2010 March | Theta Mom®

03.25.10

Time Out for Theta Mom Thursday

Time Out for Theta Mom Thursday is back and I am hosting this party once a month! For those of you visiting for the first time, the goal is to grab one hour of time within one month to do whatever you want…without the kids. It’s such an amazing proposition, I know! On the last Thursday of each month, post how you spent your time out (add my button from the right side bar or link to me) and be sure to stop here to link up and meet other Theta Moms to see how they spent their time out!

My hubby and I recently took a trip with the kids down to Florida for which I don’t really call a vacation but rather a kidcation. If you missed that fabulous trip down memory lane you can check out that post here. Aside from the drama performed by my daughter (Miss Cranky Pants) throughout the duration of the trip, I actually did manage to squeeze in some “me” time. You see, my parents actually met us down in Florida for part of the week. So having a built-in babysitter was clutch for us, especially for how things were going at the time. My kids absolutely adore their grandparents so it really was a win-win for everyone.

My parents planned to watch the kids one night so that my husband and I could grab a few drinks together…alone. Moreover, my parents recently bought a brand new convertible (they actually drove to Florida) so my hubby and I felt like two teenage kids driving around Kissimmee with the top down! We were kid free in a convertible on a gorgeous Floridian night, barely knowing where to go first since we were so excited! When my father handed my husband the keys to the car, I really felt like I was 16 and he was giving my boyfriend permission to take me out in his fancy new wheels.

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So after joy-riding around town, we landed in a nice bar/restaurant and had a few drinks. Just like my last time out, my hubby and I laughed, talked and laughed some more. It was the BEST feeling to know I did not have a sippy cup falling out of my bag or a dirty diaper waiting to be changed. It was just time to be together – along with a few cocktails and the open road in a fabulous new convertible.

Now I can’t wait to read your blogs! How did you spend your one hour this month? If you are participating in Theta Mom Thursday, link up and share your time out and be sure to visit some other Theta Moms as well!

{ 46 Comments }

03.24.10

Featured TMC Blogger: I’m Living Proof That God Has a Sense of Humor

I am so excited to feature I’m Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor today because Helene has actually followed Theta Mom since its inception. Helene was one of the very first bloggers I had an instant connection with and we have been blogging together ever since. What immediately drew me into her blog was her honest take on motherhood, raising not one but TWO sets of twins! She is an excellent writer, one who integrates humor into every post. I always leave her blog with a smile on my face.

In her own words, this is how Helene describes her blog: “I’m a stay-at-mom of two sets of twins. Yes, I did say TWO sets of TWINS, ages 5 and ages 3. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Now that we have that out of the way…I started my blog in 2007, when I was still pregnant with our 2nd set of twins. It was merely a way to keep friends and family up to date on the pregnancy. At some point in time, it morphed into what it is today and has become a passion of mine.

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In general, I write about life’s ups and downs, as it pertains to parenthood, marriage, friendships and the perpetual struggle to look as if I’m pulling it all off successfully, when in reality, I’m falling apart most of the time. Aren’t we all? Here’s the thing, though…having a wonderful sense of humor is key. Life is too short to be taken seriously all the time…we have to be able to laugh at the little things. So while I may write about somewhat serious topics, there is humor and sarcasm aplenty sprinkled in to the mix, whether it’s about the top 10 white lies I’ve told my children or renegotiating my marriage contract. Ultimately, I hope my readers find my blog to be entertaining, relatable, humorous and REAL.”

So be sure to check out her blog and show her some TMC love!

{ 22 Comments }

03.23.10

The Perils of Parenthood on Vacation

Preparing for a trip with children can be easily deemed as a monumental task. The packing and unpacking to the repacking and unpacking again can be such a chore. And the planning and organization needed for a mere plane ride with a 17 month-old can be especially time consuming.

After all of the vacation planning was in place and we finally reached our destination, I began to wonder why I made these plans in the first place. Have you ever felt like this before? Vacations are supposed to be a time of relaxation in a stress free environment, a time to forget about work and just play. It’s a time to do what you wish because you are free from most responsibilities.

But when you are away with kids? It’s really not a vacation. I like to call it a kidcation because that stress free environment does not really occur when you are traveling with children, or at least in my experience.

Maybe it was the fact that my baby girl would not cooperate on the plane. At 17 months, she wants to be mobile every second of the day so keeping her constrained on my lap was nothing short of difficult for me. I was battling with the constant screaming, crying, arms flying and legs kicking. It wasn’t until thirty minutes into the flight that she finally settled down and eventually fell asleep in my arms but by that point, I think everyone on the plane hated me. Can you say kidcation?

Maybe it was the fact that my baby girl who is normally an amazing sleeper kept me up every night on the trip because she could not sleep one full night in that rental crib. Or perhaps it was the day we were driving in the rental car in search of a walk-in clinic, for she had a nasty sinus and ear infection and needed some good old antibiotics. The last thing I expected to do was spend my day in search for a local doctor and sit in a waiting room all afternoon full of sick individuals, many of whom had the stomach bug. Vacation? No, kidcation.

Actually, maybe it was standing in line for 45 minutes at Disney to get a mere 15 seconds with the famed Lightning McQueen…only to find out later that my kid was not even smiling for the photo.

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Maybe it was the fact that at the Character Breakfast at Hollywood (which we reserved five months in advance) wasn’t all that we thought it would be. When we arrived, only two of the six characters were there and we were told the others were “sleeping in.” Once the others finally showed their faces, we already finished eating and were about to leave when my son eagerly ran up to June from the Little Einsteins to get her autograph…

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In the midst of his plight, I was stopped by one of the managers and she said to me in a nasty tone, “The characters will come around to the tables. Please tell your child and find your seat.” Ummm, right lady – considering I just spent $89 on some frosted flakes and pancakes, I think my kid can ask for a friggin autograph. Kidcation?

Or maybe it was the fact that I am looking for relaxation and a stress free environment and when you have children this really isn’t possible, not at this age anyway. It was the kind of thing like getting my daughter suited up for the pool, only to find out she would only stay in the water for ten minutes. Then, it was the drama of pulling off her wet bathing suit and changing her diaper in the hot sun. Or perhaps it was settling down to give her a snack, only to find out Miss Cranky Pants would rather run toward the edge of the pool, so I was always the mean Theta Mom keeping her strapped in her stroller. Kid-cation!

So although this may sound like one big complaint (which in part I will admit it absolutely is) I really did try to make the best of my kidcation…like actually getting a decent photo with my son at Disney…

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Or watching my kids enjoy the soft sand, sunlit sky and fresh air; a true escape from the monotony of the daily grind.

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Yes, these are the moments I would like to remember from my kidcation.

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And ladies, don’t forget this Thursday is Time Out for Theta Mom! Believe it or not, I did get a chance to get some alone time on this trip, so be sure to join me on Thursday and link up! If you are new to Theta Mom Thursday, check out the details here and I look forward to seeing what you’ve been up to!

{ 92 Comments }

03.20.10

Flirty Aprons Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed. Congrats to Krista! An email has been sent.***

Flirty Aprons was founded by two couples who had a strong passion for the business world. Beginning with The Hansens, Heather Hansen has experience in the modeling industry and soon gained a love for fashion and design. She is the brain child behind the aprons’ patterns and designs. Her husband Joseph Hansen has a business background and is responsible for overseeing the operations, marketing and finances of the business. The other couple includes The Taylors. Spencer Taylor has an economics background and is currently the Executive Vice President of the company. His wife Jamie Taylor enjoys the public relations aspect of the business as she is the company’s Chief Operations Officer. Together, these two couples have built an exciting and successful partnership to what is now called Flirty Aprons. I reviewed the Chic Pink Flirty Apron which is actually one their best sellers:

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Many of you know I despise cooking. So you may be wondering why I would be interested in an apron – and that’s just it – I NEED something to motivate me in the kitchen and this chic apron certainly works! I can’t tell you enough how adorable this apron is in person! As the site states “look cute and feel great” and in my Flirty Apron, I sure do! The colors are so bright and the design is so fun, I really enjoy putting it on each time I cook. The apron is soft, made of 100% cotton with two little pockets in the front. It has a short ruffle that runs along the bottom and the apron gently ties around the neck and waist. I totally adore the side bow, too. You can get the full details of my apron here and you can find an array of designs to choose from, including aprons for men and children by visiting their full website here.

You can purchase the Chic Pink Flirty Apron for $30.95 here or you can enter to win because Flirty Aprons is giving one lucky Theta Mom reader to chance to win her very own Flirty Apron! Woo Hoo!

How to Enter The Flirty Apron Giveaway:

****Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and extra entries won’t count unless the required entry is done)

1. Follow Theta Mom on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name. (1 entry)

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3. Subscribe to Theta Mom via email. You must activate the subscription for this entry to count. (2 entries)

4. Subscribe to Theta Mom any other way. (1 entry)

5. Grab one of my cute buttons and add it to your website. (2 entries per button)

6. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click-can click up to 3x)

7. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: Look cute with a Flirty Apron! Enter the #giveaway to win a Flirty Apron @ThetaMom http://tinyurl.com/yz8taop Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)

9. Add Theta Mom to your blogroll. (2 entries)

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on March 21, 2010 and will end on April 1, 2010 at 9 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided a Chic Pink Apron from Flirty Aprons. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

{ 533 Comments }

03.17.10

You Can’t Put a Price on a Mother’s Intuition

As a mother, I believe we are born with an extra sense. It’s the feeling you get when something just isn’t right. It’s when you know there may be danger ahead or your inner core screams that there has to be something more for which I feel compelled to share this with you…

Beginning when my son was about nine-months old we saw every specialist over the course of a year and not one doctor could tell us what was wrong with our child. At one point, after visit upon visit and test upon test, we were supposed to just sit back and wait for more blank results because they couldn’t give us a definitive answer. Nothing was conclusive.

This is when I began to educate myself. I stayed up late at night researching the new vocabulary that became an instant part of my everyday language. I needed to acknowledge the magnitude of what was taking place in my son’s little body and I needed the power of knowledge to help me through the times of uncertainty, especially when I was drowning in a sea of fear.

The bottom line is that we need to ask the right questions. We need to get the proper information and we need to seek out the help we are requesting and fight for our children until we are satisfied because if we don’t, nobody else will. You deserve it, your family deserves it, and your child sure as hell deserves it.

My son is now a healthy, thriving four year-old boy due in part to what I believe was following my intuition which ultimately lead my son to CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) to get some concrete answers.

I decided to share this because I truly believe my words just helped another parent who connected to this experience. I know there is at least one reader out there who totally understands what I’ve gone through and he/she may be still in the midst of this battle right now.

So if this post encourages even just one other parent to continue to fight for answers and to follow their intuition to get some sort of resolution, then this was well worth publishing.

Because knowledge is power – and if you don’t fight for your child, then who else will?

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