May 2012
25 posts
8 tags
Recipe: Snowflakes in Summer
Written by GWEN
I’m not very neat (as Think Tidy can attest to). I’m organized, but in my own special, unorganized way. Erica, for one, might like to bring up the tornado that hits her guest room when I go to stay with her. (To which I might scoff, “5 minutes late? Try 20!” in response to her post this week.)
I wouldn’t be your first port of call to help out with...
7 tags
Positive Birth: from The Netherlands
guest written by Nicolien Sloot-Beekhof
Giving birth in Holland isn’t easy. I’ve been looking for positive stories but they’re hard to find. Most women don’t like to talk about their birth story, focusing instead on the positive result of it: their child. I wonder why most women in Holland are so negative about this life-changing and wonderful experience, so I have been searching for some...
7 tags
Mommy Intern Wanted
written by STEPHANIE
Just last night, while biting his nailbeds and anxiously responding to emails, my husband said, “I don’t have time anymore for everything. I need to hire an intern.” Which got me thinking that I need to hire an intern too! So, I hit up Craigslist and posted my first ad for a Mommy Intern. Think anyone will bite?
While I know it requires a little extra...
8 tags
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
Written by ERICA
I’d consider myself to be a pretty levelheaded person and generally speaking, I don’t sweat the small stuff. Unless you count frozen yogurt stores closing unexpectedly to be “small stuff”…which I don’t. Everyone needs their go-to fro yo joint! Anyway, before I had Owen it was a different story. Not that I was ever an emotionally charged psycho-pants who freaked out if someone cut...
10 tags
Orchestrating Family Memories
Written by BROOKE
Making memories…
What makes a family memory? What are the things my kids will remember 20 years from now? Do they happen spontaneously? Are memories just “made”? Or as parents, is it our job to “orchestrate” them?
I think it’s a mixture of both. I think that some memories happen spontaneously. I can still remember dragging my baby sister around the house in an empty...
8 tags
The Popular Girls
Written by GWEN
I don’t know about you, but when I was in high school I couldn’t wait to graduate and move on from all the cliques and popularity contests! I mean, not that I was a loser… but I wasn’t a cheerleader either. A LOT OF MY FRIENDS WERE CHEERLEADERS. I SWEAR! Moving on. Unfortunately, when I got to college, I realized it was exactly the same. There were...
8 tags
RECIPE: Eat Your Greens
Written by ERICA
I’ve always been a healthy eater. Well, maybe healthy isn’t the right word, and maybe always isn’t appropriate either. When I was younger I’m pretty sure I ate about 2 bagels with cream cheese a day and saw nothing wrong with downing a massive bag of gummy candy before dinner. (And yes, I still do the latter.) So I guess a more accurate statement would be that in my adult life...
7 tags
I Need a Vacation from Vacation
Written by STEPHANIE
Aloha, folks. I’m in Hawaii and, from what people keep telling me, I’m on vacation. Typically, I get on the airplane and all my worries and stresses are left behind on the tarmac as I climb higher and higher into the sky. They all look so tiny, so silly, so very far away. With a drink in one hand and an US Weekly in the other, I relax quite easily and the...
10 tags
My Proudest Mom Moments
Written by ERICA
In the past, I’ve shared plenty of moments that I am NOT proud of as a mom. I’ve happily dished on things I’ve done that maybe I’m a little embarrassed about. I’ve talked about crapping myself during childbirth (3 times!), eating my son’s chewed up food, about my irrational fear of birds, my dependence on stretch pants, and my potty mouth. I would happily shout “I SUCKED AT...
11 tags
Morning Routines with a Preschooler
Written by BROOKE
I’m not much of a routine person. I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person. I always have been. But there’s one thing I’ve learned as a mom and it is that in certain cases, a routine can really help with the screaming, whining, cajoling, begging and punishing that starts to happen when you have to be out the door at a certain time.
For the first half of this year...
8 tags
Selective Memory: A Mother's Gift to Herself
Written by GWEN
After I had Izzy, everyone told me I would forget the pain of giving birth and eventually I would feel ready to have another one. I think that advice really holds true for most things with kids, not just birth. Somehow I can imagine having another baby now, even though in addition to the actual birth, the sleepless nights and year of lop-sided boobs definitely made me feel like...
8 tags
Giveaway: Kidville Brentwood Grand Opening
Poopsie is pleased to be offering a giveaway, courtesy of Kidville Brentwood: One lucky winner will be awarded one FREE semester at Kidville!
To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us which Kidville class you are most excited to check-out. Please include your email address. Entries will be accepted through the end of day Wednesday, May 30th. Winner will be drawn at random and notified...
11 tags
This Was My Life Before You
written by STEPHANIE
Confession: I am completely in love with Lena Dunham’s HBO sitcom, GIRLS. I find myself laughing almost start to finish, and proclaim several times every show, “She is SO good!” My husband giggles throughout, but admits that he likes it better because I love it so damn much. At the end of the first episode he asked, “So, does she write girls...
7 tags
Super Mom or Super Over-Booked?
Written by ERICA
Confession #1 of the day: I am writing this post—a post that will be published on Monday at 1am EST—at 9pm on Mother’s Day (Sunday). It is totally unlike me to leave something to the last minute like this. And as I just informed my hubby of my current situation, he looked at me with the same shock and disappointment that my parents used to display when I was...
10 tags
The Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift
Written by BROOKE
Where I’ll be celebrating mother’s day…
When your kids are too young to really get it, the task of the perfect Mother’s Day gift falls to Dad. But what IS the perfect gift? Something practical? You are, after all, a MOM. Something sentimental? Or something totally indulgent? Maybe something that reminds you that you are, actually, MORE than a mother. A...
7 tags
The Terrible Twos Come Early?
Written by GWEN
Sometimes I read Brooke’s posts about tantrums and grocery store scenes and I get really, really scared. (No offense Brooke!) But I wonder how I will handle it and, of course, deep down think, my Izzy will NEVER throw tantrums. And yet, at 17 months, it has already started. They’re not full fledged yet and don’t include any I HATE YOU MOMs, since he has a pretty...
4 tags
A Poopsie Giveaway: Mother’s Day Jewels!
We love you, Loyal Reader. We love you so much that we are GIVING you jewelry. One lucky reader will win a set of amazingly gorgeous jewels from Amanda Rudey Jewelry Designs, retail value of $395!
Hold your applause, but go ahead and squeal. It’s exciting, we know! All you have to do is post a teeny-tiny-itty-bitty-little comment below, telling us your favorite Mother’s Day memory....
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Happy Mother's Day, From the Poopsie Team
One of the more awesome Mother’s Day cards any of us have received to date…
In honor of Mother’s Day, and all that us moms do on a daily basis, we want to give a quick shout out to the husbands and fathers who have made us feel special when we need it most. Sometimes it’s not the grand gifts (though we like those too) or the big gestures that make us smile, it’s...
9 tags
Recipe: The Easiest Tomato Sauce in the World
written by STEPHANIE
3 ingredients and 5 minutes of active prep (45 minutes cooking time) are all you need to make the easiest tomato sauce in the world, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. It’s a staple in our household because it’s so freakin’ easy and it freezes well for those last minute weeknight dinners when my husband and I look at each other and ask, “What are we going...
8 tags
Have I Become a Gross Mom?
Written by ERICA
First off, let me clarify why I mean by “gross” because it’s not what you might think. I don’t mean frumpy or sloppy. I may wear leggings-as-pants as my daily wardrobe, but somehow I think—I hope—I manage to make myself look somewhat put together despite my loyalty to spandex. And while there are definitely times I look in the mirror and see wrinkles/grey hairs/under-eye circles...
10 tags
Maternity Wardrobe on a Budget
Written by BROOKE
Pregnancy. Round four. Yep, four pregnancies in less than 6 years. And they all had different requirements when it came to clothes.
Pregnancies 1 and 2 (first, our twins who passed away, second Zach)—I was working full time. This meant slacks, blouses, dresses and skirts. I couldn’t be that teacher who wore the same outfit every three days. I felt my only option was to...
8 tags
The Family Unit: The Good, The Bad & The Sickly
Written by GWEN
I have a friend who’s a pediatrician. That’s it. Just wanted to brag a little.
Anyway, we had dinner the other night and I asked her if there was anything to be worried about since Izzy seems to be chronically sick with a cough and runny nose. She asked me for his symptoms, like a responsible doctor, and then simply said it was normal and to get used to it. Since...
15 tags
Fitness: My Postnatal Yoga Experience
guest written by Jessica James of www.solpoweryoga.com
As a yoga teacher I was considered successful. I taught privates exclusively, had celebrity clients and was booked months in advance, yet I secretly felt a little like a fraud. Almost like my success as a teacher came faster than my practice could support, because I hadn’t mastered the handstand. I felt that if I were to teach and...
11 tags
A Poopsie Giveaway: Mother’s Day Jewels!
The most special day of the year is almost upon us. And no, we’re not talking about Cinco de Mayo (though a good margarita goes a long way after the 10th diaper change of the day). We’re talking about the upcoming day when all of us moms finally get the rest, pampering, love and attention we deserve…at least in theory. It’s almost Mother’s Day!
So this year, treat yourself (and your friends, and...
10 tags
Toddler Solutions: Snack Trays for Mealtime
written by STEPHANIE
You might recall from last week’s post that I have a finicky eater in my household. After Activities for Toddlers: Sorting my daughter became obsessed with having her snack from the mini-muffin tin. As I was getting her lunch ready yesterday, she held up the tin and pointed to the food I was prepping. I obliged, filling each of the twelve spots with something bite...
April 2012
21 posts
8 tags
Look Who's Talking!
Written by Erica
So it’s happened. Well, it’s been happening for a while, but I think it is now fair to say that Owen is officially talking. I can’t remember exactly when it started, so we can add this to the list of milestones that I will never be able to accurately recall along with the first time he smiled, first time he crawled and his real first meal. For someone who has...
6 tags
Chick-Fil-A: A Pregnancy Love Affair
written by BROOKE
Ok seriously? Am I writing a post about this? I have already confessed my love for my minivan, my Diet Coke, and Rubio’s so let me add one more embarrassing one to the list, lest you start to think I have only a few vices.
When I’m pregnant, especially in the first trimester, cooking is hard. I find that once I’ve cooked something myself I usually can’t eat...
6 tags
Recipe: Roasted Lemon Garlic Herb Shrimp
Written by GWEN
Today I received an email from one of my FAVE fellow yummy mummies - a mother of twin girls. She is an AMAZING chef and I trust her on everything to do with food, babies and most things really!
ENJOY… a la Natalia.
ROASTED LEMON GARLIC HERB SHRIMP
Source: Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yields:...
9 tags
Positive Birth: What Really Happens in a Water...
Guest Written by Jennifer Prinzing
I grew up with positive birth stories. Two, to be exact. Every year on our birthdays, my mom tells my brother and I the story of how we were born. It’s fun and exciting to hear year after year, but as a child the story was all about *me.* How *I* came into the world. I hadn’t given much thought to my mom’s perspective. As I’ve gotten...
8 tags
Sibling Rivalry: Some Things Never Mature
written by STEPHANIE
At Marlowe’s 18 month check-up last week, the pediatrician liberated me. She said, “It’s not up to you to get the food in her anymore, it’s only your responsibility to give her healthy options.” With that statement, the weight of those unending hours spent nursing, pumping, pureeing, planning, coaxing, tricking and bargaining was lifted from my...
13 tags
This Stubborn Mom Seeks Help
Written by ERICA
There are some (ok, fine, MANY) aspects of pregnancy and motherhood that are absolutely terrifying. The obvious: childbirth, your/the baby’s health, the potential pain, the exhaustion, and the unknown. And the less obvious: picking a name, figuring out how to remove poop stains from clothes, keeping your kids entertained at all times and selecting baby gear. The bad news is that...
8 tags
When Should They Stop Seeing ME Naked?
Written by BROOKE
On the heels of Erica’s nudity clause for our kids, comes a discussion I recently had at, of all things, a baby shower.
It started when I ran into a girlfriend one day at Wal-Mart. I love running into friends at Wal Mart because it takes away some of the shame, like ahh, I’m not the only one! Anyway, my girlfriend tells me she’s glad she ran in to me because she has a...
8 tags
Making Sure I'm Me...a Mom...and Also Well-Dressed
Written by GWEN
Last week my Mister expressed concern to me that I may be unhappy or depressed. His biggest indicator: that I haven’t been shopping in a while.
Challenge extended?
Challenge accepted.
After a MAJOR shopping spree last Friday, I did begin to reflect on what he could be talking about. Besides the lack of shopping, he said I seemed to wear the same clothes quite a bit, and...
8 tags
Video: Rammstein Sonne by Children Medieval Band
Do you think your kid is musically gifted? Check out this sibling trio, ages 5, 8 and 10, rocking out with a solid rendition of Rammstein’s Sonne, via Dangerous Minds.
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The Best Laid Plans of Moms and Tots Often Go...
written by STEPHANIE
When I woke up with death-breath, feeling like I’d been punched in the stomach by a pack of hooligans, I should have known it wasn’t going to be my day. My husband was off with friends for cicLAvia, an event in LA where 10 miles of streets are closed to cars and open only for bikes and pedestrians, and I was solo with the munchkin on this sunny, lovely past...
14 tags
Developmental Phases: When Is It Time To…
Written by ERICA
Recently I looked at my baby boy as he legit said “I WUV YOU” and hugged me, and I realized, holy crapola, this is no baby. Owen is a BIG BOY. He is growing up, and fast.
I mean, I’ve known it’s happening all along; it’s not like I was expecting to birth a 5 lb nugget and have him stay that way forever. That would be creepy. The fact that Owen is growing and developing...
9 tags
Positive Birth: A Mirror, an Audience & a Spritzer
Written by BROOKE
When the Poopsie writers decided we’d like to run a series on our positive birth experiences, I had a hard time deciding which of my births I wanted to talk about. My first experience giving birth was to my stillborn twins. While their birth is something I hold completely sacred and was a special experience, it doesn’t fall into the “encourage other moms with our positive birth...
12 tags
Guilty Or Not Guilty: The Sentence of a Working...
Written by GWEN
When I was first starting out in PR, I worked for an amazing fashion house and had an AMAZING boss! She was gorgeous, successful and had a beautiful family with two daughters. But I remember my colleagues sometimes telling me how guilty my boss said she felt for working so much and being away from her kids. At the time, I didn’t really understand. I thought it was simple....
8 tags
Recipe: Thai Chicken Curry
written by STEPHANIE
I love asking friends for their weekly dinner go-to’s. It’s the best way to get new ideas for dinner solutions that are simple and yummy. This recipe came from my friend, Jacqui, and it has become a weekly staple. It makes a large batch with lots of leftovers, which I portion out for lunches and save in the freezer. Plus, it’s fool-proof!
Ingredients:
-...
8 tags
Passover and The Four Sons: Which Would You Want?
written by STEPHANIE
For those of you who aren’t down with the Jew Crew, Passover started this weekend. I’m hardly devout, so forgive the vague explanation that follows… During Passover, there is a ceremonial dinner called a Seder. The order of the courses, the foods that are eaten, and the prayers and discussions between each course, follow a specific and sacred order, which by...
13 tags
Raising a Nice Boy, Not an A$$hole
Written by ERICA
When I first found out I was pregnant, it didn’t dawn on me that I might have a boy. I am one of two girls, I have two adorable nieces, and for a short period of time most of my friends were welcoming baby girls. And while I had a hard time picturing myself surrounded by pink, ballerinas and baby dolls, I had an equally hard time imagining myself with a baby boy. I guess the...
14 tags
How the Cash (Envelope) Budget Helped My Marriage
Written by BROOKE
When I began dating my husband and found out he was a tax accountant I’ll admit to being both happy and wary. Happy because I had dated a number of guys without a lot of career prospects and hey, this guy had a Master’s degree and a real job (as my brother said when I called about him, “He’s bona fide”). I was wary though because I was not really known for being good with...
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Motherhood Confession: What if I Didn't Have a...
Written by GWEN
Ummm, let me start by admitting that I’m not proud of what I’m about to say, but I am hoping some of you can at least empathize. Lately, just sometimes, in certain situations that is… I find myself wondering what I might be doing differently if I didn’t have a baby. I know that’s AWFUL and I’m probably going straight to hell for even thinking...
6 tags
The "Burdens" of Motherhood
guest written by Katelyn Hunt
“Children are a burden to a mother, but not the way a heavy box is to a mule. Our children weigh hard on my heart, and thinking about them growing up honest and healthy, or just living to grow up at all, makes a load in my chest that is bigger than the safe at the bank, and more valuable to me than all the gold inside it.”
-These is My Words Author:...
16 tags
Homemade Frozen Yogurt Drops
written by STEPHANIE
My daughter LOVES yogurt drops. We call it: The Baby Crack. Pirate’s Booty also gets called The Baby Crack. As it turns out, Pirate’s Booty is also The Mom & Dad Crack. It’s so good! Anyway, out at breakfast one morning I spread some yogurt drops on the table to keep Marlowe quiet while we waited for our food, when the waitress passed and told me that...
10 tags
Positive Birth: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way...
Written by ERICA
When people describe the birth of their children a lot of different adjectives come to mind… some say it was scary, some say amazing, others claim it was empowering; some say it was emotional, or terrifying, or intense… and I can totally relate to some of those words. It was emotional. And it really was amazing. But it was also totally, and completely hysterical. That’s right,...
March 2012
22 posts
7 tags
Book Review: "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by...
Written by BROOKE
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua
I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book if it hadn’t been a choice of my book club, but I’m really glad I did. This book had garnered a lot of negative publicity and I didn’t really have the desire to have a strict Chinese mother preaching about how her brand of parenting was the best. That couldn’t have been farther from what...
10 tags
Positive Birth: London Style
Written by GWEN
When I think back on Izzy’s birth, it’s all a bit surreal. I didn’t have that overwhelming feeling of LOVE immediately. I didn’t cry. There was relief. There was fear. There was a lot of HOLY SH*T!
So where do I begin? First of all, I was an American (still am, as it turns out) having a baby in London. They do things differently here. Most people go...
9 tags
Dinner Solutions: Easy Quiche Recipe
written by STEPHANIE
Bacon, mushroom and leek quiche.
Quiche has been in my repertoire for a long time. Beginning way back when I was a vegetarian, I made my first quiche for Thanksgiving as my turkey-substitute entree. Ever since, it has been a staple because it is simple, requires few ingredients, is ready to eat in under 45 minutes (start to finish), and makes EXCELLENT leftovers. This past...
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Simplify Series: Yoga Lessons are Life Lessons
written by STEPHANIE
My biggest challenge these days is finding balance. I obsess over not having enough time to do all the things I need and want to, lacking space in my life for myself, not feeling in-control of my time and my space as I once was, and I obsess most over my ever-changing roles as a woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. There never seems to be enough to go around, yet...