A Modern Mother

The baby blanket -- flashbacks from the NICU

It was not supposed to be like this, I thought to myself as I entered the three story cement underground car park. This pregnancy was supposed to be OK. Emily had been slightly early, but Alexandra had come into this world without a hitch. I had even given away my preemie clothes.

There were no spaces in the dimly lit car park -- not unusual at this time in the morning when the staff was changing over. I spotted a heavy set dark haired woman in a blue uniform, probably a nurse just getting off her shift. She pointed to a small red Honda ahead and I raised my hand in thanks, though I didn’t feel thankful.

Hey Mums, do you wear your baby as a fashion statement?

Moms in the US are up in arms about a recent Motrin ad, the J&J brand of Ibuprofen in the US.

The ad implies that wearing your baby in a sling hurts your back, buy hey, you do it because it is fashionable and "supposedly" good for your child.

Twitter Moms especially did not like this one bit. And in my opinion you shouldn't piss off a group of about 14,000 mothers that are active in microblogging. 

Is blogging dead? Not on this side of the pond!

First, the Best of the Mommy Bloggers is up on Under the Big Blue Sky.

Check it out, it’s an eclectic mix of stories from the trenches of motherhood.

Second, I read something the other day that is really bugging me.

Is blogging dead?

The debate is raging in blogosphere. Some prominent bloggers have decided to “retire” because, to sum it up, now that blogging has reached mainstream in the US, it’s not cool anymore.

Microblogging, such as Twitter, is now the “in” thing.

Credit Crunch Sundays – Try a FREE art workshop at the National Gallery in London

I’m going to share a secret. The National Gallery in London does FREE art workshops every Sunday aimed at the entire family to enjoy and learn about art together.

The workshops, run by professional artists, focus on an area in the gallery. After a short discussion, you are given insider tips and high quality art supplies and then set loose to create your own masterpiece.

It’s FABULOUS.

Did I mention it was FREE?

If you live near London, or are visiting with kids, you have to check it out.

Anyone recogise the man in this road safety campaign from the 70s?

I don't, but my husband says that every man and possibly every woman in the UK will.

The Department of Transport launched a new road safety campaign this week.

I started to get worried when I read through the facts ... almost 2,000 children in the UK are seriously injured or killed by road accidents each year ...

Then I read some of the tips for walking with children under six ... DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD RUN TO SCHOOL.

Guilty.

To say mornings are a bit of an event at our house is an understatement.

The Best of the Mommy Bloggers Carnival: vote for your favourite!

Welcome to the first edition of the Best of the Mommy Bloggers Carnival! This carnival highlights posts from the best of the mommy blogger community. 

Bloggers were asked to send in their "best post ever" -- either in terms of page views, comments, or what each blogger felt was their personal best.

You can tell I am a victim of "mommy rot" as I picked the date of the US presidential election for our carnival debut. Ooopps.

Chuggington – the New Thomas the Tank?!

I’m not a big fan of television. There’s not much worth watching. When it comes to a mediocre television drama or sleep – I’ll pick sleep every time.

Children’s television is different. Though parents don’t want to admit it, we often use TV as a type of babysitter, a way to keep the kids quiet while we steal away a few minutes to cook dinner, make an important phone call, or in my case, write a blog post.

The people who make kid’s programmes are very clever and have figured out that if they create something entertaining that will keep a child's attention, but also make it educational, parents won't feel so guilty about letting them watch it.