Strollerderby : mom bloggers

Blogging Moms Find a Kidney For Teen on Dialysis

JeanneSager — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:02:00 GMT

If you've ever doubted the power of the Internet, just imagine the motivation of helping a kid in need thrown in. This is one of those happy holiday stories to make up for all the bad stuff we ended up writing about here on the 'Derby, but I warn you. Get out the tissues.

"Domestic Diva" mom blogger Lisa posted in early November that she could barely keep posting as she watched her teen daughter, Marielle, suffer through her kidneys shutting down. The family was making a drastic move. They were pulling Marielle out of a Philadelphia hospital and heading to New York's Columbia Presbyterian in hopes that the living kidney donor program there could save her life.

Two weeks to the day later, yesterday, Lisa was back online. Blogging mothers across the country had picked up her story and blogged about it, tweeted it on Twitter and shared it on Facebook. Calls poured into Columbia Presbyterian from every state in the U.S., from Africa, from Saudi Arabia. Marielle now has a donor. A friend her mom met through Ebay called the hospital, went through the process and has come up as a match. The teenager is home, still on dialysis, but home for the holiday as doctors work to bring her body to a state of health that will enable them to proceed with surgery.

Yesterday, the day before Thanksgiving, the family released this announcement to the world:

"Thank you to EVERYONE who sent in donor forms, called, blogged, twittered and help spread the word…BUT WE DO NOT NEED ANY ADDITIONAL DONORS AT THIS TIME. I am amazed by the power of the web and the hearts of those who helped make a difference."

Now wipe your tears and get back to that turkey.

Image: Domestic Diva

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Babywearing Moms New Pain in Motrin's Side

JeanneSager — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:33:00 GMT

An ad that debuted on Motrin's Website during International Babywearing Week (which ends tomorrow in case any of you want to make a sling cake and celebrate) has the mom-blogosphere a-buzzing. They're giving me a headache.

Babywearing moms around the nation say the pain reliever is picking on them for choosing perhaps the most "attachment-oriented" of all attachment parenting methods. The ad says wearing your baby seems to be in fashion and "in theory, it's a great idea." It even lists some of the reasons so many moms have run out to buy a carrier or sling, from "going hands-free" to the various places you can prop your papoose (back, side, front . . ).

But the focus of the ad? It's on moms who experience pain while babywearing. ("These things put a ton of strain on your back, your neck, your shoulders. Did I mention your back?!") I know, total shocker coming out of a company that sells . . . wait for it . . .pain relievers. Did you really think they were going to spend money an ad telling you their product isn't necessary?

The moms have been tweeting away on Twitter about the need to boycott Motrin's parent company, Johnson & Johnson. They're using words like "disgusts me," "insulting," and "absolutely infuriating."

I found one sentence of the whole thing a little condescending - "it totally makes me look like an official mom." Being an official mom takes more than a look or a baby sling. But the rest of it? Talking about putting up with the pain because it's a "good kind of pain," and looking "tired and crazy"? That's pretty darn realistic for some moms. Notice I said "some," not all. In fact, a lot of babywearing moms report trial and error before finding a position that worked for mom AND for baby. For some, it just never works - despite multiple attempts, they're not going to find a carrier that makes the baby weigh less or makes the baby less likely to move around and throw them off kilter. I tried two different carriers and never was able to get the hang of it - eventually ending up in physical therapy thanks to the enormous strain put on my back first by my pregnancy and later by carrying my daughter. When the therapist suggested I just "not carry my daughter," I laughed in her face.

What I find condescending are the moms out there who insist that this will scare of would-be babywearers. Motherhood isn't glamorous. And we do sacrifice plenty for our kids (so do dads, by the way, who carry their kids in their arms, in carriers, in slings . . . ). But considering how many of us know childbirth is going to hurt and sign up for the whole she-bang anyway, I think we deserve a little more credit.

Image: Motrin

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Strollerderby Playdate: No, I'm Not Crying, Don't Look At Me!

Kelly Mills — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:02:00 GMT

If you recap my playdates, you'll see a theme emerge: I like funny. Smart funny, bitter funny, swearing funny, but always, always funny. I don't look for my heartstrings to be tugged or my humanity to be found. I just wanna get in, guffaw, get out. Wham bam.

So no one was as surprised as me to be drawn to things that melted me more than I'd admit on a blog. Mike did it earlier this week on his blog, the bastard. And then, I went playdate cruising, and I found this.

I thought I'd get a few yuks, because Redneck Mommy is a go-to funny place. But then I read this achingly beautiful thing, with her dry humor and her giant heart, and shit...You know what? Read it. Hold yerself and read it. And then be grateful Ms. Redneck has the writing gift and the graceful outlook and the humanity that gets me riiiight here.

Strollerderby Swells With Gratitude

Kelly Mills — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Because this is the holiday of thankfulness and all that good stuff, I thought I'd find out what the other folks here are grateful for. "Okay guys," I said, "I know we usually go snarky and rude and funny, but I want each and every one of you to open your hearts and tell me what you are really, truly thankful for. The tender way your child puts her hand on your cheek and says 'Mama'? The squeals of 'Daddy, Daddy' that greet you when you wake up in the morning? That your family is healthy, happy, and cared for?"

Let's see, Rachel said she's grateful that the men in her dreams are so well-hung.

Should've known the bitches would let me down. But a couple did actually eke out something sweet. Here's the Derby gratitude list...

Jessica says she's "thankful for a three-year old who entertains, disgusts, appalls me with surprisingly accurate assessments of what objects and which people his poop resembles (as in, "Look mommy! I pooped a violin!"). Nothing says holiday bliss like an instrument-shaped potty break." Um, very true indeed.

Karen is really grateful the school buses that have saved from being three-school carpool mom. And for the e-mails we send to each other here, which are often entertaining. And for my ass. Can't say that I blame her for that.

Mike, the sentimental one, says, "I'm thankful for the sweet, beautiful children who reside within us all ... and for the wonderful promise that is humankind." (He so copied that from his Playgirl profile.) "Also, pie and egg nog. I'm thankful for pie and egg nog. And by eggnog I mean bourbon. And sometimes heroin, depending on how the nap goes." Daddy's little helper, I suppose.

Bill takes a more pragmatic approach. "I'm thankful for my precious flask at 3 hour holiday parades at night in late November in the northeast. I'm thankful for my neighbor's unsecured wireless networks. Last night I was thankful that projectile baby vomit does not have the same biological properties as Alien blood (That's it man, game over man, game over! What the f*ck are we gonna do now?)" Isn't that beautiful?

And Matt closed it out with gratitude that his dog likes the taste of projectile baby vomit. Awwww.

Me? I'm grateful for my kid, whats-her-name, and that I'll be able to eat unlimited dessert on Thanksgiving (long story). I'm grateful I can still eat after thinking of Matt's dog eating baby vomit. And for asses. And for the bitches here, who make me laugh.

Strollerderby : mom bloggers

Blogging Moms Find a Kidney For Teen on Dialysis

Are Elementary School Thanksgivings Racist Or Just Outdated?

Girl Diagnoses Herself With Autism

The Shape of a Mother: The Real Us In All Our Unglorious Glory

Grandma Serves as Surrogate, Gives Birth to Triplet Granddaughters

Babywearing Moms New Pain in Motrin's Side

Equally Shouldering the Parenting Duties - Literally

Grandma Serves as Surrogate, Gives Birth to Triplet Granddaughters

The Shape of a Mother: The Real Us In All Our Unglorious Glory

Baby Boy Developed in Mom's Intestine Delivered Via Cesarean

Do Men Really Have a Pregnancy Fetish?

Strollerderby Playdate: No, I'm Not Crying, Don't Look At Me!

Strollerderby Swells With Gratitude