My 4-Year-Old Daughter Trades Out Her Manual Toothbrush for a Customized Philips Sonicare for Kids Power Toothbrush!

Disclosure: Special thanks to Phillips Sonicare for Kids for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own. 


My 4-year-old daughter actually enjoys taking care of her teeth and is always thrilled to visit the dentist. So you can imagine how excited she was last week, when she traded in her manual toothbrush for the NEW Philips Sonicare for Kids power toothbrush! 

#makesmesmilemondays Flashback to Oscar Night, Live from My London Flat, March 2001

The one and only time I've ever cried - continuously - while watching the Oscars - was in London. March, 2001. I was so very heavily pregnant and so very hormonal. My son would be born on March 27, 2001.

For whatever reason, I was 100x more hormonal during my pregnancy with my son than with my daughter. By the last month of pregnancy, my emotions were magnified to the 100th degree - both the good and the bad. I was obsessed with cleaning to the point I'd become a tad OCD. My food cravings were totally out of control. I can't even tell you how many times my son's father trekked out late at night to pick me up my craving faves - Ritz crackers and Haagen Daaz Dark Chocolate Chip ice cream. I was so huge, that I could no longer even button my maternity pants.

And so naturally during the 2001 Oscars, I was sitting on the sofa, massively pregnant, in one of my husband's tshirts, eating  Haagen Daaz Dark Chocolate Chip ice cream directly out of the container with a spoon, and bawling every time a joyful or sad Oscar acceptance speech was made.

I haven't cried while watching the Oscars since 2001, but Jared Leto's acceptance speech last night did make me a little teary-eyed. Congrats, Mr. Leto, and congrats to your mom, too!

#MakesMeSmileMondays Our Little Family Town in Reggio Emilia (Northern Italy) and a Surprise Countess in the Family Line

In the past few weeks I have been reconnecting with our extended family in Italy. 

First, the backstory: My great-grandfather, Domenico Bizzarri, left Italy in the 1920's. He traveled to Chicago, hoping to make some money, and planned on returning to his home town as soon as possible. He refused to become a naturalized U.S. citizen, never planning to live in the U.S. permanently. After he secured a home and a job in Chicago, he sent for his wife, my great-grandmother, Clotilde. 

Clotilde and Domenico already had two kids: Matlilde and Maria. Clotilde gave birth to her third child, Antonietta, ON THE SHIP to America. 

Every time I feel I'm in a difficult situation I remind myself my Great Grandma gave birth on a ship with two kids under the age of five by her side - it could always be worse and I've got strong-woman genes in me!  

To make matters worse, soon after she arrived in Chicago, Domenico died, leaving Clotilde pregnant (with my Grandpa) and alone in city where she knew no one. At this time, Chicago was mainly settled by a southern Italian population, so Clotilde likely didn't even have a community to support her - Sicilians and Calabresi are worlds apart from Northern Italians like my family - they likely all spoke in dialect and really didn't even share a common language. I have several very sad letters that Clotilde received from her family in Italy - she was never able to make it back to her hometown, never saw her family again. Clotilde raised her four children in Chicago as a single mom, at a time when being a working, single mom was even more difficult and challenging than it is today. Clotilde and Domenico were the only ones in their family to make the risky journey to the U.S. - the other 3 brothers and sisters remained (and had lots and lots of children - so Castelnuovo ne'Monti is populated with Bizzarri relatives). 

I lived in Rome for a few years as a college student and 20-something, but I never had the chance to make it up to Castelnuovo ne'Monti, the small mountain town in Reggio Emilia, where our Bizzarri family has resided for generations. 

Castelnuovo ne'Monti

This past week, I was in touch with the great-grandson of Maria, Domenico's sister. He was kind enough to go to our family church and take a picture of Domenico's birth registry, which was recorded, in Latin, in a bound book, still kept in the church today. He also sent me pictures of the family church. I can't even explain how special this was to me: about two years ago, I returned to the Catholic church that I grew up with. The picture of the little church in Campolungo, Castelnuovo ne'Monti, and knowing that generations of my family are recorded in the baptismal book there, remind me of the importance of carrying on our family's religious traditions. 

The church at Campolungo, Castelnuovo ne'Monti

But perhaps the biggest surprise was when my Italian cousin casually mentioned that other cousins who are doing genealogical research sustain that we are related to Matilde of Canossa. 

I love Matilde's "What now?!" expression here. 

Matilde of Canossa, are you kidding me??!?!? 

For someone who is passionate about medieval history, this was akin to winning the lottery! Just to be able to say that I am even just perhaps related to one of the most intriguing women of medieval history amazes me!

(There are also a ton of Matilde's in our family reaching back into the centuries, so I am now kicking myself for not naming my daughter Matilde.) 

Matilde inherited the vast empire of her father, Bonfiace III, at the tender age of 8. She was a smart girl, educated in the military arts, and is known for being one of the first female military strategists. She knew several languages and wrote in Latin. She was forced into marriage with a man she didn't care for (his name says it all: Geoffrey the Hunchback). She is the likely origin of the mysterious "Matilda" who appears to Dante gathering flowers in the earthly paradise in Dante's Purgatorio. She was the principal Italian supporter of Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy, and championed Gregory VII's against Henry IV, at whose castle the Pope retreated when the Emperor tried to take the Pope hostage. There is a monument to her at St. Peter's, as well as her sarcophagus, carved by Bernini. 

Matilde by Bernini

Canossa is located near Campolungo, Castelnuovo ne'Monti. 

Canossa

Here's another cool thing about Castelnuovo ne'Monti: the Pietra di Bismantova, the town's quasi-cylindrical rock formation, is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy (Purgatory, IV, 25-30).

I look forward to visiting Castelnuovo ne'Monti soon. And one day soon I'll tell my daughter the story of how she comes from a long line of strong, strong women - women who held their own, even in the worst of times. 

 Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (1610-1662), The Meeting of the Countess Matilda and Anselm of Canterbury 

in the Presence of Pope Urban II (1637-1642), oil on canvas, Galleria dei Romanelli, the Vatican.

Shopping Planner for New Moms from ShopperIncite

Disclosure: Special thanks to PartnersHub for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. 

 

Plants of Steel: Durable and Low Maintenance Houseplants for People without Green Thumbs

Disclosure: I received some Plants of Steel to facilitate this review. I was not asked to write about them and as always, all opinions are my own. 

I love indoor plants. 

Especially during our long Chicago winters, when my outdoor garden is covered with snow, indoor plants make homes brighter...and healthier. 

Did you know that studies from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have found that levels of indoor air pollution can be 2 to 5 times higher - and in some cases 10 times more polluted than outdoor air! - due to toxins released from household items such as paint, fabrics and cleaning products? The easiest solution:  Indoor houseplants. 

But if you were born without a green thumb like me, you've had a difficult time keeping your indoor plants...alive. 

Enter Plants of Steel! 

Introducing Toopy and Binoo - a new online cartoon series for preschoolers! #ToopyandBinoo

Disclosure: We received promotional items in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions are my own. 


Here's a cute new series for the preschooler in your life! 

Toopy and Binoo™ is an animated series that follows the adventures of Toopy, a mouse, and his buddy Binoo, a cat. Toopy is the talker, while thoughtful Binoo communicates with playful gestures and actions.

Review and #Giveaway - Build-A-Bear's Disney Princess Palace Pets Collection

Disclosure: Thanks to Build-A-Bear for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are our own.


My daughter adores Build-A-Bear! Once or twice a year we head over to the fantastic Build-A-Bear Workshop on Chicago's Navy Pier to create a new, special stuffed pal.

So we were thrilled to hear the Build-A-Bear just recently unveiled the Disney Princess Palace Pets collection!