ConstanceMarie.net

Disney’s “SIGNin’ in the Street” coming to Disneyland Resort March 17th and 18th!!! Hope to see you there!!!

Constance Marie — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:06:06 +0000

Check out the link for more details: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/02/disneyland-resort-celebrates-creativity-in-deaf-community/

Supporting My Little Stunt Woman

Constance Marie — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:26:12 +0000

I want to start this blog with a question. Is it just MY child or are ALL 3 year old trying to kill themselves ? Since my last blog my little three-year-old Gandhi Gentle princess has become a Clumsy Acrobat/Ninja! Seriously, Luna Marie is like a relentless non stop stunt woman with zero technique. She cannot sit still! I thought it was only boys that went Kamakazi like this!

If Luna Marie is sitting, she is not happy unless 1 or 2 legs of the chair are off the floor or, her body is leaning off the chair balancing precariously at the edge, or her favorite position, balancing in the middle of two chairs in some kind of crazy uncomfortable looking Frog Split.
Now before I continue, I need to point out that YES! I make sure my child is safe… Yes! I keep her near me and YES! I always use extreme caution BUT,,,,

If Luna Marie is at the park, my child is not happy unless she is on the highest bar of the jungle gym or the tallest branch of a tree or jumping over the biggest, Deepest hole at the park. Luna Marie does all this with the same two mantras. The first one: “Mommmmmma!!! Look at me!!! Look at me, Momma!!!” For me,, this is the hardest time, I mean I don’t want to treat my little girl like she’s made out of glass or wrap her in bubble wrap or anything! And I also don’t want to be constantly correcting her or warning her. Or my least favorite reprimanding her. I mean,, I don’t want her to be such a delicate flower that she’s too prissy to play and get out there and mix it up! I don’t want to keep her all dolled up and clean… I want her to feel she’s more than just a pretty face. So,,,,at the park where she is going crazy like a Tasmanian devil,, jumping,, swinging ,,,flipping and yes falling. There I sit, stand or hover, filled with anxiety, oh so closely by my child’s side. That is when the non stop debate in my head begins. Should I step in? Am I being over protective? Am I neglecting her? Am I smothering her? Am I,,, Am I,,, AM I? THEN WHEN I DECIDE TO JUMP IN to rescue I am LOUDLY rebuffed with an “I don’t need help, Mommma!” Only to be asked literally, I kid you not, two seconds later with “Mommma! I need help! Please help me!” ,,,,, and she pleads desperately like she has no recollection of the previous sentence! Crazy kid.

Usually at the park…I know she’s doing something that for sure is going to give her a “Boo Boo”. Often I am SO conflicted but,,, I stand back and let her do it anyway (Unless she’s going to break a bone or blind herself of course). I want her to have the experience of trial and error… To have the opportunity to find out first hand what will and what will not work. I want her to have her process! I sit there with the most authentic smile on my face. THANK GOD I AM AN ACTRESS!And I try to say supportive things,,, other than ‘Good Job’ ….. (honestly I think we have worn that phrase into the ground, right?)… I try to be creative “Look how strong you are” “That jump was SO far” “Wow you fell in the dirt and did not get a boo boo, EXCELLENT!” Basically I just try not to cringe! I watch her face beaming with enthusiasm and adventure…. full of just plain feistyness and pride while she experiments with her “Feats of Strength.” (aka “Falling down A lot!”)

I mean, THAT is what we want right? Our little girls to grow up to be strong independent women aware of their capabilities and proud of their accomplishments with strong bodies and a healthy self esteem??? And I figure, here is where it first starts, where the rubber meets the road: The Playground. With Luna Marie bumbling and tripping through her “Feats of Strength”. I let her relish in all that her body and sense of adventure can do (no matter how much it frikkin tortures me). I let her push herself. I let her experiment,, to have the pride and excitement even though I am worried pretty much every single minute..!. Yep! I take a lot of deep breaths and am exhausted when we are done!!!!!!

But that’s just it isn’t it? That’s the job…. Motherhood…. this whole Parenthood thing isn’t really about me (Dah-mit!) It’s about her. That is “Motherhood”,, tolerating the anxiety of allowing her the room to grow. Allowing her to make the mistakes and learn from them.

Usually I try to wrap it up and leave on a high note…. but sometimes, I misread how much energy she has,, she gets tired and right before I can make a hasty escape….BONK the “Boo Boo” comes, as I was pretty sure it would… And there I am “The Momma”. I try to do my best impression of a comforting superhero…. like a big bear I hold her while she cries, I soothe her, I wait……. I ask for a recap of what happened. I ask where the boo boo is, and after she has relaxed a bit ,,,I ask her what she could do to avoid that boo boo happening next time.(HINT HINT!!!) Then she wimpers a little, and then “Ka-pow!” like The Energizer bunny on steroids, she’s up again and running,,, onto the next thing. (Please, God, let her learn something about her limits, her power, or her resilience… SOMETHING! Please BEFORE I LOSE IT!)

Then ,,,,, she starts with the second mantra, this one is my favorite!! “Babies can’t do that!!” That’s when the smile happens. The biggest fattest thousand watt smile of confidence. My little Luna Marie is so proud! She wants to prove that she is growing bigger and stronger every day. She wants to be a big girl so fast it’s unbelievable. IF she could be a teenager tomorrow she would! That is her dream,, to be older!!!!! Funny and as women when we ACTUALLY ARE OLDER ALL WE WANT IS TO BE YOUNGER! OY! Oh! My little Luna Marie has plans… she starts talking about the next time and what she’s going to do next time,, and when she is bigger shell do more and then again she asks me “Mama? Babies can’t do that?” And I say, “No they can’t… you’re right, Sunshine. Babies cannot do that. You are a big girl now.”

Oh my gosh! This mommyhood thing is going to be a looong ride! Wish me luck! I would love to hear your comments about your little Stunt Women and Ninja Men too!

Constance Marie — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:35:16 +0000

The Gift of Happiness

A long time ago I read a book about optimism. I think it was when my daughter was eight months old. I can’t remember exactly when but, one thing I know for sure, I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED. This book was about a study conducted about optimism and ultimately, happiness. It was really interesting! It broke down the theory, that you could pick different people from different walks of life, different ethnicities, different circumstances, different everything, and predict which people would report the highest degree of fulfillment and happiness. Even if they came from horrible backgrounds or circumstances. That didn’t seem to matter. The one thing that these people all had in common was a core sense of optimism. They viewed their circumstances through optimistic eyes. Yes, even the bad circumstances. They somehow knew that everything would turn out all right.

Of course I read this book while I was sleep training my precious little baby girl, because in my bleary eyed, sleep deprived desperation, I needed something to hold on to. In those desperate hours of trying to get my kid to sleep I would read this book about optimism. Just so you understand, the way we sleep trained her was by putting her down to sleep in her crib, giving her a kiss goodnight, then I would stand at the edge of her crib and pay her no attention and focus on reading my book. So she understood that I was there, she was safe, but she had to fall asleep on her own. She HAD to think Mama was busy, I was just there for moral support if she needed me. (Of course if she fussed a little bit I would soothe her,, I wouldn’t just ignore her completely! I’m not made of stone!) But mostly, I ignored her. When she would fall asleep I would leave the room. The next time I put her down to sleep I would step a few inches further away from the crib, look down at this book and wait till she fell asleep. I continued this process and stepped further and further away from the crib towards the door till my little girl learned to fall asleep in her crib on her own without me having to rock her. Those few minutes were my only quality reading time. But I digress! This blog isn’t about sleep training, it’s about optimism!

That’s when I got the idea that no matter what the circumstances, the best gift I could give my daughter,, the gift that would pay off for the rest of her life, would be the gift of optimism/happiness. That’s when I invented my morning routine.

Every morning, when I would wake up Luna Marie, of course after the mandatory few minutes of “cuddle time” and kisses and just plain being cozy in the bed, I would get up and open her blackout curtains (’cause you gotta HAVE blackout curtains to keep that kid asleep!) and I would say “Hello, Sun!” in my happy voice. Then I would look back at Luna Marie and I would exclaim, “Oh my gosh, Luna Marie, it’s a beautiful day!” She would exclaim “Really, Mama?!” and she would be happy right from the beginning of the day. I would do this routine every single morning, whether it was a cloudy day, a cold day or a sunny day. So that way she learned that no matter what the circumstances, every day that she was alive was a beautiful day! Sometimes on cloudy days she would come up to the window and say “But, Mama, I do not see the sun.” I would reassure her, “Oh, the sun is there, it’s just hiding behind those beautiful grey clouds” (C’mon! Why can’t clouds be beautiful too?) and that would make her so happy to learn that A) clouds are beautiful too, and B) the sun was still there, she just couldn’t see it. Then we would go downstairs and carry on with our morning routine.

My hope is that having this optimistic point of view about the beauty of waking up every day and all the wonderful things that she can make happen, will carry on through her life. But ultimately, I think what my daughter is reminding me, is that every day that I wake up, is a beautiful day. I just have to choose to see it that way. And if you don’t believe me, I have the book to prove it! I just have to find it. I know it’s there, somewhere buried in all the rubble of our toys, dirty dishes, Christmas decorations and tons and tons of torn up wrapping paper!

I hope you have a happy day and spectacular New Year!

Letting Go Of The Pacifier!

Constance Marie — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:24:46 +0000

Okay … this week: LETTING GO OF THE PACIFIER!

YEP, it was that time! Losing the pacifier time! And OMG I was sooooo dreading it! I had heard many, many horror stories. Like crooked teeth if kept too long … many struggles and failed attempts … and the scariest of all to me … children NEVER sleeping again!

I was terrified. Those of you who know me, KNOW I LOVE MY SLEEP!!! IF SLEEPING WAS A CATEGORY IN THE OLYMPICS, I COULD WIN US A GOLD MEDAL EVERY TIME! I am serious about my sleep.

Anyhoo, our little Luna Marie, was just past 2. The age that the doctor said we could lose the pacifier if we wanted. I had gotten it to where Luna Marie only used it at night.

I learned early on that I HATED that sleepy walk down the hall because she had misplaced the one she had in her mouth, so my little girl had three in her crib at all times!!! One for the left hand, one for the right hand and one for the mouth! That way she had enough to find one in a sleepy haze, which she did quite well (she was like a little mole — eyes closed, roaming her hands back and forth til she hit one), but not so many that she would be playing with them. This worked brilliantly…

So now I was going to remove the one thing that for years had helped her relax, calm down and feel at one with the world. I felt horrible. I felt nervous! I had heard many “paci removal stories” and weighed all the advice and approaches.

Luna Marie was at the age where sharing … well, it was not her favorite thing to do. The whole “we have to give your pacis to little new babies who need them” was not gonna work. Sharing shmaring — she could care less.

And the “paci fairy” didn’t seem like the way to go to me. I knew Luna Marie would be crying for me to call her back and tell her we made a mistake the first day! And how was I going to resist that??? Did I lose her number? Did she move? What would be my excuse?! Too many details, too complicated!

I needed something permanent to make sure neither she nor I folded, but something that wasn’t too hardcore that would make me feel like the worst mother in the whole world.

And then ding! I remembered a story I heard about burying the pacifiers and having them turn into lollipops! So of course I stole it. That would be my master plan!!!

For like two weeks, I reminded Luna Marie that since she was a big girl and not a baby she would have to say “bye bye” to the pacis soon. When I told her she seemed fine with it … I think she just was so excited I was calling her a big girl. Which, I don’t know why, but she wants to be a big girl SO BADLY! (Crazy part, when we are older we always want to be younger! There is something wrong about that, but that is another blog!)

The night before BYE BYE PACIFIER Day comes … I tell her that we are down to five pacifiers. So what we are going to do in the morning is PLANT THEM in the ground. For every paci she plants, IF she sleeps the whole night, A LOLLIPOP would grow!! She was SO happy at this concept! Seriously not a moment of dread or fear … nada!

Morning comes. I had preselected two pots and got all her little gardening tools ready and said, “COME ON! LET’S PLANT SOME PACIFIERS!” I paused for like a millisecond before grabbing the last five and thought, “Wait, maybe I should leave one out, just in case she can’t do it?!” But I thought, “I know if I leave one … I will buckle.”

So I grabbed them all and off we go! To the front … to plant us some pacifiers!

I am so worried, but figured I would just keep on going til she started to balk … then we sat down, had our watering can ready, dug our holes, and OMG! She could not chuck those pacifiers into the dirt fast enough! Literally tossing them in two at time! I couldn’t dig holes in time!!

I was in shock! I kept saying, “Luna Marie you have to say ‘Bye bye paci! I am a big girl, I don’t need you anymore, I can sleep without you!’” And she just rattled it off like it meant nothing! She was soooo focused on the lollipops I guess! So we threw dirt on them (I knew I wouldn’t pull one out so I couldn’t go back), we patted them down, and we put water … NOW WE WAIT!

Cut to nap time! I remind her, “We buried the pacis and they are going to grow into lollipops … so no paci at nap time.” SHE LOOKED AT ME IN SHOCK like her heart dropped! Like she just at that moment got it! … C R A P!

THEN STARTS THE BEGGING!!! She says, “NO NO NO!!! PACIS PLEASE!!! I LOVE MY PACI. PLEEEEEZE!” Yep… NOW my heart is breaking … then racing …”ARE THERE ANY HIDDEN ANYWHERE???!!!” I THINK TO MYSELF. NO! CRAPPITY CRAP CRAP!…

I try to soothe her, tell her, “Remember, lollipops will grow … if you sleep!” I ask her to try … to which she croaks out an “Okay Mama…” Yes, I feel like the Grinch who stole Christmas.

The nap kinda goes well … a lot of crying and moaning … and then boom! She did it! Wow!

Cut to night time. Once again, I remind her she is a big girl … no more pacis … and tomorrow lollipops would grow. AGAIN WITH THE CRYING. NOW I know for sure I am the worst mother in the whole world!

I soothe, I remind, I rock a bit … and then I give her her lovey Limey — a little soft colored toy — and I say, “Limey will keep you company til you sleep.” This actually worked. I was amazed — first night, she actually fell asleep! UNTIL 2 A.M.!

At 2 a.m., it starts all over!!! The begging, the crying, the pleading … it has to be the saddest thing I have ever seen. I soothe, I REMIND, “When the morning comes, we will look and see if lollipops grew!” This phrase slowly does the trick. Once again, she tries to sleep.

Somehow, she makes it through the night. WHEW!!! She slept. Me, not so much. I was always on edge, thinking,”Is she gonna wake? Can she do it? Are there REALLY no more pacifiers in my diaper bag?! Why did I have to do it now?! Is it too gross, if I were to dig one out of the dirt?!” I thought it all!

I fell asleep for a few hours (I think) and when I woke, I ran downstairs and lovingly wrapped an organic lollipop in aluminum foil… with a stem and a lil leafy thing so I could poke it into the ground!

I know it’s ridiculous. I was so worried about the presentation. DUH! IT’S A LOLLIPOP!!! KIDS WILL CHEW OFF THEIR OWN ARM FOR CANDY!!! OF COURSE SHE WILL LOVE IT! I just couldn’t help it … I wanted it to be pretty.

Luna Marie wakes up. I PRAISE HER like she just graduated from Harvard!!! Seriously, I couldn’t stop gushing!!! And immediately she says, “I WANT TO SEE IF A LOLLIPOP GREW!” I tell you it was just like Christmas!

She ran to the door, trying to open it … she’s 2 so of course she couldn’t! But she was bouncing off it trying so hard … and then I helped her. She ran out into the front yard and stopped. She sees it, then she screams so loud, “MAMA A LOLLIPOP GREW!!! I AM A BIG GIRL NOW!!!”

The smile that spread on her face was huge! Perfect and precious! Honestly, I think I started crying! I was just so happy for her. (I am a wuss, I know.) Then she ran, dug it out and started dancing! I kid you not … you know, the happy food dance! I live on a busy street, so she told the neighbor Jim … she told the woman walking the dog! She was gushing to anybody and everybody!

And just like that, I felt like the GRINCH WHO SAVED CHRISTMAS! I wasn’t such a horrible mom after all. UNTIL I told her she had to wait til after breakfast to eat it!!! Oh boy!

THANK YOU LOLLIPOPS! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!

IS MY KID SMARTER THAN ME?

Constance Marie — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:25:42 +0000

IS MY KID SMARTER THAN ME? Wait! Is it smarter than I? Never mind.

Okay — well, if any of you have been following me via Twitter or on Facebook, you know … I work hard at being the best mom I can be. But I have to admit, I have had it kinda easy … my kid sleeps (mostly), always ate and if I explained things to her … she pretty much minds me! Cut to … NOW IS IT POSSIBLE SHE IS SMARTER THAN ME? Seriously? She is only 2!

Here are two examples of Luna Marie getting the upper hand.

HITTING: When it first happened (don’t get me wrong), it was actually funny.

Luna Marie would be in her gym class, she would be standing near another kid … and she would be quiet, not even interacting with the other kid. Most of the time the child didn’t even notice her. Luna Marie would start looking the kid up and down for a long time, taking them in … and then suddenly she would WHIP OUT her arm and BAM!!! Tap that kid with gusto! Outta nowhere!!!

Of course, I explained to Luna Marie that, “It is not okay to hit people or babies. You can hit your TOYS or ball if you are upset BUT NO BABIES OR PEOPLE!” The crazy part is she wasn’t even upset or fighting with the kid … she was frickin’ stealth!!! Just quietly standing there then, BAM!

I taught her she HAD to make amends … say she was sorry and then retouch the kid gently. Then my genius child decides it is better as a three step process! To do the WHOLE ROUTINE! BAM! SAY SORRY … THEN TOUCH GENTLE! OMG!!!

Needless to say … she got the lesson I taught her … then figured out a way to make us both happy! OY!

SIGN LANGUAGE: So when I started filming my new series, Switched at Birth, I had to learn sign language. I had a great deaf tutor coming to my house, every day (because I had to learn sign language almost faster than humanly possible, but that is another blog).

His name is Anthony and he has a VERY kind energy … (he is good with kids!). I prep Luna Marie that Anthony cannot hear and he does not speak — he only talks with his hands in sign language. She doesn’t really get it, but wants desperately to meet Mama’s teacher! So she wakes from her nap and I let her come in the office to meet Anthony … SHE JUST STARES AT HIM.

Anthony gestures, “Hi” and shows her a few signs — for mama, dada, milk, apple and cookie — ya know the basics! She is in awe!

I think to myself, “Poop! I wish I had taught her sign language like my other mommy friends,” but Luna Marie spoke so early, I didn’t think I had to! Who knew I would be doing a series where I had to become fluent in sign language?! Life, right?

Well, Luna Marie became obsessed with signs! Good, right? Of course, every time Anthony came over she wanted a new sign. “Happy,” “bed,” “baby” … and she learned so fast! I was in awe. She remembered them all and one day, asked Anthony to give her the names for all the characters in the show Yo Gabba Gabba! (She doesn’t get to watch TV but we showed her one episode over and over about birthdays, so she understood the party concept — but that is another blog.)

To which Anthony signed, “What the heck is that?” I explained, and he sweetly did his research and comes up with name signs for them!

Foofa — Opening your hand on top of your head like a flower
Muno — Making a circle in front of your forehead with your hand, like a one-eyed monster

(FYI — That is how a person gets a name sign, a deaf person has to give it to you.)

Luna Marie was soooo happy! And for a long time she would show us her signs … then one day … she was over it. I would ask her to sign, and she decided she didn’t want to or would change the sign to how she wanted to do it! So I didn’t force it.

Cut to weeks later. We are putting Luna Marie to bed and I had learned a routine — that if she keeps playing or messing around in the crib, you just go in silently, no talking, no engaging, just silence so it isn’t fun. We would check her diaper and put her back down, then leave, so she gets playtime is over and it’s time for nite nite. It really worked well. Mostly she got it…

TIL ONE NIGHT. She was soooooo feisty, flipping on the changing table … rolling around, giggling … and seriously just having a party … and I like the irritated, silent sentinel … just changing that frickin’ diaper, face expressionless. I was so tired and could only keep thinking, “PLEASE GOD LET THIS END!” I just wanted to get back to sleep.

And then she does it… SHE STARTS SIGNING!!! WITH SUCH GUSTO … “MAMA” “HAPPY” “HAPPY” “DADA” …

CRAP!!! IT WAS HILARIOUS! She knew she wasn’t supposed to be speaking and I wasn’t gonna speak to her, so she TRIES SIGN LANGUAGE!!!

I am stifling laughter soooo hard, I have to bite my lip! And turn away because I am totally cracking up!!! I grab another glimpse and now she is working even harder …

SHE IS NOW WHISPERING “HAPPY!!!!” “HAPPY!!!” then she kicks it into overdrive!!!

“MUNO” “FOOFA” “BROBEE” “PLEX” “TOODEE” AND YES!!! LAST BUT NOT LEAST “DJ LANCE” SHE DID THE WHOLE Yo Gabba Gabba ROLE CALL!!! (If you don’t know those characters ask your friends!)

She is soooo sneaky … SHE HADN’T SIGNED IN WEEKS! When she needed it most she whips it out!!! OMG! What is a mother to do?!?!

FYI, it didn’t work … I didn’t break! Well, if you don’t count my body quivering with silent laughter as I put her down! I was a rock … sorta.

Frickin’ kid is a genius. I am in big trouble!

– Constance Marie

LONG TIME NO BLOG!!!!

Constance Marie — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:06:45 +0000

TO ALL MY Mommy Readers, a big Thank you for your patience!!!
AND,
Surprise!!!!!! I am coming back!! Slowly but surely!!!!!

My topic for today?
TO PONYTAIL OR NOT TO PONYTAIL? Is that the question?

OK, EVEN BEFORE I HAD A BABY,,,, I would dream of the day I could make pony tails on my kid. I don’t know why. I somehow got it in my head that it would be such a cool thing. Every once and a while, I would even grab my doggies ears and wrap my fingers around them and make pretend ponytails..(gently of course.)
To say that my dogs hated this would be an understatement!
I would just corner them,,, cuddle and then BAM! PONYTAIL THEM! Of course, I would gush and say, “Look how cute they would look!….” to which my fiance would say….”What is wrong with you?”

Cut to 3.5 years and a L O N G fertility struggle later and BAM! TAH-DAH! I had a precious little blob of a baby,, AND IT WAS A GIRL!!!!!!

Oh Boy! She was in for it!
My ponytail fix would finally be satisfied!!! I would dream of the day,, my lil Luna Marie would have PONYTAILS! Well, I had to slow my roll. Because, she had to be able to hold her head up first,,,, Then, I would dream about the day she would have hair,,,,AND THEN a glitch in the Matrix happened!
I had a baby girl with CURLY hair! ALL YOU Mom’s with the CURLY haired kids know what i am sayin! It toooooook FOREVER to grow!!!!!!!
It just kept growing around and around and around!!!

FINALLY,,, at 21 months,YES!, I said 21 months, Luna Marie had barely enough FRIKKIN hair to make PONYTAILS!!!!
AND
I WAS READY. I had alllll the supplies! Rubber bands, clips, and barrettes I had them in every color, some with flowers, some not, etc……
I had special Organic Detangling spray,, and a special Detangliing brush! I HAD IT ALL!
I thought to myself “Oh boy! this is gonna be SO fun!!!!!!!!
and then upon my first attempt, I learned………
LITTLE GIRLS DO NOT STAND STILL!!!!
POOP!
This did not fit into my master plan!

BUT, I am a pretty determined person…I don’t give up so easy..
I just thought, I will MAKE this happen.
I just needed to come up with a technique.

I tried to sneak in and do it while she sat at the table and ate. NOPE!
(that was just messy)
I tried to do it while she was still groggy first thing in the morning……NOPE!
(she was too delicate and said it was hurting her )
I tried to do it on the run,,,, ya know.. stooping over behind her,,while she ran around the kitchen! TRIPLE NOPE!
(My back and I especially hated that one!)

So,,, my whole master plan had been foiled by “REAL LIFE”
but that is when I had a realization….
I didn’t care about the fantasy so much! I just want my baby and my back to be happy!!!!

That is WHY you see oh so many cute pictures of my sweet little Luna Marie, proudly sporting a halo of frizz, held back by one little tiny clip that looks like it is hangin on for dear life!!!

As a Real Life Mom,, I HAVE NOW LEARNED,,
WHO has time to make sure their kid looks perfect??????
AND WHY SHOULD THEY EVEN BE MADE TO,,,,
whether it’s ponytails, dresses, a tie, etc…
CHILDRENS PERFECTION COMES FROM THE INSIDE not a hairdo.
as long as she and I are clean, and happy,
DOES ANYTHING ELSE REALLY MATTER????

EVERYDAY, I try to remember that lesson, and practice it.
As a woman, I am the teacher,, my daughter will one day look to me, to see HOW to live as a woman in this world….
so, everyday I try to remember that my beauty as a person, has to come from the inside and my actions toward others,,,
and NOT all the stuff that we are told we HAVE TO HAVE, OR WEAR OR BUY to be truly beautiful.
CRAP! No pressure or anything!

so there.
my daughter is teaching me sooooooooo much..
and all this,, just from PONYTAILS!?
who knew!?

HAVE A “BEAUTIFUL” DAY! (pun intended)
cm

Mommy Guilt!!! Is there a cure???? If so, sign my ass up!!!!!!!

Constance Marie — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 08:07:34 +0000

Heeeeeeeeello my people!!!
THANK YOU for being sooooooooooo darn patient!!!!!!
Finally, here is the new Mommy Blog…………!

My topic for this month:

MOMMY GUILT!!! IS THERE A CURE???? IF SO, SIGN MY ASS UP!!!!!!

Ok, so this is something that I have discovered, slowly creeping into my life and I am not sure how to navigate it! As moms I am sure you might be able to relate…
If you have ANY advice,, BRING IT!!!!

Ok,,before I had a baby, I once saw a commercial for cough medicine,,, and there was the Mom,,, sick in her bed, coughing, red nose, snot, aches etc,,, and everyone in the house was all over her,,
The Dad saying “Honey wake up, I need to know where the breakfast stuff is, so I can fix breakfast to help you out and let you sleep in”
The kids,,”Mommy wake up, I need help with my clothes!” Mommy where is my homework? ”Mommy help, the dog threw up, what should we do to help him?” Blah, blah, blah….
My pre-mommy self thought, “COME ON! That is ridiculous! She needs rest, she can find the time and she should just tell everyone to back off!”
Well,,,, DUH???!!! NOW I GET IT!!!!

This is just the life of your average Mom! We really don’t get a day off, and even if we did, we would probably feel guilty about it!!! OY!!

The last month I have been overwhelmed, between, work, sickness, and the Holidays, and well, just plain LIFE!…

But none of that matters. I realize, the Buck Stops with The Moms of the world……..and if I can’t get to every little thing, I feel guilty!

Here’s how it is for me:

1) I feel guilty that I even got sick in the first place, even though I took all the meds, inhalers, supplements, herbs, teas(even though it tasted like DIRT!) drops, and lozenges! I also did EVERY home remedy suggested, because of course EVERYONE has a “home remedy” and I needed to get better ASAP! I coughed so much I think I sprained a muscle around my ribs. I mean, how is that even possible?…
The worst part, I am someone who never gets sick, but it turns out, I am not superhuman! Who knew?!

2) I feel guilty that while sick, I had to be at work at 5am for a 12 hour day.. And thus not able to see Luna Marie in the morning when she is the sweetest. I would only see her for 1 hour at night and then,,,

3) I would feel guilty that I had a horrible headache from coughing all day, that when she tried to play “Horsey” (with Mommy starring as the horse, of course!) that I couldn’t keep from hacking and coughing so much that the game was just no fun.

4) I feel guilty that I worked 12-14 hour days and couldn’t get to the grocery store to make sure Luna Marie had all her food she needed, to have her 4 balanced meals a day. And that Dada could enjoy his morning coffee…

5) I feel guilty that while sick, I can’t listen to Luna Marie say “Mama,Mama”, and translate and answer the sitters questions, and ALSO, answer Kent’s questions at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And to top it off!

6)I feel guilty that after all that I don’t have time to be the Uber sexual vixin for my mate!
Come on we all feel that don’t we? Otherwise, why would all those Cosmopolitan Magazines fly off the shelves like they do? I mean, how many “sexual bedroom secrets and tricks” does your average woman need?!! I mean EVERY month, that is the intro on the cover!!!!!!! (But I digress!)

7) Last but so not least, I felt guilty, I couldn’t get to my blog….:/
Don’t get me wrong, it’s something that I LOVE doing!!!!! I just can’t get to it. Though, in my mind, I am working on it ALL the time!!!!

I guess my point is,
I must say, out loud,,,,
“I need to take a break”, and most importantly, I need to NOT feel guilty about it!!!!!
Mom’s of America, YOU NEED ONE TOO!!!

I am gonna try to schedule one,
Wish me luck!!
And
I wish you Luck too!!!!!!!!

I hope you had an AMAZING Halloween and Thanksgiving!

I did, YES! Even though I was and still am sick. “Cough! Cough”! I even managed to make a TOFURKY and it didn’t suck!!!!!!

C

Downloadable Autographed Photos

Constance Marie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 08:39:51 +0000

Hey Everybody!!!

There have been a few of you who have inquired about autographed photos so, I have tried to make it easy breezy! If you want to download one you can simply go to the photos page, and click download and whalah!!!!!
Check it out!

C

Am I a Tutu-a-holic?

Constance Marie — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:15:09 +0000

Ok, my peeps! Thanks so much for understanding my tardiness!! And for your nose picking stories…..
Ug! Even 3 year olds do it? Luna Marie topped even herself, she picked and wiped on her sitters face!!!!! I felt horrible, ug.

My Topic for this week: Am I a Tutu-a-holic?
Oh Geez! Fashion dilemma for two?

Ok, so, I know some women dream of the day they can play “dress up” with their little daughters. These women fantasize about how fun it will be and oh so cute!?

ME? NOT so much! I never even thought of it once! All my friends have boys, and I see how easy it is for them… Sneakers, shirts and pants, maybe some shorts, DONE! Simple and easy.

With a little girl, it is SO frikkin complex!!!!
I avoided it for so long, I mean all I needed for an infant was stretch pants-caus ya know she has the cloth diaper- and a stretch t-shirt..done!
Momma was SO happy. Of course EVERYONE thought she was a boy :/

But now, she is turning into a little lady.
Even at 20 months, it is just way too fast for me!!!

Example,
She saw me wearing a necklace, and pointed at it, so, I taught her the word,, and one day, BAM! she walks in and touches her neck and says “Luna Necklace!” Like she was requesting one! (Diva!)

Then another time, I was getting my make up done to go to an event and she learned,,, “Make-up!” And now, she says it ALL the TIME! “Make-up! Make-up! MAKE-UP!!!!!”
Oy! I am in so much trouble. :/

Now on to wardrobe!!!!
To do pink or not to do pink? Sparkle or no sparkle? Princess stuff or no princess? T-Shirts, blouse, ruffles, empire waist, mid- waist??? Prints, knits, tanks, long sleeve, with embroidery?!!!!
Sweaters, coats or vests! Pants, shorts, capris, skirts, skorts, tights and don’t forget the mighty TUTU!!!!
Honestly my head is about to pop off!!!!!

FYI- I don’t really even like to shop! I have body issues, I hate store lighting, and seriously bikini shopping can make me want to down a whole bottle of wine! And now? I have to not only shop,, but STYLE TWO of us!!!!
Holy C*ap!!!

And the topper, she grows SO much, right when I think I got it down,, I gotta go out and buy more stuff!!!!

Here’s the scary part,,, I think I am catching the “cute” disease!!!
A friend gave us the sweetest, cute tutu, and BOOM!
I was in for it! Now I have 4 of them!!!
Heeeeeeelp!!!!!!

Seriously there should be a support group for the mothers of daughters!!!!!
How does one not mortgage the house tryin to buy all this stuff!!!!!!????

Well, I for one am gonna try to fight it! I mean there is an argument for the Tomboy look! Right?……

And don’t even get me started with bows and ponytails!!!!!!!!!
Well, Luna Marie’s are still so short so I guess they are called “pig”tails….
The bows have to match, the clips, the rubber bands!!!!!!! OMG!

Well, needless to say, I have sorta a love/hate thing going on right now.
Like I said it’s complex.
Heeeeelp!

Oh! And now on to the good news/bad news section.
Good News: I got another job!!
Bad News: I won’t be able to blog every week anymore. I thought I could do every 2 weeks, but this is a pretty time consuming gig, and I really try to take my time on each blog. So for now, I will have to do once a month. Poop!

I will miss our weekly get togethers, BUT I will still tweet and face book when I can ok?

You all take care, and when I blog next I will have OH SO MUCH MORE to share!!!
Bye for now.

CM

Constance Marie — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:18:07 +0000

Heeeeeeeeello everybody!
ok, so guess who has been a veeeeeery busy gal this week!?
Yep! ME!
So, sorry to say, my blog will be late.
it will be here thursday am, I promise!!!
Have a great Hump Day anyway!!!!
Maybe eat some chocolate!!!?

CM