Name: Jamie

City: Sachse

Marital Status: married

Mom to: 3.5 month old daughter, Ava Grace and 19 month old son, Dylan.

Occupation: legal assistant by day, student by night

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
We just rented Juno. Since it is about such a controversial issue, I thought they did a great job at making it an entertaining and funny movie.
I’m looking forward to me and my husband’s date night—although now I can’t decide between Batman and Tropic Thunder!

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Receiving blanket, pacifier, lamp, phone, political theory school book, and alarm clock (set to the highest decibel possible)!

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
“Eat your vegetables!” Once my children get a little older, I’m sure this statement will be followed by “do as I say not as I do.”

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
Last night, I made a chicken pasta salad and fruit salad – both quick and easy, which is really the only kind of meal I can prepare right now!

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got? Who gave it to you?
The best piece of advice I received from my mother would be to follow your motherly instinct. When she told me this I had just given birth to my son, and I told her I was a new mother and have no
idea what my instinct should be! Of course, you grow and learn and, in time, every mother knows what it means. I went from a paranoid, hypochondriac new mother calling the nurse every other day, to trusting my “instinct”.

What are three products that you could not live without (e.g., your journal, your Blackberry, your facial moisturizer – anything you use constantly!)
Right now, the top three products I use weekly if not daily are (1) a pacifier to calm both me and
Ava Grace, (2) a wonderful site where I create my children’s baby books called
www.bigdaybooks.com–it’s a complete savior for working moms, and (3) Nailtiques nail protein –
because I wouldn’t have nails without it!

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
I think if I could create a product today, it would have to be a machine that not only makes you feel refreshed and tireless, but also one that gets rid of pesky facial wrinkles and dark eye circles—all while sleeping for only five hours! It could also shave off a few pounds here and there, as well as give a manicure/pedicure, oh, and also do my makeup and hair before I wake for the day…

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom? If so, how?
Definitely. Prior to having children, I was driven to work hard and always set my own personal standards high. Now that I have my babies, I’m thinking law school can wait another 5 or 6 years!

What do you do in your “me”-time? How do you protect it?
I have a newborn and one and a half year old—what exactly is “me” time again!?! I do have a girls’ night twice a month, and I get away for a quick and easy mystic tan or pedicure here and there. The simplest (and quickest) things make me happy!

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
If you would have told me three years ago that I would have two children at age 30, I would tell you there was no way possible! Having little ones only 15 months apart is quite a challenge, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way.

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that no words could ever come close to describe being a mother. It’s the most rewarding and most stressful role that a woman could ever have! The movie Parenthood explains it
perfectly when they say it is like riding a rollercoaster, and you are either one who likes the unpredictability, or one who prefers the merry-go-round. If you’re a rollercoaster fan, you have to learn to let go and enjoy the ride…bumps and all

Thanks, Jamie, for sharing a bit about yourself with our Mom readers! If anyone else would like to get a copy of our MOMumental Mom Questionnaire, please email us at MOMumentalMom@momsoutloud.com!

Name: Missy

City: Plano

Marital Status: divorced

Mom to: 18 year old daughter, Sarah and 16 year old son, Scott.

Occupation: Elementary school teacher, 3rd grade

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
Just saw Mamma Mia and had a fun time singing old Abba songs & wishing I could afford to go to Greece!

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Four unfinished bestsellers, a lamp, a phone, and my brain (a pad of paper & a pen)

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
“I shouldn’t HAVE to tell you to pick that up!” followed shortly by “Oh my goodness, I’m my mother!”

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
Cooked a crock pot roast last night and made gravy & mushrooms this morning. I do this about once or twice a year….

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got? Who gave it to you?
“Just wait a couple of weeks.” Given to me by my mom when my kids were infants and I thought I couldn’t live through whatever they were going through at that time—hunger, teething, etc. She taught me to hang in there & usually whatever is happening passes, & that I would survive it, and she was right!

What are three products that you could not live without?
My computer—email is my contact with the outside world; elastic waistbands (there’s a reason they call it ‘middle’ age); and Nestle Creamer—I must have a hot cup of tea with it every morning!

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
I would like to have a day extender, you know, that gives you two extra hours each day in which you could sleep, exercise, or do whatever it is you just don’t have enough time for in the regular 24-hour day.

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom? If so, how?
Of course, it’s all about money & status before kids, and then after that, it’s all about passing your newfound ideas about success on to your kids and celebrating them each and every day for who they are at that moment in time.

What do you do in your “me”-time? How do you protect it?
When possible, I like to spend time in or near a body of natural water or watching a nice cozy indoor or outdoor fire. If time, I like to travel. It is really hard to find me time once the school year starts, but I protect it by saying no to certain people and projects and by letting my housework slide (understatement) so I have down time.

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
Well, for one I thought I’d be married, but other than that I think my path has rendered me more wise and mature and unselfish. One dream that has come true is that I have successfully raised two well-adjusted kids who can cope with life and still love to be around their mother!

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that if you do it right, it is both the hardest and absolutely most rewarding choice in the world. Plan to learn a lot about yourself, and plan to find out what unconditional love really means.

Thanks, Missy, for sharing a bit about yourself with our Mom readers! If anyone else would like to get a copy of our MOMumental Mom Questionnaire, please email us at MOMumentalMom@momsoutloud.com!

Bring your girls out in their fanciest Nancy clothes for some fun activities and fancy snacks. Hosted by the Learning Express stores in Plano and Frisco, you and your girls will have a great time! Pre-registration required, $10 per child. More details below in image.

EveryOne’s A Star Premier Night

Wed, August 20, 2008

5pm – 9pm

200 Fitness Court, Coppell, TX

Contact Phone: 972.471.2345

This fun-filled, family-oriented event is designed to show off the new programs and excitement happening at the place where we grow stars, because, “EveryOne’s a Star at Everybody Fits.”
The event, “EveryOne’s A Star Premier” will highlight new programs, bigger stars and more ways to find the star within each child. From Hip Hop to Tumbling, Acting to Singing, find your hidden star within our walls. Whether you want to be on stage or just learn to drive to see the stars at the movies, we have it all at EveryBody Fits.
EveryBody Fits will be shining with new programs, classes, and talent. Come for activities and performances by all programs, including Texas Dreams Gymnastics, NTA Taekwondo, the dance studio, Texas Theatre Academy, Play for Sport Fitness, and Kid Fit, our new fitness and conditioning program designed just for kids.

Meet the US Gymnastic National Team and 2008 US Olympic Training Team member Chelsea Davis.

Find out more about Cathryn Sullivan’s Acting for Film which has nurtured such stars as Cody Linley (Hoot), Demi Lovato (Camp Rock), and Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) – (all three just named as TV’s Next Teen Idols) – and Madison Pettis (Game Plan). Prospective and current students come from throughout the state and Dallas area.
There will be food, contests, prizes, karaoke, auditions, a photo booth and you might just see a couple of stars. The night will also kick off the Tyson Fitness Challenge, with proceeds benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network.

How did this happen? Well, I have to thank Marta Frey, the Director of the Small Business Development Center at the Collin County Community College District. When Moms Out Loud was but a speck of an idea (and I was still employed, which must not have conveyed into the article), I met with Marta and “pitched it” to her for her reaction. She very politely told me that it sounded like a great idea, but that I may be a tad too aggressive in my assumptions on how fast it could launch and take hold. (Me? Expectations too high? Strange, I’ve never heard that before.) Anyway, she, and the SBDC, have remained a great resource as I’ve gotten my business going. On her recommendation, Kim called me for an interview.

So, I met with Kim Nguyen over a Starbuck’s blended lemonade last week (a great reason to go to Starbuck’s…like I need another reason to go to Starbuck’s) and had a wonderful discussion. She wove it into a nice article profiling the trend of Moms (like so many I now know) opting out of corporate life and into something they are passionate about that provides them more flexibility to balance their family and career. Overall, I think she nailed it, even though there was some appropriate “poetic license” used (on my part, at least). And now I feel like I have four more comrades on this entrpreneurial ride I’m on, which is great. (Check out the Teacher Depot in Frisco, Dawn Michelle Photography, Homemaker CEO, and The Executive Organizer.)

There is only one place I feel like I really have to correct the article, which says MOL is targeted to Moms who stay at home. In fact, Moms Out Loud is targeted to all Moms, not just those who stay home. One of the great things about the way we’ve scoped Moms Out Loud is that any Mom can find something useful in it, whether it be the reviews of local businesses, the local events calendar, the Mom/parenting content, or the social networking. And every mom as an individual will probably use it differently than other Moms. So, I hope every Mom from every walk of life will use it and find it helps solve some of the hassles in her life.

And thanks again, Kim, for a great discussion and for spotlighting some of the great Mom-owned businesses here locally.

“I have seen the future – and it is Frisco!”

I thought, GREAT! Finally the North Dallas suburbs are getting some positive press from the hyper-critical Dallas denizens. Before getting excited, I should have paid more attention to the full caption, which was: “The Invisibles / I have seen the future – and it is Frisco.” To save you all the time of reading the full article, the author (quite wittily, by the way) argues that when they look for people to populate outer-space, they will come to Frisco, because these are the people who have no sense of place: “You will need a race of people who have been toughened up to life in Nowheresville. People whose idea of a meaningful landmark is Starbucks. People for whom an address is a code registered with Mail Boxes Etc. People from Frisco!”

There are many facts the author points out that I can’t argue with – yes, our neighborhoods tend to look a bit alike….yes, we have a lot of franchised retail places….yes, our physical environment can be a bit generic and mass-produced. There are even more Starbucks per capita in Frisco than in Seattle. (It’s true – I did the math.) Before I actually moved to Plano, I had sworn I would never move to Plano. OK, OK….so I was a bit hypocritical: I lived in Dallas – a place with no soul – and judged Plano as a place with no soul. Ha ha.

Then I had kids. Suddenly, convenience trumped trees.

So, Dallas Observer, while I agree with you that people in Frisco (and Plano, and Carrollton, and McKinney, and Allen, and Coppell, and Flower Mound, and Grapevine, and Southlake, and other Dallas suburbs) are just the sort you would want to count on to colonize new places due to our resilience and willpower, the problem is:

We Won’t Go, because you can’t beat what we’ve got here.

While our physical environment may not be the most naturally beautiful (although anyone who’s been to McKinney would disagree), we have the most amenities and conveniences around. Now that I’ve lived in Plano (your “suburban fringe, the nowhere of Dallas”) for three years, let me share with you just why I think the Dallas suburbs are the best things going.

1. Financially friendly.

The hard financial data agrees, you really can’t do better than those of us living in Texas. Our cost of living indexes at 92.7 to the national average (at 100), and while gas prices might be pinching our wallets, our economy is still healthier than most other parts of the country right now. Texas as a state was awarded 13 of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in Money Magazine’s 2008 List. 10 of those cities – all of them suburbs, by the way – were in the Dallas area: McKinney, Carrollton, Richardson, Allen, Denton, Euless, Lewisville, Frisco, Garland, Grand Prairie. That means the Dallas area alone has more Top 100 cities than any other STATE, since Minnesota and New Jersey were both behind Texas with 9 cities each on the list. My only complaint is that they should have included Plano on the list as well….surely an oversight since they included all the cities that border Plano – whoops, excluding Dallas.

2. The weather

OK, I am writing this on one of the hottest days of the year (102 degrees), yet still I put weather high on the list. Yes, it’s hot. That’s what pools are for. And, thankfully, they are plentiful up here in the ‘burbs, whether in your own backyard, a neighbor’s, in your community, or at any of the swank new parks & recs facilities we have, like the Tom Muehlenbeck Center in Plano. We average 232 days of sunshine a year! And winter? Well, that’s when you might have to pull out a jacket – but not very often.

3. Kid-friendly

The reason we moved to the ‘burbs in the first place – to have a family – turned out to be even more compelling than we had ever dreamed. We live in West Plano, and within 3 miles of my house, we have my children’s pediatrician, dentist, a hospital, 3 emergency clinics, their pre-school, Kiddin’ Around Playcare, the soft play area at Willow Bend Mall, The Little Gym, Young Chef’s Academy, numerous martial arts and dance studios, the Tom Muehlenbeck Center, Cool Cuts 4 Kids, and any shopping venue you could possibly want. When our kids get old enough, we’ll have their sports parks, exemplary public schools (or private, should we choose that route), and lots of bike -friendly streets to explore. And who wants to go see the Rangers when you’ve got the Frisco RoughRiders at Dr. Pepper Ballpark? And if that’s not enough to keep you busy, you can go to the FC Dallas soccer games at Pizza Hut Park.

4. The adult conveniences

When we moved north, we figured we’d have to give up the fun adult activities we’d enjoyed before kids. OK, those of you who know me….stop laughing. I have to ‘fess up, Jim and I are not the wild, outgoing types. (We did meet at the Inwood Lounge, but that was a total fluke.) But, if we were the night-life kinda people, we could find lots to do in the ‘burbs! The Shops at Legacy has some great bars (or so they seemed when we drove by and saw all the “pretty” people getting out of their cars), and restaurants abound. So do spas, nail salons and any number of places to get beautiful.

5. 20′ ceilings

We traded in the character of our Love Field-area redo, with its painted brick, shutters, wood floors, front porch, 50′ live oak tree, for …. a red brick box in Plano, that actually looks exactly like another red brick box down the street except my brick is a little maroon and theirs is a little pink. But – I have high ceilings, 3.5 baths, a master down, and a 3 car garage. My live oak is maybe 18′ high – but it will grow! And in the meantime, I can enjoy my high ceilings, big closets, and whirlpool tub.

6. Easy parking

Being a Mom means driving – a lot. So, I happen to really appreciate the big parking spaces that the new retail areas offer. Anyone who has tried to park a mini-van at Snider Plaza, Highland Park Village, or the Inwood Village knows that takes concentration beyond what most Moms can manage, especially when one kid is crying for a dropped sippy cup and another is kicking the back of your seat with his feet. Now I pull in with hardly a thought into the Costco, SuperTarget, or other parking lots. And Ikea even has family-designated parking! (Something more retailers should take note of, by the way.)

7. Easily accessible playdates and babysitters

We knew there would be a lot of kids in the ‘burbs (obviously), but had no idea how many. Maybe we got lucky, but on our street alone, we already know 3 other kids that will be in my older son’s grade in school. And another by-product of the public schools being so great is that we also have a lot of available babysitters, just in our neighborhood alone.

8. Historical downtowns are flourishing.

Anyone who has been to beautiful downtown McKinney knows it is a true gem of history and natural beauty, with restored buildings housing cute antique shops, boutiques, wineries, and restaurants. Downtown Grapevine is also a great place to explore, and Plano’s downtown is blossoming as well. Other downtown areas, like Old Town Lewisville and Carrollton have active groups working to preserve their historical landmarks. Even Frisco’s historical downtown area, which I will admit does not have as many historically significant buildings as some of the others, is in revitalization with passionate groups dedicated to preserving its charm.

9. Natural beauty is just a short drive away.

I am one of the lucky ones who can bike-ride to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve when I want some natural beauty. Other lucky ones in the Dallas suburbs might even be living within view of Grapevine Lake, Lake Lewisville, or Lake Ray Hubbard. While others of us may live in areas with more, how did the Observer phrase it?…”manufactured” beauty, many of these developments have landscaped their way to stunning – especially after the trees grow.

10. Friendships are waiting.

One of the wonderful things we’ve found about moving to the Dallas suburbs is that a lot of other neighbors are new to the area as well. We’ve made a lot of wonderful friends just in the two years we’ve been in Plano…only a handful of which have lived in the DFW area for more than a few years.

I’ve had friends who have moved to more established cities with less population growth that have had a hard time finding friends because friendships are already solidified, which sometimes makes it harder to become a part of the circle.

This picture is actually of my Bunco group – whom I LOVE! – and provides a testament to what great friendships can be developed in the ‘burbs.

So, Dallas Observer, I disagree that the suburbs are the “wasteland” you characterize them as. From my vantage point, they’re a great place to grow kids, friendships, and …. trees.

Jack has always been a pleasure to take to restaurants; we don’t go very often, so when we do he is so curious and interested in what’s happening that he just sits back and observes. Usually this means he eats A LOT (at one of my former consumer goods co’s we called this “mindless nibbling”. . . the tendency to forget how much you’re eating when you are watching TV or a video). So, while it’s great for most of the time, getting Jack out of the restaurant can be a challenge because he would be happy to sit there for hours, observing the people – particularly the wait staff who deliver the food and bus the tables as they really move fast!

Yesterday, I found the solution.

At the end of our meal – or at least at the end of everyone else’s meal, with the check delivered and paid – I try to hurry Jack along.

• Me: Jack, are you about finished?

• Jack: I’m not done. (Another bite goes in.)

3 minutes later. (Felt like 10 minutes to me, because Luke, our 1 yr old, who’d been great the whole meal had reached his limit and was alternating between eye-rubbing and attempting a high-chair escape.)

• Me: Jack, you’ve eaten so much! Aren’t you finished?

• Jack: I’m still eating. (Another bite goes in.)

3 minutes later. (Again, it felt like 10 minutes, because I had just noticed the time and we were 15 minutes past bath time already, and we still had drive/cake/presents to do before the bathtub.)

• Me: Jack, don’t forget we have birthday cake to eat when we get home.

• Jack: DONE!

We were out of the restaurant in one minute, max.

This is not the first time I’ve learned this lesson of getting your kids to transition from one activity to another by presenting them a better alternative. (OK, you might call this a bribe-gasp!) This also works to get them to do what they might consider unpleasant activities. Whether it’s getting Jack to brush his teeth at bedtime (so we can read bedtime stories!), or getting him to leave the playground (we’ll have chicken nuggets for dinner!), life with toddlers – at least in my household – is a constant game of choosing the best “carrot”.

While I’ve read that certain parenting experts believe that bribing your kids scars them for life, I have to disagree. Bribing is actually quite common in adult life, I’ve found, when you need to get people to cooperate with your plans and objectives. In corporate, they call it the “what’s in it for me” method, but basically it’s a principle based on bribing: Figure out who your audience is (in this case, a toddler) and what they really care about (cake, bedtime stories), and use the promise of this reward to encourage cooperation. They just don’t call it that because bribing sounds manipulative, whereas targeting your audience appropriately is smart.

Human nature is human nature, whether you’re 3 or 30 years old. Or whether your bribe is a trip to the playground or a good performance review. I figure learning this young is actually a good thing for my boys, versus scarring them.

I just don’t want them to learn to quickly how to bribe their parents into doing what they want….though I’m suspicious my almost-3-year old is on the verge.

When I was describing to our son Jack why we were taking this trip, I found myself talking about marriage.  By the way – any of you with toddlers know that you never knowingly walk into these conversations…they just happen.  And when you look back, it’s hard to even find the thread sometimes.  But that’s what happens with a little “why” machine in the house.

Me:  Honey, when you go to school today, Mommy and Daddy are going to go on a trip.  Grandma and Ms. Leanne will put you to bed tonight.

Him:  Why?

Me:  Mommy and Daddy are celebrating being married.

Him:  What’s married?

Me:  Well, when a man and a woman decide they love each other so much that they want to be together forever and have babies, they get married.

Him:  What’s married?

Me:  Well, Mommy and Daddy are married.  Grandma and Grandpa are married.  Aunt Anne and Uncle Kerry are married….(this went on for a while, with me providing a laundry list of married couples he knows).

Him:  <very matter-of-factly> I want to marry Grandpa in two weeks.

WHAT?!?!?