DC Metro Moms

A Weak Defense of February

I think T.S. Eliot had it wrong - February is the cruelest month.

I've never been a fan of February. Back in high school, the seniors published an insert to the newspaper at the end of the year entitled "Obsessions and Repulsions" where they could each list what they loved and hated. Under "Repulsions", my list started out something like this: "February, winter, cold, darkness, stress, grey, snow, ice, sleet, short days, etc...". In the intervening years, my feelings toward the year's second month haven't really improved.

A Snow Day For This?

As a teacher I'm pretty used to having snow days (ie: days off from work in the wintertime). It's pretty standard in this area. An inch or so of snow and the schools shut down. But not this past Tuesday. It was a teacher workday and us teachers were sent in. I wasn't too happy. I couldn't believe we were being Forced To Go To Work While It Was Snowing.

On the drive in I had plenty of time to ponder my emotions. After all, my 20 minute drive became an hour long. Seeing all the other cars on the road made me realize how many people still go to work when there is snow. It's just the schools that shut down. But not the rest of the world. Stores are still open. Doctors are still open. Offices are still open. And my New England blood kicked in. This was nothing. Big deal. Suck it up and get to work.

There's a lot of Internet and media talk over President Obamas recent opinion on schools closing this week. He was quoted as saying,

"Can I make a comment that is unrelated to the economy very quickly?" the new president told reporters at a gathering with business leaders. "And it has to do with Washington. My children's school was canceled today. Because of, what? Some ice?....As my children pointed out, in Chicago, school is never canceled," Obama said to laughter. "In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you'd go outside for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors. So, I don't know. We're going to have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness."

It's Snow Day Off For a Mom

It's a snow day here in the Washington, DC area.  It started yesterday morning, gradually building up to an accumulation of several inches by day's end.  Overnight, it sleeted and the temperature dropped further, so today's weather has us contending with treacherous frozen streets and sidewalks.  It's one of those "don't go out if you don't have to, hope you stocked up on bread, milk and toilet paper" kind of days here in DC that closes down schools and causes fender benders all over the place.  In another words, "yay, a snow day!"

Only thing is, I really hate snow days.  I know... I must be the only person in the world who feels this way.  It's practically un-American to think this way-- by this logic, I must also hate kittens and apple pie, too.  But ever since I became a mom, snow days have held little appeal for me. 

Sick Snow Day

The Washington area had its first taste of measureable snow this week, an event looked upon with dread and excitement to those of us who live here - excitement, because the city is truly beautiful in the snow, but dread because absolutely no agencies have a clue how to deal with it, and never have. This year we got only about an inch of snow before the ice and wintery mix kicked in, but that would have been enough to enjoy it - a little bit of sledding, a little bit of snowballing, a teeny little snowman or two before coming back in to our cozy warm house for hot chocolate and baking. But our family did no such thing, because our kids had sick snow days.

When Sick Isn't Sick

I got pulled out of a meeting recently with the note from my secretary every working mom dreads.  "Call Michael's school ASAP.  He is sick."  They had called my cell phone, which I left stupidly on my desk, and my work phone, and luckily called my secretary's number which is on my voice mail.  I ran out of the meeting, and before I even called the school, started packing up my office.  Laptop, check, work to bring home, check.

"Michael has a cold and is really whiney.  I think you should get him," the school secretary told me.

So I did.  Except when I got there he was smiling and happy and was acting like nothing was the matter.  He wanted to stay at school for lunch.  He wanted me to sit with him.  He wanted me to listen to the book the teacher was reading.  A cold?  I got called out of work for a cold?

It's getting flaky

Old Man Winter finally came through.  On Tuesday, the Washington area got its first measurable snowfall in over a year.  The usual chaos ensued as some school districts closed (yes, for an INCH of snow) and others (like mine) sent kids to school, only to decide 90 minutes later that they were going to close two hours early, setting off a blizzard of emails, text messages and phone calls as parents around the area scrambled to get home or try to find a place for their kids to go.

When it comes to snow, we are not hearty folk here in D.C.  And the first storm of the year is the worst.  Despite the forecasts, I saw nary a salt or sand truck early in the morning.  Cars were sliding all over the place.  (By the time I picked my kids up 2 hours early however, the roads were clear.  But that's how we roll here in the D.C. area.)

The kids were beyond thrilled.  And I have to confess to a little sense of excitement as well, seeing those white flakes come swirling out of the sky and coating the frozen ground like frosting.  The sleds were already parked by the front door, as my 6-year old has been sledding on bare grass for weeks, all but giving up on Mother Nature.

The "Not Obama Dolls": A Hard Lesson in Marketing

It never ceases to amaze me how major companies get themselves into trouble by making mistakes that, one would think, are easily avoidable. It all goes back to basic principle that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. The case du jour is the fatal faux pas that toy company Ty made in creating dolls in the (not-so) likeness of the Obama girls. Clearly done as a ploy to capitalize on the popularity of the newly-crowned First Daughters, the company recently released the "Marvelous Malia" and "Sweet Sasha" dolls as part of their Ty Girlz collection of plush dolls - and get this - without even bothering to request permission from the Obama family. Um, hello? Anyone home at Ty? Did you think the Obamas would not notice?

Parenting Through Grief

Like all mothers, I've faced many challenges --  working full-time, pumping breastmilk, finding childcare, subsequent pregnancies, night terrors, potty training (two down, one to go!) -- but by far the biggest challenge I've dealt with so far is parenting while I grieve. In the nearly four months since the death of my mother, I've experienced some of the worst, guilt-inducing moments as a mom.

Let's see, there's the string of mornings I slept through my alarm (after falling asleep at 4 or 5 in the morning) only to discover my first grader had made himself breakfast, changed, put on his outerwear and was patiently waiting by the door and calling my name so I could escort him to the bus. Then there's the parent-teacher conference I flaked on and had to reschedule ... and the lunch I left in the refrigerator and had to drive back to my daughter's preschool ... and the beds that haven't been made or dishes washed or meals prepared ... and the completely spontaneous crying fits (mine, not theirs).

I'm definitely not going to win a mother of the year award any time soon, and that's OK. I'm what Hope Edelman coined a "motherless mother" now, and I have to allow myself to grieve -- even in front of my three kids.

Porn Bailout

Cross posted from our sister site, Rocky Mountain Moms Blog.....

The porn industry, spearheaded by Hustler multi-billionaire Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis, have submitted a bailout request to Congress.  The reason?  Internet sex sites and the downturn in the economy have hurt hands-on porn.  At only a measly $5 billion, the bailout would help the whole American nation, according to Flynt.  Larry boy said, "People are too depressed to be sexually active. This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex."  Oh, I think I heard that line as a teenager.

CLICK HERE to continue reading on Rocky Mountain Moms Blog......

An Unexpected Shopping Afternoon!

I just found myself in a situation I haven’t been in for 5 years, since my son was born.  I had an afternoon to myself, and was basically told, in a nice way by my sick husband- not to come home.

Our Little Man had just left for my parents for a ‘Pajama Party’; yep, we have both sets of grandparents in-town: so we get sleepovers!  Yey… fun for our Little Guy and fun for us!

My Big Guy had to go into work for a little while and I had my list of ‘things-to-do’ done (don’t freak out, we have 1 child, I’m organized, but not SuperMommy), so I grabbed gift cards that I got for Christmas and set out for the mall…