I do or I don't?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ll be aware that Kate Middleton and Prince William are getting are married today in London.  All the stores have out red, white and blue and Union Jack bunting, cakes, cookies; you name it—if they can cash in on the hype, the stores are selling it.

I can’t say what it’s like down south in England, but in Scotland there doesn’t seem to be much hype.  Not a single application for a street party was put in in Glasgow and I don’t know anyone throwing a party.   I can’t speak for everyone in Scotland, but I can say that Union Jacks and red, white and blue have a very different connotation in Glasgow.  All the Rangers/Celtic connotations aside, there is a long history of the Scottish not being that keen on the monarchy.

No offense to my fellow Americans (unless you were that idiot hopping up and down on the news outside Westminster Abbey today) but most of you don’t get the difference between British and English---it’s not the same thing.  The United Kingdom, or Great Britain if you will, is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  So while a Scotsman is British, he is certainly NOT English. Do you follow? There tends to be a bit of an Anglophile slant and often it’s assumed that British and English are interchangeable when they really aren’t.   Throw in a thousand years of border wars and , let’s face it, who *actually* likes their neighbours anyway?

If it were up to me and I would watch the wedding to see her dress, make fun of other people’s dresses and just to see if anything crazy happens. Hell I’d even throw a party just for a reason to have a party; after all we do all have the day off (well those of you who don’t consult do).  NotBlondeHusband is not keen on any of it. He changes the channel when the news has any “reports” on the Royal Wedding and in general is fed up with all of it.

He made one comment that really stuck with me in the midst of all his rants and ravings:

“We say that Blondie Boy can grow up to be and do whatever he wants.  Well he can’t grow up to be King.”

The man actually talks some sense.  When my sister was little she told everyone she wanted to be a Queen when she grew up—I think she just wanted all the bling and a castle—and while I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen, in theory it could.  If Blondie Boy wants to be King he can’t but William can simply because of his parentage.

Why is so much attention and pageantry given to someone solely because of the family they were born into?  Why is his wedding that much more important than anyone else’s marriage?  To be honest I don’t “get” the whole monarchy thing.  Sure in the States we have our own sort of royalty with celebrities, but there isn’t anything vaguely comparable.  Can you imagine getting a day off work and the shops full of souvenirs and limited edition tchotskies because the President got married? It doesn’t work; there isn’t anything to compare it to because monarchies are something we’ve never had unless you count Disney princesses.

I could take this a whole other route and say do we want our daughters growing up wanting to be princesses, but I won’t go there. I did see someone tweet “I wonder what it’s like going to bed tonight knowing tomorrow you’ll be a real live princess.”  Hmm, I hope for her sake Kate is going to bed tonight knowing that tomorrow she’s going to be a wife and that the princess part (if she even gets the title) is an afterthought.  Since the release of their vows revealed Ms. Middleton had “obey” deleted from the wedding vows, I’m hoping she’s feminist enough to not be so antiquated.

I am planning to set my DVR to record the proceedings and if NotBlondeHusband doesn’t “accidentally” delete it I will fast forward to the best bits and ooh and ahh while he’s out of the house.  I don’t see anything wrong in celebrating two people’s love for one another, but I can see that when tax payer’s money is involved and other long standing history is involved that not everyone would be so keen.

Tots 100 Guest Post

Today I've got a guest post over on the Tots 100!

The easiest way to explain why I’m not your average Mummy blogger is the fact that – whisper it –  I’m not actually a Mummy.

You see I’m a Mommy.

Not only am I a Mommy, but I am a Mommy who lives in Glasgow, Scotland: more than eight hours and 400 miles from London, where most blogging events seem to take place....

Read the rest here!

Tots 100 Guest Post

Today I've got a guest post over on the Tots 100!

The easiest way to explain why I’m not your average Mummy blogger is the fact that – whisper it –  I’m not actually a Mummy.

You see I’m a Mommy.

Not only am I a Mommy, but I am a Mommy who lives in Glasgow, Scotland: more than eight hours and 400 miles from London, where most blogging events seem to take place....

Read the rest here!

It's oh so quiet

A sick husband with essays due, plus a nap-striking toddler and beautiful weather means my blog has gone a bit quiet! I've got a post in my head about Blondie Boy's potty training progress (you know you are dying to know about that) that I will get up asap, but in the meantime why not check out my review for UK Mums TV of the Baba and Boo Cloth Nappy!  It's a video review so you get to see Blondie Boy in live action, ooh la la!

Peepshi Easter Treats

The lovely people at Kellogg's UK were ever so kind to send us out a wee Easter surprise package this week with aprons, a chef's hat and all the goodies you need to make Rice Krispie treats.  Blondie Boy is still a little young to help cook (I can't wait until he's big enough!) and for such a sugary treat so I set NotBlondeHusband a task using Rice Krispie treats and his favourite American candy: Peeps.

First off for those who don't know this is a Peep and they are awesome.  It's basically a marshmallow chick covered in coloured sugar.  They are amazing and NotBlondeHusband LOVES them.  Luckily for him my Dad sent over a bumper pack that arrived the same day as our Kellogg's goodies.

So what is Peepshi then?  It's a sugary reincarnation of one of my favourite foods: sushi! You can read how to make Peepshi here but all you need is Rice Krispie treats, Fruit Winders or any Fruit Roll-Up snack and Peeps!

Isn't it cute? NotBlondeHusband had a lot of fun making them and I can't wait to bring them out tomorrow for a Easter treat at half-time during the football. If you want to make Peepshi yourself why not check out The Five F's competition to win your own Kellogg's goody bag! 

Bossypants

I love Tina Fey and if this is anything to go by I can't wait to get my hand on her new book Bossypants! Here is her "The Mother’s Prayer for Its Daughter” that's been making the rounds.

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,”she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”

-Tina Fey

Photo and Words from Write in Colour.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Peaster!

Happy 31st Birthday NBH!

Happy Birthday to the best friend, husband and baby daddy a girl could ever ask for.  I'm so grateful to have someone who supports me in all my endeavours and loves me not in spite of, but because of all my idiocentricities.  The two of us are so lucky to have you!

Love Blondie & Blondie Boy

Mixtape Monday

It's one of my best friends Deb's 30th Birthday in two weeks time and they've asked for song suggestions to play on the night that represent her past 30 years.  Deb is also American and  I feel like it's my duty as a fellow American to suggest the type of songs we would have danced to back in the day.


It is probably fair to say I went out dancing at least once a week my freshman year of college and I loved it!  Going clubbing wasn't something you did in Ohio if you were in high school so the world of DC clubs was something totally different to me. Sure back home you danced at Homecoming and Prom, but this was completely different.

Judith and I at GWU (not clubbing, but goofing)

I can remember basically just copying whatever my friend Judith did at first.  Judith's Belgian so it's safe to say most of my dance moves had a Eurotrash flair.  I always wanted to be Eurotrash so it worked for me.  If you're a girl you need to choose to lead with your butt or with your boobs; obviously I lead with my boobs. Somehow I managed to pull it all together and when I went back home to Ohio over the summer and went to Bourbon Street (a bar in a mall, I kid you not) with my friend Dana I got told I was "an awesome dancer." 


These are some of the songs that I remember getting my swerve on to back in the day.   I'm actually really excited about it as I love dancing and I think the last time I did was most likely at our wedding!  So what songs are your favourite all time, 100% will get you on the dance floor songs?

Build your own custom video playlist at embedr.com

Dean Castle Country Park

If you follow me on Twitter you might have noticed I've become a bit obsessed with taking Blondie Boy to see baby lambs. The kid LOVES animals; he coos at cats and dogs on tv, stops to smile at every dog on the street and may have been known to smooch photos of kittens on Instagram. I've taken him to the pet store to see bunnies and fish, but pet sore animals tend to make me sad. My lovely Mother-in-law seemed to remember a petting zoo in Dean Castle Country Park and the lovely Laura confirmed that while it wasn't a petting zoo there were definitely animals there.

Dean Castle Country Park covers over 200 acres, is nestled in the heart of Kilmarnock and offers something for kids and adults alike to enjoy. The Country Park boasts beautiful woodland walks, adventure playground, pets corner, visitor centre, tearoom, shop and a fantastic 14th century castle housing world class collections including historic weapons, armour and musical instruments. We were there for one thing and one thing only: the animals.

 Blondie Boy was asleep on the short walk in from the parking lot, but there was a HUGE herd of deer just chilling in their enclosed forest area. There was a HUGE buck with massive antlers and it was really cool to check them out.  Blondie Boy woke up and we followed the clearly marked signs towards the animals.

First we went to see the "small" animals which include bunnies, sheep, lambs, guinea pigs and chickens. I was ridiculously excited by the teeny tiny lamb who could just barely stand up, but Blondie Boy seemed to really like the guinea pigs; I suspect he liked them best because they were really close to the front and squeaking while they ate.  If you look really closely 
here you'll see teeny, tiny baby bunnies hiding under their hutch.

As you continue to walk around there are several aviaries with budgies, peacocks, cockatiels and lots of other birds.  I don't really like birds so to be honest I didn't pay much attention.  There were also two large fuzzy pigs and several different types of goats.

There were a few mazes, picnic benches a beautiful lake and two very awesome looking play grounds (one for bigger kids and one for little kids).  We were on an animal mission though so we walked back out and around and up following the signs for large animals.

As you walk around there is a rushing river with small waterfalls and in general it is very picturesque.  Yes you can see some houses over the horizon, but in general it's very rural.  Blondie Boy loved this funny little bridge and we stomped over it noisily to get to the large animals out in the fields.

Out in the fields there is one VERY large, but very friendly Clydesdale horse, two donkeys and three Highland cows.  I personally love Highland cows and the donkeys were pretty cute, too.

We didn't even get a chance to explore any of the buildings or any of the other walks since we just popped out for a quick visit. Best of all, Dean Castle Country Park is free! It's only about a 30 minute drive from Glasgow or even closer if you are already in Ayrshire, like we were this weekend.  I would highly recommend it and I can't wait to take Blondie Boy back again!

Silent Sunday

Pretty in Pink

Cute photo right? A mother and son laughing and playing together.  Well it's causing HUGE controversy back home in the US. It's part of the ad below which was sent out to JCrew customers and features their creative director Jenna Lyons and her son Beckett.

If you are like me you're thinking, um what's the big deal? Well the extreme right says it "features blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children" and even goes on to say "Jenna's indulgence (or encouragement) could make life hard for the boy in the future.”


WHAT THE F*&£!!!!!!!!!!


First off, correct me if I'm wrong, but nailpolish does not make someone transgendered.  Furthermore the only thing that dictates that nailpolish or the colour pink for that matter are "only for girls" is culture.  Culture can not change your biology and whether you are gay, straight, boy, girl, transgendered or otherwise is decided by your DNA.  Pink nailpolish won't change your DNA.


Secondly, how dare some right-wing pundit (that quote is from a woman by the way) call Jenna a bad mother!  How does she know what kind of mother she is and how can she so callously declare she's making her son's life hard by painting his toes?  Women are supposed to help one another aren't we?


Regardless for the reasons (for all we know Beckett has two big sisters and didn't want to be left out of the pedicure fun) there is absolutely nothing wrong with painting a boy's toenails pink.  The only thing that tells us it is "wrong" is popular culture dictates that it's just for girls.  I don't know about you but I don't let culture tell me what to do or not to do.


I say that Jenna Lyons is a FABULOUS feminist mother who let's her son be who he wants to be and love whatever colours he wants to love.  Y'all know I love dressing Blondie Boy in pink and if he wanted a pedicure, who am I to tell him no because "culture" says he can't?  I'm going to raise my son to believe he can be anything he wants to be and do anything he wants to do whether it's popular culture or not.


Quotes and images from the LA Times. And thanks to Sally for bringing this story to my attention.

Is your refrigerator running? You better go catch it!

The lovely Pippa tagged me in the Fridge of Bad Parent Meme that Sally created and while I'd like to think neither of us are a bad parent, I'm actually going to follow through! I'm rubbish at responding to tags, but I'm going to make more effort from here on out. I've actually shown y'all my fridge before back when we still lived in our flat believe it or not. At that time I was totally in love with it.

Now, I actually hate my fridge because it has no freezer.  It's large and in charge, which I love, but I have to schelp my lazy ass out to the garage if I want any tasty frozen delights from the freezer. It also means I can't have ice in my drinks and y'all know how us Americans LOVE ice in our drinks! Regardless here in all it's full sized "American" glory is my fridge.

Let's see we've got my gym's class schedule, a not from Blondie Boy's leprechaun, autographed Henry Rollins ticket, US-UK conversion chart, recycling schedule, my sister's Save-the-Date, photos of my Grandparents and lots of fun magnets and other random crap stuck up there for who knows what reason.

(Clockwise from top) Authentic Thai Green Curry, Yeo Valley Organic Yoghurt, Hummus, Dog Food, Sparkling Water, White Whine, Grapes/Melons, Lurpak Light, Plum tomatoes, Reduced-Sugar Ham, half a lemon, Maraschino cherries, Feta cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Chicken breasts, Laughing Cow Cheese, Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, Pineapple, Coleslaw, Organic Whole Milk, Skimmed Milk, more Yeo Valley Yoghurt, Reduced Fat Whipped Cream, Ketchup.

Leftover Chinese, Leftover Sloppy Joes, Purple Drank, Coke Zero, Mayonnaise, Corona, Mahoosive thing of Soy Sauce, More Whipped Cream (?), Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Rocket, Izzy's Kosher Pickles

So judging from my fridge alone am I a bad parent? Do y'all have any of the same stuff in your fridge? I'm going to take this meme international and I tag::

Scottish Mummy

Lil Misa

Sunday Baker

JJV

IamWitWoo

Wordless Wednesday: Swimming!

Do you think I'm MAD? Then say so!

The MAD Blog Awards celebrate brilliance in Mummy and Daddy (MAD) blogging (you can see highlights of the 2010 Awards Ceremony, and details of last year’s winners, on the 2010 Highlights page).

While I don't think I'm the best and have no delusions of winning, I got two lovely messages over Twitter today saying people had voted for me. So I figured maybe if those lovely twitter friends voted for me, maybe some of you would want to as well? I mean y'all follow me so you must sort of like me, right? 

Nominations are now open and will stay open until the 22nd at which point finalists will be chosen.

Will y'all consider voting for me please? Or you can vote for any eligible UK parenting blog of your choice!

You have to vote for blog of the year and then there are 14 further categories. If you fancy voting for my lil old blog, fill in your name and email and enter:

http://transatlanticblonde.blogspot.com


You can vote in in whatever category you feel fit, but for example:

Best Pre-School Fun Blog

I'm still not sure why so many of you read my blog, but you do so you must like it, right?  I certainly like all of y'all for listening to me babble on all these years!


Thanks and be sure to read the MAD Awards Blog and check out the Tots 100 (where I'm currently ranked 5th, WTF?!?) to find other great UK Parenting Blogs!  Cupcakes for everyone who votes :)

Birthdays a go go

My family is over run with April birthdays and today alone is the birthday of 2 different cousins, my step-sister and my Dad!

I hate being so far away from family on days like today but hopefully we'll be able to Skype later on today. Blondie Boy and I are going to play outside in the fabulous weather in their honour to celebrate!

Happy Birthday Grandpa! 

Happy Birthday Aunt Gin!

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Do you think he needs a haircut? Obviously this isn't his real hair, just some fun we had playing dress-up. He was really interested in some HairUWear extensions I got so we broke out my old extensions to play with for fun.

We've been debating if Blondie Boy should get a trim or not. I've been asked before if I'm going to let his hair grow out like Kate Hudson, Celine Dion or Cindy Crawford let their boys' hair. Honestly, I like longer hair on little boys. It makes me sad to see little boys with stars shaved into the sides of their heads.  Will Blondie Boy have hair past his shoulders? No; I don't see that being very practical, but he's got pretty hair and I'm not giving him a buzz cut anytime soon.

Here I Sit Broken Hearted...

I know nothing about potty training. Not surprisingly I don't remember when I did it and my younger sister is only 20 months younger than me so I couldn't tell you what it was like for her either.  All I know is that Blondie Boy is starting to tell us when he's pooped. Yup I'm now that Mom, I'm blogging about poo.  He'll also go and grab his changing mat when he needs a new diaper.

I know that telling us AFTER the fact doesn't mean he's ready to be potty trained, but we do know it means he is aware of what he's doing.  So with that in mind we think we are going to get a potty, put it out and see what happens. So, why am I blogging about it if it hasn't happened? I need y'alls help!


What are your tips and tricks? Are there any pottys or potty accessories you loved? Any you hated? Any help or advice is greatly appreciated! We were thinking maybe something like the potty about, but I'm open to any ideas!

Clothing at Tesco Winners

Two winners did not contact me well past the 48 hours so I've drawn two new winners!

35: Marzena said...

I already follow Clothing at Tesco on Twitter as @marzutek

4: ammaline said...

I am now following via Google Friends Connect
I would buy my son a summer jacket

You have 24 hours to contact me  or new winner will be drawn.


...and the winners of my Clothing at Tesco giveaway are:

26: Medsdemon said...

I follow your lovely blog x

@medsdemon

63: Rachel T said...

I am following your blog with Google Friend Connect. I would buy lots of socks! All I can find is odd ones :-( Where are the pairs?

15: Nicola B said...

I'm following on twitter and I've tweeted: http://goo.gl/EBDL9

@heylinguine

49: Tiddles12 said...

tweeted on twitter and following you as @tiddles12

61: emsiecov said...

I follow Clothing at Tesco on Twitter @emma1111111

Please contact me within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn in your place.  If you didn't win you can still get a great deal as Clothing at Tesco have an amazing sale on in their baby clothes section and until April 6 there is 20% off EVERYTHING! Yes, you read that right, EVERYTHING!

Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses

I can remember my name being called over the speaker in elementary school telling me to report to the principal's office, not something that generally happened to this good girl, along with a few other's from my class and wondering what I did wrong. It turned out I'd not passed the eye test and needed to see the eye doctor to get glasses.  Really? Doesn't seem like the most caring way to let a child know they need glasses by broadcasting it to the whole school!  Needless to say I've been wearing glasses for a long time so when GlassesUSA.com asked if I wanted to try out some of their cheap glasses I figured why not!

GlassesUSA.com believe seeing properly shouldn't be a luxury – it should be a necessity. They do their best to help their customers and take your vision needs very seriously. The eyeglasses are produced both in the USA and abroad and shipped worldwide to provide customers with top quality lenses in the most fashionable frames available! 

First I uploaded a photo of myself and played around with their Virtual Mirror which lets you try the glasses on your face first which was really helpful since while I've got a square shaped face, it's also quite round--figure that one out yourself--so not all frames look good on me.  Since black rimmed frames seem to be all the rage right now I decided to go with the Alicia frames in black.

The designer discount glasses I chose arrived in a few days and I was really pleased when they arrived as even though they are cheap glasses, they frames are sturdy and came in a lovely case with a cleaning cloth.

I think they look pretty cute, what do you think? 

It's good to know that if something happens to my beloved pink frames I've got a back up pair of stylish glasses in the correct prescription!

GlassesUSA.com are offering Transatlantic Blonde readers a 10% discount when they buy glasses online by using the code: Blog10

Transatlantic Blonde was provided a pair of cheap designer glasses to review but the opinions expressed are our own.