Something terrible almost happened in my neighborhood this morning.
The day started with a series of annoyances, things that just kept going wrong. The kitchen reconstruction project took longer than expected. The house was loud and I couldn't hear my husband on the telephone. The contractors were late. I just couldn't catch a break. But soon I realized just how lucky I was.
Reporters and pundits are counting down the days to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I, along with a group of other bloggers from MOMocrats, are planning on going to cover the event. Our bags aren't packed yet, but planning E-mails are being swapped constantly!
Initially, in my alter ego PunditMom was THRILLED to be able to say I was going to be there!! What could be better for a wonky political chick than to immerse myself in the Democratic gathering of the year?
But the more I think about it, I wonder -- is it really worth it to go? I've covered a political convention before in my previous incarnation as a broadcast journalist. And while it was pretty heady to be in the convention hall, most of the stories that were there to be covered weren't happening on the convention floor.
... cross posted from our sister site, 50-Something Moms Blog.
We bought our first computer after I started teaching. Apple made it easy for teachers to buy a Mac for their personal use. I would be able to get work done at home, and my children could use it for school assignments. This was a big deal! I still remember when it was delivered and how we worked to set it up, plug it in, and turn it on. We went over house rules for computer use, which included first getting permission from mom or dad, and things sailed along smoothly for a few weeks. Then, without warning, the computer stopped making sounds. It didn't make so much as a "blip" or a "ding" and we could not figure out why. I finally called tech support, when tech support meant a person answered the phone and was able to help you. I explained the whole story and followed their directions to check everything that could be checked. The verdict was that someone had removed the computer's capability to make sounds, and the solution was to re-install the computer's operating system. Strategic questioning and good mommy detective work led to the conclusion that our youngest had single-handedly removed all sound from the computer. He was six years old.
Lesson #1: Despite all the precautions taken, stuff happens.
... cross posted from our sister site, 50-Something Moms Blog.
The young man ringing our doorbell looked clean-cut and harmless enough. Opening the door, I assumed he was one of my son's friends and greeted him with a smile.
“I’m selling magazine subscriptions to help pay for my college tuition,” he began, racing through his spiel and waving a laminated brochure in my face. “Your neighbor Michael told me to stop by. I grew up in this neighborhood,” he added, motioning toward another street, which he named correctly. This kid had done his homework. We do have a neighbor named Michael -- but our Michael would never tell a solicitor to drop by and pitch magazine subscriptions. Smelling a scam, I said no and quickly shut the door.
Yes, it's that time of year again -- hundreds upon hundreds of women with blogs will be descending upon San Francisco for this year's BlogHer conference. You know all the cool moms, including a bunch of us from this blog and all our sister blogs, will be there!
Isn't that a thought? Close to a thousand women with blogs! Without children! OOOOooooo!!! That's almost Halloween scary!
So aside from wondering if I'll have time to finish laundry and get to the grocery store before I hop on that plane, there are a few questions I need to answer before I hook up with friends I made last year and hopefully make some new ones without stammering too much or spilling wine on myself.
1. What WILL I talk about? No, not the small talk, though that really isn't my forte. I mean for the panel that I'll be speaking at:
What We Believe: Two Concurrent Sessions: Progressives & Conservatives Engaging those outside the political blogosphere in political discourse...and action
Wow. That's a weighty subject even for my alter ego, PunditMom. So why is my mind a blank?? Mr. PunditMom seems to have faith. He said, "Well, you have five hours on the plane to figure it out."
Continue reading "Questions to Answer Before I Get to BlogHer '08 " »
... cross posted from our sister site, 50-Something Moms Blog.
Lately I've been thinking about Sam Lamott, the son of best-selling author Anne Lamott. I don't know of many women who haven't read Anne's Traveling Mercies, her collection of essays on her sobriety and conversion to Christianity. And for many moms in my age group, Anne's classic Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year, was their introduction to a whole new literary genre: the tell-all "momoir."
Sam (who's now 18) is often the lead character in Anne's writings. We've all watched Sam grow up on the page, from his first messy diaper to brutal arguments over his driving privileges. And legions of us are very grateful to Anne for so boldly admitting that motherhood can be an insanely difficult career choice.
... cross posted from our sister site, 50-Something Moms Blog.
I am not a grandmother yet, though many of my friends are. And that's okay with me. After the last grandbaby announcement, though, I began to wonder if my situation is due to something I said, or if my children have developed an aversion to cucumbers....
As soon as my children began to talk, I made it clear that no question was off limits. I honestly do not remember when we first talked about where babies come from: my daughter was two when my first son was born and I remember an on-going interest in what was going on with mom's belly; my second son was born six years later, and my oldest two had lots of questions about that. I treated love and sex like regular topics of conversation...until my daughter was ready to start high school. Then I knew I needed to kick it up a notch because we were entering the big leagues. High school was a whole new ball game. I decided visual aids were needed.
In 149 days I will turn 50.
Yes, 49 and change is my chronological age, but I'm discovering that, at least in my head, 50 isn't my mother's 50, anymore.
I've already been told by a good friend that I look "freakishly" young for my age, so I'm definitely embracing that! And as the mother of a second-grader, I am generally surrounded by other adults who are least a decade younger than me. Plus, there's one more thing -- I'm not 49+ in my head.
Some would call that denial, but in mentally I'm somewhere in my mid-30's. Why that age versus another, I don't know, but that's how I feel. So, as I creep closer to the mid-century mark this year, I've decided that I will NOT be turning 50 this year!
Continue reading "The Year of Turning 50 -- It's All in My Head " »
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newest sister-site, the 50-something Moms Blog.
The 50-something Moms Blog is
a collaborative group of mothers around the country, dealing with hot
flashes and hot lunches, perimenopause and puberty, saving for
retirement and paying for college. They've really got it all, even if
they're not sure this is the all they really wanted. Meet the fabulous women behind the 50-something Moms Blog, sign up for their RSS Feed and come back day to day to follow the ups and downs of this wild decade!
The 50-something Mom's blog is the sixth sister-site to join the Silicon Valley Moms Group LLC. Other Moms Group sites include Silicon Valley Moms Blog (launched March 2006), Chicago Moms Blog (launched April 2007), DC Metro Moms Blog, (launched September 2007) and New York City Moms Blog (launched December 2007) New Jersey Moms Blog (launched in April 2008) .
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