Going Berserk Instead of Going to Sleep

In my almost two years as a parent, I have NEVER seen anything like what I just witnessed. I tried to put my son to bed, and he went completely insane. He kicked me in the mouth (my lip is now swollen), hit me in the face and his limbs were flailing everywhere so much so that I had to move out of the way to prevent further injury to myself.

Wil is at work on the night shift and I am here with my son alone. I am really confused by the fact that someone so cute could go that berserk.

He was freaking out because he didn't want to go to bed. And (unfortunately I am so ashamed to admit) he has become completely addicted to the TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, and insists on watching thousands of episodes of it before he passes out from exhaustion on the couch on some part of my body.

What happened to my child who was virtually unaware of the television?

Anyway, I tried to put him in his bed about six times and he busted out of his room. So I tried to lay down with him in my bed and he just screamed and injured me some more. Motherhood is glamorous isn't it?

So folks, what do I do?
--How do I wean him off the crack that is television (which, by the way, I blame Wil for hooking him on)?
--How do I get this child to sleep at night, which he has stopped doing?
Please help!

BlogHer.com, An Interview With Elisa Camahort, COO and Co-Founder

I've recently seen a bunch of advertisements for BlogHer.com on various mom blogs. I checked out the site and it seemed to be a great way for female bloggers to connect and network with one another. So I went ahead and registered as a user. But I still had some lingering questions about the site, it's ultimate purpose and the history of the founders. So I contacted Elisa Camahort, COO and co-founder of BlogHer.com and she agreed to humor my curiousity in the following interview.


Could you tell us a little about yourself?

My co-founders, Jory Des Jardins, Lisa Stone and I are lucky because we come from complementary backgrounds...which meant we always had diverse perspectives to bring to any decision or discussion. I come from the high-tech space, focused on product marketing. And once I discovered the power and influence blogging and social media could have, I struck out on my own to consult with organizations about how to incorporate those tools into their overall marketing plans. Lisa was a journalist who transitioned from print to TV to online. Jory is a writer who came from a publishing business development background. We were all three bloggers first, and consultants in the space second.

What is BlogHer.com?

BlogHer.com is one of three things BlogHer does. We actually started with our annual conference in 2005, and now are doing three conferences per year. We then launched BlogHer.com to be a community and new hubs for women who blog in 2006. It's on the one hand a kind of Yellow Page, where bloggers can list and self-categorize their blogs, and on the other hand a kind of TV Guide, where our 80+ editors shine a spotlight on what women are blogging about across every topic under the sun. It's also a community site, where members can blog, connect, form groups etc. Later still we launched our BlogHer Publishing Network, where we act as publisher for over 2500 bloggers, selling their advertising and syndicating and spotlighting their headlines and content.

Why did you and your co-founders establish BlogHer?

We established BlogHer originally to answer the question we thought needed to die, namely "Where are the women who blog?"We then created a mission to create opportunities for those women to pursue education, exposure, community and economic empowerment.

What did you do before BlogHer?

Immediately before BlogHer I had my own marketing consultancy, Worker Bees. Prior to that I was in the cable broadband industry, managing product lines and their P&L.

What can females bloggers gain from your site?

It's all about our mission: You can derive *value* from BlogHer, and that value looks different for different community members. For some making money is part of the value, but for others it is about the exposure, or community connections or the inspiration.

What advice would you offer a female blogger just starting out in the blogosphere?

First: Blog about something you care so much about that you can keep with it and at it for a long long time. Second, find your tribe. Whatever you care about, there are other bloggers caring about that same subject. There is community there, and it can sustain you. Third, just remember that the Internet can amplify and widely distribute your voice. It is your personal platform. You can use it for personal, professional or political reasons, but whatever the reason...you can be heard. That can be a great thing. It is also something to bear in mind and decide ahead of time how comfortable you are with it. Being mindful of this amplification and distribution before you decide what and how to write is better than worrying about something you've said after the fact :)

BlogHer.com is owned and operated out of the San Francisco Bay area. For more information about BlogHer.com click here.

Naot Trendy: A Fabulous Spring Shoe

Spring is approaching and, while I know it's only February, when Stephanie from Yaleet Inc. asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a shoe style from Naot's spring line. I said absolutely! So here is my favorite shoe from the 2010 Naot spring line: "The Trendy."


The Trendy is a classic Mary Jane style that is extremely comfortable. It has a slight heel.

As someone who doesn't typically wear heels, I can attest that these shoes are so comfortable that I don't even notice the heel. In fact, for those of you that follow OS/NS mom, you know that I recently suffered a knee injury and have been walking around in the Naot Trendy style and feeling great in these shoes.

The Trendy is a versatile shoe. I can wear it in the classroom. As someone who works in the field of education, I am grateful for a shoe that is cute and comfortable. The kids still compliment me on my Naot Sea shoes that I reviewed back in July 2009. In addition to the classroom, I can also sport the Trendy when I'm out on the playground with my kid.

If I had to use one word to describe the Naot Trendy, I would say:


For more information on the Naot Trendy style, click here. To learn more about Naot footwear click here.

Daddddddddddddy!

I'm not sure what just happened, but my immediate reaction is that I am sad, feel rejected and unnecessary in my son's life. Okay that is a bit of an exaggeration but here's what went down:

These days, Ari (my son) has been sleeping in "my" bed with me. I've been feeling under the weather for the past day or so and Wilhelm (Ari's dad) has been taking care of him.

When I tried to snuggle with my child in the bed just now he FREAKED OUT and screamed:

"DADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYY!"

He was screaming, crying, drooling and carrying on so much that I finally gave in and shouted:

"Wil!!!!!!!!!!"With the same vehement force that he screamed "Daddy."

Wil opened the door, and I said, feeling rather defeated:

"He just wants you. There's NOTHING I can do."

I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I still sort of do. This is not fair! I gave BIRTH to Ari for G-d sake! Does he understand what I went through for nine months? This is not okay!

Rationally, I understand that sometimes kids just want their dads. But this is not rationality speaking, these are deep-seated emotions talking.

I mean, who knows WHY he wants daddy. Daddy does let him watch a hell of a lot more TV than I do, and lets him stay up MUCH later than I would. He also doesn't SEE daddy very often because daddy works nights.

But maybe there is no reason to speak of. Maybe Ari just wants his daddy. And that is what makes me feel completely inadequate.

It's A Blizzard I Tell You!

New York always seems to get the brunt of the bad weather, hence our snowy situation that occurred this weekend. My friends who live in dirty Jerz (AKA New Jersey) remained virtually untouched by white weather. In honor of the snow, I have decided to participate in Household 6 Diva's Blizzardbloghop.



It's a fun concept. Basically we introduce ourselves, as bloggers, and have the opportunity to win something interesting.

Honestly, I don't really care if I win or not, I just want to meet new folks!

I am Old School/New School Mom. My blog's purpose is about integrating traditional parenting ideas (old school) with new parenting concepts (new school).

I love hearing from others about their kids and how they dealt with challenging parenting situations.

I have a son named Ari who will be 2 years old in May.


He is pictured here with his best friend and Uncle, Egreck the cat. Egreck is named after the polish letter "Y." Because I am goofy.

Ari is just starting to become verbal after I've watched every female child around him on the playground explode with verbosity. He now repeats most everything I say, which is terrifying.

Nice to meet you all and I hope you are drinking warm beverages!

Are Dogs Like Babies?

I would like to share a disturbing thought with you. I considered calling my friend Donna.


Then I thought, it's kind of early (10:30am Sunday) but then I thought she has a dog. Dogs are like babies...they wake you up early. Dogs = babies?

So, are dogs like babies? Thoughts?

My Favorite Kosher Vegan Cookie

My friends Amanda and Jack sadly cannot eat the best cookies in the universe. So, Amanda and Jack, I would like to share with you guys a cookie that is both vegan and kosher that I adore.


I'm not vegan, but one day when I was working in Manhattan (at a vet clinic in Murray Hill) I stopped into my favorite health food store for a snack. I saw this cookie hanging out close to the cash register. It looked pretty awesome, so I tried it. Wooooah! was it amazing.

Whenever I am in a yuppie health food store or Natural Food store I look for these suckers. They are so yummy!

For more information on the Boston Cookie company, click here.

Addendum: My best friend Mint was sad that I forgot her in this post. She is allergic to milk! But she can eat these!