Shared Experience of Parenting -- Part of the Thanks Giving Series

How wonderful is the shared experience of parenting that it can make us breathe a giant sigh of relief when we realize someone else is a parent too. Like, oh thank GOD, they understand why I am wearing a T-shirt decorated with baby spit-up, sweatpants and a diaper bag.

Priceless is the moment you realize your shared experience renders you free to do things like speak in incomplete sentences so simple they resemble primitive hieroglyphics, a mutually understood shorthand language of the sleep-deprived parent.

When one parent says to another, "Teething," it is simply understood this means, "My poor baby is teething. She cannot sleep, bless her heart, so neither can I. I am here only to buy Infant Tylenol and large bags of coffee."

Wonderful is the fraternal order of parenting.

Picking the Spring Lineup -- Trying It on for Size

Following a little reflection, I've decided this about the blog. The free-form ramblings of my mind published online seem to lack focus. So here's the goal for Spring 2007 -- a little more focus. Consequently, I'll be zeroing in on the parent perspective and developing one or two weekly columns.

You can expect to see the following making frequent appearances as I test the blog waters:

Mombot Monday -- quick tips for parenting efficiency from a busy mom of twins.

Toddler Files Tuesdays -- vignettes of toddlerdom from a toddler twin mom. That is a mom of twins who are toddlers, not a mom who is a toddler or a twin.

Wacky Wednesdays -- wacky stories of interest to parents, children of parents and parents of parents.

Thanks Giving Thursdays -- with more of a parenting spin.

And the weekend feature, appearing whenever the mood hits me, Friday through Sunday -- Mom's Political Punditry -- political commentary from a parent's perspective.

I'll be trying each of these on for size, so to speak, so if you see something you like, by all means, let me know.

The Toddler Files -- No Dancing Please

Somehow I thought this day wouldn't come for awhile. I could envision it happening maybe as we chaperoned a junior high school dance, but certainly not now. This Saturday morning as our darlings sat in their highchairs eating homemade waffles, the Dooodlebops played in the background and Hubby and I danced. The younger of our twin daughters looked at us, squinted, shook her head and clearly told us, "No."

Perhaps this incident could be brushed aside as sheer coincidence, or attributed to her recent discovery of and overzealous use of the word "No."

Unfortunately, yesterday afternoon, as Disney tunes played in the background, I danced again, carefree and fun. That's me right? The cool mommy of the toddler twins? Apparently not. Again troubled, the same twin observed for a moment, shook her head and said flatly, "No."

I will interpret this as an early appearance of the inevitable, "Mom, stop it. You are embarrassing me."

I suppose I will react as any reasonably sane mommy would. I will continue to shake my groove thing 'til it just won't shake anymore. It should be a good lesson for the girls in learning to accept the rhythmically challenged.

Obama Forms Presidential Exploratory Committee, Promises to Announce Plans February 10

Obama Announcement via YouTube



View his announcement by clicking above, and get the scoop in today's article in the Chicago Tribune.

Visit BarackObama.com for more information.

Low Calorie Cauliflower Soup

This is a yummy, filling soup, low in calories, perfect for chilly winter days. While most soups leave me feeling empty in an hour or so, this one keeps me feeling full for hours.

The recipe is my adaptation of a Weight Watchers recipe and should still add up to about 1 point per one-cup serving for the Flex Points program.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Head Cauliflower (chopped)
1 Block Non-fat Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
1 Yellow Bell Pepper (chopped)
(May substitute frozen peppers for fresh.)
1 32 oz. Container Nonfat Vegetable Broth

Directions:

Add all ingredients, except cream cheese, to large pot. Simmer on medium/low for 45 minutes. Turn off heat. Add cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese has melted and is well-blended with soup.

Pour yourself a bowl and enjoy.

Makes approximately 7 one-cup servings.

Political No No of the Week Award

This week I just can't let President Bush's speech on Iraq go without pointing out the the obvious -- "What took you so long?" His statements "Honorable people have different views," and "It is fair to hold our views up to scrutiny," must have garnered a collective "Duuuhhhhh" from viewers across the nation.

What was it, though, that finally led to this long overdue conciliatory speech? You know, the one this week, where he switched tactics from -- Let's club the Democrats over the head and drag them off to our caves to roast over an open fire -- to -- Gee, we're all just people with different views. Was there some serendipity with Karl Rove's departure from the helm? Was it the giant crushing blow the American public landed squarely on the jaw of the Republican Party in November? Or did he finally realize that the situation in Iraq is too dire to keep playing political games?

I would really like to know the turning point where the Bush Administration switched from -- If you disagree with us you are clearly unpatriotic, don't support our men and women in uniform, and are a pinko liberal -- to "Honorable people have different views."

This week the Political No No of the Week Award goes to President Bush for failing to acknowledge all along that honorable people have different views. Acknowledging that very important fact is absolutely essential to finding a solution to the growing problem in Iraq.