Mommage

The Mommage "Mother Of The Year" Award

On April 17, 2007, Jonathan Menjivar died while serving our country in Iraq.  He left behind a six year old daughter.

Earlier this month, his daughter entered a contest to win an all expenses paid trip to Albany, New York to see Hannah Montana perform in concert.  Anyone who follows PlanetFeedback knows that Hannah Montana tickets are hotly contested and have been the source of many parents ire because of the scarcity of those tickets.

Here is the announcement of the contest as hosted by Club Libby Lu, one of those places that caters to little girls:

We want to hear how you're going to ROCK someone else's holiday. Maybe it's Mom, your best friend, or maybe it's someone you don't even know! It's easy: just write (no more than 5 sentences) and send it to us. Maybe you are donating a coat (sorry sis) or maybe you are making breakfast in bed for your Mom (maybe next year Dad!); whatever it is tell us all about it."

And here is the little girl's entry:

"My daddy died this year in Iraq. I am going to give my mommy the Angel pendant that daddy put on mommy when she was having me. I had in in my jewelry box since that day. I love my mommy."

Of course it won, beating out 1000 other entries.  After all, it's a heart wrenching story from someone who lost her father at a very young age; something none of us should face, much less a six year little girl.

It's also a complete fabrication.

 

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

My daughter came home for Christmas and stayed all week.  She developed a cold at some point, but when she wasn't resting in bed, we did manage to live it up a little.   We ventured out to the crowded mall to see "Sweeney Todd".  She has always been a big Tim Burton fan, and we are both avid fans of Johnny Depp, so this movie was a must see.   We also watched "Room 1408" on my new combo TV/DVD player that she gave me for Christmas.  We share the same interest in movies and even have the same taste, so it's the one thing we always enjoy doing when we're together.  Something else we look forward to is shopping the clearance sales after Christmas.  We both love a bargain and have fun seeing which of us can find the best item at the lowest price.  She usually wins, and it makes me feel good to know I taught her well.

As the week flew by, however, I was dreading the inevitable.

Poetic Justice

Paris Hilton.  The name is enough to send shivers of distaste running down my spine.  Pampered, spoiled little princess who wants for absolutely nothing and contributes virtually the same to society.  I LOATHE her posturing, how she treats her pets and most importantly, the message she sends to little girls everywhere.  Specifically that it's okay to be helpless, cool to release a video of your sexcapades, and flaunt, with abandon, the rules that we, as members of society, are expected to follow - like traffic laws and court orders.

So I was delighted to read that Paris has gone from princess to (at least probably in her mind) pauper. 

And Then It Happened.

Last week I posted about my "challenging child." He's ultra-fussy and over-active (this seems to be better though). He doesn't sleep much (especially when he's not in someone's arms). I never thought this would be easy, but I didn't realize just how much energy he would sap from my day. Trust me; we've both had our crying sessions.

But then, it happened.

Christmas Recap

A fine holiday was had by all yesterday.  Gifts were well-received and appreciated and we spent the afternoon watching Pirates of Caribbean and noshing on the most delightful ham sandwiches ever made and Christmas cookies.  All Tuesdays should be that much fun.

My son had THE remark of the holiday ~ you know the one I'm talking about.  The one that's repeated year in and year out after it's made with tears of laughter pouring out of your eyes.  The kind of comment that lives on in holiday legend.

'Twas Mom's Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode
Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,
While visions of Nintendo and Barbie, flipped through their heads.

Oooooops! Spears Did It Again!!

Nope not Britney, Jamie Lynn.  I am referring to the rather shocking news of Jamie Lynn's unplanned pregnancy at the tender age of 16, Agads!  This news is causing quite the stir on the Internet.  Many parents are now struggling with how to talk to their children about this issue.

Still other parent's are looking to Spears employer Nickelodeon to "fire" her and/or cancel her show, while still others want her show pulled from the schedule.  Currently Nickelodeon is pondering the fate of the show.  Filming ended months ago on Season 4 and now the rumor mill is saying that this show was over before the pregnancy was announced and that season 4 which starts airing in February, was the last season anyway and that no further filming was planned. 

As a mother I understand the outrage, and disappointment directed at this girl.  You have to wonder though about the parents guidance or lack there of in her life.  First look at her sister Britney, a candidate  for mother of the year, and now Jamie Lynn, I just have to ask where was the supervision and parental set limits here?  One can only hope that Jamie and her boyfriend do a better job with their baby than Britney has done with hers. 

Let us use this as a learning tool.  We need to be involved in our children's lives, ask questions, set limits, provide guidance, be a parent and not their friend! 

--Contributed by Renee 

A Mom's Letter To Santa

We don't know who wrote the following letter to Santa, but the Mommage Moms wholeheartedly agree with her.  In the spirit of the season, The Mommage Moms share their favorite Christmas letter to Santa with you.  Happy Holidays!

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

Don't Underestimate Your Kids

Apparently Jonathan's son will be so disappointed when he doesn't receive a certain gift, that his Christmas will be completely ruined.  In Jonathan's letter to Eastbay on Planetfeedback, he blames the company for ruining his child's Christmas because he did not receive his order in time.  He wants to know who's going to explain this perceived tragedy to his son, and even goes as far as to ask for a handwritten apology . 

To Jonathan and all the other parents who are paranoid over not being able to give their kid what they think is the perfect gift, I say this:

Learning to Let Go

Now that my husband has gone back to work full-time, I'm the primary caregiver of my nearly month-old son. This nearly round-the-clock duty has forced me to find ways of soothing our son when he's having an out-of-control moment.