Going back to Cali...to Cali

Normally, I wouldn't ask that you get to Chicago by first stopping off in the Silicon Valley but since it's all for the good of mama bloggers, I know you will.

The Silicon Valley Moms Blog will soon launch a Chicago Moms Blog and -- woohoo! -- I am very excited to be a part of this new adventure. As all the details are finalized,  SVMB is graciously hosting posts by the Chicago mamas. My post is up here and you'll also find posts by some of my favorite local bloggers, like Foodmomiac, Self-Made Mom and Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing (yeahhhh, babywearing!).

Until we're live in Chicago, grab an iced green tea and meet me in the SV.

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Must. find. daycare. yesterday.

We've been looking at daycare. And since I've been working more and sleeping a lot less, it is with a hint of desperation. Lil E already goes to mommy cult co-op for two half-days a week and even if he protests over pancakes every Tuesday and Thursday morning, he's happy there.

He also spends one day a week with my parents, spending countless hours quietly (of course) playing in the sandbox and taking naps that last three times as long as they do in his own crib. But co-op will soon break for the summer and my parents will soon be doing what all the cool retired grandparents do and go to their lake house where cable, wi-fi and stints with small children are all intermittent. And so daycare it is.

I have some steep demands other than the regular safe, bright, happy stuff. I need it to be outside my home.I need it to be affordable. I need it to be within walking distance. And I need there to be openings. One of those always seems to be missing. There's a lady down the block who is ecstatic at the idea of adding a boy to her home daycare, where there are eight girls his age and where part-timers are welcome at a budget rate per day. Did I mention she's the yelly lady who scolded my friend's year-old son for no real reason while they were there on a visit? Scratch that one.

And then there's the nursery school in the next neighborhood over that's priced right and has a mission right up my alley: to nurture self-esteem and personal responsibility in kids. Unfortunately, they also give homework. To three-year olds. Did I mention that the director was very snippy about why my boy's not potty trained even though he's ready to advance to the three-year old room six months early because he's verbal and curious and there's space there? Scratch that one.

And there's the daycare down the street where several of Lil E's friends go where there's no agenda other than playing together and where I've called three times, playing with the idea of sending my child there. But now, the class is over-crowded. Did I mention the lady told me to kindly not expect a space until January and to please stop recommending her daycare to anyone else in the neighborhood? Scratch that one too.

Of course, there are more places I could get to by bike (oh God, the bike), by bus (even worse, the bus) or by taking out some kind of loan (oh God, my credit score). It's just that my pocket book or my friends or my schedule or my guilt or my gut yell no no no at me for some reason at every place we see.

So what to do? Because this can't go on much longer. The way I'm working now isn't working well for any of us and there's a long, long summer ahead.

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Get to know me

Am I a meme mama? Not so much.

But if you're dying to find out oodles of details about your grrrlfriend, grab a non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte and head over to That's Fit where I'm the featured blogger of the day.

Then head on over to Strollerderby where I have lots of opinions on celeb pregnancies, spendy slings and other matters of great parenting importance.

Then come on back to Sassafrass. I'll be waiting for you, eating chips and writing up some more posts on dieting and fitness.

Life - and all this blogging - is good, my friends. Life is good.

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