Natalie Gott

Remembering Grandma

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, it is estimated that nearly 38,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year. More than 34,000 are expected to die. My mother-in-law was one of the 34,000. Clelia Esperanza Vizuete passed away in January, just four months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was 58.

Posted 2 days ago.

Preschool Angst

While Beth is having nightmares about her 3-year-old daughterâs potential choice of colleges, Iâm a bit crazed over a more immediate issue: preschool. My daughter turns 3 in June and Iâm just now checking out potential schools for her. Did I wait too long? Itâs possible I did. Maya is 20th on the waiting list at the preschool that is my first choice for her.

Posted 1 week ago.

The Family Bed

My husband is out of town, and Iâve resorted to some bad habits: staying up too late, letting the kids watch too much television, serving macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza a few too many times. I feel like a teenager whose parents left her home alone for the weekend, even though my husband, if he were home, really wouldnât care if my kids watched TV for hours upon hours or if we ate …

Posted 2 weeks ago.

Late Night Election Night

I'm still beaming from Tuesday. Aren't you? What a night! Nothing can get me down, not even the Sears repairman who says fixing my 5-year-old washing machine would cost nearly as much as purchasing a new one. OK, that caused some temporary frustration, but now Iâm trying to think of my new purchase as one of the ways I can help stimulate the economy. Barack Obama is going to need all the hel…

Posted 3 weeks ago.

Trunk-or-Treat Vs. Obama

I knew it was a long shot when I asked him, but I tried anyway. "Guillermo, Barack Obama is going to be in Raleigh tomorrow. Would you like to go listen to him speak?" I asked my 4-year-old cheerfully as he was taking a bath. "No," Guillermo answered flatly. "Are you sure??There will be a lot of people and it will be outside. Weâll have to wear warm clothes because it may be cold, but it shou…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Have You Voted?

I usually wait until Election Day to cast my ballot. I love voting in the morning and I love the anticipation that follows the rest of the day as I wait for the results. I donât even like to miss the announcement of the first 1 percent of returns.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Must Consume

Consume. Consume. Consume. I feel like thatâs all I do these days. I must consume. Youâd think that with this economic downturn, I could control my spending habits, but I canât. Iâve tried and tried, but I canât, or more likely, I donât want to.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Halloween Hang-Up

Shopping for a Halloween costume for my 2-year-old daughter proved trickier than I expected. Nearly every costume I showed Maya brought her to tears, or even prompted loud sobbing. Sure, I wasnât expecting her to like the Yoda costume that I tried, on several occasions, to get her to wear, but my girl cried even when I showed her a Supergirl costume, and she plays superhero at home all the t…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Mom's Bedtime

When my head hits the pillow at night, I'm out. I don't toss and turn. My mind doesn't wander. I fall right to sleep. And, I can fall asleep anywhere. I once fell asleep at a Reverend Horton Heat concert, and I hadn't even had one drink all night. So why the dark circles under my eyes this week? While I don't have trouble falling asleep, I have a really hard time making myself go to bed.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

I'm Done

No more tiny socks or itty bitty hats. No more onesies, burp clothes, or blanket swaddlers. The high chair and swing are gone, the breast pump is packed, and my maternity clothes were donated months ago. My baby making days are nearly finished. After I did the heavy lifting for 18 months to produce two beautiful children who make my heart smile every day, my husband has a doctorâs appointmen…

Posted 2 mon. ago.

about this blog

Natalie Gott

Natalie is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Sunday.

Natalie is a stay-at-home mom in Carrboro to castle- and mean sea creature-loving Guillermo, 4, and puzzle- and big brother-adoring Maya, 1 1/2. Natalie was a wire service reporter for nine years, but stopped working after Maya was born in 2006. Most mornings you can now find her at the playgrounds chasing her kids, who frequently are wearing superhero capes. Natalie grew up in Iowa and Peoria, Ill. After college, she lived in St. Louis, Baton Rouge, La., and Austin, Texas. In 2005, she and her husband moved to North Carolina and she proudly sings every word to the "It's Carrboro" rap. Natalie loves politics, reggae and grocery stores and readily admits she wastes too much time reading celebrity gossip, but just can't stop herself.