So thanks to my wonderful, amazing father flying in to babysit my kids and my wonderful, amazing husband who is working his tail off so that I could even afford to go to in the first place, I am heading to the Type A Mom Conference in Asheville tomorrow.
And I’m going to be 100% honest here. No kids, blog chatter for 4 days and connecting with my blogger girl friends? Yeah. I’m kind besides myself with glee. I’ll be roadtripping with Down to Earth Mama and rooming with Ilina from Dirt and Noise. And I will be stalking too too many to list. So many it’s kind of embarrassing. At least Pundit Mom expects some stalking from me. So does Anissa Meyhew. And shoot, Kelby Carr? Fugetaboutit. Oh and Sugar Jones should watch her back because I may just tackle her with a hug. There are too many… TOO MANY I TELL YOU!
*Panting*
Must calm down. I can say I’m stalking people, but I can’t really stalk anyone for real. (Right?) Seriously. BE COOL, CAROLINE.
(Noting to self: No panting, no staring, no following. Got it.)
So that’s where I’ll be. I feel kind of like I am telling my mom what I’m doing. I promise to call if I’ll be late. No, there won’t be any sex or drugs, I swear (…that I’ll be made aware of)… (although, my fingers are crossed behind my back in anticipation of a couple cocktails however…). Leave the porch light on and I promise I will tell you ALL about it when I get back.
Sometimes I don’t feel like posting. Sometimes, I’m just having a bad day. In fact, if it gets quiet around here – that’s usually why. Dragging out and rehashing those feelings here every time I have them just gets old. So instead, I’d rather focus my energy on things I want to support! Positivity! For everyone! Including PMSing mothers on the verge of tears because her child is tantruming but not really since it’s really because her mom died a month and a half ago. Yeah them too. Yay!
So stick with me here. I have some shout outs I’d like to give. Pay attention. Because if I do say so myself, they are truly worth your attention.
Never Too Late For College
A good blogging friend and I both have background in college administration. She is from the guidance side of things and I spent many years working in college admissions. So one day we got to talking and she had a fabulous idea of starting a site where she could post content supporting students who have decided to return college. People like us with families and jobs and busy lives who might also be looking to pursue a degree. And like us, these very same people are probably stressed about how they will squeak one more thing into their lives, how will they afford it, how long will it take. Her site is brand new but I do think she is on to something there. I hope to guest post soon and support her any way that I can. If you are thinking about going back to school and are concerned about how you will balance it all – go check out Never Too late For College. Give Mary a shout out – she has some amazing content on there right now.
Savvy Source in Tampa- Join!
If you’ve done any background stalking on me (like checking out the buttons posted to the right), you’ll know I’ve been working for Savvy Source for the past year. I post about events, activities, and general fun things happening in Tampa for preschool aged kids. Recently, our site had a make-over and we are now introducing a very cool option for our readers. For those who join (which is FREE), members can personalize the site to their children’s interests. Also we (well not ME but the Savvy Source brains behind all of this) have added a new social networking feature. In fact we have a Tampa area group and I (clearing my throat, looking quite proud) am the moderator. What does that mean? Well, I’m in charge of the party and will be doing my damnedest to bounce any spammers or lame-os who disrespect any great conversations happening. If you’re a parent living in Tampa – JOIN! I need someone to talk to…
Cancer Sucks. Children with Cancer Sucks Even More.
Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? No? Well, its time you did. Click on over there and meet Peyton and her mom Anissa. Cancer happens all the time, and it happens all the time to babies and children who don’t get why they spend months in and out of hospitals, getting poked and feeling horrid. And then when they’re better, no one is ever sure it won’t come back. And have you ever thought of what kind of effects the drugs that put children into remission might have on a child’s development? And how does a mother cope wondering when the next shoe might drop. Remission. It sounds an awful lot like the word dormant. Quiet for now but who knows? Be aware, learn, share, donate.
My Mom
And while I’m having one of those “on the verge of tears days”, I may as well give a shout out to the Susan G. Komen Foundation where I’ve set up a memorial fund for my mom. She was in remission from cancer too – for 15 years. Sure, she didn’t die from breast cancer but she was extraordinarily changed by it. She knew it could come back at any moment. She knew we needed to stay proactive about cancer and do what we can to beat it. She participated in walks, she was a part of many research groups, she did her part. So, yeah, she didn’t die from cancer but she cared about it. So I care about it. And have set up this memorial in her name.
All right, my friends. Thanks for reading. I hope you’ve checked out these sites and learned a little something. Now back to what you were doing and I’ll get back to wallowing for as long as I can before someone who claims he’s potty trained decides – for today only – why bother?
So I suppose it’s fairly obvious that I’ve needed some time off from blogging recently. Not because I don’t want to write – but because I can’t seem to get organized enough to do it. Simply getting my life together seems to be an enormous task. The little stuff has been overwhelming, I feel like a first grader attempting (unsuccessfully) to tie her shoes in the morning, just making dinner for my children pushes all my cylinders into overdrive, multi-tasking eludes me, I forget everything, I remember nothing, I loose things, what do we need to get done today, I have no idea.
Did you know today was my three year old’s first day of school? Did you know I figured this out YESTERDAY?
*banging head on desk*
So grief apparently makes one stupid. And slow. And traps you in a strange “what just happened” haze.
Huh. I won? Wow. I still kind of can’t believe it. (Remember that “what just happened” feeling?) My competition was fierce. And I mean that in the Christian Siriano from Project Runway kind of “fierce”. They are amazing bloggers and women. If you aren’t already reading them, start now. So, come on, to win? In such amazing company? Well. Let’s just say it’s enough to inspire my ass to get out of my funk and get back to what I do: write, blog, and be Morningside Mom.
Thank you to Parent’s Connect. But most importantly, thank you a million times over to everyone who voted. I know many of you voted almost everyday and I can’t tell you how much your faith in me means.
I also know my mom voted everyday. In fact, this is one of her last Facebook status updates:
“I vote faithfully for Morningside Mom in the Tampa blog contest.”
Love it.
So even IF I won this thing thanks to every single one of my relatives voting for me religiously, everyday, on every computer they had access to – I know my family has my back. I certainly know my mom did. So this win is for her. Thanks for every vote, mom. I love you, I miss you, I wish you were here to make a much bigger deal than really should be made over this.
Oh, and by the way? My sweet little three year old did fantastically today. He marched into his classroom with his enormous backpack on. He beamed up at his teacher. While his big brother hung his backpack on the hook, he successfully sought out and used the potty. And then, with all of us watching, he sat down next to a shy, pig-tailed girl to play with some puzzles. When I said good-bye, he said “bye mom” back – but I’m not even sure he looked up.
My baby. At school? I suppose it’s no surprise I am overwhelmed by that “what just happened” feeling yet again.
Soooo. Remember way back when I got nominated for Tampa’s Best Local Parenting Blog by Nick Jr.? Yup, the voting for this award is still going on. In fact as of today, we’ve got two weeks to go until the last day of voting on July 15th.
Luckily, thankfully, folks out there have been amazing and have voted for me. So we’re doing pretty well so far.
Which is frigging *MIND BLOWING* considering how cool the other nominees are. Not that you need to vote for them but they’re legit, awesome, amazing bloggers. For real.
Although I’m sure this lead has nothing to do with my crazed, foot stomping threats to disown my family and in laws if they forgot to vote every single day too. NOTHING. At all.
I mean, no one listened to me when I blew my top about wanting a pony at ten years old. So I guess they’re helping me out now. Which is cool. Cuz this might be better than a real, live pony anyway.
So yeah. Two more weeks. And, well, I hate to be that blogger who begs for votes, especially when we have a healthy lead, but, well, I thought I would just casually remind folks about the nomination. So if you just happen to be on the Nick Jr. website, you might want to wander over to the Tampa section and vote for Morningside Mom.
Only if you want to. If you don’t, maybe you can just get me that pony instead? My kids would love it and all the 5th grade girls would think I was the coolest. Just an idea.
Ok, let me be perfectly honest. Self promotion isn’t really my bag. But I am my own thing here at Morningside Mom so sometimes someone other than my parents has to talk up this blog of mine. So bear with me for a minute. Here I go.
The very kind folks over at Nickelodeon’s Parent’s Connect seems to think I am worthy to be nominated in their “Best Local Blog” category on Nickelodeon’s Parents Picks website.
So I thought I’d let you all know.
I mean, “gee shucks DARN” is all I gotta say. I am truly honored. (Little ol’ me. Whoda thunk?)
And what makes it even more flattering is the company I am keeping. The other nominees are straight up, kick ass Tampa bloggers. So. Wow, you know? Just being nominated means a great deal.
If you want to vote for me (see how awkward this self promotion thing is… “Yay me?” I mean, weird….), just click here (voting ends July 15th and it is a daily vote):
Jumping right out of bed at 5:45am with verve and vigor is usually not my thing. But I did this morning. Blurry eyed but fired up, I went straight to my closet and pulled out my purple. Today was the Tampa March for Babies walk. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. Go wake up the kids, we’ve got some walking to do.
We arrived early and made our way through the already gathering crowd. As we passed the registration desk, I saw two women sitting nearby with T-shirts that simply read “Friends of Maddie“. Ok. Here we are.
Our group gathered, bloggers chatted, kids played with freebie bubbles, babies nursed and the sun began to peek up over the buildings. Anissa Mayhew, our fearless team leader, and I chatted. How was Maddie’s funeral? How is Heather? How is she handling all of this new found (er, not sure what else to call it but) fame? Is she finding privacy to grieve? But our kids distracted us often, climbing up onto the wall, jumping off tree limbs, giggling and carrying on.
I was taken by a pic I snapped of Anissa’s Peyton and my five year old. Both had survived time in children’s hospitals. Peyton may be the more decorated veteran of the two – but both were there today: climbing, laughing, alive and wonderful.
And while watching the mothers around us, many had taped signs to their strollers for children who were not there but tucked carefully away in varying NICUs, fighting. Of course, I thought back to my own child’s limited time in the NICU. The hissing and lights, the various beeping counting off seconds, minutes and hours, the days that melted into one another. I remember the mothers in my NICU rocking their babies with cupped hands. Their baby’s chests raising up for air, their mothers whispering encouragement, their futures entirely unknown. Their hours entirely unknown. I remember. My heart knows. And this was a world I only shared for 11 days. Nothing, comparatively.
So there we were. My family: healthy and ready to go. For me, today was as much about celebrating life as it was remembering life lost. Time to breathe air and walk forward for all of those children who never could or – with help from the March of Dimes and fantastic NICU staffs – finally did.
Before the walk began, we took a quick group picture. Here we are. Bloggers and friends alike. All there in Maddie’s honor. In a mere 17 months, Maddie has reached thousands of people and has made an enormous impact on the March of Dimes. I wonder if I could ever do half of what she’s done in my entire lifetime.
And so we got underway. The sun warmed up the day, the palm trees swayed, the traffic was stopped for us and we mosied along, chatting, connecting and enjoying.
Before we knew it, the walk was over. We arrived back at the University of Tampa to James Brown’s “I Feel Good”, free meals from the Olive Garden, Popsicles from Blue Bonnet, a bounce house and people everywhere. A positive, good moment. There is life even after death. Parents march on. Hope continues. The sun shines down on all of it. What a privilege to participate in this moment.
And with that, we got into the car and went to find breakfast. After all, it was still only the beginning of our day.
A Big Unintentionally Forgotten P.S.:
I was a little caught up in the emotion of that day while writing this post that I forgot to actually mention and link up to the fabulous bloggers I walked with. (I know… doh!) I was thrilled to share this day with:
Somehow, in the midst of a time when people can barely scrape together enough for their mortgage payments, I raised money for the March of Dimes. When I set up my account (being the optimist that I am), I got a little nutty and aimed for a $1000. Hey, why not? But I really only expected about $100. But reality and the pure goodness of people have met me right in the middle.
As of today, I have raised $430$5o5$515 $565.
To me? That’s a LOT.
And who do I have to thank for this? Blogging friends, Twitter friends, online friends (some whom I’ve never meet “in real life”), then “in real life” friends (some whom I haven’t seen in years) and family (some whom I haven’t seen in years).
Also, after a round of “shot in the dark” emails to companies I shop at in my neighborhood to see if they would sponsor me, I heard back from one company right away. Who was it? Stride Rite. They said they would donate a pair of Robeez to a donor if I wanted to set up a contest. So I did on Twitter that very day. Whoever made the first donation, got a pair of Robeez. Within a half hour, I had a couple donors and the first donor won the pair. The Stride Rite representative was surprised by the quick response. But I wasn’t. Maddie’s story and this March of Dimes walk had the ear of mothers all over the Internet. But still, how appropriate that Stride Rite “stepped up” to help donate to a walk for the March of Dimes? Thanks to Stride Rite for caring about this cause.
So, I am gearing up for Saturday. I am hauling the whole Morningside family along. We will be there to meet up with the rest of the “Friends of Maddie” donning what purple I can scrape up for the boys (jeez, do I even have any purple for my boys?) and hoping that the combined 80+lbs of my kids on our stroller won’t be the end of my husband and I after 5 miles.
But while I gripe about pushing all that boy through the streets of Tampa, I have to remember that I have big, healthy, strong boys. When I was lifting my monster sized 40 lb two year old the other day, this thought crossed my mind: “Maddie never even had the chance to get this big.” So. 80lbs on stroller? I’ll relish it. I’ll push them (and all of their guaranteed fussing about “when is this gonna be over?”) and I will do it proudly. I honestly can’t wait.
So thank you to all of my donors. From the bottom of my heart.
(Oh, and it isn’t too late to donate. Just click on the banner above. I’m just saying…)
On April 25th, I will join local Tampa area bloggers and friends of the Spohrs to walk in the memory of their daughter Maddie. Maddie passed away unexpectedly on April 7th after a miraculous life with her family.
If you’ve been reading along in these parts recently, you’ll know that Maddie’s passing this week has moved me deeply. Her death rang through the entire parent blogging community, in fact. Every parent who knew her story and then heard about her passing seemed to stop, mourn and then react. At this point, over $25,000 has been raised in Maddie’s honor for the March of Dimes. And currently, a fund is being put together to help sponsor the funeral expenses which are expected to cost over $7,000. (Donations for funeral expenses can be sent to a paypal account at formaddie@hotmomreviews.com)
Money raised for the March of Dimes will help:
support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects
educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby
provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care
push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children
If you would like to learn more about Maddie, I would encourage you to visit the March for Maddie website. And please view the slide show below. Thanks to the March of Dimes, Maddie was a bright and shining light in her parents’ lives for 17 months. What a very special gift she was.
Finally, please consider passing on my post to others (tweeting, stumbling, sharing on facebook, however you feel comfortable spreading the word) and encourage your friends to sponsor our walk for Maddie on April 25th. Every little bit helps. Imagine if every person who viewed this post donated even just one dollar? What a fabulous start to this walk we would have.
Thanks so much for your consideration. And here’s Maddie…
Sure. I could blame my short blogging absence on all of the family I have been hosting over this past week. That’s right. I could make them the scape goat. (And yeah, it IS kind of their fault, which I mean in the nicest way, because family is faaar more important than our blogs anyway… right?) But this absence really isn’t their fault. No. It was something else.
I blame that fancy bit of recently hip social media called Twitter.
Now it’s not as if I have been exactly tweeting like a crazy woman all this time either. Like I said, family has been in town. I haven’t had all that much “one on one” snuggle time with my PC really. But when I DID have time, what did I do? I reduced what could have been perfectly entertaining and interesting posts of about two or three paragraphs… into 140 characters.
I mean, come on now. I’d like to fancy myself a writer. And blogging is the BEST thing ever for a writer. No one edits you, you just rock it, write it out, say what you want. Such freedom. It is NOT a task. It is never a chore. Blogging is something I relish. So writing a funny two or three paragraph post about something quirky that happened that day is HARDLY work.
And yet, I chose to spend what little time I had to tweet it instead. Bad. So bad. I mean, it even takes some thinking and intellectual wrangling to get that true intention captured in 140 characters. Its like a challenge. Lets see how I can mush an entire afternoon into one sentence.
Ugh. The writer in me is simply disgusted.
Tweeting is NOT blogging.
And choosing to tweet rather than blog when I had the time simply dimmed the lights around here for far too long. (I know its only been about a week but to ME, that’s a blogger’s eternity.)
I can’t help but think of that song “Video Killed the Radio Star.”
NO I am NOT a blogging star but still, just like the twitter warning, something IS technically wrong here. Twitter has the potential to do some real blogger damage. And I had been warned about the perils of twitter before, but now I get it.
We can’t let Twitter rip the blogging carpet out from under us.
We can’t let perfectly good posts with wonderfully descriptive sentences become chopped, edited and stunted into grammatically incorrect blurbs quickly forgotten and forever lost in some mindless twitter graveyard.
We can’t stop blogging for the quick, however empty, satisfaction of a fast tweet and a couple “@” replies.
We’re better than that, right?
Ok, ok. I know I am really just mad at myself for ignoring my blog. I have missed my time here. I really heart Morningside Mom and I am taking it out on twitter. And its hardly like I WON’T be tweeting now. (Snort, cha right.)
But if I have some time on my hands and a funny story to share, I need to prioritize my blog over twitter. And that goes for reading too. If I have some time on my hands to read, I need to prioritize my google reader over catching up on tweets. Content over 140 characters. Structure, description, real words, beginnings, middles and ends over an answer to the question “What are you doing right now?”
So twitter. I get you. I do. I kind of love you sometimes too. But my aim is to be a fabulous blogger and writer – not a totally popular, excessively followed micro-blogger. So while I will love you and enjoy you for what you are, I can’t let you kill blogging for me – or for any of us. I won’t let you. Even all those videos on MTV got old eventually. But the music never did.
In my mind and in my car
we can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far.
Pictures came and broke your heart
put the blame on VTR.
Video killed the radio star.
(By the way, this song is SO much better than its video. What the hell is that about? Was it very intentional irony? Really bad drugs? A limited budget? Or did the Buggles actually think their video was so damn cool and on point? Makes me wonder how many of us think our tweets are just as good as our blog posts. Something to consider. Check it out…)
This is my thirdpost in a series written to honor Women’s History Month. My life has been profoundly influenced and affected by women writing and advocating on my behalf. And now, as I spend my days in a thinking, blogging, posting frenzy, I fancy myself a writer of sorts too. So, it’s high time I acknowledge the women that inspire. Here is my list of top 20 recommended women political bloggers, in no particular order.
Before we get started, please note that I did ask my fellow bloggers and readers who they read also. So this list includes my favorites along with those who have been recommended to me.
Ok then. Here we go.
1. Momocrats: While this is in no particular order, I still must put the Momocrats at the top of my list. As hardworking mothers and progressive thinkers, it often seems as if these women are speaking and advocating exclusively on my behalf when I read their posts. They are amazing writers, they know what they are talking about and the world is sitting up to listen to them.
2. Punditmom is my “go to” political blogger. When something is going down, I want to know what a smart, liberal minded, feminist pundit has to say about it. PM comes through for me every time. And sometimes you’ll even catch her speaking her mind on CNN and Fox too.
3. Julie Pippert is probably smarter than all of us put together. She’s extremely well informed, passionate about her politics and is a mother like so many of us.
4. Queen of Spain is kind of political blogger celeb in my mind. She landed an interview with President Obama during the election and has been seen on TV and at major political events ever since.
5. Writes Like She Talks is a fantastic political blogger and has written for Newsweek.com, has made several appearances on CNN and is a columnist. She is certainly a political blogger to be reckoned with.
6. Sairy is a Momocrat who’s found herself reporting from a White House Press conference, amongst other things. Here is her full bio – she is an important voice worth following.
7. Angry Black Bitch: Straight forward, very brilliant and never afraid, I met Shark-Fu on my first day of BlogHer 08 and have been reading her ever since.
8. Viva La Feminista writes as a feminist, Latina and mother – her voice is powerful, her message is important.
9. Mombian is an established lesbian family blog which discusses political topics affecting rights (or lack thereof) for same sex parents.
10. Feministing “is an online community for feminists and their allies.” The women here have created a talented and diverse community as they advocate for equal and human rights.
Other blogs recommended to me:
11. Citizen Jane Politics is described as an un-partisan, independent, political blog from women.
12. Blonder Than You is a DC blogger shooting straight from the hip, so to speak.
13. Women Wired In is a blog created for and about women, politics and technology.
14. Bang the Drum describes herself as a die-hard democrat and political junkie. She’s also a mom of three and lives in CA.
16. The Feministe: To quote directly from their bio, “Feministe is one of the oldest feminist blogs designed by and run by women from the ground up.” Now go read it.
17. The Little Pink Clubhouse claims that she has a “consuming interest in politics” and writes from a small town outside Seattle.
18. HeartFeldt Politics is written by Gloria Feldt, a women’s activist whose voice is heard – and read – everywhere from the Huffington Post to the New York Times.
19. Womanist is written by a mother who describes herself as a pacifist, anti-racist and humanist – oh yeah, and a woman-ist.
20. The Political Voices of Women: If 20 women political bloggers just aren’t enough for you, check out the Political Voices of Women where you will find over 500 women telling it how it is.
For all that these bloggers do to keep me informed and advocate on my behalf, I am grateful. Happy Women’s History Month to all of these political bloggers and the women they reach.
For Local Blog
For Local Blog
Jumping right out of bed at 5:45am with verve and vigor is usually not my thing. But I did this morning. Blurry eyed but fired up, I went straight to my closet and pulled out my purple. Today was the Tampa March for Babies walk. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. Go wake up the kids, we’ve got some walking to do.
Before the walk began, we took a quick group picture. Here we are. Bloggers and friends alike. All there in Maddie’s honor. In a mere 17 months, Maddie has reached thousands of people and has made an enormous impact on the March of Dimes. I wonder if I could ever do half of what she’s done in my entire lifetime.
Also, after a round of “shot in the dark” emails to companies I shop at in my neighborhood to see if they would sponsor me, I heard back from one company right away. Who was it? 
Sure. I could blame my short blogging absence on all of the family I have been hosting over this past week. That’s right. I could make them the scape goat. (And yeah, it IS kind of their fault, which I mean in the nicest way, because family is faaar more important than our blogs anyway… right?) But this absence really isn’t their fault. No. It was something else.
Stumble It!
