It's Wendy Williams Time

If you are reading this then it might be too late. I might have already made my television debut.  That's right.  I'm slated to be a guest on the "after" Wendy Williams show.  Not be confused with the actual, live version that is seen daily or made fun of almost weekly by Joel McHale. 

If you are like most people then you are saying this, "What the heck is Wendy Williams?!" At least that is what I got out here in the 'burbs of Virginia.  Seriously.  Does no one else watch The Soup or read Entertainment Weekly? 

Well, this is Wendy-

Ok, that is just one of my favorite Wendy clips.To me that is why I love Wendy and why some people just don't get her.  Here's what I'll be doing.

Live Chat on PPD Tomorrow (9/29) at TheMotherhood.com

I'll be hosting a live chat tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST with Katherine Stone of Post Partum Progress (the number PPD blog!) and Dr. Shoshanna Bennett at The Motherhood.com. Join us and several others in a lively and supportive discussion about any PPD related issues and other mental illnesses that occur around pregnancy and childbirth. Please come join in!

What is The Motherhood? It is a great place for women and mothers that is organized around Circles and Talks based on the idea that we are all "in this together", which is exactly how I feel about PPD.  Circles are on-going conversations started by members on any and all topics. Join the circles that interest you, and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, start one! Talks are scheduled, live conversations that last a day with expert hosts on topics recommended by members. Check it out before Wednesday and be sure to register for the site so you can take part in the chat.

Hope to see you there!! I am really excited to be part of this group and get the word out about PPD.

Where's Mummy?

Besides Idaho and back?  I've been flitting around the country this week, realizing that I am indeed grateful there will be no more airplane rides in my near future. I almost hurled over Denver and I'm sorry about that.  I got downright surly by the time I hit Dulles.  When you land and your phone instantly bings a text message reading, "Your Mom called. Something is wrong with Lex. I'm on my way home."  and then nothing, it's a bit disconcerting. 

So I'm back and Lex is at the animal hospital. Again.  2010 isn't proving to be the best year for her.  Seems she got bit by a snake yesterday afternoon and swelled in the face to ginormous proportions. I still haven't seen her.  She's been made comfortable but the swelling continues to grow and we just have to wait and see.  We don't know what kind of snake bit her and dogs don't respond to anti-venom apparently.  This dog kicked toe cancer this year.  Surely a snake bite won't do her in. Right? 

This week it's all about the reviews-

Hear about my pre-natal massage from Massage Envy

For junkies like me there's beauty ADDICTS Lash Galore Mascara

Dr. Ken's All-Natural Maximum Care Toothpaste is for those who love their Stevia.

Just in time for summer parties are Flings Bins- earth-friendly and cool.

Have a great weekend!

Honest Baby Celebrates Imperfect Parenting Which is Everyone's Style

Most of you know that I write for Honest Baby.  I discovered this website as a new parent and quickly grew to love the community and its creators.  The adorably funny t-shirts didn't hurt either.  I scooped up one for TD proclaiming, "I am not a performing monkey."  After posting quite a bit on their fledgling site the founder asked me to write for them.  Years later, I'm still there enjoying its content, reviews and the other writers like Jason from Outnumbered and Sex and the Sippy Cup that I think are way more talented and funny than me. 

In honor of Honest Baby's (where it is all about imperfect parenting) four year anniversary they are holding their first time evah Twitter party  (details!) tonight (March 31) from 8-9 pm EST.  Be there and get a chance to win some of those great t-shirts, prizes and even a chance to win a one week beach resort Caribbean vacation!  You get to choose where you stay too- a four or five star resort on various islands.  Seriously.  It will be a fun time.  So join in the party tonight hosted by Betterwaymoms.   Hashtag-#honestbaby

Hershey Lockdown

One of the great things about blogging isn't just the free stuff that sometimes arrives on my front door step but it is the opportunities it offers me to connect with other bloggers and get to know some of them on a more personal level (and you know, quit stalking them and such.) Most of all though it is the times that I get to bond with my family in some truly memorable ways. Hershey's, while having always been a fan of their candy, stole my heart this weekend when they invited TD and I to 'A Night at the Museum'.

As part of this special event they treated nine bloggers (Classy Mommy, MomDot, MomGenerations, Mom101, Sundry Mourning, Cutie Booty Cakes, Blissfully Domestic, Suburban Bliss, And Twins Makes 5) to a taste of their grand prize "Win a Night at the Museum" promotion. Hershey in combination with Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian is going to have a lock-in at the Smithsonian Institute contest for five lucky winners!

Mainly though, the weekend was all about TD and I getting reacquainted. In the past five months since The Comedian's arrival we've had precious few moments of just Mommy/TD time and we were both in need. It was such a nice treat for me to just spend time with her, indulge her whims a bit (who says $6 Oreos aren't worth it?) and just loose the confines of our daily grind er, schedule.

Here she is luxuriating in the king-size bed with her Oreos and chips. Who says we don't know how to do it up DC-style?

Charlotte, TD and Mackenzie (William not shown) became the best of friends that night.
The night by Hershey's was fabulous and not just because they loaded us up with free candy and chocolate galore but also because they made all of us feel so very special. From the pizza party, night time museum tour where the kids ran buck wild through the exhibits and the staff didn't bat an eye (brave people at the Smithsonian!) to the endless attention they paid our children it was truly a wonderful time that I, and hopefully, TD will never forget. We watched endless cartoons, played with all the bathroom amenities and took a nice mid-morning walk through the city ending up at a cafe for some brunch. I think she feels she has her Mommy back and I feel the same way.

I'm so thankful for Hershey's for providing that exclusive treat of having one on one time with my daughter and not just sending me a box full of candy to get fat on *cough* review.

Hershey's has partnered with Twentieth Century Fox’s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and is offering 5 lucky fans the amazing opportunity to spend the night at the Smithsonian! If you find a museum key inside the wrapper of a specially marked Hershey product - you won! Now through October 31, 2009 - be on the lookout for keys in Hershey Kisses, Reese’s Pieces, Whoopers, Good & Plenty, Milk Duds, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures, Hershey’s Miniatures, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups 8-Packs, Kit Kat Wafer Bars 8-Packs and Almond Joy Candy 8-Packs.

"Unleash the Loot!" too by entering on the website daily for a chance to win the $50,000 Grand Prize or one of ten first prizes and more!

This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Also - let the excitement continue by heading over to http://www.hershey.com/nightatthemuseumto enter daily and “Unleash some Loot!”

Coffee Grinder- You Are My Secret Shame

It's not Starbucks.

It's not the actual coffee maker.

It's not the even the lovely and glossy beans themselves per say.

It is my coffee grinder. Oh sweet, grinder, that I cannot live without. Your black sleek design and single push button mechanism makes my day. Every day. When I paid the bargain price of $14.99 for you six years ago (and still going strong!) you were considered an unnecessary item and scoffed at by H. "We'll NEVER use that thing! Why on earth did you buy that and at Trader Joe's of all places! You could have gotten that thing at the evil W or something for less. It's not a grocery store item..." He went on and on but in a moment of weakness and need for fresh beans in the desert, also known as a world without Starbucks or even a regularly opened coffee shop, I had to have it.

Six years later this el cheapo coffee grinder still produces one of the best scents in the world, at least to me. My morning is complete and I am able to press on through the day with a smile once I get a whiff of it's nutty or dark roasted aromas. The scent of my favorite perfume or a freshly bathed baby cannot even compare to how much I love the smell of coffee beans ground to perfection. In seconds it does the job of helping me produce the hot java that I need each day be it decaf or not this little baby is an item that I just cannot live without. Freeze-dried grounds have no place in my kitchen.

I'll let you in on a bit of secret shame too. I sometimes take the grinder out in the middle of the day - just to smell it. It's true, I swear. I'm Vicky, and I'm addicted to my coffee grinder.

This post was brought to you by PBN and Yoplait Kids, the makers of that yummy yogurt that kids just love and it has 25% less sugar than other kid yogurts.