Blog Posts by The_Stir

Do you remember your baby's birth? First smile? First tooth? These are things you couldn't possibly forget, right? Wrong. I thought I'd remember all this stuff, but my baby is only 14 months old and I'm already starting to get a little fuzzy about those early days, and even her big developmental milestones. That's why a baby memory book is such a good idea. Of course, I always forget to update it.

But you shouldn't really take my word (I've self-diagnosed myself with Alzheimer's). Instead, check this out: Researchers in Britain found that people are more likely to remember historical events (like 9/11 and Princess Diana's death) than their first kiss or baby's birth. Eighty-one percent of participants remembered who told them about 9/11, 92 percent knew where they were when they heard about it, and 71 percent knew what they were doing at the time. In contrast, only 50 percent of the participants could remember their first child's first birthday. Fifty percent.

We could

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By Melisa Coburn, CafeMom.com

Times are tough. Maybe you just got laid off. So, as you're scanning craigslist for jobs, you see this ad:

"Donate your eggs for cash! Compensation: Earn $7,000 + expenses for first egg donor cycle. $7,500 + expenses for each repeat egg donation. Earning potential of up to $44,500 + expenses. We welcome women ages 21-29 of all ethnicities, academic achievements, and creative talents."

Ads like these may not be new, but as the economy tanks the number of women responding to them is on the rise -- as much as 30 percent or more at some clinics -- and also judging from the number of questions being asked about egg donation around CafeMom.com.

"My eggs are awesome, and shoot, I'm not using them!" says one CafeMom user. "Seriously, where do I sign up?"

Others find the payoff tempting, but can't get passed the ethics.

"I have a hard time with the idea that my child is out there in the world somewhere, and not knowing what their life is like," one mom says.

Read More »from More moms are donating eggs for money

I recently read about a public school sandwich policy in one of the groups on CafeMom. Albuquerque Public Schools are pulling kids whose parents have unpaid lunch charges out of the lunch line and giving them an "alternative meal" consisting of a cold cheese sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a milk carton.

I found this upsetting on so many levels. As the economic crisis worsens, more and more families are struggling to spare lunch money (among plenty of other things). The article notes that kids often view the cold cheese sandwiches (in lieu of a hot meal) as a form of punishment for not being able to afford lunch. Plus, some of the kids in the article mentioned that being singled out was particularly embarrassing to them.

On the other hand, the school district is in a tough position as well. The economic situation is hitting schools hard, too, and there isn't room in the budget to ignore the unpaid lunch charges-which is purported to reach $300,000 by the end of the school

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By Kierna Mayo, CafeMom.com

You've had a super long day. A super long day with cranky kids, age 7 and 8, who are fighting over anything and everything for no apparent reason at all other than to drive you nuts.

As you walk to your car in the mall parking lot with them screaming behind you (thinking to yourself how you will never bring your kids out with you again!), you see another mother really losing her temper with a child close in age to yours. At first she's yelling. Then you hear several curse words. She's a few cars away, so when she bends down to get something -- initially you're not sure what it is -- but it's her shoe! Before you know it, she is wailing on the kid with her shoe, hitting him everywhere -- even on his head.

What would you do?

a. Rush your kids into the car and call 911 from your cell.

b. Look at your kids and say, "After how you've behaved, you're lucky that's not you!"

c. Leave your kids right by your car. Run over to the woman and scream "stop!"

d. Put

Read More »from Child Abuse Scenario: What Would You Do?

I have a niece who is six months younger than my baby girl. "Perfect," I thought. "I can send her all my daughter's old clothes." Yet every time I go through my baby's clothing to pack things up and send them off, I find myself sorting through saying, "Well, maybe I'll just keep this. And this. And this."

These clothes do not fit my daughter nor are they particularly interesting to anyone (other than me). I'm not talking about her Christening gown or the little hat she wore in the hospital. I'm talking about onesies and footie pajamas-clothes that will sit in storage going to no good use. I know keeping them is not very eco- or economically friendly (I should really re-purpose some of them), but I have the hardest time letting them go. I guess it's so hard to see her growing up so fast. Before I know it she is going to have clothes hang-ups just like I do some mornings.

Some CafeMoms don't want to part with their baby's clothes either, even if they don't plan on having

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"More milk" -- those were my first words. I threw the bottle out of the crib when I first said them. It was empty, of course. Milk remains one of my favorite things to drink, though I hardly ever do since I've been out of diapers for many, many years. Unless you count the milk in my coffee or the occasional tall glass of ice cold cow juice. Mmm...that's a treat. I know, I know. Some adults think milk is just bleh, but kids love it.

Some CafeMom families drink up to 10 gallons a week. And Nadya Suleman is not even a CafeMom!

At last check, our poll on how many gallons of milk families drink,

• 48 percent said 1-2 gallons
• 24 percent said 2-3 gallons
• 16 percent said 3-4 gallons
• 12 percent said 5 gallons or more

Whether it's soy or regular, skim or whole, once the baby is no longer breastfeeding or on formula, even small families go through a lot of milk.

With the price of milk so high, maybe some of us should buy the cow.
How much milk does your family drink?



Written Read More »from Kids and milk: How many gallons of milk does your family go through a week?

In the States, toddlers watch Noggin, PBS and Nick Jr. Across the pond, many tots tune in to Cbeebies. This popular kids network runs entertaining and educational preschooler shows (Teletubbies, for one) online, on radio, and on television -- and one of the new hosts of the TV network is 29-year-old Cerrie Burnell, a pretty, talented, and accomplished actress who just so happens to have been born without a hand.

Most people would not even pause at this notion. As a matter of fact, I have to stop and ask myself why I'm even writing about it. She's, well, a person. As normal as you and me. Just without a hand. Click here to see a video clip of Cerrie Burnell on the show.

I guess I'm writing because I'm miffed that few British parents are actually complaining to the network about Burnell. They say her disability "scares" and "may cause sleep problems in" their children.

One viewer wrote in a blog:

"Is it just me, or does anyone else think Burnell may scare the kids

Read More »from Disabled TV Host Too "Scary" for Kids?

Teens always think their moms are uncool. It's one of the laws of nature as children grow up and get their own lives. My teen daughter thought I was the best mom ever until she hit 13. Overnight, I became a really bad mother.

My latest bad mom moment (#842) is because of Facebook.

My teen daughter is mortified because she thinks I am the only mom on earth using the social networking site -- according her friends, of course. She even quit using Facebook because as she said, "Like, it was so awful having my mom on Facebook. None of the other moms are on Facebook, you know?"

I only wish I could show you her eye-rolling as she spoke. I do sympathize with my daughter, I really do. I realize I'm not exactly the June Cleaver or Carol Brady type of mother! My CafeMom blog, personal blog and my book are about parenting humor. I keep my girls privacy and their lives in mind in all the writing I do.

As if things couldn't get any worse, my daughter's friends are afraid I might

Read More »from My daughter thinks I'm uncool because I'm on Facebook!