The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on Fire

Last night, about 5:15, G calls my cell phone as I'm driving home.

G: We have a problem.
Me: Great way to start a conversation.
G: The car exploded.
Me: Exploded? I don't even know what that means.
G: It means *boom*, flames, explosion...
Me: Flames! What do you mean flames?
G: It was acting funny. I pulled over, opened the hood, and flames.
Me: Where are you? Oh my God, is that you at mile marker 6?
G: Is the car on fire? Then it's me.

RIP Maybelline. You were a good car. You were also a bit of a diva, and even at the end, you had to choose the week our house goes on the market to go out in flames - literally.

BlogHer Recap

Holy cow! I can't believe it's over - after all my nervousness, I could not have felt more comfortable or welcomed by the wonderful women at BlogHer, especially these ladies:

Back row: Mrs. Squirrel, Liz, Frema
Front row: Carrisa, Isabel, Lizarita, moi, Molly, and CPA Mom

I *heart* them all. And what can I say about Frema and Molly, two fellow Pumas. I feel like I've known both of them forever. (And, could a pregnant Frema be any cuter?)

I swear there was something in that (oops) wine - seriously, three glasses and I was drunk. I haven't been such a cheap date in years. And was I the only one who thought "(oops)" was a misprint on the BlogHer email, like they forgot to add the sponsor name?

Maybe it was because I'm so new at this, but I learned a lot. However, I didn't really care for the emphasis on the Q&A aspect of many of the sessions. And the Technical Lab for beginning bloggers using Blogger - that one was a waste. Oh, and the General Session on day two - honestly, I didn't understand one thing the panel said.

Then there was the tension between bloggers and PR/marketing professionals. Being in PR, I feel a little defensive about the whole thing. Yes, I've been asked to pitch consumer products to blogs. Yes, I do my research before ever sending an email. Yes, I try to personalize each "pitch" and make sure it's relevant to the recipient. And, I'll only pitch products I've tried (and believe in) and products I think can actually benefit the women/men I'm pitching. No, I've never discriminated against a blogger because of her ethnicity or background. Honestly, it takes a lot of time to reach out to bloggers, so we try to reach out to the blogs that have the greatest reach. It's still new, and we're still learning how it works.

I really don't want to spend time harping on this issue - I'm not going to write a PR or Workplace blog. There are a lot of good (and some not-so-good) debates happening elsewhere in the blogosphere. But, if anyone has a good story to share, I'd love to hear it.

Starting the Day on the Right Foot...Not

Conversation in my bathroom this morning:

PUMPKIN: Mommy, what's that?

ME: It's stuff to make Mommy's hair curly.

PUMPKIN: No, Mommy. Hair greasy.

ME: You think this makes my hair greasy?

PUMPKIN: Yes, Mommy.

Daddies Do It Differently

Probably one of the hardest things I've had to learn as a mom is to let my husband do things his way - especially when I'm out of town.

While I was at BlogHer, Pumpkin:

• Did not have a bath. It's Sunday. His last bath was the one I gave him on Thursday. Gross.
• Did not eat any veggies or fruit. He did eat plenty of pizza, chicken nuggets (not the healthy ones I make, but the icky frozen kind), and mac & cheese.
• Did not go to bed before 9:30 p.m. His usual bed time is around 8.

On the plus side, Pumpkin had a blast with G. They wrestled. They played in outside. They went for walks. They read tons of books. They "camped" in the living room (complete with an electric lantern for light and S'mores -the cereal kind).

I can't wait to get home!

We Bite Food, Not Friends

That's what Pumpkin Boy's teachers keep telling us to reinforce with him everyday, and we do. (Although, that phrase is incredibly cheesy.)

Pumpkin Boy received two "incident reports" yesterday. That makes 16 reports since starting daycare nine months ago. Last week, we met with the owner, director, and his teachers to discuss his behavior. It felt like being in the principal's office.

He's aggressive only to other kids - not teachers, not us, not adults of any kind. He bites when he wants something another kid has - a toy, a particular chair, a spot closer to teacher.

The teachers recommended reading him books like "Biting Hurts." I've ordered a half dozen "biting" books from Amazon (Number one: who knew there were so many books dedicated to the topic? Number two: how many different "don't bite" plots can there be? Number three: I could so be a children's author.)

The next step is an observation session with a counselor hired by the daycare. Pumpkin has never chomped on anyone in my presence, but here's what I suspect is going on:

1) Pumpkin is TWO. That's what two-year-olds do. OK, not all two-year-olds, but seriously, toddlers bite.

2) He's teething, as evidenced by frequently putting his entire fist into his mouth and drooling like a Saint Bernard.

3) Verbally, he's on par with his age, but there's still a ways to go in terms of being really able to express himself.

I feel bad for the parents of Pumpkin's victims, but he hasn't broken skin, and he's been on the recieving-end of other kid's teeth, as well - so I know he's not the only biter in the class. But with 16 incident reports, it's getting to the point where the director looks at us like we're doing something wrong. My concern is that they'll kick him out of daycare - excessive biting is a dismissive offense. But at what point does biting become "excessive"?

What am I doing?

I have mixed feelings already about blogging. It's been two days.

I want this to be an outlet. But I'm concerned about what my "real" friends, colleagues, and family might say if they find it. I want to be part of the community. But I'm concerned about security issues and saying too much. I want to refine and hone my writing skills - skills I really haven't been able to use in YEARS, really since college. But I have my doubts about my writing abilities and with every entry I write and rewrite, thinking I'm not as good as some of the others.

At BlogHer, I hope to meet and talk to other women who've thought and felt these same things. I want to know how they've been able to overcome their hesitation on this new medium. (OMG, I realize I leave in a few hours for Chicago. I haven't been this nervous in a long time... and I really don't know why I feel nervous...)

Going to BlogHer

I leave tomorrow afternoon for Chicago. I'm excited to see friends and meet some of the wonderful women I feel I actually know through their blogs. I think that's going to be weird. I mean, I follow a dozen or so blogs on a regular basis, but I've only ever commented on two blogs. I feel like a stalker.

Workplace is paying for BlogHer. I'll be there in an official "work" capacity, really trying to get a feel for why women blog about their lives, kids, emotions. But BlogHer really interests me on a personal level for all those reasons, too. I guess that's one of the reasons I started Parentville, to better understand this community of awesome women, wonderful writers, and incredible human beings. To really be part of it.

But, I'm also nervous. Will I be seen as an outsider to this community? Will they embrace me? Will I be able to balance the work aspect with my personal interests in a way that satisfies the Boss and my own needs? What if they find out I'm with a PR firm? Does that hurt my credibility? Is it totally obvious that I'm new to this? Because I'm new, will I even get anything out of the sessions or will everything go over my head?

Ugh.

I just returned from a business trip in Vegas (all business, no play - seriously). I'm a little stressed about everything I have to do before I leave tomorrow. Work has stacked up on my desk, laundry has stacked up at home, and we're trying to get the house ready to put on the market by early next week. Plus, Mike generously gave me his sinus infection/cold/mucus infestation.

Off to blow my nose (TMI) and get some frozen yogurt (yum). I'll wash my hands in between...

Getting started

Why am I blogging? Well, it's a long story, and I'm sure I'll explain it. But not now...

I'm off to BlogHer in a few days - hope to learn a lot about the world of blogging. What great timing for the conference!