TuscMoms.com

In this era of reality TV, it has become sport to scrutinize families. And these families, who are already dealing with a lot of strain (their unusual status is what put them on TV in the first place) receive extra pressure because of it. Reality TV parents of sextuplets and twins Jon & Kate of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" on TLC have just announced they are splitting up after months of very public marital strain. TLC stands for The Learning Channel. So maybe we can learn from this. It seems producers have, since they've quickly put the show on hiatus. A good move, in my opinion. But what have we learned as consumers of media?

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My life lately is a series of nesting and resting. My body is officially out of my own control (even more so than in the obvious way as I stare down at my 9-months-pregnant belly). Like a robot, I move toward my linen closet at the crack of dawn and start taking it apart. Most people are in their beds snoring and I'm surrounded by towels and linens in my hallway, on a mission to make room for my new baby's things. The next day I can barely place dishes in the dishwasher I'm so exhausted and unmotivated. And so nothing gets cleaned. A day or two later, I'm scrubbing my fridge at 6:30 a.m., hesitantly peering into leftover containers and surrounded by jars of barbecue sauce and pickles (both of which I've eaten massive amounts of in the past 9 months) from an uncomfortable position on the floor. Next, I'm face-down on the couch praying for the labor Gods to take me.

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I love "That 70's Show." Who doesn't?
I could easily sit and watch a marathon of 70's shows all weekend long. In fact, I think I have.
The cast is great. Always funny. And here's just one more reason to love them -- Danny Masterson (a.k.a. Hyde) is a DJ in real life who calls himself DJ Mom Jeans. How perfect is that? I know he saw many a mom jean on the set of his show. I mean, what was the 70's if not a breeding ground for high-waisted pants? But to bring the term into the 21st century and make it cool...now that's only something Hyde could do.

Do you really not know what mom jeans are? Then check out this pic below.
And check out these links to see and hear DJ Mom Jeans in action. And I threw in some Danny facts too. Just because.

mom jeans

Danny doing his thing

Danny facts

DJ Mom Jeans

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I love quotes. Someone asked me when I was Mom of the Week what my favorite quote was and it was such a perfect question for me. I recently found a new quote I love, by author Kristin Hannah. I feel like I could have written it. I had read her book "Firefly Lane" and so found myself reading more about her. Someone asked her why she writes. This was her answer: "Quite simply, I write because it frees something in me. It's the greatest job in the world. It allows me to be the wife/mother/friend I want to be, with plenty of time for the people I care about, while still giving me something that's mine, something that defines me as an individual."

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It's graduation week here in Tuscaloosa. So as hundreds of high school kids proudly receive their diplomas, I am reminded of when I was handed mine. I graduated from Columbia High School in N.Y. Class of '93. There were nearly 300 of us dressed in our gowns that day -- a sea of blue and white. My parents, my brother and my grandmother sat proudly in the audience. And that's about all I can remember. Seriously. Oh, and my dad threw me a graduation party in our backyard and I wore a pink dress. That's all I've got.

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So here I am, 8 months pregnant. And, surprise, surprise, I'm exhausted. I am not a napper. I hate naps. So I don't do it unless I am pretty sick or pretty pregnant. Today qualified as a pretty pregnant day. So I napped. I napped for 2 hours. And I woke up regretting it, as I knew I would. The reason I don't do it is because I always feel worse after a nap. I wake up feeling groggy and yucky. I actually feel like I'm coming down with something -- all achy. Some people can nap and wake up energized and feeling great. Not me.

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