Motherhood Makes Beautiful Things

In recent months, there has been a resurgence on  “war on women”.  I’m not referring to the “war on women” that has been happening for centuries in the Middle East or the heinous atrocities happening to women in Africa or even the verbal attacks in the U.S. political arena. Instead, I’m referring to the age old war of working moms vs. stay at home moms and the other ugly battle, attachment parenting vs. traditional parenting.  First, it was the ridiculous comments made by Hilary Rosen about Ann Romney.  Then, there was an uproar in response to the Time magazine cover.

Why do we allow society or the media to flame these feuds?

If you work outside the home and still have the strength to raise a family, then you should be applauded.  If your job is a full time mom trying to juggling it all without losing your mind or yourself trapped between a world of toddlerese and Lori Berkner, then your efforts should be applauded as well.  Neither job is easy.  Motherhood no matter how it’s dressed up, be it a corporate suit or yoga pants, requires sacrifice and that sacrifice should be praised not ridiculed.

And yet, somehow that sacrifice opens the door for ridicule or judgment rather than praise.

As moms, we make decisions every day about child-rearing with the sole purpose to do what’s best for our children.  Therefore, how can any reasonable child-rearing choice be wrong?  If you choose to breastfeed your child until school-age, who are we to judge?  If you choose to bottle feed your baby over breastfeeding, who are we to judge?  And if your child stays on the bottle, boob or binky until kindergarten, then that’s also a parenting choice and no one should judge.

No matter which avenue we choose to get there, we all want a stress-free existence with confident, well-adjusted children.  Our ultimate goal is the same.  So why not build a society that mirrors the one created when we cradle infants in our arms, be it on the breast or on a bottle?

Acceptance and support starts with each of us.  As mothers, we need to stop criticizing each other and start supporting one another.  We can’t allow magazine images and political sound bites to open the door to criticism and attacks.

Motherhood makes beautiful things.  Society needs to stop turning into something ugly.

With yesterday being Mother’s Day, I felt compelled to share my thoughts about moms supporting other moms and what better way than incorporating it into a Music Monday post.  What topics and tunes are moving you?

I’m still co-hosting with Xmas Dolly and her Monday’s Music Moves Me crew (LorieStacyCallie and Cathy), so link up and share.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Photobucket

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Random Thoughts about Sweets, Sweats, Burpees and Track Tuesday

For my New Year’s resolution, I swore off sugar and was doing really good with it.  I survived Valentine’s Day without going overboard.  I even made some delicious brownies for St. Patrick’s Day without falling too badly off the wagon.

Then, Easter came and all the stores were stockpiled with scrumptious Easter candy like Peeps and chocolate covered Peeps and Robin Eggs and Cadbury eggs and not-so-great- generic store-brand jellybeans and oh-so-delicious Starbust jellybeans.

I’d like to say I ate all of the above in moderation, but I didn’t.  In fact, I fell so hard off the no-sugar wagon that I got a headache from the volumes of sugar I ate.  Man, I was jonesing BAD, like a crack addict.

I seriously had no idea that sugar and sweets could affect me like that.  I was a mess.  I had successfully eliminated sweets from my diet and in a matter of days, I couldn’t get enough of it.  I would eat one Peep after another followed a fistful of jellybeans, followed by countless numbers of Cadbury’s mini-eggs.  It was CRAZY how fast I was ingesting it all!

So, guess what I did with all that candy?

No, I didn’t throw it out.  There are children starving in this country, for heaven’s sake!  I hid it, so the temptation is no longer in my line of sight when I open the pantry.  It’s a mind-over-matter thing for me, you see or don’t see.  Whatever.  The point is this works for me.

I’ve also been making Easter trail mix with pretzels and the leftover jelly beans for my kids’ lunches.  Don’t judge.  I know it’s not the healthiest lunchtime snack, but I’d like to believe their sharing it with their friends at school like good little sugar pushers.

But then guess what I did?  I found Cadbury mini-eggs 50% off at Target the other day, so I simply had to buy two bags.  Don’t you worry!  I hid them in pantry, too.  As long as the bag stays sealed, I’ll be all right.  Truth be told, I think I’m going to bake some Candy Bar Shortbread Bars with the mini-milk chocolate candy coated eggs for a brunch I’m going to this Saturday.  I pinkie-promise to only test them one.

The burpee challenge is going well.  What I mean is it’s getting tougher but I can definitely feel myself getting stronger.  At the end of the challenge, I’d like to perform another push-up exhaustion test, but with real push-ups not alternate push-ups to see how many real ones I can do.  At this point, I can do 17 push-ups as part of a burpee, then I should be able to do at least than many or more.

And let’s not forget the running!  Last Wednesday, I wanted to run 6 miles but my legs hurt so bad from Amy Dixon’s ass Kickin’ Strength work-out that I could only manage 5 miles.

5 miles

Time 52:56

Ave Pace 10:36

Max Pace 8:33

My legs were still sore on Friday when I tried to run 3 miles, but I ran with my stroller for what I like to call resistance training.  Running with a stroller is like running up a hill…both ways.

3 .1 miles

Time 33:30

Ave Pace 10:49

Max Pace 8:25

All that soreness and a stroller may have slowed me down a bit, but I made up the time on Sunday when I finally did run 6 miles.  I inserted a lap at mile five just because I was curious if my time had improved from Wednesday.

6.2 miles

Time 1:02:13

Lap 1 – mile 5 – 50:05

Ave Pace 10:03

Max Pace 7:42

Today, I decided to do some speed work instead of subjecting myself to another Amy ass kicking and then I ran a couple of easy miles with my kids’ running club.

1 mile

Time 9:46

Ave Pace 9:47

Max Pace 5:53

Lap 1 – 0.25 miles – 1:49, Ave Pace 7:12

Lap 2 – 0.25 miles – 1:52, Ave Pace 7:30

Lap 3 – 0.25 miles – 1:47, Ave Pace 7:11

Lap 4 – 0.25 mile – 1:54, Ave Pace 7:37

1.1 miles

Time 10:55

Ave Pace 9:56

Max Pace 7:47

Speaking of speed work…Starting next week, Ricole Runs and I will be hosting a running linky party called Track Tuesday and we are so super stoked about it.  Well, not about the sprints, but we’re definitely excited about what we believe to be the first speed work blog hop ever!


Calling all runners!

Every Tuesday, Ricole and I will perform some sprints and we’d like you to join our torturous Track Tuesday efforts.  To join our Track Tuesday Team, do your speed work (at least 4 quarter mile sprints) on Tuesday or any day you that works best for you, blog about your times and remember to add our cool Track Tuesday button to your post.  Then, link up your post at either Ricole Runs or Run DMT to share Track Tuesday Speed Work Sessions.  To show support for our other virtual running partners on the Track Tuesday Team, be sure to visit the other blogs listed in the linky party.  Give them a virtual high-five and leave some comment love too.

So, I hope to see you back here next Tuesday to join our new runner’s linky party, Track Tuesday!

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

It Happened at Disneyland

It happened at Disneyland.

Code Adam.  Words you never hope to hear.  With my second daughter and middle child, Emmalynn, it has always been the inevitable.

For years, my family and I participated in the taping of Disney’s Christmas Parade at the Magic Kingdom.  Although our one-day park tickets would be free, the cost would be more than we were willing to pay.

Since my husband attended graduate school on Saturdays, my parents joined me and the girls this year.  It had been decades since my parents visited the park and could now relive the magic through their grandchildren’s eyes.  We arrived early and had a wonderful day taking in all the sights of Magic Kingdom.

Several of our friends were there for the taping as well and it felt like one huge family reunion.

As to not make for a long day with young children, my parents and I decided to leave the park around 6:00 p.m.   For cutting our day short, we promised my oldest daughter a toy from the Emporium on Main Street when we left the park.  To avoid any Houdini moments from my clever little two year old escape artist, Emmalynn wore her monkey harness most of the day or sat buckled in her stroller, however, once inside the Emporium, I unbuckled Emmalynn from her stroller so she could choose a toy in the shop.

My mom, Allana, Emmalynn and I made our way to the check-out while my dad stayed with the stroller. I bought Allana’s toys and my mom waited behind me to purchase Emmalynn’s toys. Then, in a blink of an eye, Emmalynn ran off.  My mom tried to chase her, but she was too slow and Emmalynn vanished.

I was finishing my purchase when my mom returned without Emmalynn. With clothing racks positioned throughout the store like walls of a labyrinth and an exit door leading to a mob of people strolling down Main Street, we didn’t even know where to begin looking.

I grabbed a cast member and explained what had happened. I described Emmalynn’s clothes, her features and displayed her image on my digital camera. (This was years before I owned a cell phone with a decent camera.)  My heart sunk. I thought I was going to be sick.

How would I ever find my child in a sea of a million people?  How would I explain this to my husband?

The Disney Security Team reported to the scene. I was advised to stay in one place while the team located Emmalynn. And then, he said the words no parent should ever have to hear, “We have a Code Adam.”

I called my husband, who was waiting for us at the hotel, to explain why we hadn’t arrived yet. I tried to utter the words, but he couldn’t understand me. Other guests saw my uncontrollable sobbing and tried to locate her in the store, but there was still no sign of her.

Forty five minutes later although it felt like a lifetime, two guests found Emmalynn following strangers down Main Street still holding two small stuffed toys.

Years later, she still holds those stuffed Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse toys which prompt her to ask me to retell the tale of the time we lost her at Disney.

“Were you sad, Mommy?”

“I couldn’t stop crying.  Even Allana cried for you,” I reply with a lump in my throat as relive the horror.

Since that first Code Adam moment, we’ve lost her countless times and by the grace of God, she’s always been found within a few minutes.  Rest assured, if you ever hear a Code Adam, it’s because I’ve lost one of my children again.

Yes, I am that mom and my path to neglectful parenting happened at Disneyland.

*This “It happened at Disneyland” post was inspired by Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop.*

Mama's Losin' It

Denise Mestanza-Taylor+

Home

Within these booger-stain walls our humble home, we embrace life and suck the nectar out of it, which may explain all the teeth marks on the furniture.

But all those bite marks, scratches and hammered dents in the furniture add character.  Some would pay good money for a weathered look whereas my children offer their handiwork for free.

The walls may be lacking color or needing another coat of paint, but the fingerprints and artworks on the walls display signs of real masterpieces: my beautiful, creative and spirited children.

What appears as piles of clutter to guests are my pride possessions and cherished memories.

Our yard may not be the most manicured, but it looks well traveled.

My home is an honest reflection of my life.

It may not be perfect.

Occasionally it looks tired and shows signs of wear, but I do my best to maintain it.

And I love every inch of it.

PhotoStory Fridaythe hollie rogue

Random Thoughts about being Secretive and Sweaty

At breakfast this morning, my girls accused me of doing “secretive things” while they are at school.  Yep, that’s me.  I’m so secretive.  I like to keep things on the down low.  I suppose this means I should start sweeping up the confetti before they get home.

Today, we spent the afternoon at the Glazer Children’s Museum with our cousins.  What a fun place!  I’m going to write a full review tomorrow for Not-So-Wednesday, so stay tuned for that.  While we were there today with the kids, I purchased an annual family pass as a belated birthday present for Emmalynn and Liam.  I’ll be using that pass o’plenty while the girls are in school.  Hmm…I guess it would appear that I do secretive things while the girls are in school.  Guilty as charged!

Last week, I registered for the All Out Running 5K and now I’m nervous about that race because of the heat.  When it’s not raining, it has been absolutely scorching during my morning runs.  To combat the heat, I’m planning my training route through my neighbors’ sprinklers.  I need to cool off somehow because it’s been hotter than hell.  In fact, it’s so hot (How hot is it?)…It’s so hot that I think I passed Satan spritzing himself with a misting fan during my run this morning.

Also during my morning run, I passed another runner who had stopped to do some elevated pushups.  His enthusiasm in the heat impressed me and I thought to myself, “You go, Boy!”  I was just trying to stay on my feet to finish my 4 miles.  If I hit the ground, I probably wouldn’t be able to get back up to finish the run.  But kudos to him for going the extra mile!

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Rocky passed me and said, “You go, girl!”  That just made me smile and put an extra pep in my step as I paced for the next mile behind him.  The sprinklers and my running partner, Rocky, made the heat a bit more bearable.

4 Miles

Time 42:37

Ave Pace 10:40

Max Pace 8:23

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

Happy Birthday to Our Tiny Cool

Tomorrow is Emmalynn’s 6th birthday.  It seems overnight my little baby became a little lady.  Every day is an adventure with our little Emmalynn and there’s never a dull moment around here because of her.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, then a video would surely tell the tale of our Emmalynn, our Tiny Cool.

*Tiny Cool by Princess Katie and Racer Steve*

Visit AmandaXmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

An Idea That Stuck

When Allana found an old frame in our messy garage, she had a clever idea for a Father’s Day gift for Dad.  She pulled all the dried up glue sticks from our craft box and asked me to help her hot glue them to the frame for her.

Then, she wrote on the back and asked us all to sign it.

Daddy loved his gift, but I loved Allana’s creativity and thoughtfulness.

Airplanes

Emmalynn began taking ballet last fall, but we took a break during the holidays.  Once we recovered from the holidays, we resumed classes at a new studio, but missed registration for the recital.  Even though she wouldn’t perform in the recital, she still learned the steps for her class’s number.

One evening, Emmalynn asked me, “Mommy, do you know the Airplane song that goes I could use a wish right now.  Wish right now.  Wish right now?”  Then, she began spinning and flying around the room demonstrating what she claimed to be her recital routine.  Her interpretative dance included several spins, a landing and chopping some vegetables for a soup she prepared in her home.  I thought this seemed like a very bizarre ballet performance, but so be it.

Later, I learned that her class was not dancing to Airplanes, but rather Fly Me to the Moon.  That’s my Emma, my free spirit.  She dances to the beat of a different drum.    

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”- Henry David Thoreau

And speaking of airplanes, Little Lion Man loves to feed himself.  Typically he’s double-fisted with a spoon in each hand, but he’ll drop those boring ol’ baby spoons for his big boy airplane spoon.  Vroom!

Visit AmandaXmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.

 

Sorry, Ice Cream. I’m Dreaming of a Different Dessert

PhotobucketI stumbled upon some tickets for a prescreening of Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, but the girls and I arrived late to the AMC Theater at Westshore Plaza (which seems to be the story of my life these days) and no more seats were available.  For Allana and Emmalynn, it was becoming the NOT, NOT bummer summer.

Of course, my girls were heartbroken, but like any good parent slacker mom, I bribed my children with ice cream to help heal their pain.  However, it’s been a while since we’ve eaten ice cream at Westshore Plaza because the Tanya and Matt’s Ice Creamiest stand that once stood in the food court is now a cell phone kiosk.  Fantastic.

Feeling like I had failed my children twice in one evening, I had to devise another plan to redeem myself.  As we exited the mall, Allana spotted a sort of ice cream looking shop.  This frozen yogurt Evos looking, trendy wannabe TCBY would do the trick.

The bright and fresh appearance of Pinkberry was mirrored by the assortment of fresh fruit toppings.

Although, there were only a few flavors of frozen yogurts to choose from, each flavor was more flavorful than the one before it.  Allana loved the mango frozen yogurt and topped hers with Fruity Pebbles, which was like a small serving of an oxymoron.

Emmalynn ordered organic gummi bears with her mango yogurt.  I chose the salted caramel with chocolate chips, which made my treat taste like a chocolate covered pretzel.


As far as portion sizes, Pinkberry offered a mini size (3 oz serving) which I was tickled pink over it because it’s the perfect and appropriate serving size.  Many frozen treat shops offer this portion as a kid’s size, which is only available to children 12 and under.  Therefore, I truly appreciated the opportunity to select the smallest size and I also appreciated the caloric content listed on the menu, which reminded me not to overindulge.   But even if I did, this low calorie real non-fat, hormone-free milk made with live and active cultures yogurt would help make me feel less guilty about it.

With a quick pop into Pinkberry, I had redeemed myself in my girls’ eyes.  For me, this healthy recovery was a sweet deal.  Unfortunately, ever since our visit, the girls and I’ve been dreaming of a different dessert. Sorry, ice cream.  W’re on our way to P-I-N-K-B-E-R-R-Y.

 

And thanks to the Pinkberry website, I have this song stuck in my head too.  But that’s all right.  It’s almost as sweet as the frozen yogurt.

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.



*Also submitted at*

PhotoStory Friday

Suck It Up This Summer

PhotobucketTime for another edition of Slacker Mom Confessions: I bribe my children.

I have never professed to be perfect.  Lord knows I am far from it.  For me, motherhood is all about survival.  In fact my motto as I roll into my 40s is “I’m not seeking approval.  I’m just trying to survive.”

And for about $1, these icy, sweet, nothing natural, saturated with food coloring slushees from Target help me do just that.

When I shop at Target with my girls, especially during the hot summer months, I willingly buy my girls a slushee.  If they are good while we shop, they can refill their cups before we leave the store.

Works like a charm every time.  Whatever it takes, my friends and in this case, it’s a little Blue #1 and Yellow #5.

And there will be a lot of it this summer.  Sweet.

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

*Also submitted at*