2010 April | Theta Mom®

04.22.10

My New Favorite “Thing”

I was recently over my brother’s house for my niece’s birthday when my sister-in-law handed me a gift. It wasn’t my birthday or anything so I was a bit confused as to why a perfectly wrapped present soon found its way onto my lap.

Of course it piqued my interest. What could it be? Why would she give me a gift for no specific reason? I typically don’t receive presents from her without a special occasion attached to the date. So with some excitement, I began to unwrap the perfectly presented package…

And inside?

What did I find?

Let’s just say she knows me all too well…

Mommy’s Sippy Cup:

Is this the most adorable wine glass EVER?

{ 99 Comments }

04.20.10

Will the ‘Real’ Moms Please Stand Up?

If I were to ask you to name some moms that were displayed on television as positive role models when you were growing up, could you do it? My response? Absolutely.

I grew up with Angela Bower from Who’s the Boss, the successful ad-executive who also happened to be single mom portrayed as a hard working woman desperately trying to make a good life for her and her young son. Maggie Seaver from Growing Pains was seen as the warm, compassionate and sometimes frazzled working mom who was very active in her children’s lives. Claire Huxtable is another good example of a mother who balanced a successful full-time career while attending to her children on The Cosby Show. Or Roseanne from Roseanne also comes to mind. Although she was far from perfect, she loved her kids more than anything else and amidst her flaws and snarky personality she was as real as it gets.

Yes, these women certainly had some imperfections but they were ‘real’ moms portrayed on American television in a positive way. If I were to ask you to name some positive role model moms on television today, well that question can’t be answered as easily.

For starters, think about The Real Housewives. I think it’s such a paradox to call this show The Real Housewives because these women live far from reality! Majority of mothers do not live with that kind of income in those kind of homes, nor are we given the same opportunities that the women on these shows display. They have nannies as stay-at-home moms to assist in the parenting department and housekeepers to help maintain the large home on a regular basis so they are free to do “other things” with their time. This isn’t the reality for most of us.

Or how about other moms that are portrayed in the media – dare I say Kate Gosselin? Take a good look at the footage from the first two years of the show. You’ll remember the mom who brought in a chef to help her learn how to cook more organically or the mom who sat down with her eight kids and did crafts with them. She was the mom who planned birthday parties, took many trips with the kids regardless of how troublesome it might have been and reveled in the small milestones they each made along the way. I was a huge Kate fan early on because I thought she always took the hardest job in the world in such stride. I marveled at how she was able to be a mother to eight children day in and day out without hesitation. In those early years, she made me want to be a better mother – I thought if Kate could do it with 8, I sure as hell better do it with 2 – and do it well.

But where is she now? She’s busy launching her new lucrative book deal, learning how to do a split and pirouette on a highly watched television show while adding some hair extensions and speaking on the talk show circuit to let Los Angeles know she is “available.” It makes me wonder how this small town girl could have gotten so wrapped up in fame that eventually would change her so much. Is she that same role model of a mother for the rest of us as she used to be in those early years? Not quite. Moreover, television producers still chase after her and I am left to wonder WHY.

Which brings me to the point – where are the ‘real’ moms? Where is the Angela Bower, Maggie Seaver, Claire Huxtable and Roseanne of today? One of my bloggy friends The Wanna Be WAHM recently wrote a great post about this topic and she referenced the article published by Hybrid Mom in which Jennifer Rawlings clearly adds, “Not since Rosanne has a television show portrayed a mom as a hard working, self assured, flawed, busy, funny, sad and sometimes pathetic human being…a real mom. And not since Rosanne has their been a television show featuring a mom that was as compelling.”

Pefectly stated.

Although I’ve heard the show Parenthood does a decent job of displaying real moms, producers need to wake-up and realize that there is such a lack of positive role models portraying real moms in television today and something needs to be done about it.

Perhaps we need to begin a Theta Mom movement and all share a piece of our blogs – because when I visit each and every one of you I know I am in ‘real’ company.

Enough said.

{ 176 Comments }

04.18.10

This is Me: A Keepsake Journal Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed. Congrats to Erin, Theresa and Katherine. Emails have been sent.***

This Is Me: A Keepsake Journal is developed and designed by busy mom, Carrie Lundell. Carrie wanted to carry on a tradition with her children based on some of her own childhood journaling memories which began at a very young age. She was on a quest to find that “perfect journal” to begin the process but none were on the market that suited her needs. She wanted the ability to document her children’s lives in one compact journal, filling it with multiple opportunities to showcase their imagination. As a result, Carrie was inspired to create This Is Me journal, the perfect way to capture a child’s thoughts, personality and interests.

I can’t tell you how excited I was to review this product! As a former elementary school teacher for many years I know how important it is to allow children to express themselves creatively. Along with early literacy, encouraging my own kids to love the art of journaling is really important to me. This journal is geared toward 3-8 year olds (perfect for my son) which gives him the opportunity to showcase his thoughts through a creative process. The journal includes numerous pages to think, write, draw and create on topics such as Favorite Things, Family, Friends, Food, Sports, Activities, School, and Holidays just to name a few. The journal even includes multiple drawing prompts which are some of my son’s favorites.

The journal is printed in the USA on acid-free, recycled paper and measures 8 ½” x 8.” It contains 96 pages with black ink throughout and is bound by wire so it lays flat. There are areas to include real photos in the journal as well and a pocket in the back to hold special items. This kind of journaling truly allows my child’s imagination to shine and he has fun doing it! What’s more is that we are creating lasting childhood memories together. This journal is a keepsake, something that he’ll treasure for years to come and will enjoy looking back on when he’s older.

Carrie has included some fabulous tips on successful journaling with your child that is really helpful which you can check out on her website here and be sure to follow her on Twitter here.

You can purchase the This is Me: Keepsake Journal here or you can enter to win because Carrie Lundell is giving THREE lucky Theta Mom readers the chance to win their very own journal(s)!

How to Enter the This is Me: Keepsake Journal 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)

2. Become a Fan of Theta Mom on Facebook here and leave me your FB name. (1 entry)

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. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs in subsequent entries. (1 entry per daily vote/click)

8. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: 3 winners will be drawn for this #giveaway Enter to win This is Me: Keepsake Journal @ThetaMom http://bit.ly/dg6NzW Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

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

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

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on April 18, 2010 and will end on April 29, 2010 at 9 pm. Three winners with valid entries will be selected at random using random.org. The winners will be announced and each must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, other eligible entries will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided a copy of This is Me: Keepsake Journal. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

{ 282 Comments }

04.16.10

Featured TMC Blogger: The Mommyologist

Today’s featured blogger is Mary from The Mommyologist. Mary had just started her blogging journey about the same time that I moved to WordPress. Since then we’ve been blogging together ever since. She is a supportive blogger who knows how to put fun back into motherhood and her recent quest is starting the mommy movement to bring “Mom Sexy” back! And when you read how Mary describes her blog, you will see that she is a total Theta Mom, one of the many reasons I adore her blog:

“My name is Mary and I have been a stay-at-home Mom for a little over four years. I have an absolutely adorable little boy who is a complete and total future comedian in the making! He keeps me on my toes and reminds me everyday of what is truly important in life. He is my whole world, and I feel honored to be his mother. And being a mommy is wonderful, but I had a much more difficult time making the transition from career woman to diaper changing diva than I thought I would!

Before I had my son, I was a meeting planner and was always jetting off to some exciting city and staying in beautiful hotels and going out to fancy dinners. When I became pregnant, my husband and I made the decision that my career just wasn’t conducive to life with a child, so we made the decision for me to give up my job and stay home. It was definitely the right decision, but it proved to be a huge adjustment for me.

All during my pregnancy, people kept telling me what a blessing having a child was and how everything was going to be perfect and how I wouldn’t be able to imagine my life before I had that child. They were right, motherhood IS a blessing, and I TRULY loved my child more than anything else on the face of the earth, but things were definitely NOT perfect, and for a while, I found myself sort of “mourning” my old life. I missed sleeping through the night. I missed taking a shower every day. I missed being able to sit on the couch and read a magazine whenever I wanted. I missed going out to dinner and sharing a bottle of wine with my husband. And the fact that I missed my former free-spirit self did not mean that I loved my baby any less. But it sure made me feel like a failure as a mom. I had never felt so guilty about anything else in my life up until that point.

It wasn’t until I started talking to some of my girlfriends who’d had babies that I realized that the feelings I were having were pretty much the norm, it’s just that no one really talks about them. It’s almost like people live in fear of bursting a pregnant chick’s bubble, so they hold back some of the nitty gritty details and just elaborate on all the sugar coated stuff.

And then when women deliver their babies and are experiencing some of those “not-so-rosy” feelings, they keep them hidden and instead talk about “how GREAT everything is” instead of revealing the REAL story because they worry about being judged by other moms. I firmly believe that if mothers were more open and honest with each other about the changes in life that come with having a child, then we would feel much less isolated and alone. We need to band together instead of turning motherhood into a big competition!

My goal in writing The Mommyologist is to provide a “go-to” place where mothers and women in general can go to take a break from their hectic day and get a much needed laugh. I believe that by sharing my stories with other women and laughing at myself, that I have the potential to save some other new moms a few sob-sessions along their journey. If I can help one mommy out there feel a little bit better about her situation and feel like she is not alone, then I’ve more than accomplished my goal in writing this blog. I tell it like it is, and sometimes I am probably a bit too honest for my own good, but I’m sticking to my guns and going with the whole honesty vibe. I hope that you’ll stop by and laugh with me!”

So be sure to show her some TMC love on the blog and follow her on Twitter!

{ 32 Comments }

04.15.10

I Love Technology

I love technology.

You may immediately think I am referring to an iphone, my obsession with Twitter or the use of email, texting and the like for seamless accessibility.

No, not today. Not this post.

It all started few days ago when my son began showing the usual signs of seasonal allergies. He had the typical watery eyes, runny nose and mild cough. We keep these symptoms under control with allergy meds that seem to work really well for him. But late one evening his eyes became swollen shut and things quickly went from bad to worse…

What started out as a mild cough my son started to get short of breath and he soon complained that he had tightness in his chest. It was difficult for him to even pick up his toys because he lacked energy. Any physical movement appeared like a monumental task. And then I heard it. I heard the wheeze and I knew it was here.

My son was having an asthma attack.

I immediately ran into the bedroom and grabbed his nebulizer {which uses compressed air to deliver medicine through a mist that can be inhaled}. I brought down the “fun machine” and nervously poured his meds into the bottom of the holder. I sat my son down on a chair and handed him the mouthpiece and with a press of a button he began to get instant relief.

When I look at my son in this situation who has used a nebulizer (on an as-needed basis) since he was 8 weeks old, I think of my own mother now that I am a mom. When I was my son’s age at home showing the signs of an attack my mother didn’t have a nebulizer. The only thing she had was a set of car keys and lots of prayers.

She would wrap my body in a blanket and put me in the arms of my older brother in the back of our old station wagon. My brother kept pillows propped beneath my head and tried to make me laugh while my mother asked every ten seconds if I was ok as she drove like the speed of lightening to the hospital.

These were the times that my lips turned blue and my body was cold. My brother would continue telling my mother that I didn’t look good because I couldn’t breathe.

He was scared.

I was scared.

My mother was petrified.

Upon arrival, she would carry my little body directly into the ER pleading for immediate assistance. I would be put on a stretcher and wheeled to a room where I was immediately given adrenaline and a face mask of oxygen. I would sleep numerous nights in what looked like a huge tent surrounding the hospital bed as my mother held my hand and never left my side.

Now staring into the eyes of my own son as the mist from the nebulizer reaches his mouth and into his lungs I can only imagine the sheer panic and fear my mother endured, doing the best she could in the late 70’s with technology that was non-existent.

So why do I love technology? Because I have a nebulizer that provides my child with breath – which provides me with peace of mind. Yes, I love technology.

And mom, I love you.

{ 94 Comments }