Back to Life…

Back to reality. You have to excuse the absence of posts lately – but this quite legitimately can be blamed on what I have been dreading all summer – my return to work. Yes, it is here and I am in shock. I have now gone from full-time soccer mom who enjoyed baking bread for my family to full-time mom and employee who is lucky to remember to eat a granola bar in the morning. Work is upon me and leaves me feeling the same guilt and apprehension as it does every time I step back into work - welcome to the world of working moms all over the world. So though the posts will keep coming, they might just have to be a bit more brief – as family comes first, work second, and I am sad to say blogging might just have to find a smaller place to squeeze into. But keep those comments and product suggestions coming, because goodness knows working moms have little time to buy items, let alone return them, so it is important to find good, safe, and reliable items and that is what Mom’s Favorite is all about!

Five Reasons Why I am Not a “Posh Mom” (and I Am Okay With That)

Several years ago the concept of “posh mom” was born. I suppose this label was meant to be a homage to all those moms out there that continue to possess style even once the little bambino is born. I believe the other day I ran into one of these “posh moms” and quickly understood I did not belong in this camp (not that I ever thought I did). I ran to the grocery store to pick up two items – wearing what could only be described as “my comfy clothes.” Did I look in the mirror before I left? Of course not. Did I put on makeup? No way. Was I wearing high heels? Nope. So needless to say I probably didn’t look my best, but I was only going to be gone five minutes, and I felt lucky to get away sans family for even that long. As I scurried aisle to aisle I heard my name and cringed in response. Please don’t tell me someone knows me here. I kept my eye on the cereal aisle full swing ahead when I heard my name again. Here we go…When I turned around there she was in all her posh glory – an acquaintance from work daintily pushing her two kids in the cart, wedge sandals and all, her tiny clutch held in her newly manicured hands (who carries a clutch with two kids in tow???). And then I knew that forever there would be a division between “them” and “us” – “poshs” and “nots.” As we chit-chatted I tried to end the conversation quickly and made the 200 yard dash to my car to see what I looked like – and it was not pretty. As I pulled away I saw many other “posh moms” heading into the store and after looking at them I knew there were at least five reasons that I was not, and could never be, one of these…

5. I don’t own, and never intend to own, anything Bugaboo. No offense to the company or anyone that owns one of their products, I am sure they are great, but who needs a $800 stroller that doesn’t even come with all the accessories?

4. I venture out sometimes wearing tennis shoes. I actually try not to wear them unless I am running but if I know I have a lot of errands to do I slip them on and hope nobody looks down.

3. I don’t see a diaper bag as an accessory – I see it as having a specific function – holding all of our junk. My diaper bag has milk stains, crumbs in the pockets, and other sticky substances in it. Yes we wash it, but it looks beat up and I am of the belief that is what it is for.

2. I am lucky to get out of the house with chap stick on, let alone a full face of makeup.

1. I don’t have a nanny, cook, gardener, manicurist, or personal trainer. I am not saying posh moms have all of these things – but I think many just might. I get my hair cut twice a year and have never had a manicure (seriously).

So why am I okay with this? I guess it is because I feel that I am like most moms out there – I am just trying to survive and keep our family healthy, happy, and safe. I know that to get everyone in the car and actually get somewhere on time might mean not having time to comb my hair until I am in the car (and probably without a brush). Most other moms get it because that is their life too. It is not that those in the “unposh” category don’t have style, but we sometimes sacrafice because of the daily realities of our life – and that is a very authentic experience. So yes, I am not posh but I am really okay with that.

Averting a Garage Sale Disaster

I have only hosted one garage sale in my life – and it was a bit of a disaster. Yes, we made money but I ended up giving away almost everything we had in the house. I walked through taking old pots and pans out of the cupboards and throwing a tag on them – hoping to get rid of as much accumulated stuff as possible. In the end I probably spent all the money I earned on new items to replace the old ones I had just sold. I had people showing up at 5 a.m. knocking on the door asking when we were going to start.  I under-priced most items and overpriced a few. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was an amateur at all this and we just started giving things away instead of trying to sell them. Well as times get more economically tight, we have talked about pooling together with some friends and having a joint garage sale. I am not sure if I can face another garage disaster, but before venturing into this domain again, I felt the need to look for a “dummies guide” to garage sales. Luckily for me, I just caught a version of this on Good Morning America and am happy to pass the link on. There are some good tips here for averting a garage sale disaster.