video Archives

How I Learned To Blog and Met Katie Couric

April 10, 2008

My blog was broken for the past three days. You could see this screen. But I couldn't log in to make any changes. Every time I tried, I got an error message written in code. It made no sense at all. Sadly, my husband-- a.k.a. tech support-- was away.

I grew up using a typewriter. My first computer, a Mac SE, didn't have a hard drive. There was a time when I didn't see the point of email. I still remember the sound of a dial-up internet connection. Hence my confusion the past few days. This internet thing doesn't always come naturally to me.

So I'm sometimes a little surprised that I run this blog and have even joined a new blogging network called the New York Moms Blog. (NY Moms Blog is part of a national moms blogging network, with sites devoted to Silicon Valley, Chicago, Washington, DC, New Jersey and even "50 Something" moms.

Last week, I joined some of these moms for a field trip to visit Katie Couric, the CBS Evening News Anchor. We were blogging evangelicals, and it seems we've got a new ally. On her own blog, Katie wrote:

These bloggers have found a way to stay engaged, to stay active, and, in some cases, build successful second careers in the online world. And, if and when mommy bloggers want to return to the workforce, the blogs are a natural networking tool.

It makes you wonder, how did we do this before the Internet?

Katie even posted a video of our visit on her own YouTube channel. Here it is:

By the way, in case you're wondering how I solved the problem with this blog, here's a brief history:

Step 1. Try to log onto Moveable Type, the publishing platform for this blog. Get an error message. Wonder...If I can't log on, how can I ask MT to fix the problem?

Step 2. Find an old email from MT. Write to that address and beg for help. MT tells me to contact my web host.

Step 3. Who is my web host? Send an email to an address I dig up from old, saved emails. The answer, in a nutshell, "We aren't your web host, we sold you your domain name, mamaknowsbreast.com."

Step 4. Find an Amex bill and locate a charge from some company that sounds vaguely like a web host. Send another "help me" email.

Step 5. Success! I've found the web host. My site is fixed.

So how does it all end? Tonight, as "tech support" was making his way home, I sent him an email on my fancy new Mac, complete with a built-in hard drive and WiFi connection. I wrote, "Guess what?! I fixed the problem. ALL BY MYSELF! By the way, please get milk."

You're right, Katie. How did we do this before the internet?

Sometimes I Have Momnesia

March 06, 2008

I woke up at 5:30 this morning with a flash of insight. I finally remembered where my cell phone was. It had been missing since 3 pm on Wednesday when I put it in a safe spot-- a dining room chair-- while I was straightening up. Of course it was such a "safe" spot, that I couldn't find it. And not only that, I had silenced the ringer because of nap time, so calling myself was useless.

Does this ever happen to you? Do you find yourself forgetting things because you are so preoccupied with work and kids and stuff? The Today Show and USA Today say it happens to a lot of moms and they're calling it "momnesia." Today did a whole piece this morning on momnesia and the kids and I were included in the video. Click here if you want to check it out. The story ran again, in a slightly different version, on NBC Nightly News.

If you watch the piece, you'll learn about some of my other momnesia highlights...like the time I bought groceries at the supermarket, and then drove away, leaving the bags behind. I didn't realize my blunder until I got home. But hey, at least it wasn't the kids who were left behind. Small victories.

Dads and Breastfeeding

February 24, 2008

If you're easily offended, don't watch this video. If, however, you want to see an irreverant take on breastfeeding, you'll get a good chuckle out of this one from the guys at Dad Labs.com.

So there you have it, my addition to the February Breastfeeding Bloggers' Carnival. To see what the other participants have to say, visit these sites:

* Tanya at the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog has some book reviews.
* Stacie at The Twinkies has a joke for us.
* Sinead at Breastfeeding Mums has a story about a pumping multi-tasking disaster.
* Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess shares several, shall we say, "titbits."
* Carol at Happy Sad Mama shares why she loves to nurse her toddler.
* Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 has some search terms that lead readers to her site.

Christina Aguilera Talks About Breastfeeding on The Ellen Degeneres Show... Plus... A Breastfeeding Comic Strip

February 21, 2008

Singer Christina Aguilera stopped by the Ellen Degeneres show recently. She has a new baby, and her low cut green dress prompted Ellen to ask Christina if she was nursing. Watch the clip on YouTube.

And now check this out... a comic strip about breastfeeding. Check out Stone Soup's take on breastfeeding in public. Click here.

A Video Interview With Me

January 10, 2008

The website Boldfacers.com recently interviewed me, and the story (click here) has some of the best breastfeeding puns you'll ever come across. It all starts with the headline, "She's Stacked, Baby." Now why didn't I think of that?

If that's not your thing...just surf around the site to find profiles of people doing pretty cool stuff in all sorts of fields...people like a sneaker designer, a landscape architect and a jazz club founder.

Now click the play button below to watch this video.