I have a need for speed. And some 360 action.

I am going to Coney Island on Monday.

Ever since San Diego, I've had an addiction to roller coasters and other fear-producing amusement park rides. The weather in NYC is finally getting warm enough for this field trip. I've never been and I've got to go before they tear stuff down.

Mommy fly a kite!

San Diego: Easter Parade at Clairemont Rec Center

Fun with Playdoh: Part II

My miniature replica of Grandma Rilla's cheesecake,
perfect for a itty bitty blue mouse.

*Thanks to Tree for helping making the strawberries.

Fun with Playdoh: Part I

Look what Mommy made!

San Diego: My Son's 2nd Birthday

*Thanks to Rilla, my son's paternal grandmother for the lovely cake,

and to Alan, his paternal grandfather.

San Diego: Mission Bay Park

Having fun with Aunt Tree.

*Thanks to my son's father and his sister Tree for some of the photography.

Miffy and the Breakbeat

You are never too old...

The next guy I date:

Should familiarize himself with the term "taken in hand." He also should be able to openly discuss it with me and understand what I mean it to be.

Other essential reads from takeninhand.com:

• What is Taken in Hand?
  
• Could this kind of relationship be for you?
  
• Give me intensity or give me death!
  
• I am a strong woman but I want to be taken in hand. Is this normal?
• The submissive alpha female
  (Scroll down for some great scenarios.)
• Who says you have to be submissive?
  
• I don't want to be a servant or slave
• Do you have a commanding presence?
  
• Is your new man dominant, domineering, or a dithering wimp?

(Ever since I watched the movie Secretary [with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal; click right photo] when it was released a few years ago, I've become fascinated with this subject. But it was only today that I found out there was name for this kind of relationship.)

LushMommy's "Retirement" Dinner

Ruby and me.

Ruby and my son, too cool to be awake.

Choosing my karaoke set.

No one took pictures of the actual singing. Oh well.

*Thanks to Ruby and Skip for rocking out with me. Also thanks to my son's father and my son for braving the cold to represent.

What a great day I had in the city!

I was going to my weekly therapy appointment and walking out of the subway station, what should I see standing in the middle of a workday in Midtown Manhattan? Four babywearing moms, conversing.

I had to go up to them and complement them. On closer inspection, the babies were all toddlers! One was nursing too! I was so happy to see mothers just like me, going about their daily lives, doing what I am doing too -- I have babyworn my 28-lb son since birth and continue to give him the benefits of breastfeeding beyond age one.

I chatted them up further -- they were members of the "Slings in the City" group and knew the founder Bianca too. They told me about an attachment parenting Yahoo group that shared my views on mandatory HPV vaccination (the opinions that got me banned from my neighborhood mommy Yahoo group). They totally reinforced my thinking that there are mothers who don't want to be milquetoast about important issues and conform to mainstream thinking, even if the establishment of moms says you have to talk about "poopy diapers," not politics. I felt vindicated.

I wish I took a picture of them. It was priceless.

After my appointment, I went to Maternity Works, an outlet store for the Motherhood maternity and nursing apparel line (plus some more upscale brands). I treated myself to a lace-trimmed gray cotton chemise with matching robe (I love-love lounging robes). It was designed for nursing, but I could definitely wear it after my child weans (it doesn't have odd peekaboo slits that give it away to be easy access to the nipple; it's very cute and comfy as well). The price was a little more than I would pay, but I consider it an investment in a little piece of personal luxury.

I chatted up the salespersons at Maternity Works too. They were two sweet, funny young women, one of which was a single mother of three. They also shared the importance of women, mothers especially, sometimes letting loose from their daily stresses and going out, having unadulterated fun without any shame. The childless girl told me about cool, casual bars in Greenwich Village (ones that I vaguely remember from my sheltered college days at NYU) where flats are more practical than heels. I like those kinds of unpretentious places, divey bars where bikers, beatniks and bankers can share the same counter. I've got to go out more!

This day will go down in the annals of this LushMommy's life. I smiled at the beginning of the day, saying "hi" to elderly ladies I passed in my neighborhood, who probably haven't heard that very often from a Gen X or Y-er. I smile contentedly as I wrap up this post, with my sweet baby boy lying on my lap, as I nurse him to sleep.

What is a LushMommy?

It is a woman who happens to be a mother, and wants to keep the same identity she had before she had a child. She is entitled to develop her identity further, within and beyond her state of motherhood. She is entitled to have fun and freedom, whether or not she is married, commited or single.

She will always remember she is a mother, but she is still a woman, and sometimes she likes to get her groove on.

Also visit: Mothers for Social Drinking: Statement of Belief