-For a limited time, method (one of my favorite companies!) is offering a “mid-summer salad kit” filled with a few of their best-selling cleaners at 20% off. You’ll get an all purpose spray, dish soap, hand wash and a soy candle, all for just $16! (They’re also offering 50% off shipping when you purchase $50 or more.) For more information, visit the method site.

And

-Zagat Survey® and GlaxoSmithKline are giving away FREE copies of Out & About with Allergies: An Insider’s Guide to Enjoying the City. The guide highlights restaurants, rooftop bars, and outdoor attractions in 20 cities across the country reviewed “Zagat style”. The guide also includes tips to make spending time in the fresh air easier for adults and children with nasal allergies. The guide, which will be mailed to you, is available at www.outandaboutwithallergies.com.

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-Recently, Congress agreed on an act to restrict phthalates from toys and children’s products. This ban (if not vetoed by the White House) would take effect in six months. Read about it in this msnbc article.

-There always seems to be some controversy or another in the parenting area. Recently, a BabyTalk article, Breastfeeding Controversy: Milk Sharing, is creating quite a stir. The question posed was “Would you nurse another mom’s baby?” Then real moms and “experts” shared their opinions. I say “to each their own (within reason)”. As for me personally, I say “No thanks. That’s not my cup of tea!”

-If you are looking for more online reading pleasure, view this Top 100 Parenting and Child Rearing Blogs list that was compiled by X-Ray Technician Schools. (I have NO idea what the link is between x-ray technician schools and parenting, but I like a lot of the blogs on the list.)

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Back in May, I wrote a post called “A Final Farewell” - One of My “Good Cries”. It was about Dr. Randy Pausch, a college professor who was dying of pancreatic cancer. He had given a popular, inspiring lecture about living life to the full.

I was sad to learn that he passed away on July 25th. If you haven’t watched it already, you can see Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams on YouTube. It’s a little over an hour. He also wrote a book The Last Lecture based on the same principles.

My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends…

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TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION was released as a 7 discs set on July 22nd (SRP: $61.99). Below, Mom in the City member Lesley Thompson reviews the set.

Well, since Michael Bay’s “Transformers” came out last year, there has been a lot of buzz in my house. My husband, who grew up on the Transformers in the 80’s, feels like a kid again and has the best excuse in the world to buy all of the new action figures: “Honey, the kids will love them!!!” Of course, our kids do love them. In fact, they can’t get enough of them. So, I was very excited to get the “Transformers: Cybertron” DVD set for them. Imagine this: 7 discs, 52 episodes, and over 1000 minutes of action. What more could one ask for?

So the bottom line, if your kids aren’t really into Transformers, I wouldn’t buy this. But if they love it the way my kids do, then they will probably enjoy this DVD set.

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The July issue of Parents magazine was especially great. (There’s still a few days left to pick it up if you like.) I especially liked the following three articles:

-Read Your Child’s Mind (page 44): This is a really informative article about focusing on your kid’s feelings as a major part of your parenting discipline. The techniques are broken down by age (babies, toddlers, preschoolers, ages 5 to 8 and ages 9 to 12). I couldn’t find an online excerpt.

-What your doctor, babysitter, preschool teacher, and all the other pros in your life really wish you knew — but wouldn’t dare say to your face! (page 90): This cover story has a lot of useful advice. I especially liked the input from the preschool teacher since Michael will be starting preschool in the fall. I intend on doing what she advised and asking his teacher for a list of things she would like for the classroom — it shows that you care about the whole class, not just your child. (This article is online as a slideshow.)

And

-Carnival Party (page 106): I like to plan ahead. At the end of Michael’s “Pirates & Princesses” birthday party in March, I started thinking about whether or not he would get a big one next year. This year was fine, because Sean didn’t really understand the concept of parties, but there’s no way that we’re throwing two big parties two months in a row (Sean has a February birthday). So, I was thinking that if we do have something big, it would have to be a combined party that both the kids and their respective friends would enjoy. I started thinking of a “Coleman Family Carnival” type get-together. So, I was especially happy to see these fantastic “Carnival Party” birthday ideas. Of course, I’ll have to alter some of the ideas (due to city space limits) but they’re very cute. On a totally irrelevant note, it just so happens that the little boy whose party is featured in the magazine is named Michael too… (This article is online as a slideshow.)

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Okay, not really. I DO have a soft, fluffy towel that I won’t let anyone else in my home touch though. I’m even careful about not snagging it with my engagement ring. (Lately, I’ve noticed that I have snagged many of my towels by forgetting to take off or flip around my rings…)

On a side note, I have stopped doing my monthly “Seven Favorite Things” list for now. Rather, I’ll just post about my faves as they come up. The Bamboo Towel from The Company Store is officially one of my favorite things. There are few things that are better than slipping a soft, comfy towel around myself after taking a relaxing bath or shower. On the environmental side, I like that the towels are made of bamboo (30% cotton /70% bamboo), the fastest growing woody plant in the world. I’m not sure how they make something so soft out of bamboo, but it feels nice to be able to do something good for both myself and the environment at the same time!

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When my husband and I take the kids away on vacation, I always look for three things…two for the kids (a children’s museum and a zoo) and one for me (the local food)! (My husband isn’t left out though…he already has in mind what he wants to do.)

From last Thursday until this morning, my family has been in Greensboro, NC for a family wedding. Beforehand, we had a plan. Thursday, we would just relax and go out to eat. Friday, we’d go to the zoo and out to eat. Saturday, we’d go to the children’s museum and the wedding later in the day. Sunday, we’d go to church and a family brunch and then go home. Of course, things didn’t go as planned.

(Sean in motion — running in the airport)

I knew that we were in trouble when my husband started shaking uncontrollably on the plane. He had a serious case of the chills (which later turned into a fever) and I was at a lost when we reached Greensboro. Fortunately, we were traveling with a family member who was being picked up, because my husband was in no shape to drive the rental car that we had waiting for us at the NC airport. Thank God for family! An uncle drove us in the rental car to our hotel. (In my mind: “This is why I should have taken driving lessons at the beginning of the summer instead of waiting until the end.”) Before we could leave though, I needed to put the two car seats in the rental car. My husband and I looked at each other and laughed…I have never installed a car seat! Fortunately, the rental ones had clear instructions and were nothing like our permanent ones. I did it (one anyway)! (In my mind: “I have got to learn to do the things that I always take for granted my husband will do!”)

So, we get to the hotel and are pretty much stuck there until Friday. After rest and medicine, my husband felt a bit better. Instead of going to the North Carolina Zoo, we went to a smaller nearby museum/zoo, The Natural Science Center of Greensboro. It worked out great though…sometimes smaller is best. Michael was especially excited to see the tigers up close.

(Our favorite part of the center - the tiger)

We decided to skip the Greensboro Children’s Museum on Saturday so that my husband could be well rested for the wedding. (On a sidenote, you can go to many children’s museums - like this one- for free if you have an ACR membership from another children’s museum such as CMOM.) For lunch, we went to this popular place called Smokey Bones. They had the best pulled pork barbecue that I’ve ever tasted. I felt so badly for my husband, because his taste buds were “off”. He couldn’t enjoy the flavor of anything. Oh…that pork along with mashed potatoes and gravy…I was in foodie heaven! My husband and I joked that I would be a “Big Mama” if we were ever to move to North Carolina. (I also had a great chicken fried steak the night before. Those North Carolina cooks are amazing!)

(To cut back on unnecessary calories, I didn’t eat the bread…)

The wedding (the reason that we went to NC in the first place) was very beautiful. It was formal though and I was horrified when Sean started trying to “sing along” with the opera singer performing “The Lord’s Prayer”. We got him out of there and quick! Michael loved meeting extended family at the wedding and reception. He took his Dad’s hand and said, “Let’s go. I want to meet EVERYBODY”. (He almost did!)

(No pictures please!)

By Sunday, we were ready to go home. My husband had almost fully recuperated. We went to church and then to brunch at a family member’s home. We were expecting to leave from there for our 4ish flight home. Wrong again! At around 2pm, my husband gets a message from Delta…all of the flights to LaGuardia for the rest of the day had been canceled. We had been switched to a 6am flight on Monday. Since the delay was due to weather conditions, we were on our own…no assistance from Delta. It all worked out though. Everyone else but the NYC crew had already left, so we all just stayed over my husband’s aunt’s house. Then, one more “hitch in the giddy up” – both of my sons got sick with fevers. Michael vomited (thankfully, not on anything!) and both he and Sean were knocked out! It all worked out though. We all got up around 3am to catch our flight and (yay!) safely made it back home this morning. It’s good to be back home!

(My guys…Reggie, Michael & Sean)

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Earlier this year, in I Resolve to Make My Own Goals in 2008, I wrote about two personal goals that I had made this year (weight loss and learning to drive).

Yesterday, I did my body test on the Wii Fit. I was happy to see that since mid-May (when I first received the system), I have lost 11 pounds. Depending on whom you ask, that’s not bad – a little over a pound a week. The great thing about it is that I have met my personal weight loss goal (10 pounds) PLUS 1 (yay!).

The best part is that I haven’t felt deprived at all! I still eat the yummy foods that I like (Shake Shack!)…just in smaller portions and less frequently. I also haven’t had to turn into an exercise extremist. Tae bo & Wii Fit (when they worked in my schedule) coupled with “running” around the city with two kids (that has to count as strength training and aerobics!) was it! In any event, I’ll share the specifics when I have more time. I just wanted to keep you in the loop and say “thank you” for all of your support and encouragement!

Now on to my next goal…driving lessons….

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My son Michael is fascinated with WALL.E. When the movie opened, he went with his father and some friends. When he came back home, he taught his little brother to say “WALL.E!” like the robots in the movie and started talking about the Wall-E items that he wanted. I’m like, “maybe for Christmas”. He already has enough things and his tastes change so quickly.

Yesterday I received a package from DHL. It contained a WALL.E t-shirt, poster, action figure and sound book. It turns out that I won a prize from a New York Family contest that I entered a couple of weeks ago. In addition, Michael has another WALL.E t-shirt and cooler from a work event that we attended. Oh well, I guess that it is Christmas in July.

Later, when my husband Reggie found out about Michael’s WALL.E gifts, we laughed together. Michael has a way of attracting things that he wants. Really! He’ll say something like, “I want some strawberries” and without asking/before I can go to the store, a friend or family member will come by with…that’s right – strawberries! It’s insane.

Part of me wants to see if it works for the whole family. In my mind, I’d like to say:

-“Michael, don’t you want a brownstone?”

-“Michael, don’t you want Mommy to go away for a spa vacation at Miraval?”

-“Michael, don’t you want Mommy and Daddy to hit the lottery (that they’ve never played)?”

I don’t try to influence his prayers/requests though. I don’t want to mess with the purity (not selflessness, but purity!) of his asking.

On the flip side, my husband is like, “We’d better be careful!” If it were up to Michael, we’d have four kids (one more brother and one sister); a dog and a house full of video games (yikes!).

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Yesterday, the boys and I met up with another mom friend and her daughter. We met up at the Sandbox Sing-along at Heckscher Playground (the largest playground in the Park). In this FREE series, Moey’s Music Party performs at various playgrounds on Tuesdays and Thursdays until August 14th.

The show was great. The kids were able to participate with the pompoms and maracas that were handed out. At this particular outing, there was Moey on the guitar along with another guitarist and a drummer. The songs included some kid-friendly tunes like “Wheels on the Bus”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, etc. There was a lot of shaking/running/jumping & jiggling going on!

The only “not fun” part was when Sean (my now 17 months old son) went missing for around 10 seconds. In the time that it took from me to pan my Flip camera from Sean shaking the pompoms to my friend and her daughter to Michael, he disappeared! They were all right next to each other, so when I panned the camera back, I asked, “Where is Sean?” I must admit that I began to panic. After a few seconds, I spotted his little self. He was going back in the direction of the place where the lady had just given him the pompom. For the first time ever, I strongly considered a kiddy leash! That little boy…he is so independent and so quick!

In any event, Moey was a crowd-pleaser. I recommend that you catch one of her shows (especially since the price can’t be beat!) Just remember to keep an eye on your kids…they’re so quick!

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