I was listening to the news the other day and they were reporting on a Class Action suit against the makers of Nutella. The suit was brought by two mothers in California that were claiming Nutella was false advertising the product. Their goal was to get the makers of Nutella to admit that their ad claims healthy, but it is really no more healthy than a candy bar.
In just two tablespoons of Nutella there are 200 calories, 21 grams of sugar and 11 grams of fat. This does not sound healthy to me. I heard one critic of the law suit say that this was frivolous and that one should be checking the ingredients before they buy a product.
I, myself, agree whole hearted with this lawsuit. There have been many studies that show advertisers gear commercials for sugary cereals and snacks towards kids. They put them on at and on the appropriate channels that kids watch and advertise with messages that make a kid say MMMMM! I know just by looking at the shelf that a granola or whole grain cereal with a clearly plain looking non exciting box is more than likely healthier than the colorful one that scream "Made with Whole Grains" on the front of the box. Just because something is made with whole grains does not mean that it is not jacked up with sugar. I think most moms and dads have figured out the cereals. But, other products seem not so easy to figure out when you are in a time crunch. I see the product and it says healthy on the front. Right where the advertisers know I, with all the kids and rushing frantically, will see it. They know I will grab it and go. I know I rely on commercials myself. Sometimes when I hear something is healthy I go ahead and buy it. I know I do not have the time to sit in the grocery store, with at least 1 infant and sometimes my 2 other children, and read every single label to determine healthiness.
Now, I am not the queen of health and I do let me kids have Yodels or Ding Dongs but in moderation. My kids will have a soda but in moderation. So, when I think I am giving them something healthy and it is really jacked with sugar and empty calories is it really fair? I am thinking that with my moderation theory I know what sugar my kids are taking in and here they are getting way more than I even know by eating thing I think are healthy because of advertisements.
Here's the funny thing about Nutella in my house. I love it and my kids hate it! I was making two half sandwiches a day as a snack. Whole grain bread, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and Nutella. I was thinking I was eating healthy and trying to drop a few pounds at the same time. Really, I was killing my suggested calorie intake with Nutella. It didn't matter if I ate veggies the rest of the day I was already getting most of my calories with the Nutella.
Unless everyone goes around suing all these companies for all of these products this advertising issue will not end. Since suing all these companies is not feasible, the advertising will continue.
My suggestion, and what I will be doing from now on, is when you are making your shopping list and decide to buy something new research the product. I don't have time to do it in the grocery store but I do have some free time that I can look up a product or two by doing a Google search. I am not always buying everything new at the grocery store so looking up a couple of products won't be so time consuming. I won't have a child in the store saying "I want this" and "I want that"! This is the only way to ensure you are buying healthy. Be proactive on your own part.
Just a Tip: Remember, the way the grocery store set up the shelves are to get you to focus on the middle or eye level shelves. These are where most of your sugary items are being sold from. Look up and down you tend to find more nutritious items on top and bottom shelving.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Daughter's Leaving the nest, How My Mom Coped!
My daughter is 10, she is not yet leaving the nest. But, someday she will. I decided to write about this subject now while it is still fresh in my memory of how it was to leave my nest.
I am one of three kids in my family. I am the oldest daughter with an older brother and a younger sister. We are all about 5 years apart. To tell you about how I ended up leaving the nest I will have to tell you how my family dynamics were growing up.
I lived in a very rural town in Western Pennsylvania. It was a quaint little town and everybody knew everybody. My mom was a stay at home mom and my dad worked shift work at the power plant. We really hardly got to see my dad. My mom was the best mom. I was always happy to have her around and wanted her to be involved in all the activities that I was involved in. She was awesome. Anything and everything that we did she was there. Whether it was to just be in the background to support us or to be actively involved because we had volunteered her for something without her even knowing!
My mom had gotten very sick at one point in my teenage years with gallbladder issues and went to have routine surgery. She wound up almost losing her life. Now, we had always been really close. My dad always said that we had snaps on our hips because we were so close. Our closeness wasn't spoken about to each other. It was the way our relationship was. That doesn't mean that I never said or did anything that was hurtful or disobedient. I was however a teenager. Sorry Mom! During the medical crisis that my mom dealing with, I was there for her. There I was at 16 sleeping on the floor next to the couch. Helping her up and down. Getting her food when she needed it. Changing drainage tubes when needed. This is what you do for someone that you love and I love my mom.
Fast forward about 2 years and my parents marriage had fallen apart. It was messy and sad. At 18, I realized that even though I was still feeling like a child, I was seeing the ins and outs of divorce like an adult. My mom decided to move out of state and my sister and I went with her. I could not leave my mother. She needed me now more than ever. Our adventures started out fun. A new life in a new place. I had to become an adult really fast. If we wanted a home of our own and a not just a place to crash we needed to work hard and fast. We did and we got a place. Both of our paychecks went to rent and bills. It was a struggle but that was what we had to do. After a while, I started to resent my mom a little bit. My paycheck was going towards rent and bills and gas in my car. In my head, I was being an adult way more than what my friends that I left behind probably were. They were going to college, parties, and bars. I was working and being responsible. I started making friends and going out on the weekends but was still given a curfew. I found this unfair and thought that if I was expected to be an adult at 19 I should be able to make my own decisions and not have a curfew. After a while I made the decision to move out. I knew this was going to upset my mom. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. I was worried for her about how she was going to make it but I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions for my own life. I had a friend that lived 4 hours away and I was going to crash there until I found my place. I had transferred my job and set everything up myself. My mom was hardly speaking to me when I had left. That was not how I wanted it to be at all. I was feeling sad and guilty because I was leaving her. It was like I was her companion and I was afraid to leave her because I knew she was going to be sad, lonely, and was afraid for her financially.
Everything worked out in the end and we speak every weekday on her lunch break. We have talked about that time when I was leaving. She agreed that I was like a companion. She felt like she was losing control because she didn't have control of the situation. We both learned from that situation and, of course, my sister had it so much easier! We both made some mistakes I could have done things differently and she could have too. We don't get to hit rewind and play out that situation again. I realize what my mom must have been feeling and had I only sat down and talked to her and not kept my move so secretive. If I had just told her this is what I wanted to do and why. If I told her I was not asking permission but would love it if she could be involved and help me with this new adventure I was journeying out on. Maybe we would have avoided all that drama!
I know It is hard to let go. I know one day I will come back to this post to remind myself of what my daughter might be feeling and how I could do things differently.
This ones for my mama, love you!
I am one of three kids in my family. I am the oldest daughter with an older brother and a younger sister. We are all about 5 years apart. To tell you about how I ended up leaving the nest I will have to tell you how my family dynamics were growing up.
I lived in a very rural town in Western Pennsylvania. It was a quaint little town and everybody knew everybody. My mom was a stay at home mom and my dad worked shift work at the power plant. We really hardly got to see my dad. My mom was the best mom. I was always happy to have her around and wanted her to be involved in all the activities that I was involved in. She was awesome. Anything and everything that we did she was there. Whether it was to just be in the background to support us or to be actively involved because we had volunteered her for something without her even knowing!
My mom had gotten very sick at one point in my teenage years with gallbladder issues and went to have routine surgery. She wound up almost losing her life. Now, we had always been really close. My dad always said that we had snaps on our hips because we were so close. Our closeness wasn't spoken about to each other. It was the way our relationship was. That doesn't mean that I never said or did anything that was hurtful or disobedient. I was however a teenager. Sorry Mom! During the medical crisis that my mom dealing with, I was there for her. There I was at 16 sleeping on the floor next to the couch. Helping her up and down. Getting her food when she needed it. Changing drainage tubes when needed. This is what you do for someone that you love and I love my mom.
Fast forward about 2 years and my parents marriage had fallen apart. It was messy and sad. At 18, I realized that even though I was still feeling like a child, I was seeing the ins and outs of divorce like an adult. My mom decided to move out of state and my sister and I went with her. I could not leave my mother. She needed me now more than ever. Our adventures started out fun. A new life in a new place. I had to become an adult really fast. If we wanted a home of our own and a not just a place to crash we needed to work hard and fast. We did and we got a place. Both of our paychecks went to rent and bills. It was a struggle but that was what we had to do. After a while, I started to resent my mom a little bit. My paycheck was going towards rent and bills and gas in my car. In my head, I was being an adult way more than what my friends that I left behind probably were. They were going to college, parties, and bars. I was working and being responsible. I started making friends and going out on the weekends but was still given a curfew. I found this unfair and thought that if I was expected to be an adult at 19 I should be able to make my own decisions and not have a curfew. After a while I made the decision to move out. I knew this was going to upset my mom. The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. I was worried for her about how she was going to make it but I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions for my own life. I had a friend that lived 4 hours away and I was going to crash there until I found my place. I had transferred my job and set everything up myself. My mom was hardly speaking to me when I had left. That was not how I wanted it to be at all. I was feeling sad and guilty because I was leaving her. It was like I was her companion and I was afraid to leave her because I knew she was going to be sad, lonely, and was afraid for her financially.
Everything worked out in the end and we speak every weekday on her lunch break. We have talked about that time when I was leaving. She agreed that I was like a companion. She felt like she was losing control because she didn't have control of the situation. We both learned from that situation and, of course, my sister had it so much easier! We both made some mistakes I could have done things differently and she could have too. We don't get to hit rewind and play out that situation again. I realize what my mom must have been feeling and had I only sat down and talked to her and not kept my move so secretive. If I had just told her this is what I wanted to do and why. If I told her I was not asking permission but would love it if she could be involved and help me with this new adventure I was journeying out on. Maybe we would have avoided all that drama!
I know It is hard to let go. I know one day I will come back to this post to remind myself of what my daughter might be feeling and how I could do things differently.
This ones for my mama, love you!
Monday, April 30, 2012
The Birth Plan!
Many of my friends and family are becoming first time moms soon. I thought this would be a great time to talk about birth plans.
What is a birth plan? Well, it is a written or thought out agenda for how your birthing experience is going to play out at the hospital. Most include what kind of pain management if any, who you want in the room, what kind of tools you will want to use (ex. birthing ball, warm tub, shower), who you want to catch the baby, if you want your other half to cut the cord, and if you want to nurse right away just to name a few! Some think that having a birthing plan is just an extensive written paper with everything listed for your labor and delivery, but it is not. A birthing plan can be written out in your head where no one even knows about it. That was what i took to the hospital with my first!
Let me tell you how my mental birth plan went! My agenda went out the window before I even reached the car to get to the hospital! No joke, nothing went as I had planned and all I could think about in all those hours in the hospital is how this birth was not going the way I had planned at all! My water broke at home. I was expelling clots that were the size of grapefruits (my husband took them to the hospital to show the doctor). When we called the doctor to see what we should do, my husband and mother-in-law were both talking at the same time with panic in their voices. The nurse requested to talk to me and they were still going in the background! "Tell them this and do they know that!" It was scary and crazy and it was already out of control.
The birthing process is unreliable and very unpredictable. You cannot plan this process. I realized, by the time that I got to my third delivery, that the more I let go of being in control the more I actually enjoyed the birthing process. I was more in control when I was not trying to be in control. I was able to decide what was going to happen in the moment instead of already having a plan and being disappointed if something wasn't going right. I decided when the time came if I wanted an epidural. I decided if I wanted a catheter or not. I was able to be relaxed, which helps your body to be able to dilate easier and faster. I was able to talk to my nurse as I went through labor. When I would ask her a question I was able to be relaxed, understand, and make a rational decision in regards to what was going to take place. I was more focused and alert which made me be able to read my own body.
In my opinion the more control you try to take or expect in labor, the more out of control the birthing process will be. Let nature take it's course and decide when the time comes to make those decisions. I can almost guarantee you will have a better experience!
_________________________________________________
Packing for the Hospital for Labor and Delivery, 10 things A laboring mom will need
I learned to pack 2 bags. One for labor and delivery and one for the rest of my hospital stay. I would have my husband bring the second one to the hospital after I was transferred to my maternity stay room.
1. Magazines, You may have some time on your hands before active labor and after your get meds!
2. Phone Charger, You don't want to end up with a dead battery when you want it most
3. Camera and Batteries, To take pictures to share
4. Food, They now will let a laboring mom eat food to keep up the energy. Bring light snacks for you to eat.
5. Robe, If you have to walk to halls you will want something to cover your cheeks besides a johnny!
6. Chapstick, Your lips will get dry.
7. Deodorant, I put it on a lot because I was sweating a lot!
8. Hard Candy, In case you get a dry mouth.
9. Something to focus on, I actually used the little light on the TV when I was having contractions!
10. Slippers or Slipper Socks, For when you have to get to and from bed!
Happy Laboring Ladies!
What is a birth plan? Well, it is a written or thought out agenda for how your birthing experience is going to play out at the hospital. Most include what kind of pain management if any, who you want in the room, what kind of tools you will want to use (ex. birthing ball, warm tub, shower), who you want to catch the baby, if you want your other half to cut the cord, and if you want to nurse right away just to name a few! Some think that having a birthing plan is just an extensive written paper with everything listed for your labor and delivery, but it is not. A birthing plan can be written out in your head where no one even knows about it. That was what i took to the hospital with my first!
Let me tell you how my mental birth plan went! My agenda went out the window before I even reached the car to get to the hospital! No joke, nothing went as I had planned and all I could think about in all those hours in the hospital is how this birth was not going the way I had planned at all! My water broke at home. I was expelling clots that were the size of grapefruits (my husband took them to the hospital to show the doctor). When we called the doctor to see what we should do, my husband and mother-in-law were both talking at the same time with panic in their voices. The nurse requested to talk to me and they were still going in the background! "Tell them this and do they know that!" It was scary and crazy and it was already out of control.
The birthing process is unreliable and very unpredictable. You cannot plan this process. I realized, by the time that I got to my third delivery, that the more I let go of being in control the more I actually enjoyed the birthing process. I was more in control when I was not trying to be in control. I was able to decide what was going to happen in the moment instead of already having a plan and being disappointed if something wasn't going right. I decided when the time came if I wanted an epidural. I decided if I wanted a catheter or not. I was able to be relaxed, which helps your body to be able to dilate easier and faster. I was able to talk to my nurse as I went through labor. When I would ask her a question I was able to be relaxed, understand, and make a rational decision in regards to what was going to take place. I was more focused and alert which made me be able to read my own body.
In my opinion the more control you try to take or expect in labor, the more out of control the birthing process will be. Let nature take it's course and decide when the time comes to make those decisions. I can almost guarantee you will have a better experience!
_________________________________________________
Packing for the Hospital for Labor and Delivery, 10 things A laboring mom will need
I learned to pack 2 bags. One for labor and delivery and one for the rest of my hospital stay. I would have my husband bring the second one to the hospital after I was transferred to my maternity stay room.
1. Magazines, You may have some time on your hands before active labor and after your get meds!
2. Phone Charger, You don't want to end up with a dead battery when you want it most
3. Camera and Batteries, To take pictures to share
4. Food, They now will let a laboring mom eat food to keep up the energy. Bring light snacks for you to eat.
5. Robe, If you have to walk to halls you will want something to cover your cheeks besides a johnny!
6. Chapstick, Your lips will get dry.
7. Deodorant, I put it on a lot because I was sweating a lot!
8. Hard Candy, In case you get a dry mouth.
9. Something to focus on, I actually used the little light on the TV when I was having contractions!
10. Slippers or Slipper Socks, For when you have to get to and from bed!
Happy Laboring Ladies!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Oragnized Meal Planning!
Our Favorite Meal Clip Board!
This was something I found on Pinterest and it was done with a restaurant menu. Well, since I know I don't have many menus laying around my house I improvised!
When I starting using this I thought it was only going to be used to help me to know what my family would want for dinners that week. What I did not realize is how much it helped me plan my shopping trip and save money at the same time.
When I would go to the grocery store before, I would wander aimlessly up and down each isle. With a scattered brain trying to think of what we would have for 7 dinners, lunches for my school aged kids, what the baby was going to need, what kind of cereal my husband would want, and all of this while my stomach is growling! Not a great combination. So, I would just randomly grab things out of the isle. I guess this is how the grocery stores make their money!
Once I made and started using this clip board, It helped me right out of the gate. My kids were excited to be picking out what we would have for the week and it was always going to be something my family liked. So, on Wednesday when the circulars came in the mail, I would take a peak and see what was going to be on sale, I would go through the envelope marked "Our Favorite Meals" and I would pull out 7 meals. I let my kids clip them onto the clip boards with the clothes pins for when they wanted to eat those meals. Now, I am able to make a grocery list almost without even looking in the circulars page by page. I know exactly what I will need for my Friday shopping day!
These is how I made my clip board. It is not fancy at all but it works!
Materials...
1 clipboard
7 clothes pins
1 envelope
2- 8.5"X11" poster board
glue
Sharpie
Glue 7 Clothes pins onto 1 sheet of poster board. glue the fold of the envelope to the bottom backside of the poster board. Write with the Sharpie each day of the week over the clothes pins and write on the envelope "Our Favorite Meals". Now, Cut the other piece of poster board in half vertically. Cut again into strips. Write on these pieces what your families favorite meals are and place them in the envelope. Once everything is dry clip it to your clip board and hang on a wall in your kitchen!
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Skinny
Over the weekend I tracked my way to the softball fields so my daughter could go to her first practice of the season. I was sitting their enjoying the weather when I struck up a conversation with another parent. She started talking about how her daughter asked her if her thighs looked fat in a pair of leggings. These are 10 year olds mind you and this one in particular is a tall drink of water, athletic, and really beautiful inside and out. She went on to tell her daughter that she looked great and that her thighs did not look anywhere near fat in the leggings.
There is influences no matter where you look. It is not just the supermodels in the magazines (airbrushed obviously!) that children are getting this "perfect image" idea from. Even the government is pushing the obesity dilemma now. So, our kids get it from every angle. It is sad to say, but they are getting it at a younger and younger age now a days. When my daughter was in first grade and at school she would leave for school with a packed lunch and come home with the packed lunch. She would be starving by the time she got home and after about a month of asking what was going on I had enough. I was finally able to pry it out of her. One little girl at school was commenting on another little girls lunch just about every day. She was talking about how much food was in the girls lunch and how she was going to gain weight and be fat. So, my daughter took a mental note of that and decided to not eat to possibly spare herself ridicule over what she eats and what she weighs! I ended up at the principals office and ultimately took my child out of school everyday for lunch. I brought her home to eat and back to school for recess. This went on until our move a month later to a new school district. Our move was already planned before this incident so it was just good timing!
It made me stop and think about what I say and do in front of my kids, my daughter really. I had a baby in October and have been complaining about the weight that I am not shedding as fast as I would like. I found myself wanting to skip meals and then feel so miserably hungry that I would over indulge in the wrong foods. All while my kids are watching. So, the pressure of weight and eating can come from us as parents too. It may be unintentional but it can happen. It can come from what was happening in my house to something as simple as a parent telling a kid how skinny they are. It can be just talking about weight in general or talking to a child about how they eat to much.
I started thinking about what I can do to make it so that I can minimize the pressures of weight with my daughter. I am 33 and just now understanding the idea of healthy eating. It is all about moderation when it comes to food. Now because I do need to lose weight and don't want it to effect the way my daughter thinks, I have decided to make my life healthier and to help my kids understand what that means. I want to be around to watch them grow up, go to college, get married, and have children of their own. I am not on a diet, I am just eating a healthy. It is no more or no less than that. I tell myself and only myself that the weight will come off in time with the healthy eating. I do not say things that have to do with my weight in front of my daughter anymore. She will have enough pressure from her peers to deal with without my own issues of weight.
Children make metal notes of the things and actions that we take. It does not have to be a spoken word for something to be destructive to them! Remember to chose your actions wisely when it comes to this sensitive issue.
There is influences no matter where you look. It is not just the supermodels in the magazines (airbrushed obviously!) that children are getting this "perfect image" idea from. Even the government is pushing the obesity dilemma now. So, our kids get it from every angle. It is sad to say, but they are getting it at a younger and younger age now a days. When my daughter was in first grade and at school she would leave for school with a packed lunch and come home with the packed lunch. She would be starving by the time she got home and after about a month of asking what was going on I had enough. I was finally able to pry it out of her. One little girl at school was commenting on another little girls lunch just about every day. She was talking about how much food was in the girls lunch and how she was going to gain weight and be fat. So, my daughter took a mental note of that and decided to not eat to possibly spare herself ridicule over what she eats and what she weighs! I ended up at the principals office and ultimately took my child out of school everyday for lunch. I brought her home to eat and back to school for recess. This went on until our move a month later to a new school district. Our move was already planned before this incident so it was just good timing!
It made me stop and think about what I say and do in front of my kids, my daughter really. I had a baby in October and have been complaining about the weight that I am not shedding as fast as I would like. I found myself wanting to skip meals and then feel so miserably hungry that I would over indulge in the wrong foods. All while my kids are watching. So, the pressure of weight and eating can come from us as parents too. It may be unintentional but it can happen. It can come from what was happening in my house to something as simple as a parent telling a kid how skinny they are. It can be just talking about weight in general or talking to a child about how they eat to much.
I started thinking about what I can do to make it so that I can minimize the pressures of weight with my daughter. I am 33 and just now understanding the idea of healthy eating. It is all about moderation when it comes to food. Now because I do need to lose weight and don't want it to effect the way my daughter thinks, I have decided to make my life healthier and to help my kids understand what that means. I want to be around to watch them grow up, go to college, get married, and have children of their own. I am not on a diet, I am just eating a healthy. It is no more or no less than that. I tell myself and only myself that the weight will come off in time with the healthy eating. I do not say things that have to do with my weight in front of my daughter anymore. She will have enough pressure from her peers to deal with without my own issues of weight.
Children make metal notes of the things and actions that we take. It does not have to be a spoken word for something to be destructive to them! Remember to chose your actions wisely when it comes to this sensitive issue.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Stay at home or Work.. My thought on Ann Romney
Just an FYI this post is not intended to be a political one. This being posted is not to share my political views or to ask anyone else to do so. It is coming from a mother who cares!
I was listening to the news this morning and was very irritated by what I was hearing. Hilary Rosen, a democratic strategist, was saying that Ann Romney was unqualified to speak about the economic issues that women face today. Rosen was on Anderson Cooper 360 and was slamming Ann Romney stating that "She never worked a day in her life." She also said "She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids? How do we send them to school? And why we worry about their future."
Romney responded back with a Tweet “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.”
So my post today is about being a stay at home mom and being a working mom. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay at home. That does not mean that there has not been times where my family could have benefited from me going to work. But, it was very important to me for me to stay at home with my children and raise them the way I wanted to and my husbands jobs for the most part allowed me to do so. That being said, it is not always that way for other families. Be it a single mother or a married mother some, no most, families today have to have a second income to make ends meet. That does not mean that their feeling towards raising their kids are any different from mine. They love their kids just the same as I love mine.
We all come from different economic backgrounds but being a mom, stay at home or working, is hard work. I certainly feel that it is the hardest job I have ever faced. My 40 hour work week went up to a 24 hours 7 day a week job and my responsibilities sky rocketed. I worry just as much about money for my family as I am sure my working mommy friends do. I worry about the stability of my husband job in these crazy times, I also worry about how to put food on the table in a cost effective way, and I worry about how I am going to pay for gas to get my kids to and from their daily activities.
I think it is sad that because Ann Romney comes from wealth that she would be ridiculed by someone, be it a Democrat or Republican. She is a mother and made a choice to stay at home and be the best mother she could to her 5 sons. Money or no money she is a mother. I don't think that wealth makes her out of touch with what a mother needs and wants. Yes, she may have had it easier financially, but she is on the campaign trail with Mitt socializing with women to find out what our concerns are as women and mothers from all economic backgrounds. I know my concerns may be different from my neighbors, the mother that lives in the inner city, and the mother that lives in the richest neighborhood in my town.
Yes, Ann Romney comes from money and she has not toughed it out as most American mother do but, at least she is making it a point to connect with us. It seems that the only way to run for president is to come from money and she should not be slammed for that. I would like to see Hilary Rosen hitting the trails to have one on one sit downs with the mothers of America.
If you have not seen what Hilary Rosen has said, check out the link to Anderson Cooper 360.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/11/the-candidates-war-for-women/
I was listening to the news this morning and was very irritated by what I was hearing. Hilary Rosen, a democratic strategist, was saying that Ann Romney was unqualified to speak about the economic issues that women face today. Rosen was on Anderson Cooper 360 and was slamming Ann Romney stating that "She never worked a day in her life." She also said "She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids? How do we send them to school? And why we worry about their future."
Romney responded back with a Tweet “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.”
So my post today is about being a stay at home mom and being a working mom. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay at home. That does not mean that there has not been times where my family could have benefited from me going to work. But, it was very important to me for me to stay at home with my children and raise them the way I wanted to and my husbands jobs for the most part allowed me to do so. That being said, it is not always that way for other families. Be it a single mother or a married mother some, no most, families today have to have a second income to make ends meet. That does not mean that their feeling towards raising their kids are any different from mine. They love their kids just the same as I love mine.
We all come from different economic backgrounds but being a mom, stay at home or working, is hard work. I certainly feel that it is the hardest job I have ever faced. My 40 hour work week went up to a 24 hours 7 day a week job and my responsibilities sky rocketed. I worry just as much about money for my family as I am sure my working mommy friends do. I worry about the stability of my husband job in these crazy times, I also worry about how to put food on the table in a cost effective way, and I worry about how I am going to pay for gas to get my kids to and from their daily activities.
I think it is sad that because Ann Romney comes from wealth that she would be ridiculed by someone, be it a Democrat or Republican. She is a mother and made a choice to stay at home and be the best mother she could to her 5 sons. Money or no money she is a mother. I don't think that wealth makes her out of touch with what a mother needs and wants. Yes, she may have had it easier financially, but she is on the campaign trail with Mitt socializing with women to find out what our concerns are as women and mothers from all economic backgrounds. I know my concerns may be different from my neighbors, the mother that lives in the inner city, and the mother that lives in the richest neighborhood in my town.
Yes, Ann Romney comes from money and she has not toughed it out as most American mother do but, at least she is making it a point to connect with us. It seems that the only way to run for president is to come from money and she should not be slammed for that. I would like to see Hilary Rosen hitting the trails to have one on one sit downs with the mothers of America.
If you have not seen what Hilary Rosen has said, check out the link to Anderson Cooper 360.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/11/the-candidates-war-for-women/
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Mommy Daddy Comparison (From a childs perspective)
Over this past weekend our family had something happen that was really kinda funny and got me to thinking, "Does Daddy really know what he is doing when it comes to taking care of the kids?"
I will start this story out by letting you in on what happened at our house. I had absolutely no time to go Easter shopping over the past week so I, of course, was out shopping at 7:30pm the night before Easter. They whole day was nothing but busy and at 7:15pm my husband was taking my sons friend home so I could leave to get all my stuff done. Now I was feeling stressed. I had to get groceries and the items I needed to make desserts for my mother in laws house the next day. I had to get Easter candy and toys for the baskets. I also needed to find a basket and baby toys for our new little one. Can anyone say MIGRAINE! I was running like mad trying to make it to the Dollar Store to stock up on all my kids favorite candy. Still no basket for the poor baby. I ran into the grocery store picked up a few grocery items and said forget the rest, I will come back on Monday. I ran up the unbelievably overpriced toy isle and grabbed some baby toys and a few wiffle balls for my sons. Ran over to CVS where I found the As Seen On TV Slushy Maker and grabbed that for my daughter. Still no basket for the baby. Ran next door to TJ Max to see if they had baskets and of course, no basket, unless I wanted one that would hold the newspaper on the steps. Don't think I didn't contemplate it either! But I ended up with a monkey backpack that fit everything right inside. I will find a basket for next year.
But here is where the real story begins. I come home with the few grocery bags in my hand and was met at the door by my daughter. She had a very concerned look in her eye that I could see through the glass in the door. When I opened the door she said "Mommy, didn't you get my message?" I looked at my phone and said "No, my phone never rang. Why whats the matter?" As she was starting to speak, my husbands head pops around the corner and he states, "Can you please tell your daughter that I am a good father and I know what I am doing!"
Well come to find out, the baby started crying as soon as I left my house. Anyone that knows him will tell you that he is a great baby and never cries, but right now he is getting his top two teeth and that really doesn't feel so good. So, he can cry all he wants the poor guy.
Back to the story! Our daughter proceeds to tell me that he cried the whole time I was gone and Daddy only just got him to sleep. Now, Daddy's story goes like this. "You left the house and he started crying! Not the whimper cry but the he's in pain cry. I tried everything! Standing, sitting, rocking, walking, going outside, putting him in his bouncy and nothing worked until I just put him down in our bed and he finally went to sleep."
Well, this is what I would normally do if he was worked up but our daughter kept telling her father that he didn't know what he was doing! She told him "Ty never cries like that when Mommy is here!" and "I think I should just call mommy and let her know what is going on!" and "Are you sure you know what you are doing, Daddy?" He said she was relentless!
I have never laughed so hard on the inside than I did that night! Does he really not know what he is doing? Of course he knows what to do. Parents parent differently. He has his way and I have mine. We both know how to settle the baby down but it might not be the same way. Our daughter usually sees me with the baby and what I do because I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home. I had to explain to her that Daddy does know what he is doing and that sometimes we need to give daddy some slack and let him figure out what to do with the baby because he doesn't get to spend as much time with him as we do. I then told her "I don't know how you made it 10 years with him as your father!" We all got a good laugh out of it and it will be a story told to the baby for years to come!
I will start this story out by letting you in on what happened at our house. I had absolutely no time to go Easter shopping over the past week so I, of course, was out shopping at 7:30pm the night before Easter. They whole day was nothing but busy and at 7:15pm my husband was taking my sons friend home so I could leave to get all my stuff done. Now I was feeling stressed. I had to get groceries and the items I needed to make desserts for my mother in laws house the next day. I had to get Easter candy and toys for the baskets. I also needed to find a basket and baby toys for our new little one. Can anyone say MIGRAINE! I was running like mad trying to make it to the Dollar Store to stock up on all my kids favorite candy. Still no basket for the poor baby. I ran into the grocery store picked up a few grocery items and said forget the rest, I will come back on Monday. I ran up the unbelievably overpriced toy isle and grabbed some baby toys and a few wiffle balls for my sons. Ran over to CVS where I found the As Seen On TV Slushy Maker and grabbed that for my daughter. Still no basket for the baby. Ran next door to TJ Max to see if they had baskets and of course, no basket, unless I wanted one that would hold the newspaper on the steps. Don't think I didn't contemplate it either! But I ended up with a monkey backpack that fit everything right inside. I will find a basket for next year.
But here is where the real story begins. I come home with the few grocery bags in my hand and was met at the door by my daughter. She had a very concerned look in her eye that I could see through the glass in the door. When I opened the door she said "Mommy, didn't you get my message?" I looked at my phone and said "No, my phone never rang. Why whats the matter?" As she was starting to speak, my husbands head pops around the corner and he states, "Can you please tell your daughter that I am a good father and I know what I am doing!"
Well come to find out, the baby started crying as soon as I left my house. Anyone that knows him will tell you that he is a great baby and never cries, but right now he is getting his top two teeth and that really doesn't feel so good. So, he can cry all he wants the poor guy.
Back to the story! Our daughter proceeds to tell me that he cried the whole time I was gone and Daddy only just got him to sleep. Now, Daddy's story goes like this. "You left the house and he started crying! Not the whimper cry but the he's in pain cry. I tried everything! Standing, sitting, rocking, walking, going outside, putting him in his bouncy and nothing worked until I just put him down in our bed and he finally went to sleep."
Well, this is what I would normally do if he was worked up but our daughter kept telling her father that he didn't know what he was doing! She told him "Ty never cries like that when Mommy is here!" and "I think I should just call mommy and let her know what is going on!" and "Are you sure you know what you are doing, Daddy?" He said she was relentless!
I have never laughed so hard on the inside than I did that night! Does he really not know what he is doing? Of course he knows what to do. Parents parent differently. He has his way and I have mine. We both know how to settle the baby down but it might not be the same way. Our daughter usually sees me with the baby and what I do because I am fortunate enough to be able to stay at home. I had to explain to her that Daddy does know what he is doing and that sometimes we need to give daddy some slack and let him figure out what to do with the baby because he doesn't get to spend as much time with him as we do. I then told her "I don't know how you made it 10 years with him as your father!" We all got a good laugh out of it and it will be a story told to the baby for years to come!
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