Wanna see the first bits of the Mom’s discoveries on McDonald’s? Watch Cityline on Wednesday, October 26th to see Nanny Robina, Jill Amery, Maureen Dennis and Tenille Lafontaine as we investigate the myths surrounding one of the world’s largest corporations. For our writing on the discoveries, please refer to the McDonald’s All Access Mom Microsite.
I know. It’s late, you’re tired, you’re wearing scruffy old clothes..heck, you may even smell funny, because you’ve been postponing your shower since “something” always comes up at the last minute. Bed is looking mighty fine. The quiet time after your kids have finally conked out…priceless. As you head for the pillow, you feel something akin to joy at the idea of being vertical for a while. Then you look at your dear husband and you see the “come hither” look in his eyes. First thing that crosses your mind: “Is is insane??” Second thing: “Oh, no.” In roll the excuses, ranging from a fake headache (or a real one) to your stinkiness. But why?
Catherine is a mother, writer and recovering academic who recently contributed to Canada’s brain drain by relocating to New York City. She’s the Director of Community and Social Good at Babble, the author of HerBadMother.com and a freelance writer who writes, sometimes, about surviving motherhood, sometimes about surviving womanhood, sometimes about trying to make the world a better place, and more often than not about her belief that bad is, really, the new good. (She really does believe that bad is the new good. She wrote a Manifesto. She’s that committed.)
One of the hottest tickets to get in Toronto this fall is for BlissDom ’11 (it sold out in 45 minutes) and of course, Catherine brought it to Canada from it’s US roots. She approached Barbara Jones a few years ago about throwing a social media conference for women in Canada. We plotted for some months before she said, ‘you know, why don’t we just make this a Blissdom conference?’ I thought that was an awesome idea, and the rest is history 😉
According to Catherine, it is important to have a BlissDom conference in Canada because there’s a large and dynamic community in Canada of women who are deeply engaged with social media, and there hasn’t historically been any place for them to network and build community. There have been social media conferences and events for women in the US since 2005, and those are all great events, but Canadian women want and need, I think, a place where they can approach these conversations as Canadian women.
Tidbits on Catherine:
Favourite place to travel: 1. back home to British Columbia to visit my family. 2. New York City (which will soon become home, so I will have to find a new number 2 ;))
Cannot-live-without gadget: iPhone
Go-to ‘Mom’ attire: When I’m working at home: yoga pants, white t-shirts and Toms shoes. When I’m working out of the offices in New York: not yoga pants
Favourite kid-friendly dinner to make: Mac and cheese
I’m reading: Lev Grossman’s The Magician King
My kids are reading: Eloise
My kid’s birthday party this year will involve: New friends in New York City and a cake shaped like ‘the lady statue’ (Statue of Liberty), in honor of our new home.
In Catherine’s spare time, she practices talking about herself in the third person. She’s getting pretty good at it.
OK, so you are the uber-Mommy: you have it all. You have a great husband or partner, you have great kids, and you have the job of your dreams—or you’re on the way to it.
So why do you feel like such an utter and complete failure sometimes?
Because, pussycat, you are stretching yourself too thin.
PMS IS NOT NATURAL…
Listen ladies .. (I know that this may shock you) but PMS and PSD are NOT NORMAL ways for the female human body to behave. It is tolerated and accepted but it is not natural. It is a sign that the body is in dire need of a spring clean and some TLC.
Some say that children can be the best birth control. Combine a long-term marriage and some kids and most couples hit that impact point when they are wondering exactly what happened to their sex life. Studies show, hands down, that a great sex life improves a relationship – and lack thereof can undermine it. Believe it or not, it really doesn’t take much to get your sex life back on track. Here are a few ideas to get you going in the right direction:
For those urban chic mommies who detest the label of “soccer mom,” don’t despair. It isn’t a dirty word, after all. A soccer mom is a mom who is involved in their kids’ lives, and the trademark minivan just makes that easier. There is a bit of a darker connotation to the term, though. It has replaced the term “yuppie” in our cultural vocabulary. There are also a lot of expectations of moms nowadays, and a soccer mom is one who is always on top of everything, supposedly, who makes all the other “normal” moms look bad.
Although having a baby is a normal and natural event, it is a time that requires a lot of adjustments. Consider these practical “post-partum” suggestions for taking care of you with a new baby so that you have the energy and desire to care for your newborn and your household in the way that you would like. It can be difficult to make yourself a priority during this time, but you must care for yourself before you can nurture others.
I never get flowers on Valentine’s Day. I made the decision long ago that I’d rather a bouquet every month for no reason than an overpriced bunch of roses on February 14th that won’t last long. Really, what do men and women need? To feel loved and cared about. Flowers, chocolate and all of the commercial trappings pushed on society once a year don’t always translate into a feeling of being loved. Why not try some of these ideas that will cost next to nothing but make your partner feel truly cared about? Here are some Easy Ideas for Year-Round Romance. Feel free to add your own.