MckMama Without Pity

The Last Hurrah

2011-03-17T13:52:00.001-07:00

MWOP the Original here, posting because I started this blog and it is ultimately my responsibility. This blog received a cease and desist today...not from MckMama. Because this site has generated such volatile hatred from some who choose to threaten the lives of employees and their families of organizations associated with MckMama, the entire community and its moderators are now hinging on a lawsuit.

We never, ever intended for such hatred to breed on this site. It was started honestly: "MckMama Without Pity (MWOP) came about as a place to discuss the inconsistencies and bad business/life practices preached in Jennifer McKinney's popular blog, "mckmama.com". Since there is heavy moderation on her site, and on her Blog Frog Community, there was no place to discuss the red flags that her readers have seen. Now there is."

We still believe whole-heartedly in why this site originated.

The blogger in question has lied, directly and through omission, and we believe deceitfully used readers of her site emotionally to gain financially and personally through several incidents over the years. She has, since 2008, blocked and banned those who questioned even politely the differences between what she says and what she does, and left thousands of once admiring and prayerful "members of her community" confused and looking for answers. That's why we're here - to piece together what's real and what she wants people to believe.

However, to allow this site to grow into a place associated with threats, especially death threats, is unacceptable, and in the case of death threats, illegal. Since these people congregate here, we're being told this site is liable.

So we're all being forced to wash our hands. I know this does not release me from any lawsuit that may be presented, but I want to state again that we and many, if not all, participants here never condoned any behavior outside the MWOP walls, and that has been known and repeated since day one.

In the end it comes back to the fact that she will never change. Many came here with questions and doubts and went back, hoping she would, but it didn't happen. Sadly, this site won't be around for new readers who are just figuring out that things don't add up, or that their favorite/model blogger is only a shell of what she pretends to be.

It was so nice getting to meet you. Thank you for the laughs, the information, the fellowship. MWOP was mixed with some bad apples, but mostly we know there's good ladies at the heart of MWOP. After all, we all come from the same roots - women who prayed for the same sick baby boy way back when.

See you around on the Internets; please be sure to renew your Jesus card before leaving this site to cancel out any and all wrongdoings while participating here. And who knows - if a Minnesota blogger can be sued and found guilty for telling the truth about a person, maybe a class action suit can be filed against a Minnesota blogger for misrepresenting herself and her situation(s), and gaining financially from it.

Update.

2011-03-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened over the past couple days. There has been a lot of disrespectful interaction amongst the readers here. There have been a number of off-topic conversations, too, that have resulted in upset. This site was established to discuss the "inconsistencies and bad business/life practices" found on MckMama's blog. I just wanted to clarify that the off-topic conversations will happen from time to time, but please keep in mind the focus of this site.*

I have implemented comment moderation and hidden the comments from the last post for now. Many lines have been crossed and I just want to say that I am disappointed. I will not condone threats of any kind, veiled or direct. Just because you can hide behind anonymity, does not give anyone license to act with no regard for others. I have requested that people be allowed to share their thoughts and perspectives in a respectful manner without judgment and that has not happened.

If you would like to comment on this, please know that no comments will be approved immediately at this time but I will be able to read what you have to say. I will be periodically reading and posting comments as I can, but will not publish your comment if you ask me not to do so.*

I will leave you with the following list of blog rules and guidelines that were implemented on Day 1 of this site in Feb. 2010:

We're going to allow Anonymous posters. If it gets to be too much, we'll turn that option off.

Do not be rude to other posters or call them names.

Do not be rude about the children or call them names. Commenting on behavior is acceptable, but no name calling.

Don't tell the moderators how to run the blog.
No posting addresses.

The administrators are not able to verify the identity of people who comment here. Believe what you choose to believe.

We are not a blog about religion, please do not comment or assume that we are all Christians.

* Post Edited: I edited this post to clarify why I mentioned the off-topic comments. Recent discussion of another blogger escalated here very recently and upset a number of readers. I also wanted to clarify my plans for comment moderation at this time.

New Post

2011-03-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

We need a new post, so I'm just going to list a couple of things that have happened with MckMama over the past couple days.

MckMama lost her wallet, but it was returned to her completely intact by a total stranger
She announced the winner of the Kindle and the winner will be donating it to her own church
She tweeted last night with her feelings about Gerber "Yogurt for Babies"
She posted a video to her blog that featured her youngest child taking a bath while her other children could be heard in the background

* You will also find a post below for recipe sharing after requests from several readers. It has been added to the sidebar (at the bottom), so that you can continually read and add to it.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I want you to know that this site does not have a Twitter account or a Facebook account. I am aware that there are individuals out there who repeatedly post negative comments that are directed at MckMama and her readers on Twitter or take direct quotes from here and put them on Twitter, Facebook, and MckMama's blog. I am not behind that activity nor do I endorse it. I know that the original MWOP had posted something similar in the past, but I would prefer that we keep our comments and discussion on this site. I just don't believe those comments are going to have the desired impact on MckMama or her readers. It seems that those comments typically end up turning off MckMama's readers who are starting to question her and make it more difficult for them to keep an open mind about the information that is shared here.

Recipe Post

2011-03-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

There have been some recent requests for a post where people can exclusively list recipes and no other comments. You can leave those great recipes here and you will be able to find this post at the bottom of the right sidebar. You will be able to continually go back there to read and add more recipes that you would like to share with other readers. If the recipe is not your own, I simply ask that you mention the source.

Happy Cooking!

* I'm not much of a cook, but I'm thinking it might help keep things organized if we post by putting a category first and then responding to it with the recipes that fall under that category. I'm going to start with some basic ones now, but please feel free to add!

A Couple Reminders

2011-03-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

We need a new post, so I am just posting this filler post for now.

This site is comprised of former loyal MckMama supporters, occasional readers, those who still support MckMama, those who are on the fence, and those who do not support MckMama. There are people who comment frequently, people who rarely comment, and people who lurk, but never comment. I would like to ask everyone to treat one another with respect when interacting here. We don't always have to agree with each other. In fact, I don't think it's possible for so many people to agree all the time. I encourage everyone to share their perspectives here since censorship on MckMama's blog is one of the reasons why this site came to exist.

By The Numbers

2011-03-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of inaccurate perceptions about this site and its intended purpose.

When the original MWOP started this blog, this was the description that she used when describing the reason for the existence of this site and it is still accurate today (more than 1 year later):

MckMama Without Pity (MWOP) came about as a place to discuss the inconsistencies and bad business/life practices preached in Jennifer McKinney's popular blog, "mckmama.com". Since there is heavy moderation on her site, and on her Blog Frog Community, there was no place to discuss the red flags that her readers have seen.

Now there is.

It would be impossible to control everything that is said here and it would be counterproductive. This site exists because people have not been allowed to express their feelings in the past without censorship (deleted comments, edited comments, etc.). I simply ask that we treat one another with respect. We will not always agree with one another and that's to be expected with the volume of voices here.

While I know that many people like to dismiss what is said on this site because it's just a small, token number of individuals, I just want to clarify that it's simply not true.

There are currently 428 Google Followers (those who appear in the box at the top-right of this site), but there are 929 subscribers to this site. In addition to that, there are many others who read this site by clicking directly.

On March 2, we were receiving an average of 8,400+ visits per day and 17,000+ page views. Today (March 8), we now receive an average of 12,000+ visits per day and 23,000+ page views.

This is just a reminder that this site does not have a Twitter account or a Facebook account. I am aware that there are individuals out there who repeatedly post negative comments that are directed at MckMama and her readers on Twitter, Facebook, or MckMama's blog or take direct quotes from here and post them on Twitter for MckMama and her readers to see. I am not behind that activity, nor do I endorse it. I know that MWOP had posted something similar in the past, but I would prefer that we keep our comments and discussions on this site.

Peeling Off The Layers

2011-03-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

There have been a number of "red flags" that have surfaced over the years since we have come to know MckMama.

I think it's interesting to look at the progression and evolution of MckMama to see how much she's changed (or how much she hasn't).

Here are the first tweets where I realized that many of her readers were sending items to MckMama:

MckMama complained that her phone was not working:

And 1 day later:

And then her readers started gifting hotel rooms to her when Stellan was in the hospital @ 40 minutes from MckMama's house:

One of my very first red flags was this tweet while Stellan was in the hospital in Boston in April 2009:

Just because I am curious, what kind of phone can you use to watch TV?

In May 2009 (after Stellan was discharged from the hospital and MckMama was back home), she posted some pictures from the newly decorated room of her two oldest boys (names have been blurred out by me in the pictures that show their wall letters). This blog post was posted on May 23, 2009:

And just because I know MWOP readers will get a kick out of her closing here, I wanted to share this last image from that post:

4 days after the above post, MckMama tweeted the following series of tweets on May 27, 2009:

In February/March 2010, MckMama and her husband had the opportunity to travel to Africa for the first time with Compassion International.

Ironically, here are her tweets from exactly one year ago today (March 5, 2010):

1 year later after her 2nd trip to Africa with GHNI just ended less than 1 week ago, she posted the following just yesterday (March 4, 2011):

I will leave you with this quote about onions (and, no, it's not from the movie "Shrek")...

Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
- Carl Sandburg

Words vs Actions

2011-03-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "What you do speaks so loud, that I cannot hear what you say."

Here is a Twitter conversation between MckMama and a reader back in June 2010 after MckMama had already written a blog post in March 2010 indicating that her husband gave up his iPhone, so that they could sponsor another Compassion child. This was after MckMama's first trip to Africa with Compassion:

Here is a twitpic that MckMama posted earlier this week (Wed. March 2). Clearly, her husband gave up his iPhone in March 2010:

If you're having trouble reading the text that goes along with the above twitpic, here it is slightly bigger:

Despite so many posts about how she and her husband have started anew and are making concerted efforts to be financially responsible, a substantial judgment of $27,000+ was filed against her this week:

You can click on the above image to enlarge it.

Skype Hype - Part # 2

2011-03-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

This a follow-up to the previous post, "Skype Hype" here on MWOP.

On the morning of Mon. February 21, MckMama posted the following blog post:

She told her readers about the "Skype contest" for the very first time in that post:

One of MckMama's readers, "Cathy", left the following comment on that post that morning:

MckMama replied to "Cathy":

Then, MckMama sent the following e-mail to Cathy on the night of Mon. February 21:

You can click on the above e-mail to enlarge it.

Cathy definitely interpreted that she was already a "winner" based on the verbiage used in the above e-mail.

On the night of Mon. February 21, the village of Garmaam was officially opened up for adoption and MckMama wrote another blog post with another description of the "Skype contest" in that post:

Once the call was changed from Thursday night to Friday night, Cathy was no longer able to include her co-workers in the Skype call. She also heard some information about MckMama that caused her to question MckMama's integrity.

Then, MckMama sent the following e-mail out to the 4 Skype "winners" very early in the morning on Thurs. February 24:

On the afternoon of Thurs. February 24, Cathy received the following e-mail from MckMama:

In the meantime, Cathy started doing her own research on MckMama and GHNI by reading MWOP and doing her own internet research. She chose to cancel her adoption of the village on Fri. February 25, but still participated in the Skype call on Fri. night. Cathy did record the Skype calls and posted the videos on YouTube here.

A discussion took place on Facebook on the night of Thurs. March 3. In this discussion, Cathy explained her experience with the Skype contest and described all of the above information in a post on Facebook.

MckMama replied to that post by writing the following:

Here was Cathy's response:

She wrote this response to another individual on that same Facebook post on the night of Thurs. March 3:

MckMama deleted this Facebook post and the responses shortly after the above comments were posted.

Business As Usual

2011-03-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

MckMama has been back home for approximately 2 days now and things are already back to normal.

Things have been very busy on her end. She posted a blog post that generated lots of drama and criticism and has already started a giveaway for this week.

In addition to all of the breast milk that she transported (along with clothing, a camera, her cell phone, a laptop, an electric breast pump, a cooler, etc.), MckMama was also able to bring back coffee beans from her trip to Harar, Ethiopia. In her current giveaway, MckMama is giving away ten one-pound bags of coffee beans to one lucky winner. Readers can enter this giveaway by leaving a comment on MckMama's blog post and they can also enter a second time if they sign up to receive a copy of the Global Hope Network International (GHNI) newsletter.

Speaking of GHNI, I'm not sure what is going on with their website, but it has been down for the majority of the past two days. The site will appear for brief periods of time, but you may get an error message or a blank screen the next time you try to access it.

Thing have been busy over here, too. The previous post became bogged down with comments in less than 24 hours. There is a lot of new information floating around in the comment section on the last post, but I am going to hold off on addressing those issues unless/until we can find more information to support these comments.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I want you to know that this site does not have a Twitter account or a Facebook account. I am aware that there are individuals out there who repeatedly post negative comments that are directed at MckMama and her readers on Twitter or take direct quotes from here and put them on Twitter, but I am not behind that activity nor do I endorse it. I know that MWOP had posted something similar in the past, but I would prefer that we keep our comments and discussion on this site. I just don't believe those comments are going to have the desired impact on MckMama or her readers. It seems that those comments typically end up turning off MckMama's readers who are starting to question her and make it more difficult for them to keep an open mind about the information that is shared here.

Stay tuned for more information on the big giveaway for a Nook or Kindle to two MckMama readers that make a donation for a "great cause".

Got Milk???

2011-02-28T23:46:00.000-08:00

MckMama certainly does.

In her latest blog post since returning home from her travels with GHNI, MckMama posted a picture of a freezer drawer that is more than halfway filled with bags of breast milk. She claims that she pumped all of this breast milk while she was on her 2-week trip and transported it all the way back home despite climate changes, long flights, etc.

Of course, MckMama claims that she wasn't able to do this all alone. It takes a village. In MckMama's case, she states that she is grateful for the "hotel kitchens" where she could store her milk, airport juice vendors that stored her milk for "hours", and flight attendants who assisted with keeping her milk on ice during her flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

She claims that this breast milk is approximately half of what she pumped while she was gone and the rest of that breast milk was pumped and dumped. She also states that she bonded with other breastfeeding moms while she was on her trip. According to MckMama, she held a picture of her children and she would pump while other mothers were nursing their children under trees in Garmaam.

Now that she has returned home, MckMama states that she and her youngest child have been able to seamlessly resume their breastfeeding mother and child relationship.

* She is also promoting a giveaway for a Nook or Kindle to two lucky readers if they donate to a good cause.

Skype Hype

2011-02-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of MckMama's campaign to get the GHNI village of Garmaam "adopted" by 100 of her readers, she wrote a post entitled, "Tonight is the night!", and it was posted on her blog on Monday morning, February 21. At the end of that blog post, Mckmama wrote the following:

"Additionally, on Thursday evening (at around the same times as I listed above), four of you who join Garmaam’s extended village will have the opportunity to join live with each other and the people of Garmaam in a video call (Both ways! The village will see and hear you…and vice versa!) to the village!! I’ll give you more details in my next post, but if you are planning to help adopt Garmaam, be thinking now about possibly being a part of the call. How will we decide which four will participate? I’m so glad you asked!

The four people with the most creative idea about how you will gather a crowd of people around your computer to meet Garmaam will get the spots. More to come tonight!!"

Approximately 12 + hours later (on Monday evening), she posted another post on her blog, entitled "This is Garmaam." In that post, she announced that the day for the Skype calls had been changed. Here's what she wrote:

"Also, on Friday evening (8:00 pm Pacific, 11:00 Eastern…and yes, I know I said Thursday earlier, but we changed it!), four of the 100 of you who join with Garmaam will have the chance to be part of a live video conference call that we will rise very early and have with Garmaam at sunrise. You will be able to see and hear the villagers, and the villagers will be able to see and hear the four of you on the screen at the same time! But it won’t be just you. To help spread awareness about this amazing Ethiopian village, as well as the beauty and the needs here, please email me sometime before Tuesday evening in the States if you want to be considered for the call. Let me know how you would gather a crowd around your computer for the video experience. Would you gather your neighbors at your house to meet “your” new village? Maybe you work evenings and would bring your computer (Your computer must have a web cam!) to have your coworkers participate? Would you meet with people from your church for the evening call? Have your teenager invite a slew of friends over for an African themed sleepover? Gather your buddies around the poker table? Get creative! We’ll pick the four people with the best plans, and I’ll email them back so we’ll be squared away for the call on Friday evening, when each of the four can carry out their plan and participate in the live conference call!

I will of course attend the live video call and photograph it so I can post about how it went. Technology is amazing. But our neighbors around the globe are even moreso. To learn more about how your $12 a month will help the village, click here. For a deeper explanation of how GHNI seeks to help villages transform themselves, click here."

The "winners" of the Skype calls were never announced.

But information started to surface the very next day. On Tuesday afternoon, one of the "winners" hinted that she was one of the chosen 4 by telling her blog readers that they were going to want to come to her house on Friday night (the night of the Skype call). It seemed a little odd since the village had not yet been adopted by MckMama's readers. MckMama had asked her readers to contact her via e-mail by Tuesday night, if they wanted to be considered for the Skype call, but had the "winners" already been chosen?

People might say that this doesn't matter and it wasn't even a true "giveaway", but I think this is just one more story that illustrates the way MckMama handles these situations.

Before the Skype call on Friday, February 25, a commenter posted here on MWOP. She stated that she was one of the "winners" and she stated that she would be recording the Skype call and make it available online. MWOPers had their doubts, but it turns out that she was one of the "winners". After corresponding with this individual, I was able to confirm her story and the timing of the events. MckMama contacted her on Monday, February 21 to see if she would like to be considered for the Skype call. The wording of that e-mail definitely implies that there was never a contest. It seemed the decision had already been made.

This individual commented here on Saturday, February 26 (the morning after her Skype call took place) and posted the following comment under the username "It's all coming together", but I have removed her name and the identifying information from her comment. With her permission, I am sharing the content of that comment with you below:

"Good morning everyone - you too, Mckmama. I have a full day of kids & work to attend to, but wanted to say something before I sign off for the day.

My name is (name removed) and I was a sheeple. Well, more like a part time sheeple. A few years ago I started reading blogs and came across Jens. We had a lot in common... both had fairly rocky relationships (mine not physically violent thank God), I was pregnant with my 4th child and have since had a 5th (all but 1 were preemies with 2 spending 2+ months in the hospital), we own our own small business, I am an amateur photographer, etc, etc, etc... she lived just a short drive from me.

When Stellan was having all his heart problem I felt horrible for her. I knew what long hospital stays did to families, and knew if I had to spend time away from family/work etc, I'd be financially ruined. So I helped her. I paid for hotel rooms... sent gift cards... sent money anonymously.

At one point almost a year ago I confronted her via e-mail about some issues I had with her lying. She e-mailed me back and smoothed it all over - very nicely I might add. It was a big band-aid and made everything better for a short time.

Just like many of you, I had questions pop up from time to time. I always told myself that since she was so popular, people were bound to be jealous - and that some people just had NO life outside of trashing Ms. McKinney. And really, some of her "lies" were small - really nothing that mattered (unless you took the time to put the WHOLE PICTURE together). So why bother, ya know? And with all the horrible things happening to her, she needed people who truly cared. I justified it rather nicely, wrapped it up and put a big bow on it - and went on reading her blog.

I felt she was doing such an amazing and difficult thing to leave her family when she headed back to Africa this time. I, too, have 5 kids - and can't imagine being away for 2 weeks! When she asked for people to sponsor the 2nd village, I really thought it would be a great way to be involved. (Identifying information removed)

On Monday the 21st, I got an e-mail from Jen saying she wanted me to be part of the skype chat. It also says, "You guys might need to sign up now to hold a spot for your (Identifying information removed)?" I thought it was weird since I knew the village hadn't been 100% adopted yet - and I guess I thought it was a contest for everyone who signed up to sponsor them. I was excited - as I hadn't yet spent some time researching GHNI. To be CLEAR - I have found nothing derogatory about them. To be more clear - I have found NOTHING. It's all fluff. No #'s about what money goes where - or what percentage of my $12 actually GOES to help them. I don't have the time or the desire to hunt down their non-profit info, or tax return info... but on their website - the information I would want to have as a donor, isn't there.

None of it mattered anyways. It turned out that a girl I work with knows someone who knows Jen. She shared with me some information that I really took to heart. I was told to read here, at MWOP - and read the "Links you might want to read" - and to read back through her blog as well.

Why would I bother to try to dig up dirt? What this girl told me really bothered me. AND... I've spent HOURS over the last few years reading her blog - and have spent my families money to help her. For my personal knowledge, I could easily justify spending a few more hours reading/researching in lieu of being a "sheeple" for the next several years.

The first thing I realized on my own was that the woman who BANNED Susan G Komen ads on her blog is asking her readers to donate $12 a month for a village that practices polygamy. Struck me as odd...

Then came more. LOTS more. You've all managed to cover all the major "OH MY GOD" realizations quite nicely on here.

As for ANYONE who disagrees with my posting those videos to my youtube - Jennifer asked ALL 4 of us skype people to take pictures and record if possible and share with her. I have the e-mail to prove this. She was planning on sharing them all herself.

Also, please refer to the nipple/breastfeeding shots she posted. She could care less about ANYONE'S privacy. It's 100% clear to me that she is ONLY out to make a buck. I believe that with every fiber in me, and I seriously questioned whether or not she owned THIS blog too.... she'd be the one to capitalize on "negative MckMama dirt" faster than anyone else. Then I realized there were no ads here... lol

All I did was participate IN SPITE of wanting to scream at her... Yes, I managed to get a few sarcastic comments in... and post the videos to youtube. After I saw the people from town with her and the CHILDREN, I knew I couldn't say what was on my mind. I simply shared with you before she did. (although I'm sure my video wouldn't have made the cut and she would have said they had technical issues and it didn't get recorded or something).

For any of you who truly LOVE Jennifer... go for it. Just be careful. Share your thoughts with her on her blog. She'll love to hear them. I'm still digging and trying to find facts to back up the stories I've been told this week - and IF any prove to be true I have no problem sharing with you all. I, myself, am walking away from her. She can make all her money off other people and other clicks. I've had enough."

In emails, MckMama also encouraged the Skype "winners" to contact local television stations, news media, newspapers, etc., stating the "positive exposure would be great".

Another Exciting Day in Africa

2011-02-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

MckMama has been busy today.

She posted a picture of an Ethiopian child, holding a toy gun. In light of the recent deaths of 4 Americans killed by pirates earlier this week and ongoing turmoil in Libya, Egypt, etc., some readers felt that this picture was insensitive.

She also has hinted that she might have attracted a new ad network, but she plans to post more about that later.

And, finally, tonight is the big night for the Skype call between 4 lucky MckMama readers & the village of Garmaam (of course, at least 2 of those readers know MckMama in real life).

MckMama will be heading home from Africa this weekend and will be returning home until she leaves for her next out-of-state photo shoot.

Another day, another $12

2011-02-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

Just to catch everyone up, MckMama was able to get both villages (Ola Nagele and Garmaam) "adopted" by her readers. Jeff Power and GHNI also did a little push on Twitter to promote the adoption campaign for the second village, Garmaam.

Village # 1 (Ola Nagele) was adopted in @ 3 1/2 - 4 hours

Village # 2 (Garmaam) was adopted in @ 37-45 hours (* exact amount of time unknown since no adoption campaign updates were done during an @ 8 hour timeframe)

And...

MckMama has a new post up that addresses a number of questions about Africa, GHNI, etc. Despite the fact that she has been asked many questions before her trip and during her trip, I find it interesting that she did not answer some of the more difficult questions until both villages were adopted.

As always, I would like to encourage everyone to do their own research before donating to any cause or charity. I think this is even more important when the donations are ongoing. Charity Navigator evaluates over 5,500 charities and is a great resource when you are conducting research about organizations you are considering.

MckMama's Campaign to "Adopt" a 2nd Village

2011-02-22T13:58:00.001-08:00

MckMama started her 2nd campaign to adopt the village of Garmaam in Ethiopia last night (Mon. Feb. 21) at 11 PM (Eastern Time). It is now approximately 23 1/2 hours later (10:30 PM Eastern Time) and we have not heard the official word on whether or not GHNI has received the 99/100/101 sponsors that they were hoping to recruit for this cause. The last update was @ 8 1/2 hours ago and reported that there were 45 remaining spots (55 individuals had commited to adopt the village Garmaam). The last village (Ola Nagele) was completely adopted within approximately 3 1/2 - 4 hours. There were some reports that people were having issues with PayPal today, but I don't know if that had a big impact on this campaign or not.

* As of 11:07 PM Eastern Time (Tues. Feb. 22), 21 spots remain for the adoption campaign http://garmaam.ghni.org/.

* As of 8:47 AM Eastern Time (Wed. Feb. 23), 16 spots remain for the adoption campaign.

* As of 11:34 AM Eastern Time (Wed. Feb. 23), 9 spots remain for the adoption campaign.

* As of 12:33 PM Eastern Time (Wed. Feb. 23), 5 spots remain for the adoption campaign.

* As of @ 8:30 PM Eastern Time (Wed. Feb. 23), Garmaam has been fully adopted.

I mentioned this in a previous post, but I would like to share this information again. A Google search reveals no information about the village of Ola Nagele (the first village MckMama and her readers sponsored last week) other than the information that has been posted by GHNI, other participants in this trip, and MckMama's readers http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22ola+nagele%22. This may not mean anything, but it does seem strange since their site states that Ola Nagele has almost 4,000 residents, yet there is no other information out there about this village.

Just like Ola Nagele, the only information that a Google search can find about the village of Garmaam seems to be blog posts from GHNI, MckMama, MckMama's readers, and the other individuals who traveled along on this trip http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22garmaam%22. Again, this may not mean anything, but it does seem strange.

I will leave you with a YouTube video that features GHNI's Jeff Power, introducing the village of Garmaam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp3_3jQzuTQ .

As always, I would like to encourage everyone to do their own research before donating to any cause or charity. I think this is even more important when the donations are ongoing. Charity Navigator evaluates over 5,500 charities and is a great resource when you are conducting research about organizations you are considering.

You may just get your chance...

2011-02-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

to be one of the next 99/100/101 MckMama readers to "adopt" a village through GHNI. Starting tonight at 11 PM (Eastern Time Zone), MckMama will begin her latest campaign to "adopt" the village of Garmaam in Ethiopia.

4 of those lucky readers will be chosen to Skype with the village on Friday, if they enter the most "creative" way they plan to gather people around their computer for the Skype session.

As always, I would like to encourage everyone to do their own research before donating to any cause or charity. I think this is even more important when the donations are ongoing. Charity Navigator evaluates over 5,500 charities and is a great resource when you are conducting research about organizations you are considering.

MckMama's in Ethiopia now...

2011-02-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

MckMama is no longer in Kenya and has flown with the GHNI crew to Ethiopia. She will be asking her readers to commit to "adopt" another village and will be looking for another 99/100/101 readers to participate in this campaign. Readers will be asked to contribute $12 per month for the next 3-5 years while the village learns to self-sustain.

In the meantime, many questions about how GHNI teaches the villagers to self-sustain have not been answered. The most common questions that still remain are: What does GHNI provide to the villagers? How much of the monthly contributions directly impacts those villagers? How does that money impact the villagers? Do the villagers receive food, supplies, etc. from GHNI or just guidance and support? In the week that MckMama was in Ola Nagele, did anything get done besides the installation of the pipe? Does social media really play any role in all of this other than helping to spread awareness and solicit donations for the cause? Why is MckMama there? Couldn't someone from GHNI, etc. have provided MckMama with photos and videos to post on her blog? Couldn't she have done that from home? Why was it necessary for her to be there? Is any work (other than blogging, taking pictures, recording videos, tweeting, posting on Facebook, etc.) actually being done by all of those individuals who are on this trip? Are they just there to document and report back?

As she is now in her second week of this trip, I would have hoped that her readers would have the answers to most of these questions above.

Again, I would always encourage everyone to do their own research before donating to any cause or charity. I think this is even more important when the donations are ongoing. Charity Navigator evaluates over 5,500 charities and is a great resource when you are conducting research about organizations you are considering.

Did you know MckMama's still in Africa?

2011-02-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

MckMama's still in Africa.

Despite the fact that her current trip to Africa is with GHNI (Global Hope Network International), MckMama was able to arrange a visit with two of the children that she sponsors through Compassion International. MckMama arranged these visits at her expense. Per her blog post, she was going to travel 4 hours to meet up with the children and one of the children was going to have to travel 6-7 hours (each way) to visit with her.

She also posted on her blog today with a Q & A post where she answered questions that have been posted by her blog readers. Unfortunately, those questions and answers don't address the more common questions about this trip: Why is she there? What does GHNI really do? What type of work is being done by the individuals who are on this trip? How will teaching social media (Twitter, Tumblr, Skype, etc.) to these villages help them? There are a lot of vague descriptions about the protocols and practices of GHNI, but there are not any clear answers about the methodology that is used.

Why is MckMama in Africa?

2011-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Why is MckMama in Africa?

This seems to be the million dollar question right now. MckMama is currently in Africa with a humanitarian organization called GHNI (Global Hope Network International). The organization has a site: http://www.globalhopenetwork.org/ According to their website, their mission is to "bring help & hope to the hidden & hurting".

Until MckMama mentioned this organization in a blog post on December 18, 2010 (entitled a $300 giveaway of one of the best Christmas present ideas...ever), I had never heard of GHNI.

In that blog post, MckMama mentioned that she had "discovered one of the best Christmas present ideas, ever ". She goes on to describe "Hope Dollars", which is a type of gift card, available through GHNI. Per MckMama's post (on 12/18/10), "These gift cards are from Global Hope Network International, a non-profit, humanitarian aid organization that brings hope and change to the poorest villages in the world. Instead of giving your secretary a Starbucks gift card or your mom a tin of chocolates, do what I plan to do this Christmas and give these gift cards that can, literally, change the world! The person you give the card to can then use it to pick something out for a family or village in an underdeveloped nation." Then, MckMama promoted a giveaway with GHNI for 3 separate $100 "Hope Dollars" gift cards for her blog readers, as well as a promotion for her blog readers that chose to purchase these gift cards directly from the organization.

This was the first time that we ever heard MckMama mention GHNI, but it certainly would not be the last. On December 22, MckMama announces that she will be returning to Africa. On December 27, we learn that MckMama will be traveling with GHNI and she hosts a live chat in her Blog Frog Community to answer questions about this trip. Many questions were asked, but there are still so very many that have not yet been answered.

Since December 27, many individuals have tried to learn as much as possible about GHNI, but there really is very little information out there.

Global Hope Network International is not listed on the Charity Navigator website http://charitynavigator.org/ or Charity Watch website http://www.charitywatch.org/. In contrast, Compassion International (MckMama traveled with this organization last year on her trip to Africa) is registered with both Charity Navigator and Charity Watch.

The GHNI headquarters is in Orlando, FL and the organization is not a BBB accredited business http://www.bbb.org/central-florida/business-reviews/charity-local/global-hope-network-international-in-orlando-fl-171151628. The BBB information indicates that the organization was established in 2002, but there really is very little information out there on GHNI.

Another website recently investigated this organization and you can find their posts here:
http://www.sweepingcobwebs.com/2010/12/30/global-hope-network-international/
http://www.sweepingcobwebs.com/2011/01/20/ghni-scam-or-lifesaver/

* Both of the above posts contain some very interesting information about GHNI and also highlight the lack of information about GHNI.

* The "Sweeping the Cobwebs" blog does have the GHNI - IRS 990 tax form from the year ending with 8/31/2009. You can find it here.

The GHNI website promotes their use of the TCD (Transformational Community Development) method. The organization provides guidance and coaching to the village with an emphasis on the following areas: Water, Food, Wellness, Income, and Education. If you would like to "adopt a village", the organization requests $12 per month from each individual and the model is set up so that the organization continues to support each village for 3-5 years. GHNI states that you can unsubscribe at any time.

GHNI uses social media to interact with donors and prospective donors. During MckMama's trip to Kenya, there have been videos uploaded to the following sites: http://extendedvillage.com/ , http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pursuit-of-Everything/130360573700573, http://qik.com/video/36364195, and http://qik.com/video/16d8a46bee1d43ab9b373e1ba4f756e1. Many tweets have been sent out by a number of the individuals on the GHNI trip, including: MckMama, AJ Leon, Melissa Leon, GHNI, Jeff Power, and Jonathan Ahlschwede.

Pictures and videos from this trip typically reveal images of the GHNI group (including MckMama) standing around and documenting the work that is being done by the village residents. Pictures are being taken, tweets are being sent, and blog posts are being written.

Also, a Google search reveals no information about the village of Ola Nagele other than the information that has been posted by GHNI, other participants in this trip, and MckMama's readers http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22Ola+Nagele%22. This may not mean anything, but it does seem strange since their site states that Ola Nagele has almost 4,000 residents, but there is no other information out there about this village.

In the end, there are still more questions than answers. However, I would always advise individuals to use extreme caution when donating money to any cause. A number of questions about GHNI have been posted on MckMama's blog, Facebook page, and Blog Frog community, but most of those questions have been partially answered, deleted, or ignored. A reputable organization should willingly disclose the information you seek when you ask questions about financial reports, practices, etc.

I know that it's easy to get emotional when you see pictures of beautiful children and living conditions that are less than desirable. There is a reason why social media is being so heavily used to promote this cause. They are hoping that the images and videos generate an emotional response from you that compels you to donate. It's admirable that people want to help, but I would encourage you to do your research first before donating to any organization.

The Chosen Ones

2011-02-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

Well, today has been an exciting day. MckMama has been promoting GHNI's efforts to "adopt" the village of Ola Nagele in Africa. Unfortunately, only 100 (make that 101 - MckMama's grandmother ended up being added to the list at the end) individuals could participate in this effort. Those who were fortunate enough to be one of the first 100 (or 101) to sign up were mentioned on MckMama's blog and she even linked to their personal blogs if they provided that information.

If you were not able to be one of the first 100 (or 101) to sign up, you will have the opportunity to adopt a second village next week.

The cost to "adopt" a village is $12 per month, but they have stated that the plan is to support the village for 3-5 years.

* Based on information on GHNI's site found by reader "kb": http://signup.olanagele.ghni.org/ , it appears that you can cancel with GHNI at any time.

MckMama's in Africa (again)

2011-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

The previous post was starting to load slowly due to the number of comments, so we need a new post.

Just to make sure everyone is up to date...

MckMama is currently in Africa, but is still able to keep her fans in the loop by frequent tweets and posts on her blog. If you're keeping track, MckMama has sent 32 tweets (since she boarded her first flight on Fri. February 11) and written 8 blog posts.

Past Interviews with MckMama and MckDaddy

2011-02-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post brought back lots of memories when everyone was listing their "aha!" moments. Within those comments, there were multiple references to previous interviews that have taken place with MckMama over the years. For some of the readers here, portions of these interviews were their "aha!" moments.

At the suggestion of a couple commenters here, I am putting the links to these videos in this post since a number of readers said that they had never seen some of them.

* If I am missing any others that you would like to see added to this list, please let me know:

June 14, 2009
Blogger Pregnancy Hoax (Good Morning America interview with MckMama, discussing the "April Rose" scandal)
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7835797

September 21, 2009
Critics Take Shots at MckMama (interview with Fox 9)http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Jennifer_McKinney_Mommy_Blog_Stellan

November 11, 2009
Stellan's Parents Talk About Recovery (interview with Fox 9 - this took place outside the hospital in Boston)
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/Stellans-Parents-Talk-About-Recovery-nov-11-2009

February 22, 2010
Blogging for Big Bucks (interview with KARE 11)
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=842663

February 22, 2010
Interview with MckDaddy (interview with Moms Like Me - Twin Cities)
http://twincities.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?g=1621567&m=10431343

When was your Aha! Moment?

2011-02-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

* Alternatively Titled:

How did you accidentally end up here?

This is something that comes up a lot here and I know similar posts have been done on this in the past, but I always think it's pretty interesting.

Since we seem to always have new visitors here, I think it's nice to do a post like this periodically.

So, when was your "aha!" moment?

Information Regarding Bloggers, Disclosures, & Giveaways

2011-02-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

In light of the recent events in the blog world, "iHeartFakeSmiles" asked "melissaaustin" if she would be willing to share some information with all of us on the subject of blogger disclosures and giveaways.

Melissa has a blog of her own and has become familiar with these regulations over the past year. She was willing to write up the following post and we're hoping that it might help shed some light on how to properly handle these matters on your own blogs, as well as illustrate how giveaways should take place on the blogs that you read.

Thank you, Melissa!

* Keep in mind that the following guidelines apply to bloggers in the United States. Bloggers should research the regulations in their own country to ensure compliance with all current requirements.

Here is Melissa's post:

"Let me just preface this by saying, I am in no way an expert in the blogging industry. I am simply a blogger, who like many other bloggers, is interested in operating my blog in the most ethical fashion possible.

In 2010 (possibly 2009) the FTC handed down a series of rules, regulating bloggers. For some time, there was no "set in stone way" that we, as bloggers, had to operate. For the most part, the honest bloggers were already implementing the rules in some way or another on our blogs.

Specifically, the FTC set standards in terms of operating giveaways and reviews on our blogs. This was an issue in the past, because some bloggers often would have conflicts of interests among sponsors, that were not known. Also, some bloggers would receive cash compensation for writing favorable reviews and did not tell their readers about their connection to the sponsor.

Now, as I stated before, I am not an expert in FTC guidelines. But, in general this is what the FTC guidelines mean for bloggers.

1.)Bloggers must disclose, on every post, where the product came from. It is perfectly okay to purchase an item and give it away on your blog in the interest of getting more traffic.But, you must disclose that. If you receive the product directly from the company OR a third party you must disclose that on your blog.

2.)Blogger must disclose any compensation they receive. It is common practice for companies to offer either A.) a product B.)Gift cards to Amazon or C.)Cash compensation. You must disclose your compensation. Bloggers are also required to disclose if their compensation had directly affected their posts. If you post a favorable review of a not so favorable thing because you were paid to do so, you have to disclose.

3.)Bloggers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest. For example: I am a Beachbody Coach, promoting other fitness programs has the potential to create a conflict of interest. Same as if I worked for Tmobile, but say Verizon offered me a free phone to write a favorable review. Those conflicts of interests must be disclosed.

4.)Raffles (like JM's iPad giveaway): The FTC highly frowns upon a blogger hosting a raffle in the manner that she did. Now, they may occasionally let things like that slide. But, it's typically items of smaller value. People donated HUNDREDS to JM for a chance to win an iPad. Illegal. In fact, PayPal prohibits this type of thing.

So, how does a blogger disclose? If you went to my blog, you would see a general disclosure tab at the top. That is not enough. The FTC requires that we disclose in EVERY post (as you would see in my posts). It doesn't have to be fancy. Short and sweet and to the point is fine. This has to be on every post.

The FTC has and will come down on bloggers who don't adhere to their guidelines as well as potentially come down on the sponsor.

The FTC also prohibits bloggers from limiting who can enter. If you have an honest problem with a commenter, such as harrassment or threats, screen shot it and if possible, don't delete it. That way you have a "paper trail" if the FTC comes a'knockin.

Most honest bloggers will spell out when their giveaway starts and ends and how the winners will be chosen (via random.org for the most part) and go as far as to include screenshots.

Any blogger who will not willingly disclose, or who doesn't spell out when the giveaway ends (ie: at some point tonight) is probably running a shady giveaway. Newer bloggers might make the mistake. But, in JM's case, it isn't a mistake if you keep doing it.

I hope that answers your questions. If I can be of any more help, let me know."

Melissa Austin :)

* One additional point to make (thanks to commenter "Lisa" here and I know Melissa has discussed this in some of her comments): "ANY compensation, or products received by the blogger for review, (they get one item to review and usually at least one other to giveaway), should be reported to the IRS as INCOME and taxed accordingly."

* For more information, you can visit the FTC's website here:

http://www.ftc.gov/

Official Explanation from Lansinoh

2011-02-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Lansinoh has not retracted the information that was posted in the tweets from yesterday or the e-mails that had been sent by the company yesterday, despite MckMama's hints last night that a retraction would be coming from the company.

They have, however, offered the following explanation of what took place with regards to MckMama and the giveaway that she hosted on her blog for 4 Lansinoh breast pumps. This statement from Lansinoh should bring closure in this matter.

* You can find the above post here:

http://bymomsformoms.blogspot.com/2011/02/clarifying-lansinohs-involvement-in-my.html

* And, in the interest of total disclosure and fairness, the following tweets were posted by Lansinoh's Twitter account this morning (Tues. February 9):

I'm sorry we misunderstood

2011-02-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from MckMama's post on Thurs. February 3, regarding breast pumps that she planned to give away:

And another excerpt from her blog post on Sat. February 5:

And here is a tweet from Lansinoh today (Mon. February 7):

And here are the rest of the tweets that Lansinoh posted this afternoon (Mon. February 7):

I am so sorry that we misunderstood.

Hello from "MWOP2"

2011-02-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is officially my first post here and I've got some big shoes to fill. I feel that MWOP has done a great job and I hope that this blog will continue to operate in the same manner. I know that we will always have new visitors here, so I would like to mention the guidelines that were first established on this blog:

We're going to allow Anonymous posters. If it gets to be too much, we'll turn that option off.
Do not be rude to other posters or call them names.
Do not be rude about the children or call them names. Commenting on behavior is acceptable, but no name calling.
Don't tell the moderators how to run the blog.
No posting addresses.
The administrator is not able to verify the identity of people who comment here. Believe what you choose to believe.
We are not a blog about religion, please do not comment or assume that we are all Christians.

I'm going to keep this short and sweet...I have to go watch the end of the Super Bowl on my DVD player screen. :)

- MWOP2

Many (but not all!)

2011-01-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

I may have enjoyed the latest post a bit too much.

In case you missed it, MckMama says she is not what her dissenters claim she is. I want to share this here, too:

"See, I am not what some of my dissenters claim me to be. I don’t lie about my children’s haircuts or lead you all into internet scams involving shady charities. I am not the devil incarnate, nor do I sit around plotting how to be deceitful on my blog. I don’t fake to have great adventures with my children just so I can blog about them and I didn’t add food coloring to my rainbow pancakes. I don’t stage messes created by my children or fake medical conditions. The insinuations that I do are baseless and laughable."

She also says:

"But the fact that many (But not all!) of my critics’ accusations against me are totally false does not release me from having a responsible role in it all. Yet, I have sometimes acted as if it did. When I am accused of things I did not do, called names I don’t deserve, or questioned relentlessly, I still must do the right thing."

It is so nice of her to give us examples of where we are wrong. We need to do the right thing by cleaning up MWOP and deleting the untruths. Let's break it down, shall we?

I don’t lie about my children’s haircuts (Okay, cross that blog post ou...wait, I don't see a reference to that? )
or lead you all into internet scams involving shady charities. (Oh man, that was an important blog post back in...err....you know, in.....crap, nothing here either. All I can find are responses from other reputable charities.)
I am not the devil incarnate, nor do I sit around plotting how to be deceitful on my blog. (I have got to stop with the 'devil incarnate' yammering. It's like it's a choice phrase around here. Hold the iPhones, search can't seem to find the phrase anywhere.)
I don’t fake to have great adventures with my children just so I can blog about them (Dang, she's cherry picking all the best posts and shredding all validity there is in them!)
I didn’t add food coloring to my rainbow pancakes. (Seriously, folks, we must remove the pancake rebuttal post STAT. This one really seems to bug her.)
I don’t stage messes created by my children (How could I have ever made such an egregious claim? Does MWOP have no decency??)
or fake medical conditions. (Writing posts about her faking medical conditions is wrong, and I feel humbled and apologetic for my actions...well, I would, but damn, I didn't write that either.)

There you have it MWOPers. MWOP has been put in its place. The lies here are much like the insinuations. Baseless and laughable.

An update on the future

2011-01-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

Great news - there is a regular here who has volunteered to take over MWOP. It's someone who was on my list, who may have been on your list too. This person has been around for months and is a reasonable voice with some great opinions. She is not/was not a moderator of the forum (since I know some will ask).

I'm happy she stepped forward. I think this person can handle Africa in ways that I cannot right now. She is also excellent at putting small details together, so I anticipate the posts from her being way better than what I could pen.

I want this person to have the best anonymity, so we've agreed not to reveal her username since she has used it in other locations. To that end, she will need a new username. That's where I thought you guys could come in. Please leave the most clever username you've got and the one with the most likes by Sunday 9 PM EST will be it!

The Future

2011-01-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here we are nearing the one year anniversary of MWOP and we have almost two million visitors. That is....amazing. Mind-boggling. Comments hit 1,000+ for most posts, and there are new visitors in every day. That tells me this site is still serving a purpose.

However, I don't know what role I can take in the next year. My concern is two-fold. I have not had the time to keep up with everything going on here enough to research and put together posts in a timely manner, and I don't really have the desire to keep going. This person is not going to change. If everything that that has come out in the last two years hasn't changed her, I am convinced nothing I post on here will change her back into someone who should be leading a Christian mom blog community. Because of this, I have pretty much given up in the last few months, and I think people here have noticed.

I will not shut this site down. I will leave it up with its blog posts and comments, but not post anything new. The Disqus and email information will stay with this site. But starting with the next year of MWOP, I would like to take suggestions and offers for someone who is interested in taking over MWOP at a new location.

We have some dedicated members here who I think would do an excellent job, but I would like to hear from you. If someone opened MWOP2, who would you trust to moderate it? Are there any nominations? Do you have other suggestions?

Regardless, there's always the wonderful forum two users here have put together.

I apologize in advance if this disappoints anyone. I know I have sucked at my 'job' recently, and you deserve better than what I have given you these past couple of months, especially with the new stirrings over Africa. I have thoroughly enjoyed 'meeting' most everyone on here, hearing the varying opinions you have, and I would like to hear them now while we try to figure out the future of MWOP.

Filler Post

2011-01-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Til I get my thoughts together for a real post.

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Hazardous Health

2011-01-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

This was sent to me by a forum member, put together by another forum member (I edited it slightly and added a few things). It's a list of medical events (and other milestones) pulled from ~~Mckmama~~ MckMama's blog and I thought it was a pretty interesting read when put in one place like this. Thank you for sending this on.

I can think of a few things that are missing - the arm/elbow ER incident in the days (day?) before leaving for Africa and didn't Big Mac end up in the ER with a busted head recently? I haven't gone back to find where she mentions these, though.

Anyway, here you go:

K’s birth – 16 days overdue and “high risk”; she had the broken tailbone. She develops a fever while in labor and she said they pumped water back into her uterus. NICU “whisked away” K to clear meconium after he was born and she passed out.

2006 – K had unexplained hives for a year.

September 2006 – C was diagnosed with Grade II Vesico Ureteral Reflux and they declined the “required” meds – he never had more issues with it.

January 2007 – C was losing weight. Four doctor appts. “Meeting of the minds” and bloodwork with abnormal levels (some high, some low). Another appointment decided it was stomach flu.

February 2007 – C gained weight and she realized she had low supply

April 2007 – C had double ear infection

May 2007 – C had pneumonia and ear infection

July 2007 – She had to do the Heimlich on K because he choked at the dinner table

September 2007 – C had to have tests done to see if his kidney reflux was gone...it was. She was also in the hospital with kidney stones, kidney and bladder infection, and getting meds to stop contrax at 35 weeks.

October 2007 – M was born.

Late November, early December 2007 - Takes 5 week old M on an airplane.
December 6-9, 2007 - M ends up in the hospital. Vomiting, cloudy urine, and was “unresponsive.” IV, pain meds, finally urinating.
December 14, 2007 - K and C vomit all over in the McDs playplace.
December 22-25, 2007 - M vomits at McD’s and goes to the hospital. She has: a cold, a "bad case of the stomach flu", a heart murmur, and "a bad infection in her body (bladder, kidneys)." Requires IV antibiotics. Also? "Those of you who know me might remember Cullen's kidney and ureter condition we discovered he had when he got very sick at 2 weeks old. It unfortunately seems that Maisie might have been born with the same condition. We will know more as the night and tomorrow morning progress." She claimed the people at the hospital gave her the “calm mom award of the year.”
December 25, 2007 M is released, awaiting results on kidney condition, waiting to see if she will "require surgery or a waiting regimen."
December 27, 2007 Kidneys appear okay, heart murmur might just be from being sick. Praying it won't be heard next time she's sick.

March 2008 – announces pregnancy. They thought miscarriage at first but everything is ok except for a "complex" “tumor/growth/cyst” (which was her "cyst")

April 2008 – C had pinkeye, and she rushed K to the doctor…found out he has asthma. A week later C has breathing problems and “might have asthma too," later found he doesn’t. Also talks about the “complication” on her left ovary is “even more serious” and “may be cancer.” Told her “cervix doesn’t look right.". Anyway, the cyst on her ovary went from being “very concerning” to “doesn’t look cancerous” to a corpus luteum that is “certainly not cancerous.”

May 2008 – M taken to hospital by ambulance struggling to breathe and pulse 200 with high fever, turns out it was pneumonia. MckMama took a picture of her in the ambulance. Four days later she was back in the ER with suspected intussusceptions, which is when the colon collapses back on itself. Turns out it was a blockage and gas causing her pain.

July 2008 – They find out about S’s heart and also that her cyst is 3 times bigger than it’s biggest (measured 8cm). JM was hospitalized with S and having heart problems of her own as a result of the meds.

August 2008 –She was in the hospital for Cs birthday. Was told the ped cardio had “never seen such a complicated case” and they were trying “risky and experimental” treatment for S.

September 2008 – M had a sore, blistered throat that was not strep (thought ear infection but wasn’t) and K was taken to the ER because part of his fingertip was cut off at preschool. JM also had a “minor surgery” later about a “very suspicious for cancer” thing not related to reproductive health.

October 2008 – Had the biopsy (minor surgery) that “went great” and was “a little less concerned” that it’s cancer. Then she was in the hospital again overnight for her own heart issues resulting from the meds S needed. S was born a short time later with 9/9 apgar scores. They also didn’t take out her ovary because it was simple and not cancerous. The doctor who did her c-section also told her that she was a “good healer” and “honestly you have no scarring.”

December 2008 – While they were out of town for Christmas, S went to the ER because he was “exceedingly sick” with a high heartrate. He went home but then was rushed to the hospital by ambulance red light siren and admitted to the PICU.

March 2009 – S hospitalized with SVT again.
April 2009 – S to Boston for surgery.

June 6, 09 – Said they went to splashpad “a couple times this week”
June 7, 09 – Posted Stellan was having lots of SVT.
June 8, 09 – Went to the Children’s Museum…later posted that S was having high blood pressure.
June 17, 09 – Went to the zoo “a couple days ago” then goes on to talk about S having more SVT.
June 18, 09 – S to ER and admitted to PICU for SVT.
June 21, 09 – S released straight from PICU and they went directly from the hospital to a huge pool party on the way home.

July 18, 09 – MckPicnic
July 19, 09 – S ended the 15 day SVT-free streak
July 22, 09 – Cancelled trip to Blissdom – took Stellan to ER for SVT
July 23, 09 – Stellan in hospital. “Stellan is in trouble.”
July 25, 09 -"We just said goodbye to Stellan."
July 27 - August 2, 09 -"It's bad. Our parents and families are on their way." "Stellan is being airlifted to Boston", "trying to not think about what happens if it's too late to go to Boston." (Misses C's birthday.)

August 3, 09 Stellan goes home...on new meds, but stable!!
August 5, 09 MckMama, MckDaddy, and three of their children go to California. Stellan stays behind.

September 10 and September 14 she posted pictures from the kids at the park.
September 15, 09 – S was hospitalized with SVT again.

October 17, 09 – K had infection in one ear and S&M each had double ear infection
October 21, 09 – Urgent care…now C had an ear infection and S&M were worse
October 24, 09 – Posted about going to the children’s museum
October 28, 09 – S in PICU with SVT
November 2009 – S went to Boston for ablation that cured his SVT

January 2010 – JM went on the cruise and was bit by something…so she got IV steroids at the ship doctor.

April 2010 - L ultrasound showed what might be a VSD heart defect.

July 2010 – JM in the hospital for nausea, dizziness, etc. and then had Kidney stone problems again and blood in her urine. Also found out she had Gestational Diabetes. She was released and then right back in the hospital…this was the incident where she said: “To make a long (embarrassing) story short, I ended up feeling awful on my way to meet Carrie, throwing up in the car as I drove, pulling over because I felt really dizzy and lightheaded, going inside an eating establishment to find a bite to eat and some more water, and passing out in line as I waited my turn.” Even though later it was realized she actually did go to the wedding…She was transferred to the downtown hospital where she’d deliver L.

August 2010 – She was back in the hospital again with kidney issues and missed Cs birthday AGAIN. L was born a “preemie” and in the special care nursery.

September 2010 – L is healthy, except for an eye infection. She mentioned that she would be in the hospital again for “open abdominal surgery.” Later she says the pregnancy and childbirth related issues will be gone…and hopefully it will be done laparoscopically. Of course, then she has the surgery and of course it “didn’t turn out precisely as we’d hoped.” They inspected it during her c-section and decided it “did not look good at all” but it was too risky to take out because pregnant women have more blood flow. It wasn’t a fluid-filled cyst, supposedly it was a tumor that might be cancerous. They couldn’t do it laparoscopically so they opened her back up at her c-section scar and also took out her left ovary and fallopian tube. She was released the second day after surgery.

October 2010 – She was in the hospital AGAIN. More kidney issues. She also found out no cancer.

January 2011 – She was in the hospital AGAIN for bowel obstruction.

Happy New Year, MWoPers!

2010-12-31T13:48:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy new year! I wish everyone reading here, no matter why, a wonderful 2011. See you in the new year!

A Holiday diddly

2010-12-21T21:29:00.001-08:00

I'm not nearly as talented as some of the commenters here, but this one....it required very little thought. If you come up with something better, I'll post it over the holiday week. No religious-based tunes, please.

(*original words not mine)

You're a mean one, MckMama,
You really are a heel.

You're as talented as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, MckMama,
You're a bad tax payer with a greasy credit score.

You're a bad blogger, MckMama,
Your content's an empty hole.

Your photos are full of chopped off heads, you have blown out whites in your pics, MckMama.

I wouldn't hire you for a thirty-nine-and-a-half minute shoot.

You're a foul one, MckMama,
You have blemishes in your perfect life.

You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick cruise sheeple, MckMama.
Given a choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick sheeple.

You're a rotter, MckMama,
You're the queen of sinful sots.

Your header's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, MckMama.

You're a two decker foreclosure and plagiarizing sandwich with repo sauce.

You nauseate me, MckMama,
With a nauseous, super naus.

You're a crooked, sneaky business owner, and you give crooked advice, MckMama.

Your blog is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
assortment of rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots.

You're a foul one, MckMama,
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.

Your heart is full of unwashed socks (literally), your motives are full of gunk, MckMama.

The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote:
"Stink, stank, stunk"!

Getting whiplash

2010-12-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

So MckMama posts this ridiculously long rant about holding Lachlan on her recent flights. She complained about being judged on her parenting decisions. I mean, really, if she wants to hold her babies and not put them in car seats on planes, who are we to judge? She wrote:

Confession: We usually don’t buy airline seats for our children when they are under age two; instead, we typically opt to have them travel as lap children as allowed by the airlines. Each time I have posted photographs of our little ones flying, like I did with Flurry swaddled up and sleeping on the seat next to me the other day, I understandably get comments reminding me that it is safer for children to fly while restrained in their own seat in a carseat.

She also said this in the comments:

The only problem is she doesn't know what the hell her parenting decisions are. Just a smidge over six months ago, she posted this:

“Leaving on a Jet Plane”.
May 13, 2010

Carry your carseat to the gate.

I usually bring our own carseats with us when we travel. I used to check them as suitcases, but for our children under 2, I’ve changed my ways. The next time you fly with an infant, try this: Bring your carseat to the gate. It may be a hassle to lug it there, but it will be worth it. Here’s why: Once you get to the gate, ask if there are any open seats on the flight. If there are, request to be moved with the infant on your lap next to that open seat. Then, see if you can bring your carseat onto the plane. If your seat is approved for air travel, you will probably be allowed to. Then, you can put the carseat in the empty seat while you fly, hands free, and your baby has the seat they know and (hopefully) love. Plus, you still won’t have to pay for that baby’s seat!

If there are no seats open on the plane or you aren’t allowed to bring your carseat on, you still haven’t lost. Just ask for a gate check tag for the seat. Leave it at the end of the gate. The guys who put luggage under the plane will come grab it, free of charge, and put it with the rest of the suitcases. Then, they’ll bring it back to you when the plane lands.

There's also the little matter of Stellan himself appearing in his car seat on Boston flights. It's getting old trying to keep MckMama's stories straight.

A new post

2010-12-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

We're in need of another new post. Sadly, MckMama has chosen to miss another birthday, this time it was Big Mac's. Hopefully his father, who's been the solo parent for nine days now, was able to make it a fantastic birthday for their oldest.

On the up side, there will be no more "5, 4, 3, 2 and under 1" comments.

A new video

2010-12-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

MckMama put up a new video, "Just a Regular Afternoon."

In four minutes, we find out her barely 3-year-old, her 4-year-old, and her 5 year-old are outside in the snow without their mother or father watching, her 4-month-old baby is left sitting on a couch without a parent able to reach him if he tumbles (and with marker drawings on his head that his two-year-old brother put there), and her two-year-old sticks his head in a giant plastic bag. Thankfully, he was the only child being tended to at the time.

I'm not big on doubting or demeaning her parenting abilities, but come on. Posting a video like that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T14:54:00.001-08:00

Comments are way up, and we're in need of a new post. MckMama posted a few of her first photo shoot pictures. Did anyone contact her about her Atlanta photo shoot? What did she charge for her half hour sessions? Were those first pictures worth the money?

Changes

2010-11-19T04:24:00.000-08:00

I'm still here. I've read through the comments and I wanted to alleviate any concern that this blog was going to fall to the wayside. I apologize to anyone who finds following both forums difficult - the idea is to provide a secondary place to talk about anything (even about MckMama), to discuss ideas that might be more nit-picky and to chat with other commenters in better depth, especially when things bog down here and Disqus won't load.

I would love to see commenters continue to bring things they think are important to MWOP if they think it's something that needs to be posted here. I knew that comments would fall off, and I'm fine with that if it's a solution that works better for the majority.

I have been quiet more because I was pretty pissed off about this last week. MckMama has what many of her loyal readers would die for - a popular blog with many followers and advertising to support her family. And she cannot stop screwing it up. This woman won't change.

In case you missed it, MckMama was dropped by the two ad agencies she picked up after being dropped by BlogHer for plagiarism. Readers here emailed her ad agency, as did readers of her blog, in regards to the thrashing she put on homosexuals over the weekend. Ultimately it was their choice to drop her, and I truly doubt they succumbed to the pressure of a handful of tweets and emails. I'm sure they researched and made their own decisions based on her content.

In the end, though, it comes down to the fact that she won't learn or change. Now she's down to Google Ads (which pay piddly amounts) and a few ad blocks from her own advertising efforts. Anyone can put Google Ads on their site, and they don't pay well.

Relationships between MckMama and companies have been severed continuously since May. She is a skid mark for Christians, bloggers, and mothers of many, among other groups.

What else does she have to lose? What else can she lose?

I see now that there's zero chance she'll revive herself and become someone her readers can admire or enjoy once again. I feel sorry for her family, and for her.

Trying something new

2010-11-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

We're only at 775 comments and things are slowing down because of Disqus. Sadly, Disqus is necessary in order to keep up with comments. Several commenters have suggested over the past few months that we try a different forum and I agree it's probably a good idea.

I'm not up for such a task, but two regulars here, Pink and aliensintheattic, set up something new - a forum.

Please visit this new forum and see if it might be a good fit for when things bog down here, or for discussing something off topic with other MWOP readers.

Thanks to both ladies for volunteering their time and efforts in this new community.

http://www.mwoptalk.com

Is hypocrisy a sin?

2010-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

MWOP's base rules from day one state, "We are not a blog about religion, please do not comment or assume that we are all Christians." However, MckMama has opened one heck of a can of worms this week when she decided to parade her thoughts on sin and homosexuality on her blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. Oh, and Blog Frog. I don't want to start a debate here on whether or not homosexuality is a sin and inborn.

I do have to ask, Bitch, please. Who do you think you are?

MckMama has not stated exactly what religion she follows, other than she's "spiritual but not religious," but I believe her current church has Baptist roots.

That in mind, there are some religions out there that believe in the Seven Deadly Sins. Heard of those? These are considered the Bad Boys of the Catholic church. While the Baptist church believes all sins (and there's lots) separate a follower from God and all sins are punishable, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to whittle the list down to a select, well-known few, and see where MckMama stands against these Bad Boys.

Sins (from http://whitestonejournal.com/index.php/seven-deadly-sins)

Pride: Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.

Avarice/Greed: This is about more than money. Generosity means letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its "fair share" or a bit more.

Envy: "Love is patient, love is kind..." Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.

Wrath/Anger: Kindness means taking the tender approach, with patience and compassion. Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others. Impatience with the faults of others is related to this.

Lust: Self control and self mastery prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures are controlled in the same way an athlete's muscles are: for maximum efficiency without damage. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they tend to go out of control.

Gluttony: Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.

Sloth: Zeal is the energetic response of the heart to God's commands. The other sins work together to deaden the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond to God and then drift completely into the sleep of complacency.

And from Proverbs 6:16-19 (New International Version):

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Based on the descriptions above and what you might know of these sins, how many strikes are there against MckMama? And how can she, if she is Baptist and all sins are equal, even fathom preaching about what she thinks of other "sinners"?

Less than a week later...

2010-11-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Welp, that's the end of the rabbit. Let's hope a cat has better luck. This cat is an outdoor animal. Are outdoor cats common during the winter in Minnesota?

If you missed it, MckMama has ads once again. Please use the link on the right to click on her site to avoid advertising clicks. I haven't looked into the policies of this new advertising agency, but maybe since she plagiarized before she had a contract with them they made an allowance for her.

Hopping down the bunny trail

2010-11-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

I need help from our worldly MWOPers. I'm not a rabbit person - I know next to nothing about them. How travel-friendly is a rabbit? Anyone have rabbits and young children?

And can I say please, please, please someone tell me this rabbit is domesticated and purchased (or gifted) from somewhere. The thought of MckDaddy caging something he caught in one of his live traps.....ugh.

What really matters

2010-11-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

I know the "naysayers" think all I do is MWOP, but in life outside of MWOP (be still your hearts, it does exist), there's another very important realm of existence for this MWOPer: football.

In lieu of starting another dangerous debate, I won't post a video of my favorite team whomping up on your favorite team. I will however, add to the recipe threads and share my favorite tailgating recipe.

Feel free to share yours as well, so we can all shop appropriately tomorrow before the weekend's festivities.

Beer Dip (from allrecipes.com)
16 ounce packages cream cheese, softened (use regular, not light)
1 ounce package ranch dressing mix
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup beer

Mix cream cheese and dressing. Mix in cheddar cheese, then beer. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or more. Serve with your favorite dipping chip, cracker or whatever.

Difficult, I know, but worth it.

Funny.

2010-11-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.therightscoop.com/glenn-beck-happy-days-are-here-again?ref=nf

Or, not.

A new post, you say?

2010-11-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

I agree, it is about that time. I don't have much that is interesting to post. Honestly, it's like watching a reality show gone bad trying to figure out what MckMama might do next. Let it be said the woman has no bottom in her bag of tricks.

Until she actually does something underhanded and interesting, here's another post for comments.

**Oh, did anyone take a look at the ebay Mudd Lake store pictures? Anyone else see MckMama's "style" in them?

Free Discussion

2010-10-28T14:35:00.001-07:00

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Dear Diary

2010-10-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

Dear diary,

I cannot wait to hear what happens next to the Mcks. Her blog is, after all, my favorite reality-based virtually-almost-exactly-true soap opera. What, if anything, can keep her show afloat? Gosh, which wild and crazy plunge will the Mcks take next?

One thing is for sure, she's got all of us across the MWOP on pins and needles as we wait for her to stop talking about making a decision she won't share and actually makes it. It's like she's drawing this decision out to keep us coming back for more or something. She wouldn't do that, though. It's not her style.

Until she writes again,

MWOP

Product Consultants

2010-10-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

doTERRA oils are expensive. The 15mL bottles of peppermint oil cost almost $35 a piece. If the 5mL bottle was just 1/5 the cost, that's $7 a bottle...times 100 for this giveaway. Not including the shipping for 100 fragile vials from "Aunt Patty" to the 100 winners.

Which leaves several people on here wondering if "Aunt Patty" is rich, or if she will be using these addresses for future customer purposes.

doTERRA has product consultants much in the same way Mary Kay or Avon would: mailing lists = customers = money. Hopefully "Aunt Patty" is loaded, and not using this giveaway as an underhanded way to gain customers.

On another note, if you are lucky enough to win peppermint oil, please do not digest it unless you have read up on it first.

And yes, I noted the link to the cleaning post. If only we could all have such humor in the face of our faults.

Free Discussion

2010-10-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Free Discussion

2010-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Going Pink!

2010-10-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

On to my original post for this weekend! Save the ta-tas, MWOPers! October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I would love to see this blog do some more good. We don't have the number of readers other blogs might, but you guys are a passionate group, and the last few days have brought forth some heartbreaking stories of cancer and loss.

To do my very small part, I'm adding links to companies, organizations, and products that support breast cancer awareness month to this site. Please click and click often to see how you can help raise money to help fight this horrible disease that kills a woman every 69 seconds.

Susan G. Komen

Shop Komen

Yoplait

Save the Ta-Tas

Estee Lauder

The Breast Cancer Site

Army of Women

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Click to Give at the Breast Cancer Site

Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation

American Breast Cancer Foundation

Ju-Ju-Be

American Breast Cancer Foundation

Vera Bradley

Breastcancer.org

Avon Foundation

Pink Ribbon International

Breast Cancer Care

Cancer Research UK

Breast Cancer Africa

Cancer Association of South Africa

AfrOx

Cancer Council Australia

Personalizedfree.com

New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation

Magee Womancare Inernational

Cancer Support Community

Young Survival Coalition

Mothers with Cancer

Cleaning For a Reason

If you know of another worthy organization, please add the link in the comments, and I'll add you to the list. If you are participating in any fundraising events this month, please let us know!

Last example

2010-10-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind day. I read the latest "I am flawed" post and it irritated me the way MckMama excused away plagiarism by saying she posted that before she had ads. I have another photography example from 2009 when she certainly had ads that a commenter left in yesterday's post that I want to post to further prove it wasn't a 'one-time, 2008, pre-ads' occurrence.

It is my understanding that BlogHer was contacted before yesterday's post went up and they were sent a few examples, not just the ones from yesterday.

Posted by MckMama on May 24, 2009

Posted on SLR Photography Guide, Copyrighted 2007 - 2010 (photography ebooks)

I am sure there are more, but this is my last example. I don't want to beat a dead horse.

I do want to add if you're going to own it, own it. Don't excuse it.

Some more examples

2010-10-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

Example 1:

Posted on November 19, 2008 by MckMama:

Posted on April 10th, 2007 on other site:

Example 2:

Posted on November 19, 2008 by MckMama:

Posted on April 10th, 2007 on other site:

Example 3:

Posted on November 19, 2008 by MckMama:

Posted on April 10th, 2007 on other site:

Example 4:

Posted on November 19, 2008 by MckMama:

Posted on April 10th, 2007 on other site:

Example 5:

Posted on November 19, 2008 by MckMama:

Posted on April 10th, 2007 on other site:

Example 6:

Posted on June 9, 2009 by MckMama:

Pick a source, any source.

Thank you, Chicken Little and WCA.

Plagiarism

2010-09-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia on Plagiarism: "Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as 'the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one's own original work.'"

From plagiarism.org:

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
• to use (another's production) without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Is this plagiarism?

Posted ~~today~~ May 9, 2009 by MckMama (and deleted from her site some time after September 8, 2010)

Posted April 27, 2008 on another site.

How about this?

Posted ~~today~~ May 9, 2009 by MckMama (and deleted from her site some time after September 8, 2010)

Posted April 27, 2008 on another site.

This?

Posted ~~today~~ May 9, 2009 by MckMama (and deleted from her site some time after September 8, 2010)

Posted April 27, 2008 on another site.

Or this?

Posted ~~today~~ May 9, 2009 by MckMama (and deleted from her site some time after September 8, 2010)

Posted April 27, 2008 on another site.

Last one:

Posted September 16:

Posted September 21:

Thank you to the commenters who caught these.

"By MckMama"

2010-09-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Did you know that MckMama is a photographer? She has her own business website and everything, where she posts pictures of people not related to her.

What do you think MckMama would do if some blogger took a picture she had taken through her business and posted it on their blog, giving her no credit anywhere?

Then why would she use a picture another photographer (who has their own business website and facebook page) had taken of Matthew, post it on her blog, give no credit anywhere in the post or in her comments?

Thank you to Regina for the heads up on this.

LLF donations

2010-09-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

I received an email from a representative of the Liz Logelin Foundation asking me to pass on a few notes to the readers here.

Most importantly, LLF contributers donated over $2,500 to Marc and Matthew in just a few short days. That money, along with a contribution from LLF, will be sent to Marc this week. Amazing. They thank those of you here who donated, and so do I.

Many people contacted LLF about Marc and Matthew last week and the organization wanted to move quickly to set up a more legitimate source for donors who wanted to contribute. She assures me that all money donated through LLF went to this family.

LLF is aware of the reputation MckMama has and had concerns associating with her, but they decided to put this family first and work to reach as many donors as possible with legitimate donation methods.

They do not plan to partner with MckMama in the future, and any claims of a partnership with MckMama going forward or in the past are not accurate.

For those unfamiliar with LLF, this is from the site's About page:

The Liz Logelin Foundation was established to assist families who find themselves in the heartbreaking, catastrophic situation of having lost a spouse, life-partner, and parent. The Foundation’s goal is to financially assist these families as they deal with the loss of their loved ones, and struggle to move forward. The Foundation was established in 2009 by Matthew Logelin, who lost his wife Elizabeth in 2008.

Please Click here if you would like to donate to Marc and Matthew, or to the Liz Logelin Foundation.

The One Where We Learn a Lesson on buying on Craigslist

2010-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A - A Craigslist ad selling the Mcks' blue Aveo:

Please note the underlined text.

Exhibit B - A MckMama post on when and why they bought the car. Also, comments on the reliability of the car:

Exhibit C - More MckMama post comments on the reliability of the blue Aveo:

This might be a bit rhetorical, but how can a car a person buys used have only one owner? And what's your definition of "reliable"?

Free Discussion 9/20 -9/26

2010-09-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Donate to "Baby M"

2010-09-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

There is a contact person already assigned to "Baby M", the newborn who lost his mother. If you are looking to donate to this tiny baby and his father, please consider donating financially through the proper channels so they can buy milkbank milk that has been tested for things like HIV, TB, venereal diseases, Mad Cow disease, hepatitis, nicotine, insulin and alcohol before being donated.

Mankato family seeks breastmilk for newborn after mother dies

**UPDATE**
A local news station has decided to cover the story of Baby M and MckMama on the news tonight. From MckMama's kitchen. No, really.

Making money off Nutella

2010-09-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

You know the best thing to do when you get caught lying about something on your blog where you swear you blog boldly? Resort to nastiness. Snarking at people is a surefire way to rile up your staunch supporters, increase clicks, and draw attention away from the fact that, once again, you can't keep your facts straight.

Who cares if MckMama lies about Nutella? Not me, really. People forget stuff, it happens all the time. I can imagine it happens more than that to people with that many children. I do care that she said "For future reference, if there comes a time I decide to lie to my readers, it will be about something more significant than Nutella!!" because that suggests she hasn't lied to her readers. Which, well, we all know is yet another lie. For more details, please read anything in the right rail.

I'm not that surprised by her snarkiness since she appears to have nothing else to bring to her blog that is any way controversial right now. Drama is money and you need money to buy Nutella.

Anywhoodle, I spent 10 of my "no life" minutes Googling and putting together some Nutella blog posts for you guys. You're welcome.

MckMama's Nut Butter (complete with picture of Small Fry eating Nutella).

Nut butter wedges with Nutella in this Not Me! Monday post.

Sticking Nutella on the end of Stellan's pacifier.

Small Fry eating a whole jar of Nutella by herself (this one is a real link, so don't click if you don't have to, please).

And let's not forget the picture of Small Fry with "something" on her face. Can't be Nutella, since she has hidden it from her children until "now".

Gotta love the fact checkers.

Choking Hazards

2010-09-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

For the record, here's some information on choking hazards.

Here are some additional suggestions for preventing choking.

• Don’t give young children hard, smooth foods (i.e., peanuts, raw vegetables) that must be chewed with a grinding motion. Children don’t master that kind of chewing until age four, so they may attempt to swallow the food whole. Do not give peanuts to children until age seven or older.
• Don’t give your child round, firm foods (like hot dogs and carrot sticks) unless they are chopped completely. Cut or break food into bite-size pieces (no larger than ½ inch [1.27 cm]) and encourage your child to chew thoroughly.
• Supervise mealtime for your infant or young child. Don’t let her eat while playing or running. Teach her to chew and swallow her food before talking or laughing.
• Chewing gum is inappropriate for young children.

Because young children put everything into their mouths, small non-food objects are also responsible for many choking incidents. Look for age guidelines in selecting toys, but use your own judgment concerning your child. Also be aware that certain objects have been associated with choking, including uninflated or broken balloons; baby powder; items from the trash (e.g., eggshells, pop-tops from beverage cans); safety pins; coins; marbles; small balls; pen or marker caps; small, button- type batteries; hard, gooey, or sticky candy or vitamins; grapes; and popcorn. If you’re unsure whether an object or food item could be harmful, you can purchase a standard small-parts cylinder at juvenile products stores or test toys using a toilet paper roll, which has a diameter of approximately 1¾ inches.

From Choking Prevention

Pediatricians call for a choke-proof hot dog

Foods That Choke Infants by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Tear away necklaces are actually not bad for babies to wear, so long as the baby is monitored when wearing it. Regular necklaces are a strangulation hazard, as is any cord that is long enough to wrap around a baby's neck.

If you post pictures of something that looks ~~controversial~~ questionable at 9 a.m. and get many comments (only from naysayers, of course - no reasonable reader would question a necklace on a newborn who has many small siblings) questioning the safety of a necklace around a baby's neck, you should probably not wait 28 hours to let said ~~readers~~ naysayers know the safety features of said necklace. They might worry needlessly.

Free Discussion 9/6 -9/12

2010-09-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Let's try the same format the other WOP sites use. Please use this post for discussion that doesn't have a better spot elsewhere.

Still here

2010-08-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

I apologize to anyone who was worried about me taking the weekend off. I wanted to skip town and have some time away from the internet, and I didn't want to have to worry about anything on this site. In fact, I didn't want to think about MWOP at all for a couple days after seven months of reading here every day. I'm sorry it wasn't around for those who enjoy posting here, but comments will be back up in the morning.

For those who have asked, I have not been contacted by anyone legally. I am not concerned about anything I have posted - there is not a single thing I have posted here that is not based in truth or that I don't believe is true based on evidence collected before I posted. My goal has never been to bring MckMama down, but to expose all the big and stupid little lies that keep popping up and she keeps blocking.

Once again, I do not believe or endorse everything said by others on this blog, but I won't moderate their ability to express their opinions so long as it's respectful.

I am, however, concerned that MckMama's days as a "top blogger" are coming to an end. While I partially worry for her children, I am more concerned she will lay the blame for her demise solely on MWOP instead of accepting that manipulating her readers left them with a bad taste and caused readers to look here for what others thought might really be happening.

I don't make money on this site, in fact I don't get a lot joy out of this site. It is not a pretty thing. But it angers me beyond belief that people think the internet means they can lie, steal and cheat...especially while hiding behind their faith. I am comfortable with my goal behind MWOP, regardless of how I feel about the site or why it exists, and if this blog does get taken to the next step I welcome the opportunity for MWOP to set a precedent for lying, profitable bloggers and online fraud, especially emotional fraud.

Anyhow, I'm headed to bed, but comments will be on bright and early tomorrow morning. I appreciate those who keep this blog on topic and bring things that don't feel or sound right to the surface. I know Disqus bogs down a lot and there have been relationships formed on this blog and some commenters would like more chit chat as well. If anyone would like to volunteer a spot for things off topic or for when comments bog down, I would be happy to post those links.

Sunday night stats

2010-08-22T15:29:00.001-07:00

Amazing MWOPers:

Question....

2010-08-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Do you think MWOP hurts MckMama's business? Or does it help it? Without MWOP, would you continue reading MckMama? Or would she fall into blogging oblivion?

Does drama keep MckMama afloat?

Driving

2010-08-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

We need a new post again. MckMama has been out and about since her "babe" came home. For all you c-section mamas, how long after you gave birth did you have to wait before you could drive? What's the general time frame before a mom can drive after a c-section?

Breastfeeding

2010-08-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

MckMama wrote a post about breastfeeding. Beyond that, I'm not sure what her point is, but I can say I'm pretty sure she failed to make one...even after using over 2,000 words.

On to other things

2010-08-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

There are two posts up tonight. This one is back on track. Things have been relatively quiet on the MckMama front, but the HP giveaway raised a lot of questions about how MckMama conducts her giveaways and how "legal" they are. I'll see if I can put together what we know already some time this week.

Care4Chris

2010-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry. Let's start there.

The back story: a reader left a comment months ago about a tweet from someone who wanted MckMama to retweet prayers for her brother. Readers here felt badly for the sister, who shared her story on MWOP. I reached out to the sister, Elisabeth, and offered to put a picture up of her brother in hopes it would help raise money for his expenses after a serious stroke.

I vetted the story to an extent. I called the apartment complex and the physical therapy office to confirm he was a patient there. He was. Since Elisabeth offered ways to donate money to companies that were not direct contributions to her account, I put the picture up.

Here we are, months later, and we found out yesterday that Elisabeth is actually Elizabeth and has ties to MckMama and April Rose. Chris is indeed a stroke victim, but he's also a convicted sex offender. On top of that, they're not related.

I was extremely pissed off. Why would someone lie about this? Why lie at all? I would have donated money if I had known they were friends and not related. Why the hell would you lie about that?

As for the sex offender part, I don't have much to say, but I think plenty about it. It's beyond disappointing and I hate that anyone had to find out this way.

The money did go to a man who suffered a serious stroke and was in need of financial help. At least he wasn't a blow up doll, right?

Again, I'm sorry. I trusted someone and was duped. It felt pretty shitty and it will be a while before I take anything online at face value again. If you donated money, Elizabeth should be returning it to you. If you have not heard from her in a month, please leave me a comment and I will send you any contact information I can find on her.

Not Me! Monday

2010-08-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

I did not put up a new post because there were almost 900 comments on the last post.

Nope, not me!

About that dress

2010-08-07T12:50:00.001-07:00

You know what's sad?

MckMama has taken the time to change Lachlan's picture twice now, including once today, but has not had the forethought to change her middle son's, Nuggey, age from 3 to 4.

You know what else is sad?

That Jennifer McKinney's own friends have a hard time explaining her "MckMama" behavior and are becoming frustrated and visiting here more often. Case in point: the bridesmaid dress. I have had a hard time figuring out how to post this without saying "so'n'so told me!!" because the person is an "in real life" friend of MckMama and they're very obviously on the fence. Drawing attention to them or calling them out would not be in MWOP's favor. I think it would discourage others close to her who are frustrated or confused from talking with us in the future too.

So here's what went down, for those who missed it. MckMama was supposed to join a photographer friend at a wedding and stand in as a secondary photographer. She says she didn't make it:

"...(I had (her computer) and my cameras because I was heading out of town to help my friend Carrie with some photography yesterday).

I wasn't going to have to do much; it would have been pretty low key. I had felt good all morning, had slept like Rip Van Winkle the day before, and was eating lots of small bits during the day and drinking lots of water. To make a long (embarrassing) story short, I ended up feeling awful on my way to meet Carrie, throwing up in the car as I drove, pulling over because I felt really dizzy and lightheadted, going inside an eating establishment to find a bite to eat and some more water, and passing out in line as I waited my turn.

That little episode landed me in this out of town hospital where I sit today."

There was then this huge convoluted scenario where MckDaddy didn't know where MckMama was for a whole day. Something about how he assumed she would stay in a hotel because the other photographer did, how he lost his phone, and she didn't have her phone charger or couldn't dial long distance and a whole bunch of other things along those lines. Somewhere along the line of trying to explain this, a reader asked MckMama about the other photographer at the wedding, who MckMama said called her the "minute she was late".

Another reader fussed at MckMama for not taking care of herself.

There was a lot of confusion on everyone's part on why, if she was so close to home, no one was able to let MckDaddy know where she was, and that she was in the hospital alone. Since this happened at the beginning of July, eventually the controversy around the situation died down and people stopped talking about it.

Until MckMama posted this last week:

A picture post teaser with closed comments. Closed comments? Why on earth would she close comments? She has never closed comments. What was behind that little teaser?

A picture of a woman with a tattoo in a fancy dress:

A dress that just so happens to match the style of a dress in the wedding her friend photographed on July 10 (thanks, JJ):

A reader asked her about the dress (apparently the only reader to ask) and MckMama became defensive:

jenak says:
"Yeah, I was thinking prom or wedding then I was like I highly doubt that’s a prom girl with a tattoo like that (which is gorgeous!) so I vote wedding since it’s the season for them. When do you have the time to shoot weddings with being in the hossy so much and being such a great mommy to your MSC? Can’t wait to hear the story behind the tattoo Jen! <3"

mckmama77 says:
"You know what’s fascinating? I was just looking over all of the comments you have ever left on my blog (you use a different name whenever you comment for giveaways, which is interesting in and of itself), and I noticed that in December of 2009 you complained about the ads on my blog and said you were never coming back:) What made you change your mind?"

Oddly enough, when MckMama's picture was run through an exif viewer website (thanks, Jennifur), the date is July 10.

Yes, the picture of the dressed up woman in the purple dress was taken on July 10, the very day MckMama was supposed to help out at a wedding, but never made it. Top that with an "in real life" friend of MckMama's saying she did INDEED make it to the wedding, but left abruptly, and you have yet another real-life versus web-life story.

What I don't understand is why on Earth was this something to lie about?

Thank you to everyone who brought this to MWOP's attention, and I ask that you please leave the photographer related to this story alone. She has a viable business and we don't need to bleed over onto her sites or have her name show up in search engines related to this one. I would appreciate it, thanks.

Another post

2010-08-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

Comments have bogged the last post down, so we need a new post. I'm trying to be mellow while she's in the hospital because her son deserves the attention, but I do still owe you guys a post on the bridesmaid dress. I'll put that up after she's out of the hospital and the new "babe" is home.

However, if something incredibly underhanded happens between now and then, I will post about it. If anyone would like a guest post, I would love the different point of views.

Click, click, click....

2010-08-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

Again. It took Jennifer almost eight hours from her first twitter to post a picture of the baby. It took four before she would reveal his name. She had people refreshing so much they crashed her server not once, but twice last night. Let's recap the timeline, shall we?

First tweet:

HE'S HERE! 1:04 pm, 6lb14oz, breathing well! We're still calling friends and fam. Will share photos and his name after we've done that! #fb
about 14 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone

Obviously she has her iPhone. They're calling family, and they don't want to reveal the name or pictures yet. Fair enough. I think we can all respect that.

I am in love, you guys. Just so, so, SO in love!!! Smitten. Totally. I am bursting with love for our new baby. I love him!!! #fb
about 11 hours ago via web

She's on her computer, but no posts, pictures or updates. Three hours down. Getting a little questionable, but okay.

What? You're dying to know our baby's name? You needn't to wait ANY longer! (removed link) #fb
about 10 hours ago via web

Four hours later, she puts up his name in a blog post with a Twitter teaser. Still no pictures.

Kidney pain now eclipsed by Cesarean section pain. It's all relative, huh? :) #fb
about 8 hours ago via web

Still on the computer. And still no pictures. It's pretty obvious at this point she's going to drag this out for every click and dime she can.

Just posted MckFlurry's first photos EVER to my blog!!!! He's still snoozing away and doing great!!!! #fb
about 7 hours ago via web

Finally, almost eight hours after her first tweet, she puts up pictures on her blog, again with a Twitter teaser. Mind you, she and her husband have iPhones, but never once do they put up a single picture on Twitter. Why? Because you don't make money off of Twitter. She milked her newest child's birth for almost eight hours, getting clicks to her blog and making money. Is it wrong to make money off your blog? No, not by a long shot. Is it wrong to pimp out your newborn and drag out his birth announcement to make money? Maybe not wrong, but it is pretty disgusting.

Jennifer McKinney is nothing more than a shrewd businesswoman, and she has confirmed that there is nothing off limits. Let's not forget her own BlogHer profile:

"Turn Your Visitors into Regular Readers - with MckMama
Chances are, most people who visit your blog will never return. It's hard to snag those visitors and turn them into active readers - someone who returns day after day and contributes to your blog community.

MckMama is a master at drawing her visitors into her blog. She turned thousands of passerby's who were concerned for her sweet son into a legion of active readers. Her blog, My Charming Kids, was voted the #1 Mom Blog of 2008 by Momdot.com. MckMama will teach us:

How to interact with your readers
How to draw a visitors attention
How to listen to your readers
Please vote for this room- we can't have a conference full of Mom bloggers without hearing from MckMama!"

Almost eight hours, two blog posts and five twitters before she finally posted a picture of her child. All to keep readers coming back......for money.

Baby is here.

2010-08-02T15:02:00.001-07:00

Almost 7lbs at over 5 weeks early. No other details yet.

**New details**

Including some medical problems with Lachlan:

Lachlan was retracting a little shortly after birth, so he is sleeping in the Level II Nursery tonight. He is not allowed to nurse until the retracting stops. Our babe is getting fluids in an iv in his head and I’m pumping and storing up liquid gold for him already.

Stats

2010-08-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

A quick update: Today is MckMama's second son's birthday. "Nuggey" is four. She started planning his birthday party on Wednesday, complete with a "big surprise". She has missed the last two birthdays of his, due to being in the hospital with Stellan.

Sadly enough for "Nuggey", his mom will miss it a third time, as she is in the hospital again this year with kidney stone pain, and now she may be delivering her fifth child five weeks early on his birthday as well. Hopefully that's what he wanted, because otherwise it can suck to share your birthday with a younger sibling.

On another note, there has been a lot of talk about hits and keywords and searches. Many who comment here believe MckMama creates drama and trending keyword posts to up her stats. Many also think she also plans well-placed giveaways and controversial posts in a cyclical fashion. With this being as "big" a week as MckMama is likely to have (giving birth to her "last" child) this year, I thought you might like to see the stats for the last two weeks:

Last week:

The blue line is MckMama's site. The red one? MWOP, baby. We have had the same traffic numbers as MckMama a handful of times now.

This week (with several giveaways, a hospitalization and now the anticipated birth of another child):

Yep, not as close. Anyone want to wager a guess at what her traffic will do when she has finally delivered Oops #5, and any drama around his birth has subsided?

A new post

2010-07-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

We need a new post. Comments are bogging down the last one.

There has been some interesting talk about MckMama's tattoo picture. I'm going to put something up about it later this weekend (not pulling a MckMama and trying to drag out clicks - I just need to look through everything and laundry and washing the dog need to come first this sunny Saturday!).

Oh, also, I banned Robertsontami last night after having to drudge through all the "haters, losers, idiots, ignorant dummies" comments he/she left. Grand total of banned is now 8.

More chicken

2010-07-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

MckMama has posted more about chicken. It was funny to her, and some of her readers. Her comments are way up - over 200 for the post. But before you get too excited for her, almost 50 are by MckMama herself.

I wonder if BlogHer keeps record of a blogger's IP address. Do a blogger's page views count when they're figuring out page views and writing checks?

Some Words

2010-07-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

breasts
turned on
penis
bowel movement
underwear
sexy
pelvic
breast
intimate

In other words, MckMama has a new post up on her mommy blog.

Also, I would like to throw out there that considering MckMama wrote mere days ago about tolerance and understanding (of a hostile racist, neither of which are medical conditions beyond his control), the below quote must be a joke:

(you might be the mother of MSC if)…you sound like you have Tourette’s when you talk on the phone. “So, Sarah, do you and the kids want to meet up for–GET DOWN FROM THE FENCE RIGHT NOW–do you guys want to meet us at McDonald’s for–NO, YOU CAN’T!–for lunch at 11:30 as soon as we–DO NOT PUSH YOUR BROTHER DOWN ON THE TILE, OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER-get finished up here?” (by Rachel E.)

Talking to Strangers

2010-07-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

There's a new post up, "talking with strangers". MckMama says she stopped on the way home from "a road trip, motivated by wanting to help after the devastating floods in our state", one where she had her 4 1/2 children with her.

After seeing some of the messages on the sides of the buildings, did anyone else feel it was unreasonably dangerous or irresponsible to stop and talk with the person writing these messages with their children in tow?

Guesstimate

2010-07-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Once again, we need a new post. There have been a few requests for a timeline. I'll see if I can get that put together over the weekend. In the meantime, let's take a break and do something completely mindless.

Let's guess the newest MckMama baby's birth day and size. Time is not really applicable since she's having a c-section.

Not really in line with what the site is set up to be, but since she won't tell anyone when she's actually due, this will probably range by a lot.

Winner gets Internet-generated cannolis and wine. And should probably buy a lottery ticket soon after.

Focus on the Family

2010-07-19T16:34:00.001-07:00

I didn't post this immediately, but I have recently had a lot of requests to post the letter readers received from FOF in a post. There have also been several comments and questions recently about FOF and their relationship with MckMama.

My reason for waiting was pretty simple. MckMama said she had a project coming up with FOF and I wanted to see what she interpreted a "project" with FOF to be when their take was so different from what she was saying.

The reality is FOF severed ties with MckMama. I received several emails and comments from readers who contacted FOF and they were all very similar. Here's one from April 28:

Thank you for contacting Focus on the Family. We value the time you’ve taken to let us know of your reservations about the blogger known as “MckMama” (Jennifer McKinney). We realize that your comments are born of your loving concern for our ministry, and you can be sure that we accept your feedback in the spirit in which it was offered.

In response to your remarks, we’d like to let you know that the information we’ve received from you and others has led us to reconsider future involvement with Mrs. McKinney. We should also clarify that her participation on our recent webcasts took place before we became aware of issues and statements inconsistent with Focus on the Family’s values. Now that we have been alerted to this information, however, we can assure you that we have no plans to feature Mrs. McKinney moving forward. At the same time, as a ministry dedicated to promoting thriving families, we will continue to come alongside the McKinneys to offer our encouragement and help.

Thank you again for writing. We hope this response has set your mind at ease, and we invite you to get in touch again if there’s some other way our staff can serve you and your loved ones. Meanwhile, may the Lord’s joy and peace be yours in abundance!

Kathryn (removed last name)
Focus on the Family

According to MckMama, however, there were still plans to work together:

Marie says:
May 12, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Are you going to be doing another “Focus on the Family” podcast any time soon? Loved the last one!

Reply
mckmama77 says:
May 12, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Yep! I was just talking with them the other day. Am actually involved in another project of theirs, too, that I’ll be sharing about on my blog soon! So thankful for Focus on the Family.

Unless I missed it, she has not mentioned FOF since May 12. Likewise, they haven't mentioned her since April.

Friday Night Post

2010-07-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

You guys....you're killing me here. I don't have anything new to post, but we need a new post for comments.

Hello to all our new followers. We have picked up 33 new followers and SO many new commenters this week.

*Edited to add*
Here's a few stats for you this Friday night:

TOTAL VISITS: 760,744
TOTAL PAGE VIEWS: 1,769,839
Google Readers: 542
Followers: ~~233~~ 234

A Poll

2010-07-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

MckMama's surgery/procedure/intervention went well, according to her Twitter. They "had to intubate" her but she didn't aspirate. Whew there.

I put up a poll this morning, based on a request from EmAnon; should MWOP take a break when the baby is born? There have been some yeses and some no's. Good thoughts on both side of the coin. Since we have no idea how much time we really have until the baby gets here, let's see what the majority thinks now. If things change and the drama is overwhelming, we can always reassess.

Another hospital day

2010-07-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

MckMama did not have her procedure/surgery/intervention done today, on her birthday, but is set to have it done tomorrow.

May her doctor's hands be swift, knowledgeable and drama-free.

Please continue with your stories on when you realized MckMama wasn't all she claimed she was. It's been nice meeting all our new commenters!

When Did You Know?

2010-07-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have once again hit our comment cap in the lesser browsers. The browser powerhouses (Firefox, Safari, and Chrome) seem to be going well with lots of comments, though, if you're dying to keep up with everything being said.

Anyhow, for our new post we have a request: when did you know there was something off about MckMama? How often did you read before then, and did you do anything special for Stellan or the family?

This would be a great way to introduce the regulars to new readers, too.

Hospital, part two

2010-07-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

Once again, I hope MckMama feels better soon. Other than that, not much else to say that hasn't already been said! Hello to everyone - you're making it nearly impossible to stay caught up!

Happy almost Friday

2010-07-08T17:55:00.001-07:00

Here's a new post for comments. To catch everyone up, MckMama reports she is in the hospital with kidney stones and has gestational diabetes.

I hope she feels better soon. Pain sucks, especially when you're pregnant.

Illegal giveaway

2010-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

From a reader, Tina:

MckMama is currently hosting a giveaway on her blog and she is breaking the Blogher Rules once again....

Lets all send emails to Blogher asking WHY Mckmama gets to not follow the rules. Numbers are power....

The current giveaway is 15 hairbows and if you go to the sellers site the cost is $5 per bow....therefore MckMama is violating the rules once again....

If you would like to join in the email complaint the email address is Jenifer@blogher.com

Make sure you post a link to her current blog post and state that you know Angie Smith and Kelly Stamps follow the rules...why is it Mckmama doesn't have to? Also state you know she is violating the rules with an item for giveaway valued over $40.....15 hairbows @$5 = $75.....

I Played The Fool

2010-07-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Welp, that sums up that, huh? Here's MckMama's "Not Me Monday" twitter:

I did NOT just possibly invite drama by what I posted to my blog this morning: (url removed). I'd NEVER do that. Not me!

And here's the bulk of her post, because I feel like an ass for caring for the last four days:

In our home, we have a rule that the main level is not the place for loud voices, toys strewn about or roughhousing. The rule is hard and fast and I never, ever make exceptions. I certainly did not make one yesterday before we left for our Fourth of July festivities by allowing Nuggey to jump off the arm of our couch.

Repeatedly. Nope. Not me!

We avoid potentially unsafe behavior of all types in our family, choosing always to be “better safe than sorry.”

This includes allowing our boys to rough and tumble and jump the way they want. I don’t stand for that, especially in our living room.

Not me!

And even if for some unknown reason, I did allow our children to explore their world and their bodies in such unsafe ways, I certainly wouldn’t risk getting the Worst Mother of the Year award by photographing the escapades and posting said photograph to my public blog! Not me.

Nope. I learned my lesson after posting these picnic table jumping photographs and I’ll never again stick my neck out there to be criticized in the comments of my own blog by other mothers who think they know better how to raise my children. Not me! I just can’t handle that kind of criticism.

Nope. I never post dramatic things to my blog partly for interest’s sake, either, nor would I link back to previous blog drama like the one above or the infamous wet trampoline pictures. I am a meek, mild and timid person who would never do such a thing. And our children, in their own ways, are clearly following in my footsteps. Those meek, mild, timid things.

Even if my husband and I did sometimes allow our living room to be converted some nights into a WWF arena or some days into a track and field stadium, complete with the long jump and high jump, we certainly wouldn’t make any excuses for that kind of reckless behavior on our part.

Nope.

We’d never actually believe that part of the reason we haven’t had any serious injuries or broken bones (yet!) in our family is that we do allow our boys to explore their physical capabilities to their comfort level. Nope. We certainly don’t think that by letting kids be kids, they actually learn to nail safe landings, catch themselves when they fall and keep their own bodies relatively safe. Not us!

No risk of broken bone, skinned knee or wounded pride is enough for us to take the chance. I love my children too much to let them sometimes jump off couches under my supervision. I’d never let them do that.

After all, if I let Nuggey do it, I just might be setting his little brother up to follow in his footsteps.

And I’m most definitely not ready for another generation of crazy boy jumpers in my house.

Not me!!!

Here's my Not Me! Monday:

Jennifer, you're an idiot. The picture of your three-year-old jumping over his one-year-old brother's head?

Just proves that you don't give a flying eff about anyone but you. I pray you have saved the money you have been making off of your circus life to date and you will be able to continue to pay for your house so your children can continue to have a home. Obviously, your husband isn't going to be able to pay for your half a million dollar home, since he's a door-to-door contractor (read: "Ma'am, have you considered vinyl siding? Let me give you my card...") and not running off of referral business. You're in a contract-for-deed house, and you have NO options when (not if) you miss payments on this house, save mommy and daddy.

You have created your own hell, and you know what? While your smart-ass post may have given you readers today, it will be interesting to see who you LOSE over your holier-than-thou, screw all the caring readers who are not naysayers who commented on your children's safety in the past, bashfest.

As for "haven't had injuries", remind me again, wasn't it your family who has been to the emergency room twice this year for child-related injuries, or was that some other consistent liar with four and a half kids, four cars, two foreclosures, a husband with two Domestic Violence charges, and a dropping readership?

Your fifteen minutes are almost up. I predict you lose more than half of your remaining readership when you pop out "Oops #5", so you have until then to get it right. Turn your shipwreck around and become a real, respectable, honorable mommy blogger, or you're going to be in a hole which even your Jesus card won't be able to dig you out of.

To your caring friend who sought to help you out this week, here's my official answer: Sorry. She brings it on herself.

You have almost five children already, six when your husband plays the roll; you don't need another. Grow up.

Not that I would ever write that on my even-keeled, polite, non-bashing blog. Nope. Not Me.

"Moms like me"

2010-07-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Comments are dangerously close to crashing again, so we need a new post. I thought it would be wonderful to share a few things commenters wrote this week that spoke to me (and others, based on the likes!). So here's the first, from September29:

Another reason I think the blog should stay open: Moms like me. I'm a work-at-home-mom - doing my best to take care of my kids and make a living at the same time. I was turned onto Jennifer's blog through Kayleigh Freeman's blog during one of Stellan's hospitalizations and it caught my attention. However, as I read through her older posts, and when he got out of the hospital and she returned to normal blogging subjects, I started to feel soooo inferior. First of all, the perfect diet they eat. There was a picture on her sidebar of this slender mom with her beautiful babies and all her posts were about this food they eat that I could not force myself or my family to eat. I struggle with my weight, and I do my best as far as getting my kids to eat healthy and she made me feel like I was failing because I wasn't doing it nearly as perfectly as she was! Then there was the amount of stuff she was able to get done while caring for so many young children (and one of them ill). The house always perfect, and them running from one fun activity to another. How? What was I doing wrong? My house is a wreck, the laundry is piled up and if I try to take them anywhere it just gets WORSE. And of course her awesome parenting techniques. So calm, so patient, she always knew what to do. I am a failure!!

Then - I saw one of those news videos of her. She appeared every bit as overweight as me! What?? Her weight is NOT relevant, and I would never criticize her weight because I too am overweight - BUT her hiding behind photoshop - not cool. And then I started thinking, how can she even be so overweight shen she lives on "woodland creature food?" Again, I only bring this up because it speaks to what she does to Moms like me.

Then there was that naysayers post, which sent me searching because something had started to seem a little off to me and I wasn't sure what exactly. I found OHIH, where I was mostly a lurker. But boy did I have my eyes opened! She wasn't better than me - she had help! She was LYING about so much, and making regular moms like me feel inferior. Making herself look like she could do sooooo much when really she had help. All those posts about their perfect food when clearly she is eating a normal diet just like me. And later having readers here point out those old posts about the spankings. So her parenting wasn't something that I aspired to anymore either.

And of course there is the issue of God healing Stellan because he was so loved - more loved than other babies. Thankfully this issue doesn't apply to me personally, but it does to so many others and I feel for them. This gives moms like them (and me) a place where they can see that its not US, its HER.

One more thing - the financial irresponsibility - thats a big one for me. I am SO glad I found out about that because I cannot go around idolizing someone who does things like that.

Oh, I thought of something else. The DV - that in itself is a private issue of course, but when she gives marital advice and tells wives to "submit" to their husbands, this is scary and dangerous, and once again this blog is a place for real women to see the truth so they don't follow that scary advice.

Good morning

2010-07-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

Most people noticed I left comments off and didn't blog yesterday. It was for two reasons. There was a blogging day of silence in honor of a family whose little boy died of heart problems yesterday. I went back and forth about posting it here, but I didn't want anyone in the family concerned their child or blog was associated with a "hate site". Not everyone approves of MWOP, you know.

The second was because I had an email from someone close to MckMama letting me know how badly this site is affecting her. I won't go into more details because they asked me not to, but I admit, I'm a softy and their words did get to me. They begged me to take the site down for her health and well-being. I don't think that's the answer, but as the comments and readership have been growing, I worry this site will turn into a nitpicking "Mean Girls" place, rather than one that focuses on the bigger lies she tells to spin things for money. But on the other hand, I completely understand that what's "big" to one person is small potatoes to another, so where is that line?

There were a few requests for new posts, for example. There's a MckMama user account under the name Dana, and it's definitely questionable, but I wonder how far to take it? I mean, Dana exists, according to people (and myself) looking up her Twitter account name, and she has real relatives that exist, so what do I do to find out if it was MckMama pretending to be someone else, or if someone copied her information? And since it was only one comment many months ago, does it really matter that much?

There was also a video where MckMama spent all her time on her iPhone. I felt sad after watching it - she is missing out on time with her children that she'll never get back. But on the other hand, she was at a dirt bike track. How many minutes would I last, or you, before we would be looking for something, anything, else to do?

Then there was the "oil" pictures. I know how I personally feel about them, but since they have been hashed through in the comments, do I need to put up another post because readers think the pictures are in bad taste or because she did it to start a debate? Personally, I think she is uneducated about what is going on in the Gulf, and that it was obvious in her post and comments. I seriously doubt if the same traumatic events were taking place on her "beach" that she would have felt the same about those pictures, or had so little to say about the spill itself.

On top of everything else, I want to keep the posts on this site as fact-based and true as possible. I don't want to put up the things we find without looking into it and knowing for sure there are lies or manipulation behind them. I also don't know how I feel about putting up comments posts just for the sake of comments. I tried that a few months ago and it did not go well. Maybe things would be different now?

Most of all, while I do laugh hard at some of the comments on here and see the small friendships and like getting to know the regulars, I appreciate all those who try to keep this site on topic. We do everyone's "investigative" hard work a disservice when we veer off track too much, and when that's what new readers see.

I don't know. I'm thinking about these things. When is it nitpicking or being mean? How do we give her a chance to be a better person when there are so many of us here who think so little of her already? Can she change, or will this blog still be around calling her out two years from now because something in her personality tells her that it's only the Internet, and she can lie and manipulate for money without regrets?

Those are my thoughts this week. If you have suggestions, I would absolutely love to hear them.

Introducing MckDaddy (again)

2010-06-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

We needed a new post, and MckDaddy delivered. Enjoy his first post on his "new blog", which is actually just a folder on MckMama's site with its own look and feel. He chose to write a satirical political post, and links in this post are ad-free, so click away.

I have no commentary; to be honest, none is necessary. As Mark Twain said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

In the Beginning....

2010-06-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

We need another new post! You guys are keeping me hopping this week. Luckily, one MWOP reader has written a post for me. Thank you, Shock and Awe for this "Intro to MckMama" post, based on posts from 2007. I didn't make the links live to keep clicks down, so if you want to read the accompanying post, please copy and paste it.

March 1, 2007 – MckMama quits her full-time elementary school art teacher job.
“Today, I officially resigned from my 9 to 5 job. What? You didn’t know I had a 9 to 5 job? You thought I had a 24-hour a day job rearing children? Well, I do. Which is why today I officially resigned from my 9 to 5 job.”

The entire post can be found here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/03/i-quit-um-in-a-good-way/

March 14, 2007 – MckMama and PC decide to put their house on the market and make an offer on the lake house.
“Well, as of tomorrow morning, our home will be on the market! Per my friend Jennisa’s request, I have posted some photos of the house we are most seriously looking at. Busy, exciting times lay ahead, no doubt!”

Here is the actual blog post: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/03/movin-on-hopefully/

March 19, 2007 – MckMama announces that the offer they put in on the lake house was accepted.
“They countered at a little more than what we offered; they probably would’ve taken our initial offer, but we also asked to close June 15, so to wait that long, they wanted a little compensation. We were perfectly happy to give them what they countered and Prince Charming is beside himself with anticipation: “I just want to move in right now!” he says.”

Here’s the full blog post: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/03/and-the-verdict-is/

April 21 & May 15, 2007 – Mckmama mentions several times her cleaning lady, Merly, who just also happens to be the “sometimes caretaker” of her kids.
“Merly (rhymes with Mary)is the wonderful lady who cleans out home and periodically helps e out with the boys. They absolutely adore her.”

Full post here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/05/who/

“…I have an absolutely righteous case of the stomach flu. Thank YOU to Molly (my friend and neighbor) and Merly (my cleaning lady and, as of late, helper with my children). I certainly wouldn’t have survived today without you watching my children for me as I, well, did the stomach flu thing.”

full post here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/04/i-didnt-blog-today-because/

June 11, 2007 – MckMama mentions on her blog that she is busy interviewing girls for the nanny position she has available.
“And, as if that weren’t enough, next week I: am interviewing 9 different girls for our nanny position.”

Read the entire post here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/06/hold-on-to-yer-hats/

June 15, 2007 – MckMama and PC move into the lake house even though their other house has not sold.
“We’re closing on our new house today…AND moving! The movers are here and we’re about to head out. Wish us “luck”!!!”

Here’s the actual link: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/06/moving-day/

July 5, 2007 – MckMama mentions PC bought a boat (what’s the use in living on a lake without a boat, right?).
“A few highlights were: Taking the canoe (borrowed from some friends…Prince Charming’s “new” boat is already in “the shop” before she’s even had her maiden voyage on our lake!!!) out with the boys.”

The entire post is here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/07/our-fourth-of-july/

August 20, 2007 – MckMama’s obsession with MSC begins shining through.
“Although we’re certainly not the Duggars, I am becoming more and more aware with each passing day that we really do have MSC* and we have had them very close together. (*Many Small Children). I am increasingly become a spectacle, if you will, when I go out in public (especially as the lone adult) with my MSC.”

Reading the entire post is actually worth the click: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/08/im-just-fine/

August 28, 2007 – MckMama hires a nanny named Karissa.
“For the past couple weeks, a great girl named Karissa has been coming over once or twice a week to give me a hand with the boys or a hand with housework. The plan is for us all to get used to each other so she can give me an even bigger hand when our new baby arrives.”

The entire post is here: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/08/meet-karissa/

September 4, 2007 – MckMama’s sister, Hilary, moves her family (husband and son) from Illinois to Minnesota to occupy (and pay rent on) Mck’s former house, essentially saving the day.
“Although I have no photographic evidence to prove it, my sister Hilary, her husband Rich and their son Isaac moved out of their third floor apartment in Illinois this weekend, trekked across Wisconsin and arrived at our “old house”. All the boxes are inside. Our old neighbors are now their new neighbors. They are well on their way to becoming Minnesotans and we couldn’t be happier!”

Full post: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/09/movin-on-up/

October 9, 2007 – MckMama brags about and (posts a photo of herself) getting on one of their jetskis in a wetsuit and zooming around the lake while 9 months pregnant with Small Fry.
“Of course, this post would simply not be complete without posting a cell phone photograph of me tooling around on Lake Superior on our recent trip Up North (Notice I was bootless and the Lake is COLD. I did not last long on the Lake. Um, also I’m 9 months pregnant the the sight of me even sitting on a Jet Ski would probably give my midwife a seizure. So, I hope she’s not “lurking”!!)”

Oh, yeah, this is a good clicker, too: http://mycharmingkids.net/2007/10/the-last-time-i-post-about-jet-skiing-well-maybe/

Where have I read that before....

2010-06-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, I know! On Snopes!

Snopes version of swallowed contact lenses.

MckMama's version:

I also didn’t forget my contact lens case when we went out of town for a homeschool convention this weekend, either. Not me! I didn’t use hotel glasses to store my lenses in, telling my husband not to drink out of said glasses that I covered and set by the television. Not me! And it wasn’t me who was aggravated in the morning to find only one glass on the table. Nope. I didn’t roll my eyes and just have to laugh when my husband admitted that he forgot my contact was in there when he needed to use the cup at 3 am! Not me! I’d never giggle at the possible thought of my husband swallowing my contact lens.

And here's a second one on getting into the wrong car.

Just some humor and a new post for comments, since the last post was bogged down. Thanks WTF for the links.

Red Houses

2010-06-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

MckMama visited the site of the first red house she and MckDaddy were set to buy last fall. She posted her experience on Friday, the day following when her fellow Minnesotans lost many homes and lives to almost 60 tornadoes in one day.

She didn't relate herself to or even mention her state neighbors who lost lives and homes, but she also didn't show any compassion, once again, for the plight of those much worse off than she is.

There are several glossed over points in her story. The one that bothers me most is how she tries to describe her marriage as troubled after Stellan's diagnosis.

I became pregnant with Stellan and had been told he’d not make it to be born alive. Financial stress was crippling us as the bottom dropped out of the economy. My husband basically had to quit working while he stayed home with our children as I was hospitalized on the high risk antenatal floor of a big downtown hospital for weeks on end. And even when I did get out, unborn Stellan’s condition finally having stabilized, things did not get better. Instead they got, you guessed it, worse. My husband and I self inflicted terrible pain on our already weakened marriage. Our relationship crumbled apart and we spent time separated. Verbal and emotional abuse that both of us heaped upon the other finally ended with police and court involvement. We decided against divorce, in favor of intense marriage therapy, which we were involved in weekly for about a year and a half. Our marriage, hanging on by a thread, threatened to self destruct, to flatten under the weight of our unborn son’s unknown prognosis, the stress of other children to raise and care for, financial obligations that quickly piled up out of control and a relationship that had had its communication problems from the get-go.

Wrong. MckDaddy was arrested the first time for Domestic Violence before they found out there was anything wrong with Stellan. Long before MckDaddy had to "basically quit working" to stay home with the children. In fact, he was not allowed at the 20 week appointment where Stellan was diagnosed because of his arrest days earlier.

Putting the blame of all their problems on Stellan's condition is wrong. Their problems existed before Stellan became their miracle child, back when MckDaddy was a contractor and MckMama was a stay-at-home mom with two houses, an Escalade, a nanny, and a blog with only 3-6 comments per post.

Even financially, as we laboriously put the pieces back together one by one, working hard to get out of the deep hole we’d allowed ourselves to fall into, we were getting back on our feet. Unfortunately, it was too late for some of our things. Being unable or unwilling to be good stewards of some of our possessions that, of course, are actually God’s, we got them taken away. A car repossessed, our rental house foreclosed on and then the home that we were living in sent back to the bank because we were so far behind with our payments.

Let's talk about this paragraph, shall we? "Unable or unwilling"...In February of 2009, MckMama and family had had one home foreclosed on, a second up for auction, and her Escalade reposessed. While this is something many could relate to in this economy, she didn't tell her readers this was what was going on. They both lied. They "sold" the Escalade, and "put their lake house up for sale". They talked about large purchases like expensive strollers and matching designer clothes for their children, regular "date nights" that many now think were actually court-mandated marriage counseling sessions, $100+ baby slings, cruises, multiple day trips weekly, and eating organically. They didn't live like a family about to lose everything, and by March 2009, they weren't.

MckMama started monetizing her blog, making it worth tens of thousands of dollars a month at its peak while Stellan was sick. So unable (but lying about it) turned into unwilling. They added to the economic woes of their neighbors by allowing their second house in six months to go into foreclosure, and started looking at houses that cost a half a million dollars.

Which leads us to the first "red house." A contract for deed $465,000 home with 3% down, the house was MckMama's "dream home."

The $13,950 they would put down on the "dream home" was money they "saved" for their lake house, but decided to use on "moving forward" instead:

Since we could not pay the full price of the entire loan to keep it at this point, we chose to put the money we had saved for the home into our next one, and move out so we could try to sell it in order to pay the bank back for our debt before the home officially foreclosed. We had six months to do it, so we thought it was best to get out and put it on the market as soon as we could. Sad as we were to leave, we knew the chips had fallen. There was nothing we could do but move forward at this point, and to try to sell the home and not leave the bank shortchanged.

The lake house foreclosed in January anyway, despite their attempts to not "shortchange the bank". Then the "dream home" "burned down."

“It was struck by lightning. The realtor just found out. He was calling to tell us that it burned down.”

Oddly enough, the realtor must have known something police did not. The day after the house burned down, an investigation was pending and no source was known.

And the "burned down" house? Well, it was technically still standing, with damage to only one side:

That was August 25th. By August 31, they had found a new red "dream home", originally listed for $699,000 in a subdivision outside of a small town, though she only shows pictures of a farm across the street and not of her subdivision neighbors. What they actually paid is unknown but thought to be almost $500,000.

But before they found the new house, she was stressed. They were packed, but despite what she writes, there was really no pressure to move, since the lake house was theirs until January 2010.

And over the course of the next few minutes, my mind calmed down and suddenly, as I was standing out front, leaning against our trampoline, under the fir trees in the front yard of a house we were having taken away from us, it hit me.

How quickly she blames everyone else. She was having her house taken away. A house she didn't have to move out of for another five months, when it officially foreclosed, a house she could make payments on, but chose not to because she was "unwilling" to.

We learned later, after the remains of what was left of the home were studied, that it had been an electrical fire that had started in the upper middle bedroom, after the lightning struck there. In the room that was to have been Stellan’s nursery. A handful of times, I’ve imagined the horrible scene of a house fire with our family in a brand new home. We would be disoriented, not familiar with the layout, it could have been catastrophic.

Lest we forget she didn't set up Stellan's nursery or move Stellan out of her master bedroom closet in the second red house until March 17, seven months after the fire. Maybe life would have been different from one red dream home to the next - or maybe she was playing on the emotions of those who love her miracle son.

She ends by telling readers how she praises God, he forgives her and gives her second chances. Though stressed, her red houses story is a web of self-inflicted financial drama and "almosts"...she almost lost a child, she almost lost her house, she almost chose divorce. Oh, the drama and the hardships, and the joys of being blessed.

If only those who do lose children and who did lose their homes to the nearly 60 tornadoes could be so blessed and experience only self-inflicted drama and almosts.

Hopefully, through all the blessings she has received, she is remembering the stress she has put on her neighbors through her irresponsible decisions, and giving more than a little volunteer time to her neighbors who lost everything, lives and homes, this week and are now in need of their own dream "homes to make a new start in."

Where did the truck go?

2010-06-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

From a commenter, Jennifur:

Ok internet sleuths, I have been googling like crazy and can still find no mention of the press release she claims was made public about the Feed the Children truck:

LAFAYETTE, Tenn. (May 26, 2010) – On Thursday, June 3rd at 9 a.m., international hunger relief organization Feed The Children will distribute a semi tractor-trailer full of food and personal care items at the Bethel Family Worship Center. The distribution was made possible by the readers of Mckmama.com.

Bethel Family Worship Center is a partner agency of Feed The Children and has pre-identified the 400 recipient families. The boxes are designed to help a family of four for up to one week.

This distribution is one of 18 semi tractor-trailers full of food and disaster relief items sent for disaster and food relief to aid the flood victims in Central Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky where rain has caused flash floods and widespread damage to structures and homes in the area.

“Many people are experiencing difficult times due to the recent flooding,” said Tony Sellars, spokesperson for Feed The Children. “The generous donation from the readers of Mckmama.com will help put food on the table for families that otherwise might have gone without.”

I can find no mention of it being delivered, even on Feed The Children's facebook page http://www.facebook.com/feedthechildren or the church where it was supposed to be delivered to http://www.bethelfamilyworship.com/ .

She claimed when it began that the readers could choose wherever they wanted the truck to go to. The Feed the Children website says:

Truck Sponsorship donations must be received 30 days in advance of the distribution date. During that time period, Feed The Children will choose a qualified nonprofit agency that meets our standards for distribution. This agency must obtain a forklift, a pallet jack, a minimum of 20 volunteers, and the precise location for the truck distribution.

She claims that: "I’m super duper excited to let you know that this iPad giveaway is an official Feed The Children project, with proceeds going to their Truck Sponsorship Program!" but if you look on their website for special projects guidelines, it says: "4. Feed The Children does not approve of door to door, airport terminal, street solicitation, raffles or multi-level marketing projects." Somehow she got past the rules AGAIN.

I'm not doubting that the money was raised, since it went directly to the agency, I'm just wondering why there is no mention of it. There was a delivery at 9am on Thursday June 3, like she says, but it was in Cincinnati. Do you think the money donated went to a truck in Cincinnati and instead of admitting that she couldn't choose the location, she made up the press release and lied and said it was going to Tennessee?

If I'm wrong, somebody please find the proof that this truck went to Tennessee. If I'm right, that's one huge lie.

Math skills

2010-06-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

According to MckDaddy, Jennifer is due September 5:

I am married to MckMama. She calls me her Prince Charming. We have five kids who are aged 5,3,2,1, and September 5th 2010. I've heard that all I have is this ever present moment. Here is my family sharing our moments together.

That's 29 weeks today, 28 weeks, 6 days yesterday when she posted her newest post.

Not 30 and certainly not "30 some weeks" in my opinion.

How do you interpret her writing "30 some weeks pregnant"? Is "30 some weeks" read as 30 weeks and a day? Or is she trying to make people think she is more like 31, 32, or 33 weeks along?

She has indicated she will be having another c-section. From what I have read, c-sections tend to be a week or so before the due date. If that's the case, c-section experts, does that mean you round up and you're now a few weeks ahead, however many weeks according to your c-section, or do you still go by a regular 40 week pregnancy timeline?

Is math different in Minnesota's frozen tundra?

Name That Photo

2010-06-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

You know the drill, or you would if you have read MckMama's blog in the past. Take a look at the photo of little two and a half year old Small Fry's hand and give us a caption.

You may want to refer to a minute (starting around 4:50) of this film first.

Edited to add: I apologize for not getting around to posting on the house today. I read through the information found but I don't want to post the house information and pictures just for the sake of posting them. I am impressed MWOP readers found the information on the burned down house (and so quickly), but I need time to read through the forty-five thousand words (not really) MckMama wrote about the house to decide what lies and half truths were in her post. After all, that's what MWOP is about - the inconsistencies and lies, not exposing every area of her private life.

Right now, I may have been out too late and had too much to eat and drink (heh), so I'm going to go to bed and think about what I have read and I promise I'll have something up tomorrow that will hopefully be complete and not full of grammatical errors!

Dreaming about Obama

2010-06-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

MckMama talks about using our nice words. She says:

If a point is worth making, if you believe it strongly enough to stake your flag in it, there should be no need to trash talk those who disagree. To talk like a bully doesn’t lend credibility to your point. Rather the opposite, in fact.

A great point, and why we should try hard to keep it clean while making our points on MWOP. Trash talk makes it easy for new readers and those on the fence to dismiss the valid points.

Otherwise, it was a standard, long, back-tracking (oh, and political) post.