Strollerderby : long island

Does Your Kid Have an Accent?

JeanneSager — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:03:00 GMT

Every once in awhile, my daughter will spit out something with a distinct Southern drawl. Mind you, she's spent all three years of her life in upstate New York, but my little Yankee has a rebel Daddy influencing her muddled patois.

So where does the Scottish accent come from? And where did my four-year-old cousin in Philly get the Boston pronunciation of his vowels? Definitely not from his New York-born parents.

Most kids develop speech patterns akin to their parents, and they adjust as they get older to those of their surroundings. My aunt in North Carolina still sounds like a born and bred New Yorker. Her kids sound like they were raised in the South - which they were.

I, on the other hand, have an accent formed by a childhood with a mother from North Jersey and a father from upstate New York and an adulthood with a husband from down South. When I people started questioning my sudden acceptance of country music after years of complaining about the twang, I had to admit I'd become immune. I live with the twang. And that twang, in a sea of fast-talking New Yorkers, is all it takes for our daughter. She calls one of my best friends - who has her own Long Island-ese, by the way - her aunt Taaayeruh, a distinctly Southernized version of Tara.

I'm stumped, however, on the Scottish and British words that pop out of her mouth - the insistence that her toys stop being "nawty" in a voice reminiscent of the SuperNanny (which we don't watch, or at least, not with her awake). And that Bah-ston accent of my little cousin? He can pahk that cah in his toybox, but it's not leaving Pennsylvania.

Is this just another weird thing in my family, or do your kids spit out strange accents?

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Would You Give Gifts Bought At Wal-Mart Where Man Died?

JeanneSager — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Even the most die hard Black Friday shopper had the good grace to stop talking deals when the news of a man trampled to death by shoppers at a Long Island Wal-Mart started hitting the airwaves.

What about those shoppers? Are they in their attics right now, wrapping the results of consumer greed gone horribly wrong? Do people actually feel good giving their kids ill-gotten gifts?

Maybe I'm just not one to ask. I have never been the "up at three a.m., out the door by four" shopper. I have taken extremely well to the push toward Cyber Monday over Black Friday, even if my mega-deal is swallowed in part by a shipping charge. I like to think I can be savvy without being swallowed whole by commercialism. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good deal as much as the next mother trying to make ends meet.

But isn't there a time when a deal is just too good? Must have fallen off the truck good? I mean, it's one thing to buy the kids a fleece with a ripped tag . . . another to buy them a box of "Tunka" trucks from the vendor on the street corner. Some people say what the kids don't know won't hurt them. But as parents, you know. Whether it's a game console purchased the day a man died or a pile of games picked up from a shady street dealer, there gift that's supposed to bring kids such happiness has already been marked by incredible sadness. I couldn't do it.

Could you?

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Snake in a Crib

Jen Chaney — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:57:00 GMT

Here's a new reason not to use the cry-it-out method when baby can't get to sleep at night: Maybe she's wailing because there's a snake in her crib.

Last week, a New York mom was visiting relatives in Long Island and went to check on her agitated seven-month-old daughter in the middle of the night. That's when she discovered a foot-long California king snake wrapped around the child's leg. Mom picked up the baby and the snake immediately uncoiled itself, thereby putting an end to the girl's crying. (Go figure.) The creature, which is non-venemous, was eventually captured and turned over to animal control officials.

How the heck that reptile got into the kid's crib in the first place remains a mystery. The mother, Cari Abatemarco, thinks the snake might have been in a mattress her parents recently purchased, which would make total sense if they bought said Serta at a Mattress Warehouse in the middle of the Amazon. Otherwise, I'm still perplexed by the whole thing.

I do know this, though. Upon hearing about this incident, Samuel L. Jackson reportedly said: "I have had it with these mother@#!*ing snakes in these mother@#!*ing cribs!"

"Snakes in a Crib." Now there's an idea for a movie.

Photo: Hogle Zoo

Real Life Wonder Woman saves her twins

Brett Singer — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Remember the TV show "That's Incredible"? They had a segment once where a woman lifted a car off of her child to save him. This isn't quite that superhuman, but it's close.

Long Island mother Coleen Charles was parking her car and accidentally left it in neutral. She got out, and the car started to roll downhill, landing in the river. She chased after the car, screaming for help. A couple of bystanders rushed to her aid; by the time they got there, she was already in the water pulling the kids out of the vehicle. Everybody pitched in and got the little ones to safety. Mom and both babies (and the people who jumped in with her) are fine.

Just because, here are a couple of clips from the classic Wonder Woman TV series starring Lynda Carter.

Wonder Woman Opening Theme Season 1

Wonder Woman Transformation

images: 7online.com,Amazon.com

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Tracy Ullman does Dina Lohan

Brett Singer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:30:00 GMT

Does an IMPRESSION of Dina Lohan. Get your minds out of the gutter, people.

"OK, when Lindsay's heart stopped at Bungalow 8, that was my fault." Funny, nasty, not safe for work.

Make sure to stay with this video until the end where Tracy/Dina turns to a fellow mom and says, "Don't patronize me Lynn... at least my daughter never shaved her head."

Found at LA Times blogs, clip is from Tracy Ullman's State of the Union on Showtime

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J Lo is Celeb Mom of the Year, Dina Lohan an also-ran

Brett Singer — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:40:00 GMT

Remember when I said Dina Lohan isn’t winning Mom of the Year? Turns out I was right. That honor went to Jennifer Lopez, who has been a mother for about 3 months. The award was given by Mingling Moms of Long Island.

Dina was the runner-up, and she showed up to accept her award, unlike J. Lo, who perhaps recognized the "honor" for what it was – a blatant attempt to have a celebrity show up at your party for free. The ever-loquacious Lohan advised today's youth to, "Just to be honest and to stay morally correct. And listen to your mother." Now that, my friends, is good parenting.

If you're going to give an award, you should at least make a vague effort to pick someone who seems worthy. I have nothing against J. Lo, but other than losing her baby weight really, really quickly, she hasn't really shown much evidence of parenting skills, good or bad. Here are a few "celebrity moms" that I would have put ahead of La Lopez:

Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell: it's two moms, so let them share the award. They also live in New York, and aren't terribly busy, so they might even show up.
Angelina Jolie: certainly not going to show, but it's hard to argue that she's a bad mom. A little odd at times, but she does seem to be an involved mother, which she certainly doesn't have to be.
Britney Spears: this would be good only because it would get headlines, which is probably what Mingling Moms really wants. Maybe they could name her "Worst Celebrity Mom"? Britney, sadly, seems so out of it that she might show up to collect her statue (which I think should be a diaper pail filled with stinkies.)

Which celebrity mom do you like, or dislike? Or do you think the focus on famous mommies has gotten to be too much?

Strollerderby : long island

Does Your Kid Have an Accent?

Sperm Donor's Teen Daughter Finds Him on Myspace

Christian Parents Opt for Religious Circumcision . . . Even if It's Jewish

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Babble Talk: The Easter Bunny Can House Santa

Teacher Tells Kids: Santa's Not Real

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Crafty: Shrinky Dink Your Christmas Tree

The Ten Best Christmas Songs For the Kid in You

They Say: Boys Read if Dad Does

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Santa Claus Can Call Them For You

Snake in a Crib

Real Life Wonder Woman saves her twins

Top 5 Kick-Ass Movies for Girls (No Princesses Allowed)

Pregnant Woman Commits a Kick Ass Citizen's Arrest

Marvel's greatest sh*t

Tracy Ullman does Dina Lohan

J Lo is Celeb Mom of the Year, Dina Lohan an also-ran