Sherry Davey
This year, with soooo many people unemployed and the number only rising, take the time to really enjoy the simple things this 4th of July. Like the freedom to read this blog and not have your text messaging stopped by pro-government, anti populist forces (hello....Iran). More importantly, really enjoy the company of your friends and family in particular your munchkins. No matter what age they are they'll always be our munchkins. And yes it's loaded with carbs but it's only potato salad. Eat it for gods sake. You can go back to the gym....or Harry.....or however you work off those calories on Monday. Happy birthday America.
BlogHer
Some might argue that, at 51, I've been middle-aged for awhile. But I feel as if I've just arrived. Here's how I know: About a month ago I went to the store and became engrossed with a beautiful baby. I watched as he interacted with his clearly pregnant mom. I figured her to be about 4 or 5 months along and I felt sympathetic--Wally and the Snapper are 19 months apart. When I bumped into the mom again in another aisle I asked her how old the baby was. He was 9 months. I nodded knowingly and asked when she was due. She wasn't pregnant.
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Blogger Knows Best Guest
photo: c. somodevilla/getty images
Yes, our favorite July Fourth birthday girl this year, of course, is the United States of America. (She's turning 233 and looks great for her age.) But running a very close second is President Barack Obama's eldest daughter Malia. She turns 11 on July 4, which is only fitting for the daughter of an American president. The White House is (of course) mum on any plans for Malia's birthday, but when her younger sister Sasha turned 8 back in June, the first fam celebrated by seeing The Lion King in London and visiting the studio where the latest Harry Potter movie is filming. Now that's a memorable birthday for a kid. (We can think of a few adults who would have enjoyed it, too.)
Here's a small sampling of some other high-profile July 4 milestones:
President Calvin Coolidge, composer Stephen Foster ("Oh, Susanna"), author Nathaniel Hawthorne, and playwright Neil Simon all share July 4 birthdays. On a more morbid, but strangely fitting note, Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on July 4. Adams and Jefferson, in fact, died on the same day--July 4, 1826.
Get more on the Fourth of July:
- Presidential Kids Match Game
- Make a Patriotic Flag Ice Cream Cake
- Fun Food Finds for July 4
- Host a Summer Party for Less
--Laura Motta
Producer, Momtourage
BlogHer
I had an addiction. I freely admit that now. It was an addiction that lasted throughout the entirety of my first pregnancy and for most of the first year of my daughter's life. It was an addiction that I could not shake, even though I had moments of clarity when I knew that the object of my addiction was not good for me. Because even though I knew that it wasn't good for me, knew that it undermined me, knew that it kept me in a state of panic, I really believed that I couldn't go on without it.
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BlogHer
I've heard a lot of arguments against paying kids an allowance in exchange for chores. Some say the children have to do chores just because they're part of the family. (Yes.) Others say it teaches children to help out just for a reward and not for the joy of helping. (Yes.) I think those things are all true. And I'll still be paying my kid an allowance to do her chores (as long as my husband agrees--it may be interesting to see his reaction this post).
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BlogHer
My five-year-old just got her last round of vaccinations until she's an adolescent. It was not pretty. This was the first year she remembered before we hit the doctor's office that there were shots involved. She also remembered how much shots hurt, how much she loathes them. I found myself explaining, for the first time, why she actually has to have them.
At least to her.
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Diane Randall
There was a time, long before he was the King of Pop or Wacko Jacko, long before Bubbles the Chimp and Neverland and that sequined glove and those molestation charges, long before all the hype -- there was a time when Michael Jackson represented family. The Black American family.
There were 9 kids in that family. Long before most of America knew his name, little black kids who loved music could rattle off the first (and middle) names of all 9 of the siblings. There were so many that we spent hours sprawled on the floor playing with album covers (remember them?), admiring their photos and boldly declaring which Jackson was "mine."
He wasn't weird back then. In fact, he was just like us.
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BlogHer
We are adamant about taking Leo on as many excursions as we can, to stores, movies, restaurants, parks, and other destinations. He is an able-bodied and energetic boy, and he likes a good adventure as long as we respect the limits of his tolerance. We want Leo to be a boy-about-town so he gets used to being part of our community, and our community gets used to him.
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momtourage.net
Even though I live in one of the largest cities in the country, I still like to indulge in what some might consider more rural pursuits. I home can all of my own jam and chutney (plus various pickled items). I knit 90% of our sweaters and winter accessories. I garden - as much as one can do with containers in a limited space. And I am seriously considering keeping several chickens in our tiny backyard. This is what I have always done and in the past friends have mainly viewed these activities as mildly interesting oddities, or a holdover from my (very) rural upbringing.
Not anymore.
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BlogHer
This time last year--just over a month before BlogHer in San Francisco--I was on bed rest. I'd given birth to Jasper a few weeks prior, and was laid up with a bad case of birthblasted nethers. I wasn't doing much other than nursing, applying ice-packs, and fretting over whether Jasper's big sister was getting enough attention. Oh, yeah, and I was mentally plotting what I would need to pack to take to BlogHer a few weeks hence.
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