Yearly Archives

2010

Have you ever?

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/13

I had to post his because I think Pink is brilliant and we all need to throw some glitter in the air![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

2010/07/13 3 comments

Parenting

The Great Debate; Does playing in a chlorinated pool, in fact, constitute a bath?

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/13

written by Deborah Cruz

If you would have asked me a mere 3 years ago when we hired fibreglass pool installers to put our pool if the daily splash in it made by would substitute for a nightly bath, I would have answered a resounding “HELL NO!” Followed by, “That is disgusting! Mom’s who do that are lazy and gross!”
Fast forward to a second child, a raging case of Mommy brain that sometimes feels like a slight case of sun-downers and I’d say, “Maybe?” “It’s better than nothing, right?” “Chlorine is in bleach and bleach is a cleaning agent,ergo the girls are sorta clean, right?”

First, let me start by admitting, I know that it’s gross! Also, let me say that I know this is no substitute for a bath. But sometimes, on those long tiring days of summer,when all time, space and reality is out of whack…it is what it is! Before, I would have reacted like a mad woman, yelling and screeching while overtired, wanting to be playing outside ( damn you long days) children fought the bath like a cat about to be drowned. Oh but I would have won the battle, probably much weaker from the wear. But I am a bigger woman these days, I’d much rather just admit defeat and own up to the fact that some night, like tonight..I wasn’t sure what day I last gave the girls an actual bath. I’m pretty sure it was Saturday Morning before our road trip,so they are due but it will have to wait until tomorrow morning before our next road trip. You didn’t think I was going to take them to my in laws dirty, did you? Geez, what am I some kind of “bad” Mother? Don’t judge me and don’t tell me that your kids have never substituted a day in the pool for a 20 minute splash in the bathtub! That being said, obviously a splash in any organic body of water is not acceptable. My rule is if fish, or anything else, procreate , defecate, masturbate and urinate in it…it doesn’t count as a substitute. That would be why public pools do not count! EWWW!
What are your thoughts? Have your kiddies ever missed a bath or , ahem, two during swimsuit season? I’m not perfect, but I fight the good fight! Happy Mothering!

2010/07/13 11 comments

Blogging

1st Annual Blog Bash

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/12

written by Deborah Cruz

First, to introduce myself, I am known as Truthful Mommy ( because I am painfully honest) but I also answer to Mommy(kids), Babe(husband), Honey(Mom), Sugar(Grandma), Sexy, (Eric from True Blood…in my dreams) and occasionally Debi. I am a 37 year old Mommy to two amazing little girls, Bella and Gabi, who are simultaneously my heaven and occasional sources of hell on earth. I am married to my college sweetheart and we just celebrated our 11th anniversary.
Random facts, I am equally addicted to my children, my husband, my Iphone, my computer,and my camera…not necessarily in that order! If I could do anything in the world, I’d have the exact same life but my husband would not have to live in another state for work (maybe he could co stay home with me:), money would not be an ever present thought, and I could write for a living while traveling the world with my husband and girls; experiencing the languages, cultures,religions, and beauty of the world.
I have finally realized what I want to do with my life, or rather just decided to have the guts to pursue it. It only took 37 years! I always knew that I wanted to be a Mommy ( I come from a family of 6 brothers and sisters) but the rest I’ve thought I knew but its changed over the years. I think, my entire life has brought me to this point and prepped me to embark on this journey to pursue my dreams with passion, enthusiasm and a no failure attitude and to exhaust all avenues of potential afforded to me. It’s go big or go home! I’m not a quitter, so I’m making my declaration of reaching for the stars!

1.) Why do you blog?

I blog because I am a writer and my dream is to either have a column, a book, or both and in the end.. My dream is to follow in the footsteps of Dooce, Motherhood Uncensored, Finslippy, and the Pioneer Woman!

2.) What do you blog about?

I blog about what I know; my life, Motherhood, as I know it, being a wife and a woman. I try to do it all with honesty and openness because there is nothing I hate more than women making other women feel shitty about not being perfect. If I can make 1 woman feel like she is not alone in the trenches of Motherhood, and if I can do that through letting her laugh at me or see my flaws, I feel like I have exceeded my hopes!

3.) What do you find to be the biggest reward you get from blogging?

The biggest reward I have gotten from blogging is a surprising one. As I said, I started this blog as a means to an end ; a way to chronicle my girls as they grow up and the emotions, feelings, and enormity of all that Motherhood and this time of my life encompasses but also as a way to hone my skill in writing. In addition to these things,the reward I have actually gotten that means the most is the community of readers that I have had the pleasure of meeting. I thought I’d be helping other women through their difficult days but, through my honesty in my posts, I have gained a community of support and friendship that helps me get through the difficult days! Thanks Ladies ( and a couple brave gentlemen)!

4.) How long have you been blogging?

I started my blog in May of 2009 at the urging of a friend of mine who is a professional writer. She told me that it would be a great way to build my writing portfolio and fine tune my skills. Then life happened, we moved, and I didn’t get back to it full time until we moved again in February of 2010. So I guess I have been blogging full time for about 6 months but had my site up and running for 6 months previous to that.

5.) Let’s hear the story behind your blog title! 🙂

The Story behind my blog title “The TRUTH about Motherhood” is that I want to give it to women straight. I am a no holds barred, straight shooting Mommy who doesn’t sugar coat the bad days, but I also don’t hold back on the good ones. I read every book I could get my hands on before I actually had my first baby, but in the end nothing prepared me for the reality of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and Motherhood in all of its glory. I want to change that. I want women to have a place where they can come and read my truth ( which is likely very similar to theirs) not the truth according to Bree Van de Kamp!

Happy Mothering!

2010/07/12 13 comments

Women's Issues

Viva Espana; A kiss to build a dream on!

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/12

written by Deborah Cruz

I think most of the free world was glued to their seats watching the football match between Spain and the Netherlands. I was rooting for Spain, if course, the big guy was rooting for the Netherlands.I suppose it has something to do with our heritage, or perhaps, he just likes to be black to my white; up to my down! In the end, I won! We all know that I am a huge football fan and an even bigger footballer fan! Aside from the fact that the game itself is strategic, skillful and fast paced, the footballers themselves are awesome. Not only are they fine specimens of the male anatomy, apparently they are sensitive, sexy romantics! Case in Point, Iker Caillas ( Spain’s Hottie King Captain Goalie) and hit equally as smokin girlfriend/reporter, Sara Carbonero.

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dialogue:
Sara Carbonero: The Royal family leaves, but Iker stays. Ehh … well, look how all began and here we are.
Iker Casillas: What should i say?
Sara: Tell me how you are, how do you feel?
Iker: I´m very happy, cheerful. We deserved this from the beggining. I can only give thanks to the people that supported me always; my parents, my brother, ( almost crying ) —-
Sara: Don’t worry, let’s talk a little about the match and later we will talk about it, no?
Iker: to my friends and you.
Sara: Take a minute to compose yourself, we can talk about that later ,ok?
Iker:No, this is what I want to do.
He swept Carbonero into his arms and kissed her on live television.

Now tell me, what’s not to love about Football? I don’t know about you but I am already looking forward to the ~~2014 parade of hotties~~ World Cup 2014 Brazil! (Vuvuzuelas play in the background:)[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

2010/07/12 0 comment

Entertainment

The Emperor’s New Clothes

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/12

written by Deborah Cruz

The Emperor’s New Clothes~ As readers of this blog, you all know that I am not really a “reviews” blog. I do, however, love to bring wonderful, exciting opportunities to my readers if they are beneficial 1) to maintain Mommy’s sanity 2) for our children’s health; because lets face it us Mommies can use all the quality recommendations we can get to help in our search for healthy green products, organic, nutritious snacks, and general opportunities and activities to keep our kids active and healthy 3) I am a HUGE proponent of educating our children in the arts, broadening their horizons, and anything that makes learning a fun activity and not a chore. Basically, I am trying to raise some very well-rounded, healthy happy, children..as I am sure you all are , as well. That being said, I have to share with you, my friends, an experience that my family and I enjoyed this past weekend , courtesy of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Arriving at CST to see The Emperor’s New Clothes

Saturday, we had the pleasure of seeing the CST production of The Emperor’s New Clothes. We arrived at Navy Pier in Chicago, where the CST theater is so conveniently located. Convenient because CST, has designated parking at the Navy Pier garage ( so no worrying about “GARAGE IS EMPTY”) and they validate parking at a 40% discount for patrons. BONUS! Anyone who has ever had to park in the city knows that the parking situation at CST alone, is AWESOME! I was excited already and I hadn’t even entered the building yet.

So excited for the Emperor’s New Clothes to Begin

We arrive and were ushered into this gloriously enchanting theater, set up very similar to what a traditional Elizabethan theater would have been set up.Basically, the stage juts out into the center of the theater and there is truly not a bad seat in the intimate theater. The colors of the set were vibrant and my children were immediately engaged by the bold color choices and props used. The lighting worked in tandem with the characters to create an illusion of boundless space and time. In a matter of seconds, we were transformed from the Emperors closet, to a forest, and then to a shop without ever leaving our seats. The color and props supplied quite the feast for our visual appetites..

Complimentary to the vibrant colors of the set were the spectacular colorfulness and depth of the characters. The characters were multifaceted and their personalities were appealing to both children and adults alike.My daughters were giggling, clapping and thoroughly engaged throughout the entire performance. I was happily surprised. We have taken our daughters to other shows, most of the children’s channels variety and they have enjoyed them, I assume mostly because of the familiarity. This was the first time my girls have been to the “Theater” for a performance with an actual story line and not just singing and dancing performed by giant puppets or TV characters, other than the Nutcracker ( which they are obsessed with because of ballet).
The Emperor’s New Clothes is about a larger than life emperor, his daughter and their relationship. As a side story, it also explores the relationship between a seamstress and her son and Lord Vince, the Emperor’s right hand man who is actually trying to humiliate the Emperor and dethrone him so that he may become Emperor. At the core of the musical it is a love story of the most meaningful kind; the love and bond between a parent and a child. In addition to the main characters, the parents and children, there is a fantastic supporting ensemble cast consisting of the Emperor’s 3 secretaries, and random peasants who to say are humorous is a grand understatement. My children were laughing belly laughs and my husband and I were almost in tears.The Hans Christian Anderson play was skillfully and creatively adapted to be easily related to by its 21st century audience of all ages. When it was over, my girls didn’t want to leave! As a bonus, some of the characters from the Emperor’s New Clothes were available to sign programs after the show was over. My daughters loved that they got to meet the “Stars” of the show. They couldn’t stop talking about it all day. Between the audacious costumes, the brilliant sets, and the unforgettable antics of the cast; The Emperor’s New Clothes is a must see for any parent who wants to find a extraordinary way to introduce their child to the wonderful world of the classics and the theater. My children, as well as my husband and myself, had a fabulous experience at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater .
The Emperor’s New Clothes runs June 30, 2010 thru to August 29, 2010,with multiple performance times available. There are also many great activities and attractions going on at Navy Pier this summer so come for the show and make a day of it on the Pier! If you live in the Chicago land, Northwest Indiana area, I would highly recommend taking your child to see this performance while you still have the opportunity. For more information click the badge below

Disclosure: I was provided with tickets to see the Emperor’s New Clothes by The Chicago Shakespeare Theater in order to view the performance and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were NOT influenced by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater..

CST Presents The Emperor’s New Clothes

2010/07/12 4 comments

Travel

Life is GOOD

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/11

written by Deborah Cruz

I sit here on this gorgeous Sunday summer morning, on my deck lounging as my girls play in their splash pool. I am surrounded by giggles as hues of bright white, sky blue and the warmth of the bright yellow sun dance all around me and to make it even more special my beautiful husband is in the same zip code with us. As I am writing this post down, I think to myself “MY LIFE IS GOOD!”
Today is such a relaxing day. It is quite a contrast to yesterday that was spent in a mad dash rushing from one place to the next. We sped around Navy Pier trying to take in ..everything. It was the first trip to the Pier for my girls and I wanted to make every moment count. The girls oohed and aahed at the boats in the lake, the stared in awe at the giant Ferris wheel and the hot air balloon looming overhead the crowd, as they chomped on their rock candy suckers that Daddy had purchased them. I do,however, think they were sufficiently terrified by the Chicago seagulls that were dive bomb attacking us in the sweltering heat. Nothing like 100 degree weather and the fear of bird shit to get your kids moving in a hasty manner. Our trip to the Pier was cut short by the heat but as always sometimes life’s most expected happiness comes when you are least expecting it.

We decided to head to my sister’s home to spend the day with her and her beautiful family. My girls were ecstatic to spend the day with their little cousin, my adorable Godson. Gabs especially loves it because she feels like she gets to be the “big sister” when he’s around. Its so adorable how she coddles and guides him, ever the protective maternal force:) (thank God he doesn’t mind..for now).

I was looking forward to spending some quality time chatting with my own “little ” sister. These moments seem to be so few and far between these days with us living in different areas and having families of our own. The big guy, he looks forward to spending “man” time with my Brother in law; sampling exotic beers, driving fast cars and swapping tall tales..(yeah, just like Pecos BILL:) And all of us look forward to eating the glorious Serbian/Romanian feast my sister’s Mother in law prepares for us with love and enthusiasm (seriously, that woman has a gift when it comes to cooking and baking).
What started out as a day full of sights to see turned into a day of making wonderful family memories. It was wonderful sitting around the splash pool at my sister’s house, enjoying one another’s company and the, seldom had these days, face to face conversation while our children embraced their time together.

My sister and I shared memories of our own childhood and acted as our childrens very own paparazzi. There is something magical about being able to speak to someone who has known you your whole entire life and knows every single thought and word you may have before you even open your mouth. It may have not seemed like anything special to the general onlooker but the day with my little sister was priceless. We are no longer little girls, we will always be sisters but we choose to be friends; and my sisters’ friendships mean more to me than they will ever know.

But as all good things must, our day had to come to an end. There were overtired tears from the children who absolutely did not want to part. The dull feeling of melancholy that accompanies every goodbye between loved ones began to slowly creep into the room. As we kissed and hugged and kissed and hugged once more, we made our usual tentative plans to see each other again soon ( this happens so often between family members and friends living out of town) and we believe with all of our hearts that this time will be different. The drive wasn’t that bad, the day was so great,and so on and so forth.
All the way home, I assured myself that “this” time our promise and plans were different, this time things will be different (reminiscent of every diet I have ever failed).Unfortunately, more than likely, life will get in the way of our plans and more time will end up passing than either of us had intended. But yesterday, life was good! Love you lil Sis!

2010/07/11 3 comments

Blogging

The Monday Minute 7/12/10

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/11

written by Deborah Cruz

1. Can you burp the ABC’s?
Yeah, no way! That is pretty gross, unless you are under the age of 5.

2. So lets just say you have a 9+ hour drive ahead of you would you consider wearing Depends so you didn’t have to stop multiple times?
NO, I would never intentionally urinate or defecate on myself and sit in it ..under no circumstances. Well, maybe if I was sitting in a closet while Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers was roaming the room looking for me, but other than that..NO WAY!

3. Would you rather…run your tongue down five feet of a NYC street or press your tongue into a strangers nostril?
OK, well these are both equally nauseating but honestly…you’d be more likely if catching something licking someone’s nostril of course you’d probably need a tetanus after running your tongue down 5 feet on NYC street. OF course if you licked where someone freshly spat or a bum urinated not wearing his Depends, yeah, I say shoot me now! I’m not doing either! TOO NASTY!!!! I’d rather be shot than ingest the cooties!

4. If you had an envelope that contained the date you would die would you open it?
Yes, and then I would do every single thing I ever wanted to do knowing I had a predetermined expiration date that I was actually privy too. I could use the kick start to my get up and go. It’s taken me 37 years to finally realize what I want out of my life, and I think knowing an end date would put it into more perspective. Its not the end, its just the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

5. Which one song describes your sex life best?
Between the Sheets, The Isley Brothers

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2010/07/11 5 comments

Fashion

Seriously, Saks Fifth Avenue is taunting me!

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/09

written by Deborah Cruz

I don’t believe its a coincidence that yesterday, I posted about how much I was in love with the Louboutin Perdue Platform Sandals and since then..I have received this in my in box 3 times! Hey, Saks..Louboutin…not nice taunting a Mommy with these beauties. Either put up or shut up…I told you I’d do a REVIEW!!!!LOL Happy Friday!

2010/07/09 4 comments

Throat Punch Thursday

Throat Punch Thursday Coward Husband Edition

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/09

written by Deborah Cruz

https://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&videoId=bestoftv/2010/07/08/ac.gupta.abbie.dorn.tease.cnn

As a Mother, this video saddened me beyond belief. To go through a pregnancy and then during labor , have your uterus nicked and to basically die on the table due to malpractice..to have your whole life turned upside down, to have your husband abandon you, and take your triplets away from you..from your very sight. It was all too monstrous.

The story is this, Abbie Dorn married an asshole man named Dan. They were in love, they wanted children, they started fertility, they got pregnant with triplets. The pregnancy progressed as expected. At 8 a.m. on June 20, 2006, the couple raced the short distance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Esti and Reuvi were born without incident. But Yossi was positioned awkwardly. While the doctor was delivering him, he nicked her uterus, according to the malpractice attorney.

Abbie subsequently lost a massive amount of blood. By 2:30 a.m., she was in shock, her arms and legs cold and clammy. By around 6 a.m., she had stopped breathing. Then she went into cardiac arrest. The defibrillator did not work properly. Her brain was starved for oxygen. This poor woman goes to the hospital to deliver and Cedars-Sinai basically ruined her life. In that instant, all the wonder and excitement of her ever after came to a screeching halt and was replaced with a black abyss of impending doom! It was like a terrible ride and she could not exit, and her husband/her partner/ her advocate jumped off and left her to suffer alone.Is it just me or do you want to beat this man with a giant mallet too? What a bastard!

After a year of recovery, her husband decided that her injuries were too substantial and he was going to ask for a divorce so he could move on and marry someone else. Citing that, after a year, the chance of progressive recovery is slim. Man, keep that guy away from the plugs! Apparently, he said it was too much to ask of him to handle three 1 year olds by himself! Poor effin idiot! What a heartless jerk. It makes me think of that old Metallica video from the 80’s with the soldier who has no arms, no legs, and can’t speak but his mind is fully functional and he is crying because no one realizes that he is “in there”. What if she is “in there”, crying and missing her children ( you know the ones she only got to hold ONCE!) and everybody thinks she is “vegetative”. That’s what her husband wants the courts to believe but that’s not what her side is saying. They say that Abbie has been responsive, she understands.

But it gets even better, her douche bag ex -husband doesn’t let her see the children. I agree, she can not take care of the children..she is paralyzed and appears vegetative but she is in therapy and is making progress. I don’t see why she can’t have chaperoned visits with her parents present( her father is a doctor for God’s sake), who she now lives with because her husband kicked her to the curb after she almost died having his babies. Her husband says it is too traumatic for the children. Well, hey asshole..maybe if you hadn’t taken them away from her almost immediately after birth and they had been allowed to maintain a relationship with their mother..the lady who practically died for them..it wouldn’t be traumatic. They would just see their mother and not some scary lady who can’t talk..or move! Did I mention, she has only been allowed to hold her children once..at birth!

I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure feeling her children’s arms around her neck could do wonders for her state of mind. What kind of monster would keep a Mother from her children? For the entire story ( I highly recommend that you read it) please go here! So, of course my Throat punch goes to Mr. Dan Dorn and also to the team of morons at Cedars- Sinai who ruined this woman’s life. I understand that the hospital made a series of avoidable mistakes, that happens. It is awful, and scary but it does happen. They are after all only human. However, Dan, you took vows..for better or worse, in sickness and in health. I think he’s a cretin for leaving her in her time of absolute need, but I think he is a monster for not letting her have , at the very least, supervised visits with her children. I think almost dying to bring them into the world gives Mommy some rights! Come here Mr.Dorn, I have a special throat punch for you and if anything gets terribly damaged..be sure to head yourself to Cedars-Sinai so they can patch you up, accidentally cut off your penis and let you bleed to death! See how you like it!

2010/07/09 10 comments

Blogging

Friday Social; Time to make some new friends!

by Deborah Cruz 2010/07/09

written by Deborah Cruz

friday-follow

2010/07/09 2 comments

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