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Mrs. Magoo Reads
Mrs. Magoo is a twelve-year-old girl who has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and has …visit site »
Fun FindsHeh. Those two URLs look as though they ought to be linked together somehow, don’t they?
I wanted to share with you an email sent to me by an an amazing woman. It said simply:
Hi Mindy,
I love your blog and the fact that you do non-profit work. My name is Holly Hatam and I am the owner/designer of high-end wedding invites, baby announcements and other stationery. My goal in life is to put smiles on the faces of my clients, and I always try to give back to the world as much as I can. I try to once a week choose a random deserving person and show them that someone cares about them, and I do that with a free gift
I would love to send you a free set of personalized stationery
I hope I was able to put a smile on your face today!
Holly
She sent the design for my new stationery last night, and I am blown away. She included a quill and ink (which I would use were I more flamboyant) and a little nest with three eggs, representing a necklace I have that my kids love ("Which egg am I, Mama?"). I love Holly’s “pay it forward” mindset and her work. If you’re looking for this type of invitation or invite, please visit her - it’s always nicer to work with someone who actually practices random acts of kindness.
First thing this morning I received an email from HireMyMom.com, which I think is absolutely brilliant:
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that over 5.4 million mothers put their careers on hold to stay home with children.
That adds up to a lot of talented women with experience, education, skills and the motivation to find flexible work that can be done from their home office.
With this in mind, Lesley Spencer Pyle, Founder of Home-Based Working Moms, a professional association and online community of parents who work at home and those who would like to, has launched HireMyMom.com. HireMyMom.com is aimed at uniting talented mom professionals with companies and independent professionals looking to outsource temporary and permanent projects.
Well, if that ain’t right up my alley and a welcome tidbit, I don’t know what is, ‘cause SOMEONE needs to hire this mom.
Fun Finds
The Soup Kitchen is now open! We’ve got all kinds of fresh, new swag you can show off to your friends. And, once we set up the Top Ten, you can even sport a tee with your child’s quote on it! (that feature is coming soon; I’m only one woman.)
Fun Finds
Hey! You! My gal pal Jeanne over at DesignHer Gals has offered my readers a code worth 25% off this week on purchases ($30 or more). Great time to get summer fashions before Fall Launch! (Speaking of which: I hear one of the senior designers for Oscar dela Renta helped with fall.)
PROMO CODE: MOMMYBLOG
Expires midnight next Sunday – August 19th
Go on over and get stylin’!
We’ve finally launched PearSoup.com, a natural offshoot off all those QOTD items that have been floating around here for the last five years. I’ve heard what kind of crazy things my kids come up with, and now I want to hear yours! Come on, mine aren’t the only ones coming out of the woodwork with this stuff. My partner in crime has some brilliant ideas for future development… bwahahaha! See what happens when you put two unemployed geeky moms with kindergartners—excuse me, first graders—in the same room?
Come check it out!
The children are home with me all this week—no camp! Yipee! For them. Anyway, we will be learning new camp songs here, too.
So I’ve got like five stories backed up (there’s a pill for that) and I don’t know where to go first. Okay, here’s the lineup: heartwarming, 80’s, swooning, revved up, and No Place Like Home.
Heartwarming: we’ve been trying to organize an exorcism for Daphne this week, because, damn. She’s Queen of the Dark-n-Deadly Tantrum. Any little thing shuts her down, and she has one of two reactions. Either she’ll grab the nearest object and heave it across the room, or she’ll run away. Sometimes she’ll just go boneless and sit staring at the ground, refusing to get up or walk. But if she does walk, it will be AWAY from you, and if she senses you following, she’ll kick it up to warp speed. The girl’s got some long legs—I once had to run most of a block to catch her. In short, she’s been having tough mornings, sometimes involving unfastened seat belts, Taiko-like drumbeats on the back of my seat with occasional forays into the console where I plug in my phone, and slithering down in her booster seat until her headband is the only thing holding her under the seat belt. It’s making us crazy.
So, Wednesday morning. We (finally) get to camp, after having dragged this rag doll through two previous drop-offs. Geographically, she had to be last in order for me to finish the run in under ninety minutes. As we checked in, her counselor said, “Daphne, the note for your mom is in your cubby.” Oh great, I thought, now my daughter’s getting notes home. Time for another Year of Hell with a Five Year Old. You may recall the Year Dylan Was Five. You may not. I’ve had most of it surgically removed from my brain.
“Mama! I have a note for you!” She tore into the other room and returned with a letter, face alight… and was… was she SMILING? What? All of a sudden it’s all kittens and rainbows? The counselor explained that Daphne felt bad about her tantrum the previous morning and had asked her to write down a message to me from her:
I love you Mommy.
If you want you could call me if you want to come to my daddy’s house. You could come to his house and you could come to daddy’s and you could call me and I would have a little snack for you.
Love,
Daphne
This was her way of apologizing. As soon as I read the note and hugged her tight, she was transformed. She feels a thousand times better once she’s drawn a picture or written a love note, and I think we’ve found a way to short-circuit the cycle. It was like a gift from God, who probably was just glad He didn’t have to deal with the exorcism.
80’s: Last night, Phil and I watched the videos from his wedding nearly twenty years ago (like me, he was married in his early twenties for two years. Only I didn’t have two hours of footage of the biggest, 80’siest, Italian Catholic wedding ever seen).
Dear Barbara.
Fourteen groomsmen, somewhat fewer bridesmaids, royal blue taffeta and lace, white fur hand muffs, and a long sermon comparing a good marriage with homemade lasagna (they’re both chefs). Wow. Just… wow.
Swooning: I had a job interview yesterday with the CEO and CTO of Renkoo.com. I was early, and we were meeting at a little bakery/cafe in Redwood City called Pamplemousse. This place was not to be believed. I had time to sit in a tufted suede banquette with an orange brioche and citrus chamomile tea and a copy of 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny, which I’m reading for the third time because it’s so funny. It’s written by Phillip Done, an old classmate of BlogHer co-founder Elisa Camahort, whom I met one summer day in 2005 as we gathered to stuff binders for that year’s BlogHer meeting. Yes, I’m a dinosaur. I made goodie bags for the first BlogHer. (By the way, you may not be able to access their site. The next meeting is coming up and I think the site has been overwhelmed with visitors.)
Anyway, it was a delicious hour spent in the best way possible without a masseuse present.
Revved up: What a great interview. And what great people. I don’t want to jinx it. More later.
No Place Like Home: The CEO, Adam Rifkin, asked me to check out the new app Renkoo released yesterday for Facebook, called Booze Mail. When I saw it I nearly fainted, but it’s impossible to faint in an ergonomically superior chair such as my Aeron. But I was a bit giddy. Now this is something I can sink my teeth into!
Anyone want a drink? First round’s on me!
Okay campers, listen up: it’s almost time for me to hop a plane to Georgia, because I’ve got Georgia on my mind. Georgia… sweet Georgia… Also? my baby brother is getting married. Seems an awful shame that I had to get married twice before any of my four brothers got married once. Um. *cough* Let’s move on, shall we?
I have just packed suits, ties, shirts, loafers, real, actual, dark dress socks, dresses, tights, pretty little pearl-white Mary Janes, and a fabulous Lauren halter dress and sexy red heels for me. I have no idea what’s in Phil’s humongous bag, and I ain’t askin’ neither. I’m sure it will get him through the next eight days just fine. I on the other hand, have filled a duffel for the kids, a small (the carry on size - for those at home who must think I can’t travel lightly) wheeled bag for me, a car seat, a shoe bag, computer, portable DVD player, puzzle books, coloring books, a Game Boy with no charger, a few movies, several books, and a partridge in a pear tree.
I hope to bring most if not all of that onto a plane with me at dawn. Mom’s coming to get us (in two cars) at five, and off we go. I had the kids sleep in their travel clothes, because, no. No. I’m not dressing three sleepy children at five a.m. No.
I am a limp noodle tonight - what with the last minute details, and packing and laundry and a job interview and negotiating carry ons with the kids. Yes! I interviewed at Yahoo! today, and I came out of there on a buzz a mile high. It’s a good feeling when someone knows you from the blogosphere and it’s a GOOD thing. Best moment? “Tell me about XYZ and other things you’ve done… uhhuh, go on… WAIT. That was YOU?” Heh. Awesome feeling. Here’s hoping.
In other (well, the same, really) news, I’ll be out of touch through next Friday night. I’m sure I’ll check in, but who knows how often since I DROPPED MY iBOOK and will be bringing my ThinkPad that doesn’t have all my pet programs and lovely files and all that. Maybe Phil will share his PowerBook with me. Maybe I should just enjoy time with my family.
See you when I get back!
P.S. Thanks a lot, eveyone, for peeing on my parade: when I posted the link to the age project here, suddenly my profile went from “people think on average you’re 13 years younger then you are” to “two years older than you are.” Only my readers. Only my readers.
This way, you can all help me recall what I’m supposed to be doing (and where I dumped my brain)!
To do today:
- Figure out how to make curvy corners using javascript and set it up for default inclusion in a Joomla! post template.
- Shower.
- Head to mall to purchase coats & ties & shirts & slacks & socks & shoes & dresses for children so they can look presentable at brother’s wedding in Atlanta this weekend. Remember, we live in CA and never have to dress up. Or look all that groomed. (Must find makeup.)
- Inventory luggage to see if adequate to transport gear for four days of fancy parties plus four days of beach for three children and one frazzled grownup. Borrow if necessary.
- Come up with system that separates children’s things without actually having to buy each one separate luggage. Once it’s all jumbled you may as well go home. There’s no sorting it out or getting any help at that point.
- Find coloring books, puzzles, etc. for six hour flights, plus six hour car rides between Atlanta and Myrtle Beach. Also, pepper spray.
- Find out from publisher if they can hurry up with the yearbook my friend and I designed and produced for pre-kindergarten class even though they work with presses, not wands.
- Fold all laundry and put away.
- Clean floors or learn how to do a decent soft-shoe.
- Empty fridge of anything that might breed in my absence.
- Stop mail.
- Wait, don’t stop mail. Friend must be able to pick up box of yearbooks when they arrive. Beg friend instead to hide mail.
- Don’t forget camera. Don’t forget camera. Don’t forget camera.
- Don’t forget portable DVD player and straps that harness it to the back of the front car seat.
- Buy booster seat for Daphne as she is too big for her Roundabout and too little to stay on the cute little perch Volvo intends for a booster. Get the pink one with flowers and she’ll never fight me on it.
- Eat something.
- Create budget templates for mother’s new job. Also, letter templates. Also, labels.
- Don’t forget cell phone. Don’t forget cell phone. Don’t forget cell phone.
- Set alarm clock for four a.m. Friday morning and pray for cooperation when Mom arrives at five to take us all to the airport. In two cars.
- Don’t forget meds. Don’t forget meds. Don’t forget meds.
Greetings! My name is Jessica and I’m an intern at Babble.com, the new online parenting magazine for the stylish, urban parent. Our staff is in love with your completely candid posts about life after divorce, your three kids (Daphne sounds adorable!), and your technophilia. I hope that the job interview at Yahoo works out!
I’m writing because I thought you might be interested in posting about droolicious.com, the latest Babble blog which features fun product design and style guides for babies and toddlers. We just launched yesterday and would love for a hip, with it blogger (like yourself) to spread the word.
Happy to do it - I had a look and will definitely be back. I pored over the travel-fun books and was KICKING myself for not having something like that on hand for the trip!
Fun Finds
My friends at Koo Koo Bear Kids sent me a completely adorable towel-in-a bag last week, and I was all set to give it away in a splashy reader-contest but then I remembered as I was heading to a friend’s for a pool date that although I bought new swim towels for the children this year, I still had the ratty old Polo towel from a houseboat trip to Lake Powell in the summer of 1992.
So, it’s my towel now. Heh.
And I do love it so! It comes in a little bag of its own, not too big, just right for the matching towel, a book, lotion, a fifth of scotch and a few cigars. It’s perfect, really.
And I wish I had a photo to go with Dylan’s declaration that it doubles as a hat for when you’re really cold coming out of a heated pool in the evening air. But my hands were full, what with all of the other things. And I think that was my child with the towel bag on his head. Or her head. Anyway, it was cute.
And darn absorbent for such a conveniently compact thing. It soaked up nearly half a bottle of spilled scotch. Now it’s all ready to go to Capitola with us for the holiday weekend!
Fun Finds
January
January 1 is ..... First Foot Day and Z Day
January 2 is ..... Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes It Day
January 3 is ..... Festival of Sleep Day
January 4 is ..... Trivia Day and Humiliation Day
January 5 is ..... Bird Day
January 6 is ..... Bean Day
January 7 is ..... Old Rock Day
January 8 is ..... National Joy Germ Day and Man Watcher’s Day
January 9 is ..... Play God Day
January 10 is ..... Peculiar People Day
January 11 is ..... National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day
January 12 is ..... Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day
January 13 is ..... Make Your Dream Come True Day and Blame Someone Else Day
January 14 is ..... National Dress Up Your Pet Day
January 15 is ..... Hat Day
January 16 is ..... Hot and Spicy Food International Day and National Nothing Day
As none of you were able to join me for two and a half hours of spa time yesterday, nor for the magical trip to Anthropologie where I found a solitary pair of white jeans in my size on the sale rack that were made by hand for me by several beneficent cherubim, I offer the next best thing: zafu.com.
I knew walking into that shop that the chances of finding perfect white jeans with a size I’m-not-going-to-tell-you ass were practically zip, but it happened. Now you could find the perfect pair of jeans yourself. I couldn’t believe this site when I saw it, and after running the numbers a few times, I was convinced it was spot-on. At least two pair they recommended as the best fit for me are hanging in my closet already and are my favorites. There must be something to it. Answer a few questions about how jeans normally fit you, your height and weight, a few other things, and they will search for recommendations rated by probability of fit. For YOU.
Soon, they will offer the same service with bras. It’s about time someone did, because lord knows we can pick what we like, but are crap at picking what fits.
Welcome to zafu. If you’ve ever sat bemused looking at thousands of jeans listed on a search engine, or carried a pile of denim into a changing room and left the store empty, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve had those struggles and realized we could do something about it.
We are a small team located in a converted bakery in Emeryville, California, just across the Bay from San Francisco. We have drawn on five years of fit research and algorithm development from our sister company Archetype and then measured, assessed and photographed thousands of women trying on hundreds of pairs of different jeans.Why is this important? At zafu, our mathematical calculations, jeans databases and body shape libraries enable us to ask a woman a few simple questions and use her answers to recommend jeans that will fit her best. There is real science behind the art of simplicity.
Fun FindsPhil has offered an actual recipe! With instructions! Vote him into the MothersClick Cookbook!
He NEVER gives out recipes. It’s why they call him The Irascible Chef. Partial recipes are in his book, The Road Letters.
I write. A lot.
I also design stuff and collect funny things kids say. Oh, and please buy my book. It's very funny.
I also review books and keep track of them in The Mommy Blog Amazon Book Store.
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