatively easy-going and are so much damned fun. The past few weeks have been so sweet - I just feel that I cannot soak up enough of them. I love doing things with them, lounging on the floor reading books, playing with toys, rolling around on the bed under the blanket playing hide n' seek. The time with them seems so fleeting and I am afraid of missing something or not appreciating it enough.
Speaking of which, I need to turn off the television and get these little creeps to the Deanna Rose farm.
First and very foremost - I am giving away a copy of Sleep is for the Weak. I bought it at the book signing at BlogHer, but unfortunately, due to a variety of distractions, was only able to get autographs from Amalah, Motherhood Uncensored, Not Calm (dot com). Oh sure, I suppose I could sign it, too. However, I fear that may devalue the poor thing. Anyway - this giveaway is open to residents of the US and the rules are simple:
Comment on this post by Thursday, August 21st, Midnight (CDT) and I will draw someone at random.
I have not been doing much mommyblogging lately, I realize. I think I was just worn out from so much of the negativity that has been directed towards those of us who dare to pimp our children's eternal souls, not to mention privacy, in lieu of having nothing better to talk about. So here you go - a post about my kids.
I Am MommyBlogger, Hear Me Brag
Okay.... So the question for today?? I hear this about 4-5 times a day. No kidding, joking, or joshing. Arun has always loved to brush his teeth. At first, I wrote it off to teething. Then, I wrote it off to that he liked the toothpaste. Now? I have to accept that my child is simply odd. He does not even want the Sparkly Fun toothpaste any longer. Hell, no. He wants the Minty Fresh tartar control stuff. One must have dental standards. Is my kid the only kid in the universe who likes to brush his teeth? Come on - 'fess up. You only hear about the kids who hate brushing their teeth.
Now. New Topic. What I am about to write, I have not really written about this before. I was fearful of coming across as an unrealistic braggart. Even more so, I was afraid of jinxing myself. So, here goes......Arun is an easy kid. Really, really easy. *gulp* You know those public tantrums that you always hear about where kids flail and kick and create general mayhem and the parents are mortified? We rarely get those. No, make that "never get those". Once in awhile, if he wakes up from a nap too early, he will cry uncontrollably and stomp his feet a bit. But rarely do we ever get full on, Category 5 tantrums. Yes, I do get embarrassing episodes at Target from his screaming, but those are happy screams. Which is almost worse. What the hell do you do about Happy Screams to make them stop? Make the kid UNhappy? And no, he is not perfect, he does push my buttons All the Damned Time. But overall? He is easily mollified when he does not get his way.
Why do I mention this now? Well, the only reason I am comfortable admitting that my kid has been easy thus far is because in the past month or so, he has increasingly become UNeasier. I am beginning to experience Defiance and Attitude from him. Which is quite shocking to us. Who is this kid and who the hell does he think is with all these Instructions, Directions and Demands? So yes. The Twos were not so Terrible for us, but I am bracing for the Threes, which seem to barreling at us like a freight train.
And to add to all this, Anjali is already shaping up to be a stronger personality than Arun ever was. So, she will be hitting the 18 month mark (when the Terrible Twos actually begin) just as Arun is in the throes of the exerting his plan for world domination. Sadly, his current regime is monocratic and does not appear to need a running partner, so I expect lots of fun times to be had as Anjali attempts to get in the mix. The most difficult part about Arun right now is that his language skills have exploded lately, which is really cool except that these new skills also include some twisted, bizarre logic that only a pre-schooler could dream up. Arun is getting really good with pitching out "reasons" for a variety of situations that range from "reasons" for why he cannot help me pick up toys to "reasons" why he needs a milkshake today. Fortunately, most of this activity from him is still firmly camped in Too Cute for Words territory, so X and I are having quite a few laughs over Arun's antics. I do not look forward to when these antics turn more serious.
The main side benefit in this recent turn in Arun's personality is that his imagination is going gangbusters. Giving him some construction paper and scissors is just as much fun for me, as it is for him. Playing pretend makes me giggle just as much as he does. My favorite is when he lists a whole string of activities that we are going to do today "We going to eat breakfast, go to the beach, go to the zoo, go see trains. Yay! That's what we going to do today! Yay!" Within reason, I sometimes go along with his plans, if we can. One day, he wanted to go to the moon and obviously, that one did not really work for me. And while he always retains a firm affection for all things Spider and Trains, he has recently been particularly obsessed with rockets, robots and monsters and the PBS show WordWorld.
He has been off from school for the month of August. While I know he is excited to go back to school (he keeps talking about his friends and how he is changing classrooms and how excited he is to have Miss J as his new teacher), it has been nice having him every day. However, pre-school has been so wonderful for him - it is just 2 days a week, but he loves it . He has definitely been getting more antsy this past week, so I know he will be ready when September rolls around.
And Anjali? She is an utter delight these days. Walking and talking, she is all over the house, commenting on everything as she toddles by. The talking is the part that amazes us. Of course, it is perfectly normal for a 13 month old to have so many words already, but Arun was such a late talker, this is new stuff for us. I am grateful that she is taking to The Talking so readily - she is already showing such a strong personality and gets so easily frustrated when she wants something that I am hoping her being able to communicate will help her.
Music is still her Thing and that stupid ABC song is shaping out to be her favorite song. Argh. I guess it is worth watching her try to sing it, but still, that song is not very fun to sing........ I will be taking her to our library's rhyme time next month. It seems just last year I was taking Arun to that. Oh wait - I was taking Arun to that last year. Anyway, I really love this particular library's rhyme time - the songs are better and the group is smaller than another rhyme time I had gone to.
I was telling my doctor yesterday that I wish I could bottle up this time right now to save for later (well, except for this damned chest cold I am fighting.) We are in a nice little lull with both kids - they are both still relatively easy-going and are so much damned fun. The past few weeks have been so sweet - I just feel that I cannot soak up enough of them. I love doing things with them, lounging on the floor reading books, playing with toys, rolling around on the bed under the blanket playing hide n' seek. The time with them seems so fleeting and I am afraid of missing something or not appreciating it enough.
Speaking of which, I need to turn off the television and get these little creeps to the Deanna Rose farm.
July 21, 2008
Who do you think you are?
My Dearest Arun and Anjali,
If I ever catch you being being rude to service personnel, I will Kick Your Ass in a manner befitting of a Queen*.
Love you!
Mama
*Also known as "royally"
_________________
On my flight back from San Francisco, a gal and her pal boarded at the last possible second, then one of the gals threw a tantrum that she did not get to sit with her friend. Hissy Fit Gal was incredibly rude towards the air hostess. She was also not particularly happy about sitting in the middle seat, next to me and my BABY (Yes, people, you read that correctly - I had the nerve to board an airplane with my BABY.) When the air hostess refused to serve the gal the requested Bloody Mary, I was so fucking relieved. When the gal went the bathroom, the air hostess asked if I was doing okay and I offered up my business card should she need backup that Hissy Fit Gal was out of line. The guy sitting in our row followed suit. It was a long flight although, I particularly appreciated the irony that my baby acted better than Hissy Fit Gal.
Oh, right. Almost forgot.... I went to BlogHer and yes, it was really fun. The end.
What's that you say? Not enough? Okay...
Bang! Bang!
My intent for these BlogHer posts is NOT to make folks feel left out. My hope is that folks will start saving their nickels and dimes now for BlogHer 09. If you love blogging - reading and/or writing - BlogHer is most certainly worth every penny. People, make it happen.
More BlogHer 08 photos are on the Flickrage.....
Buy the Book, Pretty Please.
Fallen Angel
Not my purple suitcase. Not my heels. Not my underwear. Definitely my baby.
Shine On, You Crazy Diamond
I was a sweaty mess the entire weekend, leading me to panic and think I was going through The Change at the tender age of 37. Jeepers, Trixie!
Cagey, Running Stitch and Slackermama
The rare moment where we all three were TOGETHER.
Libations Grease the Social Wheels
I Came Home Bearing Gifts - Tarantula Droppings and a Hat
If I ever catch you being being rude to service personnel, I will Kick Your Ass in a manner befitting of a Queen*.
Love you!
Mama
*Also known as "royally"
_________________
On my flight back from San Francisco, a gal and her pal boarded at the last possible second, then one of the gals threw a tantrum that she did not get to sit with her friend. Hissy Fit Gal was incredibly rude towards the air hostess. She was also not particularly happy about sitting in the middle seat, next to me and my BABY (Yes, people, you read that correctly - I had the nerve to board an airplane with my BABY.) When the air hostess refused to serve the gal the requested Bloody Mary, I was so fucking relieved. When the gal went the bathroom, the air hostess asked if I was doing okay and I offered up my business card should she need backup that Hissy Fit Gal was out of line. The guy sitting in our row followed suit. It was a long flight although, I particularly appreciated the irony that my baby acted better than Hissy Fit Gal.
Oh, right. Almost forgot.... I went to BlogHer and yes, it was really fun. The end.
What's that you say? Not enough? Okay...
Bang! Bang!
- First, I highly recommend that you not bring your teething baby to BlogHer. Seriously, leave her at the baggage carousel with a couple of granola bars and wish her the best........... Of course, I did not realize that Anjali was teething. I thought that by 5 pm each day, she was worn out from all the all the stimulation. Um, we are home now and she is still out of sorts. And constantly gnawing on something, which sadly includes my nipples (a clear violation of my strict policy that if one is going to munch on my nipples, I should be wearing black leather and getting paid for the privilege) Anyway, I am not sure what to write. It was an odd weekend - actually very quiet. I lost sleep and had massive headaches, but they were from dealing with my 21 lb baby, not from hangovers. Still, I had such a lovely time, even though I nearly missed both cocktail parties and cut short many sessions by running back and forth to check on Anju (I completely missed Saturday's Keynote.) By the time 5 pm rolled around, Anjali was totally done. DONE, I tell you.
- My very favorite part of the weekend was watching Rita Arens shine during the promotion of her book, Sleep is for the Weak. I have my hot little hands on the book and I can report that it is awesome. Obviously, as a contributor, I am completely prejudiced, but this book is simply lovely with such a diverse set of voices sharing their (our!) experiences as mothers. I will write more about the book and my thoughts on it this week (also, I bought an extra copy to give away. Look for details on that as well.)
- To many, it appears that BlogHer is about networking and scooping up as many new readers as you can. $$$$$$$ For me, it was mostly about meeting my friends. I was so thrilled to see Marilyn and Brit - I wish the three of us could have spent more time together as a threesome, but our arrivals and departures were inconveniently staggered. Still, I am so glad that I got to have conversations with them that did not involve frenetic typing, hitting "send" and waiting (impatiently!) for a response.
- I loved having the opportunity to meet up with Average Jane sporadically and frequently over the weekend. Sure, we both live in Kansas City, but getting together these days involves complicated scheduling and certainly not quick texts that say "where r u? meet me in the lobby in 2."
- Dude. I got to meet The Monkey (yes, that one. The one wearing the Suit.) She arrived in a blaze of glory - dragging a huge purple suitcase, tottering in high heels, her hair in wild curls. Her suitcase contained a veritable arsenal of tweezers, hair products, jewelry, curling irons and a few more sets of heels. I think I fell in love instantly. One of my very, very favorite moments from the weekend will always be the Saturday morning spent with The Monkey. I was rushing around getting ready, she was still in her bed. Her hair was darting from her head at crazy angles all over her pillow as she treated the occasion like Open Mike Night, granting me renditions of a destitute ground squirrel (with Cockney accent) begging for Welfare handouts and her Monty Python inspired US Scareways Air Hostess serving warm bilge water fresh from the Thames. Even if she had not provided the free, hilarious entertainment, she will forever be etched on my heart for the fact that she not only watched my crabby, anxious, tired, teething baby so that I could attend Saturday night's cocktail party sans progeny, but that she got her boyfriend in on the act. And then later, said boyfriend picked up delicious curries from Shalimar for us (including Average Jane). He even brought a 6 pack of Kingfisher in the bargain. Monkey, my dahling. You should most certainly keep the boy toy who not only babysits but also comes bearing curries and beer. Trust me on this.
- On Sunday, I had so much fun meandering through the TenderNob area (South of Nob Hill, North of Tenderloin) with Brit and her husband. The TenderNob is fairly gritty and the characters are interesting. Plus, it gave me another opportunity to eat at Shalimar. For serious. I ate there for Saturday dinner and for Sunday lunch. With no hesitation. (specfic recommendations? I think hands down, my favorite dishes there are the chicken jalfrezi, the haleem, and the chicken karahi.) Also, a special shout-out to the worldy husband of Brit who taught me the finer points of what a "tea room" is. Gee, thanks! Really.
My intent for these BlogHer posts is NOT to make folks feel left out. My hope is that folks will start saving their nickels and dimes now for BlogHer 09. If you love blogging - reading and/or writing - BlogHer is most certainly worth every penny. People, make it happen.
More BlogHer 08 photos are on the Flickrage.....
Buy the Book, Pretty Please.
Fallen Angel
Not my purple suitcase. Not my heels. Not my underwear. Definitely my baby.
Shine On, You Crazy Diamond
I was a sweaty mess the entire weekend, leading me to panic and think I was going through The Change at the tender age of 37. Jeepers, Trixie!
Cagey, Running Stitch and Slackermama
Libations Grease the Social Wheels
I Came Home Bearing Gifts - Tarantula Droppings and a Hat
May 15, 2008
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
I have asked this question before but I think it bears repeating. Throughout one's entire life, actually.
In early 2006, my good friend Rita Arens had a dream. Her dream was to gather a selection of mommybloggers and bundle some of their best works together in a book. Folks, it was hard-going. I have learned from watching her that getting a book published is most certainly not for the faint of heart. It requires someone to have an incredible Will of Iron. To be able to face rejection time after time after time. To explain your concept to folks who may not "get" what mommybloggers are about or may have never even seen a blog. Or the Internet, for that matter.
So, there you have it. The book. It be here, folks.
(Note: It's also available at Barnes and Noble and the indie bookseller, Booksense.)
Mostly, I am excited for Rita (editor and contributor, you can find her at Surrender, Dorothy - check out her post today about the entire story of how Sleep is for the Weak came to be.) To see a friend achieve something of this magnitude after several years of dogged determination is amazing and at its most fundamental level, inspiring. When folks said "No", Rita said "Think again, mister." Oh sure, I will admit that I am more than a little exited that a few words that I wrote my very own self are being hawked on Amazon, but I am simply thrilled for my friend achieving her dream.
I hope I never stop dreaming. I am thankful that Rita did not.
Sleep is for the Weak - the List of Contributors
I am very humbled and honored to be included with such an awesome list of gals (and a guy!) I know the hope for many is that this book will simply be Vol. 1 of many volumes so that other parent bloggers can be featured in the future. The one and only thing I do not like about this book is the superlative in the title. I do not like superlatives, particularly the word "best" because it discounts what else may be out there that we have not yet discovered - be it anything...... food, books, or writers.
In early 2006, my good friend Rita Arens had a dream. Her dream was to gather a selection of mommybloggers and bundle some of their best works together in a book. Folks, it was hard-going. I have learned from watching her that getting a book published is most certainly not for the faint of heart. It requires someone to have an incredible Will of Iron. To be able to face rejection time after time after time. To explain your concept to folks who may not "get" what mommybloggers are about or may have never even seen a blog. Or the Internet, for that matter.
So, there you have it. The book. It be here, folks.
(Note: It's also available at Barnes and Noble and the indie bookseller, Booksense.)
Mostly, I am excited for Rita (editor and contributor, you can find her at Surrender, Dorothy - check out her post today about the entire story of how Sleep is for the Weak came to be.) To see a friend achieve something of this magnitude after several years of dogged determination is amazing and at its most fundamental level, inspiring. When folks said "No", Rita said "Think again, mister." Oh sure, I will admit that I am more than a little exited that a few words that I wrote my very own self are being hawked on Amazon, but I am simply thrilled for my friend achieving her dream.
I hope I never stop dreaming. I am thankful that Rita did not.
Sleep is for the Weak - the List of Contributors
I am very humbled and honored to be included with such an awesome list of gals (and a guy!) I know the hope for many is that this book will simply be Vol. 1 of many volumes so that other parent bloggers can be featured in the future. The one and only thing I do not like about this book is the superlative in the title. I do not like superlatives, particularly the word "best" because it discounts what else may be out there that we have not yet discovered - be it anything...... food, books, or writers.
Amalah
Binkytown
Birdie's New Mexico Time Machine
CityMama
Finslippy
Friday Playdate
Fussy
IzzyMom
Laid-Off Dad
Mom-101
Mommy Needs Coffee
Mommytrack'd
Motherhood Uncensored
Not Calm (dot com)
Paper Napkin
Rancid Raves
State of Grace
Surfette
Surrender, Dorothy
Sweetney
The Modernity Ward
The Naked Ovary
Three Kid Circus
Woulda Coulda Shoulda
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