Thanks for your patience during this time!

Blog Salad — Ron S. Doyle is one of the wittiest writers I know and his blog showcases those skills terrifically. From his serious discussion of The Potty Problem (what’s a dad to do when his little girls need to use the public restroom?) to his hilarious post “Nine Signs You Might Be Twitter Trash,” (you have to read it just for the picture) and his variety of “How to Ignore a Recipe” posts, Ron’s views on life are a must-read.

Click here to sign up for Ron’s Tag Reading System giveaway. Hurry — it ends today, September 25.

My Semblance of Sanity — Michelle Brownlow is another humorous writer with guffaw-inducing posts on a phone conversation we can all relate to, her cross-dressing preschooler and the top 10 things she never thought she’d have to say as a mom.

Click here to sign up for Michelle’s Tag Reading System giveaway, which also ends today!

World of Weasels — WeaselMomma is the mom of 5 kids and apparently has a devoted following, judging by the number of people she referred over to my Tag review. Check out “The Birds and the Bees — Weasel Style” and “Back to the Funny,” as well as all the other interesting slew of posts. Prepare to be there for awhile.

Click here to sign up for WeaselMomma’s giveaway, which ends today as well.

Blogging ‘Bout Boys — Jennifer Fink is a writer and the mom of four boys. She invites discussions on topic such as boxers or briefs, single-sex classes and coping with crisis and always has something thought-provoking to say.

Click here to sign up for Jennifer’s giveaway, which ends Monday, September 28.

What are you waiting for? Go sign up before it’s too late! And while you’re at it, if you haven’t signed up for my LeapFrog Tag Reading System giveaway, click here.

He smells so good, makes the cutest noises and he just started responsively smiling this morning. Even better, I get to take care of him during the night so I can keep him pacified for awhile while my sister catches a few extra zzzzs. It’s bliss.

The best part? As much as I adore babies and have been dying for another one of late, I can see just how ill-equipped I am for a baby at this stage. I have too much other stuff to do, too many other kids and way too many other time sucks.

So this is good for everyone — I get some of my baby lust officially out of the way, my sister gets some sleep, my kids get to play with their cousins… Isn’t family the greatest?

How do you get a baby fix when you need one?

Confessions of a Mean Mommy — The name alone makes you want to read it, doesn’t it? Denise Schipani, Mean Mommy extraordinaire, blogs about everything from baby lust to why she didn’t childproof. On her “Why ‘Mean Mommy?’” page, Denise explains, “I didn’t set out to be ‘mean,’ but as the years have passed in this adventure we call motherhood, I realized that my relentlessly practical nature, combined with my inborn stubborn streak, make me ill-suited to the loosey-goosey parenting style currently in vogue. I’m just doing my bit to nudge the pendulum back to somewhere between 60s commune (too far in one direction!) and kids should be seen and not heard (too far in the other!).”

Click here to sign up for Denise’s Tag Reading System giveaway. Hurry — it ends Wednesday, September 23.

3 Carnations — Some of her posts are thoughtful, such as this one about a man she has never met who died in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and all of them are totally relate-able (poo on a stick, anyone?). 3C is also a favorite of mine because she comments on  my posts once in awhile. Thanks, 3C!

Click here to sign up for 3C’s Tag Reading System giveaway, which ends Thursday, September 24.

ReadyMom — Kristen is a fellow writer and mom who is working hard on her recently-birthed blog. Her latest post asks which book got your kid into reading and another recent one gives a great tip on how to help kids be better readers. I’m totally inspired!

Click here to sign up for Kristen’s giveaway, which also ends Thursday, September 24.

What are you waiting for? Go sign up before it’s too late! And while you’re at it, if you haven’t signed up for my LeapFrog Tag Reading System giveaway, click here.

Along with the crimson vision-inspiring claims were a couple laughable ones. The author claims that part of the reason why women become bumpaholics is because they relish the attention they get while pregnant.

Come on. Seriously? Anyone who needs that kind of attention badly enough to procreate in order to get it needs some therapy. Not to mention that I and every mom of 3 or more kids that I know would prefer to not get any attention at all. I hated being noticed when I was feeling like a beached whale. I just wanted to hide, not have every smiling stranger come over and pat my belly or people move way out of my way in their effort to give me room.

Also, the amount of negative attention you attract when you’re already carting around 2 or 3 kids and visibly expecting another is much more than I ever dreamed. When I was pregnant with Logan, my fourth and last, I can’t tell you how many rude, insensitive comments I got. Things like, “You do know by now what causes that, don’t you?” Even my own mother said that I looked like a walking advertisement for why people should use birth control (though, admittedly, I laughed when she said it).

Another line from the article that I thought was absolutely ridiculous was this one, also playing into the attention argument: “Spouses and partners dote on you, gladly delivering soup at 10 a. m. or antacids at 11 p. m.” Oh, please! I’m sure there are partners who do that sort of thing, but I would bet that the majority don’t. Even so,it still would not make up for how uncomfortable and painful pregnancy and childbirth are. Certainly no woman in her right mind would become pregnant just for that.

To turn having a large family into another mainstream addiction is appalling, unfair and ridiculous. It seemed to me that the author twisted all her source’s words to fit her own motive. Even the experts she quoted were clearly talking about the few women who do have a problem with procreating to fill some need/void, not any woman with more than 2 kids.

Bumpaholics, indeed. We’re not all Octo-Mom, for pete’s sake.

What do you think of this recently coined term for moms of larger families, “bumpaholics?” Is this theory ridiculous in your opinion? Entirely plausible? Just another ploy by the media to gain readers? Share your thoughts!

My mom saves less than my grandma, but still quite a bit more than I do. She’s been known to save buttons, glass jars, scraps of material and plastic containers with abandon.

I seem to have picked up a little of that mentality too, though my mom has looked at me with something like disbelief/disapproval as I’ve pitched certain things. I freely toss plastic bags, aluminum foil and even, gasp, glass jars. I have a hard time not saving certain things though, “just in case.” It seems like I’ll get tired of something or it’ll not work quite right, so I’ll put it in the attic and then a few years later, I’ll need or want it again. Or I’ll save a cool-looking bottle or jar, thinking that I might want to use it someday.

Right. Decisions like that usually cost me a lot of storage space and cleaning time, particularly since I don’t even remember what I’ve saved.

My kids think just about everything is disposable, and totally replaceable, just because so many household items are today. We have disposable containers, disposable plates, batteries, you name it. That’s what the kids see, so when something happens to an expensive item, they say, “Well, we can just get a new one.” Uh, no. They, particularly the younger ones, don’t have a clue how to put a value on their belongings.

The boys each got a Leapster for Christmas. Cody has that GameBoy obsession I referred to in my post, The GameBoy Addiction, so I thought a Leapster might be a good gift for him since it’s supposed to be educational. Sure enough, like many toys before them, both Leapsters have already started acting funny, most likely because they have been dropped on the floor more than once. <<gritting teeth>>

When I said that the Leapster just probably isn’t working right anymore, Cody nonchalantly said he’d just get a new one. I tried to explain that Leapsters are not cheap and that once it breaks, that’s it, so he better learn to take care of it. He just looked at me with a blank expression, clearly not understanding why this wasn’t as replaceable as a roll of toilet paper.

I’m sure it’s hard for little kids in this century to grasp which things are disposable and which are not (can you say “dollar store?”), but I think it’s important to teach them to respect and take care of their belongings anyway.

Some day we might not have the luxury of throwing things away so easily.

What do you think about the disposable mentality and its effect on kids?

♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦

Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle? Take a second to leave a comment to win!

“Did you watch ‘The Fairly OddParents’ when you were a kid?” Cody asked.

“No, that show wasn’t invented when I was a kid,” I said.

“So, what DID you watch?” he asked, clearly awestruck by the fact that this particular cartoon wasn’t on when I was young.

“‘Scooby-Doo,’ ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks,’ ‘Tom & Jerry,’” I said, trying to name some cartoons he had heard of.

“You watched ‘Tom and Jerry’?” he giggled incredulously. A newly devoted fan of the always-riotous T & J, Cody had just ordered his very own DVD with his birthday money and spent the past weekend watching it over and over.

“Well, yeah,” I said defensively.

“Hey, Logan!” Cody yelled. “Mom watched ‘Tom and Jerry’ when she was a kid!! Do you know how OLD it must be?”

I’m sure I didn’t look very pleased at this point. It really would have behooved Cody to say something complimentary to make me feel better, but being 7 and completely oblivious to my sensitivity to age, as well as the steaming look he was receiving, he ended with,

“Hey, Mom? My teacher knows more than you do.”

Grrrrr.

Have your kids given you any similar “compliments?”

♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦

Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle? Take a second to leave a comment to win!

Having said that, I have to now slam the detention policy that is evidently standard in my kids’ middle school because it’s really making me mad.

First of all, in case you weren’t aware, our school is basically a hub for some seven (I’m estimating) communities in the area. Most of the kids ride the bus for very long periods of time to get there, so this is not your local public school down the street. From my house, it’s about 18 miles.

School has now been in session for over three weeks and Rachel has already gotten detention twice.

I understand the need for discipline, of course. Kids have to learn that their choices have consequences, whether good or bad. If they aren’t careful about making sure they have what they’re supposed to every day, there should be a negative consequence. If, as in Rachel’s case, they forget to bring their instruments home and get absolutely none of their practice minutes done for the week, then yes, they should have a very negative consequence.

But here’s their consequence: A half hour of detention, which involves the student sitting there doing homework and/or reading. Big deal! What is this really teaching them? Not a heck of a lot, if you ask me.

Here’s the kicker: Said student misses the bus home, so guess who has to come and pick up the delinquent? You guessed it! The parents!

So, who’s really being punished here? Not the student. The only bad result I can see for the student is the parent being so ticked off that she has to come get her wayward child that she doles out an effective punishment herself at home.

The school administration needs to come up with something else. Every offense just can’t automatically be a detention. It’s hard for parents and it doesn’t teach the kids all that much. I would like to give them some ideas, but frankly, the only one I can think of right now is to have the transgressor write “I will not forget to practice my instrument,” or whatever the transgression was, 100 times. Menial? Yes. But boring enough that it might be much more effective than having to stay and do homework for a half hour.

Best of all, it would have no effect on parents, and isn’t the point of middle/high school to help kids become responsible and independent adults?

Any thoughts or ideas on effective discipline measures for middle-school kids that don’t involve parents suffering too? Help would be greatly appreciated!

♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦

Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle? Take a second to leave a comment to win!

No sooner did I walk in the classroom door than two things immediately happened. First, Cody ran up from his desk at the back of the room and gave me a hug. Second, a girl with whom Cody shares an extreme love/hate relationship grabbed my arm as I walked by.

“I have a confession to make,” she said in a stage whisper, her eyes unnaturally magnified by her thick glasses.

“A confession?” I blurted, taken aback.

“Yes,” she continued. “Cody is mean to me.”

To my horror, Cody let out an evil chuckle.

I gave Cody a mild form of “the evil eye” and said, “Well, I’ll have to talk to him about that. At home,” I added, as the little girl watched expectantly, apparently waiting/hoping for me to ream Cody out in front of the class.

Now even more flustered, I stepped to the front of the classroom. All the clever ideas I had on the drive over about what I could say were nowhere within reach. I didn’t know where to start. My flummox was further increased when I called on a little boy who raised his hand, purportedly to ask a question, but who instead launched into a lengthy story about his weekend plans and had to be quietly shushed by the teacher.

I stuttered. I spluttered. I clammed up even more at the realization that I was intimidated by a classroom full of fairly non-judgmental first-graders.

I don’t remember much of what I said. Something about how lucky I am that reading is a required part of my job and how cool it is that I can “go to work” in my pajamas. I gave each of the kids my business cards, which they seemed to like. The teacher and the two teacher’s aides peppered me with questions about everything from how I get work to what I’m currently working on, and one perceptive little girl asked me if I write “real things or pretend things.”

My presentation ended with the teacher saying, “Well, boys and girls, now you can go home today and say that you’ve met a real writer!” and me realizing, once again, just exactly why I’m a writer and not a teacher or speaker. I had gone in there wanting to get through to the kids how important it is to find a job they enjoy and that they’re good at, if at all possible. I left even more aware of just how much I love my job and how perfect it is for me, a person who is capable of being rendered practically speechless in front of a classroom of 6-year-olds.

Are you doing something you love for a living?

♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦     ♦

Have you entered my giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle? Take a second to leave a comment to win!

As promised, I’m starting a giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle, sponsored by the ever-inspired LeapFrog company.

And I have great news for all of you who want to sign up to win one of your very own: I’m doing a 10-blog blast with this giveaway, so you can sign up to win a Tag on all ten blogs! (Note: Each blog may have separate instructions to enter.)

The Tag Reading System has won 28 awards in 6 countries and the Toy Industry Association named it the Best Educational Toy of 2009. It’s also the best-selling reading system in the world.

The Tag Reading System

THE PRIZE:

A LeapFrog Tag Reading System, which comes with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, plus two extra books! Retail value: $77.97

TO ENTER:

♣ Leave a comment describing something you learned from my review of the Tag. Limit one comment per person.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣ Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a LeapFrog Tag Reading System from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/n4uq4w.

♣ Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

♣ Favorite me on Technorati (leave your username).

♣ Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and let me know.

♣ Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and let me know.

PLEASE READ:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Friday, September 25, 2009. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

You can also enter to win a Tag on these blogs: (Note: Their contests may not be up yet, but keep checking back if you want to sign up.)

Blogging ‘Bout Boys
Frisco Kids
Blog Salad
Confessions of a Mean Mommy
Ready Mom
The Adventures of Supermom
3 Carnations
My Semblance of Sanity
World of Weasels

Good luck!

***********CLOSED***********