Lightning cuts the wild sky....Who are we?

As a mother of three I have witnessed my share of name-calling, bickering and immaturity. As a newbie into the culture of the “stay at home mommy club” I was, to say the least surprised that most of the culprits have been other mothers. Raising children is hard, that pretty much goes without saying, however, my personal feeling is that we make it so much harder then it has to be. We judge each other on how we feed, interact, teach and discipline them. Should I breast feed or use a bottle? When is the best time to start solid foods? Should I vaccinate my children? Is your way better then mine? These are all questions that run tirelessly through a new mothers head. There is so much information out there via television, news reports and parenting magazines telling us how to raise healthy, happy kids that it can feel somewhat overwhelming.

So you ask your fellow mommy at the park what type of parenting plan there on. This is where it can get ugly with the name calling and snarky remarks. One mother will believe that spanking is a necessary part of the discipline process and another will call it child abuse. Mommy number two will tell you the only way to give your kids proper nutrition is to breast feed until they’re five. While someone in the background will whisper how gross that is. Is spanking okay? Can I give my kid a bottle of Enfamil and know that she will be as smart as the rest of her class? Those questions can only be answered by the mother if at all. However, judging other mothers because they parent differently then you is not showing your own children how to treat a friend.

Believing that there is only one way to raise a child to become a productive citizen is a mistake. Maybe your way is better for you and my way is better for me and my children.
Everyone wants the best but the best isn’t being shown when we argue in front of our kids over who is better. We go out of our way to show our children how to share and use their manners but then turn around and become flippant with a mom who doesn’t see things our way. Support from our fellow mom is, in my biased opinion, the only way to raise children. As a community, mothers need to unite and educate each other so that all our children, whether cloth diapered or not can be the best they can be.

Desperate Housewives

WARNING! I'm about to rant, so take cover.

Yesterday, I'm sitting, waiting on my 3rd grader to be dismissed from school as I do everyday. When, out of the corner of my eye I see this "parent" walking by. No, more like sashaying by. She was young, maybe in her early thirties but old enough to know better. She's wearing cut off jean shorts and a white husband beater. Sauntering directly past the drivers side window of my truck I couldn't help but be eye level with her non-bra covered kumquat sized nipples.

What the f*%*K is she thinking?!!

Her boobs were obviously fake but that's not my concern. My concern is this is an elementary school. Full of prepubescent boys who do not need to see those. The middle schoolers walk right past there also. Those boys already have sex on brain, they don't need a live visual aid on their way home from school. Although I don't have any son's my daughters don't need to see that crap either. I don't want them thinking it's appropriate for young ladies(especially Mom's) to go around looking like that. Now, I'm no prude and I like to look good too. I refuse to be one of those mom's that wear the frumpy sweaters with holiday appliques on them and "mom jeans". I have my fair share of hooker heels and low cut dresses in my closet too. I also have plenty of husband beaters in an array of colors but I DON'T WEAR THEM TO MY CHILD'S SCHOOL". Makes me wonder what she was thinking when she left her house. Was she on her way to an adult outing when she forgot she had to pick up her kid? Doubt it. I wonder how her son feels about the way his mom dresses. Kids have a hard enough time at school. Being liked, fitting in etc... Little "Pete"-(I don't know the kid's name so we'll just call him Pete for this posts sake") Little Pete doesn't need his classmates teasing him cause his Mom dresses like a skank. Or worse yet, Pete's best friend getting a little hard on from looking at his mommy. I won't even go into all the Dad's that had their mouths gaped open. Maybe they shouldn't but appearances say a lot about a person. I wouldn't want someone who thinks it's o.k. to dress that way at a school, volunteering in my child's classroom or on a field trip. It tells me that she's definitely not a "thinker". She could be the nicest, sweetest person in the world but her lack of common sense and courtesy is appalling.

I know what some of you are thinking, that's the price you pay for living in a city nicknamed "sin city". But it's not, there are many respectable people living here and the rest of Las Vegas is nothing like the strip. There are no neon lights flashing on my child's school. No Girls, Girls, Girls, signs next to my house. All that nonsense is far, far away. Besides this isn't an isolated event I've seen almost naked mom's in Michigan too. The bottom line is this. being a "Mom" doesn't mean you have to lose your identity. You can still be a sex pot or a hottie McHottkins if that's who you are. You just need to know the proper time and place to do it. And damn it! my kids school ain't it!

My First Sale

This past weekend a friend and I attended a Mom to Mom sale. If you are at all unfamiliar with one then I will explain briefly. It's sort of like a swap meet or indoor garage sale. Moms (and Dads) try to sell all their children's gently used items. Some also sell crafts and such. My friend had quite an array of baby items she wanted to sell. From bottles to a travel swing. I wanted to also sell some baby items and leftover Avon products from my very short career as a sales Representative this year. Although, my main objective was to sell my scarves. Since I began knitting I found that I really enjoy it and someone (Ms. Otay) put a little bug in my ear and said I should start trying to sell them. So, I made 8 scarves and a few other things and sat them out with my fancy sign that I made the night before (see picture) and kept my fingers crossed. And you know what? I sold 7 of them!

Woohoo!!!

Yippie!

Go me!

O.K. I'm done now.

Well technically I sold 6 and a cute little girl bartered the 7th one out of me. I'm always a sucker for a cute and spunky child. I'm still kicking myself for not getting her name. I did take her picture modeling one of my creations though. Getting on to the best part, a lovely woman by the name of Melissa thought so much of my scarves and fine craftsmanship (my words not hers) that she asked if I wanted to display them in her store. Second Glance boutique and resale shop located in Harper Woods, MI. Of course I jumped at the chance. She wanted 20 or so by Thursday but the most I could do was 11. Not bad, I think for 4 days.

All in all I think it was well worth the 20 bucks I paid for the table space at the mom to mom sale.