I'm not Oprah, but Here are my Favorite Things

Another day home with my master cougher so I thought I'd write an unusual blog post for me. These are items that I've purchased over the past couple of years that I really love as a mom of young kids. What would have made them even better is if I hadn't had to pay for them!

So I'm providing you with a list of these items. There is a caveat. Besides the books, the kids might not squeal with pleasure over these things. So if you need that affirmation, my list isn't for you. However, their parents will (might) be happy.

Books

1. The Gingerbread Girl

by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Run to get this book appropriate for preschool and up. It's our all time favorite.

2. The Piggy and Gerald Series

by Mo Willems

I dare you not to love these books. I double dare you. These books are good for preschoolers through first grade. 

3. Running Across America: A True Story of Dreams, Determination, and Heading for Home
McGillivray, Dave
The title says it all. Primary grades.

4. Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
by Sonia Sotomayor
Also for primary grades. I read this to a class of first graders and they loved it. The book details people living with different challenges and describes them in a way appropriate for children. The kids loved it.

5. I Dissent
by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
We bought this for my daughter when she was in Kindergarten, but had I read it in advance I would have waited another year. The book is so awesome and inspiring.


Products

6. Natural Citronella Bracelets (not a specific brand)
This might be a weird gift for the holidays. However, my kids and I are mosquito magnets and use these all of the time during the summer and fall.

7. Trueocity Kids Toothbrush 4 Pack - Soft Contoured Bristles - Child Sized Brush Heads (3-10 year old) -
Yeah, if you get a kid toothbrushes for the holidays, they will probably hate you. However, their dentist will be happy.

8. Stainless Steel Lunch Box and Food Container set
and
LunchBots Medium Uno Stainless Steel Sandwich Container 

These items are a game changer for lunch and snacktime storage. They are also great to use as tupperware. 

9. CamelBak Eddy Kids BPA Free Water Bottle

Although it's annoying to have a water bottle that has parts to it, these hold up well in the dishwasher. Throw in some extra valves and straws. Good for ages 3 to 7. 

10. Mabel's Labels 

https://mabelslabels.com

Another game changer item. Buy stickers or a stamp with your kid's name on them. No more lost items. No more sewing in name tags. 

11. Ezy Dose Kids True Easy Syringe 2 TSP (10 ml) | Baby and Kids Liquid Medicine Dispenser | Infant Oral Syringe
Okay, I get it. This would be a really strange gift. However, little kids get sick. Some more than others. This product provides assurance that you are giving the correct amount of medicine

12. Physio Logic Fever-Bugz Stick-On Fever Indicator

Another weird one. But no kid likes their temperature taken. You just stick this puppy on their back, lift up their shirts, and you can see if they have a fever. I don't find the number to be all that accurate, but it helps me to determine whether or not to give my child a fever reducer. 

13. Munchkin Arm & Hammer Disposable Changing Pad - 30 Pack

When our kids were babies, we traveled on very long flights. These are very light weight and disposable, so it made our travel easier and a tad bit cleaner.

14. Paint with Water Books

This isn't a specific brand recommendation, but a type of coloring book that only requires the child to use water. It will keep them occupied for at least three minutes.

15. Sight Words Flash Cards

You need to know your "sight words" says every teacher ever. This is a great way to help out a little one to learn them. 

16. Dry Erase Workbooks

Remember when we were kids and you'd write in a workbook and then throw it away? Now there's dry-erase workbooks for kids to learn how to write letters, numbers, and more. You'll need to also buy dry-erase pens because there's no way that one pen is going to last more than a week. 

17. Crayola Washable Kids Paint, 10 Neon Paint Colors, 2oz Bottles, Gift

I'm not sure why these paints are better than any others, but I can tell you my kids love them. 

18. Microsocope for Kids or a Telescope for Kids

Schools are emphasizing science like crazy (STEM/STEAM). In addition, prior to school crushing their souls (not my school) kids still have a natural curiosity for life. These products enhance that curiosity. 

19. Sewing and Knitting Kits for Kids

Look what's back in vogue. Learning to sew and knit is all of the rage now, particularly since kids have such poor fine motor skills. Let them tack a crack at it. It might become a useful skill or a way to wind down from this crazy world. 

20. Disposable Children Placemats Stick-on Table

Admittedly, not great for the environment, but these are lifesavers if you are traveling and need to feed your kid in places that just aren't that clean. 

I hope this list was helpful. The cougher is napping, but I need to wake him up. Have a happy holiday season. 

What's really behind the Dolores-Jackie conflict on the RHONJ

I watch five shows on Bravo. One of them is The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I mostly watch as a form of escapism, and as a way to turn off my brain and focus on something totally superficial. However, sometimes I find the character arcs provide fascinating studies in human behavior, sociology, and psychology.

The last two episodes of the RHONJ delivered on all fronts, and I'm wondering if the editors crafted the storyline purposefully.

If somehow you don't know, the docudrama films several women from New Jersey who are wealthy. The women get paid fairly well to get into conflicts and attract Twitter followers. The motivation also is to have 20-something minutes a week for 21 weeks to promote whatever product the person is pushing at the time. Examples include a clothing store, cookbooks, a husband's plastic surgery practice, etc. Sometimes there's a charitable aspect to the promotion when the woman champions a philanthropy and the event is center stage for some ratings friendly drama. 

The conflict that is intriguing me is the one between Dolores Catania and Jackie GoldSchneider. At a dinner during a trip to Jamaica, it is revealed and confirmed that Dolores does not like Jackie. It's a rather rude admission based on the fact that Jackie is not Dolores's "cup of tea." Nor is she "cut from the same cloth" as Dolores and her friend Teresa Giudice.

However, when you examine the conflict closer, it is not over culture or the way each were raised. Instead it is over something they have in common: an eating disorder or at the very least an over-preoccupation with weight. Jackie, as we were told last season is a recovering Anorexic. You can practically hear the director telling the cameraman to focus in on her barely eaten plate. Jackie, the child of Jewish liberal professionals, is a writer (the show has helped her writing career), smart and sensitive. 

Dolores is tough as nails. She lives with her ex-husband and father of her children. Together they rehab houses, run a gym and have a frequent-customer card at a nearby a spray tan place.

While it's understandable that these two might not have a lot in common, what's causing conflict is their shared eating disorder. Dolores calls her ex-husband Frank to complain about being fat. She talks about being fat on the beach. She wears a cover up while her friends flaunt their bodies. She looks physically uncomfortable trying to hide whatever imperfection she perceives.

Indeed, while Jackie has addressed her issue through a dietician and therapy and admits to having a problem, Dolores languishes in self hatred. (By the way, Dolores looks great. She's very fit). However, often the parts of ourselves that we don't like are the parts in others that we find the most irritating and unbearable. Dolores hates Jackie's vulnerability, sensitivity, honesty, openness and intelligence. These very qualities Dolores wishes she could access, but can't. So what does she do? She is mean and acts like a classic bully, even imitating Jackie's voice like my preschool-aged son does. 

I hope as the season goes on, Dolores addresses her own food and body demons and apologizes to Jackie. I hope Dolores learns to love herself. 

I hope you haven't judged me too much for writing this. :)