My Mommyology

Learning from Motherhood.

December 20, 2010
by mymommyology
2 Comments

Justin Bieber for Christmas?

I remember when I was (much) young(er), the biggest things for me were the Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake dolls with their moving hands and changeable clothes.  About a decade later I remember Barbie had faded slightly but was generally still around, and in its place at home were my sister’s collections of Polly Pocket.  Now looking through the proclaimed hottest toys for 2010 list, I was in fact surprised to find that one of the more popular toys was a Justin Bieber Singing Doll!

Justin Bieber on Amazon

Amazon's Justin Bieber Singing Doll - on sale!

On Amazon it sells for $29.99 and if you push a button, it will sing his hit single Baby.  Searching further, there are other dolls and games and toys from this boy’s brand.  Yes, BOY.  He’s what, 16 years old?!  After only 18 months from his You Tube discovery, he’s Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, edging out competitors like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry who have been around for much longer.  Apparently, there is even a book about his life — aren’t the older celebrities awarded the luxury of having a book about their long lives?  Does that mean if there are 16 chapters, each one talks about a year in his life?

Now from a marketing perspective, I can understand how you would want to extend his brand and make more money off royalties from toys, games and the like.  If he makes at least $300,000 per concert according to his fan site, this boy (I still cannot get over it) is probably one of those multibillionaires overnight — counting hit singles, sponsorships, commercials, and all that merchandise!  What is he going to do with all that money?  And more importantly, what is that going to do with his life, and his head?!  All that fame can destroy you and make you crazy, you know.  We’ve seen it before!

Mrs Bieber pin on Amazon

Good Lord.

From a consumer’s perspective (with two girls who may just grow up to become Justin Bieber fans — oh dear), it may all be a tad bit too much.  While being avid fans of boys and boy bands in grade school is typical, I feel it’s a little over the top when you encourage young girls to think of themselves as “Mrs. Bieber”.  As a mom, knowing what influence media can have on my girls, do I really want to patronize this kind of manic, head-over-heels behavior?

I also wonder how Justin Bieber’s mom really feels about all of this instant fame and fortune.  While a Zimbio article says she’s “relieved” because his lifestyle keeps him out of trouble, there’s yet another article on Hollywire that says she worries “she’s losing control over her boy“, and that “she has her work cut out for her, trying to keep a teenage boy from all the screaming girls dying for a change to be his girlfriend.”  I commend her strength, however I still would not want to be in her shoes.

I think, for this year’s Christmas shopping for older cousins and nieces, we’ll stick to the safer fashionable clothes and educational toys.

December 18, 2010
by mymommyology
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Snowfall

I decided to make it snow on my blog today, too.

We were at the University mall today (Sam was too busy chasing the Chick-fil-A cows to appreciate a free seat with Santa!), and when we stepped out to go to the car we caught the first flurries of snowflakes on our heads.

My Mommyology Chick-Fil-A on Snow Day

It's actually a cute campaign.

It is a week before Christmas, and the maddening shopping rush is still on.

December 17, 2010
by mymommyology
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Fridays

Lately Fridays have been the most tiring days for me.  I look forward to the weekends when (pre-PlayStation days), I get a few extra hours of sleep, while the rest of the family figures out breakfast arrangements.  By this time of the week, I’ve practically run out of steam from trying to get everything done and out.  And it’s also the day when I realize how much heavier I get as I close yet another week in the gestational cycle.

My Mommyology Laundry

Our living room on Fridays -- well, it's somewhere there.

The apartment feels messiest on Fridays.  I generally have a pile of laundry in the living room waiting to be folded, and several unwashed dishes in the sink (which for some reason, never miraculously clean themselves!  I wonder why that is…).  There are also a million toys and books strewn across the floor, since Friday is the only day of the week when Sam is “most” home.  From Monday thru Thursday we keep busy out of the house — school, errands, Kindermusik, play dates and the like, but on Fridays, I am her only source of entertainment.  Me and Elmo.

During the first few weeks of this pregnancy, getting through Friday I felt would take forever.  I was most glad for the three days when Sam would be in school half of the day, and asleep for two hours in the afternoon.  Now though, that I am about 12 weeks from my due date (how did it happen that quickly!), I realize that I miss my one-on-one time with my not-so-little girl.  So Fridays, while quite exhausting, are suddenly beginning to be the funnest days of them all again.  We play with almost everything in her living room of toys, and make-up all sorts of silly games.  I feel like I’m back in my own childhood when I would have all this fun with my own toys.  And it is the day too that I feel I can focus on teaching her new things like I used to before she started pre-school, or experiment on routine changes as well since I have all the time to observe.  Sometimes we spend the day at the Life and Science Museum in Durham which is a great place to go to when you’re in the area, and sometimes we meet up with friends for a quick hour or two of play.

But for the most part, it is just us. For approximately 12 more Fridays, that’s how it will be until our world turns on its head again (A happy and exciting change, but change nonetheless).  So I say, let the house be a mess for one day. 🙂

December 15, 2010
by mymommyology
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Children’s Clothing: Is it for Mom or for Baby?

My Mommyology - Children's Clothing

I will admit. This is how I store my kids' clothes too!

I was putting away some old baby clothes and shoes the other day in neat piles according to size (we’ve had about 2 years’ worth).  A friend was watching me half buried under an open suitcase with clothes all over the floor.  He said, “how can someone so little have that much clothing?!”
So I thought about it, in my own My Mommyology way… and here’s what I came up with:

1)  Mommies used to be girls who loved to play dress-up.  And babies are real live, super cute dolls we can dress!

2) Mommies are girls and by nature girls love to shop.  We know the value of shopping, too. Our children simply CAN’T wear the same things all the time!  (When I told my mom my 2nd girl could wear old clothes my mom said, “well, she can’t own ALL hand-me-downs!”  and that was that).

3) Yes yes yes, they outgrow their clothes at lightning speed, BUT – you also have to consider the changing seasons, a big factor in a country like the US.  It’s not so much the case in Manila, but hey, it’s a trendy nation anyway and we take clothes and brands of all seasons, right?

4) In your “denial” to buy new clothes, you will accept hand-me-downs from those who’ve had kids that have come before yours, so that you won’t have to buy.  But does that REALLY stop you?

5) Of course, clothes from babyGap, The Children’s Place, Gymboree, and the like, always have new fashion out. OH!  They are always on sale.  So you buy some now, and some bigger sized ones that they can use later on (It is affordable after all.  $5 tops with additional discounts?  Those are Greenhills prices!), and then you forget you’ve bought later on and end up buying again…  You catch my drift.

6) Plus!  They have coupons you can use at a later date as well as discounts and rewards points… you can’t let those go to waste now can you?  Make every opportunity count I say!

7)  Baby clothes are the easiest to give as gifts.  So while you buy, you also get a ton of them (I’m not complaining by the way).

Then comes baby #2, and woopee!  It’s another girl! She can use her sister’s old clothes (since not many of them were worn more than twice in the first place), but…

8 ) See side note to #2

9) What if she was born in a different season from baby #1?  For instance, if big sister was born at the beginning of winter, the first few months of clothing will be long-sleeves and faux fur, thicker onesies and caps, boots and mittens.  Now little sister is expected to arrive at the beginning of spring.  So already, the wardrobe sizes are 3 months off-schedule, it will either be too big or too warm for her to wear.  Maybe some pieces can be used, but that just messes up the sorting and piling and you have to do it all over again!  Save yourself the hassle and just buy new clothes.

10)  How can you not love matching outfits?!

Matching outfits

How can you resist?

So there is such a thing as retail therapy for moms.  Kids well, they will go along with the shopping and not complain.

It’s a win-win situation — except for the moment when Daddy discovers the credit card bill.  But it’s all forgotten and forgiven when he sees how cute and fashionable they look in their outfits!  By then, it is a lost cause. 🙂

December 13, 2010
by mymommyology
6 Comments

Winter with a Belly and a Toddler

My Mommyology Winter with a Belly and a Toddler

"If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes..."

January 20, 2008.  That was my first winter, and the first time I actually experienced fresh, falling snow.  Prior to that my image of snow was what they create for you in movies and TV shows — a wonderfully romantic winter wonderland (complete with the appropriate soundtrack playing in your head).  Kids are making snowmen, and snow angels, and laughing while tossing snow balls here and there.  ‘Tis the season for making fireplaces, drinking hot cups of coffee and toasting marshmallows — ahhhh yes. All the warm fuzzy feelings (sigh!).

However, after a total of 6 snowfalls all at most an inch-thick, I’d have to say — the movies are quite far from the actual reality!  I never really pictured all that “loveliness” with a big round belly on me, and an active toddler by my side.  Oh boy.

Yes, laugh if you must.  It gets better.

No one told me snow was cold!  (Uh, duh.  I mean of course it is; but keep in mind, in my romanticized fantasies, snow outside was equated to warm and toasty inside!) It’s so cold (and so thin) you really wouldn’t want to make snowmen and snow angels!  For one, it’s not quite that easy to get into my warm winter clothing because of all the layers and layers that come on.  It’s not very easy you see, when you cannot reach your toes, much less see them.  In my first pregnancy I used to be able to balance on one leg while putting on my UGGs, one at a time.  Now, I have to balance AND avoid being run into by an excited child who can’t wait to go outdoors into the freezing air (Why don’t I sit down to put them on?  Remember, I already strain to reach my toes).  So by the time I’m dressed, I’m almost out of breath.

And that’s only me and the boots.  When I layer Sam’s clothing, at the end of it all she looks like a marshmallow Michelin child, where her arms don’t drop down to her sides anymore.  That’s not all.  Try getting her into her car seat dressed that way.  Add gloves to my hand and the struggle escalates (Then again, either way with or without gloves, I can’t feel my fingers, so why do I even bother?)

Now who says that once you get all these lovely winter accessories on her, that they will stay on?  Of course at one point in time she is uncomfortable and will start to pull off her gloves, or her UGGs, or her beanie, and so the process of chasing her around in the cold winter-y air begins.  That’s not to mention my constant fear of her catching a bad cold and cough or worse because let’s face it, this weather and a toddler — all new to me.  I am still in winter-learning-mode.

My Mommyology Winter

Marshmallow Michelin Child Running Away from Marshmallow Michelin Mom

It is quite a sight to see me with the big belly (even with less layers I already look like a marshmallow Michelin mom) bouncing involuntarily after a child who thinks it is a fun game to run away.  I do presume that to her, the entire sight of me in pursuit is quite hilarious.

What can I say, it is an experience.  I’m not complaining; I am in fact quite amazed at the opportunity to live in sub-zero temperatures, and to experience what an actual winter would be like (albeit pregnant through two of them).  The cold, the layers and the freezing air, I’ll admit it takes a little getting used to.  The toddler and the, err, bouncing — well — isn’t that a part of it all.  But I can’t say it isn’t fun to watch her squeal in delight.  And besides, she does look cute in all those wintery clothes, even if they are hard to put on.

I think ahead to next winter when it will be yet a different winter-learning-mode.  Hopefully there will be no belly of any kind (post-pregnancy flab included), so that it will be relatively easier to chase after a toddler AND lug around a baby, all in our marshmallow Michelin outfits.  I wonder what hilarious misadventures we will have then.

—

You want to know another story?  Over the Thanksgiving weekend we rented a cabin at Smoky Mountain, bought firewood and prepared to make a fire (and toast marshmallows too!  or Smores!  Just like in the movies!).  Of course, Daddy’s first attempt set off the fire alarms and filled the cabin with smoke.  Ah yes, the romantic visions of my winter wonderland, all up in smoke.  Literally speaking.

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