Crabmommy on Shine

Crabmommy: Is parental anger good or bad for your kids?

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We rarely talk about the anger of being a parent. We know the lurking danger—of anger turning physical, or crossing a line. That means we also don't talk about the fact that we all lose it. Or the corollary fact that sometimes anger works.

So begins a recent post by Lisa Belkin at Motherlode, her New York Times blog. Motherlode has generally pithy posts on the usual range of parenting topics, and as a crabby mommy I got pretty excited when I sat down to read this one. Entitled "Can Yelling at your Kids be Good?" I prepared myself for something a little different, a little risqué. As one who frequently yells, the Crabmommy likes nothing more than a potential vindication of my colicky character. So when Belkin introduced guest blogger Susie Orman Schnall who shares a story of a moment she calls "frightening and memorable," I took notice.

Crabmommy: Santa's gonna be a little cheap this year

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We took Crabkid to Macy's today to check out the Christmas scene in the basement. It was a great success, especially since we were able to utterly avoid the far-too-long line for Santa by telling Crabkid all those people were just "waiting for the elevators"! She was fine with that and didn't even ask us about Santa; the animatronic elves and fake stables with Donner and Blixen more than satisfied our 4-year-old's appetite for Christmas enchantment. Which is a good thing because Santa's not going to make it to our house this year.

Crabmommy Loves: Fabby cheapo loot!

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I'm doing a double-round of Etsyliciousness this week. On the heels of my Monday holiday decorations post, I'm sharing with you truly scrumptious holiday gifts I've found for your delectation—all priced around $20 and under, because that's how this cheapmommy shops.

Crabmommy: The worst school uniform in the world

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I'm going to give you an early holiday present. I was saving this one for Christmas, but I figure we could all use an early-season laugh. This is a big one. I'm being really generous with you, my peeps. And it takes courage, as you'll see. Here, and with much ado—because I've never shown my actual mug on this blog—I present myself to you in all my 1980s glory. Because what self-respecting mom-blogger doesn't post a picture of herself from the '80s? Yes, that is I, Crabmommy circa 1982, around the age of 10. And there's more to this picture than my Dorothy Hamill-style lid. Indeedy, it's quite something that hair. Serious acorn cap! But pause between your squawking and allow your eye to travel down. What is that strange apparel? you ask. That, my friends, is my school uniform.

Crabmommy: Crock pots make a mom's life easy

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I've been holding out on you, Cookie-readers. I neglected to inform you of some pretty big news around these parts. We've decided to add a brand new member to the Crabfamily. Even though we don't necessarily have the space, nor the spare cash a new addition to the household requires, we decided to take the plunge anyway. And so I'm proud to announce to you all that Crabmommy is...

...the owner of a crock pot!

Cheapmommy loves: Thrifty turkey day trimmings

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I love Thanksgiving. Especially when I'm invited to someone else's. Thanks to my friend Lisa, this lazy crabmommy won't have to tussle with any turkeys this year. And thanks to me, those of you hosting Thanksgiving-fests of your own can dazzle your diners with these swanky but budget-conscious $13 and under Etsylicious decorations.

Crabmommy: Gwynnie's got GOOP!

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Gwyneth Paltrow tells me" "Don't be lazy." Being lazy is what's wrong with my life! (But I'm fixing that, Gwynnie with my mom-flap pledge.) And thanks to her advice on her new website, GOOP, I may learn a trick or two from Ms. Paltrow's charmed existence that I can apply to my own slightly less charmed version. Or at least, that's her intention. I think.

Crabmommy: Revisiting and Renewing the Mom-flap Challenge

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Like J Lo, I'm feeling moved to renew some very important vows in my life, and I'd like to share the words of this vow with all of you:

I promise to commit myself to you fully. We all know it's not easy to do that but I also know that I must. There have been times in the past when I have not done all I said I would do. There have been days when frankly I just forgot about you. Or didn't want to face you. But that's behind me now. I promise to give you the time and attention you need. I promise to take you—us—seriously, and to value and make the most of the time we spend together. Today, tomorrow, and every day.

Except weekends. I mean, everyone needs a little time off.

Crabmommy: All treat no trick?

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As Halloween approaches I find myself <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/crabmommy/2007/11/goodbye-hallowe.html?mbid=yshine_crab"> once again</a> turning to crabby thoughts on this the sweetest day of the year. I'm all for the mini-Snickers and the decorating of pumpkins. I'm all for the cute little ones going door to door on our pleasant street. I'm all for the camaraderie of strangers and friends as we celebrate all things spooktacular. That said, the holiday still feels a little too sugary-sweet for my liking, and I'm not just talking about the candy.

Crabkid Recommends: Pippi Longstocking

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<a rel="nofollow" href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www2.scholastic.com/content/media/products/55/0590016555_xlg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://content.scholastic.com/browse/book.jsp%3Fid%3D1626&h=252&w=230&sz=14&hl=en&start=83&sig2=CULayFyN8xKFBsov7756vA&um=1&usg=__tU3MUexlooEHKe1r10u3nlPF8Mk=&tbnid=zaZctcunNKlvHM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=101&ei=pNsFSYTSFJ6yetKf1L8O&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpippi%2Blongstocking%26start%3D63%26ndsp%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN"> <img alt="" src="http://a323.yahoofs.com/phugc/8lZ9QMNSDzDo/photos/2be8efbd7daa9a95b1514dcd7a348580/ori_2248cca6c6b076.jpg?ug_____D3.AX.Bmn" align="right" height="252" width="230"></a>The whole world is full of things, and somebody has to look for them. And that's just what a Thing-Finder does. I'd forgotten quite how charming <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/Pippi-Longstocking-Puffin-Modern-Classics/dp/0142402494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225082579&sr=1-1"> Pippi Longstocking</a> was until I started reading it to Crabkid over the past month. Like many a little girl before her, Crabkid adores Pippi and is fascinated that she doesn't have to go to school, has no parents to tell her when to go to bed, and keeps a horse on her porch. Plus she rolls cookie dough out onto her kitchen floor, scrubs said floor with brushes attached to her feet like ice skates, possesses a pet monkey with a straw hat, and wrestles the strongest man in the world...and wins.