Chicago Moms Blog

Sugar High

I was watching Project Runway last night when I was caught off guard by a seemingly innocent commercial. There was a man and a woman having a picnic, and she offers him a popsicle. He questions the ingredients- how it contains high fructose corn syrup and she instead rattles off how safe it really is. How safe high fructose corn syrup is? Is this a joke?

Apparently not. There is a new website called HFCSfacts.com where we are supposed to learn the "real truth" of high fructose corn syrup and its "benefits." Most of us learned a while back about the dangers of HFCS thanks to Dr. Oz on Oprah. HFCS is not natural. It is made through a very complicated process which involves- HELLO- corn! That is not natural sugar! Whether you choose to limit your intake or not, it has been proven to increase insulin, blood pressure, and triglycerides as well as do a lot more damage than we probably even know right now. The increase in high fructose corn syrup consumption has been popularly noted to also correlate to the increase in the epidemic of obesity.

When Enough Is Enough

I was watching Oprah yesterday when Barbara Walters, of all people (I can't stand her), says something that just struck me to my core. She was talking about her special needs sister and how hard it is for parents of children with autism and that, although they love their children and would do anything for them, sometimes they think "it's just too much."

It's just too much.

I tear up as I even type that right now because really, what is so difficult about saying, "it's just too much" ? Why do I feel like I can't say it out loud when that's really how I feel? And so I did. I said it out loud. And it felt good. I am not the parent of a child with autism. I have been through my share of rough times. But it's just life in general right now that is overwhelming me. Whether it be as a Mother, wife, friend, or plain ol' human being. And I feel like I should pull up my big girl panties and just get over it. Toughen up. Get through the day. But I'm wiped out. I'm exhausted. I'm barely making it through the day and I have to say that this is no way to live, just barely getting by. I've had enough.

Break a world record with Oprah

According to her last-minute tickets page, Oprah's looking for Chicagoans to help her break a world record. I filled out the form and got a call from a producer a few minutes later. But when I heard I'd need to be at Harpo Studios by 5:30am next Wednesday? Well, that's kind of a deal-breaker for a mom who's still waking up twice a night to nurse.

But it looks like there are still spots available...and you'll get a set of audience tickets for a February taping if you participate!

Cross-posted to Marketing Mommy

I just turned down Oprah

I just turned down Oprah. Its true.  Oprah's camera crew was ready to come out to my house. And it wasn't my first near-miss with Oprah either. Hear me out, then you can judge if I chose rightly.

Sometime last winter I read Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love.  Actually I read it three times.  I thought it was fantastic. I had many reasons for enjoying the book, one being her travels to India to study at an Ashram.  Since I've been to, and loved, India, and since my self-imposed study of world religions was just kicking off, I enjoyed reading her comfortably-American-sounding description of discovering Indian ways of thinking as well as her tenacity towards becoming a person of devotion.  This book remains in my mind a top read of 2007.  Meanwhile, my world religions tour began with Hinduism, and I met a woman who knew some people at an Ashram not far from my home where she occasionally went to learn and experience.  She invited me to come along, but I did not actually set anything up to go

All this was in the background of my life, not foremost in my mind, when a friend emailed me a link to Oprah's website. 

A Page from the Oprah Book of Professionalism

This afternoon, I went to Oprah. The show featured Pulitzer Prize winning author Jeff Eugenides whose novel, Middlesex, is currently being featured by Oprah's Book Club. Now that some enormous subset of her 20-million viewers has read the book, Mr. Eugenides came to Chi-Town to discuss his masterpiece and entertain us with his brilliance and wit. As if that weren't enough, Oprah also managed to locate three incredibly articulate intersex women who were both impressive and informative in their thoughtful discussion of their condition. In case you have not heard the term before, intersex is the new PC word for what we used to call hermaphrodites, and was one of the defining characteristics of the protagonist in Middlesex.

I was at the show thanks to my friend Kim, who also happens to be Jeff Eugenides' sister-in-law. Not only did she get the tickets, but she gave one to me. This sort of rock-star generosity pretty much guarantees that I will make her any number of 14-hr paper mache boulders from now until the end of time. Anyhoo, the show was fantastic and airs this Friday. You should all throw a Tivo on it. There's something, however, that you won't see when you watch. And it might have been my favorite part.

Oprah runs a tight ship. We had to be there at 11:30am for a 1:00pm taping. At 12:30,

Update on our date with the Obamas

Last week (my how time flies!) Kim posted an open invitation to the Obamas to meet with the Chicago Moms Blog & Co to discuss parenting issues. This weekend Pamela of the Silicon Valley Moms Blog attended the Oprah-Obama love fest. Oh and if you missed the post, we added DC Metro Moms to our fold. So yes, the SV/Chgo/DC/soon-NYC moms blogs are getting in election gear.

Sadly, I received the following email from my contact's contact in the Obama camp:

Good Afternoon Veronica,
Thank you for your invitation for Michelle Obama to join a discussion with the Chicago Moms Blog.  Issues of parenting are very important to Mrs. Obama; however, due to time constraints she will not be able to participate.  As you can imagine, we receive many invitations and unfortunately cannot accommodate them all.

We hope that you will remain engaged in this campaign process and continue to discuss these important issues of parenting, health care, education and child care.

Thanks again for your interest and understanding.
(I'm keeping the name off this post)
Director of Scheduling for Michelle Obama

Dear Oprah (again)

Yes, it's us again, the women of Chicago Moms Blog. We're not trying to be pesky or even get on your next Favorite Thing show (although we certainly wouldn't balk at the tix and we'd be happy to share a few fabulous bebe recommendations of our own). We're not trying to snag seats in the Amen Corner and we're not trying to get in good with Bob Greene (although my husband the personal trainer would love to talk shop and it would be fun to get the skinny on the Best Life straight from the source).

We're here because we wanted to let you know that in twelve short days, a gajillion women and a few men will descend upon Chicago with a mighty typing force for BlogHer '07. It will be the biggest blogging conference anywhere and it is happening right here in our beautiful, bustling city. We will basically be talking blogging for three days in your backyard.

I bet you're wondering exactly how much one woman, let alone thousands, can talk about blogging. The answer is: A lot. When we finally get to meet each other face to face after all the screen time we've shared, we will want to talk about the sisterhood among mothers. We'll talk homeschooling and selling our homes, getting away from home with the kids, kids at home and (even better) sending the kids away from home for camp, skate park invasions and more camp.

We will commiserate about paying for the sins of our past in potty training hell and hitting the bar with toddlers (to pee, really...you can even ask Dr. Oz how fast you must act when a kid's gotta go).

After that fab green episode, I'm sure you'll appreciate our conversation about Freecycling (*love*), trying our very best to get even the teensiest bit green and the pleasures and paranoia of turning our kids into eco-snobs.  And ohhhh, the glory and the grrr of the 'burbs.  Grrrlfriend to grrrlfriend, we know you'll appreciate how much we love to go on about Ribfest, kid's menus, milkshakes and super tasting and (ugh) trying to get back in the effing skinny jeans.

And speaking of you, the Chicago Moms Blog community is so Six Degrees of Oprah Winfrey. Catherine M. happily sat in your audience as a Dunstan Baby Language tester and Karen's getting fit with other women (oh so much like you did over Mother's Day with Gayle and many mamas at Canyon Ranch), Wendy was just at the beach and you live just steps away from the beach (coincidence? I think not) Marcie wants to talk about Obama (we all know you love some Barack, my friend) and Meagan's a transplant Chicagoan just like you (spooky, huh?).

And, of course, we will talk and talk and talk some more about mommy blogging. Because it's what we do. It's what we do when we're exhausted and out of breath from carrying the stroller, a diaper bag, four trucks and a doll, our own purse and an off-the-charts toddler up three flights of stairs. It's what we do when take out's on the way and when we're trying to just breathe through those awful cry-it-out afternoons. It's what we do when we feel hilarious and happy and full of it, and what we do when we're overwhelmed and irritated and so over it. It's what we do because it's our career and because we can sneak it in between projects and conference calls at our other jobs (shhh), because we're writers as well as being mothers and wives and partners and professionals and most of all, women together in this little space on our little corner of the internet.

It's what we do and we will keep sharing it with each other, with all the other women about to share our city for a few inspiring days and with you.  Care to join in the conversation, Oprah? I mean, really, darling. How can you possibly resist?

We'll have a cocktail waiting for you. Call us! No, seriously, O. Call me. I mean it. I'll even give you my personal cell number, not my assistant's or even his assistant. OK, who am I kidding? I don't have any people. But I do have a phone line that's way open, so call!

Jessica & the Chicago Moms Blog crew.

Jessica also spouts sassiness daily at Sassafrass.

photo credit: Oprah.com