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[The following post was commissioned by MomTrends.]
In my first two installments chronicling my Disney Paint adventure (purchasing the supplies and stenciling), I talked about the different kinds of Disney specialty paints from Glidden. After working with two of them – Magnificent Metallic and All That Glitters – I was ready to show Fiona’s room off to her friends.
We had a little princess-themed reveal party, where the girls took little bags of princess bling and played dress-up:
Then we decorated some cupcakes:
And we were ready to reveal Fiona’s room make-over!
Before I worked on Fiona’s wall and door, they looked like this:
For Fiona’s door, I wanted it to look like a dressing room door. I used the Magnificent Metallic paint and a star stencil, then when that was dry I used some silver letter stickers I found online. It turned out great!
For the wall I started with the same stenciling process for the crown. When that was completely dry I did a coat of All That Glitters on top of the whole wall, crown and all. Paired with the Disney Princesses bedspread we were sent for this project, it looks absolutely regal!
It’s hard to see the sparkles in the pictures, but they look very cool in person! They dance in the light and look different depending on the time of day or where you’re standing:
Fiona loved showing off her new room to her friends:
My friend Ann said that it looked really impressive, and that she couldn’t believe that I had done it all myself!
When I started painting Fiona said she only wanted the glitter paint on the wall behind her bed. But now that she’s seen it, she wants it on the other walls too! I haven’t gotten to it yet, but I’m happy to do that eventually for my little princess. :-)
Thanks very much to Glidden and MomTrends for all of the help with this project, including the Wal-Mart gift card I got to give away to one of the “reveal party” attendees. Everybody had a lot of fun, and I think I might have inspired some room make-over projects!
Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.
So Zoe Saldana, all 115 pounds of her, is on the cover of Allure magazine. How do I know how much the actress weighs? That’s printed on the cover too.
Outrageous, right? “115 Pounds of Grit And Heartache” appears to the right of her neck, on top of her curls. The way the title is written reminds me of what’s often written about very thin actresses who also happen to be short: “Five-Foot Nothing of Acting Power!” “Five Feet Tall But Towering Over Hollywood.” If either of those titles appeared on a magazine nobody would bat an eyelash – it’s not like an actress has control of her height.
Fiona and I were watching Good Morning America this morning and saw the story together. I asked her what she thought about it. “I think it’s mean. They’re making fun of her.” Bless her heart, Fiona thought the cover was calling Zoe Saldana fat. Fiona is nine and weighs 66 pounds, so to her, 115 sounds like a lot.
Once I explained to her that for an adult woman that’s really thin, Fiona changed her attitude. “Well, that’s stupid. Why would anyone care? They should just want to be healthy.”
Yes. Finally.
When Fiona was younger, she went through a long phase (a year? Two?) where she thought she was fat. This would be ridiculous for any six-year-old, but Fiona is thin and active and healthy and I saw a swirling future of eating disorders and anorexia chat rooms.
So, I’ve just tried to drill into her that she’s beautiful. She’s healthy. She’s making good choices. We jog together. I take great pains to hide my weight loss efforts from her. When she does occasionally have a question about what I’m eating or why I don’t want to share some cookies with her, I tell her I’m trying to be healthier.
And it seems to be paying off.
I know that at nine, she still has the hardest years of mean girl judgment ahead of her – we’re not even at the woods yet, let alone out of them. But I’m trying to lay the foundation now. And that’s where my focus will remain: on her. Not on signing petitions or burning copies of Allure.
I’m not saying I’m not mad at the magazine. It was a calculated move on their part to get attention, and every big media outlet is playing into it. People will be outraged, and that outrage will sell more copies of the magazine. Who knows how many young women will see it and call themselves fat for not being 115 pounds?
But my point is, there will always be another magazine cover, another website, another classmate making mean comments, another thinner body that my daughter could compare herself to. Fighting all of the outside forces would not be a good use of my time. Building my daughter up to ignore them is.
So, Allure, you did a shitty thing. And you know you did. But I’m not going to give you any more attention or energy for it. As I always tell my daughter, you can’t control other people’s actions, but you have complete control over your own reaction. And Fiona has decided that you’re stupid. She wins.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
[The following post was commissioned by One2One Network and Walk The Walk, and contains referral links.]
There are a few things I never thought I’d do in my life. For example, I never thought I’d ever set out to walk a marathon on purpose. I figured if I ever walked a marathon it would be because I’d meant to run and failed.
I also never pictured myself walking through NYC in a bra. I mean, except when I’m having nightmares about being trapped in Lady Gaga’s body and I’ve forgotten to put on a shirt before leaving my house and a picture of me in a nice restaurant in a bra appears on the front page of the NY Post. (No, the bra in that dream wasn’t made out of meat – I’m a vegetarian.)
And yet, I just signed up to do those things: walk a marathon, through NYC, in a bra. Oh, and it’s an all-night walk, starting at 10pm.
Why would I do something so strange? One word, of course: charity.
Presented by Empire BlueCross BlueShield, there are going to be about 8,000 walkers – in their bras (yes, even the men!) – walking past NYC landmarks. As part of your registration you’ll be sent a bra about a month before the walk, and then you get to go crazy decorating it!
I’m not crafty at all, but I’m getting a lot of decorating inspiration from this video about a previous MoonWalk that happened in the UK:
The MoonWalk NYC will start with an opening ceremony on Randall’s Island, and then we’re off!
Don’t think you can do a full marathon? There’s a half-marathon route as well. I’ve done three half-marathons with a combination of walking and jogging, and I promise you: if the marathon scares you too much, you can manage the half. Remember, this is supposed to be walked! You can do it! Here’s a great training guide for walking both the full and half marathons. We’re already a couple of weeks into the twelve-week training guides, but that’s not hard to make up. Let’s get moving!
The charity benefiting from this amazing night will be Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Breast Examination Center in Harlem. This is an amazing resource – 80% of patients there are uninsured, but are guaranteed support and guidance. Since it opened in 1979 the center has screened more than 200,000 women for breast cancer – for free. The goal of the MoonWalk NYC is to raise two million dollars. Every participant is encouraged to raise at least $150 in donations.
If you are anywhere near NYC, I really hope you’ll join me! And I mean that literally: sign up for the full marathon and we can walk together! Just let me know you did in the comments so that we can contact each other offline, exchange cell numbers, etc. And we’ll get each other through the 26.2 miles, I promise!
I had kind-of a horrendous day. I won’t go into detail, but it involved driving around for 45 minutes looking for a parking spot, managing to miss three subway trains in one two-train trip (that takes talent!), running in a relay race in front of a bunch of elementary school kids, and getting a parking ticket. All while being exhausted from staying up way too late working and folding laundry.
All I wanted to do when I got home this afternoon was sleep. I wasn’t just tired. Something was wrong. I could barely keep my head up. But I had two hours before I had to pick my daughter up, and I was going to spend it in bed.
I picked up my phone to text my son to come in quietly and get right to his homework, and at that moment he called me: “Mom, you need to pick me up right now!”
My mind immediately jumped to an injury or sickness of some kind, or some other sort of trouble. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just got four more boxes of chocolate to sell for band and I don’t want to take the bus. They’re heavy.”
Are you freaking kidding me? In my mind I was already crawling under the covers, sleeping off this day, shaking off whatever was making me feel like I hadn’t slept in a week.
“I’m sorry Jake. You didn’t arrange this with me first. Take the chocolate back to the band room. I got very little sleep last night and I’m about to take a nap. I can pick you up tomorrow and you can bring it home then.”
“But MOMMMMM!”
“Sorry, Jake. I can’t do it. I got five hours of sleep and I don’t feel well. I’m going to bed. Come in quietly.”
“BYE.” And he hung up. He sounded pissed.
I went upstairs, and I admit it, I did feel guilty. If I’d been working, or at an appointment, or in some other way busy, it would be a no brainer. But I was saying no to my son because I wanted a nap.
I fell asleep in about twenty seconds. When I woke up, Jake was home. And so were four heavy boxes of chocolate. I carried five of those suckers to my car once, and it almost killed me. I’m honestly not sure how he navigated public transportation with them. He’s as stubborn as I am.
I sat him down and explained to him that if it’s an emergency, I will drop what I’m doing to help him. But this was a matter of convenience, and my convenience was more important than his in this case. I expected him to be mad, but he said he was just sad – sad that I wouldn’t help him. I told him that I was sad that he thought he could just call me with no notice and expect me to race over.
I don’t really care what lesson he takes from this. Don’t bite off more than you can chew? Don’t expect the world to revolve around you? Life is better when mom isn’t exhausted? Don’t care. As long as he learned something. Even if it was just how to hold four boxes of chocolate while swiping a MetroCard.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
The newest celeb to wear the Milk Mustache? Katie Couric! She appears in the latest ad with her daughters, which was revealed on her show in time for Mother’s Day, and it’s really adorable. You can see some behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot and Katie talking about the health benefits of milk:
I’m a huge fan of milk. In fact, the rule in our house is that the cartons of milk have to be kept in a certain place in the fridge (the coldest spot), because when I want milk it has to be ice cold.
As a vegetarian, I get asked a lot how I get enough protein in my diet, and honestly, it’s not something I’ve ever had to worry about, thanks in part to milk. I drink 2%, and one cup has 8 grams of protein.
My favorite way to get milk? A big bowl of cereal! And that’s not just a breakfast thing for me. I love milk and cereal as a snack, and occasionally even for dinner. :-)
The Giveaway
For many mothers, yesterday started out with breakfast in bed. In honor of this great tradition, I’m giving away a breakfast in bed set to help you enjoy your milk!
The set includes:
breakfast-in-bed tray
plate, bowl, and spoon
cow-themed milk frother
gorgeous mug (“M” for milk!)
silk flowers
small milk jug with lid
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post answering this question: What’s your favorite way to enjoy milk?
For a second entry, you can tweet about the contest with a link back to this post. The tweet must contain “@SelfishMom” (but should not start with it) and the hashtag #MilkToastToMom. Or, you can just copy and paste this:
Want to win a $50 “Breakfast in Bed” set? @SelfishMom is giving one away! Enter here: http://slf.sh/18GdkxW #MilkToastToMom
That’s a maximum of two entries per household please. You must be at least 18 years of age to enter, and prize can only be shipped within the US. Void where prohibited by law. The giveaway ends at noon-ish on Monday, May 20th 2013 and the winner will be chosen approximately 24 hours later.
The winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be emailed and the winner’s name will be posted at the top of this post once the winner is verified. It is each entrant’s responsibility to make sure that their entry appears in the comment section, and to contact me before the drawing if there is a problem. Entries that do not follow the rules stated in this post will not be approved. See my complete Giveaway Rules page for more information.
I had a pretty awesome Mother’s Day. I got up and made everybody breakfast, which they protested, but I like making breakfast on the weekends! It’s the only time we all eat breakfast together! I relaxed for a while, and then took a nap. Not sure what was wrong with me but by 10am I was exhausted!
When I woke up from my nap and went downstairs, I found this:
Then my husband and son went and picked up an awesome bagel lunch, which we ate in the backyard. Then I took another nap. (Seriously, I don’t know what was wrong!) Once I was ready to get off of the couch we walked to Ample Hills, which makes the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life. It’s the only place where we will look at a line out the door and down the block and still wait. It is so worth it.
My husband and I made dinner together. He acted as my sous chef, which was the very best thing ever! How much easier would cooking be if I always had an assistant?
Alas, tomorrow things will go back to normal – completely pleasant, but without anyone catering to my every whim. It was a day of “Yes dear!” and “Let me get that for you dear!” It was all a bit tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, and completely awesome. That’s how we handle Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day, and birthdays) around here: it’s a day where you get deferred to.
When I wasn’t eating or cooking or sleeping today, I was exploring my new TiVo, compliments of the good people who were responsible for me ditching video tapes fourteen years ago. In honor of Mother’s Day TiVo took a survey about family TV-watching habits and favorite TV moms, and I compared some of their answers to mine:
“What show does your whole family like to watch together?”
TiVo Survey Answer: Big Bang Theory (35%)
My Answer: Dancing With The Stars. This is a new one for us. Before this season I was watching it alone. But this year, Fiona’s absolute favorite star – Zendaya Coleman from Shake It Up – is competing, so she’s riveted. And we’ve managed to get my husband and son into it too. In fact, my husband’s new favorite hobby on Monday nights is to root for Kellie Pickler, just to piss Fiona off. :-)
"What syndicated show can you not turn off?”
TiVo Survey Answer: Seinfeld (37%)
My Answer: Frasier and Friends (tie). I don’t know what it is, but they run in an almost continuous loop while I’m working or doing anything else that involves my brain. I think it’s because I’ve seen them so many times. I can be entertained without really having to pay attention.
“Who is your favorite classic TV family?”
TiVo Survey Answer: The Cosby Show (35%)
My Answer: Family Ties. There was something so endearingly nutty about that family. The parents were pragmatic and caring, and yet appropriately hands-off. Come to think of it, Steven and Elise Keaton may be my parenting inspiration.
“What TV child would you most not want your kids to hang out with?”
TiVo Survey Answer: Eddie Haskell (47%)
My Answer: Alex P. Keaton. They’d wind up as young republicans.
“Who is the best TV Mom of all time?”
TiVo Survey Answer: Marion Cunningham (19%)
My Answer: Claire Huxtable (who came in at 17% in the survey). She was just awesome. She loved her family dearly, but also loved her career. She was smart, and expected a lot out of her kids. She didn’t take any crap. And she lived in Brooklyn. Case closed.
So there you go. I hope you had a great Mother’s Day, and got to watch whatever you wanted on TV. :-)
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
When I brought my daughter home from the hospital I was exhausted. Her birth had been a bit of a fiasco, and we’d spend five days in the hospital – her in the NICU, me mostly alone since my husband was taking care of our toddler. I was too sick to see anyone else.
All I wanted was to sleep in my own bed and spend some time with my daughter, whom I’d barely seen since she’d been born.
A few hours after we got home, our Kidde carbon monoxide detector started beeping. It was reading 110ppm (parts per million). This was not normal. We opened all of the windows and called the gas company. When we told them what the reading was, they told us to call the fire department ASAP.
What happened next was a blur of fireman banging on doors and me trying to locate neighbors – if nobody answered and couldn’t be reached by phone, their doors were broken down to make sure they weren’t unconscious. I was on the condo board, and I spent the next few days with a newborn and no hot water, trying to coordinate a massive repair to our building’s HVAC system.
It wasn’t until things calmed down that my husband and I really let ourselves think about what had almost happened. That CO detector had almost definitely saved my daughter’s life, and my son’s life, and probably our lives too.
Kidde’s new Worry Free Carbon Monoxide alarms (one with a digital read-out, one without) – available at Home Depot – will give you ten years of protection against colorless, odorless carbon monoxide. They have sealed lithium batteries that never have to be changed for the ten year life of the alarm. No mysterious beeps, no changing batteries every six months. Completely worry free.
I’ll be hosting a twitter party on Wednesday, May 15th at 8pm EST to talk about the CO alarms and ways to keep your children safe at home, from baby proofing to water safety to hidden dangers. This is one party you don’t want to miss!
And of course, there will be prizes! We’ll be giving away gift cards and alarms from the Worry-Free line, including a grand prize worth approximately $200!
All you have to do to be eligible to win is RSVP in the comments section of this post (leave your twitter handle in the comment), and participate in the party on May 15th. See you there!
#WorryFreeHome Twitter Party
RSVP in the comments section of this post by leaving your twitter handle.
And make sure you participate on Wednesday!
Want an easy way to follow along during the party?
Join @SelfishMom at 8pm EST Wed May 15th to talk about child safety. There will be prizes!!! #WorryFreeHome RSVP: http://slf.sh/10yCyre
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 18. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Last Tuesday I got the call that my Invisalign aligners were in! I’m a member of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board, and am receiving complimentary treatment. I’d had my scans just a week before, and was thrilled that my aligners were ready so fast (one of the advantages of finding an office with a scanner instead of physical moulds – everything gets emailed to the manufacturing facility, which is much quicker). My orthodontist, Dr. Hung, was able to fit me in that afternoon.
The first step when I got there was to get my attachments. The way Invisalign works is that the aligners – the clear plastic trays – put gentle pressure on my teeth to move and straighten them. But sometimes teeth need to be moved or turned in a way that the plastic can’t grab, so they get some help from attachments: little tooth-colored bumps attached to certain teeth to help grab the aligners.
I needed nine attachments. None of them are on my front twelve teeth so they’re hardly noticeable. Getting them glued on was completely painless, but my mouth was held open in a way that looked quite hilarious. It’s like the mouth version of that scene in Clockwork Orange:
Next I was given my first set of trays, and taught how to get them in and out (getting them out is harder than putting them in). This made me feel really stupid at first, but the assistant helping me was great. He didn’t rush me at all, and I was finally able to figure it out. I put them in and took them out several times, and when I was completely comfortable with the process, that was it! I was given my first five sets of aligners (ten weeks) and I was on my own.
I’d been warned that the first week was the hardest with Invisalign. Not as bad as braces – where you get about six weeks-worth of pressure each time you go in to get them tightened – but still really hard to get used to. In fact, Dr. Hung told me that if I could survive the first four days, I’d be fine. Lots of people get headaches in the beginning because of the pressure. I was prepared for the worst.
My tongue couldn’t stop playing with the aligners the whole way home on the subway! I felt like my lips were pushed way out, like a monkey. But of course, I looked completely normal (I checked with my cell phone camera, several times). The closest thing I can compare it to is when you have one of those whitening strips on your teeth and you’re very aware that there’s something between your lips and your teeth.
When I got home and wanted to eat, I was really nervous about taking the aligners out. Taking them out too fast or the wrong way can pop off an attachment or break the aligner. I was really glad I’d stayed in the office so long and practiced, though – I got them out no problem.
I’m very happy to report that I had no pain at all – no headaches, nothing! There was a lot of tightness for the first few days on my front top teeth, but not enough to make me uncomfortable. And now, on day six, there’s no tightness. Each set of aligners starts out not fitting your teeth quite right, but then as the teeth slowly move into place to fit the aligners, the tightness goes away.
The funny thing is, I didn’t tell anybody in my household that the aligners were in, and it took until Sunday for someone to notice. Fiona and I were out running an errand, waiting in line, and all of a sudden she said “There’s something on your teeth!” I told her there wasn’t but she wouldn’t let it go, and made me smile so that she could see. She asked me what it was, so I told her. She is so super excited to be in on this with me, but she really sucks at keeping secrets, so I’m guessing the cat’s going to be out of the bag pretty soon (either that, or my husband is going to read this post!).
Last night we went out to dinner to celebrate Fiona’s birthday, and Fiona kept winking at me and pointing to her teeth. Subtle. :-) Also, me having to get up and go to the bathroom twice might have aroused a little suspicion.
Frankly, I’m hoping my husband does figure it out soon. I’m tired of hiding in the bathroom to take them out before eating. He must think I have some weird stomach ailment that causes me to go to the bathroom every time I get hungry.
On the other hand, though, I’m curious how long I can keep this up!
Me with my aligners in the first day – can’t see them!
I am a member of the Invisalign Moms Advisory Board. I am receiving complimentary Invisalign treatment as part of this program. All opinions are my own and based on my own treatment experience. Full disclosure can be found here: http://shout.lt/ggGP
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
