Archive for February, 2010

This is our fourth round of “The Marriage Umpire.” I have two more topics we can do today.  You send us your marital problem and we’ll help you solve it. (We actually do this all the time but we’re officially playing this week as we await the new show “The Marriage Ref” by Jerry Seinfeld on NBC.)

“Both my best friend and I have this issue -our husbands know our birthdays are very close to Christmas. They’re the same day every year! We both save up and budget our money long before our husband’s birthdays (even though they occur near NO major holidays), so we can get them something very nice that they actually want. However it seems (especially over the last 5 years when we’ve actually given birth to their offspring) that they are so unprepared for our birthdays that we get very little or almost nothing. Both of these men used to be GREAT gift givers, and quite honestly it’s important to me because of the thought more so than the object. I feel like I constantly …

Continue reading ‘The Marriage Umpire:’ Hubby never plans ahead! »

This is our third round of “The Marriage Umpire” today. You send us your marital problem and we’ll help you solve it. (We actually do this all the time but we’re officially playing this week as we await the new show “The Marriage Ref” by Jerry Seinfeld on NBC.)

This problem is NOT anonymous. I have permission to use names on this one. This comes from our very own Jesse’s Girl and is all about the expectation versus the reality of family dinners. Here’s what she writes (always so colorfully! – the crux of the argument is in bold):

“OK….so I know that there’s a huge push for the “Family Dinner Table.” Well at our house…that’s a load of horse crap. Try as I might…it never works for us. With Jesse’s travel schedule, we only get 2 dinners a week as a family. Usually on the weekends. You would think I would have learned my lesson long ago…but apparently, I am wwaayy dumber than I ever thought possible. Here’s a typical Jesse’s Girl family dinner. (and it should …

Continue reading ‘The Marriage Umpire:” Burping and farting at dinner! »

This is our second round of “The Marriage Umpire” today. You send us your marital problem and we’ll help you solve it. (We actually do this all the time but we’re officially playing this week as we await the new show “The Marriage Ref” by Jerry Seinfeld on NBC.)

Our second problem has been sent to us by a man. He’s apparently already divorced his wife but maybe we can help solve this issue for other couples. It’s a common one too. Here’s what he writes:

“When the ex was constantly shopping, she always seemed to “justify” her spending with the “it was on sale” argument.  When the budget was tight, the bank doesn’t care if you saved 75% if you bounce the check for the 25% that you DID spend.  She couldn’t understand my statement that it is 100% off if you don’t buy it at all.  Moral of the story, the great bargain justification eventually wears thin.”

This was a very common argument early on for me and Michael. My mom would always come home bragging …

Continue reading ‘The Marriage Umpire:’ Sales: Saving money or wasting it? You decide! »

We’ll have two or three rounds of “The Marriage Umpire” today spread over several blogs. You can still send us your marital problem and we’ll help you solve it. (We actually do this all the time, but we’re officially playing this week as we await the new show “The Marriage Ref” by Jerry Seinfeld on NBC.)

In our first installment, we have a woman who will be wed this FRIDAY! So we need to help her sort out this problem before she heads down the aisle. Here’s what she writes:

“OK so I am not officially married yet… (I will be on Friday) But my husband to be and I just had a HUGE fight last night about decorating.  He calls it clutter and I call it decorating.  He wants nothing on the counter or table.  I like to put candles and items on them.  How can we compromise?”

Boy does this sound familiar! I think this is a very common problem among couples – hubby trying to get involved in the decorating. Throw pillows for your bed come to mind as a particular …

Continue reading ‘The Marriage Umpire:’ Clutter or decoration? You decide! »

Coming this Sunday to NBC is a new show from Jerry Seinfeld called “The Marriage Ref.” (The show will normally air on Thursdays, but it’s a sneak preview at 10:30 p.m. this Sunday.)

The general gist of the show is that couples present their cases for something that is annoying the other one in their marriage– such as flossing your teeth in bed or having a dead pet dog stuffed in the house. A panel of celebrity judges joke about the dispute and then help decide who is right. The comedian host Tom Papa will actually make the final decision but from the commercial the focus seems to be on the panel of celebrities.

This concept isn’t actually that new to us here on the MOMania blog because for the last 5 years you guys have been playing the role of marriage ref for me and sometimes for other community members.

It is a fantastic feeling to have a third-party — and this case hundreds of people — saying you are right! (And sometimes wrong but at least you know you’re really …

Continue reading Let’s play ‘The Marriage Umpire!’ »

Darn you Girl Scout Cookies! Why do you mock me? Why do you tempt me every time I walk past the dining room? You are so luscious and sweet, and I want to eat you all. But instead I am sentenced to pack you up in individual bags and deliver you to your new owners — who will then gobble you with delight! I will try to be strong you 166 boxes — minus the three that we’ve already eaten since we picked you up yesterday at 3 p.m.!

Do you have Girl Scout Cookies coming to your house? Are you packing them up for delivery? How fast do you eat them? How do you stop yourself with that many boxes sitting around?!!

Continue reading Stop tempting me Girl Scout Cookies! »

The American Academy of Pediatrics is waging war against the hot dog – not because of its terrible nutrition value, but because of its potential to choke small kids.

The Academy would like to see a choking hazard label placed on hot dog packaging. Or even better, it would like to see foods like hot dogs redesigned so their size, shape and texture would be less likely to catch in a child’s throat.

According to an article in USA Today:

“More than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room each year after choking on food, and up to 77 die, says the new policy statement, published online today in Pediatrics. About 17% of food-related asphyxiations are caused by hot dogs.”

” ‘If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child’s airway, it would be a hot dog,’ says statement author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. ‘I’m a pediatric …

Continue reading Redesign hot dogs to be chokeproof? »

One of our community members sent me a note this week. She’s in a quandary and wanted to get some opinions. She’s pregnant with her second child and is already thinking about a third. Here’s why in her own words:

“ I’m expecting my second child in May. Another boy.

My husband and I always said we would just have 2 children and be happy that they are healthy.

BUT, I’m finding myself overwhelmed with a desire to have a girl. Not that I’m delusional and think that having another child will get me a female, but I’m surprised at how much I want to try.

I’m also feeling pretty guilty about it and trying to be excited about my two boys.  I’ve heard 3-4 is so much harder than 2.

Should we stop because we agreed on two in the beginning?  We can afford it and my husband would probably do it if I said I wanted to try again.

Is it worth it?  Why do I feel like our family is not complete until we get that girl?

I’ll admit how selfish this sounds and I’m sure some …

Continue reading Do you try for one more just to get a girl (or boy)? »

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has created a Q&A blog to help answer parents’ questions about the safety of their cribs. I don’t think this is going to be a big debate for our community. I just wanted to get the information out there for parents who might have questions.

From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Web site:

“Since 2007, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled almost 7 million cribs. More than 6 million of those have drop sides.

In December, the group that develops voluntary manufacturing standards for cribs, ASTM, revised their standard to no longer allow the sale of cribs that have a traditional drop side. Then, Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and CPSC staff called upon the industry to do even more and create a true state-of-the-art crib standard.

In a two-day workshop on Jan. 19 and 20, ASTM made good progress toward that end. Chairman Tenenbaum has reported to Congress that new mandatory rules for cribs will be …

Continue reading Update on Crib Recalls! Q&A and photos on crib safety »

The Associated Press reports:  President Barack Obama says there’s one sure thing parents can do to help their kids learn, regardless of financial means: Forbid them from watching television on school nights.

Of his own daughters, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, Obama told Essence magazine: “The girls don’t watch TV during the week. Period.”

I have to say that seems a little bit harsh. My kids, and I’m sure President Obama’s kids, work very hard at school. They are gone for eight hours and deserve a little down time when they come home.

How would you as an adult feel if you walked in a from an eight-hour work day and someone made you sit down and immediately work another hour. That would stink.

When adults come home we want to unwind and so do kids. It would be great if they always wanted to go and back and play when they walked in the door, but often they just want to sit in front of the TV and turn off their pounding little brains.

I have no problem with my kids coming home …

Continue reading Should Obama girls get TV after school? What about your kids? »