Dicta...

Do you realize that I've had the same baby monitor plugged in (and on) by my bedside since 2004!? I just noticed that today. The same thing goes for the wipes warmer for that matter. Is that even safe?? Sometimes I still can't believe that I've had two babies in 2 years :-)

No wonder our electricity bill is off the chain.

Dissent...

Call me crazy. But it drives me absolutely batty when people use the word "text" as a verb. For example: "She had texted me" or "Girl, text him!" It's all wrong. "Text" is indeed a noun. Accordingly, it would be appropriate to say "She sent me a text message." It's very simple. Yes, it may require a few extra words, but until Merriam-Webster decides to change the definition of "text" to include its use a verb, then please don't. Humor me.

In the meantime, I'm going to go and google some more nursery schools.

*Wink wink*

Amicus Curiae...

Warning! A shameless plug follows...

My auntie has been a certified aromatherapist for the past several years and recently made her products available online. Check her out at www.oilsscentsandmore.com The gift baskets are cute gift ideas for everyday occasions (i.e. Get Well, Housewarming, Vacation, etc.) I have used several of her products and they really do work! My favorites (so far) are the Headache Blend (I use it all the time) and the Kitchen Synergy Blend to clean all kitchen surfaces. And she'll even customize a blend for you if you tell her what ails ya...

And now back to your regularly scheduled progam :-)

Recess...

Thanks for the wholesomebabyfood.com link J. Jones! It led me to wholesometoddlerfood.com which is exactly what I needed. I have to pack DD's lunch everyday and I'm often at a loss as to what to send. [For example, the curry shrimp I made last night wasn't the best thing to send for her today] Also, I am getting tired of the usual Teddy Grahams and Dole Fruit Cups for snacks. Anyhoo, this website has lots of good suggestions, not only for food, but for learning and crafts too - and they're all printable. Check this recipe out - I'll think I'll make her some tonight!

CHICKEN POTATO CHOWDER
1/3 C. diced and cooked boneless breast or ground chicken 1/4 C. cubed and cooked potato 3 T. shredded mild Cheddar or American cheese 1/4 C. milk 2 tsp. butter Peas, carrots and/or cornMix chicken, veggies, potato, milk, and butter in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in cheese. Serve warm.

Filing An Appearance...

"Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?"


Ummm, how come none of the other justices are posting? Let me apologize to the MamaLaw readers right away - reading a blog entirely about my life is sure to be mind-numbing. Please stay awake. We'll see if we can't get the other Mamas to post...I know for a fact that they each have tons of excitement going on in their mama lives: a new home purchase-mastitis-job hunting-nanny issues-pregnancy updates - all [hopefully] infinitely more exciting than nursery school waiting lists and artichokes.

P.S.
[I hope that you took a sec to click on my "Bueller" link - I put in work to find that one!
"...I stay fly. No lie. You'll notice. BALLIN'!"]

Dicta...

Thank goodness for The Goodnight Show. DD never used to give the tv a second look but now at bedtime, she asks for her milk and "pill-oh" [read: her satin pillow] and "feevee" [read: tv] and happily lays in our bed to watch her show before going to bed. I know, I know, tv is evil and all but really, is taking advantage this time to have 15 minutes of peace and quiet so reprehensible? I think not. (Although I did hear that the chick who was hosting that show earlier this year was fired because she starred in an adult film during the first part of her career - but that's neither here nor there...)

So my latest challenge is finding the perfect nursery school for DD. The new year is approachng and I've already witnessed first-hand the crazed drama involved with getting your child on the waiting list, preparing for interviews and the like. [Yes, I did say nursery school] And while I refuse to become Mom-Zilla, I do recognize the importance of nurturing my soon-to-be 3-year-old's mind at this crucial time in her life, and so I've made a few appointments at schools to get a feel for the nursery school landscape. Note: This all would have sounded hilarious to me 5 years ago. The thing I cannot understand, well actually, there are a couple - so the thingS that I cannot understand are the cost of these programs and the hours they are offered. $15,000 for a three-year-old? Are you kidding me? And who can enroll their child in a program that is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30am to 1:30pm? Umm, I know I'm in a growing minority and all, but aren't there any moms out there that still work full-time? I just don't get it. In any case, I'm on the job (pun intended) and will let you know how the open houses go.

In other news, I already miss my mom and my sister who were here for Thanksgiving. It was just like old times - laughing until we cried, shopping, doing ridiculous versions of the Running Man, eating artichokes [with lots of garlic butter], homemade candy apples, sausage dogs with Dijon, and watching bad movies while all bundled up under one blanket on the couch.

Hey! I think there's one candy apple left! Niiiice. On that note...

MamaLaw #4 - Celebrate your girlfriends

Here I was all set to issue a proclamation creating a "Girlfriends' Day" when, lo and behold, I discovered that there already is one! Apparently the 3rd Sunday in September has been celebrated as National Women's Friendship Day since 1999. Who knew??

This was a particularly tough weekend on the marriage front and I would not have made it through as well as I did had it not been for close friends. Mind you, J. Jones and J. Ny both decided not to answer their phones when I called amidst my crisis, but I must say that there have been many times when they have answered and lent me their shoulders to lean on. Anyway, without getting into the nitty gritty details, I just wanted to let the world know that I am thankful for the blessing of caring and supportive girlfriends. Since I missed National Women's Day this year, I am taking today to say thanks!!

So remember to take time to celebrate the important women in your life -- it's important to let them know that they are appreciated. Now, I am starving for some "girltime," so I am tempted to say "let's start planning our next GirlTrip!" but (pfft!) we all know how that story goes... Just in case you forgot, let me recap:

GirlTrip 2003 (Martha's Vineyard) - Decent Turnout
GirlTrip 2004 (Bahamas) - Sad Turnout
GirlTrip 2005 (Chicago) - Sorry (Diva) Turnout
Girltrip 2006 (Houston) - No Turnout!

I have hopes that we'll get it together one day. In light of the pathetic success rate of our yearly GirlTrips, maybe I should have been focusing on a 5-year reunion instead. Can you believe 2007 is pratically here?

Love ya'll!

Now In Session...

Welcome Justice Smith! Well, how about that? We're all here. Welcome to the blogosphere my friends!

Dicta.

Every blog post can't be profound, right? I've decided to add a "Dicta" category for random musings...

I'm think officially "old." As much as I try to keep up with the beefs between Jay-Z and Jim Jones; Oprah and Killa Mike, what's happening on Laguna Beach, and whether the Juicy "Snowflake" is in fact the "UGG" of 2006, I have to admit that when I recently saw my Mocha friend's new blender and mixer I got so excited that I knew I had entered a new phase in my life! Jenn-Air's Attrezzi appliances are gorgeous. The picture doesn't do them justice. Anyway, my point is, it's strange being in this limbo between young adulthood and mature adulthood. At what point do I stop watching ANTM? I mean, I have do 2 daughters for pete's sake!

But I can't even front. I'd take this blender over a Zune anyday.

MamaLaw #3 - Every mom deserves a mental health day

You know what we're talking about... Sometimes, you just need some time for you. Being a mom is a full-time, 24-hour, 7-days a week job, and sometimes we need and deserve a little break. Because we are so busy doing for others, we often forget that we need attention too! Whether it be going to get your nails done (ha!), reading a favorite book or magazine (ha! ha!), or ordering a Venti-Skim-White-Chocolate-Mocha with Whip (you get the skim so you can get the whip!), taking the time to regroup and renergize will not only benefit you, but it will benefit those around you to be a happy and grounded mom. So, drop the kids off with a friend. Take the day off of work. Or take a trip to Borders after the little ones are asleep. But remember that there's only one YOU and that you need to treat her special :-)

Ready to plan your mental health day? Check out this mama blogger for ideas.

Found this one too - clearly, she's talking to US!

P.S.
We'd love to hear how your mental health day went...

Deliberations...

It's been one of those days (and it's only lunchtime). On the workfront, it's been a great day! Two major cases that I've been working on both reached a positive outcome on the same day. On the other hand, it's been a rough day on the homefront. I don't know what it is lately. I thought I'd become accustomed to going like the Energizer Bunny on a daily basis, but last night I couldn't do it anymore. I've been in a crabby mood ever since. But after talking to 2 good friends about it (thanks for listening to me rant, Tres Leches) I have calmed down. My days are so jam-packed that by the time Friday rolls around, I am at the end of my rope, so it's hard to keep in perspective that marriage and motherhood are both hard work and that I am not the only one experiencing the issues that come along with them. I think that it's time for a mental health day...in fact, I think I've just come up with our next MamaLaw :-)

(I know I'm breaking my "1 law per week rule" but hey, I'm on a roll)

Opposing Counsel...

In-laws should be more understanding during the Holidays:

Every Christmas, since I met DH, have been spent with his family partly or wholly. That's worked out great for him, but I think that we've created the erroneous expectation that we should spend every Christmas with them. I would like to spend Christmas with my family. The problem is that because we've done it this way for some time now, DH believes that we should simply continue the tradition. It's a point of contention with us...so much so that I don't even want to think about it any more. How should I handle it?

MamaLaw #2 - The Holidays should be simple

Isn't the holiday season supposed to be about Joy, Peace and Happiness? How come as soon as Halloween is over the country loses its mind? Decorations go up, "seasonal items" aisles appear in the grocery, and don't get me started on the doggone Red Envelope catalogues I receive everyday. Then you start thinking about your holiday plans. Should I invite people over? Should we go to (fill in the blank)'s house? If we go there, will (fill in the blank) be offended? How much is airfare? Do I have to cook? Do we have room for all those people? And the gift thing just puts me over the top. Quick! Make my holiday gift list. Gotta start early this year. Dang! I'm already late. Maybe I'll shop online. Nope, can't - the item is on backorder/shipping is a rip-off/the item can't be delivered until January 17th. Dare I venture into a brick and mortar store??


I was just telling my friend this morning that last year's Christmas shopping was a nightmare. I got started late and I was 6 months pregnant and determined to purchase the best educational, fun and exciting toys for my then-1-year old. I carefully compiled a list of everything I wanted to get for her and went to......Toys R Us. [I know, all you veteran moms go ahead and laugh - but I didn't know any better!] But alas, here I was, in the middle of, well, BEDLAM. I kid you not. Nothing was on the shelves. They were really and truly bare. Why? Every single item was on the floor. People were wading through toys and screaming at each other, and you could forget about asking a salesperson for help. I heard one salesgirl tell a woman: "Ma'am, you'd better just grab something, buy and wrap it up, 'cuz ain't nothin' left." I was like, this can't be for real. So I went to register, begged to skip the line, bought a Kit-Kat and went outside for a mental-health break (I take those fairly often by the way). Once I re-grouped, I went back inside, managed to find a few decent toys (absolutely nothing from my list, mind you) and waited in the mile-long lines to checkout. Oh, did I not mention the mile-long lines? For the life of me, I cannot understand why a store has 10 checkout lanes if they only ever open 3?? I mean, if you're not going to open all 10 lanes on December 23rd, then WHEN ARE you going to open them?


But this year will be different. For Thanksgiving, I am ordering the meal from La Madeleine. I am looking forward to it. As for Christmas, we have officially decided that we are going to Atlanta to my sister-in-law's house. That means my first Christmas EVER without my Mommy and my sister (they're gonna rent a vacation house in Sanibel with some of my other family members so they won't even miss me) BUT it also means a couple of other things: (1) No tree! I mean, I'll put up my other decorations for the heck of it, but finding, putting up/taking down, and decorating the tree always takes the most time; (2) Nobody tearing up my house! I love my family. I really do. But having guests means cleaning up your house perpetually, making sure that everyone has what they want to eat and drink; showing people how to work the cable remote; reminding people not to turn on the microwave while the diswasher is running (it'll trip the circuit); turning off extra lights so that my DH doesn't have a fit and on and on; (3) No cooking! Sure, I'll make a dish. Heck, I might even make 2. But I don't have to worry about the entire meal, grocery shopping, table settings and whatnot; and finally (4) Only a few gifts! We're doing a family gift exchange so we each picked numbers and are buying gifts for one family instead of 5. And of course I'll end up getting 3 or 4 gifts for K-dizzle and the same for L-Boogie. Now, I promise, I'm not a Grinch. I LOVE the holidays but lately they have become more stressful than joyful. So, I'm making a change.

This year, my holidays are going to be SIMPLE. Holla if you hear me.

Issue Spotting...

So, so far it appears that I am the only one blogging. That's ok. I'm sure once the gals find out how easy this is, they'll jump right in. I am proud of J.Ny who was the first to accept the blog invitation and post a comment. J.Bree is living it up in Florida this week. Ok, she's actually away on training for work, but (1) she's in Florida and (2) with no kids, so if you ask me, she IS living it up.

The funny thing is, it's not like I don't have 5,000,000 other things to do. But doing this is way more interesting than folding the mountain of laundry that has piled up at the foot of our bed. Things are looking up though: I've begun to notice a pattern - every day when I do my cleaning routine, I start in the kitchen, go to the dining room, pass through the girls' bedroom and bathroom and by the time I get to our room, I'm beat. So I "leave it for tomorrow" and then the same thing happens all over again. And so our room looks like "the Wreck of the Hesperus" as my mom and granny would say. So, now that I've identified the problem, what to do? Why stop off in the office, logon and blog of course ;) Hey, nobody's perfect. Besides, who has time to fold laundry - Gilmore Girls is on and Lorelai and Chris are dating again.

[check me out! my hyperlinks actually work! and i inserted an image. i'm a superhero. please don't sweat me.]

MamaLaw #1 - Men should know better

When do we make men accountable for their inadequacies as opposed to just discounting them because they are "just men" and don't know any better?

Ok, I really can't take credit for this timeless question - Justice PJ came up with it. The problem is that she says she "doesn't have the time to blog." But let me tell you..if she can manage taking care of 3 children (all under 5), being a great wife, looking fly, AND teaching a law course, all while nursing...then she can definitely handle (and use) a l'il ol' mommy blogging. Yes, that is a dare chica :)

All Rise...

MamaLaw has arrived. It's about time that us mommies set some rules to manage the chaos that has seemingly taken over our lives. Between us four, savvy, professional moms, we can surely come up with life laws to simplify the drama that takes place in our everyday lives - whether it be at the dinner table, the changing table, or the conference table...

Court Is Now In Session!
Justice Fergie