September 1st, 2010

The End

I never wanted to live in a box.  I have spent most of my life trying to break out of boxes, so imagine my surprise when I limited myself with this blog.

Let’s rewind a minute.

I started blogging way before I was a mom. I had an online journal before blogging was trendy or mainstream. But when I found myself pregnant and on bedrest, I began blogging about impending motherhood and all that entailed. I wrote about pregnancy and marriage and my fears and more. Then came the stresses of being a new mom and the quest for the perfect stroller, sling, etc., and suddenly I was a Mom Blogger.

Now don’t get me wrong- blogging about my child has given me access to so much and so unexpectedly, but I no longer wish to share every detail of our lives. Of her life. As my daughter gets older I worry about putting our lives on display in this way. I find myself going through a change again. I view the world differently. I deal with people differently. I am different. And so, this blog no longer fits into my life in a way that is fulfilling. I refuse to continue to write here when all I have to offer are product reviews and PR for companies. I need more.

My Mercurial Nature will be where I get back to who I am as a person- not just as a mom. I will no longer be writing here- at least for now. I know this is the right decision and I hope that you will all join me there.

July 16th, 2010

The WNBA: Basketball at it’s finest

On Sunday, July 11, 2010, I took the family to their first WNBA game at Madison Square Garden (thanks to the One 2 One Network for providing us with three free tickets).  My husband is an ex-NBA fan who has a love for basketball, but has grown sick of the current NBA game and it’s players.  I love basketball. I was a baller in high school, long before there was a WNBA, and was supposed to play in college. Unfortunately, I suffered a knee injury  ending my college career before it started.  This game was special for me because I was able introduce basketball to my four year old daughter.  So we jumped at the chance to get back to the Garden for a professional game.

We drove down the Henry Hudson Parkway to Manhattan from our Yonkers home with ease and parked on 9^th Avenue between 33^rd and 34^th Streets, for free thanks to Sunday parking rules.  The two block stroll was pleasant thanks to a nice breeze that cooled what had to be a 90*F afternoon and highlighted by the site of the circular structure that is the Garden with the Empire State Building in the backdrop.

The New York Liberty were playing the Chicago Sky and the game was incredible.  The WNBA is professional basketball at its best.  The players play their hearts out with an intensity that could only be maintained by people who truly love basketball.  It was great to see the teamwork and fundamentals displayed during each offensive possession as you could see each set play develop right before your eyes.  Someone who wants to learn or teach basketball should use WNBA games as visuals.  The game was great as the Liberty were down by nine at the half and clawed their way back in the last seconds of the game to win 57-54.

The fans were rabid as they cheered for the Liberty and I have been to a lot of games and never have seen so much fan excitement for a regular season game.  The fans are loyal too as we sat next to a women who drives down over two hours from Northern Connecticut to catch every weekend home game and the Liberty honored a season ticket holder who has purchased her season tickets every year since the Liberty’s creation  in 1997.  It really stuck out how much the WNBA interacts with its fans.  They have fan contests between every quarter.  They have several raffles throughout the game.  Most commercial breaks pass with dance shows performed by very talented kids who also launch t-shirts into the crowd.  Half time entertainment included a Zumba Fitness demo performed by 160 instructors and members.  Overall, the entertainment level is high and well worth the price of admission with tickets ranging from $10 to  $260 per ticket for the Liberty.

It didn’t take long before my husband and I were screaming for “our” Liberty and my daughter was dancing on her seat and cheering “Let’s Go Liberty” and “De-Fense” with the PA Announcer.  We also received passes to an autograph session after the game but had to leave before it started. Luckily those passes are good until August so we may be able to use them again.

The first thing we did when we got home was to start planning our next game.  I plan on picking up season tickets next season because we are hooked.  If you are looking for excellent family fun then the WNBA is for you.

* thanks to my husband who helped write this review.

Disclosure Policy: Compensation Level I: Kristina Brooke received three tickets to the WNBA game. All content is solely her own and review is based on her own experiences. For more information regarding disclosure policy at Mom on the Rise please see http://www.mom on the rise.com/about/disclosure.

June 4th, 2010

The fall of the gracious winner and the reflective loser

There is nothing that bothers me more than a parent who believes that their child can not engage in healthy competition for fear of losing. It’s sad really. Competition has become such a feared thing that parents will do what ever it takes to ensure that losing is a thing of the past.

Take for example the movement to reward every child with a trophy despite his or her actual level of skill/progress/contribution. As someone who played competitive sports for much of her childhood and well into her adult years, I find this to be rather appalling. When I was younger I played softball, volleyball, basketball, and I ran track. I also threw the shot put, participated in the long jump, the high jump, and in the triple jump. And while basketball volleyball and softball came somewhat naturally to me, distance running was not my forte and I was below average in jumping. The truth is that I lost some of the events in which I competed. Yet, I succeeded in others and never once did I or my mother demand that I be rewarded when my skills were not up to par. And what is wrong with that? What does that teach? I grew up knowing that in order to be rewarded for anything in life, you had to work hard, you had to show progress, and that often times there would be people who were far better at things than I. That is called character. That is called reality.

What is happening lately is that parents have decided that children are far too fragile to learn some of the most basic and necessary lessons in life. We have become a culture that celebrates mediocrity and provides children with a false sense of perfection. In essence we are creating what is rapidly becoming our own downfall. We are no longer raising individuals who were strong in character and possess the strong work ethic that once made this nation great. We are raising children who were becoming accustomed to everything being easy and to being rewarded for doing the minimal amount of work possible.

I have numerous trophies and medals that I won while participating in competitive sports. They are in my closet in a crate and serve as a reminder that if I work hard I can achieve great success. My daughter, who recently turned four, loves looking at them. One day she said to me, “Mommy, I want a trophy.” I responded, as most mothers would, by saying, “here, have one of mine.” Her response made me realize that my husband and I are doing a good job. She said, “No Mommy I want to win one of my own.”

This is the attitude that I wish to cultivate and this is the attitude that I wish more parents would pass down to their own children. This attitude. when combined with the understanding that winning isn’t everything, fosters a sense of pride and teaches children not only to be gracious winners but reflective losers as well. When we can teach children that hard work has its rewards and that no one wins all the time, then we can create children who work hard to accomplish their goals. In addition, helping children learn that they are better at some things then they are at others is a lesson that will give them confidence and strength to at least try.

*originally posted on Moms of Hue

June 2nd, 2010

Product Review: Incredibeds are Simply Incredible

My family was recently given the opportunity to review an amazing new product in children’s beds. Incredibeds are lovable over-sized stuffed characters who are sure to provide your child with one of the coolest bedrooms around. I was excited about this product because recently my daughter has been experiencing horrible nightmares and has been running into our room in the wee hours of the morning looking for comfort between mommy and daddy. And as you can imagine, sometimes the timing is a bit off. So when we were asked to review the bed, I joyously agreed hoping that this would provide her with some much-needed security. My daughter thought so too, and as we look through the images on the Incredibeds website, she became very excited at the idea that one of these beautiful characters would soon be hers.

We received Daisy last week but were awaiting the arrival of my daughter’s new twin mattresses. Luckily, despite the three-day weekend, she did not have to wait long. My husband was able to pick-up the mattresses from my mother-in-law’s house and bring them home Monday after work. I spent most of Monday cleaning and rearranging her room to accommodate the new bed. It was a rather big job as no matter how often I clean her room it seems she accumulates more stuff than it can possibly hold. By the time my husband and I finished cleaning and rearranging, breaking down furniture, and sorting through the toys (many of which she never plays with) it was rather late at night and my we were not looking forward to setting up the bed. Nonetheless my husband and I put on a big girl and big boy panties and marched on.

It wasn’t an easy task at first. The bed comes in three pieces which ultimately end up being the right and left side of the characters body and the head. Included are also four pillows and two foam tubes that need to be stuffed inside the body to create the shape. All pieces are connected via zippers providing a mattress cover with arms legs and a head. We watched the video available on the Incredibeds website to learn how to put the bed together, but because we were so exhausted it seemed like a near impossible task. The truth is when all was said and done, putting the bed together was actually quite simple. It does require a bit of patience and a second person to help you lift and fit  the pieces as needed and future buyers of the bed will receive it with the pillows already in the appropriate spots. This will  save parents a lot of time when putting the bed together. A word of advice, the beds come with four lifts that are supposed to be attached to the bottom of the box spring lifting it slightly off the floor and making it easier to slide the box spring around. Use them! We did not and the task of putting the bed together was made more difficult because of our lack of compliance.

So what do we think of the beds?

These beds are absolutely adorable. Not only are they original, the Incredibeds are also cuddly, and beautifully made. While some parents may think that young children will be scared because of the size, trust me when I say that kids will be absolutely delighted to have such an oversized friend keeping them warm. If you don’t believe me just watch the video below and check out my daughter’s reaction to her wonderful new bed. Her first night sleeping in the bed was the best night of sleep for us in a long time. She did not wake up once. Even when I sneaked into her room to take a picture of her sleeping, she did not budge. Maybe it’s the comfort of the twin mattresses, but my best guess is that Daisy offers her protection and the big loving arms of a Mama Bear.

Incredibeds are available for purchase(here’s a coupon for you) via that website. You have a choice of male or female T-Rex, Bear, or Dog. In addition, the BedJammies (or sheets) come in a variety of styles from solid colors to cute printed designs.

Disclosure Policy: Compensation Level I: Kristina Brooke received one Incredibed for review. All content is solely her own and review is based on her own experiences. For more information regarding disclosure policy at Mom on the Rise please see HTTP://www.mom on the rise.com/about/disclosure.