I really skeeved some of you out with that picture of my girls on the pay phones. Honestly, I never thought about how many germs might be on those receivers.

Look, I never said I was the smartest mum out there.

Although, I did make Dylan stop sucking on the Starbucks’ counter the other day after the barista was nice enough to point it out to me. So I get a bit of street cred for that, right?

Those germ infested pay phones don’t bother me much, but I’ve had major angst over fresh mouse droppings in my apartment.

After the last mouse sighting, I thought we had sealed every hole and crevice in the joint. Apparently not. So I’ve been ranting and hollering at my super to DO SOMETHING which is all so pointless because he doesn’t actually view mice in my apartment as a real, pressing problem that needs to be addressed.

In his words, “I’ve never seen someone so mouse sensitive. It my house in Maine, mice are all over the place.”

Hey dude, I don’t live in Maine.

But now I feel downright silly for being such a vermin wimp because Jennifer H has to worry about this.

Yes, mountain lions. So I’m going to shut up about the damn mice.

Mouse and mountain lions aside… it’s movie making season in New York City. This week, Uma Thurman and her crew were using my local playground as a backdrop for a scene in Thurman’s new movie, “Motherhood.”

They hired a bunch of clean, well groomed kids, who don’t use gross public pay phones or suck on counters, to play on the playground equipment while they shot their scene. This guy in the green…

had the job of keeping all the kids in line. He would shout out to all the child actors, “Ok, quiet down guys. We’re rolling.” You see they wanted the kids to play. Just not TOO loudly.

And then once in a while, a very committed stage mom would scream out to her uncooperative child, “GET BACK ON THE SLIDE RIGHT NOW AND PLAY! I SAID NOW!” And the poor, tired offspring would trudge back to the slide. Show business is a biatch, kid.

Here is a shot (not taken by me) of Uma in character.

Ouch. Not so glamorous, right? Listen Uma, if I was some BIG, FANCY Hollywood leading lady like yourself, I would refuse all parts that made me look even the least bit unattractive.

Like I just wouldn’t do the Charlize Theron in “Monster” thing.

Critical acclaim and an Oscar? Yeah, so not worth it.

mama bird notes

If you just haven’t had enough, check out my piece, Playground Wars, on NYC Moms Blog.

And last chance to enter our “Sex and the City” giveaway!

Just leave a comment on the mama bird diaries telling me if you are more like a Carrie, a Miranda, a Samantha or a Charlotte and you are entered to win the soundtrack and a $25 Fandango movie ticket gift certificate.

Good luck mamas!

Rick, the girls and I hit the Jersey shore this past weekend. The 2 1/2 hour drive took a leisurely 5 hours.

If you can endure hours in a car, with your hungry, agitated spouse and even more cranky, ants-in-their-pants children without actually demanding a divorce, then I believe you are true soul mates.

You may not be speaking by the time you arrive. But really, that would be gravy.

Traffic aside, it was a beautiful, fab weekend. But I jetted back early to the city to see my sister, visiting from Memphis. And by “jetted,” I mean, I sat on the bus from Atlantic City to New York.

I’m really really not a bus person. Give me a train, a plane, a scooter, snow shoes, anything. But buses are just sort of cramped and bumpy and nauseating.

Still, this particular bus route has quite a reputation. I heard about folks nursing their slot losses and bringing on board cartons of Chinese food and big buckets of fried chicken and chowing down along the Jersey Turnpike. So you can imagine my immense disappointment when I saw only one guy with a dinky McDonald’s cheeseburger. What a letdown.

And not a single drunk, despondent gambler causing a ruckus. See? The bus just sucks.

That night, I tagged along with my sister and her friends. They all met in law school and decided to reunite in New York. Here’s my sister Quinn and her friend Erin.

Erin (on the right), at the decrepit, decaying age of 26, can’t find a good man. If Erin wasn’t so hilarious and so nice, I’d hate her for being a spring chicken. Anyway, if you know any tall men (Erin INSISTS that they be tall AND male… some people are so friggin’ picky) who lives in New Orleans, let me know and we will make like Chuck Woolery and connect these two southern love birds.

She’s not looking for a short cop. Long story. Just trust me on that.

Don’t find a hottie for my sister Quinn. She’s very much married and I don’t need my brother-in-law kicking my arse Memphis style. Whatever that means. I think it involves bbq sauce.

Now I know my single friends in New York are thinking, wait…Kelcey, why don’t you use your mystical mama bird powers to find me a svelte, McDreamy prince? All I can say is, this is not Match.com for gosh sakes, ok? But I’ll do my very best. So if you know any single bachelors in the 30 and 40 something range in Manhattan, pass those along as well.

Short cops are absolutely acceptable.

Finally (and this has nothing to do with cops… tall or short), ever since the cell phone craze began, I’ve always wondered who uses all those pay phones sprinkled around New York City (assuming they even work).

Well, the answer is so obvious that I now feel like a complete dufus.

mama bird notes

Click on “drooling over this” to check out a tale from the Method cocktail party circuit.

Congratulations Mama Bee! You are the winner of the girlie baby bundle! Thank you to “Mama Knows Breast”, Posh Squeaks, Pediped shoes and Smart Mom!

I know I promised the boy baby bundle next. But apparently, I’m a liar. Because in the spirit of “Sex and the City” mania, I’m giving away the movie soundtrack (see songs below) and a $25 Fandango movie ticket gift certificate.

That’s cool, right? Just leave a comment on the mama bird diaries by Friday, telling me if you are more like a Carrie, a Miranda, a Samantha or a Charlotte and you are entered. And I promise, the baby boy bundle giveaway really will be next. Mama’s honor.

Sex and the City Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1. Labels or Love (Fergie)
2. All Dressed In Love (Jennifer Hudson)
3. The Look Of Love -Madison Park vs Lenny B Remix (Nina Simone)
4. New York Girls (Morningwood)
5. All This Beauty (The Weepies)
6. I Like The Way (Kaskade)
7. It’s Amazing (Jem)
8. How Deep Is Your Love (The Bird & The Bee)
9. The Heart Of The Matter (India.Arie)
10. Auld Lang Syne (Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis)
11. Kissing (Bliss)
12. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (Al Green featuring Joss Stone)
13. Walk This Way (Run-D.M.C. featuring Steve Tyler and Joe Perry of
Aerosmith)
14. Sex and the City Movie Theme (The Pfeifer Broz. Orchestra)

I’ve been in love with Method products for quite awhile so I jumped at the chance to go to Method’s temporary pop up store in SoHo for a cocktail party. The Liquid Muse was in the pop up house, teaching us gals how to make organic, fresh, yummy cocktails. I sipped (ok, downed) the best mojito EVER, picked up some muddling tips and learned that when it comes to antioxidants, the acai berry is the new pomegranate.

My friend Margo of Pingg came along and we sampled a couple cocktails…

Well… I think I count nine glasses.

But the Liquid Muse did not work alone. Everyone needs a young, strapping Method assistant like Kyle.

I know, I called him Marvin in my title. But the name Kyle just didn’t work with my alliteration groove. You have to give me a little creative freedom.

I also learned about cool organic vodkas like Purus and Square One. Plus, an organic tequila called 4 copas. I mean, if you’re going to drink the hard stuff, you mind as well be sort of good to your body and the earth.

And I even scooped some free Method products which are naturally derived, biodegradable and beautifully designed.

Yup, all on a school night.

Thanks to my hostess Andi!

My sister Quinn and my aunt Terrell think I have some of kind of ice cream hoarder problem. It has something to do with my freezer…

Is it not normal to stockpile EIGHT tubs of Edy’s low fat ice cream?

In my defense, our local grocery store, D’Agostino, will carry a fabulous Edy’s flavor like Peanut Butter Cup or Fudge Tracks, and then suddenly these flavors will completely vanish for a month or so. Do we have some kind of ice cream shortage in this country? Are peanut butter cups a limited resource?

Whatever the reason, I am left standing at the grocery store, getting freezer windburn as I pathetically stare at the rows of Vanilla Bean and Strawberry, cursing myself for not stockpiling more of my favorite flavors.

So hence my tendency to hoard.

Instead of poking fun, my sister should be truly grateful that I allow her to sample my dairy delights. Dairy delights? Doesn’t that sound kind of inappropriate? My point is… my sister should be thankful because look at her abundant happiness as she enjoys a three ice cream combo of Peanut Butter Cup, Fudge Tracks and Chocolate Chip.

And I won’t willingly share my ice cream with just anyone. You have to earn it. And Quinn really did. She spent hours this past week, playing endlessly with the fierce and feisty duo of Dylan and Summer.

And what better reward than the three ‘scream flavor subway remix combo?

Quinn even sweetly remarked to me, “I respect your ice cream commitment, you crazy ass loon.”

Yes, that’s sisterly love for you.

mama bird notes
When not obsessing about ice cream, I spend energy trying to find the right sunscreen for my family (no parabens please). Click here to read my current fave in “drooling over this.”

I decided this year that I really wanted to reduce my family’s exposure to parabens. Parabens are chemicals widely used as preservatives in cosmetics, lotions, deodorants and sunscreens.

They’ve become quite controversial because some studies have linked them to an increased breast cancer risk.  If you’re wondering if your fave products contain parabens, look for the suffix “paraben” in the ingredients. For example… benzylparaben, propylparaben and methylparaben are ones that are commonly used.

I was pretty frustrated when I started looking at all the sunscreens. So many of them contain parabens! And all the paraben free alternatives seemed to come in dinky 4 ounce sizes. Then I found Kiss My Face Sunspray Lotion. It comes in an 8 oz SPF 30 spray lotion. Easy to apply (Dylan + Summer tested), water resistant and fragrance free. Doesn’t feel greasy at all which is a must for me. Seriously perfect for the whole family. $13.99.

Have a paraben free product you love? Please leave a comment or send me an email at kelcey@mamabirddiaries.com.