ThePlanetMom.com

World Health Organization has declared a global flu pandemic

No kidding.

Here in my little suburb earlier this week, 110 kids called in sick.  IN ONE GRADE.  That's one third of the class.  The majority aren't being tested for swine flu and instead are opting to ride out the high fever, cough and sore throat. 

Reports the BBC, "The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April.  It has since spread to 74 countries.  Official reports say there have been 28,000 cases globally and 141 deaths and figures are rising daily."

If you're interested, the CDC updates it's FluView weekly, detailing the cases per state and providing a summary of the situation.

It's one thing to watch the news and follow the rash of NYC school closings.  It's completely another to experience it firsthand (my son has been sick for two days) and relying on the mom network for information.  Our small town doesn't hold press conferences ala Mayor Bloomberg.  Instead, the principal has encouraged parents to call the school to report if their child is experiencing flu-like symptons, so the district can get a better handle of the severity.  And how many kids are out due to sickness vs. those who are healthy and waiting it out.  Yikes.  My son's grade is now a week into missed final exams and canceled sports.  While town leaders decide how best to communicate the scope of this, whatever THIS is.

The AP quotes Michael Osterholm, a flu expert at the University of Minnesota who has advised the U.S. government on pandemic preparations, "I think a lot of people think we're done with swine flu, but you can't fall asleep at the wheel," he said. "We don't know what's going to happen in the next 6 to 12 months."

Now I might have to start watching.

I'll tell you straight up, I don't watch Jon and Kate Plus Eight.  The Bachlorette.  Yes.  Rock of Love 1, 2 and The Bus.  Yep.  The Cougar.  Of course.  But not Jon and Kate.  Too close to home.  Why do I need to watch a mom and dad parent eight kids and argue?  Give me making out and hot tubs, not real life.

But then things got interesting.  And my mother, who's an avid reader of the The New York Times and listens to NPR even when she's not driving, weighed in on Jon and Kate.  My mom has an opinion on Jon and Kate?  Jeez, no wonder the recent episode made cable TV ratings history.  Too many people care about this family.  And finally there's some naughtiness going on.

Plenty a mom would sell their home life to become a millionaire.  Especially if their husband has zero ambition and they have eight kids to feed.  Kate's brilliant.  The teeth!  The trips!  The front-loader washing machines!  And maybe a bedroom deal to have an open marriage.  Reportedly, Jon takes up with a 23-year-old woman who's crafty brother may auction his sister's Bed of Adultery on eBay.  Classy.  But Kate scores The Bodyguard.  Genius, she is.  And plenty cranky.  Aren't we all?

Here's a disclaimer from Kate's 6/5/09 blog post about their recent trip to the beach:  ****Disclaimer: No sand crabs, children, camera crew, or even paparazzi were injured in the making of this blog (or "show" for that matter!) All hermit crabs were safely and peacefully returned to the ocean before lunch on the fifth day...and I wish I could say the same thing about the beyond obnoxious paparazzi, but no such luck! :(

Love it.  Looks like I have another show to add to my low-brow repertoire.

Why Adam Lambert is a role model for my son

So I was hanging with a bunch of moms while our sons were at soccer practice. 

Yapping with moms is one of my all-time favorite pastimes, especially after the weekend I had.  Besides hosting Easter, a huge undertaking as any mom can attest, I had spent the long weekend spring cleaning.  And by spring cleaning I don't mean light dusting and running the vacuum.  Making sure all the game pieces are in the Battleship box, or it was tossed.  If the stuffed animal didn't have a name, gone.  I managed to reduce my children's wardrobes by half.  I felt fantastic afterward.  But wiped.  So eager to talk with my peers about anything, just to recharge.

After catching up on our weekends, sharing recent kid happenings and getting an update on the Little League Opening Day festivities, we got down to business.  We talked American Idol.  Or more specifically, Adam Lambert.

We're suburban moms.  I bet you think you know what we discussed.  His hair.  His nail polish.  His song choices.  His supposed sexual preference.  Sure, we did.  But mostly we agreed that Adam Lambert was a role model.  Who cares if there are pics of him posted all over the Web, in drag, at Burning Man.  We could care less.  We care that he's original.  Takes risks musically.  Is over-the-top theatrical on the the most popular (read:  mainstream) show on TV.

One mom went on to say that wouldn't it be great if, someday, our sons could set themselves apart from the pack, like Adam.  Whatever they choose to do, do it in an unique, inspiring way.   To love what they're doing.  And so comfortable in their own skin, that they have THAT confidence.  Adam confidence.

Soccer practice over, our boys ran to their SUVs and minivans, maybe watched ESPN's Sportscenter before eating chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Played Wii before going to bed.  Maybe watched Drake and Josh.  And as they drifted off to sleep, maybe one of us moms remembered today's earlier conversation, Adam Lambert as role model, and wished her son sweet dreams.

What I have in common with Cindy Crawford

1)  We're both 43.

2)  We're both moms.

3)  We both own Planet Mom T-shirts.  This one.

Not making our list?  Have you seen the Allure feature?  Yeah, the one that got a ton of press this week, Cindy Crawford, naked, except for the shaving cream slathered all over her body.  (Well, not ALL over.) 

She looks fantastic.  But let me tell you something.  Here's what's being posted on message boards and discussed between girlfriends.  If you exercise regularly and eat well, 43 really can look hot.  And you don't have to be a super model either.

40s, of course, isn't all lusting after the younger contractor or owning killer lingerie.  It's about getting annual mammograms, having an electrology budget, knowing and practicing the almighty Kegel.  So, a woman in her 40s knows her body.  And that can only be a good thing.

Cindy Crawford's pictorial, while generating press, wasn't the news item - the shocking news item - it might have been a few years ago.  Maybe it's because of that Dove campaign - the one that celebrates real beauty.  Or because "25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales" is in heavy rotation on E!.  Whatever the reason, I do have one other thing in common with Cindy:  I'm comfortable in my own skin.  Hope you can say the same.

A Victim of Bernie Madoff

I met one of Bernie Madoff's victims today.  It was an unexpected meeting in the most unlikely of places-- a nail salon.  Instead of the usual mind-numbing conversations I overhear in this place, I listened to a woman, who looked to be in her 60s, catching up with an old aquaintance.  She choked back tears as she talked about how she had lost her entire pension that she had accrued at the doctor's office where she worked.   I soon realized that she was employed with one of the two orthopedic groups in this area that had invested their entire pension program with Madoff.   

I know a doctor in each of those practices.  I don't know them well, but I felt terrible for them when I heard about their financial losses.  I took some solace in the fact that they're both relatively young and could hopefully save enough between now and when they retire.  The woman I met today isn't so lucky.  Nor are many of the 140 employees in the practice where she works.

With tears in her eyes, she talked of a co-worker who had been investing in the pension program for the past 20 years and had planned on retiring in a few months.   Now, she's unable to retire.   When I asked about her own situation, this woman told me that her husband had been in the army for 20 years, and because he hadn't earned a lot, she had maxed out on her pension contributions for the past 10 years.  All that money is gone.  She said she won't be retiring any time soon.   She also explained that because of an antiquated law, the 140 employees are seen as a group by the government and therefore they would all have to share in the $500,000 "reiumbursement." 

Recently, I was thrilled to hear that the Feds are going after Bernie Madoff's wife, Ruth, and his accountant (how about his allegedly innocent sons next?!) in an attempt to recover more of the money he stole from his clients.   After meeting this woman, I find him even more despicable than I did before.  I've seen the anguished face of one of Madoff's innocent victims.  And, there are thousands more out there.

Natasha Richardson

  

    Natasha Richardson passed away today, at the age of 45.   I don't think I've ever seen any of her acting credits, and I didn't know much about her, other than her family lineage and her marriage to Liam Neeson, but I cannot stop thinking about her.  

    Maybe I can identify with the fact that she has two boys.  Or, maybe it's that I once had a life-threatening head injury.  But, I think what really gets to me is the senselessness of her death and the overwhelming thought that if she had just decided not to learn to ski in her mid-40s, she would still be alive.   I'm not saying that learning to ski in your 40s is reckless.  I'm just obsessed with the thought that one relatively small decision can lead to an untimely demise.  

     I don't want to seem morbid.  I'll try to learn an important lesson from her death.  The same lesson that she apparently learned many years ago after her husband had a serious motorcycle accident:   "I wake up every morning feeling lucky — which is driven by fear, no doubt, since I know it could all go away," Richardson told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in 2003.

Who has the energy to cheat?

I just read a new poll that shocked me.  No, not a poll about Obama v. Hillary.  This one's much more interesting.  A new study of moms with young children (by Cookie magazine and AOL Body), reveals that 34 percent of moms report having had an affair since having children, and 53 percent said they had thought about it.   Furthermore, 58 percent of the 30,000 mothers polled said that they fantasize about sex with coworkers, delivery men, and other dads. 

Where do I start?  There's so much here to comment on.  To begin with, who has the energy to have an affair?!  I am so darn tired that sleep is pretty much the only thing I want to do in my bed.  Having an affair is like dating a new guy when you're single.  You have to make sure your legs are shaved all the time, you have to look hot and sexy (which is hard when you're wearing sweatpants and a ponytail ), and you have to add one more "activity" to your busy schedule.  Where do you find the time to have "dates" or secret rendez-vous (how do you make that word plural?)  I haven't been able to find the time to pick up our dry cleaning that I dropped off on March 6; how do people have all this time?!

And, who are these hot delivery men who these women are fantasizing about?  Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker at heart, but every time a delivery man knocks at my door, I assume he's going to try to break into my house and rob me.  And, no offense to anyone who has ever delivered anything to me, but I haven't noticed any especially cute guys coming up my driveway.    Am I the only mom who actually fantasizes about men I see in movies and on TV whom I'll never have the chance to meet in a million years?   What's wrong with Hugh Laurie on "House"?  Actually, I'm over him.  We broke up.  I have to find someone new.  Maybe.... the UPS guy?  No, I don't like how he leaves those impersonal Post-it size notices on my door when I miss his visit.

The study also revealed that 48 percent of these women think their husbands are having, or have had, an affair.  Then why aren't 48 percent of these moms having an affair, instead of only 34 percent?  I know I seem to be contradicting myself, but seriously, if I thought my husband were having an affair, I'd almost have to go off and have one myself.   Getting even is the best revenge, right?  Isn't that what the Bible says?  Oh, wait. No.  So, maybe these women are 'turning the other cheek', so to speak, but I feel bad for them. 

Furthermore, why are busy moms like me devoting all this time to thinking about this silly survey when I have decorations to make for "Teacher Appreciation Week?!"  Plus, "The Office" is on tonight, and that John Krasinski is kinda cute....and single.