From the monthly archives:

April 2009

Forget Candyland–These Games are WAAAAAY Better

by Trisha-and-Amy on April 30, 2009

Some days you just want to hang out with the kids but are too exhausted to even think about playing another game of Candyland. So here are some guilt-free games to play with your kids. These are loads of fun for them but secretly they provide lots of rest and relaxation for you. We each played at least two of these just this afternoon.

BABY: This is one of our favorites because you might even get to doze off somewhere in the middle. You are the ‘baby’ and they are the mommy and/or daddy. You lay down, preferably on a really comfy couch or a bed, and they provide a soft blanket for you. They fetch all kinds of things to soothe the baby, like a pretend bottle and snacks (e.g., jellybeans, malted milk balls or your other favorite trans fatty treat). But the key is that for the’ baby’ to be happy, it needs to be very QUIET. This could go on for like an hour. Seriously, heaven.

HAIR SALON: You are the ‘client.’ They are the stylists, and they brush your hair, put in barrettes, pony tails and generally treat you like a queen. Best of all, the service is FREE. Both genders like this one, FYI.

NAIL SALON: Again, you are the ‘client.’ This one is a favorite. Tools required: Lotion, for massaging your feet, a warm wet towel for cleaning your feet afterwards and a makeup brush for the pretend polish. Sitting on a comfy couch is required as well as People magazine for your reading pleasure. **Bonus points if you get the salon owner to massage your shoulders.

RESTAURANT: You are the ‘customer.’ They serve you all kinds of real and pretend snacks, take your order, all while you are on your laptop researching recipes and other restaurants to ‘try” (and maybe checking a few emails as well). **Important note: the little ‘busboys’ and ‘busgirls’ do the clean-up. Voila!

Anyone have any other made-up ‘games’ to add to the list??

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After Oprah

by Trisha-and-Amy on April 10, 2009

Being on Oprah was one experience, and now five days later, it’s fascinating watching the boards on Oprah.com and hearing the fiercely passionate points of views moms have from all over the country, good bad and ugly. Moms are also mobbing us with their thoughts, confessions, feelings of relief, etc. At the end of the day, just opening the dialogue is so huge. We may not all agree on all of the topics, and obviously we are still judging each other pretty harshly for our choices, but wow– what an open door there is to talking openly and honestly now! We’ve also heard from lots of moms that they’re watching the episode with their husbands to give them a better understanding of what they go through and the pressures they feel. And the results are astounding — since watching the show the husbands have been much more appreciative and supportive.

We were just talking with one small group of moms who were thankful for the show, and one of them mentioned that one of their mom friends with 2 kids committed suicide as a result of feeling overwhelming pressure. She didn’t tell a solitary soul how she was feeling – like she wasn’t living up to what she should be doing as a mom. That she was failing at her ‘job.’ That she must be the only mom in the world feeling this way. No matter what, knowing that we’re all in this together — despite where we live, what we may or may not ‘have,’ how many kids we have, if we work or stay home — is just imperative. Knowing that when someone says “how are you today?” you can answer honestly. And have a comrade right there with you.

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Today Show appearance

April 4, 2009

Here’s our clip from The Today Show Friday. Check it out! Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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Today Show Appearance–Friday Morning

April 2, 2009

We’ll be on The Today Show Friday morning. Please tune in—we hear we’ll be appearing around the 9:00 hour. And don’t forget: Monday is Oprah! In the meantime, check out this great link about our new book on MSNBC.

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