On a recent Oprah a husband and wife talked about having separate bedrooms. Both said they were happily married for over 10 years. Two kids. The couple had not disclosed their sleeping arrangements with friends or family until Oprah. The wife had the master bedroom. The husband was downstairs in a guest bedroom. The couple said that they start out in the master bedroom for the first part of the night and then the husband goes back to his bedroom. What do you think of this?

I happily share a bedroom with my husband, but there are times when having a room of my own would be heavenly. Our bedroom is decorated in my style. The furniture is arranged the way I want it. My husband has to make his side of the bed and pick up his clothes. But, the room is still a shared space as is the rest of the house. When it boils down to it…the only time and place that I am alone and in my own space is when I drive without kids in my minivan. Sad, right?

So, what do you think? Share the Master Bedroom? Or have separate bedrooms?

Can I Call Myself a MommyBlogger if My Last 10 Posts Are Product Reviews???

If a random reader happened upon my blog. That reader might wonder if I have kids or a husband. I get in to ruts where all I do is product review followed by a giveaway followed by the product review. For instance, my children have been back at school since August 30…and I have yet to write a back-to-school post!

So, here’s a little bit about the Musings from Me family. To prove that I do have kids. By the way, my kids and husband help me with reviewing/playing with/listening to the products I reviews. Without them I would be further behind than I am!

The Teen

• Just started high school.
• Made the school volleyball team as a freshman. Will try out for her travel volleyball team late 2010.
• Very much a daddy’s girl.
• Loves reading. Reread entire Harry Potter series as she last read HP books from 1st grade onwards. Yep, she was a very early reader.
• Hanging out with friends. Texting.
• The teen would definitely prefer to spend time with friends than with her family. I’m sad, but it is a natural progression…a kind of letting go/preparing to leave the nest.
• Does advanced courses in school — insists on keeping a challenging schedule.
• Takes after mom as far as housekeeping skills…her room is a mess.
• Would rather dress well or sleep later than eat breakfast…yes, mornings are fun, fun, fun in our house!

The Tween

• In middle school. Can’t wait to join the teen at the high school.
• Loves reading — especially anything that is a series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Twilight, Pretty Little Liars, etc. Loved Junie B. Jones books as a little kid. Never got in to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Any series that your tween loves reading? Leave a comment!
• Loves hanging with friends at our house or theirs.
• Will do chores willingly, but often needs a reminder to clean her room. I suspect that unloading/loading the dishwasher is easier than tackling her room.
• Takes after mom…can recite lines and lines of dialogue from movies. Our favorite family film is the Simpson’s. Lots of lines to recite!
• Volleyball player for her recreational and volleyball team. She is a a terrific server.
• She is my go-to person for school happenings. She knows everything about school. It’s a shame that I don’t have a clone of her at the high school and elementary school.
• Loves science. Works hard at all her subjects.
• Is rocking Spanish this year! Very few kids opt to take a language in middle school.

The Kid

• He’s all boy. The kid has kept me on my toys since he was able to crawl. He could move the kitchen table before he could walk. Climbing! Messes! Gray hairs for mom!
• He wanted to ride the school bus from about 1 years old. He started preschool without a tear. Loved finally going to school. He was in heaven when he got to ride the school bus!
• He’s a talker…we’re working on this.
• He’s a spy-in-training…which means he can be sneaky and stealthy. It was a sad day for me when he realized that his sisters got to stay up later than he did on weekends.
• As a direct result of staying up later on weekends, he has watched a number of films that are probably not age-appropriate for a young kid…Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Robin Hood.
• He watches too-scary movies, but also loves anything Disney. I draw the line at the ABC Family shows.
• He loves being read to. He and his dad are reading the 1st Harry Potter together. He reads a couple of pages. His dad reads a couple of pages.
• He’s a builder…Lego…blocks…K’Nex. If you can build it, he will play with it. He has amassed a collection of Star Wars Lego guys. Have you noticed how tiny the weapons on the Lego guys are? Why aren’t there more Lego gals? Are there any Lego gals?

The Husband

• I call him Coach dad on this blog.
• He reads my blog! Go Coach Dad!
• He puts up with/understands/tolerates my “blogging as a hobby leading to blogging as a job” career.
• He is my go-to guy when I travel. He will go in to work late so that the kids get on the bus.
• I love that he has instilled a love for learning in our children. School is of paramount importance to him — he’s a teacher.
• He is a huge supporter of whatever sport or activity the children do. He’s there at the band concerts, open houses at school, swim meets, and volleyball/lacrosse/football games.
• Housekeeping is not at the top of his priority list, but I appreciate that he does a load of laundry every now and again.
• The lawn is another matter. He takes pride in mowing our very large yard. It’s the type of yard that screams “PLANT MORE TREES,” “BUILD SOME STRUCTURE” so there is less to mow!

Do you blog about being a mom or blog about products? Both? How do you balance the two?

I’m not even the parent-in-charge this week and I am totally stressed out. My husband is Mr. Mom. He has been since school let out. It’s a plus having a teacher for a husband. Especially during the summer.

He’s doing laundry. Cooking. Getting it done. And, he’s the designated driver of the carpool to camp, no less!

I am hooked to the computer working. I should be outside in nature…my husband found the above baby deer one morning this summer. It seems as though there are not enough hours in the day right now to get it done. To get everything done. To get anything done. At this point I would settle for crossing a few items of my to do list each day. Many days I sit and move from one project to the next with nothing to show for myself.

Today I tackled a mini crisis that I should have tackled a month ago. I’m just letting everything pile up.

Winners need to be chosen. Packages need to be shipped. Products have to be reviewed. Posts need to be written. And BlogHer!

BlogHer is two weeks from today. Yikes! I need to get my regular work done so that I can go to BlogHer to enjoy the fun and festivities.

Anyone else totally stressed right now??

Today is a day. It will be a day and a half long before I go to bed. With three children in full-day school, you would think I would have plenty o’ time to get what I need done. Yes, you read that right…my children are still in school. Thank you Howard county, MD!

My children are still in school, but today all three might as well not be. Today is Convergence Day. One of those days when all three children have a scheduled activity for school requiring my help.

The 1st grader has his end-of-the-year picnic. I’m running a few games. My husband is joining him and bringing lunch. I would stay for lunch, but I have to go to a state park over an hour away. Why?

I have to go to a state park as the 8th grader has HER end-of-the-year picnic at Greenbrier State Park. She’s riding the school bus to the park, but wants to stay later to swim. I initially said that she had to ride the bus back to school, to get the bus home, but she desperately wants to stay at the park, So…I have arranged my day so that she can stay. Nice mom, right?

But, what about my 6th grader? She has her end-of-the-year picnic as well. What to do about this? I knew I couldn’t chaperone due to the 1st grade picnic. The school did not need chaperones.  I’m thankful for small mercies. I will try to do a fly by before driving to the state park with the 8th grader.

Convergence Day is given with three children in two different schools. Why don’t the schools coordinate their calendars?

Letters are becoming a dying form of communication. In our house, my kids get cards and letters from their grandmothers. When my kids go to college, I am sure I will e-mail or text or Facebook them to keep in contact.

I remember how excited I was when I got to read the blue airmail letters from my grandmother in England. My family lived in the U.S. — New Jersey to be precise. We returned to England most summers. Staying in contact with my grandmother plus our other relatives was important. Phone calls were prohibitively expensive. Once my English family recorded a message on a cassette tape. We returned the tape to them with a message from our family. I still have that tape.

I want to write a letter to each of my children, so that they know they are loved beyond measure despite the fast, frenetic pace of our family life. In a nod to my blogging and online writing roots, I will write letter on this blog.

I am writing this letter to my children as part of the Baltimore Sun’s Mother’s Day Letters project. Note: For reasons of safety and security, I don’t refer to my children by name on my blog, but rather refer to them as “the teen,” “the preteen,” and the “the kid.”

___

Dear Teen:

You have never been shy about letting me know what you feel.

As a baby you only took a bottle on the 3rd try. You refused to be fed with a spoon to the point where I had to make your oatmeal super thick so that it would stick to your fingers. You insisted on dressing yourself even though putting on pantyhose is impossible for a 2-year-old. You walked out of your preschool classroom because you wanted to go to kindergarten NOW. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Last year when you became a teen, I was secretly worried. You have always been so determined to do what you wanted to do. What would you be like as a teen I wondered?

You emerged in to your teen years as a young lady full of dreams and ambitions for the future. Gone was the petulant and pouty tween. In her place, I found a young woman who was able to have a discussion about an issue even if the outcome was not what you wanted.

You have always done well in school with prodding from us. This past year you have taken the helm with school projects. On a number of occasions you have reminded me of homework assignments!

I am excited about what the future holds for you!

Love, Mommy

___

Dear Preteen:

When you were an infant, I recall that you would scream and fuss at bedtime. I geared up for a battle of wills at bedtime. I fed you and changed you and rocked you — all to no avail. One night it occurred to me to put you in your crib. I stood beside your crib amazed that you fell fast asleep. What?? You let me know in a nonverbal way that you needed an early bedtime. The early bedtime is just one of the gifts you have given this family.

Your sense of humor is a true joy to me. As a child I was a joker…ask Grandma and Grandad! You and I have fun reciting lines from The Simpson’s Movie and Shrek while your Dad, sister, and brother stand by bemused. I know, I know…I laugh at the lines far longer than you do.

As the younger sister to one and the older to another, you have much responsibility. Your older sister can be stand-offish with you or she can be your best buddy — what can I say she’s has an independent streak. Your little brother looks up to you, which I know is both charming and annoying. You handle both of your siblings with grace.

I am thrilled that you have found two sports that you love dearly. While I may not know what a librero does or what your time is in the breaststroke…I love cheering for you on the sidelines or poolside.

I will hang on for the ride to see where life takes you.

Love, Mommy

___

Dear Kid:

You are a bundle of joy wrapped up in a little boy package. You cuddle up for a bear hug or headbutt me — I never know which one I will get! You love your dad and would rather hang out with him. But, from the moment we brought you home from the hospital you have always been my little buddy.

As the only little boy in the family, you are relentless at trying to convert your sisters to the world of Cars and Thomas and Geotrax and Iron Man. You haven’t changed their minds yet, but you never stop trying.

I love that you adore school. From the moment I picked up a book to read to you, your eyes sparkled. Books hold your attention. You love being read to…when persuaded you will read to one of us. I love it when your preteen sister comes in to the room to listen to the Junie B. Jones books Daddy is reading to you. We are a book family!

I am excited to see where life will take you.

Love, Mommy

Two years I started writing a blog. It was part of my grade for a graphic design and writing class. On the blog I commented on design elements that intrigued or repulsed me. Yes, repulsed. I have strong feelings when it comes to design. I may not be able to recreate the design using a design program, but I know why a design works or doesn’t.

The graphic design and writing class taught me two very important lessons:

1. I don’t want to be a designer. I never felt comfortable with the programs I was required to use. I made great strides in the class, but knew that graphic design was not my chosen field.
2. I discovered a love for writing. Who knew? After 35 years of writing letters, memos, and work documents, I finally found my writer’s voice. It was freeing. I was invigorated. The feedback I received from the graphic design professor was minimal and unhelpful, while the feedback from the writing professor was golden.

The class ended in May. After many months of focusing on the assignments for the graphic design and writing class, I fell head first in to the end-of-the-school year activities for all three children. My son “graduated” from preschool, while my daughters finished 6th and 4th grades. School is busiest in May and June. I let my blog lie dormant for months.

The new school year was a milestone for me. For 12 years, I had dreamed of the day when all 3 kids would be in full-day school. I said goodbye to a patchwork quilt of preschool pickups and dropoffs, classes, storytimes at the library, spotty babysitting, and carting an unwilling 4-year-old to Jiffy Lube, Costco, and the DMV. I said hello to peace and quiet from 8:30 until 3 p.m.

Blogging is now what I do. Is it a job? Well, it would depend on your definition of job. My job of blogging, writing, and product reviewing fully engages my attention. While it may not be very well paid, my job is the most fulfilling job I have ever had.

Lolli wrote about her takeaway from blogging here. She listed a Top 10 list of What Blogging Has taught her in response to Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop.

My Top 10 List would have to include:

1. It is possible to discover you have a calling even if you come to it late in the game. Writing is what I love.
2. Blogging about my kids is difficult as I have no stories of pee, puke, and poo to fall back on.
3. Blogging about tweens and teens is a minefield of what I cannot mention…their names (of course), friend’s names, schools, sports teams, grades, and anything else that might be embarrassing to them. Read: EVERYTHING is embarrassing to them!
4. A supportive husband is hard to find. Who knew that my “you really should go back to work at least part time once the youngest starts school” husband would become my “let’s see where the blogging, freelancing, and consulting takes you” husband. Go Coach Dad!
5. While I can’t blog about the specifics of the lives of my kid, preteen, and teen, I can find more that enough fodder from the logistics of our daily trials and tribulations of managing our crazy schedule of activities. Have minivan? Will travel.
6. The effort required to get two sleepy headed girls and one bouncing of the walls boy as well as one resigned to getting ready for what the day has to bring husband out door makes me want to go back to bed, but I don’t…usually.
7. I have not cracked the HTML code…it’s on my list of things I should really learn.
8. Twitter is amazing. I found Mariana and her mad design skills. Thanks to Mariana I have a domain name and a header. I would still be hanging out over at Blogger!
9. While I am not a Top 10 blog, I have found a niche in hosting giveaways. I have a loyal following of people who enter my giveaways. Now if I could draw readers to my posts that are not giveaways, I would be set.
10. Speaking of giveaways, I enjoy working with brands. By reviewing products/hosting giveaways, I can combine my two loves: writing and finding out about new products.

Are you a brand or do you represent a brand? I would love to work with you. I can be reached at JillAnneBerry @ msn . com

What’s on your Top 10 list of what blogging has taught you! Leave a comment or a post on your blog with a link here in the comments. I’ll stop by and read it!

I am hazy about last week. We got it all done, but it is a blur.

I had two ominous deadlines looming…

Taxes — Are you like us? Did you leave your taxes til the last minute? I must admit that if it were left to me the taxes would still not be done. I have some block when it comes to the taxes. I have an “I will get to it next week” attitude towards them.

Suddenly, it was “next week.” My husband was waiting on my data. As a worker bee I knew what I needed to hand my husband for taxes…my W-2 form. As a freelancer worker bee, I handed him my W-2, my mileage log, and any receipts for business expenses. As a SAHM, I handed my husband absolutely nothing. He’s a good guy…he appreciates what I do for the family whether working or not.

This year was different. Was I a worker bee in 2009? Or not? I don’t have any pay stubs to prove that I worked. I do have online payments to PayPal. I did work this year. There is no doubt that I worked! But, much of my work was for free.

I do many free reviews. PR or the brand will contact me with a free item. I will say “Yes!” PR will send me the item. I will use it…test it…review it….think about it. Once my review is done, I will write my post. A giveaway may be associated with the review, which takes work. I’m willing to do free reviews. But, reviews take time. And as they say time is money.

But, back to the taxes… I handed my husband all the documents he needed on April 14. Of course, I was missing a few. I forgot to calculate all my mileage. I handed him a couple of receipts that he didn’t need. He and I sparred back and forth on a couple of items. He is super cautious when it comes to “you know who.”  We slept on it Wednesday night.

Thursday morning appeared bright and early as usual. We’re a family of “love their sleep” people, so mornings are quiet. My little guy can be lively, but given time we will bring him over to the dark side. Once all kids were safely on school buses, my husband got to work. Don’t ask me how, but by noon on April 15…our taxes were filed.

The second deadline was one that I also put off doing anything about. I can’t blog about it. It is not as though I am a completely open book on this blog, but I like to let people in on many aspects of my life. But, with this issue I cannot.

Suffice it to say that our taxes were filed and I made a decision. I’ll leave it at that. I am glad to put last week behind me. On to more challenges this week!

My husband is a creature of habit. He HATES change. Coach Dad is a mess when I do my periodic furniture rearranging. If a chair is out of alignment, he will mention the change over and over again. And don’t even think about moving the colander from one cupboard to another. The fallout! He prefers to have everything just the way it was yesterday and the day before and the day before that…

I am on the other side of the spectrum. If Coach Dad is Mr. Consistency, then I am Ms. Change. I like nothing more than to tear apart a room while doing a thorough, in-depth lengthy cleaning. Now, if I kept up with my housework perhaps I might not have such a cleaning nightmare to tackle, see also dust bunnies under the couch. Coach Dad has more than once mentioned that our house resembles the ever-changing staircase in Hogwarts Castle.

But, back to Coach Dad… Last night he tried a new drink. He and I are both Diet Coke drinkers…Diet Pepsi, too. We’re not choosy. We buy what is on offer at Costco. I am a little more open to other drinks. I have been known to have iced tea or a Diet Sprite. He pulled out a Steaz Energy Drink from the garage fridge…and…liked it! I was shocked.

I was introduced to Steaz at Mom 2.0. My swag bag from MomImpact had a Steaz energy drink. I packed the drink in my suitcase to enjoy at home. The energy drink was a little strong for me, but I found the Steaz soda and iced tea I sampled last week to be refreshing and delicious.

Last week, I had a chance to meet Eric from Steaz at a dinner hosted by Steaz at Whole Foods in Silver Spring, Maryland. I chatted at length to Eric, who is one of the founding partners with Steve of Steaz, a Pennsylvania-based company. I asked Eric “Why Steaz?” — he said it was a cross between Soda and Tea.

I must admit that while I don’t search for foods that are fair trade, if a food or drink is fair trade I will buy it. I have a harder time finding fair trade and organic products since I am about 30 minutes from a Whole Foods or similar store.  I left this party with a few bottles of Steaz to try.

Steaz Regular sodas come in Orange, Root Beer, Raspberry, and Lemon Lime. I found the Steaz Orange soda to be reminiscent of biting in to a segment of orange. You know how the orange juice drips down your chin. That’s what Steaz Orange tasted like to me. The Steaz Regular Sodas are about 90 calories per serving. I like that the ingredients are all natural and organic.

Steaz have a line of zero-calorie Soda, too. The zero-calorie soda comes in Raspberry, Orange, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Black Cherry. I’m waiting to try the Raspberry that is in the fridge. Better get it before Coach Dad or my teen find it!

Saturday was not my finest mom moment. It started on a questionable note when I slept later than usual while my son played. You might ask well his dad was up so what is the problem. The problem is that his dad and his middle sister left very early for a volleyball tournament. He rose an hour or so after the two left. While he was awake the teen and I snoozed.

In the time I was snoozing away, he created this:

LEGO Indiana Jones Fighter Plane Attack

That’s right he made one of the planes from this kit. He proudly held it up to show me as I lay looking at him with glazed eyes. I blinked my eyes fully open, checked the clock, and thought “Oh, no!.” It was 11 a.m. I really slept in. My husband will sometimes do the weekend morning shift. But more often than not our middle daughter is the early riser who keeps her little brother company. Let’s just say the boy and I missed his sister on Saturday morning!

Once I was up, I made an early lunch. He breakfasted on Pop Tarts — the breakfast of champions…I know, I know…it is our weekend breakfast food. After lunch, I had a few work tasks to do, so he watched his new Lego movie: LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers. Once the movie was over, I promised him that I would take him to the zoo or the petting farm and to Toys R Us.

The movie kept him engaged. I was engrossed in what I was doing, so much so that I did not look at the clock until nearly 3 p.m. I realized to my horror that the zoo closed at 5 p.m. and was 50 minutes away and the petting closed at 4 p.m. What to do?

I came clean with my son. He was sad for a minute then perked up at the thought of spending a gift card from his aunt. Yay for consumerism at an early age!

Toys R Us was deserted. He and I strolled the aisles the way I used to when he was about 2 and younger. I would Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and birthday shop for his sisters and him. He would be happy playing with a toy or looking at a book with buttons while I perused the stock and loaded the cart.

He chose a G.I. Joe ninja guy and a Batman for himself. He chose his best buddy a Giants Nerf Vortex Football and a Nerf Bandolier Dart Kit. Super cool choices. We are a Nerf family!

He was happy, but I am determined not to let anything get in the way of taking my child somewhere.

Coming up super awesome rad giveaways from Nerf!!

Date Night?? Ever heard of it? In the dark and distant parts of my memory banks, I can vaguely recall going out on a date night. Nowadays with three kids in school, homework, two kids on travel volleyball teams, one kid on a yearround swim team, one kid in karate, birthday parties, playdates, and school events, my husband and I hardly go out for date night.

But, you know what? For us and our marriage, we need to make time…call the grandparents to come babysit…convince the teen to babysit if the grandparents are busy…cancel what is on the calendar…to go on a date night.

And how much funnier would it be to go on a Date Night to a movie called Date Night? It’s funny, right? I know, I know…I don’t get out much. Date Night is a new film to be released on April 9th, 2010. That’s a Friday, by the way…a perfect night for a date with your husband or wife!

Date Night stars stars — Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Both are super funny in my book. Steve Carrell is best known for his portrayal of Michael in The Office. Tina Fey is the force behind ANYTHING remotely funny on Saturday Night Live.

Here’s a funny clip of Date Night — a date night gone wrong type of film:

It’s not often that I giggle while watching a trailer for a movie. I’m more of a drama movie type of movie watcher, but this trailer is funny! So, check the calendar, call the babysitter, and go see Date Night on your date night with your husband or wife!

In “Date Night,” which opens Friday, a bored suburban couple played by Steve Carell and Tina Fey go on their weekly dinner date and find themselves thrown into a night of intrigue: there’s breaking and entering, a car chase, a shootout and a showdown with an underworld boss at a strip club. Husband and wife come out of the adventure with some scratches and also with their ardor renewed.

This post was sponsored by 20th Century Fox. The views expressed in the post are my own.