One of my Mommies Groups Moms sent this to our group...we had just had the "he's calling me 'Mom'" discussion at the park yesterday. Thought y'all might enjoy it!
MOTHERS
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the
sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets.
Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "Why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "Because I love you best."
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade...It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...
Showing posts with label Mommies Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mommies Group. Show all posts
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Not So Desperate Housewives!
That title up there? That's the new of the Mommies Group I joined at the beginning of the new year - kind of funny, kind of what I wanted to stay away from BUT it IS a great group of women & babies & toddlers and there are TONS of activities & playgroups so although the name gives me some Wisteria Lane shivers, I'll take it!
I've been meaning to write about it for a while but haven't so since we just got home from a playgroup, I thought this might be a good time ;)
My calendar has been full up since I joined & baring any colds and fevers we have been at events almost every day! Things range from a walking group that goes to the Ghetto Mall (cause it's cold out) to at home playgroups to group events at public places. We also have Mom's Night Out (MNO) events - usually I go to the scrapbook ones (even hosted one this weekend) but I'd like to start going to the dinner ones too.
I've met a lot of nice women who have been very friendly & easy to get to know which has been good for me since most of friends are scattered across the country and meeting in Cincinnati is our only chance to get together!
Liam gets along really well with the other kids, we still need to work on our sharing/someone else is playing with that right now but that will come with practice. He likes exploring other peoples houses & toys but still gravitates towards non-toy activities like getting up on their couches, trying to get outside, looking at all their pictures & finding the computers. There were two dogs locked upstairs this morning and he really wanted to go play with them! He was eating some goldfish but also tried to eat everyone else's & was also going for all the other sippy cups that are out & about at functions like this even though he had his own goldfish in his hand & his sippy in the other hand!
What's nice about these groups is actually quite a few things...I realize this as I start to type it all out, of course! But seriously, he gets to play with toys he doesn't have himself, he interacts with other children, we get out of the house (major plus in the winter) and we don't spend a lot of money.
Thankfully this group doesn't seem to have any elitism or 'favorites' happening, which is different from the last group I was a part of - there was a lot of weirdness happening there that I wanted no part of and when I would get drawn in I would get pissed off about it & want to just keep away - that 'thinking' doesn't bode well for a playgroup mindset! I'm really glad I found this group to start hanging out with & hopefully, I will build some friendships myself.
Just a quick note on The Sickness - Liam has been well for a handful of days now & I feel like I am finally on the mend. Last night I got to rest for about an hour (whoa, stand back) and went o bed early also. I've been blowing my nose a whole lot less (went through 2 boxes in less than a week) and been able to sleep through the night without a cough drop or waking up crying because I feel like there are knives in my throat. Progress, methinks.
I've been meaning to write about it for a while but haven't so since we just got home from a playgroup, I thought this might be a good time ;)
My calendar has been full up since I joined & baring any colds and fevers we have been at events almost every day! Things range from a walking group that goes to the Ghetto Mall (cause it's cold out) to at home playgroups to group events at public places. We also have Mom's Night Out (MNO) events - usually I go to the scrapbook ones (even hosted one this weekend) but I'd like to start going to the dinner ones too.
I've met a lot of nice women who have been very friendly & easy to get to know which has been good for me since most of friends are scattered across the country and meeting in Cincinnati is our only chance to get together!
Liam gets along really well with the other kids, we still need to work on our sharing/someone else is playing with that right now but that will come with practice. He likes exploring other peoples houses & toys but still gravitates towards non-toy activities like getting up on their couches, trying to get outside, looking at all their pictures & finding the computers. There were two dogs locked upstairs this morning and he really wanted to go play with them! He was eating some goldfish but also tried to eat everyone else's & was also going for all the other sippy cups that are out & about at functions like this even though he had his own goldfish in his hand & his sippy in the other hand!
What's nice about these groups is actually quite a few things...I realize this as I start to type it all out, of course! But seriously, he gets to play with toys he doesn't have himself, he interacts with other children, we get out of the house (major plus in the winter) and we don't spend a lot of money.
Thankfully this group doesn't seem to have any elitism or 'favorites' happening, which is different from the last group I was a part of - there was a lot of weirdness happening there that I wanted no part of and when I would get drawn in I would get pissed off about it & want to just keep away - that 'thinking' doesn't bode well for a playgroup mindset! I'm really glad I found this group to start hanging out with & hopefully, I will build some friendships myself.
Just a quick note on The Sickness - Liam has been well for a handful of days now & I feel like I am finally on the mend. Last night I got to rest for about an hour (whoa, stand back) and went o bed early also. I've been blowing my nose a whole lot less (went through 2 boxes in less than a week) and been able to sleep through the night without a cough drop or waking up crying because I feel like there are knives in my throat. Progress, methinks.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Full Schedule
I joined two new Mommies Groups in the last two weeks & we have been busy just about every morning this week because of all the events that they have scheduled - it's awesome & draining at the same time. Also doesn't help that a certain someone has only napped for 1 1/2 hours each time for the past two days so the afternoons are rather long!
Here's what our week looked like:
Monday - nothing on the schedule
Tuesday - Mall Walking
Wednesday - doctor appointment
Thursday - Toddlin' Time
Friday - recheck of shot & chicken pox vaccine appt & playdate at Kym's in the PM
Saturday (tomorrow) - Nana! & Grandpa are coming into town
Sunday - Super Bowl party at our house
Monday - Rocknoceros (live music) & 18 Month Photo Shoot
Tuesday - Mall Walking
Wednesday & Thursday - nothing on the calendar
Thursday - Toddlin' Time
BUSY. It's all really good cause Liam just really likes to get out of the house & he's learning to play really well with others and that's always a good thing...
BUT...
Everything has been at a really good time for us - 10am - right after breakfast & the events are over before lunch time hits the only draw back is that we are usually rushed to get out of the house to be on time! Liam wakes up between 7:30 and 8am, he has his milk, eats his breakfast, gets dressed up (so does Mama) and then we usually have to rush out. Somewhat rushing around, somewhat frantically. Then we rush in, have some milk, have some lunch & go down for a nap. Usually that nap lasts between 2 (bad) and 3 (good) hours leaving Mama enough time to get some housework done & a little lunch, shower & rest time thrown in there BUT when he only sleeps for that short time a few of those things fall by the wayside & it seems that neither of us are rested enough for the long stretch of day that is still in front of us. We have dinner at 7pm and then usually get cleaned up & in bed at 8pm so there can been 6 hours of entertaining & running around that need to be done in those hours! And by 8:30, I'm sometimes ready for bed myself yet I have to finish up the stuff that didn't get done during the shortened naptime and maybe get some CM work done in there too.
I know there's no such thing as "catch up on your rest" as long as you call yourself Mama but there are always things on my lists that need to be done or else the house just falls apart! And I do feel much more rested when Liam takes his longer naps & much more prepared to tackle the afternoon and evening so basically all this explaining & complaining boils down to "I need Liam to take his regular length naps, pleaseandthankyou". I'm lucky that Dada works from home most days and then he clocks out at 6pm and I can send Liam downstairs to be with him but that's still only 1 hour (he gets sent back up to me for dinner) out of the 12 that I'm the Parent in Charge & that can really be exhausting - especially, when Friday finally rolls around.
So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm looking back over our week & thinking about how my time is spent (both doing & not doing) and thanking the blue skies above that it is Friday & that Nana! & Grandpa (The Calvary) are coming tomorrow & that I don't have to be the Parent in Charge for the 12 hours that the Fellow is gracing us with his presence....for two days at least.
Here's what our week looked like:
Monday - nothing on the schedule
Tuesday - Mall Walking
Wednesday - doctor appointment
Thursday - Toddlin' Time
Friday - recheck of shot & chicken pox vaccine appt & playdate at Kym's in the PM
Saturday (tomorrow) - Nana! & Grandpa are coming into town
Sunday - Super Bowl party at our house
Monday - Rocknoceros (live music) & 18 Month Photo Shoot
Tuesday - Mall Walking
Wednesday & Thursday - nothing on the calendar
Thursday - Toddlin' Time
BUSY. It's all really good cause Liam just really likes to get out of the house & he's learning to play really well with others and that's always a good thing...
BUT...
Everything has been at a really good time for us - 10am - right after breakfast & the events are over before lunch time hits the only draw back is that we are usually rushed to get out of the house to be on time! Liam wakes up between 7:30 and 8am, he has his milk, eats his breakfast, gets dressed up (so does Mama) and then we usually have to rush out. Somewhat rushing around, somewhat frantically. Then we rush in, have some milk, have some lunch & go down for a nap. Usually that nap lasts between 2 (bad) and 3 (good) hours leaving Mama enough time to get some housework done & a little lunch, shower & rest time thrown in there BUT when he only sleeps for that short time a few of those things fall by the wayside & it seems that neither of us are rested enough for the long stretch of day that is still in front of us. We have dinner at 7pm and then usually get cleaned up & in bed at 8pm so there can been 6 hours of entertaining & running around that need to be done in those hours! And by 8:30, I'm sometimes ready for bed myself yet I have to finish up the stuff that didn't get done during the shortened naptime and maybe get some CM work done in there too.
I know there's no such thing as "catch up on your rest" as long as you call yourself Mama but there are always things on my lists that need to be done or else the house just falls apart! And I do feel much more rested when Liam takes his longer naps & much more prepared to tackle the afternoon and evening so basically all this explaining & complaining boils down to "I need Liam to take his regular length naps, pleaseandthankyou". I'm lucky that Dada works from home most days and then he clocks out at 6pm and I can send Liam downstairs to be with him but that's still only 1 hour (he gets sent back up to me for dinner) out of the 12 that I'm the Parent in Charge & that can really be exhausting - especially, when Friday finally rolls around.
So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm looking back over our week & thinking about how my time is spent (both doing & not doing) and thanking the blue skies above that it is Friday & that Nana! & Grandpa (The Calvary) are coming tomorrow & that I don't have to be the Parent in Charge for the 12 hours that the Fellow is gracing us with his presence....for two days at least.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Play Date!
Liam went to his first play date at someone else's house today! Kym, I don't count you cause we do it anyway regardless of making it all official like and everything ;)
He had a BLAST! This Mommy had so many toys! He just didn't know what to do with himself! But he gravitated towards the kitchen set up she had & we are definitely getting him that one for Christmas - I mean Santa is definitely getting him that one for Christmas. He loved the Thomas the Train pull toy & the Mega Blocks too! The two little boys that were there are both two years old BUT Liam is the same height as both of them - if not a smidgen taller.
He ran around playing & touching everything that he does in our house - from the dishwasher, to the garbage can, to the socket covers. Mr. Destructo was in full blown fashion but Heidi didn't care as much as I did so although I spent some time running after him most of the stuff he was allowed to destroy. She put out a whole bowl of snackies for them (actually like three bowls) which he only totally over-turned one of them ;) when I wasn't looking, of course!
He got along really well with Jack & Lucas - even as far as Jack & him chasing each other around and screaming! They were amazed that he is running so well already too. He loved playing with all the little cars & I think I'm going to pick up some more for him to add to his VW Bug he has gotten from Nana!
We ended up being there for 1 1/2 hours! And I had to sing & play with the sunroof the whole way home to insure he didn't fall asleep before getting home - he even "talked" to Nana! on the phone to keep himself entertained. The reason it's only his first play date is that everyone schedules them right at the start (or too close to) his nap time so we've never been able to go before but today it was at 9:30 so we were able to participate! I would love to host one at our house but I really don't think we have enough toys to keep more than 1 kiddo occupied at a time :(
It's not that I would LOVE more toys in the house but he is totally getting to the point that he needs more interaction with things. Long gone are the days of playing with his baby toys & even his house, I think, has seen its glory days. I've put a few things away that have not held his interest in a long time & now we are down to one basket of toys and even those hardly ever get dug into by him. I have a few things in mind (and on a list!) that I want to get him but if anyone has any suggestions for Must Have Toddler Toys for Boys, I would love to hear them!
Here's what is on my list at the moment:
He had a BLAST! This Mommy had so many toys! He just didn't know what to do with himself! But he gravitated towards the kitchen set up she had & we are definitely getting him that one for Christmas - I mean Santa is definitely getting him that one for Christmas. He loved the Thomas the Train pull toy & the Mega Blocks too! The two little boys that were there are both two years old BUT Liam is the same height as both of them - if not a smidgen taller.
He ran around playing & touching everything that he does in our house - from the dishwasher, to the garbage can, to the socket covers. Mr. Destructo was in full blown fashion but Heidi didn't care as much as I did so although I spent some time running after him most of the stuff he was allowed to destroy. She put out a whole bowl of snackies for them (actually like three bowls) which he only totally over-turned one of them ;) when I wasn't looking, of course!
He got along really well with Jack & Lucas - even as far as Jack & him chasing each other around and screaming! They were amazed that he is running so well already too. He loved playing with all the little cars & I think I'm going to pick up some more for him to add to his VW Bug he has gotten from Nana!
We ended up being there for 1 1/2 hours! And I had to sing & play with the sunroof the whole way home to insure he didn't fall asleep before getting home - he even "talked" to Nana! on the phone to keep himself entertained. The reason it's only his first play date is that everyone schedules them right at the start (or too close to) his nap time so we've never been able to go before but today it was at 9:30 so we were able to participate! I would love to host one at our house but I really don't think we have enough toys to keep more than 1 kiddo occupied at a time :(
It's not that I would LOVE more toys in the house but he is totally getting to the point that he needs more interaction with things. Long gone are the days of playing with his baby toys & even his house, I think, has seen its glory days. I've put a few things away that have not held his interest in a long time & now we are down to one basket of toys and even those hardly ever get dug into by him. I have a few things in mind (and on a list!) that I want to get him but if anyone has any suggestions for Must Have Toddler Toys for Boys, I would love to hear them!
Here's what is on my list at the moment:
- Kitchen - which Santa is taking care of
- Pull Toy - might get that Thomas the Train one
- Mega Blocks - he loves putting things in things
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Liam at Large
Here's just a couple pictures from the park the other day - you will see how much TALLER he is than Joey.
Being very suspicious about something.
Being very suspicious about something.
This is a good representation of their height differences & remember that Joey is THREE MONTHS OLDER THAN LIAM.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
He's not THAT tall, is he?
I went to a play-date today with my Mommies Group - events I normally do not attend because they are always scheduled at the start of his nap time cause that's what works best for the coordinator (but I digress) - I went today because Liam must go outside multiple times a day & it drives me crazy with the taking of my hand to each and every door only to find them still locked (but, again, I digress).
So we went to this really cool park just about 10 minutes from home with swings & slides (which he loves - on both counts) and stuff for him to twirl & spin (also, something he loves) but EVERYONE commented on HOW TALL HE IS. And how well he walks & that he's almost running and in comparison to everyone else there he is but is he really THAT tall? Granted, he's probably 33" by now and everything but I have never had so many people (about 99% of everyone we see) tell me HOW TALL HE IS.
There's a little boy there who is 3 MONTHS older than Liam and 1) isn't walking yet & 2) about 5 inches shorter. There's other boys who are closer to two years old and barely taller than him & also not walking as well. Or talking as well. Or listening as well - when I say, "can you hold Mama's hand, please?", he does it. When I say "slow down you're on a hill", he slows down.
But I'm honestly starting to get a complex about all of this. I feel defensive when I respond about his height. I say silly things like "I don't know where he gets it from" or "but he's real thin so maybe he just looks taller". Now, reason tells me not to be defensive and maybe these women are just making small talk but it's constant, I get it everywhere, all the time. Just kind of weirds me out - like am I raising some mutant Argentine giant? Cause that one basketball player from Argentina? Yeah, he's the only one ever to exist. And it's not like my family hails from Giant Land of the Great White, you know?
Yes, I know I need to get over it but it still kind of makes me furrow my brow a bit these days.
So we went to this really cool park just about 10 minutes from home with swings & slides (which he loves - on both counts) and stuff for him to twirl & spin (also, something he loves) but EVERYONE commented on HOW TALL HE IS. And how well he walks & that he's almost running and in comparison to everyone else there he is but is he really THAT tall? Granted, he's probably 33" by now and everything but I have never had so many people (about 99% of everyone we see) tell me HOW TALL HE IS.
There's a little boy there who is 3 MONTHS older than Liam and 1) isn't walking yet & 2) about 5 inches shorter. There's other boys who are closer to two years old and barely taller than him & also not walking as well. Or talking as well. Or listening as well - when I say, "can you hold Mama's hand, please?", he does it. When I say "slow down you're on a hill", he slows down.
But I'm honestly starting to get a complex about all of this. I feel defensive when I respond about his height. I say silly things like "I don't know where he gets it from" or "but he's real thin so maybe he just looks taller". Now, reason tells me not to be defensive and maybe these women are just making small talk but it's constant, I get it everywhere, all the time. Just kind of weirds me out - like am I raising some mutant Argentine giant? Cause that one basketball player from Argentina? Yeah, he's the only one ever to exist. And it's not like my family hails from Giant Land of the Great White, you know?
Yes, I know I need to get over it but it still kind of makes me furrow my brow a bit these days.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Toddlin' Time
I signed Liam up for a 6 week session at our local Toddlin' Time (think Little Gym but WAY WAY WAY cheaper!) and then took him to the Open House this morning to see if he in fact would enjoy himself.
He did. He Fat Person Waddled around screaming almost the entire time when he wasn't actually playing with the toys and, of course, the speaker cord, door handles, speakers...
Then we proceeded to WIN a FREE SESSION! Since we already paid for the upcoming one, I'm going to hang onto it & use it for the winter session when I'm sure we will be out of the house a LOT since this little one LOVES to be outside (we have to spell it already...).
A few of the Mommies from my Mommies Group where there - Lisa with her little girl (same bday as Nathan) and Lauren with her mommy Julie - so that will be nice to be able to "connect" with them more. Lisa is one of my CM customers so I know her already but meeting other mommies is always good.
Thankfully, the class is between his breakfast & noni time so we rush home to jump into bed - hopefully for a nice long nap!
I really like the price of this place - under $50 for 6 weeks, where compared to Gymboree which is $70 a session with a minimum of 3 sessions (!) AND a registration fee...you really cannot beat this with a stick. Although, I hope beating things with sticks isn't part of their curriculum ;)
He did. He Fat Person Waddled around screaming almost the entire time when he wasn't actually playing with the toys and, of course, the speaker cord, door handles, speakers...
Then we proceeded to WIN a FREE SESSION! Since we already paid for the upcoming one, I'm going to hang onto it & use it for the winter session when I'm sure we will be out of the house a LOT since this little one LOVES to be outside (we have to spell it already...).
A few of the Mommies from my Mommies Group where there - Lisa with her little girl (same bday as Nathan) and Lauren with her mommy Julie - so that will be nice to be able to "connect" with them more. Lisa is one of my CM customers so I know her already but meeting other mommies is always good.
Thankfully, the class is between his breakfast & noni time so we rush home to jump into bed - hopefully for a nice long nap!
I really like the price of this place - under $50 for 6 weeks, where compared to Gymboree which is $70 a session with a minimum of 3 sessions (!) AND a registration fee...you really cannot beat this with a stick. Although, I hope beating things with sticks isn't part of their curriculum ;)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
another Photo Essay - Favorite Pictures from the Last Two Weeks Part One!
Mama getting a Beso from her Stink
Please note the very important things on her desk - phone, coffee & Stefan (calendar)
The Cutest Little Two Piece PJ Wearing Big Boy Playing with his Learn & Groove Music Table EVER!
At the Mommies Group VA Division Picnic Liam decided to "fill his pants" between the coolers containing all the grill fixin's!
After the picnic we went to the Manassas Railway Festival to see Nothin' Fancy play - Liam spent some time on Grandpa's shoulders dancing & watching the band!
Dinner got a little messy.
First time I've had to strip him while he was still in his highchair.
Please note: Mama was NOT feeding him!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Kids in Motion
Or as Grandma calls it "the crawling convention" ;)
This week I took Liam to another Mommy's Group event at Kids in Motion - basically a place where they can play around with all these inflatable things & toddler sized gymnastic equipment, balls, etc...without (much) fear of them getting injured. Again, he had a blast! He ZOOM!ZOOM! all over the place, I honestly think he went to every single corner in that place & then tried to climb behind anything in his way to get even further...
This time there were a handful of Mommy's there including Joey & Jacob who brought their Mommy Kym with them so it was nice to have someone to laugh at me while I chased Liam around. Brooke was there with her Mommy Lisa - she's a month younger than Liam (that is REALLY something to take into consideration) and she was still "controllable" - meaning, you set her down in one spot to explore and she barely went further than 5 feet in any given direction - ah, I miss those days.
Liam had a blast though - of course he went for things he shouldn't have - like the cross bars holding the child proof parallel bar up or the springs on the tiny child trampoline or reaching up for the net on the basketball hoop. To name just a few. He didn't show much (or any) fear, just when he started to get tired did he want me to hold him or be right there.
Once again, it took him a good long while to chill out once we got home BUT then he took a 2+ hour nap!! Good thing cause Mommy needed one too!
I will also be taking him back there for more Free Play - he had a great time & I'm sure each time he'll enjoy himself even more!
This week I took Liam to another Mommy's Group event at Kids in Motion - basically a place where they can play around with all these inflatable things & toddler sized gymnastic equipment, balls, etc...without (much) fear of them getting injured. Again, he had a blast! He ZOOM!ZOOM! all over the place, I honestly think he went to every single corner in that place & then tried to climb behind anything in his way to get even further...
This time there were a handful of Mommy's there including Joey & Jacob who brought their Mommy Kym with them so it was nice to have someone to laugh at me while I chased Liam around. Brooke was there with her Mommy Lisa - she's a month younger than Liam (that is REALLY something to take into consideration) and she was still "controllable" - meaning, you set her down in one spot to explore and she barely went further than 5 feet in any given direction - ah, I miss those days.
Liam had a blast though - of course he went for things he shouldn't have - like the cross bars holding the child proof parallel bar up or the springs on the tiny child trampoline or reaching up for the net on the basketball hoop. To name just a few. He didn't show much (or any) fear, just when he started to get tired did he want me to hold him or be right there.
Once again, it took him a good long while to chill out once we got home BUT then he took a 2+ hour nap!! Good thing cause Mommy needed one too!
I will also be taking him back there for more Free Play - he had a great time & I'm sure each time he'll enjoy himself even more!
Our Adventure with Mr. Don
Last week, or so, I took Liam to the local independent coffee shop to watch/listen to Mr. Don, a local preformer of childrens songs...he was a maniac.
I tried to sit in the back with the other mothers of 9 month olds, that lasted for about 2 minutes when Liam decided to get down & explore his immediate surroundings. I would you to note that the little girl who was 9 1/2 months & the little boy who was born on the same day as Liam rarely left their mother's laps - IN FACT - the little boy NEVER EVEN BUDGED. Sure, he smiled & possibly laughed but he did not move one inch. My little boy on the other hand had to CRAWL ON CEMENT to the front & hang out/dance/explore with all the little kids. He even got an instrument to play with. When he wasnt crawling (mainly because Mommy picked him up so that he didn't get run the hell over when other kids were doing the Conga) he was in my arms with my dancing away like a crazy lady WHILE ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS STOOD THERE AND WATCHED ME. If this wasn't my son's blog, I would use very bad words here to tell you how I feel about people staring at me for dancing with my son because he is enjoying himself. But it is his blog, so I won't :)
With that said, Liam had a fantastic time! I'll be taking him back the next time Mr. Don graces us with his presence - this time I'll have the $5 suggested donation that my Mommy's Group neglected to tell anyone about in the posting of said event. He squealed & cheered after almost every song & throughly enjoyed the Extended Version of Old McDonald - got extremely squealy during the "sheep" part which is something new for him - normally the cow really does it for him.
It did take him a long time to unwind to take his nap - he was already pushing nap time back as it was & then he didn't end up going down until about an hour later than normal. I'm just chalking that up to not being able to calm down :)
And since this was one of the first Mommy's Groups event I could attend with Liam actually participating in it only seems right that no one else showed. Unless those women staring...
I tried to sit in the back with the other mothers of 9 month olds, that lasted for about 2 minutes when Liam decided to get down & explore his immediate surroundings. I would you to note that the little girl who was 9 1/2 months & the little boy who was born on the same day as Liam rarely left their mother's laps - IN FACT - the little boy NEVER EVEN BUDGED. Sure, he smiled & possibly laughed but he did not move one inch. My little boy on the other hand had to CRAWL ON CEMENT to the front & hang out/dance/explore with all the little kids. He even got an instrument to play with. When he wasnt crawling (mainly because Mommy picked him up so that he didn't get run the hell over when other kids were doing the Conga) he was in my arms with my dancing away like a crazy lady WHILE ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS STOOD THERE AND WATCHED ME. If this wasn't my son's blog, I would use very bad words here to tell you how I feel about people staring at me for dancing with my son because he is enjoying himself. But it is his blog, so I won't :)
With that said, Liam had a fantastic time! I'll be taking him back the next time Mr. Don graces us with his presence - this time I'll have the $5 suggested donation that my Mommy's Group neglected to tell anyone about in the posting of said event. He squealed & cheered after almost every song & throughly enjoyed the Extended Version of Old McDonald - got extremely squealy during the "sheep" part which is something new for him - normally the cow really does it for him.
It did take him a long time to unwind to take his nap - he was already pushing nap time back as it was & then he didn't end up going down until about an hour later than normal. I'm just chalking that up to not being able to calm down :)
And since this was one of the first Mommy's Groups event I could attend with Liam actually participating in it only seems right that no one else showed. Unless those women staring...
Monday, February 05, 2007
Brewing Scandal in Mommy Group Land!
Cue the dramatic, soap opera music
Background:
I hosted a crop this weekend for the sub-chapter Scrap Club (which I am taking over as moderator!) of the main DCMetroMommies (DCMM) group.
I got a few "strange" emails from a mommy, who at first I just chalked up to being young, possibly, and not really knowing the art of email conversation. They would be one sentence emails consisting of "what's a crop", "where do you live", "do you like it there" - no punctuation, no capital letters AND never signing her name. I got a "vibe" from her and just replied with my own one word responses - which if you know me, you know that's not my "style".
When I emailed directions she responded with "I got kicked out of the group (main DCMM) cause I wouldnt give personal information to them because I've been stalked by my ex before" so I thought that a little odd on a couple of different levels.
1) Our group moderators insist on meeting you in person before allowing you to become a member of your local sub-chapter (mine is West Prince William County...) so that they can weed out any, hmmm, bad weeds. This a good safeguard against loonies, I agree with that, but what happens when someone in the group is being harassed and is protecting themselves? How do they get treated and since we protect ourselves against outsiders should we not protect our insiders from outsiders in return? I thought it was a little strange, or at least my "wierdo radar" went off.
2) After NEVER giving me her name (you could not determine it from her email address) she unloaded all this information onto me & then told me she was kicked out of the group because of it. I sympathized with her to an extent because thank god, I have never had to deal with Cyber-Stalking, right?
So I emailed the present moderator to let her know our attendance at the event & also mentioned these emails, just briefly and not in full detail, to see what her response would be. It turns out you CANNOT be a member of any sub or local chapter if you are BANNED from the main group - she was BANNED not "kicked out" for HARASSING other mothers. I'm awaiting the official emails discussing her "actions" since I am taking over the group and need to be "aware" of such things. But so far, stories are not matching up & the "vibe" I got from her leads me to siding with our main group's decision to BAN her from all groups.
I'll keep you posted as the storyline heats up ;)
Background:
I hosted a crop this weekend for the sub-chapter Scrap Club (which I am taking over as moderator!) of the main DCMetroMommies (DCMM) group.
I got a few "strange" emails from a mommy, who at first I just chalked up to being young, possibly, and not really knowing the art of email conversation. They would be one sentence emails consisting of "what's a crop", "where do you live", "do you like it there" - no punctuation, no capital letters AND never signing her name. I got a "vibe" from her and just replied with my own one word responses - which if you know me, you know that's not my "style".
When I emailed directions she responded with "I got kicked out of the group (main DCMM) cause I wouldnt give personal information to them because I've been stalked by my ex before" so I thought that a little odd on a couple of different levels.
1) Our group moderators insist on meeting you in person before allowing you to become a member of your local sub-chapter (mine is West Prince William County...) so that they can weed out any, hmmm, bad weeds. This a good safeguard against loonies, I agree with that, but what happens when someone in the group is being harassed and is protecting themselves? How do they get treated and since we protect ourselves against outsiders should we not protect our insiders from outsiders in return? I thought it was a little strange, or at least my "wierdo radar" went off.
2) After NEVER giving me her name (you could not determine it from her email address) she unloaded all this information onto me & then told me she was kicked out of the group because of it. I sympathized with her to an extent because thank god, I have never had to deal with Cyber-Stalking, right?
So I emailed the present moderator to let her know our attendance at the event & also mentioned these emails, just briefly and not in full detail, to see what her response would be. It turns out you CANNOT be a member of any sub or local chapter if you are BANNED from the main group - she was BANNED not "kicked out" for HARASSING other mothers. I'm awaiting the official emails discussing her "actions" since I am taking over the group and need to be "aware" of such things. But so far, stories are not matching up & the "vibe" I got from her leads me to siding with our main group's decision to BAN her from all groups.
I'll keep you posted as the storyline heats up ;)
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