tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173556792147494572012-03-21T00:01:41.983-07:00News, current events and information relevant to today's mom, from a mom. <br> Because you may have a "mommy brain," but it's still a brain!Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-30406803417343651852010-09-15T02:08:00.000-07:002010-09-15T02:13:25.483-07:00

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-31260033406342688992010-09-12T23:37:00.000-07:002010-09-13T00:20:20.844-07:00

We have a Lego problem in my house. And by “we,” I mean my husband. He has very fond memories of his childhood obsession love of his Legos, and I have the tubs of his beloved bricks, just waiting in the garage for our boys to be big enough for them to play with, to prove it. For now we are a Duplo family, and we have amassed what I think is a completely outrageous amount of them—he’s been placed

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-89832236244791358342010-06-01T21:32:00.000-07:002010-06-01T22:13:48.892-07:00

You know those cute musical cards, the ones that play snippets of well known songs to express your sentiments? My three year old loves them. In a pinch I can always get a smile if I visit the aisle that has them, until he starts demanding that we get *them all* because to him they are "toys." And that's a problem I learned today. I had a chilling moment when I read this article in the New York

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-38162101781959922322010-04-19T00:48:00.000-07:002010-04-19T01:45:31.399-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you know this is going to be a hard one for me, but as a mom and beginning homeschooler (for now anyway or my husband will start to have heart palpitations) I thought this "experiment" was a perfect way to really kickoff my journey into homeschooling. This week I shall be "down-teching" (at least during the day, I was too big a wuss to completely jettison my tech). We

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-46241802601208559892010-04-19T00:37:00.000-07:002010-04-19T00:43:58.484-07:00

A woman? Have a daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, female friend...? Don't think that the glass ceiling (though cracked, as Hillary Clinton famously declared in the last Presidential election cycle) is still firmly over our heads? Read this article in the New York Times, "Why So Few Women in Silicon Valley?"

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-91115979890679763242010-04-18T23:48:00.000-07:002010-04-19T00:37:07.725-07:00

I haven't shared much personal stuff lately, but I am now the mother to two boys, a full fledged 3 year old, and sprouting 7 1/2 month old, and discipline is a constant puzzle we are working our way through one day at a time as the rubber really hits the parenting road. I have some baggage (who doesn't really) from my parental relationships and a few posts/stories in the wake of the newest

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-90176224604440034832010-04-18T23:19:00.000-07:002010-04-18T23:47:09.593-07:00

The nightly news thrives on the extremes and this was fully evident in the furor caused over the recent (shocking) return of an adopted Russian boy by way of an unaccompanied one way airline ride back to his native land. Little is really known about why this mother felt this was her only viable option, and in the wake of this story and the attendant outrage poured over this family for doing such

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-35420101704148664312010-03-03T22:19:00.000-08:002010-03-04T00:29:08.566-08:00

This one has been percolating for a while now...How do you feel when you watch a birth on your typical sitcom or movie? Now think, do you respond to them differently now that you or your partner has given birth? I still begrudgingly laugh at all the right parts for the most part, but for me it is different now that I have given birth to two children and experienced one miscarriage. The familiar

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-24587208080256902002010-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:002010-01-19T13:02:26.802-08:00

*****UPDATE***** This morning 53 of the 150 children at BRESMA orphanage and one of the McMutrie sisters, Ali, arrived safely in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to great celebration. Jamie McMutrie will be arriving soon with one last child who had gone missing and she had stayed behind to find. They have been granted a two year humanitarian visa. 47 of the children had already been in various stages of

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-73876080691151268532010-01-16T22:19:00.000-08:002010-01-17T00:22:39.319-08:00

The devastation is unimaginable, the need is overwhelming, and the feelings of helplessness are almost suffocating. It's hard to know what to do, whom to donate to, whom to trust will do the right things, get to the right people. In the wake of such a crisis, scams abound, preying upon the desperate need to do something to help. I have to say in the hours and days following the catastrophic

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-44272622514288638352010-01-15T22:41:00.000-08:002010-01-16T00:10:02.581-08:00

News bits that peaked my interest, and seriously clogged my open desktop windows recently:The tragedy in Haiti is dominating news, and I've been following the efforts to help the BRESMA orphanage. There were several adoptions in progress for this orphanage and others, and distraught adoptive parents are intently trying to find any way to get to and help their children.A four year old medicated,

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-53667504610873205602010-01-09T21:47:00.000-08:002010-01-09T22:16:33.959-08:00

Unless you engage in little or no social media, you are no doubt aware of the bra color breast cancer awareness meme circulating. In theory the cute, indeed attention grabbing antic, serves it's purpose and gets people talking in great numbers very quickly about an important topic. Seemed like a good idea to me, and I shared. But what innocently gets forgotten is its effect upon those that have

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-48982636656912419252010-01-06T15:16:00.000-08:002010-01-06T22:32:36.914-08:00

A few news stories have caught my attention in the last few days:1. Gender equity, specifically how women are treated, is closely linked with the effectiveness of efforts to control climate change according to an essay in The Jakarta Post. Evidently we're also most affected by climate change, and when a natural disaster strikes, women are more vulnerable. In the developed world, we usually

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-30208051966920460352009-12-20T10:18:00.000-08:002009-12-20T14:22:52.511-08:00

Oh joy! 'Tis the season for the Christmas letter... People love to revile the annual Christmas letter, but let's face it, people secretly love it, because they are nosy. I think Facebook and Twitter exist for much the same reason; you may grouse about knowing the small insignificant details and thoughts of an other's daily life, but you log on nonetheless, if only to roll your eyes as you read

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-55765079792135013372009-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:002009-12-16T00:50:30.031-08:00

Becoming a mother makes you keenly aware of the moments before and after. The moments they are born, the moments they smile, and we hope never to experience the moments that they are gone from us. But, they can be gone in a blink...Yesterday brought the heartbreaking news of a mother plunged into every mother's worst nightmare, when her youngest child was taken in a tragic accident. In one

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-21060628218236403822009-12-11T22:44:00.000-08:002009-12-11T23:24:10.478-08:00

Greetings from mommy-land! Over the past several months I took time out to welcome a new son into our family, and now that he has just passed through the "fourth trimester," I am starting to emerge from the maternity cocoon. Now I'm starting to feel like I have a bit of a handle on our day to day lives, and recently that certain writing "itch" has been returning. So I'm back, although I doubt

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-51529951087288278002009-07-25T22:04:00.000-07:002009-07-25T22:41:08.138-07:00

Life has been busy and full! I only have a few weeks left before I meet the newest member of our growing family. Excited doesn't really cover it. Additionally I am mindful to spend some time with my first born and husband, appreciating this time with them before our family takes the next step. The changes (and sometimes challenges) of my now over 2 year old are amazing, and I feel so blessed to

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-35558460139365000542009-05-26T21:54:00.000-07:002009-05-26T23:53:16.866-07:00

It's been awhile, I know, but for those of you that follow me on Twitter, you know I've been as compulsive and prolific as usual in passing on the news I find relevant, but just not so moved to expand upon the news...that is, until now.I'm a very casual watcher, but last night, like nearly an astonishing 9.3 million others, I tuned in to watch the season premiere of Jon & Kate Plus Eight. I'm

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-23516824816121520722009-04-05T23:14:00.000-07:002009-04-05T23:39:45.738-07:00

Greetings! So sorry to leave you in the void this last month, and what a month! Where have I been? Well, once I recovered finally from my first ever sinus infection, which I sincerely hope never to repeat again, I've been processing some changes lately. Pregnancy I am happy to report is going fine, and we expect another little boy in our household later this summer, but it's taken some

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-22497689392520642952009-02-26T07:09:00.000-08:002009-02-26T08:01:57.387-08:00

If there is anything in parenting that I am being forced to repeatedly learn it is to be flexible, and just take it one day at a time. This applies to life as well. Over the last two weeks I have tended to a house of sick people, and caught the dratted virus myself, which is oh so fun when one is pregnant as well. Additionally late last week brought news of a fellow mom of two young children in

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-51459998555836075052009-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:002009-02-21T20:54:47.734-08:00

You may have noticed a slow down lately. The great news is that I am expecting my second child later this year, the bad news is that I'm coping with the attendant fatigue (not made easier by my active 23 month old!). Don't worry, I'm still monitoring the news, but being a little easier on my body, balancing the increased needs of my "must have input" toddler, and the paid freelance work I also do

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-37188153780804089642009-02-16T20:51:00.001-08:002009-02-16T22:19:01.683-08:00

Alright, the drama and follies of the octuplet mom and family is hard to look away from, and I to have been tracking the coverage for those who want to keep up to speed with the developments. Honestly I try to throw out the ridiculously salacious, and try to stick as often as I can to substantive updates, and believe me the coverage is sometimes really hard to tell! Here we go, and coincidentally

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-45779702939865927882009-02-16T20:12:00.000-08:002009-02-16T20:50:50.522-08:00

The legislative wrangling has produced a stimulus package unprecedented in its size and scope. What is exactly in it? Don't have time to wade through over 1,000 pages (and who does, yikes)? Check out these helpful and pretty quick links to resources that will break it down:Pro-Publica is a non-partial journalist watch dog resource and they have put together two handy charts:What are we spending

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-6543032370403027382009-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:002009-02-13T21:00:25.570-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, welcome to the couples edition of Relevant Mom!Marriage had been on my mind alot lately. Probably because it is a central topic of conversation in my circle of friends, in my place of worship, and as opportunity would have it, in the news as well. How does a couple sustain a relationship over the long term, and why is it important? My pastor recently pointed out that

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-517355679214749457.post-77875668773664336082009-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:002009-02-09T21:34:45.427-08:00

A few quick interesting environment and science tidbits:A detailed and interactive climate change map to aid in predicting the next disaster...a bit chilling, well not, but you know.Speaking of cooling off, did you know that volcanoes do just that for the earth?An article claiming that a little dirt and filth is actually good for our children has been making the rounds on the blogrolls,  and I

Aphrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07273343436519301257noreply@blogger.com0