Blogging With Mommy

American Girl dolls – the icon of overspending for our kids – tries to get a reality check this Christmas season, but is it too little too late? I think so. Gwen can’t change the fact that American Girl dolls are out of reach for most American families.

This morning I was watching the morning news and both CNN and my local news channel ran a story about American Girl creating a homeless doll for this Christmas season. Gwen, the new doll, is hitting Michigan Avenue, although she will not be out shopping and having tea.

At first, I admit, I thought it was a good thing. But then I thought about it a bit more. This is a company that has fostered overspending on our kids for years. It has created a product that few American families can actually purchase. It has helped to create very unrealistic expectations for our children and made it difficult for parents to explain the financial restrictions many of us face.

So why change now? Because America has gone through the worst economic period since the great depression and spending is on the decrease. Because parents are tired of spending more then they are actually making. Because credit card debit is no longer acceptable and consumers are starting to revolt. Because we have wised up and frugal is now “in”. Because not every family can take a trip to Chicago and have tea on Michigan Avenue with their child.

As we have experienced our own personal financial struggles, the American Girl brand has too. Their web traffic is down and their sales are flat. Mattel is trying to balance the changing consumer views on spending with their overpriced and utterly unrealistic priced dolls. Good luck with that.

We Americans have changed or at least many of us have altered our spending habits and they will most likely not return to the levels once seen in years past. Gwen may be giving you media buzz, but I doubt she will turn American Girl sales around.

This whole story leaves me wondering one thing. Did Mattel include instructions for turning Gwen’s product box into a house for her to sleep or did they include directions to the nearest shelter? That is the reality of the real homeless this holiday season. I wish Mattel had saved the money spent on developing and marketing Gwen and instead, given it to a homeless shelter to feed and cloth those who are struggling this Christmas season. That would have given our children a much better message than an overpriced doll that comes with only one dress.

10. Placement of the pump is key and it must be moved and adjusted according to your current activity.

9. Dropping your insulin pump into the toilet is bad, therefore, always secure before using the toilet.

8. It is the insulin delivery that hurts and not the actual needle. Not having a needle shows me the errors in my prior assumptions.

7. Medtronics rocks at presales activity, but completely sucks at post sales support.

6. You must only take your morning shower when you are awake enough to actually figure out how to detach your cord.

5. My clothing needs to be thicker and my underwear needs to have a bit more material. Attaching an insulin pump to string bikini underwear is not at all feasible.

4. Six thousand dollars seems like an awful lot of money for a device that looks like it is straight from a 1980’s movie.

3. My children are resilient. Neither even cared that I had a purple device attached to my body or a cord hanging from me.

2. The insulin pump makes me feel like a Borg drone.

1. As a Borg drone, I know resistance is futile. I am a type 1 diabetic and assimilation to my new way of life is required.

Yesterday was the first day of school in Michigan. I spent part of both the day and night getting kids off to school, filling out forms, and attending orientations. As I sat in my son’s preschool orientation, I was reminded of the volunteer requirements associated with the program and my heart stopped.

On multiple occasions throughout the year a parent – aka Mom – must bring in snacks and stay for the duration of the preschool session to assist the teacher in activities and help control the inevitable chaos that is created by twenty four year olds. The “snack and stay” requirement makes my stomach flip and not in a good way. I immediately felt stressed as my mind wondered about fulfilling this obligation and also adhering to the constraints of my job. Then it hit me – I quit my job and started my own consulting firm. I am my own boss and I can set my own hours. As long as I meet the deadlines and expectations of my clients I’m good to go.

I pondered this for a minute, because at this point, I realize the irony in it all. My former employer was actually led by a man who put everything above family. He was a man who would schedule business trips around tennis matches and dance recitals. Of all people, he would understand. I did not. The internal need to exceed at every single task put a great deal of stress upon my OCD self. The need to please my company and be available at any time, was probably more me than them. Nonetheless, I had constant stress from trying to please everyone and do so all the time.

Today I feel I have reached the coveted Yin and Yang of motherhood. I can truly have a professional career that I love and I can participate in my children’s activities as much as is needed. I feel balance and I didn’t realize this until my mini panic attach at orientation.

I find myself not only balanced, I am thankful.

I recently read a story on CNN.com about a mini-website gone viral. The “People of Wal-Mart” was highlighted for being the little website that could. In actuality, this little website went so crazy with buzz, it brought in visitors by the drove and eventually crashed their servers. While I love any story that showcases the power of the Internet, I wasn’t overly thrilled with the idea of one that made fun of other people.

I’ve been to Wal-Mart and I’ve witnessed some of the oddest people in my local area shopping for food, clothes, and toiletries. My Wal-Mart does offer some entertainment, but I try not to notice and feed off of it. I even scold my kids for pointing it out. Not everyone is graced with high levels of intelligence or just good old fashion common sense. You take what you’re given and you work with it.

That being said, it was like a car crash, I had to review the website. If CNN reported on it, it had to be good. I tried to peek at the website, but again, the server was overloaded and no more visitors could gain access. I forgot about it until this morning when I checked CNN for the news of the day and saw the article again.

I admit I went and I laughed. Not necessarily at the people, but at the goat and the monkey who apparently also like to shop for low cost goods. I recently saw a woman at my grocery store with a dog in her purse. Obviously, this occurs not just at a Meijer store in Michigan, but also at Wal-Mart stores across the country. The best part of this morning’s entertainment was the fact that these young men are making money on this website through ads and they are giving back to charity. One idea that took off and most likely happened in an instant is now an income and a service to the community.

While the website does feature overweight people in skimpy clothes, I’m trying to look past this and focus on the positive aspects of the charity they are passing on through their visitors and advertisements. After all, these two young men are living the American dream of get rich quick! Our parents always told us “get rich quick schemes” didn’t happen, but this was well before the days of social media, Facebook, and MySpace.

In the fifties, if some drama occurred, the women rallied in their kitchens bake a basket of muffins or a casserole to soften the trauma, illness, or emotional upset of a fellow mommy and her family. While the modern mom may bake something, she is more likely to seek out her superpowers and go to work. In the case of my mommies and friends, this means you throw a party.

I’ve mentioned my friend Bonnie before and how I established an online support group called Betties for Bonnie. I have also noted I am just a small part of this large community of love and friendship. Last weekend a small segment of this group whipped up two separate parties for my gal Bon. While I only attended one event, it was a testament to the modern mother.

Instead of having a bake sale, Lisa – a teacher by day – brought together a group of women to throw a party and hold a silent auction. She took over our subdivision clubhouse, threw in a band – thank you Mr. Moody – and her fellow mommies brought food and other necessities. Did Lisa have any experience in fundraising? Nope. But obviously didn’t need it because she did a great job and produced a fun night that brought in a lot of money for medical bills and insurance premiums. And quite frankly, everyone who came had a great time

While Mother Nature did not play nice with our outside event, the mommies did. They all came out in the pouring rain to show their support and have a good time with their follow moms and husbands. It was more than a great night. It was a fabulous example of the modern mom who is unafraid of taking on new challenges, walking into unchartered territory, and simply taking control of world around her.

The modern mom may not iron her husband’s shirts or make sure there is a hot meal on the table every night. What we do is rally in true Betty Rubble style. We fight cancer, we take charge, and we do take care of our Betties when needed.