I love SuperNanny

It's true. I love Supernanny.  I wish that I were not married so I could propose to her, if I lived in NY or another socially progressive state that would allow it.  It's not that I am interested  in her as a sexual being, but man oh man she is consistent, firm, funny, and warm all in a plump pudding package... she's a bit fashion-awkward and such but that's not a problem for me.  


I am troubled by my love for her though....because I sit and watch the Supernanny for hours, honestly.....while my kids do whatever it is they want to do in our play room.  I engage with the TV show, taking pointers and information that truth be told, I will never use because I know that I am a lazy parent.  I hate that about myself, but realize that while she amazes me, and has super ideas that really will help to run my life, my household and my children's schedules smoothly, that I won't ever use the advice.  I will be the parent that cries during the family meeting and will pledge to do whatever it takes to get my life and family on track, and then the.very.split.second she goes on her trip away, I will revert to my lazy bass-ackward ways of parenting.  I would sheepishly watch the DVD of shame, where she'd highlight where my husband and I did not follow the techniques in place and how we lacked and I will, honestly and truthfully, swear to continue to be better -- and I will...while she is there.  


My house is a mess, though not a hoarded mess (thank you lord!!) but I teeter on being on the brink... my kids are a mess LOL and I would love Supernanny to come and live with us and never leave.....at least not until DD is in college -- i am skeered of DD and think Jo Frost could help manager her ;) with little or no violence...Jo Frost - if you are reading this, please email me at RantyMom@gmail.com -- i might even get a divorce for you :)  


<3 RantyMom

Dancing Queen

DD will be in her first ever dance recital in less than two weeks.  She's pretty excited, more for the fact that she'll get to wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick.  I am afraid once she gets ON the stage she will never get off....her class's number is about halfway through the first act, and I am truly fearful that we will have to physically remove her from the stage which will include mom and/or dad running around chasing her screaming....

The whole world is her stage!

This girl thinks that the entire world is her stage.  She is filled with joy and energy radiates from her body.  She loves to be the center of attention and frankly, I will be surprised if she follows the rest of the dancers off stage without tears and screaming from her parents.

No matter what happens on recital night, her dad and I, her grandparents and her brother will be very proud.  My hope is we won't have to resort to removing her from the facility but if we do, it will be ok, another page in the memory book that is DD.  She is challenging and so different from Sony, but she is worth the challenge and pays us back every day in hugs, kisses and unbridled zest for life.

Freaky Eaters

I cannot believe that these things are real.  In my head I *know* it is true, but come ON...only eating corn starch or potatoes with cheese every.single.day cannot even be considered healthy...

Good luck Freaky Eaters and I commend you for getting help...but COME ON......

/end rant.

Hoarders....no judgement but observing.

I have a small addiction to home improvement shows (sell this house, moving up, that type of thing) and to shows about mental health issues that manifest in unusual ways: hoarding, animal hoarding, eating disorders, surgical addiction...things like that.  In some small way seeing how out of control other people can be puts into perspective, however moderately, in control I am.

I am messy. I am a piler...i have stacks of things on our kitchen table (homework/school things; activities for the kids; important mail;) but they are manageable piles.  We don't need a path through any room, and our bathrooms and kitchen sinks don't have indescribable pudding in them.  

What really SCARES me though is that I could see how one day I might find myself on TLC or Discovery or OWN completely surrounded by things.  I find that when I am stressed out, upset or depressed I tend to "clean up" but that means I take things that can be put away and put them in plastic bags.  I then have multiple plastic bags (target, walmart, kohls) filled with paper or items that need to be put away...they aren't sitting and blocking the way to my bed or surrounding the entrance to the house but I can imagine how out of hand I could get in my tendency to need things and the fear I have from time to time to throw anything away.  Sonny might need the study guide to his test from the beginning of 3rd grade.  DD might need to see her dance schedule from her first year in ballet.  DH probably would need the gamer magazine with portal II highlighted since, yanno, he doesn't HAVE portal II(he does).

It is frightening to see how truly out of control the people highlighted on the different hoarding shows are.  Even "clean house" reflects at least some level of hoarding behavior -- i worry about THOSE people b/c the reason that the home has become so full of things don't seem to really be addressed.  The home is beautified and the viewer walks away from the show thinking "wow what a gorgeous home" but where are these people in 5 years?  I know they follow up, but it's usually within a year of the Clean House team.  What support is in place for these families who are obviously dealing with some level of emotional issue.

Something else that terrifies me -- some of the people featured on the shows don't seem to realize just how bad they are living.  Some of the people have to go to local gas stations to use the restroom, have to shower at work and sleep in their cars. The smells alone would have to drive you out...i cannot imagine being so immune to the stench of rotting food, animal carcases, animal and human feces and urine....but it happens it HAS to happen otherwise, how could one live like this?

So it's something I think about.  Not a rant, not only about being a mom, but i think about it. A lot...and hope that I stay ahead of my tendencies and stay aware of my fear.

Preschooler TV & Commercials -- reposted from old site... :)

Since I have been unemployed, I have spent a good deal of time with my daughter, DD.  She’s lovely, funny, quirky, outspoken, smart and totally fresh.  Being that DD is about 4.5, she either plays the role of my assistant during my “work” hours (job seeking and resume/connection building) and/or watching NickJr.

I’ll be honest, I wish that TV today was on the same schedule as TV when I was a child, for children at least.  There was NOTHING on TV when I w mid-day as a child other than an hour of Sesame Street followed by an hour of Electric Company and maybe a Mr. Rogers inserted here or there.  There weren’t day long cartoons or educational shows that made me learn things.  The morning cartoons were Looney Toons where a rabbit/chicken/pig/cowboy beats the crap out of another character or a cat and mouse chased each other around until one or the other is “dead”…not many life lessons since there was little chance I’d ever have an anvil dropped on me or have a date with Tom and/or Jerry….

DD has a ton of viewing opportunities. She particularly loves NickJr and some of the shows have redeeming qualities (Max & Ruby not withstanding). It’s the education that she’s getting from the commercials that I object to.

In the past few weeks, both DD and Sonny have given me some suggestions for products they think I’d like to try:

Trilastin cream http://www.trilastin.com/ to get rid of my many stretch marks
Strivectin cream http://www.strivectin.com/ to eliminate my (apparently) deep and wrinkly lines.
My BFF (best fish friend) because, well who WOULDN’T want to have a teabag full of fish larvae that will grow into these colorful friends for life (or for a few weeks until we forget to feed the things and then we have to have a fishy funeral and the dead BFF can join the plethora of dead animals just under the surface of our backyard).
Happy Nappers — in case I would need a cute, cuddly and fun pillow for nap time.
LaLaLoopsie — disturbing looking dolls that would be better suited to being called “lala corpsie”  with their button eyes and weird floppy bodies.

My concern is that in the midst of all the high-brow cerebral learning that is being piped into her mind are these jewels from society that tell her that women (and the first two items are marketed SOLELY to women) should be ashamed of the stretch marks they have, the laugh lines they earned and don’t get me started on the Schick Quattro Trim style showing all the ummmm pruning capabilities of said razor.  http://www.quattroforwomen.com/media_trimstyle.php  REALLY?

I want my girl to grow into a woman who is confident of her body, who knows that she’s a beautiful person inside and out without the need to wear makeup or change the way she looks unless it’s what SHE wants to do….

Argh  off to lay down with my Happy Napper and Lala Corpsie to lament my lines and unruly bikini area.  If only I had used the stretch mark cream, I might have had the opportunity to use the quattro trim style…. 

g’night

Field Day and Young Love

*previously posted at my initial blog account, but i don't like it so here I am on blogger :)*

Sonny confided in me yesterday on the way to school that he has a crush…on…a girl.

The girl has brown hair and it’s long (and he likes long hair) and she’s pretty and quiet and really nice.  He proceeded to show me how long her hair is by trying to put his arm down his back.  She sometimes wears it straight and sometimes curly…and on and on and on….

And she looks at him (or so he thinks) in one of his classes.

I asked him if she looks at him b/c he’s goofy or b/c he’s cute.  He, of course, says because she must have a crush on him.

HE IS 9 YEARS OLD. I am not ready for this…crushes and heartache and love and puppy dog eyes….it seems like yesterday that he was crushing on kids he wanted to be friends with and now he is ready to pop the question to Savannah (F not B…please, there are two Savannahs and I was schooled in which one was the one)

He is such a tender hearted child…i often want to shake him and tell him to grow some ba11s…this crush might be the start of that, or at least I hope it is and he does, grow a set that is.  I love that he is sensitive and loving, but the world isn’t always a place that tolerates that sensitivity outwardly and unfortunately he has to live in the world that is before him, not the one I wish he could live in.

Mean? probably….but realistic, unlike, IMO the parents who are raising their gender neutral “it” baby by not allowing anyone to know the child’s sex.  Some day they will face the wrath of a very confused child who doesn’t know how it fits into the world that is divided, though not always clearly, by gender roles and mores.  It’s not right, but IMO it is reality.

So… off to find something else to rant about.

<3 rantymom