Moms are so hot right now that shows are popping up left and right that really seem to ‘get it’ when it comes to our day to day lives, the identity shifts we undergo through the journey of mothering, and the incredible heroic acts we seem to pull off almost daily. Check out this latest creative new series starring Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy) and Julie Warner (Doc Hollywood, Nip/Tuck) who play mothers who also happen to fight evil. Also starring Brennan Hesser, Lourdes Benedicto, Tabitha Morella, Tim Rock, K Callan, Hank Baskett, Jacob Hopkins, Caitlin Carmichael, Jake Borelli, Patrick... (Read More ...)
The last few weeks in my life – okay the last few months – no, let me get really, really truthful and state – the last 40+ years of my life have been ‘un- normal’. Is this a word? No, but I think I can get enough moms on board to make it a word!! If truth be told, there is nothing ‘normal’ about motherhood – but it isn’t ‘abnormal’ either – just perhaps ‘un-normal’! For me, it began when I was a young woman and pregnant for the first time. All the doomsday naysayers had to tell me everything I needed to know about pregnancy and birthing. You know the people... (Read More ...)
You know you are a mother when … your child throws up and you catch it. Author Unknown As I was cleaning out my files I came across the above quote and had to stop and laugh. Of course when I was a young mother and six little ones running around the house, my humor was not so acute as it is now. It did however, bring back memories of when my children were little and even a more recent event with one of my grandchildren. One evening after a busy day at the Mall, my granddaughter, age two, curled up into her mother’s lap looked her straight in the face and threw up! I heard that familiar... (Read More ...)
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was ahead of her time when she established these five stages of purchasing a van. There are three definites in family life: death, taxes, and the decision to buy—or not to buy—a van. And when that third definite faces us, we grieve—because fun has faded and function has become the driving force. “People buy vans for what they do,” said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine. “When it comes to moving stuff and people, vans can’t be beat. But—they aren’t a Maserati.” Gut-busting laughter exploded from the first friend... (Read More ...)
Get my good side, will ya? A few years back Jaime Leigh Curtis discussed motherhood on a talk show and compared children to paparazzi. She said they take your picture when you don’t want them to and then show it to you in their behavior. The metaphor struck a chord. It is true my children unknowingly expose my contradictions (FLASH!), reflect them back (it ain’t pretty), and make denial impossible. And to see your parental blemishes unveiled like Courtney Love’s latest botched lips or Tara Reid’s wandering boob can be unnerving. The trick may be to learn something from the... (Read More ...)
Two years have passed since I cleaned the inside of my refrigerator. I am otherwise immaculate. I feel I have simply earned the right to a certain measure of filth in my castle. It is true I am blessed with OCD and enjoy a beautiful uncluttered nest. Most days the place appears to be tidy, if not spare on the surface. But since I live with teenagers who lack the gene for OCD, our home’s condition today suggests Mr. and Mrs. Clean have been out of the country for months. Exhibit A? The basement. A filthy mancave where milkshakes and mud have co-mingled without de-fungal interference from anyone.... (Read More ...)
“So, do you, like, feel like a housewife now?” my friend and former co-worker asked curiously over taco salads, about a month after I delivered my baby. My hemorrhoids had barely healed and I was delirious from dirty diapers and sleep deprivation. I was much more concerned with sitting than sweeping. “Not even a little,” I laughed, through a bite of lettuce and guacamole. “Not even a tad.” I may be on “eternity leave,” but I am hardly a housewife. At least not a very good one. To be a good housewife, I think, I must go to the supermarket more frequently... (Read More ...)
It’s a phrase turned as often as “there’s nothing to eat” or “I need ten bucks.” Whether Megan Fox is on the screen or a new girl shows up in class, “she’s so hot” is a recurring theme in daily conversations with my teen sons. My hotness is an issue too. Specifically, the flashes of hotness, mood swings, and assorted pre-menopausal goodies like headaches and insanity my perky young female gynecologist assures will hang out for the next six years. (I really hate that Dr. Hottie.) My sons are consumed with hotness at a time I have perhaps never felt more unstable. 17-year old DEATHMETAL... (Read More ...)
To the attractive mother with wavy red hair in the minivan parked near me in the drop zone at middle school this morning: may I just say, “You rule the universe, and you make this mom proud.” Was that the cabbage patch you rocked from the driver’s seat? ‘Cause you got mad skill, Red. I am guessing “You Can’t Touch This” blared from the stereo, but then again, it could have been Beyonce jammin’ “Single Ladies.” All I know is I am certain your adolescent son wearing the tortured expression in the passenger seat earned this performance. Surely those other eight stunned schoolmates... (Read More ...)
