Parenting Sites 411

At the BlogHer 07 conference in Chicago, I learned a lot about a website called FiveMoms.com. Perhaps you’ve heard of them too. It’s a collection of five mothers, all from pretty different backgrounds, who have one unfortunate thing in common. They all have children who have gotten in deep with cough medicine. No, not to make meth as the news media would have you believing. Just cough medicine itself. According to the website, over 2 million teenagers in the last year have used cough medicine as a way to get high.

The idea for action is easy and genius: one parent reads the website, learns about the dangers, warning signs, treatments, etc and then in turn educates five other parents with what they now know. And, thanks to the website, sharing the information is as easy as the click of a mouse. The website itself is well laid out and easy to read and understand. And it is a perfect example of how just a few people can change their world. They will even send you a gorgeous and well-appointed manicure set just for helping them spread the word.

Really, what do you have to lose? You (and your friends and family) could have everything to gain.

Yesterday I was wearing green shorts and a navy shirt. Today I am wearing navy shorts and a green shirt. Yeah, my wardrobe is exciting. Ever since I started staying home I think I have made a real effort to shower and dress almost everyday. I told my BFF last week that I allow myself one PJ day a week and that usually falls on Thursday for some reason.

Well, dressing efforts aside, I am aware of the fact that Spring is invading on Winter’s territory and we are seeing warmer and warmer days here in Chattanooga. Yesterday I kept the doors open all day, letting the sunshine fill the house and Fuller run in and out as he pleased. As I said, I was wearing shorts. Fuller was wearing corduroy pants. A bit different in the seasonal wear, for sure.

One of the activities that I hate is the swapping of the clothes each fall and spring. We don’t have enough room to keep all the clothing out all year, so it becomes a big thing to take out all the clothes, go into the attic, bring down the next seasons clothes, and then put away the old clothes, put them back into the attic, and then make sure all the clothes get into the correct drawers. I hate this ritual with a passion that usually ends up with clothes piled around the house for days. I procrastinate a bit, yes.
(more…)

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of the last day at my job. So that makes today as the one month anniversary of me being a full time stay at home mom. I’m the type of person who gets a bit retrospective when these kinds of anniversaries crop up (I was a wreck before my 30th birthday).

This past month has been… well, I don’t think one word can summarize that month that I have had. I accomplished a few projects, I nursed a sick child for one week, I did umpteen loads of laundry, and I started shopping for a new couch.

Unfortunately for me, I have a hard time looking at everything good that happened (item number one: spent more time with my son!) and I look around and see everything that I haven’t accomplished. There is a chaos of papers on my buffet, the computer desk is a wreck, and I can’t seem to get a handle on keeping a clean kitchen. I’m getting better at actually cooking dinner and getting it on the table soon after my husband comes home (it helps when he IMs me to tell me he is on his way), but I feel like this uneasy sense of dread just trying to figure out what the family will actually eat for dinner.

There is also a phrase that I dread my husband saying to me at some point during this SAHM career- “What do you do all day?” I feel like most of my time needs to be accounted in some way. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with figuring out the blogging and home life balance. And I need to pay attention to what I actually do all day.

Time management applies to all walks of life- the high powered executive on the 10th floor of some corporation to the bus driver who keeps his/ her route running on time. I keep thinking that I need some time management skills refresher course to keep track and accomplish what needs to be accomplished.

That is where Mommy Track’d comes in. I love this site because it has so many helpful resources on keeping the sanity.The site originated as a site specifically for women who remain in the workforce after children enter their lives. But really, I see it as a site for all parents who are struggling to keep it together.

There are articles on hot topics (I love this article on kids and the TV) and a survival guide featuring articles ranging from organization to making meals quickly. There is a great section dedicated to recommending topical books (for parents and kids). Mommy Track’d also features message boards where parents can come together to share their frustrations, advice, and support for one another.

The In the Spotlight feature might be my favorite feature. I really enjoy reading interviews of other people and seeing their solutions for their lives.

Today I plan on taking time to actually list out what I want to accomplish and seeing if I can at least move some of the filing to the actual file cabinet. And then on our todo list is more finger painting.

Happy One Month of SAHM to me!