MommyZabs.Com Closed

Well.  For many reasons I’m just not going to write for awhile.  Maybe forever?  (though knowing me I doubt that).  I’m not going to take MommyZabs down because I have used it as a family journal for so long that I would hate to lose that.  The primary reason for closing is being busy…  But in addition to that I’m really truly saddened and sickened by the state of the country right now.  I don’t like where we are going as a nation in so many ways and this is no longer a “safe” place to vent.  Not because people are after me or anything   But because too many of my friends and I disagree and because they continue reading and it has effected our relationship… I don’t feel comfortable posting my thoughts anymore.  

In addition to that I’m sure most of you have heard about the white house’s new call to rat on your neighbors for spreading SO CALLED “mis-information” about the “health care option” they are trying to pass.  Because I feel that many of the things going around from educated sources is NOT mis-information and because I see this as a move toward one health care government run system and not simply an option… I would therefore become a “mis-information” source.  Truth telling has never been so censored. 

So I’m out for awhile.  I’m too angry and depressed about this country to write.  

I’m sure at some point I’ll be back.

The 5th anniversary party I was planning on holding for the blog with giveaways is cancelled.  Maybe I’ll start writing again on the 10th anniversary, if the country hasn’t gone communist by then.

Dooce + Pregnancy + Smoking

Okay Okay.  I have MANY disclaimers I am about to write for this post….  Disclaimers:

1. I do not read dooce everyday… maybe Heather Armstrong has discussed this masthead of hers and I don’ t know it.  Maybe she has some bizarre explanation or disclaimer.  I tried to search for something on her site explaining and did not see it.

2. I have no hatred or mean thoughts toward Heather B. Armstrong aka Dooce.  I definitely disagree with her approach and vulgarity at times… but I’m definitely in the minority as she is the MOST popular mommy blogger in the world.  I talked several posts ago how mean comments are wrong so I would never do that (even if she actually let people comment).  This is all food for thoughts and discussion.

3.  I do not think smokers are evil, but I do hate smoking.  I just hate what it can do to you.  Otherwise I would care less.  After all blowing smoke rings can be fun… but it is just a gross habit that hurts your body.  That being said people that smoke are not gross, evil, or necessarily going to hell.  You see I can hate smoking and not the smoker

Okay enough of that-  

I have to say it really bothers me that she has a header (or masthead) on her blog that shows a pregnant belly (she is currently at the end of a pregnancy) and a smoking Heather.  Like it or not Heather is one MAJOR influential blogger and her pay check would prove that.  People pay her for any exposure on her site and therefore there must be proof that she has influence.  After all people don’t pay people gobs of money who have little influence.  

Obviously we all know that smoking is HORRIBLE for a baby growing in their mother’s womb.  Who would endorse that.  And yes it just being in her header is not an endorsement of pregnant woman smoking, but… it sure is controversial.  

So yeah I’m that goody two shoes that is offended by the picture.  I just think it is going too far.  I wish Heather the best, but as an early fan of hers (at one point), I would have to say to her (like she cares…) that she has gone too far this time.

5 Years and COUNTING!

Wow.  I can’t believe come august I will have started this mommyzabs thing 5 years ago.  I have endured some great times, great new friends, new connections, rough comments, borderline fights, and learned a lot about blogs/programming/design along the way.  To celebrate I’m thinking of a special little blog party in which I’m actually going to host some giveaways from terrific sponsors along the way.  I don’t typically do this on my blog…  I usually point any PR reps to Does Mommy Love It?  But I believe I’m going to use some of those connections to actually party on this site.  If you have an idea you want to pitch let me know!

Mean Commentors

In almost 5 years of blogging I have developed a pretty thick skin for the random, drive by, assaults by anonymous commenters.  I don’t let them get the best of me. But man, some are just cruel.  Am I the only one that get these (I’m sure that I’m not.)  Tell me about yours.

Makin’ Changes

Well.  Things have gotten crazy around here.  I have discovered I have taken on too much and had to make hard decisions.  One of those is to stop reviewing at Does Mommy Love It?  Caroline is going to be the girl in charge instead of us being a team as much.  Mommy Loves Does Mommy Love It? so it will always be close to my heart and from time to time I’ll be in there behind the scenes  Last night I did a re-design of it that is still in the works.  I’m really excited for some of the changes Caroline has planned though.  She has a team of really great reviewers that will each be posting once a week.  I know that Does Mommy Love It? is going to be better for it.

My focus is going to be on continuing to get The Bomb Mom off the ground.  Right now in order to save as much as possible I’m wearing every hat from design, to website management, to fulfillment and onward.  I love it, but it is a lot right now.  

Obviously I have done some re-arranging of Mommy Zabs.  I have some plans for this site as well.  The design is not quite complete so expect some changes over the next week or so.  It’s so funny because there have been times I have thought of shutting down this site all together.  But I have been doing it since 2004 and I just can’t bring myself to do it.  At times I have created controversy, friction between my friends for voicing my honest opinions… something we are supposedly able to do on blogs… but I have hated that friction and don’t all together understand it.  Those nights I lay in bed and have had to stop myself from wiping out this domain all together.  BUT I just can’t do it.  So for now, if your still reading, I’m still here, writing.  I MAY try to be less overtly opinionated on the politics…  I don’t know.  That’s hard because it is a large part of who I am and what I care about.  But now more than ever the people I love are polarized.  So maybe this just isn’t the place for it anymore?  I mean it should be able to be… but I also like not having my friends disown me.  I don’t know, we’ll see how long this lasts…

Okay, I forgot to mention I have a HORRIBLE cold.  Oh and that we had to take Owen to the ER today because we thought he broke his arm (he didn’t).  And also that my sweet little O graduated from Preschool today (sniff).  Time is flying.  I started this blog when he was born… and now he is moving on to Kindergarten.  Wow.  Well, more on that and pictures and video tomorrow.

The Biggest Loser- Westhaven Style

So I have been a slacker blogger.  I tend to be an obsessive person and I have been obsessing on a project I’m working on lately, craigslist, and then there is always the fact that I’m crazy busy with 3 little ones.  I haven’t even spent the time I want to lately on Does Mommy Love It?  But thanks to my wonderful partner we have been able to keep up the posts.  Somehow I need to figure out how to get my time better organized.  I basically wake up, have coffee, work out (haven’t even been getting into quiet time like I need to), Take the oldest to school then fill up my day with “needs to get done” or playdates with friends, or BOTH.  But I need to fit in more writing time, say no to more playdates, etc.  Basically be responsible.

Part of being responsible has been losing weight.  According to RealAge.com my weight is fine at 150- 155.  But to be honest.  I have always weighed less than what the charts say a 5′8″ person should weigh.  It never takes into account the fact that I have a small frame.  I’m tired (as I have talked about before) of all my really great jeans not fitting.  I don’t feel like myself.   The holidays made losing weight and getting to the gym difficult.  

I’m back in the swing now and even joined my neighborhood’s BIGGEST LOSER CONTEST.  It runs for 6 weeks and today was our second weigh in.  I lost 1.2 pounds which makes me happy… but next week I would really like to lose more.  Maybe 3?  Not sure if that is possible but I’m doing my best.  You pay $25 to pay and if you ever gain, you pay $5 per pound.  At the end the BIGGEST LOSER wins the pot. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to win, but either way it is great incentive!  I would love the money but I doubt I will lose the most.  

In addition to this my friend who has celiac disease and is therefore gluten free, dared me to go gluten free for a few weeks.  He promised that if I tried that I would lose weight.  Going gluten free means I avoid all wheat flour products.  It naturally nixes a lot of not so good carbs.  So my carbs will be coming mostly from vegetables.  

I’ll take you all on this little journey with me.  Let’s see if I can really get rid of 3 pounds in one week!

I’ll try to blog more too.  In the meanwhile you can always catch me from time to time at DOES MOMMY LOVE IT?

Redesign for Does Mommy Love It?

I finally did that redesign I wanted to do and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be thanks to Randa Clay who tipped me off to a theme that got me most of the way there.  Thanks Randa!  I’m sure I will be doing tweaks to it here and there in the next week, but check it out and let me know what you think.

So many little things

I could once again bemoan my infrequency of posting and how that has cause my technorati to fall 100 points or my feed burner to go down about the same (blog-nerd information).

I could tell you a story about how my boys locked me out of the house the other day, or how Lukas ate dirt today while digging in our backyard with Owen on a search for treasure.

I could complain about the house being hard to keep up on with 3 children, 2 of which want to play outside all the time and need to be watched.

I could talk about Avery’s sleep patterns, and bore you to death with that.  She’s a newborn, what do you expect?

But instead, today I’m just going to tell you that Does Mommy Love It (dot) Com is coming back to a priority.  After much break and a pile of products sent freely to me ready to be reviewed… I’m getting back on the ball.   Caroline is too.  What are the chances we, who both do the site, had to move and had babies!  We’re back now though.  So please make a visit.  We have new sponsors to introduce in the next week or so, more contests coming up, and fun, sometimes quite unique, products to review.

DoesMommyLoveIt.com

I’m excited to announce a new project I have taken on along with my good friend Caroline! DoesMommyLoveIt.com will feature product reviews of family products. I hope you will click on over and check us out. Tell all your friends :)! We’ll be forever grateful. We hope that this can be a source many will find helpful overtime in making their own buying decisions. We want as many people to participate giving their own opinions on the products as well. After all different people have different opinions! The more giving input the better. So join us at Does Mommy Love It?!

NotChinaMade.Net- NEW OWNER!

Some of you know that I used to run a blog called Not China Made. I felt very passionate about it and am proud of where it went. When I started taking on more design work and found out I was pregnant I felt it was time to sell. I had no offers for days until one day BOOM! 3 offers. 2 men that were all business and one lady. I asked them all a few questions and Lara seemed like a kindred spirit. We talked more and could not have been more on the same page. I was sold on her. SO This awesome lady Lara has owned NotChinaMade.Net for a few months now! I encourage you to go check it out along with some of her other MANY great sites.

• Moms Of Faith
• Wives Of Faith
• Lara’s Place
• Thou Shalt Clean
• Mommie’s Coffee Break
• Designed By Lara
• Web Designing Moms
• Top Notch Blogs

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