Motherhood is No Day at the Beach

A lot has happened in the past two years since I've written anything on this blog, including two little things like giving birth and getting a new job. But now that I am working for a parenting magazine and have been reading through tons of articles about this topic, I felt the need to put fingers to keyboard and begin spewing my thoughts once again to add to the plethora of point of views already existing on the internet.

Now that I've made my re-introduction, I thought I'd start off with what it means to be a parent at a beach versus the pre-motherhood days of what was once known as "relaxing."  I put it in quotes because what was once known as "relaxing" is now more like "let me sit down for 5 minutes and not worry about my daughter freaking out that there is sand in her toes or that she just put a rock in her mouth and wants nothing to do with the ocean." It is now a much different experience. I wouldn't say it's worse... just different.

It is mid-July and I have now gone to the beach with my nearly 2 year old about eight times.  I was hoping she would be one of those kids that just dives right in to all the sand toys and wants to jump the waves; however she is more of the type of kid who constantly asks to go the beach but then when she gets there is super clingy, scared and whiny. There was no time to lay down and tan or take a long walk. No time to even go swimming because once I walk towards the water she wants to come with me, but not really because that would require actually getting in the water. So I realize quickly that I will need to adjust my way of what it meant to go to the beach, and now switch in to mom at that beach. In the end it was a success! Here is how it was done.
Step 1: Let child sit on lap while on the sand and ignore the fact that your entire bathing suit is now filled with sand.
Step 2: Point out constantly all the children having fun in the sand and water
Step 3: Hold child while standing in the ocean - but do not attempt to dip child or there will be screams of murder in your ear!
Step 4: Collect rocks and shells to show that there is fun to be had
Step 5: Fill a bucket with water and constantly wash off sand from child's hands and feet
Step 6: Take child to a wave-less tide pool to play in sandy water and look for crabs.
Step 7: Buy an icey!

And once the child finally becomes comfortable with the beach it is time to go home.  Child then asks to go to the beach every day except you are living in an apt in Brooklyn where the closest body of water is the East River. Yay Summer!

Picture caption: Not my child!

Eyelash Epedemic

Over the past year or so I've been noticing more and more ads on TV about making women's eyelashes longer, fatter and just more of them. Having light color eyelashes myself I understand why people want to have their eyelashes noticed. And I agree that wearing mascara does make my eyes stand out more. But I'm not quite sure why there has been so much attention to this recently. There are tons of mascara products out there today, from CoverGirl's LashBlast to Maybelline's Define-A-Lash Volume mascara, just to name a few. But now there is a commercial running for Latisse, "a prescription treatment for hypotrichosis used to grow eyelashes, making them longer, thicker and darker." And to make it sell, they hired actress Claire Danes and Brooke Shields as their spokespeople. Who knew Claire Danes was plagued with crappy eyelashes? She always looked pretty to me but maybe that's just Hollywood magic.

In case you're wondering what "hypotrichosis" is like I was, here is WebMD's definition:
Unlike alopecia, which describes hair loss where formerly there was hair growth, hypotrichosis describes a situation where there wasn't any hair growth in the first place. Hypotrichoses (plural) then are conditions that affect individuals right from birth and usually stay with them throughout their lives.

So this makes me wonder...can one use Latisse for other areas of the body? Eyebrows maybe? Is this the cure for male baldness! On that note, here's a clip from Seinfeld.

Mad Men

I'm so glad that a new season of "Mad Men" has started! It's been three episodes so far and I'm totally into it. And the best part is that there aren't a ton of commercials (except for those annoying Apple Face Time commercials that have been playing non-stop lately) and the first commercial isn't until 15 minutes in. This really allows the viewer to get involved with the story rather than cutting to commercial after the first five minutes. But besides that, It's picked up right where the last season left off and you're not left wondering what's going on or where a certain storyline went. The thing I love most, besides watching Don Draper self destruct, is that it takes place in the early 60's, so the sets, the clothes and the whole culture is just fascinating to watch. I can't wait to see what Joanie wears each day! It's great to actually have a real show to watch with talented people and writers rather than the crappy reality shows that make people famous for either being a bitch, drunk, crazy or fat. I do tend to get sucked into watching those shows as well, but if there were more shows like Mad Men on TV the world might be a better place.

In Flux

I titled this post "In Flux" for a few reasons. One is that flux is a substance used in jewelry to solder metal together and so I've named my jewelry business Flux Jewelry. But also because my life is in a state of flux or change at the moment.

I have been creating jewelry since 2002 when I was laid off from a job and decided to pick up a new hobby. I've always wanted to have some part in the fashion business but I knew I didn't have the talent to be a fashion designer. So I thought that jewelry design was a fun, creative outlet for me. I took night classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology for a few years and then started to create jewelry out of my home. It's always been just a hobby where I might make a few earrings one day and then not make anything for months. And I've mostly just made for friends, family and co-workers because I didn't feel like taking the time to turn it into a full blown business. It takes a lot of time and patience but also a lot of tools and materials, so I really just make things when I see something inspiring or a friend's birthday is coming up and I want to make them a gift.

Lately, with more friends and family having kids I've recently had requests for jewelry with kid's names on them. I'm a fan of the name necklace, a la Carrie Bradshaw, and wore one for many years, but never really thought about creating my own until now. I know there are a ton of jewelry designers out there who already do this type of work and do it well, so I've been looking at their work and figuring out what works for me. I don't know where this will take me but here's a look at the evolution of my jewelry over the years...

One of my first designs. I'm really into circles!

My venture into sea glass. This was a challenge.

Getting a little more creative.

2009-2010 "simple & chic" design route.

Name tags of today!

Mom In a Box

Living in a 700 sq ft apartment has presented its challenges almost on a daily basis, but most recently with a baby on the way. I am constantly trying to rearrange furniture, trash or sell things I don't really need, and organize in order to make my apartment a comfortable place to call home. I consider myself to be pretty good at this task and I am able to minimize the clutter in a small two bedroom, one bath with a husband and a cat. But the stakes have been raised now that we're having a baby in 54 days (that is if she comes on time). Although they are small, babies seem to need a whole load of stuff that has dragged me in and convinced me that I actually need these things. They get they're own furniture for just being born, which consists of a crib, dresser, changing table, rug, rocking chair, and toy boxes. But then there are the things to entertain it like a swing or bouncer, plus enormous boxes of diapers and wipes, bottles, monitor, and clothes that they grow out of in a matter of days. And of course the stroller and car seat, which not only takes up room but can cost you a pretty penny. And this is just the bare minimum. Like the wedding industry, this is a billion dollar market that I need to break into - it's a gold mine! But I'm having a constant struggle of need and want, and denying your child versus being smart about raising them. Don't they just want to be loved and to feel safe? Isn't that what we all want?

Photo: The crib! The big addition to the apartment.

I've chosen to live in this apartment and I'm actually glad that I'm forced to be minimal with the amount of baby stuff. The more room I would have, the more stuff for the baby there would be, which means just more stuff for me to eventually trash or sell.

Movie Review: Inception

I was very excited to see Inception based on the compelling trailer and because Facebook friends kept saying things like "Amazing" and "Can't stop thinking about it," even "Perfect 10". I thought it was an interesting story line but a little overrated.

Here's what it's about: Dom Cobb leads a highly skilled team, specializing in stealing secrets from people's minds by entering their dreams.When they are hired by a mysterious businessman, Cobb finally has a shot at redemption, but not before achieving the near impossible. Rather than stealing an idea, they must do the complete opposite: Inception. Planting the seed of an idea.

To me, it had a bit of "The Matrix" feel to it because the characters would essentially plug in and be transported to another world, or dream state, while their bodies were still in the actual world. There was no information on how this was possible or why it came about. At least in The Matrix you know that the machines took over, but with Inception there is little about the past and more about the present.

The actors were all relatively young and hard for me to associate with. Especially Ellen Page as "the architect" because I just kept picturing her as a pregnant teen in "Juno." But overall, the movie did grab my attention and had me wanting to see it through to the end. I don't want to give away too much info because it is worth seeing. But maybe rent it.