Last night, I took my family to the movies to see the new Captain America movie. My husband and I had planned it all week and I waited with my boys for Hubby to get home from work so we could head out to the multiplex. We were all looking forward to this outing and we chatted excitedly in the car on the way over there. To add to our excitement, I had picked up my nephew that afternoon and he was accompanying us to see the film. As usual, we were running a few minutes late and arrived at the theater just in time to quickly purchase our tickets and head to find some good seats while the coming attractions were playing on the screen. About ten minutes into the movie a couple walked in with a stroller containing an infant and two toddlers in tow. They proceeded to sit right near us and, I have to admit, I predicted that bringing such young children to the movies would not turn out well for them or for the rest of us who were trying to watch the movie. Sure enough, one of … [Read more...]
Evenflo Genius in Training Tee Giveaway
We all know that becoming a parent definitely changes your life, relationship, and your priorities. It definitely causes you to take inventory of the things that really matter and to do away with the things that don't. I have never kept it a secret here that being a parent is extremely demanding and rewarding at the same time. Unfortunately, children do not come with a manual and new parents are often at a loss as to how to deal with some of the changes that parenthood brings with it. Luckily, there are a wealth of resources out there on how to deal with everything from breastfeeding to potty training. It is very important, however, to maintain a sense of humor when addressing such topics as "Maintaining intimacy in your marriage after childbirth", as it certainly becomes a real issue for most couples. It's no real surprise that the demands of an infant can have an impact on how much time couples have to spend quality time together. According to a new Evenflo Savvy Parents … [Read more...]
A Letter To My Readers:
Dear Readers of ToughCookieMommy.com, I am writing you this letter to thank you for being loyal readers of my blog. Two years ago, when I began writing this blog, I never imagined that it would allow me to meet so many wonderful people. My intention was to have a place where I could vent and discuss the experiences that I have daily as a Working Mom, wife, mother, and teacher. Eventually, it became so much more than that. The truth is that I have learned so much about myself through your feedback and through the connections that you have made to my life. Everytime you share your personal experiences and stories with me, I am humbled that you trust me with such inner thoughts and private moments. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to respond individually to each and every one of your comments. After all, you deserve to hear what I have to say and not receive some kind of automatic response that I have set up in order to free up my time. Since the … [Read more...]
The “Terrible Fours?”
Lately, my four year old son, "E", has been engaging in some shenanigans that I am going to chalk up to the fact that he is a little boy and that he is testing the waters. You guys have to realize that, although "E" is my second son and I have gone through this age with my older one, my two boys couldn't be more like night and day. As a result of this, my husband and I find ourselves experiencing things with "E" that we never experienced with my oldest son. Let's just say that it has gotten to the point that we have to be very vigilant of "E" because he is constantly up to something and rarely has any qualms about concocting elaborate stories and explanations to defend what he has done. Let's begin with what I like to call the "Soap Incident of 2010." I like to keep a beauty bar on top of the sink in the bathroom that I wash my face with daily. I've never had a problem with the kids touching it or playing with it and they know that it is Mommy's. One particular night, … [Read more...]
When I Was 17…
When I was 17 I felt like the world was my oyster. I had so many plans for how my life was going to turn out and I set so many goals that I wanted to accomplish. As I am sitting here watching a show on television about what entertainers were doing when they were 17, I started to reflect on what I was doing at that age. Suddenly, I was flooded with so many memories of what my life was like then and how the person that I am now is so far away from that young girl. It was my senior year in High School and I was preoccupied with all of the preparations for the events that come along with graduating from the twelfth grade. I had a very light class schedule, since it was my last year, and I took advantage of this to get a part-time job on afternoons and weekends to help me save money to pay for Prom and graduation expenses. Unfortunately, my father was the only one who worked and supported a family of five so he could not afford to pay for everything alone. As a … [Read more...]
Uninvited Guest
I am here to report that I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family! Everything went smoothly and there were no surprises. That is, except for one huge surprise, my Mother In Law crashed Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, I said crashed because she was definitely not invited. There were a number of reasons for that including the fact that she lives out of state, that we haven't seen her in over a year, and that she hates me. I'm not exaggerating, the woman really despises me. It would stand to reason that she would go out of her way to avoid having to see me, however, she has always done everything within her power to be a troublemaker and to get on my nerves. Let me describe the scene to you, everyone was sitting down getting ready to eat the Thanksgiving meal together when my husband received a call from his sister that they were here in New York and they wanted to come over to the house. I knew this was a recipe for disaster because of our history together but … [Read more...]
Momma’s Boy
As I am writing this post, my youngest son is hovering nearby coming over from time to time to see what I am doing. Little does he know that I am writing about him. You see, as far as he is concerned, the sun rises and sets on my head. It's quite a big responsibility to be looked up to that much by another human being. His love and attention is something that humbles me on a daily basis. We have been partners for a long time, him and I. A little over four years, to be exact... He was born in one of the coldest months of the year, February. His entrance was a grand one with screaming and fussing to mark his arrival and his presence. I was shocked to see his red skin and his head of pitch black straight hair. My husband and I jokingly referred to him as our Little Papoose. Unfortunately, when we left the hospital with him, he already had a cold. This was no ordinary cold and, due to the negligence of a pediatrician who is no longer our pediatrician, it turned … [Read more...]
