You know me: I just never promote or recommend a product on any of my blogs. But fellow Mommy-Bloggers, I have discovered a website that absolutely rocks, and it's great for homeschoolers and parents as well as your child's teachers.

I am just so EXCITED over this discovery!

Steve Spangler Science takes the experiments into your kitchen or back yard, and encourages your kids to get down and dirty with them. With Steve's advice, freebies, and budget-conscious kits and products, your child will learn that good science doesn't exist within the pages of a dry textbook or even within the four walls of a classroom. Good science is all around us, and when a child is allowed - nay, ENCOURAGED - to make loud noises and blow things up and walk on water and make geysers and create glow-in-the-dark alien goo and lava lamps and potato-shooters (NOT guns!), our children will become enthusiastic and excited and eager to learn more.

I have always believed that a good lesson not only teaches our children something important: it also encourages our children to try and discover MORE and MORE, and to make connections.

I can't begin to tell you how much I am enjoying my discoveries on Steve Spangler Science. And, you can even sign up for a free "Experiment of the Week!" FREE!

Right now, Steve Spangler is running a contest on his blog, and if you enter, you might win TEN DOLLARS' worth of science coolness for your children! It's easy to enter; all you have to do is look at the bees and make a guess.

Bees? Well, you'll just have to go there and check it out. I think it's FANTASTIC.

As parents, we want to help our children think "out of the box," and the kind of science Steve Spangler encourages is perfection plus. Steve's experiments also involve ordinary household things, such as baking soda or cornstarch, that are in the pantry anyway. There isn't much expense with Spangler experiments. It's also good for our children when they see the adults in their lives participating and enjoying.

I've seen Steve Spangler on "Ellen," and he's all over You-Tube. Remember that awesome Mentos/Diet Coke geyser experiment? That's Steve Spangler!

My kids are in their twenties, and my neighbor's children are seven and eleven, and I'm in my, um, anonymous middle years, and I'm not sure who had the most fun doing that in my back yard!

Steve Spangler Science is having a contest! Go enter it right now; maybe you'll win it.

Posted by Mamacita at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When my children were in the elementary grades, they would occasionally forget to grab their lunch off the kitchen table and bring it to school. First and second grades: I was right on top of it with lunch money or a grandmother who would drive out to school with a Happy Meal. Upper elementary grades: I let them go without.

Yes. I am a mother who required my children to reap the consequences of their actions. Grabbing the lunchbox before going out the door in the morning was their responsibility, and either they did it or they didn't, and if they did, they ate the lunch of their choice; if they didn't, they ate peanut butter or whatever the cafeteria was doling out to forgetful moneyless students that day.

The first few times, they would come crying to me. I sent them back with a "you did it, you deal with it." Because I am just that kind of stern and unmoving mother. Then I would have to fight tears and worry all afternoon that my child was sitting in a pitiless classroom, hungry and shaky and wishing she/her had a mother who loved him/her.

Funny, though. . . . I only had to do that a few times for each child, and somehow after that, they both remembered their lunches.

I had the same policy with forgotten books and homework and band instruments. After a few humiliations, they remembered.

From kindergarten through 8th grade, I was in their building, teaching on the top floor, just a few steps away. It would have been easy for me to come to the rescue over and over. However, I only did it when it was truly an emergency. If it was a matter of simple forgetfulness, a responsibility they let slip by, they were on their own.

I have had 8th graders whose mothers came to school almost daily with forgotten items. I found this appalling.

Let the consequences fall on their heads a few times, and they'll remember.

School is about more than spelling and math and science and history and standardized tests that have stomped all the joy out of learning. School is also about organization and remembering obligations and becoming independent and learning about natural consequences.

Stand in the way of that, and you're standing in the way of your child becoming responsible for his/her own actions. We all know how repulsive that kind of adult is. Why do we enable such qualities in our children?

Let's just not, okay?

Did I mention that doing this is hard? That's it's REALLY HARD? Did I mention that to know your child is going without, or is having to explain to his teacher why he/she doesn't have the homework or the violin or the bassoon or the lunchbox or the money, etc. because, well, he/she forgot it, is really, really hard? Heartbreakingly hard? And that his mother, who put out many, many reminders, let the child leave it on the kitchen table because it was a good lesson in remembering the next time, is going to be thinking about it all day and hoping her child has what it takes to make the best of a situation of his own doing and do better next time?

It's really hard. But allowing your child to grow up without ever reaping the consequences of his own actions can be harder still, down the road. Really hard. Harder than anything you can imagine while they're small.

That consequences do not fall out of the clear blue sky but are direct results of their own actions or inactions is one of the best and most important lessons we as parents can teach our children. And, as I said before, one of the hardest. For them, yes, but mostly for us.

Posted by Mamacita at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

When my son was in kindergarten, he gave me a pair of earrings for Christmas. He picked them out himself, and he chose 'the most beautifullest earrings in the whole store' for me.

Every morning, I put them on and wore them to school. Both of my children came to school with me (from K-8!) so I wore the earrings until they went down to their classrooms at 7:50 each morning.

As soon as the coast was clear, I took off the pearl earrings and replaced them with another pair that I kept in my desk. He never knew. He still doesn't know.

As soon as my own students left, I hurriedly put my little boy's earrings on again. As far as he knew, I'd been wearing them all day. In my heart, I had.

He used to brag about how those beautiful earrings Momy always wore had been chosen by him and him alone, and purchased with his saved-up allowance. (He got fifty cents a week once he started school. A man has needs.)

I was young, and insecure, and my job was fairly new. I wanted to make a good impression. Otherwise, I would have worn those earrings all day, and either held my head high and said nothing, or explained why they were so precious to me. Some of the other teachers would have understood. Some would not have. I was young, and insecure.

When he was in the fourth grade, he bought me another pair of earrings down at the school's 'Santa's Workshop' store. They were a little less 'elegant' than the original pair, and I was able to wear them in public.

No pirate chest or Tiffany's window ever held such precious jewels.

When I cleaned out my desk, the summer of '04, that first pair of earrings was still in my pencil tray.

I do not remember the last time I wore them. I do not remember the last time I took them off and put them in the tray. I do not remember being asked where they were. I do not remember feeling different because I was now putting on 'normal' earrings in the mornings. I do not remember if he asked about them at all.

For four and a half years, I wore these earrings every morning and every evening. Purty, huh.

They are pearls beyond price. Close to three inches of pearls.

When he was in the 8th grade, I showed him the earrings in my desk drawer. He looked stunned, and said, "Mom, you've got to be kidding!"

I wasn't kidding. And when I told him how beautiful they were to me, and always would be, he looked incredulous. And then he grinned and said "Mom, you are so WEIRD."

Well, there's that.

If I had it all to do over again, I'd wear the dangly pearls the whole day.

When you get old, you get braver. And less concerned with what "people" think.

You tend to tell is like it is, when you get older. And let me tell you all: those earrings are the most beautiful jewels I own.

Advice? From MOI? Sure. Here's some advice for you all: when your children make or buy what is, to them, beautiful things for Mommy, wear them. Oh, mothers, wear these dreadful conglomerations of fake pearls and shiny things. Wear them over your heart, and touch them often and smile. Think of the thought that went into the making or selecting of these genuinely hideous "things," because the day will come when you'll look back and wish you had. Don't be too cowardly to walk proudly into the room wearing three-inch-long pearl net earrings, or broaches the size and shape of a baboon's fist, or a ring won from a bubble gum machine. Nothing a jewelry store could possibly offer will ever be worth even half as much as these gifts from the heart of a little boy or girl, chosen for their sparkle and size, because Mommy deserves the prettiest jewelry in the world.

Posted by Mamacita at 8:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

I am often lost in the past. I'm often lost on the freeway, too, but that's another post.

Lost in the past. Mostly, lost in memories of when my children were small and needed me.

I have been extremely fortunate in that neither of my children was frequently ill. They both had migraines which were often severe, and they both had the usual measles and chickenpox. Belle had walking pneumonia a few times but it never got her down. But when it came to the usual list of childhood ailments, such as earaches, vomiting, diarrhea, bad colds, flu, etc, we were really lucky. It just hardly ever happened.

Which meant, of course, that the very few times it DID happen, it was scarier than it would have been for most kids. My kids were not used to it. They still aren't.

When they were sick, I would lie with them on the sofa or bed and rub their hands and arms, and mess with their hair, and run my fingers lightly over their faces. I would sing and hum and breathe deeply and slowly to calm them down. (That breathing thing really works!) And I would love on them all night long.

Last night I was sitting here remembering that. And trying to remember when it all stopped; when did my kids stop needing me to make the bad sickness go away?

And then the phone rang.

My daughter was sick; she was terribly sick, and she called me sobbing to ask me what to do.

So I got into the car and drove up there and brought her back home. I put her in her old bed and got in with her, and rubbed her hands and arms, and messed with her hair, and ran my fingers lightly over her face. I sang and hummed and breathed deeply to calm her down, and I loved on her all night long.

The next morning she was shaky but better. She rode back up to the city with me and I dropped her off at her apartment on my way to the college. She was going to nap a little more and try to go to work by noon.

And now I am sitting here again, lost in the past, but I'm putting a footnote (1) on it.

(1) They will always need us; the old methods will always work; they're never too old to want Momy*; we never forget how to comfort them; and baby, we've still GOT it.

*There's a reason I spell it that way. Stay tuned and you'll find out.

(Parts of this post were published on Scheiss Weekly in March of 2005)

Posted by Mamacita at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

By now we are sure you have heard the backlash from the story the Today show ran about "Cocktails and Playdates." (If not, it won't be hard to find.) Some things were said that either (a) were taken out of context or (b) just plain ticked people off.

Well, we have come to find that The Today show doesn't want to let things like that simmer and brew. So, if you saw or heard things on that segment that you wish would be addressed, tune in tomorrow (Friday) Tuesday Wednesday when our friend Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, popular author of Sippy Cups Are Not For Chardonnay, is on again (in studio this time) to hopefully clear some things up. They invited her back on to clarify some misconceptions and comments made that upset so many people.

So, if you are one of many that were unhappy with the way that the segment went, be sure to tune in Friday February 2nd Tuesday, February 7th* to see what Stefanie has to say and if Meredith addresses some of the issues that had many of you irked (to say the least.)

* The segment was bumped to Wednesday the 7th of February.

Then stay tuned here next week when we have a chance to talk to Stefanie herself about this whole issue, her book, her blog and life in general as we sit down and talk with her.

Continue reading "A chance for clarification on The Today Show" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Mommybloggers: Okay, Julie, are you ready for the tough, hard hitting questions?

Julie: *laughing* Bring it!

Mommybloggers: With two girls your house must be over-run with estrogen. How does your husband Kyle handle this?

Julie: He loves it. I can't say enough about what an incredible father he is. He's the one who was hell-bent on having children as soon as I said the word, and yet I always figured that he'd be like most fathers - ready to play, but unwilling to handle the drudgery.

Boy, was I wrong. He loves it all. He sincerely enjoys playing with them - although when he plays Barbies, he makes his Barbie pretend to drink beer and then shriek "Oh I'm so drunk!" - but he also gives baths, changes diapers, takes them out on errands with him, and so forth. He incorporates them into every aspect of his life, just like we moms do instinctively.

Mommybloggers: What are you passionate about? Share your passions with us.

Julie: I often feel like a slacker because I don't have an enormously ambitious dream that I'm working toward. I don't aspire to be a CEO or an Oscar-winning actress or a bestselling novelist. Nor do I put my stock in being Mother of the Year. I'm not even really good at keeping up with friends and family.

So, while I hate to say it, I think I'm too lazy to be truly passionate about anything.

Mommybloggers: Using only 7 words, describe yourself so that our readers can get to know the real Julie.

Julie: What you see is what you get.

Mommybloggers: Tell us a secret.

Julie: I'm an open book. What do you want to know?

Mommybloggers: Okay, if we dropped in for coffee is there a room that is off limits because it is too private/messy/not for guests?

Julie: The master bedroom closet and bathroom. They aren't toxic waste dumps, but I still can't find a way to clean the soap scum off the slate tiles in the shower.

Mommybloggers: Rate yourself on a scale of 1- 10 on your housekeeping skills. 1 being the worst--please NEVER drop in on me and 10 being--bring it!

Julie: You can eat off of my floor! I'm usually about a 9, which is ironic considering what a slob I was until I moved into my own apartment. Now I have to remind myself to chill out.

Mommybloggers: We're told you used to be an Air Force officer. What was it like being a woman in the military? Do you feel it makes you better equipped to deal with the PTA alpha moms?

Julie: I loved being in the Air Force and being assigned to the Pentagon. I was fortunate to have some incredible opportunities there, and I'm honored to have been entrusted with some tremendous responsibilities. I had a lot of support from both men and women, and I'm not sure that I'll ever get such a sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment from my work again.

That said, I did have a tough time with one supervisor in particular, and there were other occasions when people openly doubted my ability to handle my responsibilities - simply because a lieutenant had never held the position before. But I showed 'em.

Women in the military aren't the sisterhood that you'd think we would be. I've written before about the inherent distrust, even though I've had fellow female officers who were wonderful mentors to me. I wish the PTA were comprised of dads. I think I'd actually want to be a part of it then.

Mommybloggers: What one thing would you tell your 15 year old self if you can talk to her today?

Julie: Well, she'd be almost 16, and she'd be into skaters and - oh hell, do I really have to think about this?

I'd tell her that if she really wants to be punk rock, do what's right for HER - not necessarily what she thinks will make her more well-liked. And that in order to pass engineering courses, she'll need to study. Hard.

Mommybloggers: At last count you write for a gabillion blogs How do you find time and is there ever a moment in the day where your mind is not thinking "That would make a great blog entry!"?

Julie: I neglect my children. They can recite SpongeBob episodes from memory.

I write at just about every opportunity, and I can usually concentrate amidst the chaos. Writing copy for Cool Mom Picks requires quiet, and so do pieces in which I discuss religion or politics. I also wait to handle correspondence (mostly Cool Mom Picks and Parent Bloggers) until it's quiet.

Blogging while intoxicated is frowned upon (but it does happen now and then).

Mommybloggers: Is there anything that is off limits for you blog? Anything you won't write about?

Julie: I don't write anything that I wouldn't say to someone's face. That's been my rule from the beginning. I always assume that anyone could find it and read it.

I haven't written much about my own post-partum depression, although I've commented on others' blogs where they've had the courage to discuss their own struggles.

Mommybloggers: You've mentioned that once you kick your girls to the curb..we mean college...you can't wait to get back to Manhattan. Tell us what it is about New York that has you pining for it already?

Julie: It just suits me. New York has a way of life that works for some people, but not for most. Although we spent some difficult times there - 9/11, major job changes and salary cuts - we persevered and succeeded. Our time in New York represents a significant achievement for both of us - triumph over adversity.

Tracy loved it there too. I remember taking her to pick apples in Rockland County one day, and she stood in the orchard and cried about how she wanted to ride the carousel in Central Park. Even now, she routinely asks why we can't move back to New York. And she refuses to watch "Free To Be You and Me" because she misses New York.

Continue reading "Mommybloggers dish with Julie Marsh" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Jenn, Meghan and I wish you and your families the happiest of holidays! We'll be back with our round-up of this week's questions and more early next week!

Posted by Jenny Lauck at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This is Tanner. He is the nephew of one of our featured mommy bloggers, Catherine of Her Bad Mother. And he has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. What exactly is Duchenne's MD? Well, in short it boils down to the fact that all muscle tissue eventually dies and is replaced by connective tissue, which means that he will need assistance with mobility, then with respiration, and eventually his heart will no longer be able to function. Life expectancy is thirties at best.

Let that sink in a minute.

It breaks your heart, doesn't it? Well, you can help. You are not helpless when you hear about this boy. There are two ways you can help. And we ask from the bottom of our heart that you choose to help in one way or another.

First, you can go to Her Bad Auction. Here is an explanation of the auction and how you can participate. (FYI, Mommybloggers has something to bid on. You know you want a piece of us!) All proceeds will go to MD Canada.*

This is a series of raffles in order to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy Research. You pick which item(s) you want to win and we'll draw one winner at random for each item. The more tickets you buy (by sending a secure payment via paypal) the more chances you have to win. Place as many tickets as you wish to purchase on as many items (or just one or a few for a better chance at winning) as you'd like to win.

But there is another way that you can also get your kids involved. There is a letter writing campaign that will mean the world to Tanner. What child doesn't love to get mail? Especially a child who feels so isolated and different from his peers. Here is how you and your children can make this time of year extra special for Tanner.

This year, while your children are writing their letters to Santa, have them write a letter or draw a picture for Tanner, too. They can tell Tanner a little bit about themselves, like what grade they’re in or what their favourite subjects are in school. They can tell him about their favourite cartoons and movies or share with him a funny joke – they could even pick out a sheet or two of stickers to send along. This holiday season, let’s show our kids that while the best part of Christmas may be ripping open the carefully wrapped presents from under the tree, putting a smile on a little boy’s face is pretty special, too.

You can send letters to:

Letters for Tanner

1518 Queen Street West

Toronto, ON

M6R 1A4

Canada

…and when you do, know you are making one little boy’s world a little brighter.

We certainly love having fun here and being silly. Rarely do we ask you anything of you. Today we are asking for your help for this little boy. Anyone of us can write a letter. Would you please help Tanner? If our plea doesn't do it, maybe the words of Tanner's mother will. She emailed Catherine after seeing the auction site. This is a portion of the email.

I am blown away… it brings me to my knees in gratitude that this kind of kindness exists - for Tanner's sake. He is one hell of a little kid... ...

I cherish this little boy and every moment he is on this earth and I know you do too. Try not to be sad, but to watch him in wonder and learn from him too. We take a lot of things for granted in this day and age; to see and feel what Tanner and other children or people like him have to face is quite humbling, but that is good, the world needs it.

WE can forget how to love and cherish. All you have to do is look at Tanner or other children who are sick and open your heart, and not forget.

I would love for you to send a big heartfelt THANK YOU to your blogging buddies.
Love,

Continue reading "Show your love" »

Posted by Jenn Satterwhite at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

You people are hysterical! By far, this has been one of the funniest and most enlightening contests we have ever run. We love that you all are not afraid to put it all out there for us to read. Choosing just 3 winners was a torturous event for us. So we did what every diplomatic group would do. We chose our winners randomly. Seriously, how are we to compare peeing in public over dealing with public pooping or vomiting? We just cannot.

With the help of our faithful assistant (Gabriella, daughter or Jenn), we chose our winners. Please, oh please, readers keep playing even if you did not win. We have never laughed so much at what you have had to say. Thank you for that.

3rd place goes to: Molly at Confession of the AtHomeMom. Dance floor puking and making fun of politicians is always good for a laugh!

2nd place goes to: Janet of Dancing Through. We are big fans of sarcasm and spewing at high speeds.

And last but not least, 1st place goes to: Jack's Raging Mommy. The snorting and the gross things Moms talk about were classic!

You can read their winning entries below. Thanks to all of you who contributed. Did you know we already have our next contest running? We beg of you to play. Mainly because we have fallen a little bit more in love with each of you after reading your latest answers.

Continue reading "You made us gag and laugh all at the same time! Winners!" »

Posted by mommybloggers at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we walked through the doors of BlogHer 2005, we were immediately drawn to Liz Henry. With her razor-sharp intellect and warm, engaging personality, we quickly felt a kinship with Liz. She inspires us to speak up, and to try to make a difference. This amazing, prolific blogger is not shy about sharing her opinions on everything and anything. From her blog on translation, her regular contributions on The Huffington Post, her mommyblog, and her many other projects, Liz makes no apologies, and takes no prisoners. Her well-reasoned, passionate discussions are peppered with humor, and always thought-provoking.

In the wake of hurricane Katrina, Liz packed her laptop and her determination off to the Astrodome. She worked day and night to help connect families, and her entries from Texas inspired Grace Davis to create her hurricane relief blogs.

Liz's blog Badgermama is a wonderful glimpse into her family life. Her creativity and zeal for parenting is wonderful. Her readers are treated to wonderful storytelling, photos and the occasional rant. We marvel at Liz's enthusiasm and energy. In fact, we wish we could bottle it.

We put out a call to some of Liz's fans, and they flooded our inbox with praise for this one-of-a-kind mama.

Squid Rosenberg loves the humor and the humanism behind Liz's posts:

Liz is the person who got me blogging, and has always been one of my role models for unapologetically championing both parenthood and feminism. She has a goofy, wicked wit but is a total softie at heart, and constantly demonstrates a pure (though slightly neurotic) devotion to humanism. I love that she punctuates her posts with photos of her cutest underwear. I read her blog regularly for the same reason I go to church: to remind me of those principles and ideals I hold dear, and why they are worth the fight. And also to see what's going on in her daily life, as our kids no longer have intersecting schedules.

Mary Tsao Mom Writes finds inspiration in Liz's mad skills:

I met Liz of Badgermama at BlogHer 2005, but I didn't really get to know her until I spent a weekend with her at the writing retreat Woolfcamp, hosted by Grace Davis of State of Grace. Liz is amazing and easy to adore; she's truly a wonderful person to know. She is my feminist mommyblogging hero, and I learn something new every time I read her blog. She loves her son and she treats him like a person with a brain, which is refreshing to me. The values she is teaching Moomin through her love, support, encouragement of his reading and gaming, and by providing him a loving family life is evident in everything she writes on badgermama; she's a mommyblogger to emulate for many reasons.

Karen Rani is inspired by Liz's perspective and creativity:

Liz is one creative mama. She has more blogs than I have pairs of socks, but her writing doesn't suffer. She manages to write both quality and quantity, consistantly, tackling topics of interest, controversy and viewing the world in a new and fresh perspective from angles I've never thought of. In person, Liz is fun, witty, intelligent and simply amazing. Liz for president!

Jenijen from Not Calm (dot com) is another lucky-duck mama who has the chance to hang with Liz in person:

I first met Liz at BlogHer in 2005, and I've been lucky to get to see her every now and then over the last year and a little bit. She is such an amazing woman, from her work in the Astrodome (and back at home) in the months after Hurricane Katrina, to her awesome parenting which celebrates nature AND comic books! I really enjoy reading her blogs, and admire her passion, her smarts, and her fearlessness. Yay, Liz!!

Koan Bremner expresses Liz's impressive impact with eloquence:

I don't think it's possible to form a representative picture of Liz from her work in any one outlet. As her Huffington Post profilesays, she is "massively multiblogular" - and she's made it into an art-form! I think that's a double achievement - she is so versatile and engaging a writer that she *can* appeal to such a range of readers. More
impressive to me, though, is how she manages her online personas - or rather, how much of her complete persona she reveals in a particular outlet. There is no subterfuge or deception going on, she is simply adept at blending the relevant strands of her personality and interests into whichever outlet she is addressing.

For me, Liz's defining moment was her blogging as a relief worker, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Her compassion towards those she worked so hard to help - coupled with her resolve to help them, whatever
obstacles were placed in her (and their) way - was truly inspirational.

We love Liz. Her readers already love Liz. Be sure to come read our interview with Liz for later this afternoon - you love her, too!

Posted by mommybloggers at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently, we caught up with some of our guest writers and asked them to share what they've been up to since being featured. We've heard from several more of our friends, and we're pleased to share their adventures with you.

Deana (mazeway) tells us: I'm trying harder than seems reasonable to get a dog. It seems that 2 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 3 hermit crabs, and 9 foster rodents just wasn't enough. I've filled out applications, I'm having home visits, my references are being checked...And yet, to have a baby, all I had to do was get drunk. Go figure.

Mamacita: What have I been doing lately? Hmm, let me think. Nothing really extraordinary. The usual baking bread and giving it away, creative cooking with mysterious leftovers nobody wanted the first time around, writing my name (and other words, oohh, naughty Jane!) in the dust that lies thick on my furniture, (Erma Bombeck was right; dust IS a protective covering for furniture!), taking care of my now-tumorless sister, doing a million loads of laundry (most of it not mine), and giving away my furniture to needy offspring so they'll have a place to sit, which means, of course, that there is now no place to sit in MY house. Or rather, no place for a guest to sit, because I gave my guest room futon to my daughter so HER guests can sit/sleep on it. I've graded a zillion grammar tests, and NOT graded a zillion essays (yikes, I've GOT to get on that; they're due MONDAY MORNING!) and I've gone to a birthday party for my boss where we stood her against a wall and threw candy corn at her (I hang out with a dignified crowd), and I've helped judge blogs for the BOB'S. I think the coolest thing I've done lately is join Jim Turner's latest project "The Parents Planet," with a new blog called "Teach Your Children Well." (I still have my regular blog; this is in addition to that.) (The Parents Planet will be a place where parents and teachers can go to read several parenting/teaching blogs all in one place, and get advice, tips, nostalgia, etc, about children and parenting.) Jim (Genuine, to most of the blogging community) has done a marvelous job with this new project (of course, he does a marvelous job with EVERYTHING, in my humble opinion) and when it's unveiled, it's going to be an incredibly wonderful and useful resource for parents, teachers, and future parents/teachers. I have nothing but the highest respect and admiration for Jim; his deep love for his wife and children glows on the lines and between the lines of everything he does for the community of 'regular people' - type bloggers. That's US, and that's ME, and I am very, very grateful for his friendship and his expertise and his creative projects. Anyway, "The Parents Planet" will be unveiled soon, and I truly believe it will be something wonderful for anyone who loves children. I am proud to be asked to participate. Oh, and I really need to join "Parenthesis Anonymous" to address my intense overuse of certain punctuation marks. Sigh. My daughter wondered why people as cool as the MommyBloggers were interested in me. I answered her honestly: "I don't know." I only know that the MommyBloggers made me feel important, and honored, and that to have a group of people I'd long been a fan of single ME out was. . . .one of the most awesome things that's ever happened to me. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You all rock, and I love you all.

Melanie Lynne Hauser: Thanks, ladies. Hmmmm....Not sure what to add. As a proud Mom, I'm delighted to say my oldest son was accepted into a very prestigious summer workshop for college credit at a university that is a really long plane ride away from home, which is freaking me out. Just a bit. (That superpower ability to fly would really come in handy, you know!) My youngest son is now a Christian Rock Band drummer, which is the source for a lot of South Park jokes in our household. As a writer, it's fun to share that the German edition of my book - titled simply, "Super Mom" - will be published in May. And I'll be attending the Virginia Festival of the Book in March, on a panel called "Disparate Housewives" with two other wonderful writers; and we have some exciting things planned in conjunction with Mother's Day. ('Cause, of course, what better present for your dear old Mom than her own personalized copy of CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM?) And then, of course, there was my recent discovery of a five dollar bill between the couch cushions. That was a good day.

Busy Mom: I, um, let's see...I, er, well...Since we last spoke, I have, um, done stuff and blogged about it. Hey, I did get to do something exciting a few weeks ago, I got to go on my annual mommies trip to the beach with my friends! Due to my mother's illness, my participation in this event was questionable, but I made it! We ate. We shopped. Ate some more. Shopped some more. Brought home illness. 5 out of 9 mommies surveyed had bronchitis after our little outing. Though there was about a day when it was questionable, I have recovered and am back to, um, doing stuff and blogging about it. I'm betting other previously featured Mommybloggers have all sorts of accomplishments to update you on. Oh wait, I've cooked dinner since I was with you last. Yeah, when I asked them, "Must you have dinner every night?" they said, "yes".

Lizzard: Howdy, Mommybloggers! In the past few weeks, besides blogging up and down my usual scary personal rollercoaster at badgerbag, I've written a book review for Strange Horizons, kept up with translation news at ALTAlk, and hollered about politics on othermag. The new BlogHer web site is about to launch, and I'll be writing there a couple of times a week, reporting on women's blogging in Latin America.

I read The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing; it was scary how my blogging in 6 different places was like its main character, Anna's, splitting off of subjects into different notebooks. Fortunately, unlike Anna, I don't obsess about whether I'm having the right kind of orgasm while I date annoying, insane, jerky, married Communist Party dudes. Don't you just want to cross the boundaries of fiction and time, and hand poor Anna a gift certificate to Good Vibrations? As a mom I also noticed that Anna always had a convenient roommate who loved babysitting, never said no, never had to have prior notice. But I'd recommend The Golden Notebook as essential reading for any mommyblogger who doesn't mind huge fat slightly confusing novels. It's an amazing exploration of a writing mom's relationship to the world of politics, creativity, and identity.

None of that is what I'm supposed to be doing. Work on my Comparative Literature thesis continues, but slowly. I keep doing more research and more translations, instead of narrowing my focus and finishing the introductory essay. I started using my poetics blog, Composite, to talk about stuff related to my research and the thesis, hoping that that will help me focus.

Meanwhile I have momming to do, homework to supervise, comic books to read with my son, and laundry never far away. Since the "holidays" I've had some nice days of hosting my friends' kids, doing insane projects with yarn, dressing everyone in cheetah costumes and being their audience for animal training shows, cookie-serving, that sort of thing. Hanging with Jo Spanglemonkey and Squid and our other mom-friends... We also have been playing more board games lately, as Moomin has grown out of Candyland and into stuff that's WAY more fun. I highly recommend "King of the Beasts" - you can find it in game stores. "Gulo Gulo" is also a great game for kids around 5-8 and it's not boring for grownups.

What else is new and different... Next week I'm doing a reading of a super naughty, obnoxious porn story, or if you like you can call it "erotica", at the Jon Sims Center in San Francisco. Feb. 18-19 is WoolfCamp, at Grace Davis's place in Santa Cruz; it'll be a flaky girly blog-fest, with babies. The next weekend I scoot off to Seattle for Potlatch, a science fiction book conference; one of my lovely partners, Rook, will stay home with Moomin, but this in theory evens out because in April he'll go off to Sweden for a game con, Knutepunkt. In March I'm going to SXSWi and will also spend a day or two in the library in Austin (leaving Moomin in Houston with my parents.) Then, in May, bringing the whole family to WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention. In July... BlogHer will explode all our brains - I'll see you there!

That's way too busy! And too much stuff for one human being to do! And that's how I like it.

In case you missed our last update, we caught up with Mir and Karen:

We were also delighted to announce Karen's launch of Indigo Leaf, her online magazine, and to encourage everyone to submit.

We shared Mir's fundraising drive and intent to walk in the Boston 3-day walk to benefit the Susan G. Koman foundation. She's walking the walk, and we're so proud of her!

We will continue to share the latest from our friends as we hear it. Don't forget to check out Jenn's recent television interview on the mommyblogging phenomenon. We've put a link up in the side bar, and we couldn't be more proud of her! Please leave us a comment and let us know what you have been up to, as well!

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We've been checking in with our previously featured writers...there are a lot of wonderful things in the works that we would like to share with you!

Mir, of Woulda Coulda Shoulda is walking the walk - and we're delighted to help her talk the talk.

Da walk, da walk, da walk! I'm very excited about participating in the 3-Day in Boston to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I'm testing out my theory that I can raise an insane amount of money through blogging it and promoting it online. Feel free to direct folks to my secure donation page or to the post where I announced it and explained why I'm doing it .

We encourage everyone to donate. Breast cancer has touched, or will touch many of our lives. Join the fight!

Indigo Leaf is online!

You might remember one of my new year's resolutions was to make Indigo Leaf Magazine, my online magazine featuring previously-unpublished writers, wildly successful. Well, we launched the inaugural issue this month, and we've gotten fabulous feedback -- one of the writers even got a writing gig from it!

You can see the issue here: http://www.indigoleafmagazine.com

Of course, no rest for the weary -- we're already working on the second issue, to be public March1st. Submission guidelines can be found here: http://www.indigoleafmagazine.com/submissions .

I encourage every Mommyblogger who wants to be a writer to submit -- and, for that matter, every partner of a Mommyblogger. And every child of a Mommyblogger.

Cousin of a Mommyblogger.

Distant relative of a Mommyblogger.

Mild acquaintance of a Mommyblogger, person who passed a Mommyblogger on the street, anyone who can pronounce "mommyblogger"...

Check out those guidelines and submit! Be a part of this fantastic new publication!

BlogHer 2006's registration is live! The seeds of Mommybloggers.com were sown at BlogHer 2005, and we are excited to attend this year's conference. We want to see you all there. A conference like no other, BlogHer has built a supportive, enthusastic, diverse community. Add your voice to the conversation!

BlogHer registration is here. Special rates for the hotel are still available. More information is found here.

Are you going? Leave us a comment and let us know! Have questions? On the fence? Ask us! We're happy to tell you more.

We'll post more Mommybloggers.com featured blogger news next week! Stay tuned!

Posted by Jenny Lauck at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The last nine weeks have been a whirlwind. We've introduced you to nine wonderful writers, shared a few of our own essays, and played four vigorous rounds of (Not Just) Mommybloggers Q&A, with up to 60 participants for our mammoth Christmas edition. We've enjoyed every minute of it.

We were pleased to treat our readers to a special guest essay last week, written by The Blue Sloth. For the next few weeks, we will be featuring more of these special guest essays, written especially for Mommybloggers.com by some of our favorite bloggers.

We'll be kicking off De-lurking Week by introducing you to another fantastic Mommybloggers pick. We encourage you to speak up...we love comments, and we've got the perfect guest to get this party started.

We got our start at BlogHer 2005. This year promises to be even more amazing. Don't miss out. BlogHer 2006 has settled on dates and location - become a proud member of the mom-ocracy and plan on joining us there this July!

In other site news:

We've added a Frappr map - don't be shy. Stake your claim! Mark your territory! Go on and add yourself already!

If you are linking to Mommybloggers, and we do not have you on our blogroll, please let us know.

Got a bee in your bonnet? A suggestion for the site? What would you like to see here at Mommybloggers? Tell us!

We sincerely appreciate all your participation, your enthusiasm for our mission and your kind mentions and links. Now, let's get out there and show 'em what we're made of.

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Sometimes we like to feature a blogger who is not necesarrily known as a "mommyblogger" yet still falls under the criteria to be a mommyblogger: a mom who blogs. This week the Mommybloggers are featuring none other than one of the women we hold personally responsible for getting the three of us together: Lisa Stone, the co-founder of BlogHer.

In addition to blogging at Surfette, Lisa blogs at Legal Blog Watch and helps keep the wheels in constant motion over at BlogHer.org . Before we came to know her through BlogHer, Lisa was executive producer and editor-in-chief for the original Women.com Networks, where she launched an award-winning Web portal that became a top 30 Web site with 25 million unique visitors and 312 million pageviews per month. She has developed Web coverage with Hearst and Rodale magazines, Gallup, Bloomberg, ABC's Good Morning America, E! Television/Online and HBO's Sex and the City. Lisa is the first Internet journalist awarded a Nieman fellowship (2002). But those are her professional attributes. Even if you take all of those things away, you have an amazing and talented woman who is well loved.

We could certainly gush about our adoration of Lisa, but that would not leave room for other people who adore her to give you their input on this very talented, giving and incredible woman.

We had to limit our good friend Jory Des Jardins when it came to her gush-fest for her friend Lisa. (Trust us, this woman does have a book in there!)

"Lisa is my blogging Big Sister. Since we've met she's both embraced me as a colleague and taken me under her wing. It's a strange and exhilarating sensation you get around her of being nurtured and admired at the same time. It's like having your Mom around, but it's not annoying or stressful. She's also like a big sister because she's a born defender. Once she takes a person or a cause under her wing she fights to the death for it. She's also unfailingly thoughtful. She remembers names, beaus, blog posts of yours she read, like, ages ago, and things that you forgot you told her that will make you look at her like she's crazy when she brings them up.

Lisa's like a really good Mojito--when she knocks you on your ass, you really don't feel it until you stand up and think about it. She gives it to me straight, but painlessly. Only later, I think, "Oh, THAT's what she was telling me." She's unbelievably persuasive. I'm almost at the point where I just don't disagree with her, because I know she'll talk me over to her side. But she's not a bullshitter, let's be clear. Lisa takes great pains to communicate truthfully and meaningfully, with a pinch of humor and self-deprecation.

Some Lisa phrases I've come to adopt after tens of thousands of emails.

(After providing lenghty persuasive argument for something) "...that's my two lira."
(When signing off on a phone call) "Bye friend."
(One I just used earlier, when she wants to clarify her position on something) "I mean, let's be clear..."

I have a book in me about Lisa. Right now it's comprised of a few synapses in my brain, but someday, when they connect, Lordy it'll be good."

The amazing Grace Davis jumped right up to let us know how much she adores Lisa with a great idea of how to ensure we all get some Lisa love.

"Oh, to clone Lisa Stone. The planet would run far more effectively and cheerfully if if we had a Lisa Stone Clone for every organization, conference, dinner party and playgroup. Lisa is a combination of the sheer rugged power of a Caterpillar multi-terrain loader and the soft spoken elegance of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. That, in any one's book, is one hell of a hybrid vehicle and a force to be dealt with in the badass blogosphere and beyond."

Fellow partner in crime at BlogHer Elisa Camahort, had no trouble telling us how she and Lisa were a match made in blogger heaven.

"I really didn't know Lisa at all when we sat down to lunch almost a year ago and started dreaming big about a women's blogging conference. But I know now that there is no one else that would have been the partner that Lisa is. And the friend. Very few people combine her talents for getting shit done with the qualities of a visionary too. Rare combo. Rare person. Shout out to our mutual friend Mike for telling us each that we really had to meet the other!"

When Jeneane Sessum volunteered her praise of Lisa, she had no trouble coming up with the perfect word to summarize this amazing woman.

"When I think of Lisa, the first word that comes to mind is “Tireless.” Whether you’re talking about the work of serious journalism, or conference launching and management for a marginalized online group (women), or motherhood, or good friend, or even make-me-laugh-my-butt-off email buddy, Lisa just doesn’t stop. She’s there, she’s smart, and she’ll tell you what she thinks. Honestly. From my virtual friendship with her, I gather that this is because she REALLY CARES about all of these things, and she really cares about making the world a better place for her child, friends, relatives, readers, colleagues, and fellow human beings. GO LISA GO!"

When volunteering a few words about Lisa, Halley Suitt had no problem sharing her admiration for this incomparable woman.

"Who does not ADORE Lisa?! Lisa Stone is so influential in so many arenas --blogging, media, marketing, conference production --and so terrific as a person, I'm wondering ... is she real?

If not, let's make more of her."

Now, considering the number or women and men who admire Lisa Stone, this entry could go on for pages and pages, but if we did, you would miss our fun interview with her. And we know you don't want to miss out on that one. Come back later today and hear from Lisa herself as we put her in the hot seat.

Posted by mommybloggers at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

...It's only a day awaayyyy!

This week's interview will be live tomorrow. You are not going to want to miss reading this one. She is smart. Fun. And completely to blame for the whole Jenn-Jenny-Meghan introductions. Trust us on this one. For now, we hope you enjoy a bit of mixing of the schedule with an essay by our own Jenn. Or at least we think that is her name.

Posted by mommybloggers at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the next couple of days, we'll be switching servers. I think.

See, Meghan is hosting a dinner party for a dozen, and Jenn is travelling around Texas, leaving me at the wheel. We talked about the whole server moving thing, we really did. But I'm not sure if it is happening this week, or maybe next week. Who knows, people? It could be happening RIGHT NOW.

I don't even really know what may or may not happen when the site switches to the new server. Will there be error messages? Will there be lost souls, unable to find mommybloggers.com? Will there be a miracles? Explosions? A portal to a parallel dimension opening? It's really hard to say.

In the event that nothing exciting happens, we've got some fun stuff coming up for the rest of the week here at MommyBloggers. Check back with us tomorrow and discover why we are so thankful for our readers.

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This week on Mommybloggers, we are proud to feature Mir of Woulda Coulda Shoulda. With her razor-sharp wit and flair for spinning stories about her daily life into an engaging read, Mir has captured the attention of countless readers. We love her self-deprecating humor and the no-holds-barred look she offers into her life.

We invited several of Mir's admirers to tell us a bit about why they love Mir. We giggled our way through the many comments we received. While we would love to feature all of the comments of praise we received, we decided to feature some of our favorites. Just between you and us, the truth is that if we praise her too much, Mir may stop with the self-deprecating humor and we certainly can't have that. Who doesn't love to read about a haircut gone wrong or a pair of funky boots that just don't fit the bill when it comes to getting Internet approval? We at Mommybloggers love that about her. (But seriously, if you must, you should feel free to tell us and Mir how much you love her anyway. She deserves it!)

Author of the bestselling book "gods in Alabama" Joshilyn Jackson was more than happy to dish about our beloved Mir and had no problem discussing the delicate issue of her mentality:

I read Mir every day---she has more to do with my good morning than my coffee, so small wonder we became friends. She says I like her because when I stand next to her I look tall. And sane. But I submit that her mental illness would fit inside the overhead compartment. It's not like she has so much excess baggage she has to *check* it, you know? The tall thing doesn't hurt though.

When we asked Kira to share a bit about Mir, she was thrilled to be able to gush about her:

Mir is everything you could want in a blog read, of course; funny and insightful and smart and bitingly observant. But more than that, I've been privileged to know her as a friend, and I count her among my very dearest. She has a heart so big and good that it trips her up at times, but blesses everyone she loves. If she only had a penis, I'd totally be marrying her soon. As it is, I'll settle for the friendship of such an extraordinary soul. PS She has a gift for shopping that has to be seen to be believed. I am in awe.

Sheryl was more than happy to share with us her adoration of Mir:

I've been reading Mir since she started her blog a year and a half ago. She's a unique combination of hilarious and philisophical. She can make you snort diet coke through your nose by describing something as mundane as packing lunch for her kids, but sometimes she sneaks up on you and reveals some deep insight that makes you reflect on your own life. And if that weren't enough insentive to read her religiously, how could you reisist the creator of the momune?

Jim Turner jumped at the chance to give us some insight into his friend and co-worker, Mir:

Mir currently works for me at Bloggers For Hire. I recommended Mir to be the writer for a blog client because of her whimsical style and the intelligence she portrays. The client was bowled over by her writing and is very pleased. I knew they would be as soon as they agreed to let her try and after they saw her writing style.

I've read Mir for over a year now and have rejoiced in her peaks and prayed for her during valleys. She is truly a wonderful blogger. She RAWKS!

Karen was excited to dish about Mir and couldn't wait to tell us the real behind the scenes scoop on her friend:

Mir has actually become a very good online friend of mine -- I've been reading her for several months now, and we actually have e-mailed quite a bit in the past. I think what makes Mir so special, in addition to her seering wit and great outlook on life, is that she's so accessible. I've watched other mommy bloggers become quite taken with their newfound fame on the Internet, yet Mir stays refreshingly grounded, and never takes herself too seriously. Coupled with her wry sense of humour (not to mention her fierce love of her children), it would be really hard *not* to be a fan.

We would really love to go on and on with the praise we received about Mir and her writing, but if we did that, we would have to bump her interview. And trust me, you don't want to miss the Mommybloggers interview with Mir. If you think she is funny on her own, wait until you read her answers to asinine questions posed in serious journalistic ways. You, too, will be filling our email inbox with words of praise for Mir.

Posted by mommybloggers at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (34) | TrackBacks (2)

What an amazing week we have had here at Mommybloggers!

The support we've had from you readers has been incredible! We also want to thank our good friends over at BlogHer for getting the word out and supporting us. That amazing group of women have been behind us since the idea of a mommyblogger panel was first introduced before BlogHer '05. (You can just blame them!) We also want to thank Sheri McConnell with the National Organization of Women Writers for her enthusiasm over our project and for featuring our Mommybloggers venture on the NAWW blog.

Since we are new, we've received some questions about the site. We wanted to take a moment to answer a few of the questions posed to us this week.

Several of our readers wanted to know if we were all about babies or toddlers or if we would be featuring topics about middle school aged tweens/teens and high schoolers.

Absolutely! Jenn's kids range in age from 4-12, so she feels that middle school pain with you. She wants to hear from some of our featured bloggers who have older children as well! (Teens are tough!) We have featured bloggers scheduled with tweens, teens and adult children as well. In a word, yes...we will feature bloggers and essays that explore motherhood from infancy to being a grandmother.

Maegan asked about our dedication to featuring a diverse group of Mommybloggers and if we were committed to maintaining that.

We can assure you that this blog will feature a broad spectrum of writers, reflecting the many faces and realities of motherhood. We have scheduled a variety of bloggers who have different backgrounds, races, religions, orientation and even (*gasp*) gender. We look forward to introducing our readers to the unique outlooks of each of these talented writers.

Matt Gray wanted to know if there was a daddybloggers site

Thankfully, Chris was there to field that one quickly, but in case you missed that, we are happy to let you know that there is in fact a dad site much like mommybloggers. It is Dadcentric. We are thinking of an arranged marriage of some sort between the sites.

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That covers many of the repeat questions we received. We are more than happy to answer any questions that come up about the site. (There is also a link to the left for media inquiries.) We are thrilled that Mommybloggers had such a great week. Your comments, emails, links and support have been remarkable. We love that you are as excited about this site as we are. Thanks for helping us get off to a strong start!

(I think we are just now catching up with responding to your emails and the media inquiries. Thanks for your patience!)

Posted by mommybloggers at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Mommybloggers: Grace, Thank you for being our first very first guest blogger! We met you at the BlogHer conference, and have held you in highest regard ever since. You are funny, snarky and sharp. You are a compassionate humanitarian. Now answer our questions young lady, or you're grounded.

Grace, have you always been as irreverent, witty, sassy and funny as you are today? In other words, have you always had your voice? Did you spend some time looking for it? If so, how did you find it (your voice, that is)? Because Grace, you have a voice. WHOO-EEE, do you have a voice.

Grace: When you’re one of six kids from a working class, industrial strength Catholic family, somewhere along the line you must develop a keen sense of snark. It’s a survival tool and a preventive measure, useful in keeping one from a slow death by boredom or turning into one of those stoned teenagers slamming against the high school corridor walls.

I can hardly compare myself with the genius of David Sedaris and the deadpan humor of Bill Murray, but they hail from backgrounds similar to mine. Like them, I am spellbound by the absurdities of every day life and can’t resist hauling the weirdness out of the closet to ask whoever is interested, “What the fuck is with the FLOWBEE, people?”

Indeed, I’ve always been a smartass, and I think that’s what you mean by ‘voice’.

Just for the record, the kid says I’m “hella” more sarcastic than all of her friends combined, and they’re fourteen. I like to think of this as a compliment.

Mommybloggers: Yeah, we did mean smart-ass, but we made you say it! What are the ages of your kids?

Grace: "Molly is 14 and I have five grown step kids, ages 34, 33, 31, 30 and 24."

Mommybloggers: So Ms. Grace Davis, we hear you are Dr. Laura's worst nightmare. And we believe that. We don't want to mess with you, but we do want to know more about you. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up, and how did your childhood experiences shape who you are today?

Grace: "I grew up in the bleak sameness of suburban Northern California. My hometown of Fremont was, in the late 1950s and through the 60s, severely white bread, car oriented, and consumerist in the extreme. It was also an incubator for the 60s drug culture, producing bored teenagers slamming against the school lockers high on hash, and, when we were feeling ambitious, zipping down the corridors on revved up on speed.

Mommybloggers: So Grace, you are from the 'burbs! The burbs of California no less! A budding suburban rebel from Fremont. Tell us more about the community that shaped the enigma otherwise known as Grace.

Grace: "I cannot say enough about the delusion of safety in the suburbs. My parents, bless their yearning, immigrant hearts, were thrilled to have a piece of the rock in the form of our modest tract home. Like everyone else, they wanted to spare their children the ravages of inner city life. They saw the solution was in planned communities, with shopping malls serving as contrived city centers. Everything perfect, everything in its place.

My response to all of this was to hide and read. I’m second of six kids and hiding in our household was no mean feat. But I nestled in little corners read everything I could get my grimy mitts on. I think if I were a teenager today, I would be a goth bookworm, spending my allowance on Doc Marten lace ups and obscure fiction at used book stores."

Mommybloggers: Two of the three mommybloggers are middle children. We feel your pain. Really we do. We are a special breed, middle kids. Batteries and neuroses included!

Grace: "To this day, I continue nurturing my inner goth bookworm, always choosing alternative pathways to mainstream culture. I will forever be drawn to the unique, the weird, and the quirky. I’m certain I’m not the only one raised in the suburbs who has devoted their life to exorcising its demons. In fact, I would bet serious money that the entire population at Burning Man share this world view."

Mommybloggers: So tell us Grace, truthfully. If you had Dr. Laura alone in a room, what would you say to her?

Grace: "Hopefully, the spirit of Mother Teresa would take over my body, compelling me to extend sweetness, pink light and compassion towards Dr. Laura Schlessinger. However, I have a feeling that the wise and righteous Mother Teresa would want to totally kick Dr. Laura’s ass. So, no matter what, Dr. Laura would go down, either by getting her butt walloped or getting killed by liberal kindness. And I’ll just bet she’d prefer the ass kicking."

Mommybloggers: I think you're right. I bet Dr. Laura loves nothing more than a good whupping. A real sick puppy, that one.

Grace, you have been blogging for a couple of years now. What inspired you to start blogging?

Grace: "Actually, I’ve only been blogging for a year as of September 23. That’s all. And now I’m uneasy and paranoid as your assumption that I’ve been blogging for longer has triggered a wave of insecurity and self doubt - “Hmmm, Meghan, Jenn and Jenny are thinking ‘a few years’? Does that mean I come off as jaded and world weary? No longer fresh? Should I do more memes? Post more pictures of my dog?”

Mommybloggers: Yes Grace, we want more pictures of the dog, and we want more fresh-e-fresh. Like, enough of this making the world a better place through grassroots philanthropy. That might get you an interview with the New York Times and all, but you could really liven things up with a new twist. Like limericks. You should definitely add limericks to your blog format.

Grace: "Yeah, I'll get right on that. All of my many neuroses aside, I deployed a blog for two reasons. The first is that personal websites are part of a big conversation I was eager to join. I caught the bug in the late 90s as an ardent fan of webjournals, particularly Steve Amaya’s Evaporation , Beth Reinstein Atkins’ Stitches in Time and Chuck Atkins’ ChuckStake. Compelling stuff these webjournals, personal memoirs of every day life published on the World Wide Web for all to see. Imagine that!

Webjournals and the blogosphere was seductive on many levels.

Mommybloggers: Seductive! Sounds scandalous. Do tell!

Grace: "It’s part peasant revolution, whereupon a non-techy, soccer mom like me can access and participate in a fat media venue. It’s part village square, though on a global basis, across geopolitical and cultural boundaries. And, of course, it’s part therapeutic. We may reveal our heart, soul and psyche in this public milieu and, with interactive features of blog tools, we are rewarded with feedback and genuine support from like minds."

Mommybloggers: You are possibly the worlds coolest soccer mom. You took your 14 year old daughter and her friends to Hawaii for spring break for crying out loud. Is 33 years too old to be adopted? Grace, will you adopt me? All of us? Please?

Grace: "Sure! Can you cook? Really though, Maybe you could just work things out with your mom and dad, okay? Back to the blog. The other reason why I hurled my laptop into the blogosphere is that group emails I used to send to my friends were not unlike busy blog posts. As my friends began to fear my spam (Egads! Another three part email from Grace!), I thought I should consign my pithy observations, political rants and petty thoughts about celebrities on to a blog. Then, friends could elect to click onto my blog for my current dark musings on Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Once I unfurled my words via the miracle of TypePad, I was delighted to find that others outside my circle of pals were interested in discussing the Cheney/Rumsfeld cabal.

So, everybody wins – my friends are spared Grace Spam, I created my own bully pulpit of a blog, complete with pics of my kiddo Molly and my Jack Russell Terrier, Malcolm, and I became friends with a bunch of smart, witty, tender, kindly bloggers and readers."

Mommyblogggers: Grace, Have you always written? What did you do with your snark before the blog? Did you write recreationally or professionally before you became a blogger?

Grace: "My endeavors in creative writing were limited to the aforementioned lengthy, spammy emails to friends. I did write several short stories when I was younger and really full of myself. Such is the hubris of the English Literature major, and I was a particularly insufferable one at that.

Professionally, I was a scientific/medical editor earlier in my career. I believe one can hunt down my stuff on Medline but it would be a hell of a scavenger hunt as the editors are usually sixth in a line-up of seven authors.

Yes, I suppose I sound a little bitter about that."

Mommybloggers: You have really changed lives with the hurricane relief blog. You are our idol. Did you ever dream the philanthropic blog you started would be as sucessful as it has been?

Grace: "Certainly not! I thought I would simply rally my blogroll and folks who read our posts about the blog on Craigslist. However, I’m ecstatic we have been able to help in such a significant way. Though the Hurricane Katrina Direct Relief and Family to Family blogs sprang out of pure serendipity, I also think our appearance was timely. People were disturbed and furious with our government’s ineffective responses to Katrina victims. Thus, our humble sites were well received as sincere, grassroots efforts. We were perceived as more trustworthy than the traditional resources for relief."

Mommybloggers: Have you thought about promoting a Grace Davis bobblehead doll?

Grace: "....Yeah. Ummm.. No....Maybe?"

Mommybloggers: You have poured blood sweat and tears into the hurricaine relief blog. You even worked through the night and showed up for a television interview with (gasp) UNWASHED HAIR!!! Your dedication is admirable. You might even spark the newest look in hair! Forget "the Rachel"! This year it's "The Grace"! But Seriously, What can average Joes like us do to help people at this stage of the hurricane recovery?

Grace: The Katrina disaster continues to dominate the lives of folks on the Gulf Coast. Donations of food, supplies and equipment have decreased significantly now that ‘compassion fatigue’ has taken over the national consciousness. As far as the mainstream media is concerned, we have met the end of the Katrina ‘story arc’. We’re not seeing coverage on CNN and Fox of the communities continuing to live in suboptimal conditions, with whole families in tents and dining in soup kitchens. This is abysmal. This is the bad news.

The good news is that more and more families have moved out of the evacuee shelters and have been provided with modest apartments, small houses and mobile homes. However, as these families lost everything in the hurricane, they’re moving into empty living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.

So, we’re looking to meet the basic needs – non-perishable food, underwear, hooded sweatshirts, baby items - for the struggling communities and ‘housewarming gifts’ for families moving into their new homes.

Obviously, this is t