I don't know when it happened.  It definitely happened after I had my daughter.  I turned into a "schlumpadinka."   Don't know what that is?  Here's the definition.

I didn't realize how bad it was until the Friday I was supposed to be the "Guest Reader" for my daughter's class.

Let me give you the backstory first.  I drive The Youngest to school every morning.  Being a stay-at-home mom, I don't always feel the need to...shall we say... "look my best" when I am dropping her off, preferring instead to get ready after everyone else has left home.  I don't think I have to describe to any of you stay-at -home parents the joys of being able to shower and dress without a spouse or child walking into the bathroom every 5 minutes.  (Yes, I could lock the door but that would only aggravate the person on the other side who would proceed to pound on the door until it was opened.)

So, in the morning, as The Youngest is getting ready, I wash my face, brush my teeth, put on a pair of jeans and throw a sweatshirt/fleece jacket over my pajama top (which is usually a long-sleeve T-shirt) and BAM, I'm good to go in about 2 minutes.

So we were following our usual morning routine and were en route to school, when The Youngest and I had this discussion.

Her:  Mom, are you coming to school to be the guest reader today?

Me:  Yes, I'll be there this afternoon.

Her:  Umm, mom?

Me: Yes?

Her:  When you come to school, can you put on some REAL clothes?

(This is akin to a conversation that one of my gal pals had with her hubbie recently when she donned a pair of black yoga pants and he asked why she was all dressed up.   Mercifully, she spared his life.)

You know how it is, ladies.  There was a time in your life when you knew you were a hottie.  Then you had a child. Now, you value sleep more than you do eyeliner.  You'd rather take a few more sips of that magical life-imbuing elixir known as morning coffee, than take a curling iron to your hair. 

There's a saying I heard once on a T.V. show, which I think somewhat explains schlumpadinkahood.  It went something like this.  

Once you have children, you stop being the "picture" and start being the "frame."

 But maybe we don't have to be a plain, wooden frame all the time.  Maybe we need to bedazzle the frame every once in a while, if you know what I mean.

Hello Milwaukee Moms!  I am really excited to start a new blog on a site that is devoted to motherhood -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.  In a former life, I was a practicing attorney, but now I am a full-time, suburban-living, 40-something mom to a daughter and a stepdaughter, the former in elementary school and the latter in high school. 

Without really knowing much about blogs, I started blogging almost three years ago at BrookfieldNow.  Some of you may have read my blog, Brookfield Wannabe.  It's been a great experience.  Although my first blog didn't start out as a "Mommy Blog," I've found that some of my most popular posts are ones dealing with my family.   I thought it would be fun to start a new blog where I could in indulge in sharing more of my family's antics, and voila, here I am.

I'm hoping to keep the content of the blogs different, so I hope you will visit and enjoy both of them.

I am going to repeat something today, though.  It has to do with the title of my new blog -- Pizazz.

I really struggled with coming up with a title.  You know how it is.  You try to be funny, witty, clever, etc., and you just come off sounding...well... stupid. But then I had an inspiration.

Pizazz is defined as dazzling style, flamboyance or flair.  It is also defined as vigorous, spirit, energy or excitement. 

It is something that my daughter thinks I LACK, as witnessed by this little exchange.  You see what I'm dealing with.

So, join me in my search of "pizazz" while doing the ordinary things that moms do.