I headed to the car wash with a pit stop to the self vacuum place first. The car sorely needed it and nothing like Boston’s winter slush to make the car really icky. I guess the fact that I let the girls snack in the car does not help. Anyway after we were done, and after the car-wash freaked my little one into a hysterical bout of crying (while her kind sister...

Before I had kids I lived in the sheltered life of what a tantrum was. I mean surely I never had one? What on earth causes our cute-as-a-button kid to turn into something that makes you want to dig your head deeper in the soil than any ostrich could? I mean one minute they are as happy as a bee and the next like something possessed. The probability of one happening is...

You read that right! He did! He un-friended me a while ago but the gall of the act still riles me and I decided I needed to share it with you. Oh, if you are wondering if we’re still together, well we are, but to the regular Facebook world we were not for a while. If you wondering what I am rambling about a few months ago I saw a common friend send me a Facebook...

Friday 5 is up again and I thought would be great to dedicate another of the Friday 5 series to blogger stuff. We will do anything for free stuff Although I do not speak for the entire mom blogger population, as I should not, review samples are necessary to give a review on, right? Once I did a contest where I was not reviewing a product but just conducting a giveaway...

Recently I decided to host a Valentine’s party for my daughter’s Pre-K class. I sent an invite out (albeit a very untidy, rushed, and forgot-to-write-my-kid’s-name-on-it invitation) and thankfully the teacher called to let me know I missed out a few new students.  All along the way I received comments like “what a wonderful thing you are doing”...

Friday 5 is here and trying to still catch up on posts (and life) but better late than never, right. Soon my littlest girl will be turning 3 and while the antics of her two-someness is still  fresh in my mind I thought I would share some of my ideas. Make sure you catch more tips on older posts in the Friday 5 series. Give a choice of her age (two)! Asking open ended...

I am sure that this may not make me popular but I have to say it. I drive a Toyota and am proud of it. I love it enough to dedicate this week’s Friday 5 to it. Yes, I have a television and I have been keeping tabs on the news about the recalls. Am I underplaying the severity of the issue? No! Do I believe it is sprinkled with hype? Yes! There are important issues...

I am cheap. So sue me. I hate paying for something if I can get it free, or at the very least cheap. Don’t pretend you don’t too.  After suffering this week with a horrid stiff neck (I would kiss my chiropractor if I could just turn my head) and I finally tackled Mount Laundry (with those piles of clothing from Atlantis) I felt I deserved to give some bloggy...

If you don’t know I have been dealing with some ugly hacker who messed up my site. It has been a scary time but am so relieved to be back and though late with this week’s dose of Friday 5 series, better late than never. Since I have just come back from a media trip to Atlantis, it was the closest thing to a vacation, there were some things I could not comprehend. Kids...

My 2 (and a half) year old daughter has been having some real funky traits these days. I am not sure how much of it is the terrible twos or how much of it is going to make her lie on some couch spilling her guts about how her mother led her to this behavior. At first I caught her looking at a little house her sister (4 year old) had made and she came in and declared “I...

I am packing! I won’t be here tomorrow. And not even for the day after. Tonight I will be packing. I fly tomorrow and I have not started packing. Final destination Atlantis. Am I overwhelmed? You betcha. Am I confident it will get done tonight? Absolutely. Since I cannot think further than my battered suitcase (man I so need new luggage as I have had bad luck with...

Now I know what you are thinking, late again! I was out dear readers. I was out to New Jersey (and also New York but more of that little news later). Might I add that I was on a road trip. With kids. With me being the only adult. With a 2 and 4 year old in the backseat. Did I add that the trip is normally 4.5 hours (with no breaks and no kids)? Feeling sorry for me? Heck,...

What’s that you say? Is it going to be a trend for 2010 that Mommy Niri is late with her posts? I guess I should have added being on time with my posts as one of my 2010 resolutions. Coming from growing up in tropical weather in South Africa getting used to Boston’s wintry weather for the past 10 years should have been a piece of cake, right? Well, I approach...

I feel all giddy inside to write this. You know writing my resolutions for 2009 was actually my 1st Friday 5 in the Friday 5 series, and I cannot get over that I finished 52 whopping posts! Not sure how I managed to get through but bumping into a friend, when I was late with it, asking for it was sure to make me thrilled yet guilty. I actually thought of stopping it this...

At the beginning of 2009 I wanted to kick off something I felt would stick too. I had not done reviews etc before and although I wanted to embark on it in 2009 I felt a personal post like this would keep me on track. Hubby felt it would be a tall order, and I felt that was exactly what I needed. Along the way I quivered and sometimes just felt I would never to keep to...

Ok, so I am late. So what? I know you were too busy munching cookies and drinking egg-nog to really notice. Did you notice? Anyway I decided to take a small hiatus from blogging to actually enjoy my family.  This is the final edition of the Friday 5 series for 2009 so I have been reflecting on the year I wanted to share it with you. I have learned: When tough times...

The frenzy that festivities bring is sure to make even the most stable of hands quiver as they tackle making each holiday the best ever. The toil of dealing with traditions: do we keep the old or build them new? It is almost a year since the Friday 5 series started so make sure you catch up on older ones if you enjoyed this one. Make it perfect or make it simple? Build...

Ok, stop it, it can’t be just me! I mean really I know you all looove Twitter as much as I do. Well in honor of my favorite tool I dedicate this week’s Friday 5 in Twitter’s name. I just read a Seth Godin post that may suggest I take a break from it though but for now a tribute is in order. When you see a twitter party on it is absolutely addictive...

Beth, from Role Mommy, was here in Boston recently on her See Mom Run book tour (get the book, snippets of stores but oodles of fun). She took a video off all mom’s harried moments along the way and I wanted to share mine with you guys. First I wanted to share what she wrote about me. I simply felt awed at what she wrote. “We then caught up with Mommy Niri...

If you read my blog regularly you would know that I have 2 little girls and that would have led many to assume that we are a home filled with pink princesses. Actually nothing is further from the truth. But maybe that tide is about to turn. I have always been adamant about women thinking that they are more than a sidekick or someone needing to be rescued. I have tried...

Well, maybe that should be Boston, we have a job. Or rather, Boston we made a job. Umm, forget it, they don’t sound as nice as my heading right? Hubby has been totally against me making a hullabaloo about this but I figured you were the guys to get me through this period so no way I am leaving you out. Today was the first day on the new exciting journey. 3 months...

I know I am really late with this dose of the Friday 5 series, but I have been horridly sick or else nothing could make me miss writing this post. So you all know by now that we have been in the doggie house with regards to the job scene.  Well trust me if you hate reading about it, we hate living it. Always mean to keep it real here on MommyNiri.com. Anyway, there are...

My awesome friend Jyl from Twitter’s famous GNO (Girl’s Night Out) Twitter parties tagged me to a contest entry on Mom It Forward and I barely enter contests (too busy dishing my own out) . Anyway there are oodles of prizes to enter so go and check it out yourself (and enter too) but my reason to post this is it sounds fun to share these with you. TodaysMama...

Black Friday (to those out of USA it is the day after Thanksgiving and one of the biggest shopping days) just passed here so while I can’t hit the sales I can surely make that the theme of today’s Friday 5. Don’t forget to catch up on the rest of the Friday 5 series. Automatic doors! You kind of think that this is common enough right? Well not as much...

Thanksgiving is quite different in my home. Without a turkey to boot being that ours is a vegetarian home, it is difficult to gain the common image portrayed of what Thanksgiving is.  Of course the thought of what you are are thankful for is a good angle to focus on. I have been struggling to find that zone to be thankful for something this Thanksgiving especially since...

I hear her footsteps on the porch, so that means she is back from school. Dad has been the one to get her these days, and I am sure he has not bothered to even check her backpack. That exciting task has been relegated to me and a task that I dread each day. Each day I stare at the bag and procrastinate on opening that backpack. I mean seriously she is in pre-k, how much...

Dang, is it Friday already? How did that happen? I feel like I was just late yesterday writing my Friday 5, but here I am again, not really late, but not as early as I promise myself every week. Well today at least I managed to get my counters clean (well I mean clear) so you can see what color the countertops are, and that is not a pretty sight, mind you, so I feel like...

I have been back and forth about writing a post about Anissa, I hated anything to sound too eulogy like. But I have already cried enough times as I started pouring over her older posts (thank you @phdinparenting for posting about that letter she wrote to her kids). I know the pain and support for Maddie Spohr but had never really been online in twitter-verse at that time...

Since Thanksgiving is around the corner I really wanted a little more focus on food. I then thought of my friend Jennifer (you know the one I got lost with when returning from Type A Mom conference?) who has an awesome food blog Savor The Thyme. Being a vegetarian I gave Jennifer the challenge of creating a main vegetarian dish. This is what she whipped up, but be sure...

I know that even though you are all caught up in the chaos of the day you are now ready to relax as you get to your (hopefully) favorite part of your day reading the weekly dose of the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series. Yes, I love my kids and I know that you do too, but hey come on, it is those eeny teeny annoying things that they do that drive you bananas. I know that we can...

If you are a tweeter or actually know me in real life you will know there are a few things I will trade my soul for and a good chai, make that a good masala chai is one of them. Firstly let me clear some (funny and) ridiculous notions about chai out there. “Chai” means “tea” in hindi, that’s right just your basic old tea. So any tea can be...

Hey, there, are you new to the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series? If yes then welcome and thanks for stopping by but if you are a regular, then you already got that look plastered on the face and ready to get going. One of my pet peeves is all the rocking drama that happens when you get behind the wheel. Ok, yes the antics of my kiddos is enough to make any mama want to trade...

The journey has been long and pretty broken. I am not a handbag girl, or for that matter an accessory girl. Truth is I am no slave to fashion, heck it barely even makes a visit to my closet. Speaking of my closet it is a mixture of maternity clothing (yes my youngest is 2 years old so shut up about it) and pre maternity clothing which I never give up (that may be actually...

That time of the week again, yup the one you have been waiting for. As usual I am late so maybe you may be reading this over Saturday morning’s coffee, if so take it slow.  This week’s chapter of Mommy Niri’s Friday 5 series is (unfortunately) dedicated to an aging Mommy Niri. Somehow there is nothing like the addition of family to make one realize...

Photo by Carol Cain, NYCityMama.com This is just another post that is way overdue but for my personal diary of blogging I wanted to write it. Blogalicious 09 was the inaugural conference of the MamaLaw media group to create a conference for women of color. I was asked pretty early on if I would be a speaker (on secrets to a successful blog) and although I was tickled...

Ok, so I never pretend to have it all together. In fact when I started the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series I did with so with resolutions for the year, knowing I had to get my act in gear. It is no surprise that the year is almost done (what do you mean it is only October, have you not seen the Christmas stuff out already?) and I am still as out of sync as ever.  I think...

I have been keeping my nose to the grindstone and pumping out posts trying hard to keep my content fresh barely lifting my head up to breathe. When I do manage to get out to tweet I see the parties I am missing yet I know I have commitments to post so I do. Maybe I feel like I have extended myself too much at times which is amazing because if I just closed “shop”...

Yesterday was Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. You may have never heard about it and I certainly would not blame you. Heck if it was not for Facebook and connected to friends and family back home I may have forgotten it. That is pretty sad, isn’t it? It used to be a day we looked forward with ardent fervor. Since it is tantamount to the commercialism of Christmas...

Friday seems to roll around all too often, especially when you commit to write a Friday 5 post every week. In fact I recall when I decided to start the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series hubby thought it would be too much to write and I rebelled and started it anyway. I knew my blog was going to have a bit of everything, I love bringing you the latest news and reviews but I always...

I am so overdue for a post that I almost felt like I should skip it, I mean how embarrassing is it that it is almost a month before I am publishing this? Nevertheless I decided it was worth digging my head out of the sand of shame to share my experiences. Firstly I was always touch and go about attending, with finances being very tight,  also with the Blogalicious conference...

It is one of those perfect moments, the kids are actively engaged and you are busy into activities of your own, and then the phone rings. You initially think perfect timing but the veteran mom will be glancing quickly at her kids as she reaches for the handset to make sure they are still occupied. Just as you settle into the conversation and the more engrossed you become...

Ever wonder how my kids (ages 2 & 4) know Chicago, Asheville, New York and Atlanta? Well, to tell the truth … mommy has been to all these places (for blogging conferences). Every night when I put them to bed I tell them to dream about toys that mommy will bring from the conference. And now the kids understand that blogging means more  toys, so they kind of...

As part of the Mommy Niri’s Friday 5 Series I delve into something a little too fresh in my memory and too stale in my home, some clear indications that mommy has been away. With all the conferences (BlogHer and Type A Mom and the upcoming Blogalicious where I am speaking) and other events hubby has had to hold down the fort on more than one occasion. The sink...

So here we are, Friday again. Seems to arrive pretty fast I think, except when you are waiting for it. Here I am at Type A Mom conference in Asheville, North Carolina, missing on the nightly escapades all because I know that you love the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series.  Speaking about parties, that is just what this week’s rendition is about. Here are a few annoying...

Hey there, if you are new here this is part of Mommy Niri’s Friday 5 series. If you aren’t you already know that this is where the fun is. This week let’s talk about those amazing powers we have. We may not wear a cape but mess with a mama and you may just get zapped. Remover of all boo-boo’s! Ever seen how no matter how quickly that crying face...

Ok, still officially Friday and so it means that it is time for Mommy Niri’s Friday 5 series. Well this week with my 5 signs of a blogger, I  may be just  revealing too much. Stats are important to you. You monitor it with a gusto but  (hopefully) not against other bloggers but with comparison to yourself and previous months (or days). When you do worse than...

Ok, so it is called Friday 5 and I know that means it supposed to appear ON Friday but I am sure you read “They Let me Go…” so give me some bandwidth here. For so many people the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series has been an anticipated read and trust me I look forward to writing it too.  Well this week I will (as usual) focus on what’s on my mind....

It was a call I had dreading, well somewhat. Actually I had stopped expecting it so it was a surprise. When hubby called to say those words, the belated breakfast that I had been dying to eat tasted like charcoal in my mouth. I mean we should be experts of this in my home right? I mean we have gone through enough lay-offs and should be immune to it, right? But I guess...

As part of the Mommy Niri Friday 5 series I wanted to deliver the next dose but could not figure out what to write about. I know it is hard to believe but Mommy Niri was at a loss for words (if you think you are having a hard time believing this I can see hubby dearest shaking his head in disbelief). Well fear not, all is not lost. Here I am back with this week’s...

I know my girls love Super Why, in fact they are addicted to anything with letters and numbers (hey, I don’t pick on your kids so leave mine alone). I know they are freaky kids but they are my freaky kids. Anyway you would have read my post on Super Why (read Meet Angela Santomero, creator of Super Why)but what you don’t know is my kids roleplay a lot. So...

Another Friday passes through as a summer storm makes it way in Boston and we find ourselves waiting anxiously for the next chapter in Mommy Niri’s Friday 5 series. I mean a Friday would not be a Friday without it, right? So this is in celebration of us moms who feel like we are slackers and when we meet the gloaters in moms out there it makes us ill. Well all...