that DC Metro Moms is closing… for now.

We’ll continue in some capacity, we’re already working on it.

I love the women I’ve met throughout my time as a contributor

to DC Metro Moms.

And I thank DC Metro Moms for teaching me about online communities and social media.  I’m shocked and saddened, and I’m also taking this as a life lesson and business lesson.  I realize that social media and blogging communities take A TON more work than people think…

I’m keeping my eyes and ears open… and my heart open as we, DC Metro Mom contributors, go forward to stay together and work together- to keep moms and dads connected…

In the Nation’s Capital.

]]> http://bananablueberry.com/index.php/2010/06/dc-metro-moms-is-closing-sniff/feed/ 0 http://bananablueberry.com/index.php/2010/06/graco-and-dc-metro-moms-donate-3-car-seats-to-fallen-officers-widow-expecting-triplets/ http://bananablueberry.com/index.php/2010/06/graco-and-dc-metro-moms-donate-3-car-seats-to-fallen-officers-widow-expecting-triplets/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:01:03 +0000 http://bananablueberry.com/?p=1420

It was my pleasure, on behalf of Graco and DC Metro Moms, to give the Montgomery County Police 3 brand new Graco car seats for Melissa Ayala, widow of Officer Hector Ayala, who died in the line of duty in April.

A Police Officer, who was also a dear friend of Hector Ayala, came to my home to pick them up and he also gave me some information to tell everyone in our community and beyond.

Melissa is doing as well as can be expected, and will most likely give birth this week.  She and the babies are healthy, although she is in pain and discomfort (but we all know as mothers, that being pregnant with triplets cannot be easy).

I also learned that the gender of the babies is unknown, it’s been too hard to tell…

Yeah, I know.  I swallowed hard learning that.  Not only is this woman giving birth to triplets IMMINENTLY- without her husband- she doesn’t know any of their genders…

The Officer added that she is receiving baby stuff right now but he worries,

“When they’re 6 months…”

“When they’re 1…”

“When they’re 2…”

Okay.  So this is tough…

THIS IS WHAT WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW.

1. Melissa already has a 14 month old son, so she does have some boy stuff.

SHE HAS NO GIRL STUFF OR CLOTHES.  We’ll know this week if she needs any girl stuff.  I’ll let you know.

1. If you have any baby or toddler toys, accessories, clothes, etc. that you were planning to give away, please consider putting them away for now, and giving them to the Ayala family.

1. Please leave a comment if you want to be informed and/or involved in helping with donations to Mrs. Ayala and her triplets, and her son.  I will save everyone’s email and periodically ask for specific things that she needs.  The Montgomery County Police are contacting me when she has a need for something.

Also, if you have any contacts or relationships with companies that may be willing to donate their products to the triplets, please leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for the triplets, they have been passed on and it is a great comfort that the brand new car seats are ready for them.  They will be safe when they are taken home from the hospital.

This all came to pass basically through tweets; our online community is strong.  Let’s use our community to continue to help this mother.

Thank You for your kindness.

and even harder sometimes- a toddler, can be tough.

Rewarding, but tough.

You get the snuggles,

the baby fat rolls,

the mama-unconditional-I-need-you-stuff,

that you don’t always get being the mom of a 6-year-old.

But you also get the I-can’t-leave-the-room-for-a-minute, blow your nose, and diaper disaster stuff.

You don’t always shower (shhh… it’s okay) and sometimes you’re in sweats…

And sometimes, just when you think you are getting-it-all-together,

you find out you’ve been walking around all day with Cheerios stuck to your butt…

But it’s okay, because at least you didn’t find poop under your fingernails… like I did…

Click Here to Find Out If I Lost it When I Discovered PooP Underneath My Fingernails… At DC Metro Moms…

How do you get what you want?

Well I’m here to tell you!  But, first of all-

this does not apply to ‘world peace’… ‘a cure for cancer’… ‘to end homelessness’… ‘I want a pony’… well, maybe the last one.

All those ‘wants’ are great.  I want world peace too.  I want a cancer-free world too.  I want everyone to have a home too…

But we all gotta start somewhere… ‘Start Small- End Big’, I always say.  So let’s master how to get exactly what we want in terms of the ‘small stuff’, then we can go from there.  After all, if you have little things… and little ones, around you that make you happy- you’re going to be a better mom and person and you’ll be happier…

Happier?  A Better Person, you may say?  Yes.  And here’s how to do it-

I am revealing an age-old philosophy… a formula… a system of beliefs, if you will.

Have you read The Secret?  Yes, so have I…

Click Here to Continue Reading This At DC Metro Moms…

We each finished our business and were washing our hands and my son said,

“I really like those stand-up toilets.  You guys (irony, maybe?) don’t have them in here.”

I told him that stand-up toilets, or rather urinals, were just in men’s bathrooms (and he didn’t ask me why… yey).

So he decided right then and there, that ‘he was going to have Dad take him to the bathroom from now on.’

Yey Again!  Cool!  My husband and I don’t have to give each other the look when we are seated, ready to eat, and our son says he has to go to the bathroom!  It’s all him now!  Our little guy has become a Big Guy and he wants to use stand-up toilets!  Hurray!

So none of this is all that uncommon… until we got home,

and my son asked in a very sweet voice, as I’m tucking him into bed,

“Mom, can I have a urinal?…  Can we get a urinal when we put an addition on our house?”

Click Here to Continue Reading at DC Metro Moms…

Traffic was stopped at the big intersection of Georgia and Connecticut Avenues.

‘What could be happening?’ I thought…

And then I saw a Huge Motorcade of Police Motorcycles, and then Police Cars…  I’ve never seen a Funeral Motorcade that long, and unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of funeral motorcades.

‘O God, it’s a Cop.’  I thought.

It was a police officer’s funeral procession.  It was the funeral procession for Hector Ayala, who died in a car crash while responding to a fellow officer’s call for assistance for a fight in progress…

…on Easter Morning.

I learned later that day that Sergeant Ayala’s widow, Melissa, has a 14-month-old son,

and is expecting triplets… in June.

And then I thought about her,

and it knocked the wind out of me.  It was like I had been punched, but no one was there.  I had trouble breathing for a moment, and then had to take a few, slow, deep breaths.

Click Here to Continue Reading at DC Metro Moms…

in some ways.

There is a price to pay…

Are you reading this while your little one sits on the floor in his or her adorable matching outfit… complete with matching socks?

Are you? Enjoy it. Those days are gone for me…

My son never used to care about what he wore… so I could dress him!

But now, he does care… he just doesn’t care if it matches or not.

He’s picking out his own clothes and (Mom Victory… wait for it…) getting dressed completely by himself!
We used bribery for the latter… Hey! Don’t throw stones!

But what price did I pay?

His favorite, ‘go-to-even-when-they-are-dirty’ articles of clothing are: his orange pants and his blue blazer…

Click Here To Continue Reading This at DC Metro Moms Blog…

Well, we all made it through… the DC Snowpocalypse of 2010…

I love alone time…

I VALUE my time alone now. I even guard it.

I even schedule alone time… or at least I try to- between playing Connect 4, being a taxi service, grocery shopping and laundry.
I didn’t use to be this way.
When I was younger I never cared about ‘alone time’… I mean when I was younger and wasn’t a mother.

I guess when you are only responsible for yourself, you get more alone time…

Now, I love alone time.

I even meditate now (yeah, I read The Secret… didn’t we all?)

Click Here to Continue Reading this rant at DC Metro Moms…

And a New Year has begun!

You can start putting away decorations, or if you’re like me, you already have.

Or just keep them up and have things strewn everywhere, it’s okay…

You have an excuse- it’s that time of year! 

In honor of nothin’ going on right now-

I give thanks!

Thanks for-

Click Here to Continue Reading At DC Metro Moms…