After reading an article the other day about Kimora Lee Simmons who just won full custody of her two daughters with Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons and they were nice enough to include details about the amount of child support she will be getting for each child ($20,000 per month per child, including a new car every two years worth $60,000 or more). Then it went on to talk about her reality TV show which is about her being a fashion designer and business women and juggling being a single mom as well. I couldn’t help but laugh, because then it mentioned her daughter’s full-time nanny and security personnel that will be accompanying them on all visitation visits to their Dad’s house. This woman has no idea what it really means to be a single mother and never will, let alone what it means to actually be an involved mom period. She has someone who is raising her children 24/7. I could go on and on, but I will leave my ranting at that. What I would really like to see for a reality TV show is a real single mom, who has had to make it on her own without the regular child support and full-time nanny. That is what I would watch, not some fairytale, airbrushed story involving a celebrity who most of us will never be and who we cannot relate to at all. I could tell them what it is like to really be a single mom. I live in Orange County, but I’m not one of those people you see in one of those OC reality shows. I don’t live in a mansion or drive a BMW, and nothing on me is fake! I live in a nice little apartment that I can barely afford and I work 40+ hours a week and am a full-time mom. I don’t have a nanny and I have never received any child support or any other support from my children’s fathers’. With the help of my wonderful mother who raised 4 children as a single mom, I was able to put myself through college and get my degree in Landscape Architecture. That is how I came to live in Orange County. Not because I was chasing after the dream of being a celebrity or marrying a rich man, but because I got the best job offer from a firm in Orange County after I graduated. Believe me there are many other places I would rather live. Being their sole provider, I must put my own desires aside in order to provide the best life for my kids. I still struggle and live pay check to pay check, but it is a lot better than it could be. My kids are healthy, happy, and safe. There are days that I wish I could afford a full-time nanny and think of how much easier my life would be if I could afford one, but at the same time I’m glad I don’t because I know how much I would miss out on. I wouldn’t want to miss the day to day joys and struggles of parenting my two kids. I can put my personal career goals on hold, because being a successful mother and raising successful children is more important to me than being at the top of my career and not knowing my children and not having had the honor of helping them become the amazing people that they are.

I had an interesting experience this weekend, that I thought I would share with my fellow parents as some of you may not know about this. I was visiting my mother in the LA area and it was incredibly hot this past weekend and we stopped at an In and Out Burger near the airport for lunch. Across the street from the burger place is a little park-like area with lawn and big climbable trees and most of the time there are families over there eating in the shade and enjoying the day. Yesterday was no exception. However, today the sprinklers were on and looked to have been on for awhile because there was areas that were flooded. All the kids were running around in the sprinklers having a great time. So after we finished our meal we decided to go over because the kiddos wanted to join in the fun. After a few minutes of watching them having fun, I noticed this sign along the hedgerow that said something to the extent of "in our effort to reduce environmental impacts, this area is watered with reclaimed water. Do Not Drink". Now I realize that I'm more aware of things in the landscape than your average person, due to the fact that it is my job to be. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed this sign or if they had, they would have thought to themselves, hey that's great their using recycled water. I'm a landscape architect, so I deal with irrigation everyday and I have worked on several projects that utilize reclaimed water. So I know more about it than your average citizen, which brings me to wonder why they worded that sign the way they did. We use signs that say warning or caution, to make people aware that this is not something you should be drinking or bathing in. Needless to say I quickly got my kids out of the sprinklers and went over and told the other parents of the pressing issue. These two father's that I approached who had several toddler's under their care replied, "well of course we won't let them drink the water" and I just looked at them and realized they weren't getting it. However, after they saw everyone else getting their kids and leaving, I think they got the point. My point I wanted to share with everyone is that if you live in a part of the country that utilizes irrigation, be aware and look for signs when you are at a park of public place where the sprinklers are on. Reclaimed water is becoming a very commonly used alternative to irrigating with drinkable water. Reclaimed water is not used on food crops or in fountains or pools, because it is not safe for human consumption. So don't let your kids play in it!