All Pharmacist, All the Time

I eagerly awaited my copy of The 24-Hour Pharmacist in anticipation for a reference book for all those crazy kid ailments that go bump in the night. See, when you have children, you just assume that everything ever written has a kid slant. I’m thinking, cool, I need another book for those sleepless nights of fevers and rashes. Was I surprised when I browsed the table of contents and saw chapters like, Overcoming Fatigue, Monthly Madness, and the most intriguing, …Really Icky, Weird Stuff. Forget the kids, this book was for ME! And in many cases felt like it was written directly to me which made me embrace it even more.

I dove headlong into the PMS (a la Monthly Madness) chapter first because well, it’s not surprise to anyone who knows me, I suffer from it (as does everyone that crosses my path) and to my delight, I took vigilant notes and have committed myself to the idea (not the asylum) of giving the advice of Suzy Cohen, Pharmacist Extraordinaire a go. I’ve got nothing to lose and something tells me, this gal knows what she is talking about. I was a little skeptical when she broke the explanations of our hormones down into American Idol terms but since I think I might be the only one on the planet who loathes the show, I’ll ignore it and admit that her pop culture comparisons did make me understand the relationships between all those crazy hormones a little bit better.

The 24-Hour Pharmacist is one of those books that you can’t help but want to read, even when the topics don’t really apply. It’s like you’re just dying to know what the real story is with this western medicine shtick we subscribe to and how someone who works in the industry is in her own way bucking the system. Or at least trying to tell the truth for goodness sakes. Suzy is my kind of girl.

If you are anything like me and you have been vowing for months to kick yourself in the ass and get a little healthier, you should pick up a copy of the book. If nothing else it sheds a whole lot of light and gives a boat load of practical info about some of the medical issues we grapple with everyday and offers ways to get a big healthy grip on them.

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network—who is always giving me something to talk about.

Fashion Statement

Sometimes it just has to be made.

Seeing Things

I've seen some fantastic photography lately. The fam and I got a chance to check out Illume before it left Huntington Beach. Wow. The incredible images themselves were only highlighted by the presentation of them glowing from these huge boxes on the beach. Really a sight to see.

And last night we went to an artist's reception for Andy Summers new book "I'll Be Watching You" at the Frank Picture Gallery in Santa Monica. I stood this close to Sting himself and he looked...um...hot. As I figured he would. I will comment however that I towered over him in my heels. No judgement, just observation. I took my camera in hopes to have something to post here but just felt wrong about shooting pix of him. That's just my "I hate to be gawking like everyone else" side. Anyway, If you get a chance to head to the gallery to see Andy's images (life with The Police circa 1980-1983) you should. He captured some incredible stuff.

Sweet Stuff

In honor of the birthday girl (this is me playing on your emotions), it would be much appreciated if you all poped over to Modern Mom and voted for her photo --Just scroll down to the photo on the contest page and click on it--in the Family Fun w/Fruity Cheerios Photo Contest. There's $500 at stake which sounds pretty delicious to me.

I mean, come on, how can anyone resist this sweet face?

Four Yesterday

My Cup Runneth Over

Guess where I was this fine evening?
Oh, nowhere too special. Just Anaheim...

photo of Teemu Selanne and The Cup by Jeff Golden/Getty Images

...witnessing NHL history!
The Ducks won the friggin' Stanley Cup BABY!!!

Needless to say, it rocked. Hard.

Yummy

Food Fight!

Twist and Shout

Remember this story? Well, it's that time again.

And I am really ready to party (no wisdom tooth issues). I will have my child in one arm and my camera in the other as I boogie down at Baby Loves Disco in Los Angeles. They are having the family extravaganza at a whole new venue this summer and it ought be to loads of fun.

I'm the official photog of the event this time around (scroll down and check me out on the blog--I'm an action hero!) so if you're able to make it look for the mom dancing circles around The Derby and shooting pix of all the fun. And just to refresh your memory, they serve grown up drinks. Yuuummm. Grown up drinks.

My Latest Favorite

Tapping Into the Source

Whenever I talk with a new mom I always offer the same advice; find support. Immediately. Although Motherhood is Universal, it can be unbearably isolating which is nothing you can fathom until you're in it and you convince yourself that you are the only one on this planet who has ever been up at 3 am with a inconsolable baby. I remember thoughts racing through my delirious mind about falling asleep standing up, being sure my friends with children never had it as hard as I did and wondering how it was I felt so alone. Sigh.

The only thing that got me through the first few months (OK, years) of Motherhood was my connection to my mommy friends. And even more specifically, the mommy friends that had children the same age as mine. Those kind of friends are essential to surviving. Sounds simple but it's not. At all. Unless you're one of the lucky few who's BFF had a baby at the same time as you did--green with envy--finding another mother who is in the trenches with you can sometimes seem impossible. Especially when you can barely button your blouse long enough to meet to mailman at the door. Since you're not getting out much in those first few months the Internet comes in mighty handy. No matter what time of day or night, no matter what subject you are struggling with, no matter if you've showered in the past week, there are community websites for parents at your fingertips. Bless you Internet.



One new site that caters to moms and is open 24/7 is called Mamasource. Because MotherTalk is on the blog tour train again, I hopped aboard as I so often do, this time because my little sister is due with her first baby in August and I thought it's be cool to test out the mom-community website waters for her. I know what to look for, what is helpful, what you need and what you don't and because I know how badly she's going to need support and connectedness, I want to get her all set up. Don't mean to scare you sissy but, um...it can be scary.

Back to Mamasource. From the get go you can pop over and look for answers to questions on a variety of topics that you'll really need as a new mom (from baby's health, to your health, etc). But, what I think is really nice about this site is that you won't outgrow it because as your parenting needs/questions/concerns change and grow, so do the resources found at Mamasource. Once you're out of newborn hell (sorry, does that offend anyone?) you've got solid foods to talk about, and then potty training, oh goodness, then preschools, activities, sports, orthodontists, college...OK, maybe not college, but you get the picture. Mamasource not only offers the request and response approach (where you ask a question and you get some answers) but they offer a whole other dimension of stuff that's local to you (stores, restaurants, parks, doctors, etc). As in, what gems can be found in your own neighborhood. That's sweet. And it means that you find other moms in your community (not half way across the country) that will tell you where to take your baby to get their first hair cut, or what swim school worked for them, or where to get the best cup of coffee. Coffee? I'm giddy just thinking about it.

For moms that really want to tap into a fantastic resource and actually get the chance to communicate with other moms in their area (yes, you can even plan to meet for that awesome cup of coffee) Mamasource is a perfect place to frequent and as the site's community grows, it's only going to get better.

Hear that little sister? You might not get any sleep come August, but at least you'll be connected.

Please Join Me

I will be sharing tips and tricks on how to take better pictures of your children at an evening event at the fab So Cal bookstore The First Page in Newport Beach. I will also be offering ideas (easy and inexpensive--time wise and money wise) on documenting life with children. I said easy and I mean it. And let me assure you that there will be NO GUILT involved. You can hold me to that!

I hope you can come for some information and inspiration on this 'adult only' night out. Yay! And please feel free to invite your mommy friends!

Wednesday, May 23rd

6:30-8pm

The First Page

2818 San Miguel
Newport Hills, CA
949) 644-5437

Space is limited so please call to reserve a seat. $10 per person. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served. If you need more info please email maypapers at yahoo dot com.

A Mother's Question

What Makes You a Mother?

I answered that here but I think this says it all.

No matter how you answer that question (and by all means feel free to do so and join the Blog Blast) I wish you the Happiest of Mother's Days.

Fearless Friday

Fear is one of those topics that stirs up all sorts of emotions in people. I personally, have a love-hate relationship with Fear but have learned to revere its power to stop even the bravest of us dead in our tracks. We’ve all been paralyzed by Fear sometime in our lives and although it’s a universal experience, there is really no way to compare our Fear to that of another. Not unlike grief, we all have to process our fears in our own way; choose to face them or not, choose to run away or walk on. And although here is no such thing as the absence of it, there are some instances where we act boldly in it’s presence.

In a perfect world, I would just ignore Fear and forge through the fires of life, coming out the other side better for it. It’s a valiant effort and yet, I have found myself afraid of things as predicatable as beginning something new, leaving something behind, following my heart, saying no, saying yes, and of taking even the tiniest of risks. I have found myself debilitated by Fear; unable to make a decision, call the shots, or take the leap. I have given myself too much time to think and have let the voices of doubt drown out the whisperings of my heart. I have even surrendered to my fret and worry and have let Fear keep me from the things I desire. So, how can I expect to ignore something that has become commonplace in my life? I can’t. But I can carry on despite the Fear and do my darnedest to walk, step by step. Some steps bold and others not so bold but they are steps, none the less.

One might think that if we let the little things scare us, the big things would be that much more devastating. But, the truth is, when things have gotten really, truly and terrible scary, I have acted with more fearlessness than I ever could have imagined possible. In fact, I have become the most fierce when I have felt the most intense Fear. It has happens when my children’s well being is at risk or when something I deeply care about is threatened or attacked. I believe it’s a superhuman ability that can overtake us when we are triggered. We’ve seen it when an otherwise normal person lifts a car off of a loved one, when someone puts themselves in terrible danger because someone else needs their help, or when a mother sacrifices her own life for that of her children. It happens everyday. People do extraordinary things in the face of real Fear and it must seem to an observer that these people must be fearless. But, that’s impossible. It isn’t human nature to put ourselves in harms way. However, it is our nature to protect what matters and take care of what we love, at any cost.

I have seen an extraordinary, seemingly fearless woman in myself. I certainly don’t see her every day and I have no idea when she might reveal herself again but I know she’s there, lying idle within me. I know that in times of great Fear, she will appear as she has before, never failing me when I need her most. I don’t use her wisdom and as much as I could and have thought that perhaps I should invite her out more often; welcome her into my daily life, allow her to come play and help with the more minor decisions. It would probably help matters. But for now, I just nod and say “Namaste” to my Fearless Self. She’s impenetrable, focused, determined, clear headed, and impossibly strong.

It was a warm summer morning and my husband, 18 month old daughter and I were on our way to the beach. Radio on, windows down and the scent of sunscreen spoke of our perfectly planned day at the beach. But within minutes of being on the road, my daughter almost lost consciousness. My husband spotted her in the rear view mirror and raised his voice to me, “Something’s wrong! What’s wrong with the baby?” In one moment everything had changed. My husband raced off the freeway and the whole way to the emergency room I was beckoning my daughter to stay awake and as her head bobbed, barely able to speak, she kept whimpering, “Mama? Mama?” in her tender baby voice. As I sat in the backseat with her, the extraordinary woman came for me. She remained calm and steady, when I was at my breaking point. I felt for a few moments that I might lose my daughter.

It was a “freak accident” that a small piece of rust lodged itself into my daughter’s eye and it had sent her body into shock. She became lucid once we got to the hospital and the urgency and gravity of the situation let up a little. If wasn’t a matter of life or death but there was still reason for worry. After hours and hours of waiting, and talking to specialists and finally going through the removal process of the foreign object while my baby was strapped down to a board and a dental drill was used to extract the rust, I continued to be a vision of fearlessness. I stayed strong, focused and vigilant in my efforts to be sure my daughter was taken care of. It was my intention to keep my baby as calm as possible so the doctor could remove the fleck without surgery or doing harm to her eye. He had commented to me that my ability to keep her settled and relaxed was what we had going for us. When the nurse attempted to escort me out of the hospital room for the procedure, I made eye contact with the doctor and he commanded “Let her stay. This one is a good one.” Indeed, she was the best one. She was my Fearless Self. And she stayed with me for the remainder of that long day and into the night when I finally put my precious girl to sleep (thankfully in her own bed and not at the hospital). It was only then did my stoic Fearless Self let go as I fell into my husbands arms and wept.

Although my daughter came out of that situation unscarred, those hours left an indelible mark on me. Reflecting on the events of that day and other instances equally as intense in my life, I know now that it wasn’t my fearlessness that overtook me, it was my Fear. It proves that when Fear is that palpable, existing in every fiber of our being, we can become superhuman to overcome it. I think that is amazing and if I dare say it, fearless.

****

It's Fearless Friday at MotherTalk. If you haven't already, I urge you to go read what other women had to say on the subject. It's awe inspiring.

Cute Alert

When you see beautiful hand made gifts like these, you just have to order something!

And when you see a baby photo like this one, you just have to giggle and then pass it on.

I mean, I just couldn't resist. Can you blame me?

Contests, Photos & Prizes, Oh My!

I'm hosting a photo contest over at Picture This for the next 2 weeks. Come on by and have some good clean fun with us.

Peace Offering

A tiny and simple bouquet offered to me by my oldest daughter. Just as an "I love you".

If the whole world were made up of people like her, we would be a world of peace indeed.

-mamasayom

When Mothers Talk

The Mother Talk Salon I hosted the other night was beyond fabulous, just as I had known it would be. I'm not sure you can go wrong when you bring a group of vibrant women together (namely mothers) and throw in some good eats (appetizers and such a la myself and my daughter the sous chef) and drinks (as in alcoholic) and a cozy living room (aaah, I love when my living room is full of friends). I mean, seriously, it was like a little bit of heaven.

I remember the first email I sent Miriam and Andi (the amazing women behind Mother Talk) as a desperate plea to get a Salon planned in LA. Little did I know that I would be lucky enough to have not only host one in my own home, but to have not one, but two incredible authors to lead the evening of compelling conversation. Everyone that was here truly enjoyed themselves. I know it to be true because since the event on Saturday night, I have been fielding phone calls and emails from grateful moms who keep reiterating heartfelt sentiments about how stimulating it was to get together and talk about the Universal State of Motherhood...good, bad, and otherwise.

The evening began with snacking (thank you Isabel at Alpha Mom for being kind enough to sponsor the event for us) and casual introductions that led to us gathering around as Brett Paesel began to read a piece called from the delightfully witty Mommies Who Drink during which on more than one occasion, had the whole room laughing out loud. When Brett was through, and before she could even answer the questions we were all dying to know like, what led her to write the book, how did she get the deal, and what was her life like before children (you know the important stuff), the whole room was engaging in conversation which I think could have gone on for days.

But, alas, it was time for Erika Schickel to share something from her refreshingly poignant and clever book You're Not the Boss of Me. Although apparently she had planned on reading a different piece, the dynamic of the group led her to recite the last story of the book called Sisters. A tapestry of words, rich in color and texture that brilliantly stitched together her daily observations of her own daughters with reflections of her own upbringing and memories of life with her sisters. For those of you who know me, my daughters and my whole family of women, you can imagine how much a story like hers hit home. Waaah. This then began round two of mom talk and as our thoughts swirled and we spoke our minds the time passed far too quickly. It was a perfect evening.

Would I host another Mother Talk Salon? You bet I would. And something tells me it's just a matter of time.

Consider Yourself...

informed, invited and tagged.

Carry on.

Good Days

The other day, out of the clear blue, I hear a tender little voice sigh and say, "Mama, I love you in my whole life." The sound of those words in that voice instantly took my breath away. "You do?" I answered. And after a moment she said, "Yah. I love you in my whole heart too."

I'd say things are finally looking up.

March Madness (aka The Month of The Domino Effect)

3/1 - 3/5 - I threw my back out something terrible and was totally out of commission.

3/6 - Finally able to walk again and had mommy friends and a brood of 3-year-olds over to welcome an out of town guest. Friend's child threw up at the party. The real fun begins here as does the Domino Effect.

3/7 - Another mommy friend and her daughter got the bug.

3/8 - 3/11 - My youngest got it. And this is when I miss my big mommy-only overnight outing to Santa Barbabra.

3/11 - 3/12 - I got it. Bad. And this is where I miss most of my sisters wedding, barely hanging on for the ceremony and leaving before the reception.

3/13 - My oldest got it/has it. And a phone call from my mother confirmed she's down too.

And now, after two full weeks of total chaos, it's official, things (as in almost everything internet) are falling through the cracks. If you are one of them...please forgive me if I have been unresponsive. I will be picking up the pieces of March for a while, I'm sure. And do I even have to say that I am petrified of what tomorrow might hold.