Who's The Boss? Reviews

Darren Romeo, the "Voice of Magic"

I am a fan of old school anything.  Old skool birthday parties, old skool fountain sodas, old skool lunch boxes.  I wasn't so sure about old school magic.   

I headed up to The Post Street Theatre to see the upcoming magician Darren Romeo - a new Siegfried & Roy production - with my dad and son.  Tip: If you are going to the show with children under 5, be sure to call ahead to get permission to bring them.  The theatre does not allow babies on laps or small children. The traffic was a beast - but I'll save my review of Silicon Valley freeways for another day.

When the show started and Darren Romeo started to sing, I thought that sitting in traffic for two hours was going to be the highlight of the evening.  I thought this was going to be some bad lounge act with magic tricks.  Yet Darius was captivated from the start.  He was thrilled with the old school magic tricks - the floating table, getting sawed in half, pulting a straw up your nose and have it come out of your mouth (yes, Darren Romeo really did that).  As the show grew on, Darren and the show grew on me. 

I even got called onto the stage to assist in one of his telepathy tricks.  I never got if I was on the wrong end of a bad joke or if it there was something magical in the trick.  Needless to say, he picked right.  Darius was thrilled that his mother got to be on the stage.  I was a little mortified.  But Darren's frequent interactions with the audience - he came out to talk between nearly every act - made the show have an intimate, informal feel that was perfect for families.

Bottom line: A great show for families.  But I would pick something else for a date night.

The Vaccine Book

I don’t like to admit that I did zero research on vaccines when my son was born.  It isn’t like me to just take information and not research it on my own.  But when our insurance sent a six-page pamphlet home with us after Darius was born, I barely even read it.  I already believed in vaccines.  Already bought into the notion of vaccinating for the public good.  So Darius was vaccinated on the regular, American Academy of Pediatrics schedule.  No questions asked.

It's hard to admit that I did more research on which play structure to buy than I did on vaccines.  I had assumed that the information out there was all propaganda for the no-vax group – as group that gets the benefit of vaccines since the majority of Americans still vaccinate.  In fact, some states have made it illegal for parents to not vaccinate their children. 

When I heard of Dr. Sear’s The Vaccine Book, I figured it was his solution to be pro-vax in the no-vax movement.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Dr. Sear’s book makes no little judgement on whether or not to vaccinate (although he does has an alternate schedule available to those who do not want to follow the AAP regime). 

Each chapter in the book covers 1 of 12 standard vaccines.  The vaccines are explained in easy to read, “been up all night with a newborn and lost my capacity to comprehend any information” format that anyone can get.  Dr. Spears ends each chapter with "The way I see it" summarizing key factors, yet he does not send a message that parents must do it one way or another. He covers special vaccines for travel and combination vaccines that reduce the number of shots given.

The most fascinating part of the book for me was the chapter for parents who decide to delay or decline vaccinations and one called "What Should I Do Now?" He offers Dr. Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule near the end of the book. Honestly, had I even known that there was an alternate at the time of my son's vaccinations, I would have follwed it.  Getting five shots in one office visit was excessive to me, even if it was for the greater good.

Even though we are done with vaccines until kindergarten, I still felt more informed about them than ever before.  Instead of feeling guilty about blindly vaccinating, I felt empowered to make better decisions moving forward.  If we ever have more children, this book will be re-read again (and again).

Launching Who's the Boss? Reviews

i'm so excited to announce the launch of Who's the Boss? Reviews.  True to form, this site is dedicated to reviews.  I'll write about my experiences with products/books/food/clothes/whatever I want from my working momma perspective. 

It'll be good times. 

If you have a product you want me to review, please contact me at whosthebossblog at gmail dot com.  I won't review every product under the sun.  My rules are as simple as by blogging buddy CityMama.

1. I would use it myself.  Or my kid.  Or my very fun Dad.
2. It makes a parent's life easier. Especially a working mom's life.
3. It's a mom-based business.
4. There's something it in for my readers.

Not everything that I write about here will be from the free stuff I receive.  I also plan on writing about the things that I love, products that are a waste of time and money, and ones that have the potential to be great if product development just got off their ass and made it better.