Website Review: Babble.com

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

I’m not a website critic, but I thought readers of Interior Office would be interested to know about websites for parents that I find.   So in that vein, I’ll review from my perspective a new off-beat parenting webzine, Babble, that launched today.  It’s from the creators of the webzine, Nerve, which I’ll admit I’d never heard of nor visited before today. 

Anyway, Babble is geared towards the “new urban parent.” I’m assuming, from looking at the site and reading the press release that this means anyone who lives in a rather urban environment (check), recently had kids, or has youngsters (check) and doesn’t want to be bothered with advice like, “how do I put my baby on a sleep schedule” advice and tips (check).  I like the site’s irreverant attitude towards the nuances of parenting.

Overall, there seems to be a lot (I mean A LOT) of interesting content to read.  Having not breastfed, I enjoyed Marjorie Ingall’s article, “The Breastfeeding Conspiracy.” I like that you can comment on such articles.  Babble also contains many blogs, which at first glance seem to use the f-word at liberty.  Hey, we are on the internet, right?

Babble also contains a fashion section and products section where I found the cutest hand-knit cowboy boots for my son (thank you honey) and an entertainment section where you can find great children’s books.  You can even upload your own baby video (I’ll pass, I don’t like to pimp out my son on the internet even though he’s damn cute), and chat on the various message boards.

I think the site’s only real downfall is that there is almost TOO much to read.  I’m not sure how often they are going to update the content, but as a working mom, I think it would take me a week just to get through what is on the site today.  And that’s if I did nothing else than read or comment on Babble.

But maybe that’s the point- is there ever an end to a baby’s babbling?

Technorati Tags: Babble.com, parenting websites

 

The medicine of who?

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

My friend tipped me off to the next offender in a series of companies that sell to parents with unwise marketing-speak. The company is the maker of many allergy, flu and cold remedies – Triaminic.  But this one is so blatantly obvious that I think it may take the cake of unwise marketing.  Apparently, Triaminic seems to think that moms are in charge of the medicinal needs of their children.  Come on, their tag line “The Medicine of Motherhood,” says so.

Even the sickly sweet cartoon of a baby elephant latching onto its mom on the front page of their website shows who they think runs the snotty nose and watery eye show in the house.  To their little credit, they do try to make a case for EEOP (that’s Exaggerated-attempt to Equal Opportunity Parent) on the same page.  As seen in the “For Parents” section of the site:  

“Moms and Dads can explore the Parents’ area to access useful information to help you care for your family. Get in touch with a Triaminic® expert in the Triaminic Clinic® to learn more about special offers and events.”

That is not enough to please this mom.  ‘Scuse me while I decongest myself. 

Technorati Tags: Triaminic, mom marketing, baby medicine

 

BlackBerry-itis: An Illness

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

After reading a recent article in The Wall Street Journal about kids who feel “orphaned” by their parents’ BlackBerries, I determined that I too, was putting my son at risk with my BlackBerry-ing behaviors.  But I am not orphaning my son by using my BlackBerry.  Rather, I believe I suffer from a case of BlackBerry-itis.  It’s a sickness that is long-term in nature and very hard to cure. 

BlackBerry-itis can be defined as “an unnatural and obsessive addiction to checking one’s BlackBerry.”  There are many strains of BlackBerry-itis.  Type M (the obsessive need to check one’s BlackBerry during Meetings), Type PT (the addiction to checking one’s BlackBerry on Public Transportation, and the most severe form, the type I suffer from, Type F (when checking one’s BlackBerry interferes with Familial duties).

Unfortunately, Type F is hard to discern, since many observers of the disease are children not of speaking age.  And, the sickness is subtle at first.  It may start with a casual checking of the BlackBerry when you wake up in the morning before you get baby out of the crib.  But full-blown BlackBerry-itis Type F is hard to miss.

Here are some of the key indicators:

r     You check your BlackBerry even when your child is in the highchair screaming bloody murder for his food.
r     You bring your BlackBerry into bed with you in the morning and email instead of cuddling with your child.
r     You find that your thumbs are too sore to play with your baby’s blocks.
r     You bring the BlackBerry to mom/baby classes and check it immediately when class is over.
r     You’d rather sit at your counter and “BlackBerry” than sit on your floor and play with your child.
r     Your mother actually knows what the device is, and expresses her disdain for it.

However problematic BlackBerry-itis can be there are some little-known cures:
r     Husband threatens to “throw that thing in Lake Michigan or other large body of water” if he sees the BlackBerry in the bedroom one more time.
r     People at work send you nasty emails telling you to stop emailing on your day off.
r     Email servers at work go down, making the BlackBerry non-functioning (note: this is only a temporary cure until the servers are restored).
r     You leave BlackBerry on different floor of your house so that you are too lazy to walk upstairs and get it. Unfortunately, I’ve tried all of the remedies above to no avail.  After trying to cure my illness, I think that the best solution for BlackBerry-itis is not having a BlackBerry at all.  But I don’t think I’m quite ready to try that solution yet.   

Technorati Tags: BlackBerry, working mom

 

A new law of prohibition

I’m trying hard to keep the “mom” talk out of a good girl’s night out. 

I don’t want to be THAT mom who only talks about her kids.  It’s like going out with people from work and only talking about the latest projects you’re working on.  Who wants to discuss the pros and cons of matrix organizations over a martini?  Not me.

And when I go out with the girls, I try hard to not mix baby talk with girl talk.  Sleep schedules and solid foods just don’t seem to pair well with a glass of Shiraz. 

 

I was recently faced with this dilemma when I went out with my friends for my birthday.  My M.O. was to attempt to have an “old school” night out (i.e. dinner then dancing).  I even tried to dress the part.  New jeans, high-heeled boots, and a cute top were a throwback to my single years.  Overall, I looked somewhat respectable for a new mom who works part-time and just got in from a business trip in New York.

Most important, I was ready for a baby-free and work-free night. 

We all met at a wine bar in a hip neighborhood. At the table were some of my NMFs (new mom friends), some married friends, some work friends, and some single or engaged friends. It was a proprietary blend of my old and new life.  

As we settled into our new surroundings of wood-paneled walls versus garish-orange kiddie gyms, we began to peruse the menu.  I began to peruse my new mom friends sitting at the table – hair done and heels on.  One claimed she had never seen me wear lipstick before (the horror!).  We began to order our wine and apps (“Sexy Reds” for me, please).  It was then that things turned from sexy to stagnant.

 

A taste of the conversation:

Me: (sips wine, eats some brie)

NMF across the table:  “So, tell me, what foods have you started Junior on?”

Me: “I really like the Cabernet, what did you get?”

NMF: “Well, I talked to the doctor and he said not to start meats until 8 months.”

Me: “This parmesan is to die for.”

 

Discussing the varietals of baby meat was not what I had planned for my girl’s night out.  

I craned my neck to hear how my single friend landed a hot date last weekend.  And tried to listen as my other friend described a fabulous pair of shoes she just bought.

 

But as the conversation varied from pureed chicken to potential hotties sitting across from us, I found myself more and more drawn to the current rather than the past. And as the hot button topic of “baby-proofing” came up, my attitude turned from “old school” to feeling just plain old. 

I thought, as I sipped my Merlot, how did it all end up this way? 

Would I really rather talk about burps and poop than the gossip rags? (Ok, I still have a subscription to People, but still…).  When did buying a fashionable pair of sweats matter more than a cute “going out” top?

 

Was I really becoming THAT mom?

 

It was then that the dilemma was cast in a new light.  I like to play dress up, but I am much more comfortable without the red lipstick and tight jeans. The complex bouquet of my life suits my palate just fine.

 

Wall Street Journal takes on work and family balance

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

Check out The Juggle, a new blog by Wall Street Journal columnist Sara Schaefer Munoz.  (I’m not 100% sold on the name, but it might grow on me.) “The Juggle” aims to discuss all the issues that pertain to the modern family- stress of finding the right caregiver, trying to finish your neverending “to do” list, and managing to do your actual day job – all at the same time.

I liked what I read at first, especially about fake workplace productivity problems  (for those who care, I suffer from PCAST with a small case of my own diagnosis,”Nannyitis“).  And I’m totally glad to see another mainstream paper getting on the blogosphere bandwagon.  Guess I’ll add it to my Feeds… how will I ever “Juggle” all the stuff I have to read!?

 

Inspirational mommy quote of the week

“Motherhood is like a new pair of jeans – at first they are restrictive and tight, but over time they stretch out and fit you quite nicely.”

 

A new working mom blog

Sometimes I feel there are a dearth of blogs that I really want to read all the time.  Thankfully, I talked my friend Monica into resurrecting her uber-famous “Kitty Time” blog.  Thank you, Monica.  We welcome you back into the blogosphere.

 

New mothers leaving the workforce

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, new mothers are dropping out of the workforce at a higher rate.  According to the data, the percentage of married mothers of infants in the workforce dropped from 59 percent in 1997 to 51 percent in 2004.  Reasons cited for the drop include mothers wanting to nurture their children during the first year, and the increase of childcare.

Not suprisingly, other reasons cited are workplace related- not enough flexible return-to-work options, or lack of extended maternity leave.  Heck, read this story and you’ll see why us moms are tentative about returning to work.

Point is, as I’ve said before – if you lose moms in the workforce, you’ll lose employees who have stamina, the ability to multitask like nobody’s business and who can cope with long, tiring hours.  Employers – it pays to keep your moms coming back to work!

 

Go easy on Gwen

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

 This may sound contrary to some of my recent rants on new celebrity moms, and I’ll probably take some flack for this post, but I can sympathize with Gwen Stefani.*  Her newest album, “The Sweet Escape” is reviewed in the December 4 New York Times, and well, the review ain’t that sweet. 

The critic, Jon Pareles, sets out to show that Stefani, after having her son
Kingston earlier this year, is a “hit making star and a new mother who only represents herself.”  One would usually think this would be a word of praise – a woman who’s found herself being a mom.  Not so much.  According to the critic, Stefani’s new album “repeats some of the old tricks with less flair.”  He goes on to say on the album she’s “either complaining or apologizing.”  Let’s just say the last word of the review is “whiny.”

 

Sound familiar? It does to me. Considering I’ve only been back to work 4 months since my son was born I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve apologized for not remembering what the latest industry “buzzword” is, complained about my poor- performing nanny or whined about how early my son gets up in the morning when I have to be “on” in the office all day.  Going back to work after baby is hard.  It’s all I can do to “repeat the old tricks” I remember from when I worked before I had baby.  I try to do it with more flair, but sometimes I fail. 

 

So why isn’t Stefani allowed to express her new mom frustrations through her music?  Does it make her music bad?  Can a man who’s never birthed a child adequately critique the tone and content of music of a new mother? I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer these questions since I’m not a music critic (clearly), but I’m pretty impressed that she was able to even put out an album a mere 6 months since her son was born.  So while Pareles may think Stefani’s latest album sounds “forced and secondhand,” she’s getting kudos from this new mom. You go Gwen!

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* If you are wondering why all of a sudden I did an about face on this celeb-mom, I do think there is a distinct difference in between a NEW mom trying to make a comeback after her FIRST baby (Stefani) vs. an experienced mom changing gears in her career (Couric).  Maybe I’ll see it differently when my son is older.

 

A walk on the dark side… of nail polish

My blog has changed, the new url is: http://selfmademom.net.  

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then your nails are the window into how bad of a week you’ve had.  This is especially true this season.  That’s because this season is the season of dark nails.  From burgundy to black, darker shades of polish are what everyone is wearing.  From WAHMs to SAHMs, I’ve seen dark nails lurking in every corner of the mom world.

It used to be that we could get by easily with our “Sugar Daddy” and “Sweetheart” and be as hands on in our mom life as we could.  That’s the thing about light nail color, it doesn’t show squat.  A chip, a smudge, no one can tell.

Not so much with the new fall palette.  So while there’s no doubt that Chanel’s Vamp looks great on a teenager, I wondered, how do these dark colors work on a mom?  So I put dark nail polish to the test, wearing various shades over the past few weeks.  The results? Read on:

I’ve actually been wearing Essie’s “Wicked” for a little while, but I hadn’t yet gone to the true dark side until last week, when I tried OPI’s “Lincoln Park After Dark.” A purple/ midnight hue, it looked fabulous in the bottle.  My nails looked great when I left the salon and I thought I had found my new regular color.  But when I tested the color out doing mom duties, Lincoln Park After Dark ended up looking more like Lincoln Park With a Bad Hangover (Exhibit photo to the left).  

Chip after chip after chip occurred as I typed on my computer, washed my son’s bottles and attended play groups.  I was ready for a new manicure after only 3 days (I didn’t get them done at my favorite spot, Paint, in Chicago, though)!  My other NMFs agree on the difficulties of wearing dark nails and sighed in sympathy at my ragged digits. 

So what’s a fashionable mom to do?  Your nails are an easy way to feign a fashionable appearance.  If you can keep them looking reasonably good, you can appear to look somewhat put together, even if your home is a wreck and your hair is dirty.  You can shut that window of doubt on what’s really happening with your beauty routine.  However, with this new trend, one chip of your nail means you look trashy instead of trendy.

I try to salvage my dark nails by buying the color and touching up in between manicures.  A little polish and Seche Vite top coat can go a long way to preserving your nail dignity. I also always try to wear gloves when I do the dishes and wash the bottles and clean up the kitchen (wearing them while typing at work is near impossible). There is one good thing about dark nail polish – it doesn’t show all the dirt after a long day with baby.

But, overall, while I’ll stick out this trend for a little while longer,  I’m not ready to hang up my “Ballet Slippers” just yet.