Just Another Manic Mommy.

Are you a manic mommy? If you answered NO, then you are drinking waaaaaaaaaay to much, are heavily sedated or are Katie Holmes-Cruise where you have help at your every beckon call. (she makes me never want to eat.  ever again.)

All mommies are manic, and it is really no big deal. I started listening to a podcast called Manic Mommies when I started back on my walking routine when SJ was a newborn-ish. He could not talk back, so I wanted to be informed educated and be humored. I LOVE PODCASTS!  Truth be told, I listen to the podcast even when SC is in the stroller. I let her watch a show on the iPod. This is ME time and I do not feel guilty about it. There.

So these Manic Mommies, Erin & Kristen, are working mommies from Massachusetts, one has recently moved to Rochester, New York. I have absolutely nothing in common with these Yankee moms other than the fact that we are female, and have offspring that utter “Mamaaaaaa….moooooommmmeeeeee…”

But I still listen. We can all relate. They have some great discussions, and I am always telling SJ “Well, that’s nice your kids can go to 10 different YMCA’s in a 20 mile radius,” or “IF you lived where the weather NEVER changed, you’d be sick of it all the time.” SJ doesn’t seem to have much of a rebuttle.  So, I must be right.

Although we can “relate” because we are all moms and seemingly have the same struggles, it is a gazillion-billion times harder living on an isolated island, as dreamy as it may sound to you. Kid-friendly restaurants are few and far between (not one restaurant on STX offers colors and paper for your tikes upon being seated). Places to go and things to do with your children have to be created, thought out. No Little Gym here. Oh, wait, does ghetto Malibu count? A hot, stinky, warehouse room with cheesy inflatable bouncies, a few video games and a roller rink the size of my dining room table? But, I must say at $2 a pop, I’’ let it slide.

The “miles” of white sandy beaches that marketers use to lure pasty tourists to our shores is mostly a pain in my ass. Two kids, lots of toys, sunblock, extra clothes, hoping for a fresh water rinse off, being reminded that it is a priviledge to be at what ever beach we might be visiting when there is clearly no one else around, one kid in the water trying not to drown, one kid on the beach snacking on sand……doing this all by myself because the Fisherman is well, fishing.

It does get old. And I’ll admit it, we DON’T need to be in the sun that much. I don’t want to hear later in life that I damaged my kids skin just by living where I live.

But we make do. And we have a TERRIFIC KICK ASS network group of moms and friends who all have something different to offer each in our own unique way. One of my favs was a recent happy hour by a mom who deemed it Beers After Baths. GENUIS!

But here we are as a group on a sophisticated island tour:

Manic enough for you? Oh, the list can go on and on. WE need a podcast for the moms who live in remote places. Who have to be extra creative in activities for their children (btw St. George Village Botanical Gardens, I DID try calling you to give you a heads up that you were going to be invaded by a play group….but I found out your phones were not working….maybe next time)

Who’s on board? Who knows how to make a podcast? I think JS (you know who you are) and I could draw a following. You would listen, wouldn’t you? Are you manic enough?

To Melee Or Not To Melee.

That is the question.  Wait?  What Melee?  Why, the annual Mango Melee, of course.

Every July, the St. George Village Botanical Gardens host a summer favorite on island celebrating everything Mango.  This luscious fruit is bountiful on our island during the summer months.  So much so, that you see people on the side of the road and other places they shouldn’t be ‘teefing dem. (taking the with out land-owners permission).  So much so that people have posted warning signs!  Sigh.

Mango Melee is a fun celebration for everyone of all ages.  Not only do they have vendors who sell everything mango from salsa, lotions, soaps, artwork, ice cream (this was where SC tasted her FIRST ice cream- MANGO of course!), but fun stuff as well, like a Mango Eating Contest.  And the most popular Mango Dis, Mango Dat competition, where your dish is judge on the best use of mangoes, taste, creativity & presentation. (the ideas are swirling above my head for presentation…)  The categories are Sips, Salsas, Sweets & Cruzan Flavored Rum Drink

Last July, with my Mother visiting, we decided to enter the contest and bake something sweet.  Mom had seen a terrific recipe, so we gave it a test run.  Well, needless to say, she & the Fisherman loved it.  I was not a fan.  And promptly nixed the idea.  They were bummed, but that is how the cookie crumbles. (remember the hunt for Almond Butter, only to find it for $14 a jar at the health food store???)

I have been thinking about the cook- off lately and today when I sat to flip through my Coastal Living, there were some SCRUMPTIOUS Mango recipes!  A sign?  I think so.  So, I am going to give these recipes a few test runs on friends and Fisherman.  Like what?  Well:

Tuna-Mango Sashimi Salad.  Yum.  Mango-Shrimp Cocktail.  Double Yummy.  And my M-I-L just sent me a link to Mahi-Mango Tostadas.  That is just way to fun to say!   I want to go a different route this year.

Wish me luck!  I’ll let you know how it turns out!