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Gwenyth Paltrow certainly knows how to stir up controversy. In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the actress and mother of two steps smack into the mommy wars uttering the following:

I have little kids in school. I want to maintain my marriage and my family, so I have to be here when he comes home. Hence her recent advice to a girlfriend (who remains tantalizingly unnamed): “She is an actress and in a new relationship with someone else with a big career, and I said this may not be feminist, but you have to compromise. It’s been all about you and you’re a big deal. And if you want what you’re saying you want a family;you have to be a wife, and that is part of the equation.

Her comments have rubbed many a mother the wrong way, with some even accusing her of being judgmental and out of touch.

My opinion? She just inserted a perfectly pedicured foot into her mouth. Here is a woman who admits to having a nanny, a driver and a chef. Of course it is easy to talk of putting family first with those circumstances. But remind me again about the compromise part?

What is all the fuss about? Read more of my column here…

The post read…

Susan Niebur passed away on February 6, 2012 after a lifetime of love, crusades, and strength.  Over the last five years she lived with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that presents without a lump.  She chronicled her life with cancer here on her blog Toddler Planet with honesty and emotion that were even more rare and aggressive.

I suppose a part of me was expecting to read an announcement like this on Susan’s blog at some point.

But truthfully, the larger part of me was expecting her to once again kick cancer’s ass. To prevail and move forward and hug her babies and lunch with friends and speak of stargazing and the need for more funding and research.

But that isn’t going to happen.

The agonizing part is that I always meant to reach out to her more. To ride up to Silver Spring and see her and some of my other blogging pals. I really wanted to strengthen that bond. I just let time, you know, slip…

Of course, when I heard about her need, I sent her messages. I showed solidarity by painting my nails purple. I sent a card.

It just wasn’t enough and it wasn’t soon enough.

Sigh.

I suppose I should be grateful of this magical thing called the Internet.  It made me feel like I was really with her and experiencing her friendship/life even though I wasn’t. Technically I wasn’t, anyway. I wasn’t part of her inner circle or her immediate family. None the less, Susan’s spirit inspired me. And not just me… she inspired thousands. She inspired people she had never even met.

That is so powerful.

If you’ve been touched by her fight, her candor and/or the power of her words as I have, I encourage you to donate to the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Or to engage your children in a science-related activity in her honor.

It would have made her smile.

My prayers are with the family and friends that Susan left behind. She will be missed.

On Thursday night, the kids and I were invited to an advanced look at the Maryland Science Center’s new fully interactive exhibit Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World presented by Terminix.

What a night.

Hosted by Harry, a Chinese praying mantis, and his insect friends, Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! takes visitors on a unique multi-sensory journey through the habitats, sights, sounds and social structures of some of  nature’s smallest and most important contributors.

Your kids will adore it.

{My boy’s favorites were the scorpion and tarantula. Shocking, I know.}

My advice? Visit on a weekend when the special programming is in full swing.

On weekends trained entomologists from the Audubon Insectarium, allow you to get up-close-and-personal with the stars of the exhibit… the bugs!

Their specially designed interactive games and competitions had us in stitches. What kid wouldn’t want to know how far they can spit a cricket? Or root for their fav roach in the Roach Race, or  hang out in the Bug Petting Zoo?

Or even try an insect delicacy cooked up by the Bug Chef? Yes. You read right. THE BUG CHEF. If bug cuisine is on your bucket list, then this exhibit will be right up your alley…

{See how much I love my readers?  Yes, I ate a bug for my blog. It was, not surprisingly, rather crunchy. My kids haven’t kissed me in days.}

Important deets:

Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World! will be open during regular museum hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Please note special weekend programming.) Entrance to the exhibit is included in museum admission. For ticket and admission information, call Maryland Science Center at 410-685-2370 or visit www.marylandsciencecenter.org for more information.

In case you got a big, nasty WARNING page shouting at you when you attempted to visit my site… FEAR NOT.

The site has been scrubbed.

But since it was reported as a problem site, we’re still working on getting those nasty messages removed.

Sigh.

Why a hacker would target little ole me, I have no idea.

But they did.

Thanks for sticking by me.

Mothers around the world rejoice! 

Have I got a find for you…

#mom (hashtagmom) is a service that automates calling or texting your mother when you arrive at a location using Foursquare and the #mom hashtag. That means anytime mom is worried whether or not you arrived safely, you can let her know immediately.

I have to tell you, even my own mother loves this! (And she recently boycotted the Internet to the point of cancelling her email account.)  To sign up,  go here, enter your mother’s cel number, select your preference of  a text or call, and connect it to your Foursquare account.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

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