Salute to a Mom-a-holic

21 children live on our street in Suburbia, MD. They range in age from 2 1/2 to 12. Seven of them are girls. At least once a day, when I hear the sounds of children playing outside (as they should be) I thank God that I live where I do. I feel comfortable saying without a doubt that all of the moms on my street, whether they work outside the home or spend their days kissing boo-boos or shuffling kids from school to soccer practice, to baseball games, are amazing. The love they each have for their kids and families is written on every hard-earned laugh line.

This post is about one in particular, who has a seemingly never-ending supply of love and energy for her kids. She has 3, and didn't always do the stay-at-home mom thing. She didn't decide to leave corporate America until after her third child was about 6 months old. Her youngest is just a couple of months younger than my oldest.

Yesterday, at a birthday party for one of the boys on the street, my husband saw her sound asleep on a couch. The party was at the Jump Zone, one of those very popular inflatable party places. About 20 kids were running around, screaming, jumping, and sweating in one of five huge moon bounces and there is my neighbor, crashed in sheer exhaustion on a sofa in the supervisor zone of the play arena.

We giggled, and pointed her out to othe grown-ups at the party.

Then we heard that in the previous 24 hours, she'd been to swim practice for the summer neighborhood swim league one which all three of her kids swim; a soccer game for her eldest; the first meet of the season, which required her to rise at about 6:30 AM to make sure the family was up and ready to get to the pool on time and to help with set-up of refreshments; and she probably even made time for a 3ish mile run.

This mom is amazing. She dedicates about 45 minutes a week to EACH of her children's classrooms, volunteers for PTA events, serves as room mom for her youngest child's K class, makes decorations and Halloween costumes that most people would opt to buy, and still finds time to hit the gym's boot camp three days a week and run in various races just for fun.

Yes, she makes the time to support her kids and family and do what's important to her. But she never acts like she's super human or any different than any other mom who loves her kids. Seeing her asleep on the couch with no worries of who would see her was just proof of how down to earth and fantastic she is.

So here's just one busy mom of three on my street who lends a hand without expecting anything in return and is an example of how to keep life real.

$1 Movie Days at AMC Theatres

One of the best parts of summer vacation is $1 movie days at AMC Movie Theaters. It's when I can get $1 movie tickets and see a fun, family movie with my kids every Wednesday. We even bring in our own snacks.

All of the money goes to the Will Roger's Institute and Variety - the Children's Charity.

Here is this year's movie schedule.

And a tip: get your tickets a week early so you're guaranteed a seat. They tend to sell out every week.

4 today, 14 tomorrow

My children are growing up way too fast. I really understand now what adults used to tell me then: that time moves quickly and I should enjoy the present without wishing I was already living my future.

Today, I read this article about teaching sons to retain their sexual purity. I realize my children will reach an age when their hormones are raging and they'll want to experiment. I'm blissfully glad that I do have a few years left before that happens (keeping in mind that time is rushing past me quicker than I can blink and that in the end, when my son is 14, it will seem like just yesterday he was 4). But, I also believe it is possible to raise kids to understand that our actions, all of them, have consequences. I'd like to teach both of my children that holding on to sexual purity until they are emotionally ready to handle the consequences is a much wiser, although seemingly more difficult, choice.

My husband and I are already teaching our daughter that her body is a special gift that she may one day want to give to someone. And that it should be given to someone very, very special, for it is a gift that can only be given once. Laying the foundation now will hopefully make the conversations to come less frightening to face.

Help Raise Money for a 3 year old named Brandon

This is a cut and paste of a note from one of my Facebook friends. we went to Laurel High School together. I'm hoping that through the power of the internet and my Tweeps, info will spread and the little boy will get the test he needs.

Here is her post. Please leave a comment with info on how to contact you if you are able to help this family.

Okay I am going to ask for help from all my dearest friends out there. A friend of mine has a son who is 3 today. He has a very serious medical condition that is requiring a test that the insurance company wont pay for. To give him a better chance to see his next birthday we are trying to raise money for a test he needs to have done. His mother is doing a fundraiser to try and raise the money needed. She is holding a scrapbook fundraiser. Its going to be on May 30th from 11 to 7 in Spring Grove, PA. If anyone wants to come let me know. Tickets are $25.00 and includes food, crop space and door prizes. Also does anyone know of anyone out of York PA that is a Non-profit organization that can do raffle tickets during the fundraiser?.

I know a lot of you don't live near her but if anyone has any ideas on fundraisers or charities that can help please let me know. We really need to raise the money as soon as possible. The little man needs this test done to find out if he qualifies for a pace maker or defibrillator.

Thanks so much to everyone who at least takes the time to read this and maybe get some ideas.

We're at-home mommies with amazing skills and talents: Not idiots

This should not come as a shock to anyone who reads this: I'm a mommy blogger.

I write to maintain some sense of creativity and individuality while I stay home with my kids. Just because I made the choice to stay home, along with the support of my very loving, doting, and amazing husband, doesn't mean I'm a brainless idiot who will jump any chance to make a little money.

My kids are old enough now that entertaining the idea of working again isnt' all that scary. I still have until fall of 2010 before my youngest is in Kindergarten, but still: I'm a pretty smart cookie and am pretty sure I'm competent enough to work from home. Heck, I was working from home before I was pregnant with my first, and I had a boss who swore I was more productive when I dialed in than when I showed my pretty face in the office.

I had to be: I wanted to work from home! The last few weeks of my pregnancy with baby number 1, guess what? I worked from home at least half of the time. And I was able to get more done too.

Go figure.

I was just visiting a site I'd never heard of before: Momforce.comI'm frequently looking for good places that list jobs for moms... especially positions open to telecommuters. But the really irritating part about most of the "opportunities" that accept telecommuters for writing, marketing, or editing assignments (which is what I'm most interested in) is that they're few and far between and more often than not, have no affiliation with an actual business. They're usually commission based positions that are very vague with their descriptions.

For instance:

Work from home, kids by your side. Have more time for those personal interests and the time to enjoy them. Improve your families quality of life. Enjoy the teamwork and coaching from successful women who are already living their dreams.

Yeah, here's what this means: Our grammar is horrible and we're hoping you won't notice that the only thing we're doing in this ad is trying to sell a life that may or may not be attainable to you.

You'll be partnered with an International manufacturing company that has become the Premier Wellness Company in the world today. The Wellness Industry is exploding with opportunity and according to experts an estimated one trillion dollars of the North American economy will be devoted to the Wellness Industry annually within the next 5 years. We are at the forefront of this growth; The right place - at the right time. I can help you set yourself up for life - while you help us share the answers families need to improve their quality of life.

Translation: You will be selling products - and you will need several thousands of dollars worth of inventory that you will first attempt to sell to your friends and family and once you've practiced your sales pitch on people who absolutely can't tell you no, then hopefully you will have a collection of other potential customers, who hopeflly don't already know some who is currently selling for the same company.

We are really about two things - Your Health and Financial Wellness. Which could you live without? Which could you use some help with? What about everyone else out there? The market potential is endless, as EVERYBODY wants Wealth and Wellness and the time freedom to enjoy both!

What we really mean here is that if you've read this much, we still haven't told you who we are, what we do, and what we need from you. We're mostly hoping we grabbed your attention and that you haven't been jaded by enough of these misleading types of ads that promise more than they actual are capable of delivering. And, if we've managed all of that, we know you'll contact us.

But, we're smarter than that. We can see through the fluffy text and empty promises.

Most of us mommies at home left good jobs making a healthy salary. And most of us can organize, schedule, delegate, and complete tasks better now than we ever could. There's something about spending a significant amount of time time home alone with children younger than 5 AND we've figured out how to get the house clean and shiny while changing diapers, wiping noses, kissing boo-boos and supervising play dates.

As the children have grown, the day-to-day tasks and chores have become easier to manage and many of us are chomping at the bit to modestly re-enter the workforce. I would hazard to guess that many of us can manage our time better than most of the nine-to-fivers who spend more time than you realize checking email, updating facebooks, taking a smoke break, or staying up to date with the latest celebrity gossip.

So trust me: you want to hire us. We're skilled in ways many of your traditional employees can only dream of being. And we have much to effectively offer the workforce. All from the comfort of our own homes.

Don't judge a book by it's cover

True, this is so cliche. Still, mom always said, don't judge a book by it's cover.

What an inspiration this woman is to the bazillions of people in this world who have amazing talents but lack what society views as a beautiful package.

Thank you, Susan Boyle, for having the courage to share your beautiful voice in front of the camera and showing the world why we shouldn't judge books by their covers.

Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of ALL ages...

For a few months when I was 5, I lived with my grandparents in Richmond, VA. My mom, sister, and I lived with Mimi and Grampy on Partingdale Circle while my father relocated his Coast Guard location from St. Louis, MO toGovernors Island in NY. Even though I was very young, I remember a few events from those short months very vividly:

The preschool I went to that had a huge play elephant in the backyard that I could climb on and pretend I was on an African safari

The school my sister went to was called Chalkley Elementary School and was on a very dangerous road called Walmsley (I still love the names of roads in Chesterfield, VA)

The library Grampy used to take me to frequently and my favorite story he read to me: Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman.

The first time I went to The Greatest Show on Earth: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus.

I think when you experience something as grand and exciting as Ringling Bros., you're pretty much spoiled for any other circus... ever. I've seen the Moscow Circus, in Moscow, back when Russia was called the USSR. And it was good. But it didn't thrill or amaze me quite like Ringling Bros. has.

Every year when the circus comes to town, my husband and I look at our calendars, hoping that whenever the circus train comes to Baltimore, we're free to take the kids. We haven't been since our oldest (who is now 6) was 2. And our 4-year-old has never been.

How surprised they will be when we surprise them next week with a trip to the circus!

Thanks to the power of the internet, I know of two great deals available for families who want to go to the circus.

Here are the dates the circus is coming to Baltimore, DC, and NoVa:

Baltimore, MD
Show dates: March 25 through April 5
Location: 1st Mariner Arena

Washington, DC
Show dates: March 19 through March 22
Location: Verizon Center

Fairfax, VA
Show dates: April 8 through April 19
Location: Patriot Center

Follow this link to purchase tickets and use the codes for discounts and deals.

Offer #1: Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code "MOM" at ticketmaster.com. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Circus Celebrity Seating, Front Row and VIP seating and may not be combined with other offers. to get the discount, enter code MOM in the MC promotional box. Other Restrictions May Apply.

Offer #2: A select amount of Front Row and VIP seats have been reserved before tickets go on sale to the public - just enter the code "MOM" when purchasing those seats.

The circus is always different... and always amazing! If you get to go, I hope you and your kids have a fantastic time!