Showing posts with label top10mama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top10mama. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
TOP 10 WAYS TO RECOGNIZE THE WORST TANTRUM OF YOUR LIFE.
1. You attempt to pad the "tantrum space" psychiatric asylum style.
2. You want to scratch that stranger's face who in fake concerned voice asks "What is wrong with her?"
3. You want to double scratch the face of that flat stomached, freshly out of the spa, 20 something bitch that rolls her eyes.
4. You mentally go through "selling your child on a black market" options.
5. You can't believe ALL of this is happening because you said "no" to her wanting to eat dog poop off the street.
6. You think to yourself "I should of just let her eat the damn poop".
7. You search for matches in your pocket, preparing to burn every book that ever advised you to "Just stay calm".
8. When you pick her up so she will not get hit by an upcoming truck, you squeeze a little bit harder than child services would recommend.
9. You feel like you are losing your mind completely, when 12 minutes later she simply gets up, smiles and points to a flying by seagull.
10. You come home, lock yourself in the bathroom and have a nice cry until she comes over and hugs your knees, making you...well...forget everything.
Friday, January 8, 2010
TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNT ABOUT TODDLERHOOD SO FAR
1. "Dog whisperer" should be referenced often, especially the part of being the "pack leader".
2. Keep things educational. Instead of saying "Don't lick the door", say "Don't lick that RED door that is shaped like a RECTANGLE".
3. Don't worry about milestones. Very few adults still wear pampers and suck on their thumbs.
4. Leave negotiating for the movies with bad plots. To get results, see #1.
5. Stop taking 5000 pictures of your kid. Put your camera down for a moment. Capture the moment in your mind: the way she smells, the light in her eyes, the pure goodness of it all. THAT is the place you will go to when you are 100 years old and peacefully dying in your sleep.
6. Remember how good it felt when your parents said "Good job. I am proud of you". Yea...me neither. So, do it for YOUR kid and do it often.
7. Be really good to her nanny, her daycare, her neighbors. They all have a part in NOT making her a serial killer one day.
8. Create a world with your kid that is purely yours, the language that only two of you speak, the story that you imagined together. That is her real comfort blanket.
9. Stop worrying about crayon marks on your wall, cheerios all over the floor and poop in your hair. One day you will nostalgically smile thinking of all those things.
10. Be just a little bit silly. After all you just got a green light to relive your childhood.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
TOP 10 TRADITIONS I WOULD LIKE TO ESTABLISH WITH MY KID.

1. Macy's parade balloons the night before everyone sees them.
2. French toast and berries on Christmas morning.
3. Her buying a small christmas gift to someone in need...from her piggy bank.
4. Reading to each other out loud.
5. Saturday cartoons while I cook HUGE family breakfast.
6. Always staying up past 12 on New Years Eve.
7. Saying a blessing before dinner.
8. Sleeping in the tent in the backyard at least once a summer no matter how old she gets.
9. Visiting her family and knowing them well.
10. Bedtime stories that only two of us will know.
so many more to come...
Monday, November 16, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS THAT ANNOY ME.

1. Commercials with people who are overly excited about their cleaning products or the general idea of "cleaning".
2. Women who ask "How old do you think I am?"
3. New Yorkers who eat fried Chicken or anything that has a bone in it on a subway.
4. Any piece of written word that ends in "xoxo".
5. Men who wear gold jewelry of any kind with an exception of a wedding band.
6. People who snap their fingers at waiters and/or tip below 20%.
7. Itchy clothing labels.
8. Conversations about weather.
9. Lipstick on the white coffee mug at a diner. Extra annoyance points if it's not mine and 1980s "pink".
10. Mariah Carey.
P.S. I apologize to both of my readers for not writing for a while. If you would like to protest my silence and tell me to get off my ass and write more often...feel free to do so for it will inspire me greatly.:)
Monday, November 2, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS I DREAM ABOUT.

My morning started by waking up to a funny smell and a "pleasant" discovery of slimy dog diarrhea dragged all over my house by a crazy and senile cocker spaniel's paws. Beating the clock, half naked and blind without contacts I proceeded to step in some of it and then neurotically cleaning everything, while intensely gagging at the same time. Just before I contemplated of setting my house on fire, my daughter woke up in the mood to match the diarrhea in the plastic, tied up bag. She also felt the need to announce it to the whole entire block with the screams that can only be described as "heart wrenching" . Dishes, breakfast, finding matching socks, 35 teary "Good byes" at the door, husband with the "burning eyes and throat"...I am off to work. Subway...15 minutes late, but I got a seat only to realize too late that the sticky wet mass on it was exactly the reason WHY it was empty in the first place. At 9:52am, sliding pass my boss 20 minutes late...I spent the rest of the day daydreaming about below.
2. In the morning, leisurely having my coffee in a sitting down position instead of standing and constantly holding it above my head while being attacked by a cute toddler monster.
3. Getting my haircut, feet massaged, gray roots colored...and any other service that makes me feel somewhat like a woman.
4. Watching something that doesn't teach me how to count.
5. Just once making it to work on time.
6. Having crisp clean sheets like people in "my kid is jumping on our bed while I am making pancakes in silk PJs" commercials. You know the ones without baby fluids and diaper cream stains.
7. After getting those magical sheets, creating "closed bedroom door policy" forever.
8. Having a cleaning lady who will also cook for us just for fun.
9. Getting my sticking out stomach to switch places with my completely flat boobs.
10. And of course...world peace.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
TOP 10 DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS MOTHERS DON'T MENTION

1. How much you long to feel pretty again.
2. Just how much sex you are NOT having after the birth of the baby.
3. Your kid still wakes up at 3am...and he is 5.
4. You hate that everyone ONLY asks you about "the baby".
5. There are moments you do not like your kid at all.
6. You secretly wish she will inherit some of your personality traits and not your husband's.
7. You regret not waiting longer to have a kid.
8. You don't give rat's ass about effects of TV on your child as long as it gives you some peace and quite.
9. When you watch devastating commercials of kids with cancer, you think to yourself "Thank God my kid is healthy".
10. You secretly compare your kid to others and your body to every other mother's at the playground.
Monday, October 26, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHILE WRITING MY IMAGINARY WILL

I have been sick for the last week. The kind of sick when you start making up your will in your head and then realize that there is nothing in your will, but outstanding bills. I cried, I bargained with God, I burnt in fever. I went to a very dark place. Your life looks very different when you are not feeling well. While I was contemplating what's the wording on my tombstone should be :), I watched "Oprah" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7s89ptz0dA or I drifted in and out of consciousness through the show. It was about Copenhagen, Denmark and why it is where "the happiest people in the world" live. It made me think about all the changes that the people of this great country would appreciate, changes that make people happy in a small country like Denmark. Here are some of them...without any political agenda.
1. Universal Health Care
Please don't call me a "socialist", because believe me as a Russian citizen I KNOW what that means. All I am asking for is that on top of the beautiful choices this country provides, there should be a simple guarantee that no one will need to choose between getting their family in debt or DYING. It's a simple human right.
2. More disease prevention services.
Government sponsored programs that teach prevention, provide free mammograms and other medical screenings.
3. 1 year of maternity leave.
It's truly insane to have a need to choose whether you should go back to work after 12 weeks or sacrifice your hard won career to stay home.
4. Cheap or free daycare.
Do I pay for daycare, which is almost the cost of my paycheck or do I stay home and clip coupons, while my husband has small heart attacks from all the pressure of bringing home the money.
5. Assigned "on call" nurse for the first 3 months of a baby's life.
Not all of us are lucky to have our parents come and help us in those trying times. You are exhausted, sleep deprived and still in shock from labor. It would be nice to be able to call someone for help if only for an hour.
6. 40 hour work week.
I am lucky to have that, but I see a lot of people who get offered a certain salary and then added "but there is a lot of overtime". We live in a time when you feel guilty leaving the office to be with your family ON TIME.
7. OPTION of free higher education.
It's not a good start of your professional young life when you get out of college already with a huge debt or worse, join the army risking your life so you have a chance at a brighter future for free.
8. Required internship programs.
If you ARE paying thousands to get that degree, there should be a way to find out exactly what that job in theory looks like in reality.
9. Travel abroad.
80% of Americans do not have a passport. Enough said.
10. Consume less, enjoy life more.
I would like to also mention that people in Denmark pay 50% of their salary in taxes but after getting everything above plus 4 years of unemployment at 90% of your salary....ask me if I care.
Monday, October 19, 2009
TOP 10 WAYS I KEEP MYSELF RELATIVELY SANE AND ...HAPPY

As a nation, we are overworked, completely stressed out, depression drug overused and simply...unhappy. This is how I am fighting back.
2. I don't cook. Well...I cook once a week. On Sunday, I send my better 2/3 to the park for 3 hours, blast off way inappropriate for my age music and cook for the whole entire week. It's therapeutic and all I have to do for the rest of the week is pour a glass of wine with my warmed up dinner.
3. I have a standing date with one of my friends. Once a week, I spend a care free evening wine drinking and gossiping with my friend Lisa. We've being doing this for years and somehow we still manage to non stop talk for hours on that one night.
4. Once in a while I call in sick just to stay home with my husband while our girl is in daycare. We have a huge breakfast, go to the movies or simply stay in bed. After my boss reads this, I might have whole bunch of those days coming up, also known as "unemployment".:)
4 1/2. To immediately cover my ass:)...I love my job and people I work with. It's true and it's a very important aspect of my sanity. Everytime I get stressed out, I remind myself that generally I get paid to be around very cool people who do very cool shit for living.
5. When my daughter wakes up around 8 on the weekends, we put in "Sesame street" DVD on repeat, give her some snacks with milk and go back to bed for another blissful hour.
6. I buy a lottery ticket a couple of times a week. Just one at a time. The pleasure I get from day dreaming about winning all those millions and moving to Tuscany with my family is well worth $1.
7. I listen to my I-Pod. Subway, close my eyes, music... It is simply my #1 drug.
8. I pray. I do. Every day. Mostly, just to say "thank you".
9. I eat my dinner AFTER my daughter goes to bed. Yes, it's late by american standards, but the anticipation of adult conversation, slow chewing and wine sipping makes kiddie bedtime routine that much stricter and more organized. P.S. Extra points if you serve your dinner on the fancy plates.
10. I get on all fours and chase my girl around the house every chance I get. Something about her squeaking and non stop laughing makes me forget about work, recession and that dirty bathroom.
Monday, October 12, 2009
TOP 10 REASONS WHY RAISING CHILDREN "MAD MEN" STYLE IS A PIECE OF CAKE.

1. It's hard to notice any discipline flaws through the cloud of smoke and haze of alcohol.
2. "Parent conference" takes place in bed, while you are banging the teacher.
3. "Staying at home mom" has a new ring to it when someone else is watching your kids, cleaning your house and making your meals.
4. Communication with your kids is limited to "Go play".
5. Positive reinforcement takes effect when you get your daddy's martini right.
6. It's hard to disobey your mom when she goes outside with a rifle and shoots for the fun of it.
7. The kids are REALLY calm and relaxed since their mom smoked and drank 90% of her pregnancy.
8. Parenting is more fun when you leave your wife for the woman your daughter's age.
9. Milestones are irrelevant since neither of the parents know how old the kids are, where the school is or how to get there.
10. Quality time with your daughter is spent installing night light in her room so you will not have to be disturbed by her frightened crying.
Monday, October 5, 2009
TOP 10 RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT "MY MONKEY BABY"

I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so my judgement was even more clouded than usual. To make the time pass before "does it get any better?" "Mad Men", I made an emotionally fatal mistake by watching "My monkey baby". TLC's new found gem is the show about people who get a monkey and then treat it as their baby. Enough said. Here are a few parts of the show that emotionally scarred me for life.
1. Putting lipstick and eye shadow on your monkey after realizing that she is a teenager now.
2. Introducing your 2 week old "baby" to your two huge pitbulls.
3. Sloppy mouth to mouth kissing between a 70 year old and (yes, you guessed it) her pet monkey.
4. Selecting a number of girl dresses and then proceeding to try them on on her with the statements like "This one is only $28".
5. Putting your "baby" in a stroller and then going to a restaurant, while pointing out that she behaves better than other children.
6. Putting your monkey in a will.
7. Celebrating her birthday with cake, balloons and wrapped up stuffed monkey as one of her many presents.
8. Calling your psychic after a climatic discovery of missing anti-depressants to see if the monkey ate them. Next camera shot... monkey dozing off on her "mother's" shoulder.
9. Continuous high pitch screaming "Are you taking your panties off?", as your ape franticly scratching off her diaper.
10. Soothing your "baby" with a monkey DVD before she drifts off to sleep.
With that said... I am a lucky one. I wanted to have a kid one day and I have one. My heart bleeds a little knowing that all these women really wanted to have kids and just couldn't. As creepy, bazaar and delusional the show is...I am not the one to judge. I am just pointing out the extreme of it all that should be replaced with a healthy dose of much needed therapy.
Monday, September 28, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS I UNDERSTAND ABOUT MY PARENTS NOW THAT I AM ONE MYSELF

2. How much it hurt when I screamed "I wish I was never born" at a "I know it all" age of 14.
3. How hard it was to say "ok" when I decided to live abroad.
4. Why they always assumed the worst when I didn't call for a couple of weeks.
5. Why my husband will never be quite good enough no matter how much they love him.
6. Why my mother couldn't sleep sometimes simply "worrying".
7. How heartbroken they were when they missed my wedding and the birth of their granddaughter.
8. Why they keep my room just the way I left it...18 years ago.
9. Why my mother gets jealous of mine and dad's "bond".
10. How vulnerable the last 36 years have been for them.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
TOP 10 DIFFERENCES A YEAR MAKES.

A year ago my daughter was 2 months old. She was never a tender, cooing baby and I was never a picture perfect doting mother. We were both exhausted, foreign to each other and wondering when will this babyhood insanity will stop for both of us. Around that time I saw a dad on a street who had 14 month old twins. We talked briefly and I remember asking him "When will I feel better, I mean... much better?". He answered "After about a year". In horror, his words lingered in my mind. At that point my life was on hour to hour basis. I simply couldn't imagine even making it through a year, forget enjoying anything after. Well, here I am, I survived to write about it. So, for all the mothers, who are crying in the shower, exhausted, sore and sleep-deprived a few months after birth...top 10 differences a year make.
1. They sleep. Forget 5 hour definition of "sleeping through the night" created obviously by a non parent. Majority sleep 11-12 hours STRAIGHT.
2. After a year you will "know" your kid, following their signs like a well studied map. No longer will you need to watch Oprah to identify your baby's cry. They will show you what hurts and what do they want.
3. They eat like humans and I strongly believe that if you don't give them more than 2 choices at one meal (if that), they will learn to eat anything you give them. If the sweetest thing they ever have is an apple, an apple would become a treat to them.
4. They walk. I heard people tell me "Enjoy this stage, because once they walk...". Are you kidding me? I love this "walking thing". No longer do I have to bend over like a human pretzel while holding both of her hands... or watch her get sad following running kids on the playground with her eyes, instead of playing with them... or panic about what to do with her, when I am struggling to open my apartment door.
5. They have enough attention span to watch a cartoon or read a book or simply entertain themselves for an hour. And just you wait until the day that she will bring you a book and then climb into your lap. Your heart will simply melt.
6. They follow simple directions. Only a few more months until "Go get mommy a bottle of wine from the corner store.":)
6.5. Speaking of wine. You start having it again... over dinner, with your husband, with your friends. Then you look in the mirror and start recognizing that woman that you once were with clear laughing eyes, beautiful smile and matching shoes.
7. They have personality and it's nothing that you might expect. While my daughter already has my dry sense of humor by laughing at the dog bumping her head on the wall, she also puts scarfs around her neck to play "princess" (something that truly horrifies me).
8. You are undeniably and enthusiastically their favorite person EVER and they let you know that constantly by hiding behind your legs or squeaking in delight every time you enter a room.
9. They hug in the purest, most sincere way and believe me, you will know the difference between requested hug and the hug they give you just because.
10. They make you want to have another one, something that you swore you will never do again.
Friday, September 18, 2009
TOP 10 REASONS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE FALL

2. Little, tiny rain boots.
3. Halloween candy for you.
4. Photographs with fallen leaves on the ground and your kid, wearing her 36th fall jacket and those little, tiny rain boots.
5. Red wine when it's 55 degrees outside.
6. Empty playgrounds.
7. My husband, big cloud like blanket and new fall reality show line up.
8. Scarfs and perfume...all kinds and every day.
9. Clothes that I can breath out in...until spring.
10. Rain - natural baby soother.
Friday, September 11, 2009
TOP 10 RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT "SUPERNANNY" SHOW.

2. 15 minutes into the show you are crying like a baby with their mother, who looks like she hasn't showered or looked in the mirror since the last one was conceived.
3. My strong opinion is that kids quiet down and listen to Joe (I can't believe I know her name), because they have no idea what she is actually saying and it's like trying to break a secret pirate's code for them, for which you have to be very, very quiet.
4. I love little cute charts Joe creates, but I always wonder how a mother who hasn't had time to pee in the last 3 years will find the time to create those in 167 different colors.
5. You really understand the term "outnumbered" when 2 parents try to chase down 3 kids over and over again to CARRY them to bed. Like a dying seagull, they desperately spread their arms in attempt of covering much needed territory and catching at least one followed shortly by falling flat on their face.
6. Memo to my growing up daughter who is reading this top 10 list - if you ever say "you are a bitch" to me, you will be send to live with your distant relatives in Siberia...and there will be no second or first warning.
7. I don't think there is anything more frustrating in this world than a kid sliding out of your arms like an oiled up noodle while screaming on top of their lungs and kicking you at the same time.
8. I wonder if she ever uses the term "naughty chair" outside the show. Ew, no, I really don't.
9. I love parents who announce on the show that they are pregnant...again. People, you are on "Supernanny" show. It's time to take a break and figure out the first 6 kids you had back to back. It's like announcing on Jerry Springer show that you are moving deeper in the mountains of Kentucky. And when do you have time to have sex anyways?
10. Something tells me I will be on that show one day.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
TOP 10 QUALITIES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME IN LIFE.

I encountered something this weekend that made my chest swell up with pride and eyes - with tears. At 13 months, as expected, my girl is not talking yet at all, she just started walking, she might be behind of some overachieving toddlers, whose mothers claim that they speak in full sentences and run marathons... and I don't really care. All this other stuff will come, but one thing that makes me already proud, is that my silly girl is KIND. I took her to the playground and since she can't move as fast as her much older peers, she is often left behind, so she started to pick up toys from underneath her stroller and giving them out. She would literally walk to a random kid and give him/her her toy. It broke my heart watching her do that. She sincerely wanted them to have it and maybe play with her too. I know there will come a day when she will scream "Mine!" but for now I love her for her innocent and complete kindness. So, I started thinking about qualities that matter to me in life that I would love for her to have. Here they are:
1. Kindness.
2. Sense of humor.
3. Eagerness to learn.
4. Great work ethic.
5. Humbleness.
6. Respect.
7. Good sense of timing.
8. Appreciation of what you have.
9. Uniqueness.
10. Child like silliness.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
TOP 10 KIDS SONGS THAT MAKE ME WANT TO SHOOT MY BRAINS OUT
Monday, August 31, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT BABY PAGEANTS.
1. There is something borderline sexually abusive about a 3 year old wearing a tiny bikini and shaking her hips on a fake tan body. Isn't that what we did on a spring break in our 20s to get WRONG guys SEXUALLY attracted to us?
2. Parents leading in a group prayer before their child takes the stage, I have news for you. You just took a perfect God's creation and decorated it to your liking like a cheesy Barbie doll. I am sure God has more important things to do than reward your child with a 16 foot trophy for screwing up with his genius work.
3. Why do you make your daughter walk like this? It's like a half walk, half hop with a perfect 20 degree shoulder rotation. Am I not getting it? Should I be walking like this?
4. Look around you parents. No one comes to these stupid events but you, your immediate, brain washed family and a couple of suspicious looking guys with oversized coats on their laps. Who are you trying to impress?
5. Let's do the math. Dress - $1000. Coaching - $60 a session. Dance lessons - $60 a session. Photoshoot - $500. Hotel, travel, FAKE TEETH, sugar packets, wigs and fake eyelashes - $2764.00. Prize for the first place - $5000. Don't tell me you doing this to save money for her college, because it just does not add up.
6. You know all those beauty products we spend a fortune on? They all promise us "baby smooth skin". So why are you caking your perfect daughter's face with foundation, concealers, powders and clown like blush?
7. The most beautiful thing about a child is her innocence, imagination and her ability to look at the world in a CHILD like way. When you are dressing your daughter in a leather cop uniform with attached HANDCUFFS and make her imitate arrest...you are robbing her of all three.
8. Look at the pageant headshots of your daughter...now look at her when she is peacefully sleeping after a day of playing outside? See ANY similarities? Didn't think so.
9. How do you compete in a newborn division? I didn't know there was a standard of "beauty" even before your cord dried up and fell off. My hat goes off to the mothers thou. At 6 weeks past birth I haven't showered or eaten yet. They already managed to create high expectations for their newborns.
10. Instead of all the time spent "rehearsing" for a unnatural, mechanical, fake routine...turn the music on and let her silly dance her own way, kiss her bare, naturally rosie cheeks and let her run naked in the sprinklers. Now, THAT is beautiful.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNT ABOUT BABY/TODDLER SLEEP TRAINING

So, what did I learn about baby/toddler sleep and sleep training?
1. It's an oxymoron.
2. Every sleep method I read has a small print "This might not work if your child is teething, going through a milestone or any additional change". You mean like every day until they are 18?
2 1/2. "If your child vomits from crying too hard, calmly clean up the throw up and leave the room". What am I, a fucking Hitler? I feel bad for the non-related to me drunks throwing up at 3am outside the bar. Imagine how I feel about my non-verbal, teary up, "Why are you doing this to me?" BABY.
3. Every book I read has "No cry" or "Easy" in their title, but by chapter 3 I always realize that it is not the case. FYI: Some of us work, so no, I cannot chart every time my daughter rubs her eyes.
4. Only sleep training can make two college educated, smart, patient parents feel like a complete powerless idiots.
5. It's mind bugling to me how can anyone wake up at 5am, never stop moving and still have problems falling asleep at 9pm.
6. I would agree to gain a 100 pounds if in return I will get 8 hours of continuous sleep EVERY night WITH my husband in OUR bed ALONE. Too bad I will no longer fit in that bed.
7. I was scared shitless when I read on internet that some kids still wake up 2-3 times a night at 3, 5, 7 years old. Should of adopted a 16 year old. I heard they sleep till 2pm.
8. I want my money back for every soother, nighttime CD and comfort blanket I bought in the last year. I fell for all of you.
9. When I daydream at work, it's always the same: nursery on the 3rd Floor of my modest mansion and "Tori and Dean's" nanny is carrying our girl away for the night as I open a nice bottle of red.
10. Maybe sleep problems is the way to keep this world from being overpopulated, because if we didn't have them people would have 10-15 kids each.
Please feel free to comment and give me advice or take my daughter for a week and sleep train her.
Monday, August 24, 2009
TOP 10 MEAN CARDS.

1. "I am sorry your kid looks like you."
2. "Your family is just like Jolie-Pitt's minus talent, money and looks."
3. "Sorry you had to sleep with your husband to get pregnant."
4. "I booked you on the Maury show"
5. "Stop sending me your kid's pictures."
6. "Let's practice waving "Bye-bye" with your kid."
7. "I am sorry your life is over."
8. "You are not pregnant in your ass."
9. "Let's talk about your labor...never."
10. "Way to teach your kid about lower expectations."
This blog entry is not to be reproduced without permission.
Friday, August 21, 2009
TOP 10 OF MY PROMISES TO YOU.

2. I will send you to college.
3. I will not care if you are gay.
4. I will support you in your passion even if I don't completely understand it.
5. I will only lie to protect you.
6. I will always love your father.
7. I will never be ok with you doing drugs.
8. I will always have a place for you to come home to.
8 1/2. You will have to pay rent after you are 18.
9. I will not compare my life to yours.
10. I will not be a burden to you when I am old.
This blog entry is not to be reproduced without permission.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


