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"Ha ha" zazzle.com An anonymous reader from Anonymousville inquires, When do men grow up? Responsibility is no fun, but once women commit, they can sacrifice, give, grow up. Most men seem to lack this capability. Well, dear reader, I feel your pain. I think every married mom has at some point muttered (or screamed, different strokes) the phrase, "It's like having another kid."  Insert "goddamnit" if applicable.  So, let's address this sad state of affairs. First, let's think about what you mean by "lack of responsibility."  I am assuming you mean something like the following, derived from a combination of client and friend complaints I frequently hear: He wants to go out like he did before we had kids.  He drinks too much at times.  He doesn't remember our plans.  He doesn't think about the kids' schedules, or mine for that matter.  If our kid is sick, I stay home or make care arrangements.  I take our child to every ap...

Hey, have you ever heard of the movie Frozen?  Ha ha ha ha.  If you are the mother of a female child on this planet, the answer is, "I go to sleep with Elsa and Anna's voices ringing in my head.  They infiltrate my dreams.  I have 'Do you want to build a snowman?' on repeat in my nightmares, edging out that one about what if I got pregnant again." So, basically, if you were a really awesome blogger that could ask for free stuff from anyone in the world, and you were the mom of two little girls, what would you ask for?  You got it, Frozen stuff. I requested and received both a Frozen hairbow and a Frozen necklace from Ducky Suppliers on Etsy . Here they are: Hello, birthday present for every little girl in preschool for the next six months. Since I am no rookie mom, I have no excuse for my stupidity in not asking for two identical things, so here is the start of a Big Fight:  http://youtu.be/b9JqIYn4uVo Here is what Clara thinks:   http://youtu.be/p_Pz...

Kristen, a reader from (yet again, coincidentally) suburban Maryland, writes: Dr. Rodman, When did you plan on having your second?  My husband and I want more kids but are unsure a bit still and don't want to wait too long.  When did you start trying after Natalia?   Kristen Well, Kristen, first of all, that's a pretty personal question. Do you also want to know what position we used?  Nosy nosy.  Just kidding there.  Don't stop following my blog.  Anyway, when I went to Natalia's 9 month checkup, I was very proud of myself and told the pediatrician that I was still nursing her something like 6 times a day and pumping a bizarre amount of milk (I would get 12 oz pumped milk after her morning feed.)  The pediatrician was not impressed and said something to the effect of, feed her more food and nurse her less because she wasn't a newborn baby anymore.   We actually used these letter books, like, all the time. #Firstbaby So then, upon hearing so...

Candice, a reader who is apparently in the same sinking ship as myself, writes, I'm about to give birth to my 3rd child in less than a week. I'm nervous for the transition for my girls. They seem really excited and ready to meet their little sister but I'm still scared. Any advice on preparation or what the transition will be like? They are 3.5 and 2.5. Should I have presents for them so it's not all about the baby? Candice, you poor soul, having three kids under 4 is no romp through a meadow of daisies, as you are soon going to see.  Been there, done that, and have the shortened life span to prove it.  But in some ways it is easier than two, because a- you just give up on a lot of stuff, and b- the older two turn into a unit and play/fight together without you needing to intervene except sometimes  when they attack each other .   So I like personalized shirts.  Some people like meth. Anyway, turning to your questions.  First I applaud your desire to look o...

George's  Restaurant in the Bay Dale Shopping Center in Arnold (1274 Bay Dale Drive) is one of the best parts about living around here.   George's  has an unassuming exterior and a kind of weird interior, it looks like a combination of an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn and a Greek traditional diner.  It also has some oddities, such as lots and lots of pictures on the walls , and silverware wrapped in saran wrap.  However, since I grew up in New York, I know that weirdness can often lead to extremely good finds. And that is the case here, my fair readers.  Don't be shy; undress your silverware and use it to eat the best Greek and Italian food around these parts. George's is kid-friendly, and although it can be somewhat cramped, there are high chairs available and the servers are very nice and accommodating toward families with children.  George's son is a good guy and he works there frequently and is very sweet to my kids.  To save you from looking...

In my continuing series of Restaurants That Won't Kick Out My Children, I come to City Dock Cafe, located at 1296 Bay Dale Drive in Arnold.  I love City Dock.  I studied for the licensing exam there when I was pregnant with my oldest child, and I always run into people I know there.  It's like Cheers, for people who have no time to socialize.  (When you think about it, Cheers never would have been made today.  Different culture. They would now be considered alcoholics. But I digress.) We love special treats! I am crazy enough without caffeine Now that I have three kids, City Dock remains a stand by for breakfast and lunch, and I go often.  The food is delicious, especially the quiche, both the spinach and the broccoli.  There are no green salads available, and I'd like to see that on the lunch menu, but the chicken and tuna salads are delicious, particularly the ones made with Old Bay.  And of course, my kids love the cookies, particularly the bla...

Today, we went to Clark's Elioak Farm in Ellicott City, which everyone knows is awesome if you live around here, by which I mean within 2 hours of this place, since it is so good that it is worth a car trip (and, as a parent of three kids under 4 1/2, I don't say that lightly). Clark's is a magical fairyland slash petting zoo and is always a good time.  We usually go in the Fall for hayrides and so forth but this time we went in the summer and it was better, despite the heat, because it was less crowded and my kids got to spend real quality time with the goats.  Check out these pictures of my happy children.  Keep in mind it was three million degrees out and they still were happy and uncomplaining for the most part. A baby with a baby goat.  Just die from the cuteness right now. Happiness is this car with eyes Much like my younger self, my daughter chooses uncomfortable shoes because they look good I commune with animals because I am a wild animal It's like being in...

Baby number one You were the first baby in the history of the world Evidenced by how we acted. Every step was videotaped. Your baby book is more detailed Than my dissertation. You were swaddled and rocked. I read The Happiest Baby on the Block 47 times. One of my 15 swaddles You said "hi" at 8 months. It is no wonder you were an early talker. I did not shut up around you, ever. Your nap schedule was made of iron and steel. If anyone tried to disturb it I attacked them physically. You had an incredibly long attention span. Even now, you have had The same preschool boyfriend all year. You loved books. If you wanted to read a book, I dropped everything. We read every board book in the world. You still love books. I cannot read Snow White anymore. That damn thing is 50 pages. The minute you had a tooth, we brushed it. It fit into the routine Between baby massage and special song. The daycare provider was astonished At how quickly you expected to be fed. At home, you waited for no...

So I got a toddler bib from The Scrap Basket on Etsy for free.  Yes, folks, this is America and all you have to do to get free stuff is write an awesome, extremely insightful, and hysterically funny blog.  Moving on from my shameless self-promotion, let me engage in some shameless promotion of Rachel and her Etsy shop.  My first encounter with Rachel was when I commissioned her to make me a fabric remote control caddy to match my couch and to hold my preposterous number of household remotes.  This is an actual email she sent me, verbatim: Hello. Actually, I plan to visit the fabric store tomorrow, and I will be happy to see if there is medium weight fabric in a blue/white or ivory.  *Would you prefer a small print, or a larger print, or maybe a stripe? *Would you want a 4-pocket size or 6-pocket size? *Would you want the whole thing in the print fabric, or would you like it maybe with print for the front and back and solid blue or white/ivory for the pockets, or...

You make everything... groovy Welcome to parenthood, when you have to interact with other humans' waste besides your own!  For free!  Also, if you act like you hate it too much, you can psychologically scar your children!  Anyway, what's the worst part about going somewhere like a fair, playground, concert, street festival, etc?   (Tough question, but try to find just one thing.) The fact that your children will immediately have to use the potty, even if they just went ten minutes ago in the house.  Often, your only choices are really wretched and trauma-inducing port-a-potties, or else returning home.  Unless you are smart enough to call it a day and go home, and I never am, you need another option. Enter you, my love, you gorgeous thing, the Travel Potty Chair .  I can wax rhapsodic about this thing for hours, but I will try to stay on task.  The Travel Potty Chair is a wonderful contraption that has lasted me through two kids (and the baby will...

What explanation is needed?  It is self-evident that my life is really similar to lots of romantic movies in a variety of obvious ways.  I will elucidate why, for those of you who have common sense. Dirty Dancing :  Baby and I are both Jewish.  She brings a watermelon to the staff cabins and I also interacted with a watermelon today making preschool lunches.  Neither of us is as good at dancing as Patrick Swayze. Gone With the Wind:   Scarlett and I both deal with chaos and utter devastation (Civil War and Reconstruction; dinner and bathtime).  We both used to look a lot better before the chaos and devastation ensued.  We both manipulate people (she uses her wiles to get financial help; I use jellybeans to get my kids to poop on the potty). If you do what I say right now you get to watch SuperWhy http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00732/SNN1304TVY-380_732262a.jpg Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:   I no longer remember anything a...

Hold onto your hats, folks, it's time for another review of a Restaurant That Won't Kick Out My Kids. This time we are headed to  The Blue Rooster Cafe  which is located at 1372 Cape St Claire Road in Annapolis, in the same shopping center as Graul's.  Now, similar to my previous review , this establishment is also located near a park, this time Broadneck Park , which has a great pirate ship themed playground, dog park, and trails.  At the risk of self-linking to the point of absurdity, Broadneck Park is also where I do Stroller Strides . Anyway, let's stick to the topic at hand, which is that, for parents, finding a good restaurant near a playground is a massive coup, similar to Iwo Jima but involving more elaborate planning. Food:   The Blue Rooster Cafe is an excellent place to bring your kids for breakfast or lunch.  For breakfast, they can have a bagel, a muffin, Banana Foster French Toast (!), eggs of any sort, or even beignets!  This is the firs...

I am starting a new blog section called Restaurant Reviews: Places That Won't Kick Out My Kids. I do not get paid or get free food for my review, although there is always a first time.  If you would like to be featured in this space, think long and hard first because this is who is coming: Keep in mind you can't hear the noise in this picture Anyway,  Annapolis Smokehouse  is located at 107 Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis which doesn't matter until I tell you it is across the street from Quiet Waters Park, aka the park with the awesome playground.  Any restaurant located near a park is a good bet for families with small kids, because then you can threaten them with not going to the playground if they don't behave.   Ambience: Annapolis Smokehouse gave my kids crayons and activity placemats and allowed us to sit outside as we requested, so as not to disturb any people who went to dinner thinking they would be able to converse like human beings.  Remember those...

Since my third and last baby was 6 weeks old, I have been attending Stroller Strides classes.  Now, this originally seemed like a really bad idea.  First of all, it is exercise, and second of all, your kids are along, so basically you're adding insult to injury.  Additionally, prior to my first class, I had not exercised in 4 years and 3 months (since getting pregnant with my oldest child) and the moms on the website pictures looked really fit. They appeared to be those mythological moms who did prenatal yoga and had to be forced by their ob/gyn's to stop running in their 9th month. I doubted they had subsisted on Entenmann's donuts and chocolate milk  for the duration of their pregnancies (I also ate some fruit). Unfortunately for me, when I gave birth to my last baby, I no longer had my rock solid excuse that if I was just going to get pregnant again, it was a waste of time to get into shape.  (This was a pretty good excuse.  It got me through close to h...