Tampabay.com
DECEMBER 13, 2010

Milestones you'd rather forget

When you have a baby or young child in the house, it's hard not to get excited about the milestones. First smile, first step, first words. As each milestone occurs, we rush to the baby book (or, for those with multiples or just many) the calendar, to mark the date for posterity. First haircut, first pair of shoes. Even when the little darlings get bigger, the milestones don't go away, they just get bigger too. First dance, first date, first day of high school, driver's license, first job.

But, there are some milestones we don't put in the baby book too. We don't need a baby book; some thing are burned into our brains forever. Here are some milestones we don't look forward to:

* At first, baby's diaper's didn't even stink! How sweet is that? But then came baby's first diaper blowout. Nevermind.
* Awwww! Baby found her nose! Eiwww, baby picks her nose.
* A little spit-up is no biggie; every baby has a wet burp now and then. But baby's first projectile vomit is in a whole new category of yuck. ... Read more

NOVEMBER 01, 2010

Meet Kate, our new Momma blogger

We are thrilled to have our friend Kate Brassfield joining the mom bloggers here on Whoa, Momma! Here's her first post. --Eds.

Ahhhh. The Little Monkey and the Koala Bear are asleep at last. I have a short while to eat, straighten up the living room, make formula, and catch a few NFL highlights before falling asleep myself. Tomorrow begins another crazy week in the Brassfield house.

Some of you may remember my name and my story: I shared my husband's and my struggle to have a baby with Times readers, the first installment in 2007 and the "sequel" this year on Mother's Day. We always knew we wanted to have a family. We just didn't know how long it would take to get there, how close to the limit we would be pushed, how much it would cost. But we always knew it would be wonderful. It would be worth it.

Fourteen months in, I can say for sure: We were right.

As treatment after treatment failed, we swore that when it finally worked, we would never complain about having kids. ... Read more

OCTOBER 20, 2010

GQ puts Glee cast in sexy thongs and says, "Who us?"

glee.jpgAs our friends over at our pop culture Juice blog note on news that the Parents Television Council is outraged that some stars of Glee are posing in GQ in "hyper-sexualized" photos that send the wrong message to kids: The message we think it's sending is hey, maybe you shouldn't let people who are almost 30 play teenagers on TV.

Good point, I say, but the magazine was setting up these photos so  they can pretend outrage. When they put these characters in a high school setting they knew what they were doing. Sure the actors are in their 20s but they didn't put them in a bar or a club. They put them in a school locker room, in a library in their underwear and straddling classroom desks. They invited the Lolita fantasies and acted shocked, SHOCKED that anyone saw anything pervy in it.

  ... Read more

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Cutest kid contest could bring $500 in bragging rights

camera.jpgJust try to stop a proud Momma from whipping out the photos when anyone asks if they have kids. Do I have kids? Only the cutest ones on the planet, just look!

You could win $500 and bragging rights for all of Tampa Bay at the Cutest Kid Contest. But it's not as shallow as it may appear. All proceeds will benefit the Newspaper in Education program at the St. Petersburg Times.  It costs $10 to enter and votes are $1 each. Every dollar raised will be used to purchase class sets of the newspaper and provide  curriculum to classrooms across the Tampa Bay area. ... Read more

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

Octomom reportedly headed for welfare

mom_octomombabies.jpgIt's been a while since there've been any reports on Nadya Suleman, the woman who in January 2009 shocked the world when she gave birth to eight babies. What no one knew as the story was breaking was that she already had six kids at home. There were lots of reports of book deals, reality shows and product endorsements, but none of that seemed to pan out.

We had hoped that because things were quiet, it meant that she was finally doing the one thing that needed to be done -- taking care of her children. But a report from RadarOnline.com says that Suleman is going to have to go on welfare to take care of her big family.

Now, she should get all the crazy blame for falling into this situation. But also sharing in creating this nightmare situation should be her fertility doctor, Michael Kamrava, who had artificially inseminated Suleman before and did it this time without knowledge of her financial or psychological situation. If she does go on welfare, he should have to refund taxpayers.

~ Whoa Momma

Follow us on Twitter @WhoaMomma ... Read more

AUGUST 25, 2010

Quote of the Day: Elin Nordegren

mom_elin.jpg "My immediate plan is for the kids and me to continue to adjust to our new situation. I am going to keep taking classes, but my main focus is to try to give myself time to heal." -- Newly divorced Elin Nordegren, speaking to People magazine in what she says will be her only interview, on her life post-Tiger Woods. Nordegren, who is studying for a college degree in psychology, says that despite everything that has happened, "I also feel stronger than I ever have. I have confidence in my beliefs, my decisions and myself." 

AUGUST 21, 2010

Emma Thompson: Quote of the Day on discipling children

nannymcphee370.jpg"Rudeness we don't like. If it happens, stern words will occur. We don't do punishment. Conflicts can be resolved in a quieter manner." ~ Actress Emma Thompson, discussing how she handles discipline with her 11-year-old daughter, Gaia, while chatting up the Philadelphia Inquirer about her new film Nanny McPhee Returns.

 

JUNE 04, 2010

Quote of the Day: Celine Dion on being a mom

Mom_celinesings "There are no accomplishments bigger than [being a mom]. The trophies and the money, that doesn't give meaning to life and that doesn't give you true happiness. A baby – yes."  -- Singer Celine Dion, on People.com, who announced this week that she and husband Rene Angelil were expecting twins via her sixth round of IVF. The twins are due in November.
MAY 31, 2010

Celine Dion pregnant with twins

Mom_celinedion Hooray for songstress Celine Dion. She has tried many times to have another child with husband and manager Rene Angelil but has had many unsuccessful rounds of in-vitro fertilization. But now, the 42-year-old singer is said to be pregnant with twins. Her publicist says she plans to learn the gender of the babies next month. Dion and Angelil have a son, Rene Charles, 9. And Dion will be in  synch with so many other stars who have had twins, including Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Rebecca Romijn.

MAY 12, 2010

Quote of the Day: Kimora Lee Simmons on using the bathroom -- alone!

"Moms always have the kids walking in when we're on the toilet," she explained. "They're like 'Mom, let Mom_kimoralee see! What's that smell?' Close the door ... take a moment, light a candle, meditate." -- Diva businesswoman Kimora Lee Simmons to E! online on moms needing to get some time alone -- even if it is just in the bathroom. ... Read more

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THE AUTHORS

Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
wynne@tampabay.com

SP_255665_CROS_KATE.jpgAfter six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

E-mail Kate Brassfield:
katedaphne17@gmail.com

Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

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