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Since moving my blog to WordPress in August 2007, I have had no regrets. Okay, that’s not entirely true; I have had almost no regrets. For those who aren’t aware, I used to write at a Blogspot blog called Little Woolgatherings. In case you were wondering what a woolgathering is, it’s nothing more than a daydream, an idle fancy. I have many daydreams, many woolgatherings that essentially get me through each day. Whether I am fantasizing about a clean house or children who behave, always eat their vegetables, and never fight, it’s a little slice of hope on which to hang.

Little Woolgatherings was a full-fledged “mommy blog,” although you wouldn’t know it by looking at it now. The site is abandoned, simply a skeleton of what it used to be. Most posts have been imbedded in the privacy of my own memory and deleted from public scrutiny while others have been transferred over to this site. Others hang in limbo, awaiting their fate. One of these days, Little Woolgatherings will be nothing more than a one-post site directing readers here.

Little Woolgatherings gained in popularity and, unbelievably, earned a triple-digit authority on Technocrati and a ranking of just under 33K - not too bad for a site less than six months old. Then something started to happen which caught me off guard completely; I began to receive solicitations in my inbox to write product reviews. How fun, I thought. Why not? The requests came faster than I could handle, and I turned down quite a few because they weren’t quite right with my blog or audience.

I then had this crazy idea I would charge a small fee to review sites and products. Believe me, it wasn’t as easy decision. Who am I, I wondered, to ask for monetary compensation? I justified it with the thinking that they were the ones soliciting me. They were the ones requesting a service outside of my normal day’s work. I had always wanted to write, always, even as a little girl, so I took it as a sign that I needed to begin anew with a fresh idea.

That’s how this site was born, out of a need to branch out into the professional world while retaining some of the personal details that make a blog so much fun to read. However, I paid a price.

I lost my Technorati authority.
I lost my Technorati rank.
I lost my status on Google.
I had to start from scratch.

In addition, while most of you made the transition with me, I lost the support of some. I often hear, I miss all the pictures or I miss the stories about your kids. Friends, there is a reason I no longer include many photographs or detailed stories about my family. I live in a small town and my husband works for a major university. I need to feel secure that what I write will in no way reflect poorly upon my husband, my kids, or myself. I hope to one day establish myself as a respectable freelance writer, and I can’t do that (in my opinion) if I am writing about (insert specific incidents that might embarrass certain members of this family). I would love to be one of those bold woman-writers whose uncensored defamatory stories of her in-laws or intimate details of her sex life earns her thousands of hits each day, but that’s just not me. For one, I consider my in-laws near perfection. Additionally, my sex life can hardly be called a sex life. It’s more like, let me pencil you in on the calendar.

I am modest, if not a bit repressed.

Recently, a real-life friend said to me that she no longer reads my blog. She reads this one on a daily basis, thanks to my recommendation, but she no longer reads mine. Her words stung, to say the least, and I have been dwelling on them ever since. Am I really that boring? Is a “mommy blog” only exciting if the writer talks about her husband’s vasectomy or her children puking in the middle of the night? Do you really want to hear me whine about how tired/broke/out of shape I am? Do I have to divulge every detail of our struggles as parents to a high-maintenance child, how I screamed at my husband for the first time in almost nine years because he pissed me off in a most brutal way? I don’t want this site to be remembered for the insipid events of my daily life. I get up and make coffee and shower, in that order. I get my kids ready for school and put them on the school bus. I clean, write articles, play with my toddler, clean, write articles, play with my toddler, clean, write articles, play with my toddler. I help with homework and wipe the tears of a third-grader who thinks she is stupid for needing a math tutor. I change poop-filled diapers. I quiet a kid who thinks that every injustice in the world is directed at him.

My life is hardly unique.

I want this site to relate useful information, not just amusing anecdotes. I want this site to serve as a public forum in which I am held accountable for my actions. I want this site to be the basis of a writing career that I hope will be long and prosperous.

There is one more thing worth mentioning. I once considered myself lucky to be wooed by companies eager for me to review their sites and products. We came across Little Woolgatherings, they would say, and we love your writing style! Please review this for us! Happily, I believed them. However, when I started to receive the same emails regarding Little Woolgatherings even though it’s been ages since I’ve written there and the site is in disarray, I knew something was up. I would send a polite response, directing them to the page outlining my terms of service. Oh, they would say. Oh, is all they ever say, as the shock of a blogger asking to be compensated leaves them floundering for words.

What’s even more upsetting is what happens when those for whom I have already written free reviews and promotions request my services again. I send out my obligatory polite response directing them to my terms, explaining that I now charge a nominal fee for my time and effort. And then . . . quiet. No response.

A company so eager to work with me again no longer has the time for a writer who (gasp!) actually charges. Free products are fine, yes. However, I also have a real job in addition to my responsibilities as a mother. My time is valuable. Without it, I cannot do my paid writing.

A writer who cannot work is a writer who cannot be paid.

And a writer who cannot be paid is a writer who cannot afford a winter coat for her toddler when it’s 27 degrees outside.

(don’t worry ~ Bridget is now the proud owner of one very hot pink coat)

(thanks to those who pay me to write)

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Who would like to contribute an Up For Debate article this week? Send me your submission by Thursday at 7PM, eastern.

Mandy, from SewSpun.com is holding a contest in which the winner will receive one of her felted pumpkin pins. So far, only one other person has entered the drawing, so make sure you put your name in the hat and make it a real competition. Just in case you don’t win the pumpkin pin, Mandy has one for sale in her etsy shop. 

So have you finished your homemade Halloween costume(s)? I finally completed mine over the weekend ~ whew! By the stress I was feeling, you would have thought I was sewing up three intricate outfits when, in reality, only a small portion of each costume was made by me. Halloween costumes mixed with two birthdays, three stomach bugs, article writing, housekeeping and general “stuff,” makes for one tired mom! I could never be a professional seamstress! Needless to say, I have a new appreciation for what this talented mama can do with a bit of tulle. There was a fair amount of cursing going on in front of the sewing machine! Additionally, let me affirm that I will NEVER sew together two pieces of satin material again. Ever.

For all who read this blog and would like to send a jpeg to my inbox of your handmade Halloween creation to be featured in a future Craftacular Tuesday post, click here for details.

I must confess that I am relieved to have the Halloween season almost over and done with. I will now be able to focus my creative energy on the few handmade gifts I intend to give to the little ones for Christmas and, more importantly in terms of this blog, I can (hopefully) stop receiving hits from Google searches that include words like slutty, perverted, and skanky. I wish I could attribute my nearly 400 daily hits to my exceptional writing and informative posts, but it seems there are a fair amount of questionable people out there searching for pictures of “girls wearing slutty Halloween costumes.”

Blech.

My blog feels dirty.

This story summarizes the events which led to my winning a spaetzle maker from fellow blogger Lance, of Dad2Twins.

It was a day unlike most others. Daily articles written and youngest child in bed for a nap, I took advantage of the rare moment of solitude to catch up on my favorite blogs on Google Reader. I mindlessly clicked and perused, perused and clicked, until I came upon a challenge, in which Lance, having arrived back home from his vacation in Germany, asked his readers to identify the picture in his post. Be specific, Lance warned.

Not one to turn down a good challenge, my pulse quickened as I clicked to enlarge the photo. At first, I Googled “German landmarks” knowing that such a broad search would yield too many results. Studying the photo for a few minutes more, I decided the landmark in the photo looked decidedly like an observation deck of some sort. Wikipedia returned a great many sources. Existing Wood Lattice Towers ~ no. Destroyed Wood Lattice Towers ~ no. Steel Lattice Towers ~ okay. Radio Towers with Observation Decks and Observation Towers ~ let’s see what we have . . .

Scrolling down the list, the first choice in Germany was the Funkturm Berlin, which was once a radio tower and now stands as a protected monument in Berlin. Scrolling down a bit more revealed a photo similar in appearance to Lance’s. Aha!

Clicking to Lance’s blog, I left my comment with my specific answer, taking note that while others had also left their comments, they failed to be as detailed with the name and location. Didn’t these people ever learn to read directions? **Once in middle school, the teacher handed out a math quiz in which we all feverishly began filling in the answers. The very last problem instructed us to read the directions which stated, DO NOT TAKE THIS TEST! THIS IS A JOKE! You can bet I read directions after that, always. The purpose of the assignment had been to teach us the importance of following directions.**

Not long after I left my answer, Lance informed me of my winning status. A few days ago, I received a spaetzle maker as a reward. Now I have never had spaetzle before, but Lance tells me it is basically German noodles. The dough, which consists of flour, egg, salt, and water is pushed through those little holes into a pot of boiling water. They can be served as a side dish to meats and topped with gravy or butter and parmesan cheese.

Although I promised Lance that I would post about my prize today, I regret that I have not yet tried my lovely new kitchen gadget. I was hit with a fierce stomach bug which, for the better part of a week now, has left me immune to most foods (save for my son’s birthday cake). But there my spaetzle maker sits, shiny in its box, ready to perform its duty.

Thanks Lance!!

photo courtesy of www.GermanDeli.com

If you found this post through a search engine, please visit the home page.

Thanks to Stephanie of Metropolitan Mama for submitting this week’s Up For Debate article. Stephanie is an Arizona girl who loves writing, working from home, and wondering at the beauty and brightness of her one-year-old little girl. Metropolitan Mama is geared to moms in their 20’s and 30’s who are pregnant or who have little ones under age three (although all moms are welcome!). She blogs about fitness, fashion, freebies, and general information to help moms navigate the challenges and wonders of early motherhood.

Would you like to contribute an Up For Debate article?

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Up for Debate: Spooky Halloween Decorations

By Stephanie Sheaffer

http://metropolitanmama.blogspot.com

Yesterday, I saw several dead bodies, a few skeletons, one or two evil spirits, and a lot of gushing blood…all in my own neighborhood. They were fake, of course, but that didn’t keep me from getting the heebie-jeebies.

What a strange holiday this is – where we, as a society, celebrate murder, death, and evil. The decorations around my neighborhood are just plain scary – tortured souls, decapitated heads, and nooses around limp necks. I’m all for having fun – for dressing up, going to fall festivals, carving pumpkins, and even trick-or-treating, if proper safety precautions are taken. But these grotesque renditions are too much.

I try not to be judgmental of the parents who decorate their houses this way, but it just doesn’t seem right. “Here, Sally, hand me that bloody face….Johnny, can you hang up that huge ax over there near the witch’s cauldron?”

A few weeks ago, Melissa blogged about sexy Halloween costumes and today I am writing about spooky Halloween decorations (although, I could throw in costumes too…I’d like to see the return of more tame alternatives – the 50’s sockhop girl, the firefighter, the chef, the princess, etc.).

What do you think? Does creepy décor cross the line or is it all in good fun? How will you be decorating your home this Halloween?

Before I reveal the titles (yes, that’s plural) of the first two books for my new, weekly book discussion, I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to someone near and dear to my heart. Jacob is six years old today, and I couldn’t be more proud to be that little guy’s mom. Despite our parental apptitudes being challenged on a daily basis, the fire and spirit and absolute light that Jacob brings into our lives delights us each day. He is a beautiful being, so genuine and loving. He has my heart completely (excuse me while I wipe away the tears . . .)

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So let’s get down to business and announce the books, shall we? I decided to choose two books to satisfy two different groups of people who read this blog, those who write for pay and . . . everyone else! I have many books on my shelf geared toward a specific audience that I must find time to read, in addition to those books that I would like to read for pleasure, and yet I don’t want to alienate the majority of my blog readers with my choices. As a result, I will always have two books to offer.

Book one is Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids,” by Christina Katz. If you would like to read this book along with me, complete Section 1 by next Thursday.

Book two is Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you would like to read this book along with me, complete Book 1 by next Thursday.

I will return next week to discuss the first section/book and to announce which portion of the book we will read next. Here’s a hint, it’s the section that directly follows section 1.

Now, run off to the book store or your local library and pick up these books!

On an unrelated note, I need some good reader to submit an article for THIS Friday’s Up For Debate. Send me a piece ASAP (by 7PM Eastern).

If you have found this post from a search engine, please visit my homepage.

A brownie is just not a brownie unless it comes from a cardboard box. Mind you, this is my son’s rationale and one I hardly share. Me? Well, I’ll eat most anything . . . unless it swims.

I’ve made quite a few lovely recipes from Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious cookbook, although none have been so popular with Jacob as the Mac n Cheese. You don’t have to be a vegetable-fearing child in order to enjoy these recipes, though; I’d be happy to make these meals even if I were a childless woman. I’ve made meatball soup, cauliflower mashed potatoes, turkey meatloaf and, most recently, brownies laced with carrot and spinach puree.

Before you throw up a little bit in your mouth at the thought of carrots and spinach in your brownies, let me just say that they weren’t bad at all. However, you must eat them with an open mind. To be sure, you cannot taste the vegetable purees one bit. What is different is the texture. Unlike boxed brownies that are fudgey or cakey, depending on how many eggs you use, the Deceptively Delicious brownies were . . . moist. Very moist. Cool and moist. Almost . . . silicone-like. I don’t know . . . Although the taste was nice, the texture was almost too much for even me.

You can imagine how a boy with sensory issues reacted.

Jacob had been waiting all afternoon for a warm and delicious brownie, and when he finally got his little hands on one and took that highly-anticipated bite, his eyes widened and he adopted a rather crestfallen look. Pushing the brownie aside he said, “I don’t think I want this afterall.”

My heart was broken. I felt awful for his disappointment.

Jacob is a creature of habit. He is rigid with his food likes. He can tell you the difference between Tropicana vs. store brand, Ball Park vs. Oscar Mayer, Eggo vs. Aunt Jemima, chocolate milk made with whole vs. skim, boxed brownies vs homemade.

Jacob is unlike many kids; he won’t eat a brownie just because it’s a brownie.

Ah well. Next time we’ll try the angel-food cupcakes.

(and I won’t tell what’s inside!)

If you found this post from a search engine, please visit my homepage.

I know! I can hardly believe it either, that there was a a shop update. You did know I had a shop, right? It resides in a dark corner of my basement, in case you wanted to know, mostly unoccupied these days. But occasionally, when the moon, sun, and stars align just so, when one child is on a playdate, the other is sick with a stomach bug, and yet another is napping peacefully, it’s then that I am able to sit and create little lovelies such as this.

I will tell you that this gem is handcrafted with 100% wool felt leaves, so soft and luxurious. I made the fabric-covered button, too. And I am just smitten with the yellow flowered fabric. It’s totally worth the $7.50 pricetag, so snatch it up before it’s gone. And while you’re there, pick up a few more things to stuff those holiday stockings!

If you found this post through a search engine, please visit my homepage.

One of my favorite online retailers for developmentally age-appropriate toys has launched a campanion blog to its website. You can now find professionally-written articles from child experts at The eBeansTalk Blog. Posts cover everything from how to successfully discipline a toddler to ways to develop fine-motor skills.

Although I plan for a holiday season devoid of gifts from big-box retailers, eBeanstalk is one of the few toy companies I plan on supporting. I’ve written before about eBeanstalk’s commitment to providing safe toys for children. In addition, even though eBeanstalk recently lowered their prices to match what you would expect from a retail store, they have extended their generosity to readers of this blog and are offering a 10% discount to anyone who uses the code woolgatherings at checkout. (free shipping on orders over $75)

Add The eBeansTalk Blog to your blogroll and feed reader in order to keep up with your little one’s stages of development. Then head on over to eBeanstalk for a little holiday shopping.

If you found this blog post through a search engine, please visit my homepage.

Thank you to Laura for contributing this week’s Up For Debate article. Laura has two 20 month-old sons: Jonah and Benjamin. She writes The SeaBird Chronicles, a blog tracking twin toddlers as they terrorize Miami!

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“Most of the obsessive parents know who they are and are generally proud of the fact. Most of the non-obsessive parents know who the obsessives are, and tend to snicker at them.” Steven D. Levitt in Feakonomics

I admit: I tend to be in the snickering camp. But at least part of it is just parenting twins. Even if I was the obsessive type, I’ve never had the time or energy to do much about it anyway. But I also have living proof in front of me that even though both boys get the same “nurture,” their “nature” manifests itself completely differently and there’s not a lot I can do about it.

I’m all about encouraging self-sufficiency so I don’t have to do everything (twice) for them. Well, except for walking. That was strictly discouraged for as long as possible.

Now, we go for days at a time without using the stroller. I try to let the boys walk as much as possible – to and from the car, at the post office, at casual restaurants, at church, at Home Depot, etc. Not so much when Jonathan is with us, though, because it makes him a nervous wreck. But when it’s just the three of us, I want them to learn early on to stick with me, listen, obey, and understand you can’t just run into the street willy-nilly.

I do hear gasps occasionally from bystanders when Benjamin runs to the top of some stairs (then carefully turns around and goes down by himself). Or when Jonah continually bonks himself on the head when he plays under the bleachers. But as long as they are both breathing in and out without blood oozing out anywhere, we’re good.

Then this happened:

The other day we were in a small bakery/deli. While we were waiting for our food, I let the boys roam around investigating the chairs, tables, food display cases, floor-to-ceiling windows, and the two or three other customers.

An older woman eating breakfast engaged me in conversation – mostly to tell me her life story, which was pretty interesting because she’s lived in our neighborhood for several decades and has seen amazing changes. She asked me a bit about the boys and watched them run around, eat their food, then run around some more.

When she left twenty minutes later she politely said, with a thin smile,”It’s nice you let them ….explore on their own. I was always so worried and hovered around my kids so they….(she eyes the boys)….wouldn’t get hurt.”

Ha! Older women are too polite to gasp. But they do make their point clear!

Would you like to contribute an Up For Debate article?

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Do you remember that recent post of mine in which I wrote about public accountability? Motivation does not come easily to me. To tell you the truth, I often find myself so overwhelmed by the daily grind that it is out of fear and panic, not personal growth, that I persevere. I am keenly aware that just as soon as I let down my guard, shampoo will be emptied on the bathroom floor, furniture will be overturned, and the cupboards will be picked bare by three ravenous children. I am but ½ step ahead of my brood. If that isn’t scary, I don’t know what is.

I’m not sure how I have the time to write, grow vegetables, or cook meals from scratch. How do I manage to play with the kids, craft, edit a newsletter, or help with third-grade homework? How is it that I maintain a blog, respond to emails, query articles, apply for writing jobs, tweak recipes for my cookbook (no, I don’t yet have a publisher)?

I don’t know; I just do it. I’m like a robot on autopilot.

But there is one thing I can’t seem to get done, no matter how hard I try. In addition, seeing as how it is something I truly enjoy doing and did a lot of before my kids came along, you would think I would try to make time for this particular activity.

No, I am not talking about sex (although I could be). Get your mind out of the gutter.

I am talking about reading.

I am talking about reading books. Not magazines. Not stories with lots of pictures or cute rhymes. Books.

She puts me to shame. I can barely visit her site anymore without feeling like hanging my head in embarrassment.

But not anymore! I’m putting down my foot and declaring, this is ridiculous! (I’m harsh)

Writers should be readers, as well. Right?

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From now on, Thursdays will be dedicated to book discussions, and this is how it will work:

I will choose a book to read and announce it on my site, along with an outline as to when each chapter will be discussed. If you would like to participate, I will look forward to your comments.

That’s it. Public accountability. 

Join me next Thursday as I announce the first book! 

I am fully aware that this is not a picture of mush; indeed, it is a picture of mac n cheese prepared from Jessica Seinfeld’s new book, Deceptively Delicious. It is a picture of a dish my family ate tonight for dinner.

My whole family.

Including Jacob.

My son with sensory issues who won’t eat most foods, let alone mac n cheese that deviates from his normal Annie’s Organic.

Jacob, the boy who must drink a supplemental beverage just to maintain his weight.

(and there was butternut squash puree in it. and cream cheese. and real cheddar cheese.)

AND IT WAS SMOOTH AND CREAMY AND GLORIOUS!!!

My palms were literally wet with the nervous anticipation that Jacob would reject the noodles before even trying them. In fact, he almost caught me in the act of folding in the squash puree. Whew! Dodged that one!

Are you fixing that? he inquired with a detectable amount of distaste. Well, I’m not going to eat it.

You will try one bite! I screamed, in a maniacal high-pitched voice I hardly recognized as my own, much like the soup-nazi (Gasp! I just made the connection: Jessica Seinfeld, Seinfeld, Soup Nazi!).

He trounced off and came back. Trounced off and came back. Each time peering into the pot of simmering cheese and noodles.

When he saw that the sauce was thick and creamy and just the right shade of orange, then, and only then, did he acquiesce to one bite.

But it didn’t stop with just one bite. He ate almost the entire serving!

Okay, so I had to gently encourage him to eat. But he ate.

And there was vegetable puree in the dish!

The fact that Jessica Seinfeld recently gave Oprah $18, 000 (yes, eighteen thousand dollars) worth of shoes only slightly mars my opinion of her character. She’s my new hero, really. Now, if only I could get a publisher to give me a book deal to help me develop my muffin recipes (geared towards children like Jacob), perhaps I might one day be in a position to gift 21 pairs of shoes. Or perhaps I would just pay off my mortgage.

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My friend and fellow writer, Kristi, was so nice to include my recipe for Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas on her baby/toddler food site, Mush. The site is co-written by Kristi and MsPrufrock, and it focuses on creating healthy meals for beginners, intermediates, and toddlers. Kristi and MsPrufrock love recipe contributions, so pay them a visit and let them know what’s on your baby’s tray.

Congratulations so Sarah from Pink-Petal-Designs for winning a FREE digital print from Zoe Ingram!! Sarah, head on over to Margin and make your selection. I will contact Zoe and let her know YOU are the winner!! Everyone else, be sure to check out Sarah’s blog, as well as her Etsy shop. See ~ it pays to visit and comment, now doesn’t it?! Sarah, I do hope you visit often

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I had hopes of crafting a few new fabric covered hair ponies for this week’s addition of Craftacular Tuesday, but I’ve been a little behind on my game the past few days. Issues with work put me behind; issues with children put me behind; weekend activities at the pumpkin patch, although quite fun, put me behind; working on homemade Halloween costumes put me behind. Creative vibes have been a little hard to come by, suffice it to say.

And I’ll have you know that the same wacky magnetic phenomenon that draws a child to your side the minute you pick up the telephone, well, that happens just as soon as you pull out wool felt, fabric scraps, and tiny buttons, too. The cat is just as bad, and he loves to pounce on and bat  the hair ponies. A few are sacrificed to him as, obviously, I would never craft with something he’s used as a plaything. (just so you know!)

So, please come back next Tuesday when I have a few more additions in my shop. And as I try to limit all personal shop promotions until Tuesdays, I have to say that, I am in the opinion that these hair ponies (and whatnots) would make excellent stocking stuffers for the holidays.

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As Coffee Mom pointed out, it’s coming! The holidays are just around the corner!! During my trek to the market last night, I was somewhat confused by the juxtaposition of both Halloween and Christmas displays. I didn’t quite know which way to turn, so I avoided them both and stuck to what was on my list (yeah me!!).

Like most families, we are on a tight budget. All. The. Time. We save and save and save some more for the anticipation of this major holiday called Christmas. While we don’t want to overload our children with gifts, we like to present them with a few nice trinkets under the tree and stuffed in stockings. We also have several birthdays crammed into a span of a month (does anyone else suffer this problem) and little cousins who are spread far and wide from all all points of the USA to across the ocean in Ireland need presents from doting Aunt Melissa. Affectionately, all seven of my nephews and nieces are referred to as “The Cousins.”

I’ve been doing a little pre-holiday shopping, and I thought you might like to see the talented people I have supported specifically to fill my need for Christmas gifts. They are:

Grandpa’s Wood Shop
Crafts by Scribbit
byKimLane Designs

There are also some wonderful Mompreneurs and designers I plan on buying from this year, too.

I plan to buy very little from Big Box retailers. They’re just so icky sometimes.

What am I hoping to find under the Christmas tree this year, you ask??

A garbage disposal.

I’m serious.

For children with fine-motor difficulties, the only way to develop their skills is to encourage constant use of their hands through play such as writing, coloring, squishing dough, and, one of my favorites, working puzzles. Jacob is finally showing an interest in these activities, although we have discovered he is one of those kids who would rather eat the dough than play with it (why does that not surprise me?). During my few moments of spare time this afternoon, I decided to peruse Etsy in hopes of finding some creative soul with a shop full of puzzles, and by golly if I didn’t hit the jackpot!

Open the door to Grandpa’s Wood Shop, where you will find three pages of beautifully carved, chunky wooden puzzles, perfect for little hands. If you click over to his site, you will read that all of the toys are made in the USA with no lead paint or toxic materials, a BIG plus in my opinion. I have aspirations of having a holiday free of items from Big Box Retailers (at least as far as the little ones are concerned).

Of course, I just had to contact the shop owner and profess my love for his woodworking skills and let him know that I would be posting a brief profile of his site on this blog. Almost immediately, “Grandpa” zipped me an email with some very pertinent information:

Due to family-related issues at the present moment, “Grandpa” cannot guarantee on-time holiday arrival for orders place after Monday, October 15th. In other words, get your order in NOW. “Grandpa” makes his puzzles on-demand, and from what I hear, he’s a very busy person. **He has even been featured in Cookie magazine, April 2007 (another publication in which I hope to one day see my name).**

All puzzle surfaces are sanded smooth and the edges rounded. “Grandpa’s” puzzles even pass the paper-tube choke test. “Grandpa” offers an unconditional guarantee on all his puzzles and will refund the full purchase price of any order, within 14 days, no questions asked.

Don’t you just love this guy?!

Can you tell how excited I am?!

My husband asked, how can you be certain these puzzles are so great?

‘Twas a fair enough question, I suppose, seeing as how I don’t have the actual puzzle in my hand. It’s just a feeling I have, I said. I just know.

In any event, I know four little ones who will be getting a homemade puzzle for Christmas.

Be sure to order yours no later than October 15th!! 

 **This post will run thru Monday.**

As Halloween 2007 nears and my blog stats climb higher each day, thanks, in part, to those people searching for pictures and ideas of homemade costumes, I got to thinking about those Halloween garbs plucked from the racks of Big Box Retailers, especially those advertising images of scantily-clad women posing in precariously provocative postures.

How’s that for alliteration?

I’m sure you’ve seen them, too, as you wander the aisles with your kid in hopes of finding the perfect costume. A clown, perhaps? Or maybe a cowboy? How about a furry puppy dog or pink kitty cat? Or perhaps a French maid or naughty nurse?

Whoa! Hold up! Obviously, you’ve found yourself in the wrong aisle.

Last year, our smallish mall had the *pleasure* of hosting a seasonal Halloween costume store, the kind that sets up shop at the beginning of September and closes in November after a 75% off blowout. Like most kids, mine were curious. The floating heads on the wall did nothing to deter them, and they giggled and feigned terror at each perfectly putrid piece of plastic. They tried on hairy goblin feet and dueled with retractable swords. They sniggered at the fake noses and begged for wax lips and vampire teeth.

It wasn’t too long, however, before we came to what was obviously the “adult” portion of the store. Without warning, we were face to face with more artificial boobs and butts than can be found at the Playboy mansion. There were costumes that perverted just about every profession imaginable, from the venerable nun to the happy homemaker.

Now I’m no prude, believe me. But to lure us into the store with displays of Fairy Princess and Super Hero costumes only to steer us, my young children included, toward those pre-packaged blends of cotton and polyester featuring sultry women with their inflated mammary protrusions and puckered lips, well, that’s just wrong.

I’m all for big people having their fun, too, but reserve those costumes for adult-only establishments. At the very least, hang a partition and a sign indicating that there are inappropriate images for children beyond the curtain.

I’m not sure how much my children saw in the 2.5 seconds it took for me to grab them by the hand and push them out the door. I gather they absorbed more than I care to admit, though, which is why I wasn’t so shocked when Hannah suggested I dress as this for Halloween.

Um, no.

Do you have an article you would like to submit?

Speaking of homemade Halloween costumes, don’t forget about this.

If you found this post through a search engine, please visit my homepage.

Dear Friends. As a result of too much downtime in regards to my current workload (don’t even get me started), I have decided to create a Yahoo Group.

Now why did she go and do something like that? Does she really think she is so important she needs her very own Yahoo Group? 

As I was sitting here outlining an idea for an article that I would like to query to a popular children’s magazine I so dearly love and enjoy, it occurred to me that the parental advice and input I require, research, if you will, should come directly from the people I trust and admire.

Yes, I am talking about YOU! You are my loyal friends and readers with whom I can relate, and vice-versa. 

My Yahoo group, aptly called Woolgatherings,  is available to those who would like to offer article ideas and answer inquiries about current topics I am in the process of writing. This group is available to members only, so you will need to contact me at igarrett@twcny.rr.com in order to receive an invitation. In your email to me, please include the email address of the inbox that you most often check.

I encourage all my readers to become a member, but parents are especially welcome. You do not have to be a writer to join. 

Please contact me with any questions.

There are days, oh yes, when I find my thoughts lacking in substance and clarity. I’ll suffer a spell of creative ineptitude, only to have my work schedule thrown completely out of whack by the minutes wasted. It’s then that I find myself, much like an insomniac who lies in bed stealing furtive glances at the clock, worrying about what to write as naptime draws to an end and school bus looms in the distance. Working with a toddler in the house is difficult; three children make it damn near impossible, and I have precious moments in the day in which to work without interruption.

Contract work is not my life aspiration; however, it helps to pay the bills, covering the expense of those important must-haves like food and winter coats. *Yes! I predict my children will need winter coats, eventually, despite October’s freakish summer-like weather.*  So efficient, am I, in my contract work that I can now justify the measly per-article earnings. By early 2008, I am hoping to add to my Master Schedule the obligations of two more contracted writing positions.  I like to stay busy. I become restless otherwise. I have no assigned articles to write today, and I am feeling particularly on edge.Nearly two months ago I queried a popular magazine. The wait is agonizing, yet necessary. I know the drill. By month’s end, I’ll have another query, perhaps two, prepared to send out in the hopes of gaining a clip and a paycheck. Then there’s the cookbook. Did you know I am writing a cookbook? A muffin cookbook, to be precise. All recipes taste-tested and approved by Jacob, the pickiest of the picky and sufferer of sensory integration disorder/asperger’s/ADHD/and who the hell really knows? *In the next few weeks, I will have some interesting news to share in regards to the neverending saga of our challenges with the boy.*

But here’s the problem. My brain is a bottleneck of ideas, each one crammed inside the gray matter and vying for attention. Just pick one, I tell myself. Outline your idea. Query. Pick another idea. Outline. Query.  Keep them going. Get them out of here. Declutter your head.

Sigh. Sometimes I just want to watch a movie instead, languish on the couch with a bowl of popcorn or a handful of M&M’s, nininins, as my toddler calls them. I did just that the other day, watched a movie as Bridget napped. Brokeback Mountain, a movie my husband refused to watch and one I thought decidedly slow. I watched it for Heath and Jake, despite the premise of the movie (of which I had no problem, mind you. i’m a liberal. a supporter of gay rights. a believer of gay marriage. how many readers did i just lose by my proclamation? i suppose i will save my lack of faith for another post.).

A writer with too many ideas intermingling in her head produces nothing but verbose blog fodder. Public accountability is a necessary evil, especially on those overcast days when coffee just can’t seem to cast the sleep from a pair of tired eyes.  There’s a thought. Public accountability.  Huh . . . .  

(an idea festers) 

 Clearly, I need more work. 

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 Don’t forget to turn in your articles for Friday’s Up For Debate.

Would you like to win a FREE digital art print from one of my favorite Etsy designers, Zoe Ingram? Simply leave a comment on this post from now until noon eastern, on Monday the 15th, and you will be entered to win the print of your choice. The winner will be announced in the Craftacular Tuesday post for October 16th. Just to let you know, Zoe is offering a Buy 2, Get 1 FREE sale in her shop during the month of October, so take advantage of this great offer and help support a mompreneuer in the process. I’ve just added the companion prints to this Little B: Little A and Little C.

They may be little, but they sure are cute!

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), characterized by extreme nausea and vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration, is a debilitating illness that affects a small percentage of pregnant women. Unlike “morning sickness,” HG can lead to malnutrition, thyroid imbalances, and depression, all of which can be potentially life threatening to both mother and baby. HG requires early medical intervention, resulting in hospital admission and IV therapy. Currently there is no known cause of HG.

Two of my three pregnancies were diagnosed as HG, my first in 1999, and my last in 2004. Unless you have experienced an HG pregnancy yourself, it is difficult to describe just how awful one truly is. When I was pregnant with my son, my non-HG pregnancy, I vomited no less than three times a day for the first four months. Although I was exhausted (I had a toddler to take care of), I never felt unable to cope. With my first HG pregnancy, I slept in the bathroom. I lost thirteen pounds in one month and found myself under the care of a traveling nurse. My then-fiance had to learn to change IV bags in the middle of the night, bags that contained precious fluids to keep me hydrated and alive. I was 21 years old and not yet married. I was unemployed (obviously, given my condition) and without insurance. Needless to say, my medical bills were astronomical, and it would be years before they were paid in full. Zofran, a drug now commonly prescribed for HG patients, and one which I received during my last pregnancy, was not an option in 1999. Insurance companies wouldn’t cover the cost of such a new drug, and it was over $1200 for a month’s supply, well out of our price range. I was at the mercy of HG, which almost destroyed my thyroid and left me in a literal state of starvation. Thankfully, despite having twice survived HG (and trust me, it’s simply surviving), I delivered two beautiful and otherwise healthy girls.

I am currently taking part in a study to find a cause and a cure for Hyperemesis Gravidarum. If you have ever been diagnosed with Hyperemesis, or know someone who suffered the illness, I urge you to learn how you can participate in HG research. Please link to this post on your blog, or pass it along in an email. Spread the word!! HG doesn’t just affect the pregnant mother; it is an illness that affects everyone around her.

Thanks to Kristi of Interrupted Wanderlust for being this week’s contributing writer in the Up For Debate series. Kristi is a freelance writer and mother to a 13-month-old. She spends her days baby-wrangling, and her nights writing to afford her daughter’s high-priced Cheerios habit.

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Last month, a Sweet and Sassy franchise opened about a mile away from my house. What is Sweet and Sassy? It’s a salon and spa for little girls.

According to their website, Sweet and Sassy offers “a variety of spa-inspired services tailor-made for the toddler (yes, toddler) to ‘tween crowd.” They offer manicures, pedicures, makeup application, nail art, facials, up-dos, and several theme parties, including “All Dressed Up and runway To Go,” “Sleepover At The Spa,” and “A Night On The Red Carpet.”

My question is this: What kind of messages are kiddie spas sending to little girls?

Before I go any further, I have to admit that I have never visited a spa. My relaxation comes in the form of a cat curled up on my lap, Clive Owen on my television screen, and a box of Reeses Pieces at my side.

But I do know this: my daughter is only 13 months old (the “toddler” Sweet and Sassy is targeting?), but if in four years her best friend has her 5^th birthday party at a kiddie spa, Isabella won’t be in attendance.

Sending a little girl to a spa in the name of fun is akin to hand-delivering her the message that she should derive her happiness from the way she looks on the outside, and not from those qualities that make her who she is on the inside. Kiddie spas also have the potential to set young girls up for a lifetime of appearance obsession and the continual pursuit of treatments to “enhance” their looks.

The last thing I want for my daughter is for her to believe that her flawless and soft skin isn’t pretty enough, and that it needs blush and eye shadow and lipstick to “fix” it. Or that her fingernails, with dirt caked underneath from digging outside, need to be buffed and filed and painted and adorned with “nail art.” Or that her hair, one-dimensional in color and straight as an arrow, needs highlights and pins and lots of hairspray to sculpt it into a grown-up do.

“There! We’ve completely changed the way you look. Isn’t this fun? Don’t you feel beautiful now?”

Taking a young child to experience beauty treatments originally intended for adult women turns little girls into pre-teens, pre-teens into teenagers, and teenagers into college students. All of a sudden 6-year-olds look like they’re 12, and 12-year-olds look like they’re 16. All of a sudden art projects and lemonade stands and soccer practice become “baby stuff” and kindergartners are slipping lip gloss in with their glue sticks and safety scissors.

Do I want my young daughter to school me on the merits of various makeup application techniques, and hair and nail treatments before she can even spell “mani-pedi”? I don’t think so.

The last thing little girls should spend their fleeting childhood worrying about are the widths of their eyebrows or the cuticles of their toenails when their greatest concerns should be whether or not they’ll finish their homework in time to play with their Webkinz. I want my daughter to savor her childhood, because all too soon, she’ll have these vanity worries, and others, as she’s forced to confront our beauty-obsessed culture head-on.

There will come a time when I can no longer shield my daughter from the image-centered world in which little girls are forced to grow up. Soon enough, the fragile self-esteem mothers try so hard to bolster in their daughters might be damaged by those who tell them they are not thin enough, stylish enough, or pretty enough.

But for as long as I am able, I want to keep Isabella safe from the images and messages that will soon pummel her at every turn.
Besides, if anyone in my household needs a massage, it’s clearly not the one of us snoozing for 12 hours each night, enjoying three healthy and balanced organic meals each day, and whose most stressful activity is a diaper change, right?

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Find out how you can contribute an Up For Debate article.

eBeanstalk is offerering a selection of Halloween Costumes in sizes ranging from newborn to preschool, and boy are they cute!! Read my review of eBeanstalk, and when you decide to make a purchase (for whatever season or holiday), don’t forget to save 10% by using the coupon code woolgatherings. 

Halloween costumes include: cowboy, giraffe, pirate, lobster, frog, scarecrow, chili pepper, fireman, elephant, fairy, horse, unicorn, pilot, cowgirl, cheerleader. (at totally affordable prices!)

Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Say hello to fall with a warm and hearty soup that is oh, so easy to make.

Ingredients:

skillet

stock pot

olive oil

2 Italian sausage patties

onion, chopped

32 ounces vegetable broth

1/2 cup elbow noodles

1 cannellini beans, with liquid

1 handful fresh spinach leaves

Form each Italian sausage patty into 8 sausage balls and brown on all sides in a hot skillet. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot and cook the chopped onion until translucent. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the elbow noodles and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and add the cannellini beans with liquid. Add the sausage and spinach, cooking until the leaves begin to wilt.

Friend and bag designer, Kim Lane is hosting a 50% off sale at her online boutique, byKimLane Designs in celebration of her 1-year anniversary of designing. The sale is scheduled to run from NOW through October 6th. Kim’s sale literally comes on the heels of a thought I had about what to get the female members of my extended family for the Christmas holiday, and as I own several byKimLane products and have given one as a gift already, I knew the answer to my question as soon as I saw Kim’s advertisement. I *love* my byKimLane bags, and I am thrilled to pass along the good news. I hope you take advantage of her sale, too, and get a some pre-holiday shopping over and done with. **Be sure to use the code 1YEAR at checkout to receive your discount.**

Incidentally, Kim is but one of the Mompreneuers featured on my site. If you have yet to take a look at the list of talented individuals, please do. If you are a Mompreneuer who would like to be featured, follow the link to find out how. No matter how big or small you are, there’s a spot available. The first three months are FREE, and advertising is just a nominal FIVE dollars for every three months thereafter. Yes, I said FIVE dollars for three months. Of course I don’t just put your link out there and forget about you; every so often (especially around the holidays) I remind my readers to click on the link and browse through your sites and stores. This site is growing each month - it’s only been fully active since August 2007 - and, it received over 3200 clicks during September.

Don’t forget that in addition to writing online content, I also write the occasional review/endorsement for sites and products. You can also hire me to write a guest post for your site. In addition to my contract work, currently I have two active writing projects and two potential jobs in the works (unrelated to this site). Needless to say, I love to write, and it keeps me busy! I have also begun to write articles for print work and query magazines. It’s empowering to be able to contribute to my family financially without having to step away from my home. Certainly, I am one lucky mom!

I want to say a special thank you to Queens Knitting Mama of Knit Something Mommy for sending me one of her knitted birds as well as a very soft and very lovely fingerknit scarf, in celebration of my 30th birthday. I am in love with these two lovelies, totally!

If you would like to send me a link to anything crafty on which you have been working, please do so! I will then include your link in the next edition of Craftacular Tuesday. Send an email to igarrett@twcny.rr.com and write Craftacular Tuesday in the subject field. Lurkers and non-lurkers alike are welcome!

A special thanks to Susan and Janice of 5 Minutes For Mom for hosting 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere and including a mention of my weekly Up For Debate spot and need for contributing writers. Each week, Kailani of An Island Life helps out Susan and Janice by compiling a list of events and notices happening around the blogosphere, and it’s a virtual one-stop shop for contests & giveaways, community awareness, and cool websites. Be sure to check it out!

In addition to running 5 Minutes For Mom together, both Susuan and Janice operate two online sites, A Rocking Horse to Love and Pedal Cars And Retro Collectibles. Busy doesn’t even come close to describing these twin sisters!

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Here’s a reminder to get your Up For Debate article to me ASAP! Writing a guest post on another site is a great way to drive traffic to your own, so put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and create a piece that is both entertaining and thought provoking. Click here for more details on submitting articles for Up For Debate.