Friday Finds - May 9, 2008

Susan's Finds

--I wasn't too hot on Crocs until this spring. But our sitter highly recommended them for Cassie, who plays outside ALL the time and will be going to the neighborhood pool a lot this summer. I picked up a pair at the mall, and man, they are perfect! Light, easy to put on/take off/clean, and they breathe (i.e., don't stink). She loves 'em. So I was psyched to see this new crop of Crocs for kids featured on MomFinds. Cute and practical! We'll definitely be stocking up on some of these Crocs for summer.

--From SNL's "Colon Blow" to Dave Chappelle's "Samuel L. Jackson Beer," review the 50 greatest TV commercial parodies of all time, courtesy of Nerve.com. My personal all-time favorite: "Bad Idea Jeans" (#18). Also topping my list: "Oops, I Crapped My Pants" (#33), "I Wanna Be a Ho" (#22), and of course, "Mom Jeans" (#10). What's on yours?

--Check in with The Daily Mom. iVillage constantly surprises me with its quantity and quality of updated content. Since when have they offered this daily-updated blog written by four moms about parenting tips and styles? Since June 2007, according to the archives. OK, well, I just found you, so you're new to me!

--Attention, Obama Mamas (and Daddys). Fellow marketing mom and blogger Ilina created this video to support Barack Obama in the North Carolina primary. Hear regular moms, dads, and kids at a neighborhood park, talking about why they love Obama.

LATE-BREAKING ADDITION: My husband made a funny little video this morning for his job (reviewing notebook computers) to demonstrate how bad reflective screens can be. It's silly but fun (at least, to me. I am his wife, though).

Cara's Finds

--Mark your calendars for free iced coffee. Visit Dunkin' Donuts next Thursday for Free Iced Coffee Day. It's going on from 10am to 10pm, so hopefully you can find a time that's not too insane.

--Light up Mother's Day. Are your running out of places to display your kid's artwork? Check this out: The Design Your Own Lamp from The Spotted Goose (located in Cincinnati) lets you slip a drawing in the lamp shade clips to make a one-of-a-kind desk lamp. What a great Mother's Day gift!

Sara's Finds

--Mother's Day is coming, and sometimes I feel like more of a mom to my husband than my daughter. Which is why I got a good laugh of out this little gem that my mother-in-law sent around yesterday. It totally reminds me of my hubby and his brothers. Take a look and see if it reminds you of anybody you know!

Working Mom SOS

This is a strictly 'Nati plea. Something has happened recently that has spurred me to look for another childcare provider. Daycares, nannies, in-home providers--I'm considering them all. And don't worry, you'll get the low-down about what happened soon. I think lots of working moms would be interested. I just need time to collect my thoughts so I can write coherently about the situation.

But in the meantime, do any of my WMAGs have any recos for childcare you love? You can leave a comment, or email me at workingmomsagainstguilt@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Are You a Helicopter or a Free Ranger?

An article in Newsweek brings up an interesting topic. Are today's kids over coddled compared to past generations?

The debate was fueled when a New York Sun columnist, Lenore Skenazy, wrote about how she let her fourth-grader ride the subway alone. She was bombarded with hate messages calling her a bad mom and practically accusing her of child abuse.

But, on the hand she did get some support from other moms for bucking the "helicopter parent" trend. In case you haven't heard of that term, a helicopter parent is someone who constantly hovers over his or her child's every more. Skenazy decided to start a blog, called Free Range Kids to promote the idea that modern kids deserve the same independence that our generation did.

I don't consider myself a helicopter mom. Now, I don't know if I feel comfortable letting my child ride the subway alone. But, then again, riding the subway is a little foreign to me since there's no subway in my city to ride.

I do, however, let my 5-year-old play outside by himself. We live in a subdivision, at the bottom of a private drive. We know our neighbors, and just as long as he tells me where he's going, he's free to go outside and play by himself.

At a party, I'm usually the mom that lets her kids play unsupervised with the other kids while I kick back and socialize with the adults. They know where I am if they need me. (By the beer cooler!) But, just as long if they're in the perimeter of the house, fence, or within earshot. They're good. And I'm good.

Growing up, I remember playing outside with friends from sunrise to sunset, practically never seeing my mom until dinner time. I had free range of the neighborhood, and those times ended up as some of my greatest childhood memories.

So I consider myself more of a free ranger, than a helicopter. But, every child is different, and some kids need more supervision than others. Plus, the age of the child plays a factor, too. What's your opinion?

Thanks to my friend, Adam, for sending me the link to the Newsweek article!

Review and Giveaway of Personalized Kids Book

Looking for a unique gift to mark a birthday or other special occasion for your child? See what I thought of the personalized book I created for Cassie, with the help of Custom Made for Kids. Plus, enter for a chance to win a free book for your kiddo! Head on over to WMAG Reviews for the details...

Mom Bloggers on Today Show

I'm not a Today Show watcher, but I saw some of my fellow mom bloggers Twittering about their appearance this morning on the show. So I clicked on over to Silicon Valley Moms blog and watched the segment.

I thought it was pretty cool that I've actually met two of the four bloggers featured (Jill Asher and Kristen Chase)--both excellent representatives of the momosphere, I might add. Dooce and Mir Kamin (whom I've read plenty but haven't met) were also representin'.

Kathie Lee was such a poor choice as the interviewer. Apparently, she doesn't "do" computers or the Internet, and therefore doesn't really know what blogs are. But she gave it the old college try--and sucked. Fortunately, her cluelessness made the bloggers look even smarter and sassier, which is just fine.

Update: Mir posted on BlogHer about her assessment of this segment, along with other momosphere reactions (including moi). Intelligent discussion, as always. Too bad Kathie Lee will never read it.

Provider Appreciation Day Is May 9

Last year for Mother's Day, we gave our daughter's sitter Karen a gift certificate and card, thanking her for being a wonderful "other" mom to Cassie while we are at work. We just felt like she deserved some thanks for caring for our daughter and treating her like one of her own.

This week, I learned that there is an official "day" to recognize and honor childcare providers. Who knew? Provider Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on the Friday before Mother's Day, so this year it's May 9 (this Friday). According to the day's organizers--the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and the National Association for Family Child Care--Provider Appreciation Day "is a special day to recognize child care providers, teachers and other educators of young children everywhere."

I wholeheartedly agree with the reasoning for why childcare providers need their own day:

Today's child care professionals are the world's unsung heroes. This profession is one of the most underpaid occupations in the country; yet research shows that early childhood is the most critical developmental period in a child's life. It takes a special person to work in this field and the contribution these individuals make to the quality of children's and families' lives too frequently goes unnoticed.

Amen! Our family wouldn't be able to function as successfully as we do without Karen's help. Jay and I couldn't work--at least, not in the same capacity we do now--and Cassie wouldn't be nearly so well-behaved or well-adjusted (Karen is a much better-informed and experienced mom than I am--what can I say?). She helps us in so many ways, and while we do pay her, it's not nearly as much as she earns by providing quality, loving care to our girl day in and day out.

I hope all you working moms out there will take a little time out of your crazy schedules to recognize the person or people who care for your children while you're at work. They deserve to be appreciated every day, and I'm sure they'd be grateful for a little recognition.

Need ideas? Here are a few, courtesy of the Provider Appreciation Day website:

• Get together with other parents to create a surprise
• Send flowers, cards or a handwritten note of appreciation
• Bring breakfast or lunch for your provider and for the kids
• Work with your child to create a special remembrance
• Buy something for your provider's play area
• Give your provider a paid day off, a raise, or a bonus
• Order an official Provider Appreciation Day logo item as a gift
• Key in on your provider's hobby and buy an appropriate gift
• Check to see if your employer provides scholarships for toys, equipment or training that you can sponsor as a parent

If you end up doing something for your provider, comment on here to tell us about it.

A Prayer for One of My Favorite Moms

My best friend Andrea's mom, Linda, is at war with some seriously nasty cancer. Right now, she's in one of her toughest battles since being diagnosed last year. This woman is one of the sweetest, coolest moms I ever knew, and I would do anything to help her. I think the only thing I can do at this point is pray for her, and ask all the people I know on the Internets to join in.

No matter what your religion (or lack thereof), I hope you will send up your good thoughts and prayers to the universe for Linda--today and in the coming days, too. She can use all the positive thinking and love in the world. Let's try to give it to her.

Thanks, blog friends!

Tasty Tuesday - May 6, 2008

Saturday night, the ladies of WMAG came to my house for a cookout. We chased our kids around, we braved iffy weather, we gossiped. All in all, it was a great time. But it got me thinking about how, in the past, I've thought of cookouts as easy--just toss some burgers and hotdogs on the grill.

In reality, cooking those burgers and 'dogs can be a pain in the butt. You have to stand over the hot, smoky grill, flipping them, making sure they don't burn, adding more so that everybody gets one. Whoever gets the job of cook doesn't get to have much fun.

We've found a solution to grilling for a group that's easier than burgers and, if I do say so myself, more impressive: pork tenderloins and flatiron steaks. I've already written about how good flatirons are, and the rub recipe in that post works especially well on pork. These cuts of meat are big enough that you can put them on the grill and turn them only once. Just check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Then slice them up, and they can easily feed 8 adults. We like to serve our pork and steak with a sauce made out of horseradish in sour cream.

What about you, WMAGs? Give us some of your easy summer cookout tips/recipes. The sun is finally out, and I'm ready for dinner outdoors!