If we’re friends on Facebook, you may or may not be insanely annoyed with my constant requests for quotes, participation in articles, requests to use pictures of your kids doing cute/unique/cool things. I’m pretty annoyed with myself for having to ask you all of the time and incredibly thankful to all of you who humor me on a regular basis.

We’ve already established that I’m 80% asshole and I’m trying my best to be 10% less annoying… at least as far as Facebook is concern. Maybe it would help balance things out.

Unfortunately, dear friends, it’s the nature of my job to have to drive you all crazy with my incessant article sharing/quote requesting/general annoyingness. Literally, I’m required to pimp myself out for work — it makes my articles more successful, which makes the sites more successful, which makes them  more money, which makes them give me more assignments.

Anyway.

10% less annoying.

It’s a start.

That being said, I’d like to try to stop asking for article participation, help, quotes via Facebook in an attempt to make life a little sweeter for us all.

Instead, if you would like to be part of my email list for when I do have article requests, please let me know. You can email me being5blog@gmail.com (or my personal email address, if you have that!) or leave me a comment on this blog post. Or, simply push the “LIKE” button on this Facebook post. Tweet me. Send up smoke signals. Fly you carrier pigeon with a note on monogrammed stationery. Whatever you prefer. I’ll put together a list of people, confidential of course, and will send out occasional emails if I have something I need.

For example, I do have an upcoming article on what real moms wear in their everyday life — how fun is that? It will feature some of YOU wearing your fave “mom clothes.”

A couple more things before I go… There may still be a FB post here or there with last-minute or specific requests, so don’t sue me if that happens. And, if you know someone else who you think would be interested, please pass this along to them — you can email them this exact post below.

(thank you. i couldn’t do this without all of you. yes, all of you. xo.)

(notes on motherhood and mother’s day from last night HERE, in case you missed it.)

It’s hard to put motherhood into words sometimes. Even for me. There are no words for this job — no words to describe how enormous it is, how consuming it is, how it sucks all of the life out of you, while simultaneously filling you with everything that you need.

This weekend was pretty close to perfect and for three perfect reasons.

one. I got to spend time with my own mom, who came to visit. One of my biggest joys in life now is having her as a grandmother to my kids. I know they say that there’s nothing like seeing your children as parents, but what they don’t know is that there’s nothing like seeing  your parents as grandparents. It’s priceless.

two. One of my dearest friends became a mom for the first time to a beautiful baby boy and it chokes me up just thinking about it. She’s a mom now. They’re a family in such a new, undiscovered and exciting way and I can’t wait to witness their journey because they’re going to be great parents. Also, I’m totally getting my newborn fix.

three. I had a special day with my own three sweethearts, including time to snuggle with each of them on their own, dinner and milkshakes in the sunshine at one of our favorite parks, a dress that Janie made me herself and a custom Mother’s Day banner and even the chance to take a little bit of a nap.

(xo to all the moms who spend time here. y’all keep me going sometimes. thank you for that.)

I preface this by saying that I’m probably an idiot and when it comes to politics, I KNOW I’m an idiot.

But.

I’m confused.

First things first. I support gay marriage. Without a doubt in my mind. I’ve always supported gay marriage. Even before it was cool to and before Facebook existed for me to announce that I supported gay marriage. Even when I thought I was a REPUBLICAN, I supported gay marriage. (side note: just because i’m not a republican, does not mean that i’m a democrat.) I realize that some of you disagree with me. And while I don’t completely understand why you think human equality doesn’t take precedence over, well, everything, I do understand that you are probably using the Bible as your guide and I respect that.

Moving on.

Facebook and the entire INTERNET (which is actually one and the same thing) was blowing up this afternoon over the news that President Obama announced that he personally supports gay marriage. Here’s what he said:

“At a certain point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married…”

I realize that this is a huge moment. And I feel 80% like an asshole for posting this because I am not gay and I have no idea what it’s like to be living as a gay American who is not able to marry the person I love. So really, I do understand that having Obama be the first President who has publicly supported gay marriage is a big deal.

Here’s where my head starts to spin. Buckle your seat belt.

The other 20% of me thinks that it wasn’t enough. That 20% of me is kind of an asshole too.

While it was a very nice gesture on President Obama’s part, I think that him saying that he “personally” affirms that same-sex couples should be able to get married was a cop-out. Watch the video. The emphasis he puts on “for me, personally” is pointed. As if someone was very clear with him that he needed to use those words. Don’t you think that it’s pretty easy for him to support gay marriage personally, but to still stay out of it politically, which is what he continued to say in the interview… that he would still leave matters of same-sex marriage to the individual states?

As our President, I think he could have taken a stronger stance and not just confirmed that he personally supports the right for same-sex couples to marry, but that he would use that personal belief to move mountains politically to support the changes to make it possible. He is the President of the United States after all. According to Hollywood movies about the President and that new show, Scandal, (which I’m devouring, by the way), he is the most powerful man in the WORLD. If he’s on board with same-sex marriage now, why not make some shit happen?

And, here’s where I’m an idiot because I realize that it is not as simple as that. For the President to say he supports it and that by saying that, there could actually BE change. But, humor me for a moment… why can’t it be that simple?

And to further my asshole status, although I believe that he authentically does believe in the right of same-sex couples to marry, I can’t help but notice that we’re in an election year. They said over and over again on the news today and in practically every article I read that this isn’t an issue that will take precedence in the upcoming election — that the economy will be the deciding factor for voters — but I disagree. Because if you’re a political idiot like me (and most people are, sad to say), I don’t even bother trying to make sense of the economy anymore, but something as black and white as supporting gay marriage when it comes to making my vote in November? I know where I stand and I know where the candidates stand… especially now.

I’ve probably said too much and probably offended some people (sorry) and things such as this are generally why I prefer the head-in-the-sand political experience. But, I didn’t feel like I could just hide behind pushing a “like” button on a Facebook status today.

I did a little digging through old boxes of photos tonight and uncovered some good ones from our first few months of dating… (don’t mind the horrible picture quality. i don’t know how to use my scanner, so these are via iPhone.)

California Road Trip. A little Golden Gate Bridge photo opp.

California Road Trip. Santa Barbara. FYI, that was my favorite shirt of 1998. It said “Certified Hot Tub Lifeguard.” I was not actually a certified hot tub lifeguard.

Setting the trusses on Shawn & Reid’s shop. The sky was insanely blue that summer.

(love you babe. i know you remember these moments just as well as i do. xo.)

Also, friends, be prepared. All that digging through old pictures has uncovered some gems. And just because you’re almost nine-months pregnant doesn’t mean that you’re exempt, Mrs. G.

Are you sick of me today? I kind of am.

But, I had to pop in quickly before starting my evening routine (picking up the house, dinner, get Janie from play practice, more picking up, laundry folding, maybe finally get a shower, work until i can’t keep my eyes open anymore…) and tell you that OnlineShoes.com has posted their latest Style Central contest and this time, they’re featuring four new bloggers and this cute pair of wedges from Sperry Top-Sider.

I’m kinda loving them, how about you?

Go to the Style Central page to vote for the blogger you think styled the Sperry Top-Sider Southamptons the best (I voted for Michelle!) and then scroll down on that SAME PAGE to enter your name and email address to win a pair of the shoes. This is a little different from when I was featured on Style Central where you entered to win on my blog — this time, you enter to win the shoes on the OnlineShoes.com site. Make sense? Good.

Go vote, then come back and tell me who you voted for! I want to know… I had a hard time picking a fave!

If you do, you know about my recent obsession with The Daily Everett, because seriously, this kid is killing me right now… in the best possible way.

Between the over the top adorableness of his legs when he’s wearing shorts and Toms, the way he RAAARRS at the top of his lungs to make his sisters scream and his little nicknames for people and things (Janie is now GiGi)… I can’t get enough of him.

Wow. Nothing like your giveaway being featured on The Baby Bullet Facebook page to get record-breaking giveaway entries.

A huge thanks to all of you who entered — there were 181 entries in all!

Congrats to Entry #136, which according to my trusty spreadsheet, is Jaela.

{happy monday, everyone!}

There are so many things that I loved about the baby stages and although I love every single age that my kids have been (well, despite that year when Meg was three…), their first year is certainly a favorite.

But baby food? I’m not a fan.

I probably should have made my own baby food, but we all know by now that I’m not a make-your-own-baby-food-type-of-mom. I think that my mom bought me a food mill when Janie was a baby, but I can’t recall every using it. Making baby food is one of those things that you have good intentions about before you become a parent… “Of COURSE I’m going to make my own baby food!” But when you’re sleep deprived and haven’t taken a shower in three-days, grabbing a few jars of purred peas from Whole Foods seems like a much better option.

Maybe if I would have had a Baby Bullet, I would have felt differently about things.

Pictured: The 22-Piece Original Baby Bullet Baby Care System

I just missed this when Everett was a baby… The Baby Bullet was released in late 2010 and just like its big sister, The Original Magic Bullet, the Baby Bullet is easy to use and easy to clean. Plus, the Baby Bullet is BPA-free, so making baby food is as safe as possible. I’m not exaggerating when I say that you can make an entire weeks worth of baby food for your little one in five-minutes with the Baby Bullet, plus, it comes with all of these cute little containers that allows you to store the food in whatever way is most convenient for your lifestyle –  put it in the storage cups that have date dials to keep track of when they were made or even make baby food pops in the freezer to defrost when you need them (hint: these are great for teething babies to suck on!). And… I love that the Baby Bullet can easily transition past baby food — use it to make super smooth smoothies for your toddlers or make veggie puree to sneak into your preschooler’s favorite meals, like mac n’ cheese or spaghetti sauce! They’ll never know!

The Baby Bullet wants to give one of you The Baby Bullet Baby Care System, which includes all 22-pieces and the very cool Turbosteamer to make baby food prep even easier. Isn’t that sweet? And like I said, you don’t need to have a new food eater at home to enjoy this set!

To enter the giveaway:

Please leave a comment on this blog post telling me who you’ll be whipping up fresh baby food for if you are the winner. Or, if you have any fantastic baby food stories or favorite baby food recipes, use that as your entry! Giveaway will close on Monday, May 7, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. PST and a winner will be announced shortly after. For an extra drawing entry, go to The Baby Bullet Facebook page and like it. Be sure to let me know you did in the comments section.

Thank you to The Baby Bullet for providing this generous giveaway!

Jessica Simpson gave birth to a baby yesterday. (Maxwell? Still coming to terms with that.)

I gave birth to a new website.

Well, actually, I did, along with a very talented and hard-working group of fellow writers and editors, all who have been working their asses off the past couple of months to bring this to life.

Meet our new baby… allParenting.

She was born yesterday and just like Maxwell, she is already a mini-celebrity. And very, very good-looking. (although, I haven’t seen a picture of Baby Maxwell yet. i predict a uni-brow.)

allParenting is going to be your new go-to website for parenting topics — it’s that website you check everyday for all things parenting, but with topics that are focused on your life as a mom… things to make your life as a mom better, easier and more fulfilling.

I am pleased to be a contributing writer on allParenting… I even have my own pretty profile page and pretty picture. (love to Jenni Sandmeyer Photography who is now my photography muse because she made me actually be photogenic. hello. it’s a miracle.)

Now, in lieu of sending me flowers to the hospital to say congrats, go visit allParenting, see my witty little profile and sign in to allParenting yourself. As you read articles on allParenting (which I’ll be shamelessly pimping out via Facebook, Twitter and here), your profile will slowly customize to the articles that you like to read. I don’t know how they do that. I’m guessing magic. You’re welcome to go ahead and read all 13 of the articles I’ve already written for allParenting and if that’s not enough, I think there are at least another dozen waiting in the wings to be posted in the coming weeks…

one. Everett is still awake and being quite adorable. He says “snuggle” now, but it comes out more like “guggle” and that’s even cuter.

two. We went to dinner at LloydMartin on Queen Anne last night with some friends and it was very good. Once you’re inside, you feel like you should be at a restaurant on Capitol Hill, except that the servers were friendly, the pace of the meal was leisurely and we didn’t have to drive around for 20-minutes looking for a parking spot.

three. I planted strawberries along our front steps this afternoon, as inspired by my friend Wendy’s house (love your landscaping!). They look pretty and sweet and I’m hoping that the raccoons don’t snack on them. We also planted a vegetable garden last weekend and the kids are anxious to see some growth…it’s going to be hard to wait!

four. Josh and I are addicted to Storage Wars. We can’t help ourselves. It’s addictive. Other recent television addictions… Oprah’s Next Chapter (and you know how I feel about Oprah, so this is saying a lot) and Girls.

five. I tried coconut water last week and well, gross. GROSS. Why are you people loving this stuff so much? I couldn’t do it. Maybe I tried the wrong kind? Someone help me out.

six. At the beginning of every month, I delete everything in my Google Reader, which is where I keep all of the blogs I subscribe to. There are usually thousands of items in there by the end of the month and although I read blogs every single day, I can’t get to them all. Sad, but true. DE-LETE.

seven. Josh ironed all the clothes in my ironing basket tonight, which means I have a full closet to start the week. I really love him a lot.

eight. Just realizing that I have nothing for the girls’ lunches tomorrow. Hmm. Late night store run ahead. Good thing we live next door to the gas station. (kidding.) (maybe.)

nine. Current number of emails in my inbox: 489. Current piles of laundry in my laundry room: 17. Current number of pairs of socks that I made the girls match and fold this afternoon: 27. Amount I paid them per pair: 5 cents.

ten.  Needed: A dining room rug that I actually like. I do like this one, but I’m afraid it’s a bit too small.