August 2007
BEST SUMMER PHOTO OF THE SEASON!
You know your son is more adept at technology than you are when he uses your cell phone to tell his friend how to maneuver his Chim Char past level five on his Pokemon DS game. For more stories about our hilarious dude ranch vacation, click on the picture above.
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Posted in: Blog, Kiddy Commentary on 08/29/2007
ROLE MOMMY T-SHIRT MAKES THE JOURNAL NEWS!
Check out Beth sporting her "I Don't Do Cupcakes" t-shirt on the front page of the Journal News! The perfect companion to the chapter of the same name in Peeing in Peace...which incidentally, Role Mommy readers was just purchased by Sourcebooks and will be published with additional material to be released next April 2008...thanks to all the Role Mommies who bought the book - and spread the word - we still have plenty of copies to sell from now until December!!! To purchase an autographed copy of our book and a fabulous Cupcake or Playdate tee from our website, Click Here.
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Posted in: Blog, Peeing in Peace on 08/29/2007
THE DUDE RANCH
I can't remember the last time I visited a dude ranch. Wait. I can remember. It was high school, 1984. It was the dead of winter and I didn't go near the horses or the bunny hill. So imagine my surprise 23 years later when my husband announced he wanted to give the dude ranch circuit a whirl with our good friends Dave and Alicia and their seven year old son, Carter. We loaded the kids up in the car, and off we went to what I have now discovered is nirvana for the the nine and under set...Rocking Horse Ranch.
I had visions of the place being totally dilapidated and reeking of manure and when we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. The manure scent only permeated my membranes if the wind blew in the wrong direction and the ranch, seemed surprisingly updated. They even had some animatronic bear playing a guitar in the gift shop. Plus an indoor and outdoor pool with a water slide, rock climbing wall - which my daughter couldn't get enough of, an outdoor bounce house (which Carter used to set a world record - 1000 jumps in under 10 minutes), water skiing, banana boat rides, game room, fishing, shuffleboard, kayaking, corny shows, and best of all...the Fun Barn - which had an indoor bounce house, another rock climbing wall and the craziest climbing structure you've ever seen where kids can shoot at each other with foam balls...need I say more?
But the best part of all didn't take place on the horses - since mine kept on stopping to eat a bush, slosh through some manure scented mud (eew) or swat some flies; it didn't happen at the pool where I got to read and relax and watch my daughter zip down the water slide at least a dozen times; it wasn't at the cheesy magic show - it happened when I strapped on a pair of water skis and managed to not only pull myself up but I cruised around the lake for what seemed an eternity. You see, the last time I hopped up on skis, I was 15 and was a CIT at Camp Algonquin. That summer, I learned how to water ski for the first and last time since my momentary blaze of glory around the lake was quickly extinguished when I wiped out and the wake went right up my tush. After that day and the fact that the motor boat crapped out and no one bothered to fix it the rest of the summer, I pretty much hung up my skis and never ventured out again...that is, until this weekend.
My husband was pretty much stunned at my high flying water ski performance and is now ready to rent a lake house so we can spend the summer recapturing our youth. Even my daughter was shocked that I could ski - but not to be outdone, she managed to get up on the skis the first shot and even scaled the rock climbing structure and rang the bell. That's my girl!
So all in all, while I usually enjoy a nice Cape Cod or Caribbean vacation, our side trip to a dude ranch was actually one of our best trips in years. The kids had a ball and surprisingly, we did too. So from Jamaica, to day camp, to Block Island to the Hamptons, we ended our summer on a high note with a high flyin' dude ranch adventure. Nothing like a weekend surrounded by nature, good friends and water rides to put everything in perspective and make us realize that it is actually fun to act like a kid again.
To take a peak at the very first video I've managed to create from the pix I took with my iPhone, then click on the link below and enjoy! Happy Labor Day!
Labels: hamptons, kids, rocking horse ranch, summer, vacation
--------Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 08/28/2007
Water For Elephants, Hillary Clinton and More Summer Books....
There is something about me and book titles. If a title is strange, I usually stay away from the book and that's why I avoided Water For Elephants for the longest time. That is, until one of my in the know girlfriends started raving about the book and I finally decided to check it out.
I brought it with me this weekend to our visit to Rocking Horse Ranch and within two days, I'm totally powering through this best-selling novel. So what is the book about? Simple - Jacob Jankowski is an old man who is now living in a nursing home who reflects on his past when he chucked his Ivy League veterinary degree and joined the circus after suffering a major tragedy in his life. I love the flashback sequences in the book and truly felt transported when author Sara Gruen takes readers back to the late 1920's and into the lives of an eclectic cast of characters.
While I'm only half way through, I'm totally loving this book and can't wait to dive in once the kids hit the hay. This book is also reminiscent of Five People You Meet in Heaven, which automatically qualifies it for a must read!
Now I know I haven't posted reviews to some of the other books I've read this summer but now that the season is almost over, in case you have a few months to spare, then check out the new Hillary Clinton book, A Woman in Charge by Carl Bernstein. The beginning is great but I'm mired in Whitewater right now so Carl has lost me a bit. Maybe when I can concentrate, I'll be able to finish that 600 page read and finally get to the part about Monica Lewinsky.
For a quick read, there's For One More Day...another Mitch Albom favorite that came out this year that I managed to read on a plane ride. I recommend this one to anyone who doesn't have much time on their hands and loves a book that'll have you crying once you hit the last chapter.
To return to the Role Mommy home page, Click Here.
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Posted in: Blog, Book Club on 08/28/2007
GUILTY AS CHARGED
I'm feeling incredibly guilty this week. Why do you ask? Simple. After my mom called to tell me that my son's eye looked kind of swollen (he had been hit in the eye last weekend with a pool toy) and that I should call the doctor, I told her to wet some cotton balls, put it on his bloodshot eye and I'd take him to the doctor in the morning.
Well, luckily, she didn't listen to me and called my husband who proceeded to make an appointment at the pediatrician and we learned that we had to take him to an opthamologist. When I came home from work, the poor kid looked as if he had been in a brawl - and he lost. His eye was completely swollen and bloodshot and while he wasn't crying, I was about to break down in tears because I stupidly decided to stay at work rather than take him to the doctor.
My husband tried to convince me that it was okay -he had it handled, but I still felt awful so the next morning, I made the appointment with the specialist and we proceeded to spend the next hour and a half checking out his eye.
When we arrived, the doctor decided to give him an eye test and as I sat there watching him attempt to read letters and then pictures (because his alphabet still needs work), I was literally on edge. When he looked at a duck and called it a dog, and then squinted at a car and called it an anchor, I started to sweat. Oh my God, he's losing his vision, I started thinking to myself. I tried to hold myself back when he mistook a birthday cake for a hand and then when the doctor finished the exam, I quickly explained that he aced his eye test back in the summer so I didn't know why he was having trouble that morning. The doctor actually wasn't that concerned - thank goodness and proceeded to check out every possible angle of his eye. He dosed him several times with drops, peered into his pupils and then finally made the diagnosis...
He hadn't injured his eye, he must have picked up some nasty viral or bacterial infection and all we had to do was take a few eye drops and the situation would probably clear up in a week. And here I was thinking that my son was losing his vision because he had smacked himself in the eye with a plastic pool toy. I'm thrilled beyond belief that it was nothing serious and from here on out, I'll listen when someone tells me that my son's eye is the size of a watermelon and I need to take him to the doctor!
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Confessions on 08/23/2007
Kindergarten Countdown & The Tessy & Tab Reading Series
As my five year old gets ready to start kindergarten, I just found out about a fabulous book, DVD and magazine series that will help my little guy get ready to read! Dylan has begun receiving the Tessy & Tab reading series and kindergarten countdown DVD. Based on the six skills for early literacy, The Tessy & Tab Reading Club is the first kids magazine subscription that promotes early independent reading for preschool children. The magazines arrive in the mail twice a month with useful parent tools and fun learning activities. The great thing about this wonderful book and magazine series is that it offers something for every member of the family! For Kids: They receive 24 advertising-free magazines addressed just to them! Plus, educational games and printable coloring pages available online.
For Parents:
A comprehensive guide to building early reading skills at every age, useful tips with each issue and craft ideas & printable literacy activity sheets to do with your child.
For Gift-Givers:
With a special message on every label and an email about each issue, it's a unique way to stay connected and make a difference in a child's life.
So what are you waiting for? If you want to get your kindergartener or pre-schooler to get on the road to reading with his or her very own magazine and book series, then visit the Tessy & Tab website and subscribe today!
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Posted in: Blog, Role Mommy Recommends on 08/12/2007
Tennis Revisited
If you've been reading Role Mommy for a while, you may have read one of my previous posts about my long awaited return to the game of tennis. Back in November, I decided to dust off my racquet from 1986 and sub in a tennis league filled with stay at home moms and retirees. However, my foray into that foreign world was too much for me to handle and while I had a few memorable strokes and even won a few games, I never returned because I feared the ladies would tell the league organizer that they didn't want me to come near their foursome ever again.
Well, this summer, I decided to take matters into my own hands and I signed up for tennis lessons. I dusted off my oversized Prince racquet, purchased a park permit, fished through my closet for a pair of sweats that wasn't incredibly outdated and proceeded to the courts where I met Andreas, a Camel smoking tennis pro who pretty much managed to transform my game in a matter of weeks.
Andreas and I hit for a few minutes that first day and he instantly gave his assessment. "Would you be okay if I changed your forehand grip? The one you're using went out in the early nineties." Ouch. Was I that out of touch with modern tennis? Could it be that my tennis idols Martina and Chris were completely pre-historic and were probably playing the Boca Raton circuit with their old fashioned grips? The next thing I knew, Andreas had switched my grip and convinced me to try out a new tennis racquet since my old one also went out of style about the same time as poof dresses - oh wait, aren't those back in again?
Anyway, so I went to the tennis shop where all the SAHM's and retired biddees were looming around the clothes rack and I plunked down my credit card for a brand spankin' new Head racquet. I even decided to buy a few outfits but didn't actually try them on - big mistake considering those shorts pretty much show everything. I think I need to design a line of tennis shorts that conceal knee fat, but I digress.
So five lessons later, I am almost back on my game. My strokes are solid, serves are terrific, my volleys can use some work but I may be ready to not only sub in the ladies tennis league but join them each week in their weekly tennis and coffee klatch. Though my days as a high school tennis star are long behind me, I'm finally making a comeback! Watch out Mildred and Harriet, Beth is back on her game and she's going to whip your senior citizen fannies this season!
A Note from My Biggest Fan...
Dearest Beth,
I had a good laugh while reading the latest edition of your newsletter. Of course, I still think you are the most beautiful mom around and although you are somehow concerned about feeling you haven't kept up with the latest in active attire- I can tell you that at the gym I go to the two-twos(22 year olds) wear the tighest skimpiest outfits and they expect me to keep up in their classes - what a laugh- but I' hanging in there.I bought some capri length workout pants and I do as many reps of an exercise as some of those teeny weeny two-two's. But as I said I think you are phenomenal no matter what you think. An aside - it isn't gezunga cars -it it is gesundta cars- I guess some of your yiddishisms need a little work!
Love Mom
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Posted in: Blog, Undercover Mom on 08/10/2007
Flash Card Genius...Perhaps Not.
Benny is learning to read.
Okay, no, that?s overstating it a little. What I should say it that Benny is learning to recognize and spell some basic words. STOP is his current favorite. Every stop sign he sees, he shouts out ?S-T-O-P- Stop!? He also knows his name, Brad and my name, and a growing list of little words like cat, cow, dog, hat, and (strangely) gas.
He?s not exactly a reader yet, but he?s on his way.
To encourage this interest in words, I decided to make some flash cards (how crafty, of me!). You can buy packs of pre-made flashcards, but I figured if I made some myself not only would it be a whole lot cheaper but also I could tailor make them for Benny ? in other words, make cards for the words he?s learning and words that mean something to him.
So, I cut up some card, found a felt tip pen, and ?voila?an hour or so later, I?d created a nice stack of Benny-centered flash cards. They?re not quite as sleek as the shop bought kind, but Benny likes them and I had a lot of fun making them.
Last night, Brad, Benny and I had the cards out and for a while it looked like they were proving even more successful than I?d anticipated.
As we held up each card, Benny - after some thought and a little sounding out of the letters ? got over ten words right. Some of the words he knew already, of course, but well over half he didn?t. Brad and I were pretty flabbergasted that our nearly four year old had got the hang of the reading thing so fast. Like goofy, proud parents, we mounted lots of praise and high-fives upon him.
Okay, no, that?s overstating it a little. What I should say it that Benny is learning to recognize and spell some basic words. STOP is his current favorite. Every stop sign he sees, he shouts out ?S-T-O-P- Stop!? He also knows his name, Brad and my name, and a growing list of little words like cat, cow, dog, hat, and (strangely) gas.
He?s not exactly a reader yet, but he?s on his way.
To encourage this interest in words, I decided to make some flash cards (how crafty, of me!). You can buy packs of pre-made flashcards, but I figured if I made some myself not only would it be a whole lot cheaper but also I could tailor make them for Benny ? in other words, make cards for the words he?s learning and words that mean something to him.
So, I cut up some card, found a felt tip pen, and ?voila?an hour or so later, I?d created a nice stack of Benny-centered flash cards. They?re not quite as sleek as the shop bought kind, but Benny likes them and I had a lot of fun making them.
Last night, Brad, Benny and I had the cards out and for a while it looked like they were proving even more successful than I?d anticipated.
As we held up each card, Benny - after some thought and a little sounding out of the letters ? got over ten words right. Some of the words he knew already, of course, but well over half he didn?t. Brad and I were pretty flabbergasted that our nearly four year old had got the hang of the reading thing so fast. Like goofy, proud parents, we mounted lots of praise and high-fives upon him.
A little later, however, I held up a new flashcard I?d made. On one side was the word ?shack? and on the other, my rendition of our little cabin upstate (which we lovingly call ?the shack?). I held up the word side to Benny who hadn?t seen the card before and said, ?What does that say?? He pondered and stared for a few seconds and sounded out the letters: ?Ssss? ?Huh? ?Aaah?? Then he clapped his hands and shouted, ?House.?
At first, I was floored. How did he come up with the word ?house? from the letters in ?shack??
But then I realized what had been going on. I held up the flashcard of the shack and saw it for myself.
Benny, it turns out, isn?t quite the genius we thought he was. Even though he looked like he was reading the words ? and his little act of sounding out the letters seemed to confirm this ? he was actually just looking through the flimsy cardboard I?d used to make the flashcard and seeing the pictures I?d drawn on the other side!
Ah well, he?s not the reading prodigy that, for a second, we thought he might be. But he?s a damn good actor. Perhaps the Oscars await, rather than the Pulitzer.
(Tip for crafty mamas and papas: use thick cardboard for flashcards and not-so thick felt tip pens for the pictures). For more of Joanne Rendell's musings, Click Here to visit her blog.
Posted in: Blog, Laptop Naptime Mama on 08/07/2007
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