This post is from from my other blog here

I discovered the Queen of Spain in my usual way - just clicking around the blogosphere while nursing Rylan. Was I ever glad I did. She’s freakin’ hilarious! Her blog is one of those places you just have to go back to because you never know what you’ll find. She’s candid. She’s unreserved. She’s exactly what you’d expect from the Queen of the entire Blogosphere Spain.

On with the pimping!

How did you name your site?

Long, long ago-when I was talking to friends about what kind of engagement ring I wanted from the Kaiser, I flipped through a bridal magazine. I kept picking out the largest, most obnoxious rings ever. Sarah’s husband Gabe proclaimed, “Who the fuck do you think you are, the Queen of Spain???”

What/who inspired you to start blogging? How long have you been blogging?

I’m coming up on my one year blogaversary in September.

Talk about your blog. or… What is the major theme(s) of your blog?

My crotch. My kids. My tits. My mouth. That pretty much covers it.

Do you have IRL “In Real Life” people reading your blog?

They are all IRL, since I have gotten to meet many of them!

Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

Absofreakinglutely

How do you feel about self-censorship in blogging? Are there thing that you won’t write about?

I won’t censor myself. I refuse too. And I really think that’s why I get a few of you coming back. Nothing is off limits. I’m writing exactly how I feel or what I’m doing at that given time. And if I ever stop doing that, or NOT post because I’m worried about someone or something…then I will quit blogging.

Tell us all about you. What are some of your favourite things? Pet peeves? Anything else you want new readers to know?

About me? Hmmmm. Currently I’m on vacation, so I feel a little out of sorts. Let me see…
I’m mildly psychic
My food is not allowed to touch
I pick my kids’ noses WAAAY too much
I pee in the shower
I learned how to orgasm at 10 and never stopped
I love my family more than chocolate

Go on…Click! Pay Erin a visit and let her know you came from Much More Than A Mom. After reading that interview, you KNOW you can’t possibly resist!
Leave a comment here first, though, okay?

(Click this small button to see this and all previous Sites o’ the Week).If you would like to be featured as my Site o’ the Week or would like to suggest someone for me to feature, send me and email at muchmorethanamom [at] gmail [dot] com.

This post is from from my other blog here

You know it does. Everyone I know has been touched by it in one way or another.

As most of you know, my dad is currently fighting cancer. A very brief recap: He had his bladder & prostate removed in June, the found cancer in 10 of 21 lymph nodes so he is now going on to his second round of chemo.

I have had friends with cancer, acquaintances with cancer, co-workers with cancer, young students with cancer…the list goes on.

We all feel kind of helpless in these situations, I think. I’m the kind of person who can’t just sit back & watch. I have to do something.

I want Rylan to grow up into a world without cancer.

So, I decided to do something to help.

This is what you all came back for!

I have created a line of merchandise and built an online store to raise money for cancer.

Here’s where I need your help.

1. Please please buy something! Every single penny of profit is donated to cancer research and patient care.
2. If you blog or have a website of any kind, please link to this post/this store on your site and encourage your readers to both purchase and link as well.
3. Email the link to all of your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers and encourage them to support us.

This is the link: http://www.cafepress.com/raisemoney
If you don’t know how to link, email me or comment and I’ll be glad to help.

The BG and I will match, dollar for dollar, every donation up to $200 (because, you know, I’m not working). Though the store is permanent and proceeds will always be donated, my immediate goal is to sell 100 items before Christmas. Each item is marked up by between approximately $0.50 and $5.00. We could have done a lower markup, but what’s an extra $2 for cancer, right? And you get some cool stuff while you’re at it! So, if you all buy enough to make a $200 donation, we would then match it to make a $400 donation for Christmas. Does that make sense? You buy more, we give more!

Oh, and shipping is free until September 5, 2006 with a $50 purchase! Just use the code BTS2006 when you check out.
Don’t worry if you miss it - shipping is only about $5 in the US and $6 in Canada for the first item.
Additional bonus: No sales tax unless you live in CA or KY.

Or, if you want to forego the merchandise and just donate, email me for my address and you are welcome to send a cheque.
Or donate via PayPal to muchmorethanamom [at] gmail [dot] com.

So? Off you go. Let’s go shopping and fight for a cure!

I've been tagged by the Mentor Mom for my first minti meme...

1. What is your child's favorite book?  He's only 4 months old, but he likes anything that gets me goofy.  No favourites yet!
2. What is your favorite childrens book?  I teach grade one so I have hundreds of faves...Love You Forever by Robert Munsch pops into my head first (BTW, Rylan and I are seeing Munsch LIVE next month!!)
3. What is your child's favorite thing to eat?  Mmmmm...breastmilk!
4. What is your favorite thing to eat?  Fresh pineapple, raspberries, kiwi and watermelon.  Oh, and chocolate.  Mmmmm...fondue!
5. What is your child's favorite game?  Mommy & Daddy's silly faces & noises.
6. What is your favorite game?  I love the silliness and tickling that go with mothering a 4 month old, but I also love Cranium!
   

OK, I tag tracey, butterfly68, irregularhousewife, chelle and mum2bkim.

This post is from from my other blog here

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN IF YOU HATE MEMES.
YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP!

Saturday was Ry’s turn, and now…me!

From Rick, the Conneticut Yankee:

1. The book nearest me:
Cell, by Stephen King (Holy hell - it’s really good!)

2. Stretch your left arm, what do you touch?
My coffee cup (Now empty - so sad.)

3. Last thing watched on television?
Big Brother (Bye, James! You totally deserved that.)

4. Without looking, what time is it?
9 ish am

5. What is the actual time?
9:00 am (Wow, am I ever good!) (Actually, I looked a minute ago so I’m not really that good.)

6. With the exception of the computer what can you hear?
Ry-guy snoring (So cute!)

7. When did you last step outside?
About an hour ago when I had to go get my p.i.t.a. barking dogs so they wouldn’t wake up the BG.
Picture this: Unsexy leather slippers holding my old lady orthotics, too big baby pink pajama pants and a black nursing bra. Nothing else. Running down my long back yard shouting “In. In now. In the house, poo poo head.”

8. Before this meme, what did you look at?
This place, which led me to this place, which is where I got this meme.

9. What are you wearing?
Ummmm, too big baby pink pajama pants and a black nursing bra. Sexy right?

10. Did you dream last night?
Not that I remember.

11. When did you last laugh?
About 30 minutes ago before Ry went to sleep. We laughed together at our puppies.

12. What is on the walls in the room you’re in?
Pictures of our family and friends, a huge square picture of a flower, our wedding pictures and stone tiles with quotes about love.

13. Seen anything weird lately?
IRL, no. On the web, this from Suburban Turmoil.

14. What do you think of this quiz?
Eh. It fills a day.

15. What is the last film you saw?
Film, like filmstrip in grade 4 science class? “Garbage and Me”
Film, like movie? Over The Hedge

16. Tell us something we don?t know.
Ummmm. My childhood nickname from my dad. If you ask really nicely, I might tell you! (This is a test to see if you’re really reading or just skimming…)

17. If you could change one thing about the world, what would you do?
Give every child and domesticated animal a loving home where they would never have to feel heartache, suffer abuse…

18. Do you like to dance?
Yep. When I’m drunk.

19. George Bush?
Sucks ass.

20. Imagine your first child is a girl?And?
He wouldn’t have a penis. Duh.

21. Imagine your first child is a boy.
I don’t have to have a very good imagination for that.

22. Would you consider living abroad?
Nope. I’d miss my family too much.

23. What would God say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
You? Oh…alright.

24. List some bloggers to carry on this meme.
Guh’head. Take it. Anyone?

25. This meme is over! But keep reading…

*Have you visited Kailani at Pink Diary yet? Yes? Well go again! Click on her screenshot in my sidebar and go check out her newest slideshow from my favourite media site, OneTrueMedia!

*I am much more than a mom. Are you? If so, why not flaunt it? Click here or on the link at the bottom of my sidebar to go shopping in the MMTaM store! Free shipping on orders over $50 right now during our back to school sale!

Now for the most important part…

*COME BACK TOMORROW for a very exciting announcement (no, I’m not pregnant!) that I need your help with. Yes, you! Each and every one of you. Blogger or not. Please?

This post is from from my other blog here

Kailani, meet everyone.

Everyone, meet Kailani!

She’s my new renter from Blog Explosion, and I’m so glad to have her here with us for the week.

I do believe you’ll love her writing style ~ she fits right in with all of us! And…it’s PINK! How could you go wrong?

Click on the pretty pink screenshot of her blog, The Pink Diary, in my sidebar and pay her a visit, would ya?
It’s over there —>
Nope, down a bit.
That’s it!
See it?
Now?
Goooooood…

Make sure you check out the slideshow in her sidebar of her two beautiful little girls. She’s a flight attendant in addition to being a wife and mommy, and you’ll enjoy the stories of her adventures in Honolulu. (I can’t believe people actually get to live there!)

While you’re there, be sure to let her know you came from MMTaM.

Again, Kailani, welcome to Much More Than a Mom! I’m so glad you could come.
Can I get you a drink?

This post is from from my other blog here

Lily and Reesh tagged Rylan for a meme. It’s his first!
He doesn’t quite have control over his fingers individually yet, so I’ll type while he telepathically communicates his thoughts.
Ready?

3 Things That Scare Me

1. Loud noises or barks when I’m just about asleep.
2. Immunizations. Ouch!
3. Being naked on cold plastic, like at the doctor’s office.

3 People That Make Me Laugh

1. My daddy. He’s so funny! He makes silly faces and noises just to entertain me.
2. My mommy. She will stop at nothing to hear my giggle.
3. My puppies. The run around the table, make funny sounds and wrestle on my blanket. Silly puppies!

3 Things I Love

1. I’m a boob man. What can I say?
2. People watching. I can stare at people for a long, long time.
3. My family. I love my folks, all of my grandparents, my aunties, my uncle and my cousins. My parents are teaching me that nothing is more important than my family.

3 Things I Hate

1. Face plants on the floor when I’m trying to crawl. How do these things called arms work anyway?
2. Not being able to see what’s going on around me. Face out, people. Face out!
3. Having the sun in my eyes.

3 Things I Don?t Understand

1. How to crawl. I try and try but I either move backward or do a face skid.
2. Why I am in pain when I get shots or am teething. Why? Why? Help!
3. The theory of relativity.

3 Things On My Desk/Table (or play mat) (or baby jail)

1. My Manhattan Baby Winkel toy. It’s my fave! It was the first thing I ever grabbed by myself and I still love it! (Thanks Angie & Lucy!)
2. My washcloth. I chew on it when my teeth are bothering me.
3. My puppies. They’re napping on my blanket with me.

3 Things I?m Doing Right Now

1. Snoring. My mom thinks it’s so cute!
2. Holding my Winkel toy in my sleep.
3. Being the cutest baby in the blogosphere. I can’t help it.

3 Things I Want to Do

1. Swim in my big kid pool.
2. Collect glasses that I grab off of the faces of big people.
3. Eat real food.

3 Things I Can Do

1. Make everyone who sees me smile. I fill their hearts with joy, or so they tell me.
2. Fart at 100 dB. I’m a farting machine. That also makes people smile!
3. Roll over, sit with support, stand with support…anything but sit still.

3 Ways to Describe My Personality

1. Happy/Content
2. Observant
3. Adventurous

3 Things I Can?t Do

1. Crawl. I can move backward and in circles, but my arms won’t cooperate when I try to move forward.
2. Walk. But I try really hard in my intellitainer and I can move my seat back and forth now!
3. Nap in my crib during the day for longer than 10 minutes.

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To

1. My mommy. She’s always right. At least, that’s what she tells my daddy.
2. Baby Einstein CD’s. I’m not allowed to watch the videos but they have awesome music. It calms me down when I get worked up in the car.
3. Baby babble. I’m so cute when I talk!

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To

1. TV commercials. They dumb you.
2. My dogs when they’re hyper. They’re really crazy and they keep me awake sometimes.
3. My Learning Puppy. It’s SO annoying! (Okay, that one was from mommy. I love it!)

3 Absolute Favorite Foods

1. Breastmilk
2. Breastmilk
3. Did I mention that I like breastmilk? And don’t even bother trying to put it in a bottle. I’m on to your little tricks.

3 Things I?d Like to Learn

1. How to eat solid food. That looks like fun!
2. How to swim. I love the water and I can’t wait to be a little more independent in there!
3. How to build a computer.

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly

1. Breastmilk
2. Breastmilk
3. Um…. breastmilk.

3 Shows I Watched as a Kid

1. I’m not allowed to watch TV but am fascinated by screens of any kind. I love to watch the laptop while my mommy blogs or reads.
2. I have been to the movie theatre and I saw RV and Over the Hedge. Mostly I slept and ate, but I watched a little bit.
3. I listen to Lost, Survivor and Big Brother while I breastfeed sometimes, too.

I’ll tag any baby or toddler reading this who hasn’t done it yet. It’s fun! Let me know if you or your mom or dad do this one so I can come read it!

This post is from from my other blog here

The Un-Assvice

Y’all know how I hate assvice, right?

Well, I love Moxie!

Because I have read, literally, every fertility, pregnancy and parenting book ever written (okay, not quite, but you get my drift), people often ask me for their recommendations and I can never get the words out to do justice to how I really feel. I usually say something like this:

“Read The Happiest Baby on the Block for some ideas on soothing, breastfeed on demand, snuggle as much as you can, ask for help with housework, get people to bring meals, take lots of pictures, enjoy every little thing and just follow your instincts.”

Ask Moxie, however has a WAY better response than I. She’s very thorough in her answer. If you don’t read her, you should. Those of you who are pregnant, trying to conceive or have babies, please read her advice in the previous link. That woman has something that becomes more rare every day — common sense! (Hmmm…maybe she should be a SotW soon?)

The Other Stuff

I ordered Rylan the sun-smart pool he wanted
(You know how 4 month old babies ask for stuff all the time?)
and we tried it today!

The water was chilly, so we had to have a big snuggle to warm up after…

And, just for the sake of some additional cuteness…

What are your favourite pregnancy/parenting books? Why?
Which ones would you never recommend? Why?

This post is from from my other blog here

I was reading a post at Beth’s Club Mom site the other day about meeting friends as a shy stay-at-home-mom and got to thinking about how I have met some of my friends.

I’m lucky. I have lots of aquaintances, several friends and a few sisters from different mothers. (It doesn’t quite sound as good as brothers from different mothers, but what the heck?) I have a few lovely ladies who I consider my “best friends.” How very junior high of me, right? In thinking about how I met each of them, most of the stories are kind of boring (met in a university class, met through our mothers in junior high, met through a friend…yada yada yada) but one makes me laugh every time I think about it.

My best friend - let’s call her “Leah” - (actually, that’s what everyone calls her. I’m not very creative, am I?) was one brave bird when we met.

Thirteen years ago, I was outside in the courtyard at the college that I attended for a year before transferring to university. I had just finished a workout and was a little worse for wear in my sweats and pigtails. I was sitting on a bench relaxing in the sun when she came out for a cigarette (yes, yuck, I know). Picture it. She, in her mauve roper jeans and lace-up cow-boots and me, in my sweats, runners and oversized t-shirt hiding a sweaty sports bra. She looked me up and down as new college students will and I smiled at her. She tells me that the voices in her head went something like this:

“Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m going to talk to someone who wears sweats in public. She looks friendly enough. Oh, how embarassing. I don’t have to tell anyone that I have a friend who wears sweats, right?”

And out of her mouth came “Hey. Do you want to be my friend?”

I smiled, said “Sure!” and we’ve been friends ever since.

She no longer dresses like a cow-chick, has two beautiful children with her fabulous husband and lives two hours from me. She was the first non-blood relative to come meet Ry-guy in the hospital when he was born. She called daily for his first two weeks to make sure we were all okay. At one point, we went over two years without talking and when we hooked up again it was like we had just gotten drunk together yesterday.

And I still wear sweats in public.

How did you meet your best friend? How do you meet friends now?

This post is from from my other blog here

Happy Blog Pimping Day!

Today, I’m honoured to introduce Kristen Chase. Kristen plunged head first into the world of motherhood by a surprise pregnancy and is now expecting number two! Yay! Congratulations, Kristen! In her blog at Motherhood Uncensored, she writes very candidly about motherhood - the good, the bad and the ugly. She also writes for ClubMom and is co-founder and editor of Cool Mom Picks, which I visit daily to check out the newest and greatest goodies for mommies.

How did you name your site?

Basically, after deciding that I just wanted to write about “the motherhood” that I had never seen or knew existed (like the hard stuff - and the gross stuff - and the really stressful stuff), I thought “Motherhood Uncensored - that seems fitting…” Turns out it wasn’t taken and it seems to mesh well with where I have come in my writing.

What/who inspired you to start blogging? How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging since November 2005 after a sans-kid friend of mine shared her blog URL with me. I loved being able to keep up with her life - and it didn’t hurt that she’s a great writer. I had really only read her blog and a few people on her blogroll (none of which were ?mommy blogs,?? but it was enough incentive for me to start and keep writing.

Talk about your blog. Or… What is the major theme(s) of your blog?

I try to make Motherhood Uncensored just that - a place to talk about the aspects of parenting and mothering that perhaps other folks can’t or won’t discuss. At first, I found myself trying to write humorous stories and anecdotes, but I’ve found that now I write a mix of serious and humorous posts - sort of mixing it up as things happen to me. I also found that living in Mississippi has afforded me an amazing amount of blog fodder.

Folks have commented that they never know what they’re going to find when they stop by and I love hearing that.

Do you have IRL “In Real Life” people reading your blog?

A few folks, including a best friend, relative, and work friend read it, but that’s about it. I made sure not to tell anyone. My husband knows about my blog, but doesn?t read it.

Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

I don?t think that anyone is as truly outspoken in real life as they are on their blog ? no matter what they choose to speak about. Blogging is a unique and fairly anonymous forum, where all our thoughts and words are edited neatly (for the most part) and where the banter is limited to comments that you can delete or ban if you want to. That?s just not like real life at all (at least mine, that is).

I’m similar in that I’m fairly outspoken, funny (sometimes - at least my 2 year old thinks so), and diverse. I?m probably more like The Mom Trap than I am like Motherhood Uncensored ? mainly because at The Mom Trap, it?s not as uncensored as it is just telling stories about being a mom of a toddler. The Uncensored blog contains things that are more in my head that you wouldn?t necessarily get from me on a first meeting.

You won?t see me flaming someone with a kid leash or a southern person who takes forever in line ? but I think that?s the beauty of blogging. You can take your frustrations and channel them into something witty or touching. I don’t think I misrepresent myself in any of my blogs - however, I think blogging allows us to be a bit freer and less inhibited than we might be in our regular lives. And we don?t have to deal with the face to face interaction what can be somewhat awkward.

How do you feel about self-censorship in blogging? Are there thing that you won’t write about?

I say do what you want on your blog, but be prepared for the ramifications. If I knew certain people read my blog, I would most certainly not write what I do. I think there is safety in anonymity ? and while I would probably say most of the stuff that I write about when prompted, I have yet to give a mouthful to my in-laws. And I think I?ll wait until after I move out from their house ? where I will be living for the next 9 months - (if ever) to do that.

Generally, anything is game. However, MU is not a rant blog but more of an uncensored column. So I try to write things in an ironic and tasteful manner that doesn’t necessarily bash or judge people or ideas, but rather questions them and makes us think about them. I feel as though being open and honest about all things ? marriage, sex, and parenting (to name a few) bodes well with others ? it connects us through those ?unspeakables?? that perhaps the readers don?t have a place where they can discuss those things.

For the most part, I feel as though the readers that visit me get that I?m not on a smear campaign. I rarely get any comments that need to be deleted and I hope that they know disagreement is welcome ? so long as they are ready for my response.

Tell us all about you. What are some of your favourite things? Pet peeves? Anything else you want new readers to know?

Well, I?m an artsy fart and always have been. I could spend all day watching musicals and reenacting them with friends. I love playing board games and cards, and I secretly wish to live in a city where I never had to drive a car. Ever.

I recently made a list of pet peeves and they ranged from people getting gifts from you in the mail and not calling or emailing to tell you that they got them (but expecting you to do it when they send you something) to wet towels on the bed (which, coincidentally I used to do as a kid and have since learned WHY I always got in trouble for doing it).

A big one (that wasn?t on the list since it?s a fairly recent development) is people telling you ?oh you?ll see?? or ?wait until? and you?ll see what I was talking about?? when you talk about experiences with your kid and upcoming child (like what does that accomplish?).

As for new readers, I imagine I?m somewhat of an acquired taste and perhaps not for everyone. Maybe like a dark beer ? some people love it, some people drink it now and then, and others don?t like it but they can understand why other people do.

I will say that it helps to go through my archives and read a little ? unlike some of the great writers (like you have highlighted on your blog), I think if you don?t know me and my writing, you could take me the wrong way. And like any blog, we all have our moments, of greatness and crap, but that?s what makes blogging so exciting. We strive to write better and do better and hope that it speaks to somebody.

Go on…Click! Check out Kristen where I first found her and at her other two places, and let her know you came from Much More Than A Mom. Leave a comment here first, though, okay?

(Click this small button to see this and all previous Sites o’ the Week). If you would like to be featured as my Site o’ the Week or would like to suggest someone for me to feature, send me and email at muchmorethanamom [at] gmail [dot] com.

This post is from from my other blog here

Rylan found his feet last week and they have hardly left his mouth since…

And here are some shots of his first picnic…
with Daddy, with the pups, hangin’ on his blanket and nursing in the park…
(sorry about the colour - I screwed up my camera settings…)

This post is from from my other blog here

Dear Rylan,

It’s hard to believe, but you are four months old today.


What an amazing month it has been! You continue to blossom daily. The changes we are seeing in you and the things you are learning are absolutely incredible.


You started eating a teeny bit of rice cereal a week ago. You love it! You only get a tablespoon once a day after nursing but you smile when you see it coming and open your mouth for the spoon. It’s more breastmilk on a spoon than anything, but you are certainly enjoying the experience. We noticed you watching our food more and decided to give you a chance to try spoon feeding ~ we figured if you weren’t ready you wouldn’t take it, but you were definitely ready. Since we started you a bit earlier than recommended in Canada, you have two solid months of rice cereal before you get to try anything else, but we’re not breaking that guideline because we don’t want you to get food allergies. You still won’t take a bottle so we’ve got lots of breastmilk frozen to mix with your cereal.We give you a little bit of breastmilk in a handled sippy cup now too, and you like to play with it but that’s about it. You are very smart - you know that breastmilk is supposed to come from a boob and you look at me like I’m an idiot when I try to convince you otherwise. You still love to nurse and eat anywhere from every 2 to 4 hours. You sleep 9-10 hours overnight and have 3-4 naps per day of 30-60 minutes. One night and Grandma and Papa’s you slept 11 3/4 hours!


You had your 4 month immunizations and check-up today at the health unit. Guess what? You’re perfect! You were a very brave boy. Daddy was worried that you’d be mad at him for holding you, but you weren’t. You weigh 13 lbs 13 oz and are 25.5 inches long.


You can grab your toys now and kind of control where they go. Everything goes in your mouth if you can get it there! You have a few favourites - Your Winkel toy because it has tons of loops and is very easy to grab, your Laugh & Learn puppy because it always makes noise and the buttons are very sensitive so you can work it on your own and your vibrating teething star because it soothes your poor little mouth.


You have been teething since you were 10 weeks old, but you had your worst day ever yesterday. You cried for over 3 hours. It broke our hearts. All we could do was rock or bounce you, and let you nurse as much as you would. I love the feeling of being the only one in the world who can do that for you. Poor Daddy gets really shaken up when you cry - he hates to see you unhappy, and so do I. We’re so lucky that you’re a happy and content baby almost all of the time.
Your only road trip this month was to Medicine Hat. You and mommy went for a week to visit Grandma Betty and Papa Jack. Papa started his chemo and you went to the hospital with him to make him smile. You did your job well and you made all the nurses smile too!


We went to another movie with our baby group this month. We saw “Over The Hedge.” You are always very well behaved in the theatre. It may be a different story when you’re no longer breastfeeding, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

You talk almost anytime you’re awake now. And…you laugh!! Your little giggle is my favourite sound in the whole wide world. You light up the room with your huge smile and you light up my heart with your sweet little spirit. Every day I am amazed by how much I love you. You are the greatest gift I have ever received and your daddy and I know for sure that God made you just for us. You are a perfect fit in our family.


Thanks for another amazing month, my precious baby boy!I love you so very much!
From your one and only Mommy

Taken this afternoon before the shots:



With his favourite toy, the Winkel:

This post is from from my other blog here

So, I finally have this great hosting company (thanks to my delicious and extremely intelligent husband) with the best stats package I have ever seen!   I can tell how many of my hits are robots, worms etc. (2596 of 20722), can see everyone’s IP address who visits, see where everyone lives (the usual, plus Singapore, North Korea, Turkey, China…) and so many more cool things.

Best of all, I can see the search strings people used to find this site.  Check it out!

• Rub a535 and pregnancy vaginas (I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to put it on the pink part, whether you’re pregnant or not.  If that’s sore, it’s probably not from working out.  Just a guess.)
• Using vodka in baby baths (I wouldn’t recommend it.)
• Sharing drinks vodka kill germs (If you can’t afford your own drink, please stay home.)
• Moms got a fat belly birth stories (Yeah, thanks for pointing that out.  Bitch.)
• Is lemon juice safe to clean leather couch (I dunno, but they make this stuff called ‘leather cleaner’ that works pretty good on mine.)
• Positioners for crib to stop aching (Your crib is aching?  That sucks.)
• d.e.b.s 2 pink thunder (Huh?)
• 9th month of pregnancy stripping the membrane (I feel for you, sista!)
• oil for boobs children (You’re on your own here.  Pervert.)
• using vodka for scalp health (Let me know how it works!)
• blood getting sticky from chemo (Sorry to hear that…)
• is it okay to have a glass of wine when your 39weeks pregnant? (Sure!  Baby’s baked now, right?  Might make for a more relaxed labour.)
• rub a535 poison (What’s with the a535, people?  It stinks.  That I know.)
• natural wipes home-made wipes (Glad I could be of service!)
• hardening of the stomach at 37 weeks pregnant (Yep, it’s a baby in there alright!)

So, there you go.  How did you find me?

This post is from from my other blog here

• This is me at minti: muchmorethanamom.minti.com - a great parenting advice site powered by parents like us! Want advice? They tell me I can write it. I’m not so sure about that! I received an email asking me to join and write parenting advice. About what? That’s up to you! Comment or email me some topics that you’d like me to write about and I’ll give it a shot!
• Okay, so I’m not completely dependent on you guys.  I did write one article.  I even received a patch!If you’re so inclined, go read my article, vote/rate it and leave me a comment over there.  I’m such a teacher.
• This is a really cool site with copycat recipes from Starbucks as well as other fantabulous places.
• This is my favourite ‘news’ site - I recommend checking it daily!
• Haven’t seen this yet? Obviously you’re not a daily reader here!
• Want a sophisticated, easy site stats program? Check out Google Analytics!
• Do you scrap? Do you blog? Combine them with Scrapblog!

That should be enough to tide you over until tomorrow, right?

We’re off to a local lake for a picnic. Happy Sunday!

This post is from from my other blog here

Yesterday Ry and I attended the funeral of the 23 year old son of a co-worker. He had been crossing the street in a crosswalk with friends and family and was hit by a car. He was flown via air ambulance to a trauma centre and passed away there surrounded by his family. He was happy, in university persuing a degree in physics, had a beautiful girlfriend, a job. He had dreams of having a large family of his own one day. Of a great career. What more could a mother ask?

His 4 siblings and his mother and father all spoke at his funeral. It was standing room only and people were packed in right to the doors. The overflow, lobby and hallways were full. There was not a dry eye in the house. His family all read him letters that they had written to him. His father closed with “and as I signed every card I ever wrote you, your one and only Daddy.” That’s when I lost it. His mother thanked God for the privilege of being his caregiver for 23 1/2 years. As I stood at the back of the funeral home holding Ry in his carrier, swaying and bouncing, kissing his head, looking into his beautiful loving eyes, I could only cry. Cry for the parents who raised this wonderful young man and lost him. Cry for the mother who, for 23 1/2 years felt the amazing and indescribable love that I have only experienced for 4 months. Selfishly, cry out of fear that my baby will grow up and one day be hurt. I know it will happen. I hope it’s closer to a scraped knee than a car accident.

I worry. I inherited it. My mom worries. My grandma worries. I wonder if I will ever have a day in my life that I don’t spend time worrying about the people I love. Is it simply the fate of a mother? Am I wasting my time when it’s all in the hands of God or the universe or however you want to think of it? I enjoy my life immensely. I may enjoy it even more if I didn’t worry, but I can’t help it. It’s not debilitating, but it does go overboard at times when I dream of the horrible things that might have happened when someone is late or not answering the phone.
As I type this, I realize that this post doesn’t even come close to describing how I felt or, more importantly, how this family felt yesterday. I can’t put it into words. Someone more talented at writing than myself may be able to, but I have my doubts.

I do know this. You have no idea how much your mother loves you until you become one yourself. I would endure any pain or torture to save Ry from it. Without a thought. Gladly. With privilege. It wouldn’t matter what it was, how much it hurt. For him, anything. Even while pregnant I loved him immensely, but it was nothing compared to the feeling that came over me when I held him in my arms. It grows more powerful every day.
How do you describe the love of a mother?

Eternal. Physical. Overwhelming. Soul-deep. Heartbreaking. Ageless. Timeless. Undying. Passionate.
None of those words do it justice.
How do you describe the love of a mother?

I would love to hear it. If you don’t feel comfortable commenting, email me and I will compile them all anonymously into a future post. One word or an essay, it doesn’t matter. I want to know.

How do you describe the love of a mother?

(I later was informed that this post somewhat fits with a request by Her Bad Mother to write about mother love so it will be submitted there to continue it’s journey.)

This post is from from my other blog here

Ry-guy has a new favourite toy! He hasn’t had any interest in it before now, but today I got 3 loads of laundry put away while he played with it. He was SO freakin’ wired by the end, I had to nurse and rock him back to reality!

(I finally got the video embedded! The kind folks (namely, Brett Garnder, the head of marketing) at OneTrueMedia found me on Techonorati, took the time to have their engineers check it out and helped me fix it. Actually, so did a dude on the WordPress forums. Thanks, y’all!

This post is from from my other blog here

Yes, dear readers, it’s time for another session of blog pimping! Today I’d like to introduce you all to Tracey Clark at Picture This. As you’ll read, this ClubMom blog is only one of her internet homes but it’s the one where I first discovered her. She gives fantastic photography tips that anyone with a simple point and shoot camera can use to improve the quality of their photos. And you all know how I love my photos. She runs fun contests, too!

Now, the interview…
How did you name your site?

I wanted to think of something that made my blog topic obvious without being too boring. I like “Picture This” because the phrase has as open ended feel that could mean a lot of different things still including the word “picture” in it.

What/who inspired you to start blogging? How long have you been blogging?

A long time friend of mine urged me to start but it took me a while to take the plunge. I mostly started to talk mom-stuff as well as promote my books. Only a month or two after I started blogging at my personal site “Mother May I”, found at www.maypapers.blogspot.com, I saw the job posting at ClubMom. They were looking for bloggers with a unique angle. Even though I was very new on the scene, I thought I might have a chance with a photographic spin on a blog. I applied for the job and go it which was a huge surprise. It was almost putting the cart before the horse but I felt it was a great opportunity. I’ve been with ClubMom writing Picture This for a few months now but I’ve been blogging for about 8 months total.

Talk about your blog. or… What is the major theme(s) of your blog?

As the name implies, my blog is about photography. But more than that, it’s geared toward mothers. My intention is to help moms take better pictures of their kids. It’s something we all want to do. Photography is one form of documentation that helps us preserve our family’s story. It’s really important. So, if I can inspire women to use their cameras more often, have fun doing it and get results they are happy with, I consider the blog a success. I also tie in a lot about creativity and how to live in the frame of mind of seeing and recognizing the beauty in the everyday.

Do you have IRL “In Real Life” people reading your blog?

I’m not sure what you mean by this but if you mean people I know in the real world, then yes. My sister and mom read. My sister reads because she’s trying to improve her photography for a business. My mom reads because she’s my mom. And I have friends and some clients that read and some have even submitted photos when I ask for submissions. Plus, they love to see recent pix of my girls. I post plenty of those.

Are you and your blogging persona the same person?

Yes, I am very much myself when I write. And that goes for my personal blog as well. I write like I talk which is why blogging is so perfect for me.

How do you feel about self-censorship in blogging? Are there thing that you won’t write about?

Since Picture This is at ClubMom I do have to stay on the topic I was hired to write about. And I’m careful not to alienate anyone with language or subject matter. And although I’m more all over the place subject wise on my other blog, I am still careful not to turn readers off. I don’t have any trouble expressing myself and my issues as a mother and am very honest but I do watch my language usually. I don’t feel comfortable talking in depth about my husband because I know he wouldn’t appreciate that. But I say plenty about my kids and motherhood! The good, the bad and the ugly. I’m pretty candid. That’s how I am in my everyday life and that’s how I write.

Tell us all about you. What are some of your favourite things? Pet peeves? Anything else you want new readers to know?

So, you’ve probably gathered that I do a little bit of everything. I am a professional photographer (my work is at www.warmtone.com) and I’m an author (my books can be seen at www.maypapers.com), I’m a blogger (both paid http://picturethis.clubmom.com and not www.maypapers.blogspot.com) and an “Ambassador” (yes, it’s true-I also write for a great parent’s advice website called Minti at www.minti.com). I hope that if nothing else you’re impressed with my “Ambassador” status.

My biggest gripe is not having enough time to do everything I want to do. My brain is constantly in motion and I have the tendancy to get impatient and frustrated when I can’t do it all. That leads me to what I’m working on currently…how NOT to feel like I have to do it all. It’s a major shifting of gears and it’s been challenging. If anyone has any tips, please send them along.

Oh, and I’m having a Summer Photo Contest this month at Picture This so come on over and read about it. You have until Aug 24th to enter. I hope you come visit and submit your summer pictures!

Go on…Click! Check out Tracey’s place and let her know that Much More Than A Mom sent you over.
Leave a comment here first, though, okay?

(Click this small button to see this and all previous Sites o’ the Week).If you would like to be featured as my Site o’ the Week or if you’d like to suggest someone for me to feature, send me and email at muchmorethanamom [at] gmail [dot] com.

This post is from from my other blog here

The BG got up with Ry this morning and let me sleep in. Until 10:30! I haven’t done that in years! Once we finally got all showered and fed, we took off to Waterton for some walking and dinner. It was SO relaxing. It’s one of those places that never loses it’s appeal. Both of us let out a big sigh as we got out of the van in the park and felt our shoulders drop 3 inches. It was also the first day in over a week that my back didn’t hurt. It was well worth the 2 hour drive to get there. We spent some time at the lake, in the townsite and at the waterfall followed by a delicious dinner at our favourite little restaurant and an ice cream cone by the lake.

Here’s a small glimpse of our beautiful Sunday…

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Don’t forget to tell me why your significant other rules and to update your bookmarks!

This post is from from my other blog here

I’m going to attempt to teach Ry to say “Daddy rules” once he can talk. It’s really important to me that he know how much I love his dad and how much his dad loves us. Here’s the first installment of…

Why Daddy Rules

1. He took a whole month off of work when Ry-guy was born so that he could help me and get to know him. He didn’t want to miss out on anything.
2. He loves our animals and has a soft spot for all living things.
3. He still cleans the litter box even though I’m no longer pregnant.
4. When he gets home from work, he drops to the floor to greet our puppies and gives both Ry & I a hug & a kiss before doing anything else, and he always tells us how much he missed us.
5. He cleans the kitchen almost every night so I don’t have to cook and clean.
6. He is extremely safety conscious for both himself and all of us, including the animals.
7. He sold his RRSP’s to buy my engagement ring so we wouldn’t have to wait until he graduated to get married. It was a complete surprise.
8. He makes a mean cup of coffee.
9. He gets me water when I’m nursing so I don’t get dehydrated and he doesn’t complain - even when I ask for water right after he sat down.
10. He spends quality time every day in an animated vowel exchange with Ry-guy. I love watching them together.

I think I’ll stick to ten at a time so as not to overwhelm the internet with daddy-greatness.



So, tell me, why does your children’s daddy rule?  Or your husband or significant other?

This post is from from my other blog here

It’s been one year (and three days - give me a break - I was away) since we found out we were expecting and started this blog! Check out my very first post. We’ve come a long way, baby. I can’t believe I’ve been blogging about nothing for a whole year. It’s kind of like Seinfeld. Often it’s about nothing, and yet you keep coming back. Thank goodness there are pictures of my cute baby to fool you into thinking there’s content here!
In honour of this special blog-iversary, and also just because it happened to be completed at the right time, I have a new theme! The very talented Chelle, of Crazy Thoughts fame, custom built this beautiful theme from the ground up just for me! The header graphic is a pic of the apple blossoms in our back yard this past May that I revealed here and which inspired her title for this theme - Apple Blossoms. Didn’t she do a great job? I think you should take a moment to pop over to her place to let her know you love it. You know you do.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Okay, good. You’re back.

Now I have another favour to ask of you. Or maybe four. I don’t ask much, do I?

1. If you haven’t already, please update your bookmarks/blogrolls to the link http://www.muchmorethanamom.com/. The old link will be dead soon.
2. Change the title in your blogrolls to Much More Than A Mom to do away with any reference to our old titles and names. This time, we’re here to stay!
3. Check your link in my blogroll if it’s there and let me know if there are any mistakes or changes you’d like me to make.
4. If your link is not there, please let me know if you add me to your blogroll so that I can return the favour. Mine is horribly out of date but it’s one of my current projects and I promise to get it done soon. It’s more likely to get done if I keep getting reminders about people adding me to theirs. The good old Catholic guilt gets me every time. I really do read you all regularly but I have a tab folder in my browser that is far more up to date than my blogroll.

My calendar is a day behind so my posts are a bit off-time but I’m working on it with BlueHost. We switched to them from our own server because of high traffic volume and they’re fantastic so far. Very affordable with great tech support, a super stats package and more.
We’re taking Ry-guy on his first hiking trip tomorrow so I took down today’s earlier post and it will be up tomorrow to entertain you in my absence. Happy weekend! What are your plans?

This post is from from my other blog here

I’m back from my parents’ place and with my husband again!

I came home to a big surprise…

He bought me www.muchmorethanamom.com !!!!!

Please update your bookmarks asap because the old one will be buried in a happy place.

We’ve updated to Wordpress 2.0.4 so watch for the new theme coming soon.

and…our phone is broken so anyone trying to reach me call my cell or email me, please!

Update: The phone line was fixed Saturday and it was free of charge (hooray!) because the problem was in the lines -

If you tried to call us in the last 4 days, please call again because we don’t know you called.

Feel free to call us at home now.

Unless we don’t know you. In which case, ummm, screw off?

This post is from from my other blog here

Ry-guy crawled backward this week!
He can move forward too, but it’s more of a face-skid. He pushes with his feet and slides across his blanket on his face.
My parents’ neighbour made him a beautiful quilt and he (and the dogs and cat so it’s really clean) have spent lots of time crawling around all over it.
I got down to eye level and caught some great shots of him. Here’s a collage I made using flickrtoys. It’s my new addiction. Thanks to chelle for the link. (PS - Go check out her news today!!)

It’s the time of year when I would normally be in my classroom 10 hours a day getting ready for September. I don’t miss it. I have my own teaching and learning to do with my little man. Here are some shots of early literacy at it’s best…

We have had lots of teeting action in the past week. After working up to 11 3/4 hours of sleep at night, last night he went to bed at 10:15, woke up screaming at midnight, nursed back to sleep and then was up at 6:15 am swimming in a puddle of drool. Which, incidentally, is what I did yesterday while at the hospital with my dad. Swam in drool, I mean. He was soaked.all.day. I got this great little vibrating star thingy for him to chew on and he rather enjoys it. It has one drawback, however. He happily chews on it for a minute or two and then, when he pulls it out it is followed by a waterfall of drool that I am never prepared for. Ahh, the joys.

This post is from from my other blog here

I guarantee that you’ll LOVE Deb at A Simple Country Girl’s Dream. She’s an extremely talented (and published!) writer and you’ll enjoy her just for that, but I think you’ll like her personality even more. She’s a sweet, caring woman who I would love to have for a real life friend or neighbour. I just wish she didn’t live so far away so we could do coffee this afternoon…

Without further ado, I give you…Deb!

How did you name your site?

I grew up in the country, the “sticks” so to speak, where every day was filled with some kind of adversity; but you found some way to overcome the problem, and walked away with your morals and honor intact. No matter how busy you were, you still had time for friends and family. When I began my writing career, I didn’t know when or if it would take off. I decided no matter what, I would stick to my “country roots,” snd always be “A Simple Country Girl.”

What inspired you to start blogging?

Orginally, I started the blog as publicity for my story in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul, but became addicted to reading other people’s blogs. I enjoy “talking” to people through the comments, and enjoy the warmth and comradery of the blogging world.

What is the major theme(s) of your blog?

Humor, parenting, and writing.

Do you have IRL “In Real Life” people reading your blog? How do you feel about self-censorship in blogging?

Not that I know of; just the wonderful people on my blogroll. It’s really a judgement call. You have to determine how much info to divulge; it’s your blog, you have the right to say what you want, but it’s nesscessary to consider the feelings and beliefs of others.

Tell us all about you. What are some of your favourite things? Pet peeves? Anything else you want new readers to know?

Favorite things:
1. watching old movies on a cold, rainy wintery day while snuggling on the couch and sipping coffee (or tea)
2. anything having to do with the outdoors (riding my horse, hiking, working in the garden, cycling, ect.)
3. spending time with friends and family
4. baking and making homemade goodies such as biscotti and pasta
5. getting into mischief and picking on my poor innocent children

Pet Peeves: (It usually takes a lot to tick me off, but here are a few things that get under my skin.)
1. I’m usually a pretty puctual person; it irritates me to no end if I have to wait for someone who’s running more than 10 minutes late.
2. People who think it’s “[their] way or the highway”. They’re so small minded have their own beliefs and opinions and refuse to listen to others.
3. Internet piracy–A story I wrote was used last year without my permission. I was so angry, and felt so violated.
4. Abusers and molestors–They better thank their lucky stars I’m not the judge who passes sentence on them.

Go on…Click! Go pay Deb a visit and let her know you’re there via Much More Than A Mom.

Leave a comment here first, though, okay? I’d miss you if you didn’t.

Wouldn’t this be a great day to de-lurk?

(Click this small button to see this and all previous Sites o’ the Week).

If you would like to be featured as my Site o’ the Week, send me and email at muchmorethanamom [at] gmail [dot] com.