Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Would you TWITTER in Church?

When I read this article about a pastor encouraging his congregation to twitter during church, I was a little taken aback.  My first thoughts were how distracting it would be.  Think of a college class where everyone has their laptops open.  Yes some of those students are using their laptops to diligently take notes, but there are others that are surfing the web or playing computer games. 

After giving it some more thought, I can see where twitter could be a good tool to use during church.  For one, it could help you remember certain quotes or passages if you chose to tweet those.  It could also be useful if you were trying to witness to others. 

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Nickelodeon Thinks Using Your Fists Makes You Cool

..... cross posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.

I went to school with bruises on my arms. Bruises in the shape of his hand. His fingerprints left on my scrawny arms in the form of ghastly purple islands. The sour taste of my own blood seeping from a lip bashed into the door jamb. I begrudgingly played field hockey and lacrosse just to have an excuse for my injuries. Bruises on my arms, my shoulders, and up and down my back. The sprained ankle that required crutches was easy enough to blame on hockey practice. The unseen sores hurt me still.

I was 14 years old.

Ninth grade.

For about eight months I lived in my own private hell, mute but not deaf. My dad had moved overseas, and my mom was living her new life in a new city. My dad arranged to have a wonderful couple come live with me and my brother to take care of us. They were basically housekeepers who eventually became like family. My own family was never close to begin with so it's not like we palpably missed our parents' presence. They essentially were just care givers anyway. What I had needed was a protector.

CLICK HERE to continue reading on Deep South Moms Blog.........

War Games

... cross posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.
As a mom of three boys, I am no stranger to loud, noisy games. Having grown up with all sisters and a more quiet (albeit high-drama) style of play, I have finally adjusted to the ways that boys play. They don't just drive toy cars, they slam them into each other and send them sailing down the stairs to perform death-defying stunts. They don't paint with brushes when they can dip their entire hand in the jar of paint and slam it down on the paper, sending splatters all around the room. They don't walk anywhere - they run, shove, jostle, and slam. Anything with a smooth surface that will raise them a foot or two off the ground will be adopted as a step stool to reach something inappropriate that has been purposely stored out of their reach. Any food item with accompanying liquid is fair game for a science experiment of some sort. And so on and so on. But today the boys introduced me to a newer, more violent form of play - a little game they call "Let the Bad Guys Beat Each Other Up".

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Homesick

... cross posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.

I feel like a child for feeling this way, but I am getting homesick. Homesick like I have never been before. During college I spent a semester living in Europe, and never once got homesick. I never got homesick during college, or since I've been married.

But now I have a 6 week old baby boy, and my husband just got stationed in a new place where we don't really know anyone.

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Saying Goodbye

... cross posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.

Tomorrow we drop Angel, our eight year old, off at the bus for her very first sleep-away camp experience. Of course I can't help but worry. I'm worried she'll leave her clothes all over camp like she does at our house. I'm worried she won't bathe for two weeks. I'm worried she'll be abducted by aliens. But mostly I'm worried she won't come home the same kid we dropped off.

So many of my major "firsts" happened while I was away at camp. The first time I shaved my legs. The first time I stood up to a bully. The first time I wore make-up on a regular basis. The first time I kissed a boy. I wonder what significant life events will happen to Angel while she's away.

Click HERE to continue reading at Deep South Moms Blog.

Am I a Bad Parent?

....cross posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.

Discipline is a huge topic and triggers a river of emotion from everyone. I really thought long and hard about writing on this topic, simply because I know where I stand on discipline. Then I read a post about by a mother of 3 that I am just now getting to know. From Twitter, I stumbled upon this article and from there read about the anti-spanking law that Canada is putting into place.

Some parents choose to spank. Some parents choose time-out. Others use alternative methods of removing treasured items of their youngster. Regardless of the method, the final goal is that we raise our children to be understanding of right and wrong; to be respectful of others; and to some extent, follow rules.

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Cue The Horror Music: Day Care

.....cross posted from our soon to launch sister site, Deep South Moms Blog.

I'm afraid of posting this because I don't want to find myself in a battle zone of the unwinnable "Mommy Wars."  And yet that very fear makes me sure I have to write it, because there's something  there worth talking about.

Over the course of the last ~2 months, I've become terribly afraid that I'm not doing the right thing for my toddler son.

Noah has been in full time day care since he was 4 months old. His sister, expected in September, can expect more-or-less the same thing. At least right now, I can't stay home and neither can my partner. We'd have to sell our house and downsize considerably, and I'm not at all sure either of us has the personality to keep our sanity without the escape of work.

Oh yeah, and we both have interesting professional careers that we enjoy.

During Noah's first year, he was in a Montessori program near our house. We liked the people and the convenience, but it cost more than 50% of our mortgage. And on top of that, the hours weren't great and......

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On Being a Regular Family, Mostly

Cross-posted from our sister site, Deep South Moms Blog

Like most people, or so I suspect, I go through most of daily life figuring that my day-to-day existence and priorities are similar to most people's. What am I going to make for dinner? Is my kid ok at daycare? How should I handle XYZ at work? Is this pregnancy healthy? What's that smell in the refrigerator?

Most of the time, my normal doesn't draw particular attention. It just is normal.

But every so often, I have to think about how different it is.

Sometimes that's merely awkward, like when a new acquaintance casually asks what my husband does. "My partner works for a government contractor. She does blah blah blah." Usually I babble on a bit until

Continue reading on Deep South Moms Blog.