If you log in today, there's a nice surprise waiting for you.

You can now post playdates on HiveMoms! 

Any member can do this - you don't have to be part of a co-op.  All you have to do is go to MyHive and click on the first button in the left column called "Host a Playdate".

Why this new feature, you might ask?

Well, some members are only interested in playdates.  It may be that they are not yet ready for a babysitting co-op:  they wish to wait till their children are older, or till they get to know the other moms better.  This new feature will be a great way to break the ice.  If it leads to more babysitting co-ops, that's great!  Even if it doesn't, HiveMoms hopes this will help foster new mom friendships within your neighborhood.

Members who've already joined a babysitting co-op can also benefit from the new feature, as each co-op member can now host a playdate and post it to all her co-op members.  A basic level of trust is needed before co-op members will actually trade babysitting favors, so regular playdates can help build that trust.

Give it a try, and let us know how it goes! 
 

Pregnancy rhinitis.  What a bitch.

Came upon me like a hammer last night.  Nose got as blocked as Congress over the health bill.  Couldn't even breathe, dammit.

What's a woman to do?
Snort wasabi.

Indeed that is what I did.

Why?  I'd like to plead exhaustion, insanity and the fact that I was reading a Japanese cookbook that night.

But, mainly, IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME. 

"That is the craziest idea you've ever had."  Says the HivePapa.

"You're going to help me with this, or do you want to stay up all night with the sounds of a stuffed-up hippo?"

And so I got my accomplice.

We found a bottle of wasabi powder in the pantry. 
"Sushi Sonic – Real wasabi – 45% genuine wasabi – HOT!"

Took a little sniff out of the bottle. 

"What do I do? Just inhale right from the bottle?  What if I get too much in?  I don't want a permanent brain freeze."

"Well, you could place a line of powder on a plate, just like they do in the movies, and use a straw to inhale from the line."

"Aaahhh….sounds like a plan."

One straight line, one straw, one congested mama.  Let's make some history!

Drum roll, please! 

With my incapacitated nose, I took as big a sniff as I could.  

Green powder going up the straw.
Green powder disappearing into the nether regions of my inflamed snoz. 
And….

NOTHING!  NOTHING AT ALL!!!!!   My nose is so screwed up, it's immune to the power of pure wasabi powder! 

This is bad, really bad. 

There is no good ending to this story.  How can there be, with a story about snorting wasabi? 

Woke up this morning with cotton mouth.  Time to hit CVS for anti-histamines.  Gonna nuke this sucker tonight.

 

Remember this video?

Tell me you did not have a crush on The Boss!  

This is one of my favorite songs, ever. 

 

Gorgeous creature, isn't she?

If you want one, go to ColorBlends, but I warn you:  those garden catalogs can be addictive!

 

Thanks a lot,  HivePapa, for your post of Feb 16.

Make a joke out of our baby's name, huh?   Now, all our friends are calling him "Baby Sauron".  Some are insisting that it be his middle name, even.

Of course, hmmmm…..I may warm to the idea yet…
  

"What!  You ate sushi!!!  Again??!?"

"Baby Sauron made me do it."

"Who ate all the cheese I just bought?"

"Baby Sauron made me do it."

"Was that you with the stink bomb?"

"Baby Sauron made me do it."

This is going to be good.