Monday, October 6, 2008

Don't Condemn Mei-Mei!


So the big news today is that the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that children under the age of 5 not have certain pets such as hedgehogs, lizards, and hamsters. HAMSTERS?!

Mei-Mei is a fancy hamster that joined our family a few weeks ago (DH says we're not ready for a dog yet). She is the most docile, sweetest little rodent I've ever met, and yes, I've had hamsters before. The kids adore her, especially when she's rolling around in her little ball. Child #2 especially loves Mei-Mei (and remember, Child #2 is about to turn 3). Both kids are religious about washing their hands after touching Mei-Mei and I'm actually quite vigilant about cleaning her cage.

We can't imagine giving our sweet little hammy up - even if the American Academy of Pediatrics says we should.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

And Now A Word About The Hubby


My husband today asked if he was mentioned in this blog. When I looked, I realized that I really didn't talk about him and I probably should.

My husband is handsome, kind, well-spoken, funny, great with the kids, is highly intelligent and respected in his field. He single-handedly went to China to bring Child #2 back, enduring a very cranky baby who was probably in shock from being handed over to a stranger and brought to an alien country. DH is also expects as much from others as he does from himself (which is quite a bit). This makes him, in my eyes, super critical. For the last 16 years I've had a problem with that.

When he decided that I didn't clean the house up to his standards, he inherited much of the cleaning responsibility. When he "fired" me from doing his laundry, he took it upon himself. Often I feel he resents me for not doing things right in the first place, but my attitude is: Life is too short to worry about the small stuff (cleaning, laundry). I'd rather focus on enjoying my children while they're little. There will be time to be clean later.







Friday, October 3, 2008

New Gadgets Added To This Blog

You'll see that I've added some new gadgets to my humble blog. The Webcams I find fascinating because travelling with my two prides & joy has become somewhat limited. Through webcams, I'm able to instantly visit places all over the world. There's also some link to SAHM (Stay-At-Home Mom) stuff. Not sure if that one is staying yet. And there's also a link to daily coloring pages - important stuff if mommy is going to write on the computer.

Along those lines, if anyone actually does read this blog (Hi Carol Anne!) and is a new mommy, let me direct you to www.mothersandmore.org, the site of an excellent group that offers support to all moms, working & non-working. Child #1 and I have been in various playgroups with Mothers & More & he still sees some of those incredible children while some of the ladies I count among my best friends. M&M and my computer are absolute necessities for my mothering journey.

Dress-Up Is Fine, But Princesses?!!!


Child #2 is now in the Disney Princess stage. Yech. I think it's because her sweet little best friend is in it, but somehow I never really gave a thought to the princesses except that the line itself was created by a marketing genius. I mean here are all these Disney movies rotting in the vault & somebody thinks of a way to re-package these ladies to create a new product. It's incredible!




Of the princesses (Cinderella, Aurora [aka Sleeping Beauty], Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, and Mulan), the only two I respect are Belle (for her love of books) and Mulan (for her spunk & courage). The others can all rot. Of course, as much as I try to emphasize Belle and Mulan, my wonderful daughter is fixated on Aurora & Ariel. It's amazing that at almost 3-years old, she's already got this programmed sense of beauty where her "ideal" for beauty is the blond, blue-eyed lady. Maybe it's because, in addition to the Disney Princesses, she's attracted to Barbie.


Barbie! That anti-feminist icon!




Minor issues, these princesses...or are they?

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

He Did It!

Child #1 is riding a 2-wheeler! I am SO proud! He's probably one of the last of the kids in his class to do so & he was so afraid. He actually didn't even touch the bike for about a year. Then he started to feel left out after his friends were doing it. Yesterday, he took off the training wheels & rode about 40 feet. Today he rode halfway around the block. YEAH! Also, Child #2 rode her tricycle today for the first time.

These are the moments I live for.