Philly Moms

Real Housewives

....cross-posted from our sister site, New Jersey Moms Blog.

I usually read before bed.  I haven't watched television, other than cartoons of course, in what seems like months.  For whatever reason, I decided against reading last night and grabbed the remote control.  There was nothing that peaked my interest, let alone had any redeeming value.  I settled on "The Real Housewives of NYC."  I watched it for about a half hour.  It was like watching a train wreck.  I couldn't look away.  Never, in my adult life, have I seen women over the age of 15 behave in such a manner. I won't get into the details. 

Now, I know that the women portrayed on the show aren't representative of all housewives in NYC.  In fact I know they're not, as most seemed to own second homes in The Hamptons.  Is it money that brings out the pettiness in women?  Is it the lack of something meaningful to do that causes them to act like juveniles?  Now, I'm no fool.  I know the show is not meant to teach us about living our best lives or how to treat our neighbors.  I'm sure the producers purposely choose women who possess qualities that will drive up ratings.  It's similar to the Jerry Springer phenomenon I guess.  Afterall, the producers must have done something right.  They captured my attention for a short while.  But after turning off the show, I found myself unable to get to sleep.  Afterall, it is a "reality show."  I wondered if this is what most housewives are truly like on the inside.  I wondered if what I had just watched could be in my future.  Afterall, maybe I'm just too caught up in dirty diapers and vomit to see the pettiness and gossip all around me.  Are people, women specifically, always jealous of other women or are they able to rejoice over another's accomplishments?  Are women more consumed with their temporary outward appearances than with their inner qualities that won't fade with age?

CLICK HERE to continue reading on New Jersey Moms Blog.....

If A Man Can Get Pregnant So Easily, Why Can't I?

...cross posted from our sister site, New Jersey Moms Blog.

Lately, I feel like every time I turn on the news the pregnant man is staring at me.  From ABC to CNN, Thomas Beatie was showing off his lovely little girl and announcing that a second child was on the way. While I watched the various interviews, I thought to myself here is a man who is expecting his second child without what seemed to be many fertility issues.  From the information I have gathered, the man didn't need to go through any assisted reproductive measures.  Yes, the couple used donated sperm but they didn't even need the services of a doctor for the insemination process.  In fact, his wife used some sort of bird feeder, at home,to impregnate her husband.  I kid you not.  A man is expecting child number two because his wife got him pregnant with a device you use to feed a bird.   

In my life, I wish the same were true.  I wish my husband, Wally, could come along with a bird feeder and make me pregnant but this is not the path I was given in life.  Am I bitter towards the pregnant man?  A little and not because he is a man but because he seems to be able to get pregnant more easily than me.  To get this woman pregnant (meaning me), which supposedly my body was born to do, I need a team of highly paid specialists, hours of mediation, a vegetable-based diet, various yoga positions, many attempts, buckets of money and lots of prayers.  While am I blessed to say I was given my miracle after fours years of trying to conceive, I still get a little upset at my non-fertility challenged counterparts.  I know it isn't their fault they were given beautiful ovaries (while I was given two rotten eggs) and I should feel happy for them...I should.  Don't get me wrong for the most part I do but there is that part of me that is still jealous and can't let it go.  But what really drives me up a wall (and I speak for my husband as well when I say this), is the unwanted fertility advice.  I know, I know, I know people mean well but for someone who has had yet ANOTHER failed IVF cycle the LAST thing they want to hear is advice on how to get pregnant.  So the following is a guide of what not to say to someone who tells you they are having a hard time conceiving.   

Click HERE to continue reading on New Jersey Moms Blog........