Owner: A Mommy Story URL:http://amommystory.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:14:46 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: One toddler warrior princess. One more on the way. And one mom trying to balance parenting, work, marriage, and create a little time for herself as well. Site statistics:Click here
Forget Pigs, We've Got Flying Rocks! 2007-08-03 19:33:00 I was sitting in my quiet living room this afternoon, with Cordy at preschool, Mira asleep, and only the tapping of my keyboard and click of my mouse echoing in the room. It was a peaceful moment, relaxing by myself. But then there was a loud *thump* against the front door.Damn, I thought, a bird must have flown into the door. Or maybe a package was roughly dropped off by UPS.I opened the door and looked out the glass of the storm door, hoping not to see a stunned robin on my front porch. But there was no robin. And there was no package. My glance shifted up, and I saw the neighbor boy and his friend standing at the end of my driveway, picking up a rock. The two boys noticed me and started nonchalantly walking back towards the neighbor's yard, occasionally glancing at me from the corner of their eyes and mumbling something under their breath while occasionally giggling. The rock was casually tossed out into the street by the friend.Opening the door, I still wondered what had happened. Read more:Flying
, Rocks
Can't Take The Heat Anymore 2007-08-07 14:36:00 Summer in Ohio is much like winter in Ohio: the weather is so unbearable that you only go outside if you have to.It seems that while I was away in Chicago for BlogHer, a heatwave snuck into Ohio and sat its big hot ass down on the state (and most of the Midwest) for a long stay. Highs in the mid-90's, with a heat index well over 100. Sure, those of you from the West might remind me that 90's are nothing, but unlike you, we don't have dry heat. We have soupy thick, air quality alert, hurts to breathe, humid air - a sauna that can only be escaped by finding air conditioning.So just like those cold days of winter, I've been biding my time indoors for over a week. And much like those dark January days, I'm slowly going insane trapped in my own little summer version of the Overlook Hotel.Enter my mother and grandmother - ever the outdoors-women - who swooped in today, told me "oh please, it's not that bad in the shade," and insisted we use the water toys sitting in our backyard.So Cor
Workin' It at BlogHer 2007-08-05 13:54:00 Work It, Mom! is having a contest asking people to write posts explaining how they worked it at the conference. The categories are most creative, most impressive, funniest, and most creative without having gone to BlogHer.This was too much fun to pass by. So, I'd like to present how I worked it in the most impressive way at BlogHer, in photoessay form.At BlogHer, I met all of these people (and more):I also collected all of this schwag (and more):(cat not included)And I did all of this while having her with me the entire time:Not to mention stopping frequently for this.I'd say that's pretty impressive, wouldn't you?
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Playing Together As A Family 2007-08-10 10:49:00 Back when Aaron and I were only a family of two, we went out a lot. Movies, dinners, gaming conventions, haunted houses in October, renaissance faires, amusement parks, you name it. At home, we played video games and watched TV together. We liked to have a good time, and we liked to do it together.Now that we have kids, we still like to have fun together, but many of our old activities aren't feasible at the moment. A movie would be fun for us, but Cordy doesn't have the attention span. Haunted houses would just be cruel, and both girls are still a little young to enjoy an amusement park ride.At the moment we don't have any video games that Cordy would enjoy as well, so that leaves watching TV or going out. On the weekends, I'm usually itching to get out of the house, and Aaron also doesn't want to spend all weekend cooped up. But what can we do that the entire family will have fun with?They say that play is a child's work, right? It's how they learn, it's how they explore thei Read more:Family
Laundry Experts Needed! 2007-08-09 14:36:00 OK, Internets, we had a small accident today. Actually, a not-so-small poop explosion. Mira was sitting on my lap this morning, her back against my stomach, and she let go with one massive dump. I didn't think anything of it until I felt something warm and wet. Yep, it went out the back of the diaper, all up her back and onto me.I can handle a stain on my shirt, since it's just your average t-shirt. But Mira was wearing a cute white onesie with pink elephants that Cordy had once worn as a newborn. You know, one of those clothing pieces I planned to give Cordy when she was older to remind her of how small she was, so she could roll her eyes at me and tell me to accept that she's a grown up now and geez, mom, get over it already. But it was so cute that I couldn't bear to see it not worn again, and I knew Mira would look adorable in it. Which of course means this had to be the one time she had a massive diaper blowout.Now, I've never been good with stain removal. I had to deal with Read more:Laundry
, Experts
Morning Drop Off and a Bottle Opener 2007-08-08 10:02:00 Amazingly, Cordy wanted to go to school today. Actually came up to me at home and said, "School?" and then rushed me to get everything together and get out the door. She really wanted to get there! That is, until we actually got there. Then she changed her mind and wailed as if I was leaving her with Britney Spears as a babysitter. Ah well, it's a little progress, right?While trying to say goodbye, one teacher pointed out her shirt was on inside out. Oops. I could blame it on her trying to dress herself, but they would only laugh at me, knowing she would sooner explain Einstein's theory of relativity than take any steps to put on her own clothing. No, mommy is clearly unable to pay attention to how she's dressing her child.Still, I'm impressed that she actually asked to go to school this morning, and even carried her backpack out to the car.We received a call from our county early intervention contact, letting us know that the school district has decided to move up her evaluation o Read more:Morning
, Opener
This Is My Daughter 2007-08-12 21:59:00 Driving home from school last Thursday:Me: (noticing a cut on Cordy's knee) Cordy, how did you cut your leg?Cordy: Leg? (pulls up leg to examine it)Me: Yeah, how did you get the boo-boo on your knee?Cordy: Boo-boo! (continued to look at the cut, tracing it with her finger)At this point, I give up trying to get an answer from her and continue driving.Cordy: Mommy! What letter?Me: Huh? Do you see a letter somewhere?Cordy: (very excited) What letter, mommy? What letter?Me: (confused) Where do you see a letter?Cordy: V!! It's a V, mommy!Me: Where do you see a V? (looking back at her)Cordy: (pointing to the cut on her leg) It's a V, mommy!Me: (now realizing, and no longer enthused with this game) Yes, you're right, Cordy. The cut on your leg does look like a V.Forget the fact that she has a somewhat deep cut on her leg. Apparently she's more interested in the shape it's in. I go back to driving, wondering exactly where she rates on the 1 to 10 scale of creepy-weird.Cordy: (again, very Read more:Daughter
Three Haikus In Praise Of Coffee 2007-08-15 15:35:00 (My childless, tea-drinking self from years ago would never believe I wrote this.)Long night, baby criesI pull up to the drive thru"Welcome to Starbucks"Eyes sting from no sleep"Grande iced mocha with whip"Mom's Little HelperBitter chocolate tasteI'm addicted to mochaSweet caffeine mistress
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WOHM, Now SAHM/WAHM* 2007-08-14 11:11:00 It's done.Yesterday afternoon I did something that was, surprisingly, hard for me. I went back to work, where I met with my supervisor and handed over a crisp white envelope containing my letter of resignation.I was due to come back to work next week. A little part of me knew deep down that it wasn't going to happen, but the other larger percentage of my brain was still trying to leave the door open unless some miracle solution would appear to me like a burning bush.It's not that I wanted this job to be a career. It was only part-time, and I had my difficulties with some co-workers now and then. I was a student advisor, which was rewarding, but also meant I had to deal with a lot of obnoxious students who tried to work the system. It wasn't what I had in mind when I graduated with a BA in History, and I'm currently back in school pursuing a nursing degree, so I knew I would never be there long.But it was still hard. Damn hard. I nearly cried when handing over the letter, blubberin
Bits & Pieces 2007-08-13 13:33:00 Mamamichelesbabies tagged me to reveal eight random things about me. I think I did this one recently, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore her tag. Instead, I'll modify it slightly to share some of my thoughts and updates that simply aren't long enough for an entire post.1. Cordy had her transition from the county to city school district early intervention today. Not one, not two, but three women showed up at our door to discuss where we're going next. That's three people to clean the house for, so I was up early trying to de-clutter as much as possible. The school district representative had to do a preliminary screening as a formality before the evaluation on September 5.2. Can you guess how she behaved during this screening today? Yeah, like a perfectly normal, practically angelic two year old. Figures. I was half expecting her to offer them something to drink while she put away all her toys and made her bed. Still, they are going forward with the evaluation based on past
Win A BusyBodyBook! 2007-08-20 10:18:00 Fall always seems to be a busy time of year. Whether it's back-to-school, back-to-preschool, or just thinking ahead to the upcoming holidays (I can't even fathom thinking of gift shopping yet!), this is the time of year schedules tend to fill up fast.With the help of BusyBodyBook, I'm giving away a Personal & Family Organizer. If you haven't seen one of these, it's a personal calendar with columns for up to five members of the family. Unlike other calendars, it lets you keep track of everyone's weekly schedule all on one page, making sure that a child's doctor appointment won't interfere with your scheduled massage (a girl can dream right?).Don't have five family members? Use the extra columns to keep track of different projects. For me, I use one column to remind me of deadlines for writing assignments, and another to keep track of my schoolwork.To win your own copy, simply leave a comment here and link back to this contest on your own blog. Don't have a blog? You can still
My Self-Esteem Was Shot Down By An Elf 2007-08-18 21:47:00 It was a good Saturday, overall. Cordy was with grandma, and Aaron, Mira, and I went west to Indianapolis to spend the day at GenCon. I think we've established that Aaron and I are geeks, so this should come as no surprise.There were only two bad events all day today. The drive home was miserable, thanks to construction on Interstate 70. If you don't live anywhere near I-70, let me explain: you can never travel on I-70 without at least one traffic jam, due to construction, accident, or just something shiny on the side of the road that everyone must stop and look at.Today, two miles of construction took 45 minutes. And Mira, who doesn't mind being in the car as long as it's moving, did not appreciate the slow crawl during that time. The fussing and crying nearly made me turn the car around and set up a new home in Indy instead of facing that traffic. Sure, I'd miss Cordy, but maybe we could see her again someday when they started construction on the other side of I-70?The other bad
Here's Your Baby, and Your Domain Name 2007-08-22 11:24:00 In surfing the news this morning, I came across this article. It seems the new "trend" is for parents to purchase their child's name as a domain name as soon as they're born. Some parents go so far as checking that the domain is available before deciding on a name for their child.Is this really a big deal? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I can see wanting to guarantee your child could have their own website in the future without being CaydenSmith47.com (come on, you know David will be a rare name by that point). The article makes a good point that a personal website could work as a digital identity to centralize a person's social networks, making it easier to manage all of your contacts and having one site for everyone to find you. But who knows if the current set-up of the Internet will be the same in 18 years?On the other hand, I worry about having a site with my child's full name. There are predator concerns, especially when first and last name are displayed, and in many case Read more:Domain Name
My Heartfelt Thanks 2007-08-27 09:07:00 Thank you all for your comments in my previous post. I spent the weekend carefully reading them, holding each sentence close and letting the words wrap themselves around me like a protective cocoon. I appreciate your concern, your honesty, your stories. Your words were outstretched arms helping me to pull myself out of that dark hole of inadequacy, embarrassment and shame.As a teenager, I would have been one of those people staring in disgust at a screaming child and a parent who couldn't shut that kid up right away. Can't be that hard, I'd think to myself. Oh, how fate can put you on the other side of the situation and shame you into realizing your prior mistakes. Never - never - would I now think of questioning a parent who was trying to calm an out-of-control child. As long as they're not beating the child, my only thoughts are of sympathy for both parent and child.When I was pregnant with Cordy, I remember wishing for a child who was intelligent and healthy. Very little else ma Read more:Thanks
It's Tough 2007-08-24 11:34:00 It's the week before preschool starts, and you are taking your child to meet the teachers. As you get out of your car, you hear an awful wailing and screaming coming from another car in the parking lot. You look over and see a mother, positioned half inside the car, trying to put her toddler in a car seat. The toddler is flailing and screaming, most of which you can't understand, but you do catch the words, "No, mommy, no!" several times.You take your time getting out of your car and unbuckling your child while continuing to witness the drama. The toddler is screaming and crying hard: deep, primal screams that echo through the parking lot. When you look over at the car, you see the child is now on the floor of the backseat, with the mother bent over the child. You can't see clearly enough to tell exactly what is going on. Is she hitting the child to cause such screams? The screaming continues, but during those brief moments when the toddler gasps for breath, you also hear a baby cry Read more:Tough
Haiku Friday 2007-08-24 06:04:00 Flooding to the northJust hot as fluckin hell hereKooky weather, eh?Sure, writing about the weather is usually as exciting as writing about what you had for lunch, but have you stepped outside lately? It's going to be close to 100 here today, with plenty of humidity thrown in to provide that genuine thick, heavy air Midwestern experience. Meanwhile, less than a hundred miles away from me, several towns in Ohio, like Findlay, are still underwater and trying to bail out. With a small shift in the storm pattern, that could have been us.Then there's earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes in greater strength or frequency, as if Mother Earth is trying to shake us off like we're fleas? I'm hoping for a quiet, pleasant fall, but the lead in doesn't looking promising so far.Anyone want to join me in writing about their day in haiku today? As mine shows, they don't have to be good.
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, Friday
Haiku Friday: Dance, Baby, Dance! 2007-08-30 19:49:00 Right, left, jump, kick, splash,Cordy dances in water.Go Aqua Boogie!The haiku gives a beat to the picture, I think. If you could only see the full dance being done as she kicks and splashes around. I call it her Aqua Boogie. She does the same dance on land, too, but it doesn't have the full effect unless she's kicking water up in the air.Today is the PBN dance blog blast sponsored by Baby Loves Disco. They're giving away some Stride Rite shoes, and with the speed Cordy's feet are growing, the kid needs more shoes. If you want to participate, click here. You have until midnight tonight.And if you like haiku? Jennifer and I are starting a weekly HaikuFriday
. Feel free to share a haiku in our comments, or (even better) write all or part of your Friday post in haiku form to play along.Edited to add: L.A. Daddy has pointed out that they have now invented moving pictures (I don't think it'll catch on). I can't afford a waterproof camera, though, and I'm not risking my Sony anywhere Read more:Dance
What Do YOU See? 2007-08-29 23:17:00 Looking at our side-by-side fridge, you can see the following buttons (click the image to see them larger if needed). Now tell me, what is each button?Here are the answers, courtesy of Cordy, from left to right:A pwesentA box (sometimes a square)Cookies!! Rockets A balloon A sun balloonAnd you probably thought they had something to do with in-door water and ice, didn't you? Silly adult.PS - Come read my review of Ryka's athletic shoes and see how you can win your own!
All Is Calm 2007-08-28 20:58:00 Cordy has been fighting bedtime for the past month, and it's been very frustrating. Our old method of letting her fall asleep on the couch and carrying her to her room is no longer working. She has become hyper-sensitive to being picked up, and once she wakes up she starts crying and you're back to square one.Our new plan is to let her do whatever the hell she wants, as long as she stays in her room. I taught her how to turn her light on, and I leave the door open each night. So far it's working. The past two nights, she's only come out of her room once or twice, and gone right back in as soon as I told her. She's up later than we normally prefer for bedtime, but she is putting herself to sleep without crying and screaming.Last night she went to sleep in her bed.How Cordy fell asleep tonight:I can't imagine the pain in her neck in the morning.
We Have A Winner! 2007-08-28 09:20:00 Congrats to Twins x Two! With the help of random.org, she was the lucky winner of the BusyBodyBook.Thanks for playing everyone!
Neighbor Showdown 2007-09-22 20:44:00 Well, it finally had to happen. Our neighbors finally showed themselves to be the rabid feral animals we knew them to be. I'm still shaken, so forgive me if this is disjointed. I needed to get it out somewhere.First off, the bad news is that the neighbors aren't losing their house now. It was to be foreclosed on, but their mortgage company decided at the last minute to work with them. I can only hope they miss more payments and get thrown out. Yeah, it's a little mean to wish that on them, but after tonight, you can understand why I feel that way.Tonight the kids were, once again, completely in our yard, taking over our side yard for their games. While out in the backyard, I caught a kid out of the corner of my eye, in the fenced in yard, and then he ran around the side of the house. I walked around to see two of the boys saying, "Let's get out of here," as they ran away, and the girl saying, "Oh, thanks guys, let me get in trouble." Clearly they know it's wrong to jump our fence. Read more:Neighbor
, Showdown
The Devil's Spam 2007-09-22 14:52:00 I always though spam was from Lucifer himself. Now I have proof.My Gmail this morning:(apologies for the bad drawing)
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Haiku Fridays: A Moo-ving Haiku 2007-09-21 06:00:00 Wilbur is a cowHe likes to read books to kidsCome find out more hereAnd one more haiku for this very special day:Three years to the dayCordy came into the worldPissed off and screaming...and little has changed. But that's why I love her.Join the haiku fun!
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, Fridays
Me Shiny New Blog Booty 2007-09-19 12:50:00 Arrrr! Since it be Talk Like A Pirate Day, it be only fitting to show off me new pirate treasure that I've acquired as of late.(OK, I can't keep up the pirate talk. I'm far too tired.)First up is an award I was given a few months ago by MamaMichelesBabies, when I was knee deep in new baby exhaustion. I didn't forget, though!Thank you for the award, and for being so kind as to call this worn out mom rockin'! It makes me want to pull out my black eyeliner and skull & crossbones t-shirt and watch MTV. If it still had videos, that is.I'd like to pass this award on to Suebob, Vodkarella and Queen of Spain, three of the most rockin' girl bloggers I know.Next up, Julie awarded me the Nice Matters award. It honors, "those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!" OK, I'm blushing now. I don't care Read more:Shiny
Dear Bill Maher, Let's Talk Breasts. And Feeding. 2007-09-18 10:22:00 Thanks to other bloggers, I was able to catch your segment on breastfeeding. Sad to say, I don't think we'll be having lunch out together anytime soon. Not that you and I would ever agree on a restaurant, anyway, since the only way you can tolerate breasts and eating in unison is at Hooters.I understand you don't have kids, and therefore, don't understand the importance of breastfeeding. You probably don't like eating near kids who are loud at the table, either. However, these kids are your future. They will be paying your social security, they will be serving as your nurses as they feed you your Ensure through a straw. So you might want to take some interest in their upbringing.You, as a celebrity, are in a unique position for people to hear your message. I can rant and rave on my little blog here as much as I like, but I'm probably only reaching 200-300 people at most. You can reach millions. Yet you squandered your chance to educate and inform by choosing to belittle breastfee Read more:Maher
, Feeding
The Cat Who Wouldn't Leave 2007-09-17 13:02:00 Saturday evening, Aaron mowed the backyard, which hadn't been mowed for, oh, weeks. The grass isn't growing, and there was no sense breaking out the mower just to cut the weeds. Anyway, as he was mowing, he noticed a feral cat hanging around the backyard. At one point he called me to the door and said, "That cat isn't leaving the yard! She acts like it's her yard!"He walked towards her, but she ran from him, yet refused to leave. We just shrugged it off, thinking she was some weird cat who happened to like our yard.And then today, I walked out into the backyard, looking inside the play barn and noticing Aaron forgot to move it and mow there. And then a bit of fur catches my eye.Suddenly I know why the cat refused to leave the yard. And it's a good thing Aaron didn't move the play barn.It makes sense - our yard is completely fenced, making it a good hideout from predators. And the play barn is a nice shelter from hawks. Guess she thought we were a good hideout for her family. I ha Read more:Leave
More Terrifying Than Any Horror Movie 2007-09-16 19:26:00 Today started out like a normal morning. Cordy was walking up and down the stairs, pulling every known toy from her room to clutter up the downstairs. Mira was on my lap in the living room, Aaron was on the couch.I heard Cordy at the top of the stairs, knowing she was getting ready to come back down again. And then I heard the thump. The first of many. And a squeaky screech after the first thump.The stairs. She's falling. Oh God, she's falling.Aaron and I locked eyes very briefly and we both jumped up. I quickly set Mira back down in the chair and turned to the stairs, just in time to see Cordy tumbling down the last five or six steps. Tumbling head over heels, then barrel rolling, limbs tangled in each other, her little body finally hit bottom with a dull thud. That single second it took us to get to her felt like an eternity, as she didn't make any noise in that moment.Aaron immediately swept her up in his arms, asking, "Cordy, are you OK?" Finally, after what seemed like forever, Read more:Terrifying
Backup on the South Side of Town 2007-09-16 07:57:00 On this crisp, bright Sunday morning, traffic is unusually heavy in one part of town. It's bumper to bumper on the living room carpet.I'd avoid this area if at all possible in your daily commute. Recommended alternatives are the kitchen linoleum or for the more adventurous, the stairs. Another alternative is the toy box, which is completely empty of traffic.This traffic jam brought to you by Cordy.
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Haiku Friday: Sleep Is But A Dream 2007-09-14 05:48:00 Husband snores loudlyCat meows, Mira kicks meMy nighttimes lack sleepNow it is silentFinally I fall asleepBEEP BEEP BEEP! Shoot me.Eyes show wearinessThe curse of the light sleeperCoffee fills the voidThanks to those who played along last week - can't wait to see this week's crop of haiku! If you want to join us this week, click the button above for all of the details.
Read more:Haiku
, Friday
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, Dream
Could A Recessive Swedish Gene Be Hiding In Her Somewhere? 2007-09-13 10:23:00 Yesterday, while out at lunch with my mom:My mom: Cordy, here are your silverware. (hands them to Cordy)Cordy: (picking up her silverware, one by one) Look, a knife!Me: Yes, that's a knife. Good job!Cordy: Look, a spoooooon!My mom: You're right, that's a spoon.Cordy: Look, a bork!(Mom and I exchange confused looks)Me: What is that, Cordy?Cordy: A bork!Me: (laughing) You mean a fork, Cordy. Ffff-ork.Cordy: A bork! Bork, bork, bork!
Read more:Swedish
, Somewhere
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