Our Mommyhood

Archive for June, 2010

By The Activity Mom, Guest Writer

Being a Mom is a busy job! There are times that I need to get something done like clean a bathroom, load the dishwasher, or take a phone call and I need a way to keep my kids happy AND busy while I do that. Sound familiar?

Here are a few independent activities for your child that will allow you a few minutes to get something done or to take a breather:

Sink Play

Fill the sink halfway up with water. Suggest that your child wash their play dishes or float their bath toys.

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Rip and Glue Collage

Ripping is great for motor skill development and glue is just fun! If you are afraid your child will make a mess, put dots on the paper where you want them to put a dot of glue.

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Pouring Challenge

Draw a line on a plastic cup and challenge your child to stop pouring when the water gets to the line. You’d be surprised at how much fun they have with this. Not as easy as it looks for little ones. Great for motor skill development!

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Sticker Scenes

With inexpensive stickers, have your child make a scene (as shown above) or stick them in a mini notebook.

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A quick hint:
-Try these activities WITH your child first. Then, when the time comes that you need them to do it by themselves, you can be confident that they know how to do it and know the rules of the activity. I’ve learned that the hard way!

A huge thank you to the ladies of Our Mommyhood for having me today!

By My Baby Sweetness, Guest Writer

I admitted this on my blog and now I’ll admit it here too.  It’s true – I’ve started dating.  And my husband… he knows…  Now I could go down the path of saying he’s ok with it because I’m dating women now, but I won’t (that didn’t count!).  I’m dating moms now – I’m play dating.

And let me say – I think it’s worse than the first time around…  Although there are so many parallels.  I started out play dating the way I dated – just thinking that I could hang out and let “mother nature” take her course.  But after a period I realized – I’m actually supposed to be an active participant in this process!  Who knew?

So I tried to the bar type pickups – only there are a new “singles” bars for the play dateless Mom – they’re the crying room at church, the park, the play area at the mall (brace yourself for that one!  It’s sort of like going to a theme bar…), the library or Chick-Fil-A (like the martini bar of this era of my life… apparently).

I tried the “8 minute” dating options – established Moms playgroups through church or that I heard about from friends.

I tried online dating – looking for Moms meetup groups, area playgroups, well anything!

And the truth is – this is not as easy as it looks.  When I was not a Mom, probably even when I was pregnant, I would see Moms together with their kids at the park and I figured everyone was totally open and welcoming and that the park was a great big meet and greet.  Now that I’m bringing my 15 month old there, I find that there’s a big range, but most people pretty much want to hang out with the people they came with (my husband tells me it’s much worse when he brings her and is the only Dad there – they really shy away from him).  I saw one woman at the park with her son who played “near” my daughter for quite awhile (they’re babies – they don’t play together per se).  A day or two later I happened to run into her at a Moms group and mentioned – oh, hey, we sort of met before!  You were at the park, right? The look on her face said, oh my God, stalker lady!

The truth is I’m finding so many of the same types of mismatches I found in dating.  Like when I was in my early 20’s and talking to a guy at the bar who suddenly realized I was 10 years younger than him and he fled.  Or around that same age when a friend set me up with a guy she was sure wasn’t much older than me who turned out to be 40 (and not a well kept 40 either.  I was a young looking 23 and he looked closer to 50.  We were both fairly skeeved.)  But now instead, I’ll meet a Mom and we’ll get along until we realize her kids are all in school and my daughter is only 15 months – so much for that play date.

There have been a few decent matches and I’ve STARTED to make friends, but it is not an easy road.  Among other things, Moms groups are incredibly hard to break into.  I’m not sure if the Moms with older kids just feel like the other moms with kids the same age are a better match up for their kids; are more likely to understand where they are; or they’ve known them forever and are established friends.  But the truth is – it starts to feel really cliquey!

But, in my time in the trenches of my new dating status, I have found a few good places to look:

1. the library
2. the park
3. kids classes – the free ones are my favorite… usually at the library!
4. Moms groups – through meetup, yahoo groups, the community
5. the crying room at church

I am definitely still struggling (and appreciate any other thoughts/suggestions), but I’ve found through my wonderful blogging community that – thank God! – I am not the only one.  I am not just repellant!  This is actually some hard work!

Please comment with any of your suggestions or mommy dating war stories!

By Honey B, Contributor, “The Honey B“ (@thehoneyb)

When I graduated from nursing school, I went into the operating room…the most low maintenance job you can have, because pretty much you show up with OR shoes to change into and you’re set- no makeup or hair style needed, just throw on your hat and mask and you’re ready!

Oh but not the corporate side of things- what a shock. I arrived two years ago after half a decade in hospital scrubs- and not only do I have to make sure my hair is presentable, I’m also expected to do it every day. Seriously.

So over the past two years, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) what is required on a daily basis, and what office items can help to maintain the illusion that you really have it together- at the office anyway.

White-Out can cover the chip in your french manicure, a Glue Stick can stop a pantyhose run, and Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer can perk up hair gel gone flat.

Business Cards- can cover ‘headlighting’ issues when tucked into your bra, get spinach out of your teeth, and line the back of your new heels if they’re giving you blisters.

A Stapler is a wonderful implement that can help you hold together the hem or crotch of your pants, make a deep v-neck sweater a little less revealing, AND hold your papers together. An amazing multi-tasking implement.

Sharpie Markers can cover the scuff in your black heels, and never forget that Lipstick can work as blush and eyeshadow too!

These little office implements have kept me looking (mostly put together) and I offer these little tips with pride…and only one caveat, which is do not use them all in one day!

Ladies, what was the weirdest use you’ve ever had for a household or office item?

By Working Mommy, Contributor, Lessons Learned (@lessonslrndblog)

The perfect summer party isn’t complete without the perfect ribs!! I mean, it doesn’t get any better than having over great friends to share conversation, beers and ribs (sometimes I think I sound more like a guy…but I promise you, I’m not!)!! The Man has a great recipe for ribs…and while I can’t share the EXACT concoction he’s come up with, I can share a few tips for great ribs!!

Tip #1 – MEAT:In order to have the best finished product, your have to start with quality meat. We have found that the best meat comes from specialty markets. Sure, the ribs you could find at Giant, SuperFresh or SafeWay will get you through…but you won’t be truly happy with the result! My favorite is Wegmans – and for those of you lucky enough to have one near you, take advantage of the meat department! Yes, it is a little on the pricey side…but it is TOTALLY worth it! Whatever you do – DO NOT get your meat from a bulk store like BJs or Costco…the quality and consistency of cut just isn’t there…and you will pay dearly for that in the end!

Tip #2 – RUB:The best ribs use a mix of dry and wet ingredients. Get your favorite barbecue sauce out for this one, folks! In this house we like things a little SPICY – okay, a LOT spicy – so our sauce in extra hot! The sauce should always be the first thing put on your ribs…this will ensure your dry ingredients stick. As you will see from the below picture, you really don’t have to worry about the bottom portion of the ribs – focus all of your efforts on the top. Apply a generous coating of sauce and then proceed with your dry ingredients. In our casa, we go with a combination of chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, garlic power and salt. There are plenty of pre-made rib rubs…so feel free to use one of those. Once you apply your dry items, put on another coating of sauce and another layer of your dry rub.

Tip #3 – COOKING: If you don’t cook your ribs in a smoker, a grill is your next best option. Unlike searing steaks, a super hot grill at 500 degrees is not necessary. You want to make sure you cook your ribs at a consistent 300 degrees. Check your grill every hour or so, just to keep any flare-ups in check. After 4-5 hours, your meaty goodness will be ready to eat! The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is not a quick process…raising the temperature on your grill will not make things move faster – it will only get you burned ribs…and no one wants that! Take your time, keep your cool and enjoy your friends. Once dinner comes around you will have the perfect centerpiece!

Tip #4 – EAT: You can now enjoy your ribs…YUM!!

Laura from Gift it Onward has offered us a fantastic giveaway.

Gift it Onward specializes in custom burp cloths, blankets and bibs. There are tons of cute fabrics to choose from and each item is embroidered with the baby’s name or initials.

I have personally given these burp cloths to many family and friends. Since they are stylish, useful and affordable they’re my go to gift when people welcome a new baby.

I’ve also got a set for my son. They are adorable and super absorbent. By far, they were my favorite burp cloth when Alex was born. They were essential for cleaning up all the yuck that comes out of tiny people. Plus, they made us look adorably put together even when we weren’t!

As such, I am hugely excited for the opportunity to share this product with you. Just look at how cute these are!

Gift it Onward has also recently added a new product to their arsenal. These custom bibs are super cute and also provide the opportunity to choose the fabric you like best.

Gift it Onward is including two custom burp cloths and one bib to one lucky winner. The winner will be able to contact Laura to choose which fabrics they’d like to use.

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Entries for our Gift it Onward giveaway include:

- Follow Our Mommyhood (blog) in some way, and tell us how you do.

-Follow Our Mommyhood on Twitter, and leave us your Twitter handle.

-Visit Gift it Onward and let us know which fabric(s) you’d choose if you won.

-Tweet about this giveaway, including @OurMommyhood in your tweet.

This giveaway will remain open until Saturday, July 3rd at 1 pm EST.

*Please leave a comment for each entry

**This giveaway is open to US residents only.