04
Don’t Ring My Bell
Last week was the final straw.
During about a 4-hour period that I happened to be home, my doorbell rang FOUR times by solicitors. After I closed the door in exasperation for the 4th time, I went online and bought this sign:
Unless it’s a Girl Scout selling cookies or a student raising money for some worthy cause, I will not open my wallet. From religion-mongers to gardeners selling fertilizer to satellite TV sales reps, I feel like I’m constantly opening my door to people bombarding me with stuff that I’m not interested in buying. But that’s not the biggest problem. The problem is that I simply don’t like people disrupting my life at home. When I’m at home I’m either working, hanging out with my kid (or trying to get him to nap!), spending time with my husband, or simply relaxing…and I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m doing any of those things. It’s one thing with annoying telemarketers (did that Do Not Call Registry work for anyone?!?) because, thanks to caller ID, I never answer those calls. But it’s much harder to avoid the door-to-door salespeople. They know I’m home. My lights are on and they see my kid peering at them through the window and waving hello as if he knows them. Avoiding them is not an option. (continues…)
14
Going To BlogHer ’10? Apply To The RetailMeNot Delegate Program!
I wish I was able to travel to the BlogHer conference this year, but I just can’t make the time. However, if I was going, I would be applying to the RetailMeNot Delegate Program.
You know what RetailMeNot is, right? If you don’t, where have you been?!? It’s THE online resource for coupons and great deals. It’s also a wonderful company that supports women bloggers. Now they want to give 10 women bloggers full-conference passes for the BlogHer ’10 conference in New York City from August 6-7th.
If you want to take part in this exciting opportunity, make sure to apply by the April 18th deadline. They will announce the delegates on April 23rd.
Click HERE for the application form.
Good luck!
05
Born to Run? Not Quite.
My new kicks! Hey, I might not be a runner yet, but at least I can look the part.
I love to exercise, but running was never something I enjoyed. I would only run when necessary, like when I was chasing a ball or dribbling one. The other night I had a dream that I ran a marathon. I’m not quite sure what prompted a running dream all of a sudden. I’m surrounded by runners, especially on Facebook, but that never seemed to motivate me to kick up my heels.
Chances are, watching the images of the recent NYC Marathon entered my subconscious, which then forced its way into my dream zone. I awoke early the next morning with an urge to run. And I did. I ran one mile. Two days later I ran another mile, 2 minutes shorter than the previous run. I even went to my local running store last night and bought a new pair of shoes. If I whip out the credit card, you know I mean business.
Baby steps. A mile here and a mile there. I’ll try and run every other day and see how it goes. My goal? I hope to run a 5K within 2 months. From there, who knows. What I do know is this. It’s not so much about losing weight or looking good (although those stubborn last 10 pounds from pregnancy would not be missed). It really is about my health. I have a 2 year old that is all-boy. He loves to run and chase things, especially me. And one thing is for sure…I refuse to have a 2 year old kick my ass.
Are you a runner and have any tips? Please share!
10
Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes
Do these shoes go with my diaper bag?
Mama can always use a new pair of shoes, but I doubt I’ll be shopping for anything that looks like these fancy footwear.
I had to laugh when I clicked on the New York Times Opinion Section and saw this image. These shoes look like the equivalent of modern-day foot-binding.
There is no doubt that these shoes are absurdly fantastical but would any “everyday” woman actually wear them out and about? I’m hoping that these shoes were just for good show, but I’m sure there is always a daring Carrie Bradshaw of the world who will actually try and work them out. I can’t imagine any sane (read: practical) woman would try and do so, let alone a Mama toting kids, toys, and a diaper bag around.
I love fashion just as much as the next Mama and, based on my DVR recordings, I’m clearly addicted to Project Runway. But, ever since I had a kid, it’s all about comfort. I can appreciate outrageous clothes and shoes as “art”, and that’s about it. You’ll never find this Mama struttin’ down the street like mother-of-three Victoria Beckham (mostly because I enjoy eating), but there’s a good chance you’ll find me in Banana Republic wearing flats.
29
Roman Polanski: A Mama’s Nightmare is Defended in Hollywood
Now that the arrest of Roman Polanski has finally been made, and justice will hopefully be served, several members of the Hollywood Elite have made it known that they’ve got his back.
Ran from the law and right into Hollywood's open arms.
The crime, and the aftermath, is enough to make any Mama sick.
We all know the details by now: Roman Polanski, an Oscar-winning movie director, fled to France in 1978 after he plead guilty to drugging and raping a 13-year old girl. Polanksi fled to France because he feared the judge in the case was going to back out of a plea bargain. Before he left the country, Polanski had served only 42 days in a California jail. When he moved to France, Polanski married a beautiful woman, had children, and continued to make brilliant award-winning movies.
As Polanski now sits in a Swiss jail awaiting a verdict on extradition back to the U.S., his representatives and even his victim are asking everyone to move on. His victim claims that she has forgiven Polanski, that she is over it, and that the media caused her more distress than the crime itself. Roman Polanski’s rep says that he has “paid his dues” and has suffered enough. Among the celebrities speaking out and signing a petition calling for Polanski’s exoneration are Woody Allen (ironic, much?), Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, John Landis, Sam Mendes, Tilda Swinton, Monica Belluci, Harvey Weinstein, and Debra Winger, to name a few. Better yet, Whoopi Goldberg decidedly said that the crime wasn’t “rape-rape.” Would you care to elaborate on that one, Ms. Goldberg?
A 44 year old man drugging and raping a 13 year old is RAPE, plain and simple. (continues…)