Blog: September 2007
The Gal to Gal Virtual Walk For Stage for Breast Cancer Patients & Families
Join celebrities like Kristin Chenoweth, Marg Helgenberger, Extra's Dayna Devon, Diane Farr, Jorja Fox, Mena Suvari, Lynn Redgrave, Molly Sims and more along with breast cancer survivors, angels and supporters on the first of its kind virtual walk with proceeds benefiting the Gal to Gal Foundation, assisting patients and families battling Stage IV breast cancer. Spearheaded by the hugely popular Design-her Gals custom stationery website, this innovative approach to fundraising during breast cancer awareness month gives any person around the world the chance to give back to an important cause without ever leaving their home, Starbucks' or office! All you need to do is donate $3, create your gal or an angel in memory of someone dear to you, write a few lines about why you're participating (or just write your name and hometown) get ready, get set, and start walking on a nationwide virtual walk that kicks off in Boston on Oct. 1 and travels to 31 cities, ending at the Golden Gate Bridge in virtual San Francisco on Oct. 31! Pre-registration is going on now, so Click Here and join the Gal to Gal Virtual Walk today. Plus, there are great giveaway items and a virtual goody bag being offered by dozens of the terrific sponsors involved like FTD.com, Yoplait, Lucy, Fodors, Rosa Regale wines and many, many more. And, if you want to find me, I'm Beth F. from Scarsdale, NY. So register today and get ready to virtually walk across the nation! You'll be glad you did!
Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recommends on 09/27/2007
Law & Order F.V.U. (Fish Victims Unit)
Holy Cat Chow! We have an unexplained death to solve and it happened right in our kitchen! The victim: Blackie - a four day old fish found mysteriously floating at the top of his fish bowl. The perp: Rudy, a Maine Coon who was caught red-handed stalking said fish while I was busy making school lunches and searching for cereal that agreed with the two finicky fish owners watching Sponge Bob in the den a few yards away.
At the time the iPhone picture was snapped, Blackie was still quite vibrant, zipping around the bottom of the bowl, on the lookout for his morning fish flakes. But by the time I left the house and returned later that afternoon, Blackie wound up a corpse or is it forpse and my son raced out the front door holding his beloved friend in a napkin to show me the evidence that his fish had in fact bit the dust.
Before I had a chance to investigate, Dylan decided to give Blackie a burial at sea - flushing his lifeless body away to his final resting place - somewhere amidst the sewer system of Southern Westchester. As I searched the house to find my cat, I was surprised to find that I was named the prime suspect in the crime.
It seems that the night before Blackie's demise, I decided to change the water in the fish bowl because it was quite cloudy and downright gross. I grabbed the net, swooped the two fish out of the bowl, deposited them in a lovely vase filled with room temperature water and then rinsed out their domicile, filled it back up with water and plopped them back inside.
According to the lead investigator on the case, my husband - it seems as if my tinkering with the water could have shocked poor Blackie into his premature death. But does that make me guilty of fish-icide or was it just fish-slaughter? Either way, my son lost a new friend, my cat is on the prowl for Goldie, the lonely fish that is now hidden away in the bathroom and I'm afraid to change the water for fear of being blamed for another unfortunate case of aquacide.
Who knew that taking care of fish was so tough? It's a good thing we didn't buy a dog.
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Confessions on 09/26/2007
Photo of the Month....Mom, I Think I Forgot Something
Here's a classic shot taken during the Jewish holidays. Luckily, we convinced him he had to wear his shirt before we went to the Temple!
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Posted in: Blog, Kiddy Commentary on 09/26/2007
If Men Did the Strolling
I stumbled on this picture the other day while procrastinating on the internet. My first reaction was ?How crazy!? Something about the woman being perched on that weird motorized contraption, trying to maneuver a stroller, whilst in the middle of a road, just gave me shivers. What if a car screeched around the corner at any minute? Would she be able to hop off and scoot the stroller out the way in time?
But then, as I looked at the picture some more, I couldn?t help feeling a growing respect for the mama. After all, there?s been many a time, I?ve been trudging home from our favorite park (which is over twenty blocks away), my feet aching, but the stroller too clumsy and loaded up to feasibly take the subway or a cab; these many times I?ve fantasized about some kind of motorized sit-on stroller much like those snappy little sit-on lawn mowers. How great would that be?! Zipping around the city, trundling up and down sidewalks, Benny?s forty pound heft strapped to some sort of seat at the front, me at the back, steering us where we want to go, the wind in my hair?Plus, when those nasty big cars and cabs speed across crosswalks, as they do so often in the NY, I would be able to put the pedal to the metal and Benny and I would have some chance of survival.
Of course, its just a dream. Something so clever, useful, and kind on mamas is probably a long time coming. I don?t want to generalize here, but I?d imagine the majority of people designing strollers these days are men. Most of the people pushing strollers are women. I?m not implying male stroller designers don?t have a clue. Sure, there?s the bugga-boo which (from my one brief experience pushing one in a store) corners like its on rails. And now there are a whole slew of other sexy looking strollers on the market which have natty wheels, clever hidden pockets, adjustable seats, sexy colors. But do any of these strollers save a mama?s tired feet? No. Would the bugga-boo help you zip away from an oncoming fire truck? No.
The designers of strollers aren?t generally doing the pushing and thus they don?t pay much heed to the pusher! If men were doing the pushing, however, we might see all kinds of sexy, zuped-up, motorized strollers on the market.
If you don?t believe me, just think about lawn mowers for a second. Men are generally the ones doing the mowing, they are also the ones (in general) doing the designing, and thus there are all kinds of wild, fun, and fast sit-on mowers to choose from. They know the hard work involved in mowing a lawn and therefore the design machines that will help them with the task.
In the patriarchy in which we live, it seems that the super-stroller-machine which I often fantasize will only come about when men are the dominant stroller pushers or when women get to storm the design studios.
In the meantime, I?m off to buy yet another pair of running shoes to keep my stroller-pushing feet comfy and blister-free, quick and nimble ?
Don?t forget to come visit me at me ?Naptime Writer? blog at joannerendell.blogspot.com.
But then, as I looked at the picture some more, I couldn?t help feeling a growing respect for the mama. After all, there?s been many a time, I?ve been trudging home from our favorite park (which is over twenty blocks away), my feet aching, but the stroller too clumsy and loaded up to feasibly take the subway or a cab; these many times I?ve fantasized about some kind of motorized sit-on stroller much like those snappy little sit-on lawn mowers. How great would that be?! Zipping around the city, trundling up and down sidewalks, Benny?s forty pound heft strapped to some sort of seat at the front, me at the back, steering us where we want to go, the wind in my hair?Plus, when those nasty big cars and cabs speed across crosswalks, as they do so often in the NY, I would be able to put the pedal to the metal and Benny and I would have some chance of survival.
Of course, its just a dream. Something so clever, useful, and kind on mamas is probably a long time coming. I don?t want to generalize here, but I?d imagine the majority of people designing strollers these days are men. Most of the people pushing strollers are women. I?m not implying male stroller designers don?t have a clue. Sure, there?s the bugga-boo which (from my one brief experience pushing one in a store) corners like its on rails. And now there are a whole slew of other sexy looking strollers on the market which have natty wheels, clever hidden pockets, adjustable seats, sexy colors. But do any of these strollers save a mama?s tired feet? No. Would the bugga-boo help you zip away from an oncoming fire truck? No.
The designers of strollers aren?t generally doing the pushing and thus they don?t pay much heed to the pusher! If men were doing the pushing, however, we might see all kinds of sexy, zuped-up, motorized strollers on the market.
If you don?t believe me, just think about lawn mowers for a second. Men are generally the ones doing the mowing, they are also the ones (in general) doing the designing, and thus there are all kinds of wild, fun, and fast sit-on mowers to choose from. They know the hard work involved in mowing a lawn and therefore the design machines that will help them with the task.
In the patriarchy in which we live, it seems that the super-stroller-machine which I often fantasize will only come about when men are the dominant stroller pushers or when women get to storm the design studios.
In the meantime, I?m off to buy yet another pair of running shoes to keep my stroller-pushing feet comfy and blister-free, quick and nimble ?
Don?t forget to come visit me at me ?Naptime Writer? blog at joannerendell.blogspot.com.
Posted in: Blog, Laptop Naptime Mama on 09/24/2007
Little Miss Tuffett
I don't know about you but whenever that first nip sets in and summer is officially behind us, I get a spring in my step because I know that it's not just fall, it's crafts fair season! There is nothing I love more than to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon strolling through aisles and aisles filled with one of a kind jewelry, floral arrangements for my kitchen (that I sadly have no room for anymore) and unique gifts and tchotchkes for my kids, friends and family.
On one recent afternoon while my kids were being entertainned by a puppet show and a face painter (no worries, my husband was supervising), my girlfriend and I zipped through one of the tents at the Lyndhurst Crafts Fair (a great outing for anyone living in New York State) and we stumbled upon Little Miss Tuffett. And what kind of wares does Little Miss Tuffett peddle? You guessed it, adorable footstools for babies, children and ladies too. Complete with a cozy seat, baby shoes, sneakers or even ballet slippers, Little Miss Tuffett makes the perfect one of a kind gift for any Miss or Mr. Muffet of any age who has a sense of style and whimsy! Click Here to order your very own tuffett today!
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recommends on 09/22/2007
D-Day
Thanks to Valerie Bertinelli, I started a new diet today. Jenny Craig. I had my fill of Weight Watchers, Zone Chefs and LA Weight Loss and when my surprisingly snug fall clothes revealed that I sacked on some extra LB's this summer, I decided to join Valerie in a race to shed some excess weight. I only have to lose 15-20 pounds so I'm not in Kirstie Alley territory but I figured if my favorite "One Day At a Time" gal can do it, then so can I.
My friend raved about the food so I ordered my Jenny meals at home selections, unpacked all the food packed in dry ice and took a look at the dishes I was going to be savoring these next few weeks. Tonight I sampled their chicken with fetuccini and a double chocolate cake. I have to say - while the entree was pretty good, the dessert was not as good as my Weight Watchers chocolate brownie sundae, but then again, I haven't lost an ounce on Weight Watchers in two years so Jenny - it's all up to you to help me to fit into my size 4's again!
I'm not going to go on and on about how my kids have pretty much served as saboteurs for my bad eating habits, but the other problem I've faced has been not having time to cook healthy meals, going out to dinner way too much, enjoying great wine and a few martinis now and then - and it all adds up to one thing. Thunder thighs. Okay two things - and a bubble butt.
So day one is complete and I'm sure when I hop on the scale tomorrow I probably won't lose anything just yet, but hopefully by the time I head into Thanksgiving I'll be at my goal weight and ready to dive into some sweet potato pie with marshmallows. I know - old habits die hard. So here's to a new beginning - me, Jenny and Valerie are going to be best buds - check back with me next week and I'll let you know if I dropped some weight. And if I don't lose anything, there's always South Beach.
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Confessions on 09/20/2007
HOME TRUTHS - A New Blog by Judy Epstein
THE REAL GAY MARRIAGE
There's been a lot of fuss lately about Gay Marriage, but I, for one, am looking forward to it. Speaking as someone who's been married to a man for many years, myself, I'm looking forward to seeing how a marriage composed exclusively of men solves the every-day problems that bedevil the rest of us. (Theoretically, this could apply to women, too, but we all know that we're not the problem.)
For example, I'd like to see what system two MEN devise for deciding who will be the partner to leave the cap off the toothpaste tube, and who will be the one to complain and put it back. Who will be the one to leave the smelly gym clothes wherever they land on the floor, and who the one to pick up and wash them? Will they decide by lottery? By drawing straws? By rotating every week/month/year? Because maybe, if they can come up with a system, the rest of us could adopt it.
I would like to see how a household of two men decides which of them will hear a ringing phone and do something about it - like answer it - versus which one will behave as if it were a cobra >hissing in the corner. Which will be the one to pass on the message "Oh, by the way, Visa called; they say if they don't get a payment in 24 hours, they're cutting us off" - a month after it's happened? Which will be the partner who remembers all the birthdays and events of both extended families, and which one will never remember his own anniversary?
I look forward to seeing how two men decide who takes the dishes into the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner, versus who gets to stay at the table for coffee and dessert. And I'm dying to know -- which spouse will get control of the TV remote?
I suppose there's one argument they'll never have - they'll both leave the toilet seat up. Unless they acquire children, and at least one is a girl. She'll have to learn to fend for herself. I really hope they do have children. I can't wait to see how two MEN decide which partner has to get up in the middle of the night, and who gets to sleep through till morning. And that's just the beginning. Every working wife and mother in America will be waiting, with bated breath, to see how two MEN decide which is the parent who leaves work early to pick up a child who is throwing up at school! Or, which one will use their vacation time to attend teacher conferences, versus which one has the "important" job.
Yes, I welcome America's homosexuals to the ranks of us married folk. But they'll have to act fast, because who knows? If they insist on combining work with marriage and family, I predict that soon, they'll become NOsexuals, just like all the rest of us.
Judy Epstein has an award-winning humor column, "A Look On The Light Side," which is often but not always about mommy issues. Judy has a website at http://www.alookonthelightside.com/ and has won awards from the Press Club of Long Island 3 years in a row, last year in both 1st and 3rd place. In a prior life, she worked in Public Television for almost 20 years, including almost 10 with Bill Moyers. She's been on the radio, with positive reviews ("You sounded just like NPR!"), has begun hitting the speaking circuit and an essay she penned was recently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause. ("It Starts with an M" on page 40.)
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Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 09/18/2007
Mmmmmm Yummy - Whoopie Pie Recipe from Everyday with Rachel Ray!
I just received a fabulous recipe in my email box today. And it wasn't just any recipe..it was from the gals at Everyday with Rachel Ray! So even though I profess that I never bake and prefer store bought confectionary items, if Rachel Ray wants to send me a dish or two that is sure to please everyone in my family, who am I to refuse the offer?
Just in time for Halloween, the experts at Every Day with Rachel Ray are putting a seasonal spin on an old favorite with their mouth watering recipe for Whoopie Pies! So moms, if you've got a bake sale on the horizon, with the help of Rachel Ray and company, Role Mommy is here to give you the inside scoop on how to wow even the most finicky kid and the entire PTA.
Classic whoopie pies served with a twist ? pumpkin-flavored cakes filled with heavenly cream cheese frosting!
Every Day Tip: If you?re in the mood for a refreshing, cold treat ? freeze the pies overnight.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
(Makes 12)
Prep time: 35 min
Bake time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners? sugar
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners? sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
If you are salivating at the thought of these delectable whoopie pies, then make sure you head to the newsstand or supermarket in the morning and pick up this month's issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray - they've got a lot more than whoopie pies in there that is sure to please the appetites of every member of your family!
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recommends on 09/18/2007
The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross
Ever wonder what your new next door neighbor really thinks of you? I mean, you think she's a bit odd for leaving a high powered career behind to become a stay at home mom while you work 80 hour work weeks, are pregnant and determined to jump right back into the work force the moment your baby is born. Well that's the premise behind a delicious new novel by Gwendolyn Gross. It's called The Other Mother and it's Gross's third novel (following Getting Out) and this time, it documents the front lines of the Mommy Wars, but its real strength lies in exposing the complex inner battlefields motherhood can open up.
Eight months pregnant Amanda, a successful children's book editor and dedicated New Yorker, picks up with her lawyer husband and moves to suburban Teaneck, N.J. Her new neighbor, Thea Caldwell, is a full-time mother of three who still lives in her childhood home and who arrives bearing brownies. When the newcomers take extended shelter in the Caldwells' basement following a damaging storm and, later, when Amanda hires Thea as her newborn's nanny, the growing intimacy between the two breeds resentment, bitterness and misunderstandings. The series of external crises designed to create tension and suspense are, in the end, less compelling than the women's own inner demons, revealed through alternating, and overlapping, first-person narration. Jersey resident Gross shows the strife between SAHMs (Stay at Home Moms) and WOTHs (moms who Work Outside the Home) to be a lot more nuanced than it's often portrayed. To order The Other Mother today, Click Here.
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Posted in: Blog, Book Club on 09/16/2007
IT'S A JOLLY HOLIDAY WITH MARY!
If you've been reading Role Mommy for a while, then you know I am a spur of the moment kind of gal. So when my husband told me he wanted to do something special with the kids, I let my fingers do the walking and I started surfing the 'net for great things for us to do. My tried and true Westchester sites are NY Metroparents, then Westchestergov.com and finally, the fabulous Essentialmom.com but what I found today was that unless everyone wanted to join me at the Lyndhurst crafts fair, it was going to be a pretty humdrum day. That is, until I zipped on over to Ticketmaster. I sometimes do searches on that site from time to time - plugging in my favorite musicals only to find that there are no seats available until nine months from now. But today, I decided to take my chances and I came up a winner!
While I initially attempted to score four tickets to "Grease," they were sold out but I decided to try a long shot. Mary Poppins - one of the toughest tickets to nab this year - but I figured, hey what do I have to lose? And so, I plugged in my request and as if I had one the lottery, they came back with four seats available in the Orchestra! I knew I had no time to waste - I gave them my credit card and we were on our way to Broadway!
The seats were phenomenal - dead center and ten rows back from the stage- I bet if we had purchased these seats a year ago we wouldn't have found ourselves sitting where we were today! The show was incredible - between the old songs, new songs, dancing, costumes, flying, walking on the ceiling and amazing moveable sets and trickery, we had a wonderful time. In fact, my daughter said that Mary Poppins was the best Broadway show she's ever seen. Mind you, she's only seen one other show, but still, I'll take it - especially since I plunked down a large chunk of change for a very enjoyable afternoon with my family.
Now if you want to go see Mary Poppins or another Disney show, you may be in luck. Visit New York Metroparents today for the chance to win free tickets. Or, if you're like me and have no patience, visit ticketmaster and give your favorite show a shot. Incidentally, I just learned that Hannah Montana tickets go on sale on September 25 at 10am for Nassau Coliseum. I don't know about you, but I have a feeling I'm going to be doing some damage in few weeks for that priceless gem. Unless of course, they sell out in an hour. And then, I'll be doing a search for another show, like "Grease" perhaps.
Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recommends on 09/15/2007
Older Entries
09/11/2007: My Night with a Cheetah Girl
09/09/2007: The Bracelet
09/06/2007: Birthday Madness
09/02/2007: The Case of the Missing School Supplies List
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