Mama Saga

Feeding the Homeless on Thanksgiving

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:06:00 +0000

This morning I spent a little time helping Volunteer 4 Long Island to assemble packages of food, personal items (toiletries), and clothing for those who are homeless or living in emergency and temporary housing. Even the littlest volunteers helped make cards to go in the packages. Those who did not have small children then went out and distributed the packages to the people living in the surrounding woods, abandoned and condemned buildings, and shelters and temporary and emergency housing. Watch this amazing video of their efforts Feeding the Homeless in 2008--I guarantee you will be moved! As part of my work with Bloganthropy.org, I launched @Volunteer4LI on Twitter, got a basic website up and running, and directed people to their...

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End of the Innocence

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Today my three year old daughter got a pink hobby horse from our trip to the dollar store because she had been trying so hard to be good lately. Then she decided to beat-up on her baby brother. Walked up right behind the kid and shoved him down. Hard. Completely unprovoked. So, I put the horse away. (Really, I've just run out of ideas here, people.) She asked me where he had gone and I told her I put it away, she'd get it back when she plays nicely, etc. But she persisted with the continuous stream of questions: Where is the horse? How long does she have to be good to get it back? Will I donate it? If the other little girl pushes her little brother, will she donate it back? Finally, I told her the horse went away because he only...

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Port-of-Delight

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0000

In a lot of ways, it still feels like a dream. A few weeks ago, I saw tweets flying back and forth about winning a vacation from Voyage.TV. Normally, I would have just assumed it was either "too good to be true" or that my chances of winning were infinitesimally small. But then I saw that Liz @Mom101 (and Cool Mom Picks editor) had actually won (and gone on) a trip to Barcelona. Wow. My husband and I used to travel all the time (Rome, Florence, Venice, Sicily, Angkor Wat, Bangkok, the Greek Islands, Prague, Budapest, Romania, Belize, Mexico, Peru, Edinburgh, the Orkneys) but since we've had kids we haven't had the opportunity--the time, energy, or money. On a lark, I sent out a few tweets and then the one that won: I found out I...

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Halloween - Wordless Wednesday

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Get your Wordless Wednesday HERE and over at 5M4M.

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They Are Very Considerate

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

My son has decided that I need more sleep. And he is enforcing this by waking up regularly and demanding that I join him. As soon as I cuddle him, he falls fast asleep. The moment I attempt to put him down, he cries. If I finally get him to bed, he is back up within the hour. I try to imagine it from his perspective--he spends an hour trying to get mommy to sleep: reading books with me, cuddling, nursing, singing. And then finally, just when he thinks he has me down for the night, he wakes to discover I am not there. Sneaky mommy. Just what does it take to get mommy to get her much needed sleep? And then there is my darling daughter. Lately she has taken to asking me how much I love her. Being a bit of a sap, I told her: I love...

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You Say It's Your Birthday!

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:39:00 +0000

The day before my birthday I found out that I won a trip to Lisbon! Yes! To Lisbon! from my new BFF's VoyageTV thanks to some 140 character Twitter poetry. And yes, I played the married to an Iraqi vet card. A girl desperate for a dream vacation has to do what a girl's gotta do. You could win, too. On my actual birthday, my husband found a crafts festival. Yes, I am truly a sucker for a good craft festival. And he bought me this fun, red, enamel, flower cuff bracelet. A little more bold and dramatic than my usual but I think it is fun. Then, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law showed up to play with the kids. Since Junior actually did not scream his lungs out as soon as I moved two inches away, Captain Commander Dad and I ducked...

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Baby Too Fat for Health Coverage?

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:37:00 +0000

REALLY? They denied a newborn health coverage because the baby is "overweight"? And this baby is breastfed and was a good size at birth, so its weight is completely normal. In fact, a chubby, breastfed baby is likely to grow into a thin, healthy toddler. This is just absurd. What a stupid company.

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Can We Help Baby Jaeli? YES, We Can!

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:39:00 +0000

Have you heard about baby Jaeli? We hear a lot about how important breastmilk is for babies--but here is a baby for whom mother's milk is literally a life and death issue. Jaeli has a rare genetic condition and will not tolerate formula. Her mom is breastfeeding and pumping but it is not enough. What baby Jaeli needs is time and calories and that is what breastmilk will give her. But her mom's state Medicaid will not cover this need and banked breastmilk, especially the high-calorie milk Jaeli needs, is costly. But we won't let a baby suffer and starve. Oh, no we won't. Ange England took up the cause and issued a challenge to the netizens of the social media world: Will you feed this baby? Moms, dads, grandparents, aunts and...

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Yes, I'm THAT Mother (Already)

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:58:00 +0000

When I was teaching, I swore that when I had kids I wouldn't be that mom. Hyper-involved, helicopter-parent mom. The one who thinks her precious spawn is just so-supah smaht and needs more attention. But here we are. My daughter really loves structured lessons based on themes. And so, with mixed feelings about the very concept of preschool, I decided to enroll her two days a week for two and a half hours each session. After the first day of preschool, I noticed they were writing her name on her paper. She knows how to write her name. So I told her next time she could say if she wished, "Thank you for helping me but I would like to write my own name." And the next session, she came back with her own scrawl on the paper. Good job,...

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Preschooler-isms: Diva Says Daddies Don't Need Dinner

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:50:00 +0000

My husband is in the National Guard and has had a lot of drill lately. So, the other day, my preschooler says, "Daddy will be home at dinner?" "No, sweetie, not today." "Daddy will come home tomorrow for dinner?" "No, honey, another few days." "But...but...Daddy's going to get hungry!"

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Why I Stand By Medela

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:39:00 +0000

Full disclosure up front: Medela sponsored my co-editor at Mamanista.com for BlogHer. And Medela has also sent me a Freestyle for review. It is a single-user pump and I have kept it and used it several times. I don't pump often, as my babies seem to hate bottles, but I did find it very helpful when I needed to pump during my son's recent nursing strike. The WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes has established a set of rules restricting marketing of formula and feeding bottles and teats. (Keep in mind that the WHO Code is just a code from a non-governmental organization and only becomes law if adopted as such by individual nations.) Because Medela has offered giveaways of its bottle system and included bottle...

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How to Turn a Brand Advocate Into a Scourge in 8 Easy Steps

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Mocking your customers' concerns, especially when you profited from those specific concerns, is not a classy move. SIGG went from darling of the blogosphere to pariah by following this simple plan: Take advantage of a health concern by positioning your product as the solution.Put out confusing statements that you cannot disclose what's in your bottle lining but that your bottles "do not leach BPA" and are "non-toxic". **wink, wink, nudge, nudge**Strong arm anyone who says there is BPA in the bottle liningQuietly develop a lining that is actually BPA-free without mentioning that the old one has BPA.Issue a legally and linguistically convoluted piece of double-speak claiming you are admitting the old liners had BPA because "the...

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Or the Hounds with Wasps in their Mouths

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

It's a curse. If you are a military wife, as soon as your soldier is deployed, in the field, or on drill, everything falls apart. This time, it was wasps. Thousands of wasps. In my walls. Last night, I started to notice a few in the den. So, I taped up an open outlet behind the couch. This morning, when I woke up, there were hundreds of them, swarming in my dining room. And here I thought that frantic buzzing sound last week was our whole house fan. Turns out, no. It was a giant wasp colony. And finding an exterminator who will come over on a Sunday? Not so easy. I totally and shamelessly plead two young kids plus a husband on Guard duty and finally found someone to take the case. There is something both hilarious and terrifying...

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Marketing to Moms 101: Don't Diss the Babies

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Nikon DOES NOT Hate Babies Sadly, I missed BlogHer this year. Originally I was hoping to make it a family vacation so that my husband could play with the kids while I enjoyed the conference and then we could spend a couple of days seeing the sites. Unfortunately, the national guard had other plans and my husband is on drill. But Debbie, my co-editor at Mamanista, attended (and tweeted some fantastic updates). I was already sad about the missed opportunities to meet some fabulous people I've chatted with over the last couple of years and then watched with envy as the invitations to exciting parties poured into our shared inbox. In particular, I was jealous about the opportunity to meet Carson Kressley at the Nikon Party. Carson, I...

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Mom Review Blog

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:10:00 +0000

I thought of starting a Mom Review Blog. Confused? I don't mean a blog where I review products for families (yes I already have one of those). No, I mean a blog in the voice of a child reviewing mom. But I already have enough blogs and it is kinda a one-note extended joke. So, instead, I bring you my first, and probably only entry. Review of Mama by Junior I've been thoroughly testing out my Mama for the past ten months, more if you consider the "in womb" experience. This particular model of mom is also known in certain markets as "Candace". I'm pleased to date with functionality although wear and tear has been an issue and I wish an extended warranty was available. I like when manufacturers stand by their products with...

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Your Baby Can't Read

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:14:00 +0000

Okay, perhaps YOUR baby can. It is possible. Stranger things have happened. But most likely your baby cannot read. Anyone telling you that your baby can is selling snake oil. Expensive snake oil. What your baby can begin to do is recognize that certain signs or symbols represent certain objects. And that is pretty neat. But you do not need to spend hours training your baby to do this or buy expensive systems to accomplish this. Once your child is a little older, he will begin to recognize that those black squiggly lines are letters. And letters make up words and words stand for certain things or ideas. But memorization of sight words, while important, is not "reading." My ten month old knows that squeezing his hand represents...

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You Shouldn't Fence at Night

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:11:00 +0000

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Really. You MUST watch. Safe for work as long as your employer doesn't mind you watching funny YouTUBE stuff at work. Thank you, @yalechk for sharing.

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A Possible Model for Blogging and PR Campaigns

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Bloggers and PR people are caught between the proverbial financial rock and the ethical hard place. Whether or not this is the case, paying and accepting money for reviews on a blog are seen as damagingly prejudicial or, worse yet, a potential legal liability. And yet, many talented bloggers spend hours establishing, building, and maintaining their blogs. They have integrity and care about the blogging community and their focus topics--but they also aren't just giving away their hard work for free. We offer clearly marked, paid advertisements, but companies want the editorial reviews. And if they can get the editorial milk for free, why pay for the banner ad cow? For many smaller companies, they are simply interested in sending a...

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She's a Poet...and She Knows It!

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Today Diva the Kid announced that she was "making a poem" and out popped: At night his daddy came. A soft cloud arisen by the mist.Now, leaving aside the improper use of arisen I think that is pretty darn good for a 2.5 year old. Especially since we haven't been consciously teaching her poetry. She's been making up a lot of silly songs but as far as I know this is her first self-designated "poem." Captain Dad has been explaining rhyming words and she can fill in the end of rhyming couplets...but this poem doesn't rhyme. Actually, take a syllable off the first and last line and it is a haiku. Maybe it is Wabi Sabi influenced? Now I just have to teach her to write sonnets.

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Are Parenting Bloggers Liable for Product Reviews? Are Bloggers Marketers or Journalists?

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:26:00 +0000

After reading that Parenting Blogs May Be Held Liable for Product Reviews, an article which quotes the always delightful Classy Mommy, Colleen, I have a few thoughts and suggestions to throw out there. First, a fitting disclaimer: although I did discuss this with my husband, who is a lawyer, these are simply my own opinions and ideas and do not in any way constitute legal advice. According to the article: A regulatory review process is underway to determine whether reviews by bloggers like Padilla may be in violation of good business practices, said Richard Cleland, a spokesman for the Federal Trade Commission. "The proposed revisions signal that the commission will apply existing principles of advertising law to new forms of media,...

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How to Breastfeed (Or Just Look Like You Know What You Are Doing)

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Welcome, Carnival of Breastfeeding readers! As a mama who has had one breastfeeding champ who instantly stepped up to the bar for her first drink of milk and another who took his time learning to latch, here are my tips about "How to Breastfeed." 1. Nothing Beats a Live Demonstration Breastfeeding, like much of parenting, is one of those skills you mostly pick up on the job. It never hurts to prepare a little, though, and get comfortable with the idea. Most hospitals offer classes where you can pepper the lactation consultant with whatever questions pop into your head. And, of course, KellyMom is a treasure trove of information for first timers and old pros, alike. I find that breastfeeding is something that is easiest to understand...

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Toddlerisms: Mind Your Ps and Qs

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:18:00 +0000

Diva: I WANNA SIGG* WITH WATER!!! Me: Isn't there a word you should use? It begins with "P?" Puh-puh-puh... Diva: PIG! Me: Yes, um...pig begins with P, but another word, when you want to be polite. Diva: Pleeeaaase! * her sippy cup, my daughter is brand-conscious --- Diva: (arranging the baby monitors) Wanna bring this one downstairs with "monitor family!" Me: Sweetie, the monitors are so I can hear you and brother if you need me. Diva: No. Need bruddah monitor for family. Mommy monitor, Daddy monitor, Sister monitor...this Brother monitor! My Mom: Sweetheart, the monitor needs to work. You know how your Daddy goes to work? Well this monitor works. It goes to work upstairs. Diva: No! This BAAAYBEE monitor. No need to work.

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Preschool Curriculum; Welcome March with a Lion and Lamb Weather Calendar

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:59:00 +0000

My dear daughter really likes to do an organized project each day. So, if we do not go on a play date or to the library, I try to plan something. Often it is impromptu but lately she's been calling me on my lack of organization ("Mommy, butterflies in Spring. Not Winter!"). So, I borrowed a bunch of preschool curriculum books from the library and I'm trying to actually plan things in a semi-thematic and/or seasonal way. Today is March 1, so we printed a blank March calendar and some Lion and Lamb clipart from The Big Book of Monthly Ideas : Preschool-Kindergarten : The Best of the Mailbox Monthly Idea Books. (This whole activity is modified from that book.) I shared the saying, "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a...

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Toddlerism: How to Mail Your Brother

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:38:00 +0000

My daughter and I made Valentine's for her grandparents and godparents and then talked about sending them in the mail. I told her we'd go to the post office. "...and then bring them home?" she asked. No, sweetie, we leave mail at the post office and then the postman brings it to the right person's house. Fast forward several days to Valentine's Day. I tell her it is Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate love, etc. We talk about Daddy being her Valentine and I asked if her little brother would also be her Valentine. In a comically confused and concerned voice, she whispered: "Leave him at post office?"

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Need a Pick-Me-Up?

mamaluxe@gmail.com (Candace April) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:18:00 +0000

I got this from @remarkabletweet, a twitter DM that actually caught my attention. Type this into your browser, using your own first name: http://yourfirstname.isabsolutelyremarkable.com/ And bask in your own fabulosity. Enjoy.

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