Leta Speaks

Here's my new favorite blog that I want to kiss and have its babies and name them all Leta and then blog about them: Leta Speaks. The blog author submitted an ad to me through Entrecard and I was delighted to go and check it out.

So, imagine Leta grows up. She's a teenager. The world has changed a bit. Apparently Dooce owes her big money for featuring her as a "star" of her show without giving her a salary. And Leta has a lot to say about it. It's teh funny. Sometimes mean and drops some f-bombs, so fair warning.

Here's one entry:
"Here's a secret. You know my old "dog" with the calendars and shit? Puppet. They finally got the other one when I got old enough to tell the difference, thinking it would help, but it just scared the hell out of me. It was like a possessed puppet. I still have nightmares. Add Hewlett Packart to the "people to sue" list. Daily photos my ass. Try Daily Mindfuck. LOL. GET IT? INTERNET JOKE. SARCASM IS FUN FOR EVERYONE. SO ARE CAPS! I'm so fucked up. WTF?"

She types in CAPS. Nice. There aren't too many entries on the site, so I hope there are more to come and this isn't just an idea thrown up for fun and then abandoned. I hate teases. Maybe there are also other similar parody of Dooce or parody of mommyblogger sites out there. If you know of any, let me know. If they make jokes like about rebelling by using Comic Sans to annoy web-designer mothers, I will love them longtime, too.

I love it when we make fun of ourselves. It's better than attitude any day.

His Bad Mother & Little Mister Fussy Diaper

Finally, after something like four weeks of "unproductive" labor, Her Bad Mother delivered.

I'm thinking blogs are becoming pretty useless, as the news is viral plowing through Twitter. Sweetney (who just blogged about wanting to get pregnant) retweeted Her Bad Mother:

from @herbadmother: "91 minutes 1st contraction to birth. Crowned in fucking car & almost didn't make it. No meds. INSANE. But he's here."

He joins the Glorious May Baby Parade along with Ms. Fussypant's new gosling. Those are some gorgeous photos posted on her site. How does she look so lovely post-birth? I don't remember much, but I do have photos showing dark eye circles and stringy hair--for months actually. She really means it about fighting the frump! Then again, the internet wasn't waiting for photos of me, so I had less incentive.

Internet babies are even better than being an aunt. They can be admired at a great distance, with no diapering or babysitting involved. Go, go, Mommybloggers.

Celebrating the Hottest Mamas in the Cloud

Holy Mamacitas! I have some serious blog reading to catch up on!

Here are some of the highlights!

Some of my favorite mamas have good stuff up for Mother's Day:

• only Velma at A Smeddling Kiss can make lice sound like a lucky act of life
• Inga at Arbitrary Ruminations took her gorgeous daughters on a European spring fling--check out the photo memories
• Bossy 'splains the holiday to you.
• You know I wish Megan at a Velveteen Mind was my mommy! I absolutely love the photo she posted, hot off of her MSNBC article. The photo of her children kissing is so tender and beautiful. What mommy doesn't tear up at the site of tiny swaddling blankets?
• Shamelessly Sassy rocks the house beautiful with pregnancy memories in Pink Lines and She's All Mine.
• Deb at Deb on the Rocks takes on the mother of all mothers, Michelle Duggar, who is pregnant with #18. Really? Really. Go help develop a list of names for Deb to send to Michelle to help "J" name the baby. My favorite so far: Jeighteen.

Speaking of names, Sk-rt made their change and they are now Kirtsy.com. Oh well, I. Does. Not. Like. But congrats to them on handling the drama of the Skirt magazine turf war very well and making a quicko chango. I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's just too frilly for me right now, and I don't think it is very spellable. Spellible? Meh, who am I to talk.

Fussy puts the Mommy in Mommyblogger

If the Mrs. Fussypants Baby Shower site doesn't warm your maternal heart, then you must be one of those mommyblog haters I've heard so much about.

Allison is having her 5th boy child in just days. Five. Dang. How she still has lucidity to post hilarious stuff is beyond me. The non-pretencious leader of the Fight the Frump movement is being feted by posts, poems, tips and other forms of bloggy homage via a specially designed blog to help her countdown to D-day.

Here's a bit from one post, The Power of Five, by Casey of Moosh in Indy

"Hi there. So baby No. 5, eh? Well considering I haven't made it past one I'm in awe of 5. Especially since there's a bunch of awesome things that come in 5s. The Jackson 5. Chanel No. 5, 5 little monkeys, 5 5 fingers and now 5 babies. Boy babies. Wow, 5 boy babies and 5 successful blogs."

They love ya! So hang in there, Fussy. You are an old hat (lol) at this by now, so I know you know what to do. Just keep breathing and think of England.

Mommybloggers Good, My Blog Mine

The Globe Mail story on blogging about one's children--and the anonymous comments on the Globe site--elicited interesting posts from the two bloggers profiled on the piece. Other former bloggers were also interviewed about why they stopped blogging.

It is a very interesting topic, and one that everyone should be talking about as social media increases its footprint. Not only Mommybloggers are affected by this ethical discussion. We need to think, continually, about the effects of our decisions to go public, not only as parents, but as friends, co-workers, partners, community members, members of different races, strangers. Social media is new, and it's worth thinking about what we are creating when we change the world.

So why do "Mommybloggers" focus on the haters who use nasty name calling tactics, close ranks, and just defend each other's right to publish without a willingness to listen to thoughtful discussion. "Go go girl" just doesn't cut it. It is interesting why some bloggers close shop, it is important to talk about both the right to publish, the ethics of it, and the risk therein. Just calling anyone who had a different spin on the lockstep view "Mommybloggers Good, Children Property, My Blog Mine" a hater is a lost opportunity.

HBM decided to leave even the nastiest comments posted in an effort to consider other points of view and to represent the incident honestly, which is very cool. But then that has been seen as a great way to make haters look stupid and Mommybloggers as eternal victims who are never understood. Sheesh.

What interests me is the Dooce became wild viral when she lost her job for posting unkind stories about her co-workers and bosses. She had a right to do that, of course, but it cost her something---even though the tradeoff was fame. But isn't it probable there will be parallel unintended consequences involving their children or spouses for some bloggers? In truth, it's already happened, but those blogs get pulled. No one wants to go wild viral for hurting their loved ones.

P.S. The Globe story used the word "vitriol" and now that word is popping up everywhere. Make it stop!

Dooooocccceeee Snnnnnoooooze Fest

Are you tempted to watch the L.O.N.G. Salt Lake City news video of the Dooce burpery? Don't. I watched it for you (why, I don't know, always hoping they'll say great things about the blogging community, always disappointed.) It is a snooooozzzze fest.

Here's what you can do instead. Go to the zoo. Find an exhibit of giraffes who have been in captivity a long time with each other. Watch them lethargically nod at each other. Watch them reinforce their own passivity and dumb luck at having no predators around. Watch them shuffle their hooves in the dirt. Watch them look at you as though YOU are the weird one.

That's it. That's the video. Then move on to find some monkeys or seals or better yet, lunch.

It's beyond me why they can't share some of their limelight by at least talking about how many amazing blogs are out there and how to find them. Or that the top of the field is more than just getting a piece of paper and $40, which is how Heather described her awards. Lord, I wish the media knew there were other bloggers!

Well, Heather did link to the one other blogger on the show with them, Sarah Nielson of Tales of Wit and Charm, who was much better spoken and more generous. But do check out how Heather demeans her as just a flirt in this post. And notice how none of Sarah's post-interview posts slather on praise about how cool and nice Heather and Jon are, either. Hmmm.....Because. They. Aren't?

I have to give up, don't I, on expecting anything else from Dooce? You can't get blood from a stone. The Armstrongs just don't have it, do they?

My favorite comment in a LONG time was from Dave Gannon after Jon's post about the interview.

hi jon,
just watched the entire show…on your site. thanks for the post. i find it interesting how some people end up so different in person than their blog personalities. it may have something to do with a camera staring directly at you. we all do it, but it’s kind of like meeting one of your favorite bands in person, and realizing they are not on the pedestal where you have held them. NOT that you guys are anything but cool and nice. i enjoyed the juxtaposition of your blog faces to your real voices. thanks for keeping it so real out there.

That described the lack of brilliance fairly well.

So--the big hints, once in the interview by Jon, and one in text by Heather, is about a TV based on Dooce. Really? That's something. There might be more material at Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, but could be interesting. Like a moth to the light, I'll watch it, you know I will.

To Italy with Art Constellation

Two of my favorite things about blogs are colliding to great effect right now.

1. Blogs can let you take a virtual vacation as you travel with a favorite blogger or find a blog from a distant land or different life than your own.

and

2. Blogs have have you absolutely joyful for someone who you have met through the writing and struggles posted on-line.

You will find a phenonemal artist and blogger at Art Constellation. Many of her posts are harrowing and moving as she honestly and bravely writes about her on-going work towards healing and recovery from heinous child abuse. She also publishes a vast array of her art work, which seems to be therapuetic while also communicates richly. I can imagine that she's an inspiration to many as she wills and fights her way to a supportive life after traumatic injury.

She seems to love as fiercely as she fights. She her cats and she loves her boyfriend--who lives across the globe in Italy. Finally, she is now in Italy, soaking up all of the countries wonders and the caring embrace of Stefano.

Thankfully she's posting details and photos of her time in Italy, so readers are along for her ride (which, lovely as it is, also includes phone therapy time and nightmares.)

Her artwork and approach to blogging is amazing, and you can see art throughout her site and at her Etsy shop. She feels "known" to me in that way that some bloggers can offer themselves honestly, and so I am cheering loudly for her continued support, healing and happiness! Ciao bella!