I swear, she's never seen "Leave it to Beaver"

But maybe we've been watching Martha Stewart too much? Possibly?

----------

In other domestic news, I've got a new review of the Sylvania PalPODzzz LED nightlight over at May We Recommend for PBN. Don't let the name of the product scare you off. Boo!

(Get it? Nightlight? Scary monsters? Oh forget it, it's too early for any good jokes.)

Because the next step is barbituates in her apple juice

The kids are kicking my ass.

No, really. Chicky just tried to kick me. Unfortunately for her she's too short to reach my butt and ended up on hers.

You can laugh. It was kind of funny.

That girl has more crazed energy than a Jack Russell Terrier after six double espressos. I'll do just about anything to get a bit of peace. Even... *gasp*...Video Games.

I'm reviewing the VTech V-Motion Active Learning System for PBN (Late, unfortunatley, because the kids are kicking my ass. Oh, I said that already?) over at my review blog today. It looked a bit like a Wii Fit for the preschool set but did it live up to my expectations?

(dun dun duunnnnnn)

Repeat after me: No matter how much I want to staple my kid to the wall, I must stay positive

Now, repeat that 50 times and read my review on "Ready for Bed" and "Ready for the Day" (for the Parent Bloggers Network), books not only for kids but also to remind parents to stay positive and help their kids make correct decisions. With all we've been going through lately they've definitely helped.

Seriously. Go read now.

Too much television isn't bad as long as it's educational. Right?

We're moving in two weeks. TWO WEEKS.

Oh my Christ.

So Chicky is spending a lot of time watching DVDs while I try to fit an entire room full of crap into two cardboard boxes. The way I see it, as long as she's zoning out in front of the boob tube she may as well be learning. Today at my other blog I've got a review for PBN of the "Meet the Sight Words", a DVD geared toward helping young kids learn how to read. You should check it out.

And now I will go back to frantically packing. Do you think I'll need bubble wrap for the cat?

We interupt this heathen moment...

... to let you know about my latest review of Tiny*Prints personalized cards for the Parent Bloggers Network.

Go there, go there now.

I will now go back to hiding from the inevitable lightning strike.

Hair, There and Everywhere

My little Chicky - She was lucky enough to inherit my husband's blue eyes and his dimple and so far it seems like she's got my skinny legs and blond hair (What? I was a real blond... Once upon a time.), but the poor kid was doomed from the word Go in the fine hair department. Both Mr. C and I have fine, thin hair and Chicky's hair is a nightmare to find hair clips for.

PBN asked if I would review some barrettes from Maiden America and I was only too happy to say yes. They claim that their barrettes stay put, even in the thinest hair. But do they really? Go check out my review and find out.

I'm just trying to keep you in the will

Yes, my foot still hurts. No, I haven't given birth yet. No, we haven't picked a name out yet. Yes, I'm still cranky and surly. I think that about covers everything.

Everything except my new review for the free (Free!) photo sharing website, Kinzin. Do you suck at printing and sending pictures to your family? Have your parents forgotten what your kids look like? Do they still have photos of your little ones proudly displayed that are at least five years out of date? Well then, what are you still doing here? Check out my review.

Hey, Rookie

Y'all are baby name crazy. Remind me to enlist your help when it comes time to get a new puppy or kitten. Can't wait to see what you'll come up for an animal.

(Warning! Awkward segue coming up in three... two... one...)

If you're preggers like me, whether this is baby #1 or #2, or plan on getting pregnant in the not so distant future, or maybe you have a real baby shower to attend soon, I have a new review up about a book written by the Rookie Moms. If you want to take a break from all this name nonsense, go check it out.

"Rockabye" baby!

I've been lucky enough to get an early copy of Rebecca Woolf's, otherwise known in the blog world as Girl's Gone Child, new book "Rockabye - From Wild to Child".

Hot damn. I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time.



And, hot damn again, she did not disappoint. I have a stack of "momoirs" and other assorted compilations of parenting stories on my bookshelf all half read, partially read or barely glanced through. But I read Rockabye from beginning to end in just a couple of days, that's how enthralled I was by Rebecca's very personal story of going from a party girl to a young mom.

I'm not surprised by how much I enjoyed "Rockabye". I've been a faithful reader of Rebecca's blog since I started my own over two years ago. If you're a fan of her blog you'll love her book even more. Rebecca has a way with a sentence that at first glance seems simple. But the word "simple" doesn't do her work justice. She has an ease with a sentence just as she seems to be at ease with herself. She says what she means and she doesn't mince words. So if you are squeamish about the nasty bits of parenting then stay away from this book. If, however, you've been in the trenches or about to enlist, I recommend you pick up "Rockabye" immediately.

The basic gist of the book is this: Woolf, a young twenty-something living in L.A. and enjoying the party scene, suddenly finds herself pregnant. She's only been with her boyfriend for a short time and has to make the decision whether or not to keep the baby. Not to give the plot away, but you can guess what choice she made. What happens next is the account of a non-traditional, non-baby book reading woman's pregnancy and her first few years as a new mom and a new wife. She cuts right to the bone with her stories of her sexuality, transforming from a Southern California girl to a young mother living in the shadow of the Hollywood sign and all the way to dealing with her son Archer's developmental delay, all the while maintaining that part of herself that we mothers seem to misplace while we're busy changing diapers and boiling baby bottles.

Last summer I had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca at Blogher. I was as taken with her at that first meeting as I was when I first read her blog and now even more so after reading "Rockabye". I respect her decisions as a woman and a mother as much as I do her writing. As a matter of fact, I don't feel like I'm doing her book any justice in this review since I don't write even a fraction as well as she does, so I'm just going to stop here. Trust me, just read the book. It's really good.

Can I get a High Five?

I have a new review up at May We Recommend about the newly released Highlights magazine, called High Five, for kids age 2-6 years old. Did the magazine get a high five from me or a limp-wristed handshake?

Go here to find out!

Have you ever tried to scrape your car windshield with an iPod? I don't recommend it.

There once was a time when my handy ice scraper was a cassette tape holder.

Yes siree, I cleared a lot of windows with that clear plastic box that once held my copy of Def Leppard Hysteria.

You would think I would have gotten myself a real, honest to goodness ice scraper with the harsh bristle brush on the other end, but you would be wrong. [Continue reading at May We Recommend...]

How do you title a post like this?

You guys. Your recommendations for meals have been really great. I'm really looking forward to trying them and like promised I'll post the results. We made those chicken bacon roulades last night so I'll write about that soon and include the pictures of the debacle yummy outcome.

If you haven't added your favorite family meal - and I really don't know what you're waiting for, ahem, it's just my families health at stake here - go here and leave it for me.

------------

Today is MotherGooseMouse's virtual baby shower! Julie is about to add a little man baby to her family that already includes two girls so if you have any advice on raising boys for her, today is the day to offer it. I wish I had some words of wisdom but I have very little experience with boys... Except to date them.

So, Julie, the only thing I can say is raise a boy who respects women. I've met some real winners in my life and very few of them had any idea how to treat a woman with kindness and respect. With Tacy and CJ around I don't think that little boy of yours will have a choice but it's worth mentioning!

Oh, and teach him about romance. So few men know how to romance a woman. I know this is making you all squeamish since we're talking about your baby boy but someday that baby will be a man. Hard to believe, I know. Teach him the fundamental ways to a woman's heart: Teach him how to cook, how to play an instrument, how to clean up after himself, how to have a conversation and how to fight - the right way. Basically, raise the perfect man. You can do that, right? Sure, no problem.

--------------

And last but not least, I have a new review up at my other blog. I was asked to review the really cool Comfy Easy PC Learning System for toddlers and pre-schoolers. We're obsessed with our computers here in the Chicky household and our little Chicky is no exception. We looked long and hard at different toddler-friendly PCs since we were trying to find the right combination of fun, learning and ease of use. Did we find it in the Comfy Easy PC? Please click here to find out.

(Please? Pretty please?)

MotherTalk Book Tour Review - the Daring Book for Girls

I don't usually do reviews on this blog, saving them instead for my reviews-only site. But I don't want you to think of this as a review but a sincere plea for you to go out and buy The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz for any of the girls in your life.

I had so much fun reading The Daring Book. Chicky is only 2 and a half and far too young for this book yet (I would say it's better geared toward 8 year old to about 12 year old girls) but when she's old enough I'll be ready. The book is a nice combination of old fashioned fun - like making friendship bracelets, I don't think I ever knew how to make them correctly even when I was a girl - and inspirational true stories for the empowered woman-in the making. For instance, there's a section on historic women pirates. How cool is that? Pirates! Yar. And it's immediately followed by a chapter called "A short history of women inventors and scientists". Cool x Pi to the fifth power.

I will admit that as a forever tomboy I'm more drawn to the chapters that seemed to say "Yeah, you're a girl but that doesn't mean you can't have as much fun as the boys" and less interested in the sections like writing letters and making daisy chains. But let's face it, when I was a girl, skinning my knees and racing my pink Huffy with the boys in my neighborhood, I was also interested in many of the stereotypical girly things like trying to master a cartwheel. I never did, but there's a section in the book that teaches you how to and how to do a back walk-over. I guess I'll have to stick to making ivy crowns. It's probably safer that way.

If I had nieces I would be buying them The Daring Book for Girls for Christmas. It's a blast. I don't, but when Chicky gets older she's going to think I'm the coolest mom ever when I help her make a fort in the backyard and we pretend to be spies. I'm looking forward to that.

October ROFL Awards

¹fun·ny

Pronunciation:

\ˈfə-nē\

Function:

adjective

1 a: affording light mirth and laughter : amusing
b: seeking or intended to amuse : facetious


It's time for the October ROFL Awards! Or as a good friend suggested for this month - the Lying on Floor Vomiting, or LOFV, Awards.

Doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?

My nomination for this month is for a blogger whom I am so glad is participating in that crazy thing called NaBloPoMo. Or is it NoMoFoWayBro? Anyway, she's funny and I'm glad she's back to blogging regularly.

I nominate Halushki for her post Parent Hack. It could have been for anything she's posted lately but I had to narrow it down to one post. Sometimes this award thing sucks that way.

Congratulations to this month's nominees!


The Eleventh awarded Jurgen Nation

Coffee Shop Mafia awarded Almost Somewhat Positive

Oh, the Joys awarded Joy Unexpected

The New Girl awarded Motherhood Uncensored

All Rileyed Up awarded Alpha Dogma

T with Honey awarded The Mother Load

Moosh in Indy awarded Metalia

Them's My Sentiments awarded Lawyer Mama

Mother Bumper awarded Oh, the Joys

Momish awarded The Bloggess

Sarah and the Goon Squad awarded Lumpyhead

Cinnamon Girl awarded Mad Hatter


Don't forget to get your nomination in for November's ROFLs. Send them either to me at Chicky Chicky Baby 2 [at] Yahoo [dot] com or Metro Mama, my partner in crime and funnyness (shut up, it could be a word) at Metro_Mama [at] Hotmail [dot] com.


----------------------

One more bit of housekeeping - I've got a new review up about the book Beauty Confidential for the Parent Bloggers Network. I've got to have my makeup and beauty products, but did I like the book? Please check it out to find out.

Getting all my ducks in a row

An update: Between my (soon to be ex) doctor and me, we got the insurance company to cough up the drugs I needed. I'm good for another couple of months, though I'll lose my shit if this goes on much longer than the first trimester.

Ahem.

So, anyway... My latest review is up over here. Is it lunacy or just plain old good sense to have a pre-packed survival kit? It's just my opinion but...

(psst, please check it out here.)

Deceptive - yes. Delicious - possibly. Worth the time? Hmmm...

My apologies to the Parent Bloggers Network. I was supposed to post my review of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld today and my internet connection was down for most of the day. But it's up now!

This certified cookbook junkie has got a word or two about the methods of this book on how to hide nutritious foods into your kids tried and true favorites. Please go take a look.

A bargain hunter's dream

When life was simpler (read: before having a child) I used to love to dig through piles of castoff items at yard sales, state fairs, "antique" stores and the like. I spent my summer vacations in Maine, going from one small store to the next, searching for that something special to add to my already growing collection of antique cameras, candlesticks and Fiestaware. I was on a mission. I was focused. I was obsessed. I was broke... [Read More]

Getting my organizing on

I am hopelessly disorganized. I'm the type of person to have Post-It notes on every flat surface to remind me to do everything from buy the groceries to scratch my own nose... Except I'm not organized enough to buy the darn Post-Its. So I had high hopes when... [Read More.]