Parenting

• 
  ParentingGirls.com

• Gender-Bias at the Goal Post!

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:12 pm

  This past weekend as I sat with a group of (mostly) men watching the Super Bowl, I was keenly aware of the recurring  gender-demeaning remarks used by men to describe women. The discussions of desirable and undesirable shapes, sizes and sexiness were discerning. Excuse me 'honey' one gentleman said as he moved in front of me to place a tray of food on the table. Another engaged in a conversation about his inconvenient plane ride the day before. He made countless negative remarks about the 'female stewardesses' stressing the words female and women by actually using air…

• What Do You Think of Girls In Tiaras?

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:33 am

  Check out this video from BraveheartWomen.com!  These well-spoken women discuss young girls participation in pageants. I was amazed to hear one panelist state that beauty pageants are a "feminine type of girly thing"!  Wow!  Is that what we want for our daughters? The discussion is a good one and the question of "winning" or finding value based on looks is addressed. I support the idea that this type of message is demeaning to women. I always have. Competition was discussed and the avenue of sports was suggested as the way to go! Hooray for that idea! One panelist who…

• VIDEO: How to Potty Train Your Daughter

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:02 am

  Here is a great video from Veronica Baragas of Wiggles and Giggles on how to potty train your daughter. 

• How to Shoot a Bow & Arrow Like a Girl

  12 Jan 2010 | 7:48 am

  Lilia Stepanova - Click here for another funny movie.

• Is Teaching 'Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice" the Way to Go?

  9 Dec 2009 | 12:55 pm

  Do co-ed classrooms foster gender stereotypes? This school in Virginia believes it does. This article from CNNam Fix reports that proponents of same sex education believe that boys learn best with competition and movement and girls with low light and social groups. Hmmm...I find that a bit troubling. No, wait, I find that very troubling! Maybe that is how we have been socialized? You know, girls are all about sugar and spice and everything nice. Seems to me that many girls enjoy competition and movement also and if they don't, maybe they should be encouraged to engage in some. How can anyone…

• 
  The Parenting Post - Parenting.com

• What’s the worst thing you can say to a new mom? I have a pretty good idea….

  Erin Zammett Ruddy

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:40 am

  read more

• Sex and the Working Mom

  The Cosmo Mom

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

  read more

• Evil Black Men

  My Brown Baby

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:14 am

  It was supposed to be a simple assignment -- a little something to remind the kids about their lesson on adjectives. Magazine and newspaper clippings + lots of glue + fancy descriptives = an easy lesson and the perfect student work display for the parent/teacher conference. read more

• Mr. Real Estate Agent Broke My Heart

  Mighty Maggie

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:37 am

  read more

• Busy Ballerina

  Daring Young Mom

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:32 am

  Today as I sat outside Laylee's piano lesson waiting for her to finish, my eyes were drawn to the tiny ballerinas whirling and twirling around the dance studio down the hall. It happened to be a class full of girls Laylee took ballet with last year. They were one year older and one year less spastic. Several of them actually resembled dancers. Watching them made me feel a little sad. "What if Laylee's supposed to be a dancer?" I thought. read more

• 
  Parenting at More4Kids

• Parenting Your Teen Towards Independence

  More4kids

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:38 pm

  Teen Independence: How do we as parents prepare our children for independence? We have to teach them the value of hard work, just how far a dollar really goes and that not everyone is as nice, forgiving and accommodating as mom and dad.

• Keeping your Kids Active

  More4kids

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:04 pm

  Child obesity is on the rise. Recent statistics have shown that obesity is present and continually growing in our country, with over 25% of Americans being considered obese.

• Parenting and Surviving the First Boyfriend/Girlfriend

  More4kids

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:06 pm

  Teen Relationships and surviving the first boyfriend/girlfriend. Here some tips to help you and your child navigate this milestone and draw even closer in your relationship.

• Stress and Your Teen

  More4kids

  30 Jan 2010 | 4:51 pm

  Teen Stress: Our kids are growing up in a world that is much more stressful than the one we knew as teens. And it is having a significant impact on them. Here are some ideas for dealing with teen stress.

• You Know You’re a Parent When…

  More4kids

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:40 pm

  Ah, the joys of parenting! It is the most wonderful job you will ever have. It is also the most frustrating, gross and exhausting. Take a break and enjoy a chuckle over these 50 ways that you know you’re a parent.

• 
  TODAYshow.com: Parenting

• What happened to Haitian orphans?

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:33 pm

  The desperate situations of orphans have been covered extensively in the wake of Haiti’s earthquake. Here’s an update on two of them, Charly and Lovely. Haiti - Caribbean - Organizations - Education - Idaho

• The Olympics of Parenting: Share your stories

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:23 am

  As the athletes go for gold in Vancouver, we want to hear the stories of your gold-medal parenting moments. Olympic Games - Gold medal - Vancouver - sport - Olympic

• Hockey mom, dad juggle Olympics, parenting

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:56 am

  Team USA Olympians Jenny Potter and Dustin Brown are real-life hockey parents, balancing training and family life as they prepare for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Jenny Potter - Dustin Brown - United States - sport - Hockey

• Video: Parents get wake-up call about sexting

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:51 am

  Lori Getz of momlogic.com speaks with TODAY’s Ann Curry about the dangers and possible charges of child pornography associated with sending explicit text messages. (Today Show) Child pornography - AnnCurry - Text messaging - Sex Offenses - Crime

• Two-inch LEGO gun gets 4th-grader in trouble

  4 Feb 2010 | 6:56 am

  Patrick Timoney, a 9-year-old student, was in the school cafeteria Tuesday playing with LEGOs when he was taken to the principal’s office and threatened with suspension. One of his toys was a LEGO policeman that holds a 2-inch plastic gun. Lego - Toy - Plastic - Recreation - Collecting

• 
  BabyCenter: MOMformation

• The government has a piece of your baby

  Beth Hering

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:34 am

  Did you know that right now a sample of your baby’s DNA might be sitting in a government lab?   I didn’t either until I read this CNN article. The government mandates that DNA be taken from all newborns and screened for a variety of potentially harmful conditions. Some parents never realize the collection was made until their pediatrician [...]

• Photo caption contest: And the winner is…

  Grace Blasco

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:09 am

  This little gal means business. We asked you, why is she putting on her serious face?   From Pramilla, this week’s winning caption is:   “Terminator — The Beginning”   Stay tuned tomorrow for a new photo caption contest featuring one of your most caption-worthy photos. And don’t forget to check out these other great captions and last week’s winner.

• Should fatherhood have an age limit?

  Betsy Shaw

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:59 am

  We’ve gotten used to discussing the age of mothers, and the pros and cons that go along with having children early, late, or right on time, whatever that is.   But what about dads? Are men completely free to reproduce whenever they damn well please without fear or judgment, or both? It certainly seems that way.   But, being [...]

• Very Violet: Here come the creditors

  Joyce Slaton

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  OK, whew, this week is better. We think last week’s horror was touched off by the two weeks of rain San Francisco has had. Violet hasn’t been running around at school, we haven’t been going to the playground. It’s been a lot of sitting inside and drawing or reading or playing fort. That just doesn’t use [...]

• Leave the satire to Swift

  Beth Hering

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:57 am

  “The math we do is really easy. If your child is either too lazy or too stupid to finish it in class, I’m sending it home so that you can work with them and judge for yourself whether it is laziness or idiocy that inhibits your child’s progress.”   Ouch.   This is just part of the letter that [...]

• 
  The Dear Dr.MOZ Baby Blog

• Drew Brees and Son Baylen Celebrate!

  Dr.MOZ

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:07 pm

  I missed the original airing of Drew Brees and son Baylen celebrating after the Super Bowl win yesterday and thought you might enjoy the moment as much as I did. It’s always nice to see a GoodFather in action isn’t it? Have fun and stay healthy, Dr.MOZ > tip thanks to Playground Dad!

• The Feedaway Portable High Chair by Belkiz

  Dr.MOZ

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:02 pm

  Long ago in a land far away where pouched animals play, a company named Belkiz was born. This company had a mission to create economical, safe, and portable high chairs out of 100% recycled cardboard. I’m happy to announce that the dream was realized and the easy-to-assemble Feedaway is now available in Australian baby stores Styled Baby and Low and Behold. Featuring a non-toxic food-grade coating and three-point safety harness, this 2.2 pound design is the first high chair I’ve ever seen that’s more portable than the baby. Great work Belkiz! I think your Feedaway will prove…

• Facebook Fans: Win a Daddy Diaper Bag!

  Dr.MOZ

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:56 pm

  I just launched a brand new giveaway at Dr.MOZ’s Giveaway Page on Facebook and this week’s prize is a Stork Tools daddy diaper bag! For extra entries,  include a link to the giveaway in a blog post or tweet. To enter, visit http://facebook.com/DrMOZ and let me know what your favorite diaper bag color combo is before Monday (February 15th) at 6:00 pm PST. This one is global, so anyone can win! Good luck, Dr.MOZ - : : : This giveaway is on Facebook, so comments are closed. : : : -

• Blog Feature: The GoodFather on Kidlantis!

  Dr.MOZ

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:14 pm

  I was thrilled to find Dr.MOZ’s ‘The GoodFather gift CD-ROM’ for new dads featured in the baby and kids blog Kidlantis today and wanted to send a quick ‘thank you‘ to the crew. It’s rare to come across a blog featuring so many baby and toddler products I’ve never heard of (Cedarworks Indoor Playset, I’m Pregnant Coffee Stencil, Sock Ons), so I recommend visiting Kidlantis.com for a fun collection of fresh finds! Have fun and stay healthy, Dr.MOZ

• Cute Factor 10: Take a Walk this Weekend!

  Dr.MOZ

  30 Jan 2010 | 10:22 am

  My prescription this weekend is to bundle-up and take walk around the neighborhood. Don’t forget to hold hands when crossing the street like my little friends above. Have a great weekend everyone! Have fun and stay healthy, Dr.MOZ > Cuteness via Cute Overload

• 
  Yahoo! News: Parenting/Kids News

• Older Moms More Apt to Have Autistic Child (HealthDay)

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:03 pm

  HealthDay - MONDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Older moms are more likely to have a child with autism than women who give birth at a younger age, new research shows.

• Autism risks detailed in children of older mothers (AP)

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

  AP - A woman's chance of having a child with autism increase substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older dads than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than 5 million births found.

• Age of mother affects child's autism risk: study (Reuters)

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:35 pm

  Reuters - Being an older mother significantly increases the risk of having a child with autism, but being an older father only increases the risk when the mother is under the age of 30, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

• Early language problems may hinder adult literacy (Reuters)

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:16 pm

  Reuters - Children with a limited vocabulary at the age of 5 may be at increased risk of poor literacy as adults, a study published Monday suggests.

• Children Raised by Lesbians Do Just Fine, Studies Show (LiveScience.com)

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:29 pm

  LiveScience.com - Children raised by lesbian parents fare as well as they would in heterosexual households, new research suggests.

• 
  Parenting News

• Loveland baby kept in garage before death, police say

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:51 am

  LOVELAND - A Loveland infant who died 24 days after birth was kept in a dirty garage and had breathing difficulties that sometimes caused her to turn blue, according to an affidavit that led to the arrest of the baby's mother.

• Katie: Pete's TV quiz was cruel

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:31 am

  Katie Price has lashed out over a recent interview with Peter Andre in which questions were put to him about his children.

• Your Health: Teens do better with parents who set limits

  9 Feb 2010 | 1:20 am

  Here's some good news for parents of tweens and teens: You rule. That may be hard to believe sometimes.

• Alvin McEwen: Liberty Counsel attacking gay parenting again but won't comment on Jenkins/Miller case

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:56 pm

  One would think that the Liberty Counsel's exploitative behavior in the Janet Jenkins/Lisa Miller custody case would induce a degree of shame in the organization.

• 3 home habits help youngsters stay slim

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:40 pm

  Something as simple as sitting down to dinner together as a family can go a long way in helping a child fend off obesity.

• 
  MedPage Today Pediatrics

• Study Backs Late Cardiotoxicity of Childhood Cancer Treatment (CME/CE, with audio)

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  Childhood cancer survivors' risk of dying from cardiovascular causes rises with dose of radiation to the heart, researchers affirmed.

• Autism Risk Linked to Maternal Age (CME/CE, with audio)

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am

  Older women are more likely to give birth to a child who develops autism than younger women, but the father's age is a factor only when moms are younger, a large case-control study showed.

• Household Routines Linked to Lower Childhood Obesity (CME/CE)

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:15 pm

  Three simple household routines are associated with an almost 40% reduction in the risk of childhood obesity, researchers said.

• Short Needle May Short HBV Protection for Obese (CME/CE)

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:01 pm

  Inadequate needle length may explain variability in immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in obese adolescents and young adults, data from a randomized study suggest.

• ICAO: In Obesity, Fat Legs Better than Fat Middles (CME/CE)

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:58 am

  Having less abdominal fat but more leg fat may play a role in maintaining metabolic health in obese women, but not in heavy men, researchers found.

• 
  Parents Blog

• Do You Have a Mommy Uniform?

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:58 pm

  What do you wear to drop off your kids at school in the morning? Is it the same outfit you wear to the supermarket, the pet store or the gas station? I tend to dress in the same outfit to do all of the aforementioned tasks--jeans or khakis with a plain button-down shirt or sweater.

• An Answer for Everything

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:58 pm

  She may not be old enough to cross the street by herself or cut her own meat. Heck, she can't even reach the bathroom faucet without the help of a stool, but my 5-year-old daughter is never short on answers. The kid has a retort for everything.

• They Will Do What You Do

  31 Jan 2010 | 3:45 pm

  This is my last word on raising teens. I have been writing on the teens blog for a while now, but am reducing my work here at Families.com, where I will be writing mostly in the frugal blog.

• How Much Did You Spend on Your Child's Last Birthday Party?

  30 Jan 2010 | 11:54 pm

  I know it wasn't more than $360,000. We can't all roll like Daddy Diddy, but as parents we do want to make our children happy, and celebrating a milestone like a birthday with a big party, often means digging deep.

• Technology Makes it Hard to Relate

  30 Jan 2010 | 8:30 pm

  Between the ages of 13 and 15, I read books, took walks to the park, and watched a fair amount of TV. Sometimes I talked to my friends on the phone, but it was only long enough to make plans to meet at the corner or in our usual place in the park or library.

• 
  Daddy Types

• Hilfiger X Haring Together At Last!

  greg

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:06 am

  Everyone in the shoe colabo world was wondering when it would ever happen--holding their collective/collector breath if it would ever happen. And now it's happened! The Keith Haring Foundation has finally teamed up with the all-American, uberhip, hyper-downtown kicksologists...

• Round And Round And Square By Fredun Shapur

  greg

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  Fredun Shapur's illustration and design work is as awesome as his name, and it baffles me how little information about it exists on the web. Shapur did toys and graphics for Creative Playthings, including an iconic series of posters...

• This All Goes Down On Your Permanent Google Record

  greg

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:02 pm

  There were a lot of manly man ads and daddish and baby birthin' ads in the Superbowl last night, but none that beat Google's punchline. Eventually, though, Google will probably start suggesting you put that extra cookie back, and then--if...

• Interlocking Stool Cube, This Time By Habitat

  greg

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:45 am

  Every few years since the invention of lumber, someone invents a pair of interlocking cube stool/chairs for kids. This year, it's the UK design store Habitat, and the twist is, this one's made of molded ply, to give it...

• On The Bright Side, This May Cure The Kid's Pony Fixation

  greg

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:54 pm

  After some playground discussion, apparently, the kid decided she was a Colts fan. Because, you know, horses. And sure enough, she watched her first Superbowl with the intensity of a crappy, watered-down beer addict. And as we started bundling her...

• 
  Essential Questions

• How can parents teach children to focus?

  Graham Scharf

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:50 am

  I have yet to meet a parent who wants her child to be more flighty. Yet I have met a great many parents who want their children to be able to focus on a task at hand. So how does one learn to focus? And, for parents, how can we teach children to focus?Model FocusIt may come as a shock to us parents that our children learn from us. The most powerful influence we exert on our children is by our example. With respect to focus, this is eminently true. Parents have a myriad of duties and responsibilities to fulfill, and only twenty-four hours in the day. Whether they want to or not, our children…

• What are the valuable twenty-first-century skills?

  Graham Scharf

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:35 am

  Recently I met a family at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had traveled from France to spend some time in New York City, and the mother and daughter were participating in one of the children's programs at the Met. Where were the two elder children? After snapping pictures furiously in Times Square, they had returned to their hotel room to post all their photos to Facebook. Yes, they had declined a visit to one of the greatest art museums in the world in order to sit in front of a little glowing screen.Learning to be presentPerhaps the greatest challenge for this technological generation…

• Who is your most important teacher?

  Graham Scharf

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:55 am

  Most people, looking back on their lives, can name a handful of great or influential teachers in their lives. They may have had the teacher for a year, for a summer school class, or even just for an evening seminar. Yet do any compare to the sustained influence of parents?Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, captures it succinctly:"Parents are their children's most important teachers and mentors, and they bear primary responsibility for nurturing their sons and daughters while keeping them safe. Yet parenting is one of the most undervalued and least prepared for…

• What role does age play in academic success?

  Graham Scharf

  22 Jan 2010 | 10:49 am

  Why does age matter?According to Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, the authors of Nurture Shock, the conventional wisdom has been that in a given grade, the older children score better than younger students. As a result as many as one in five parents "redshirt" their children in kindergarten by waiting to enroll them so that they will be the eldest in the class rather than the youngest.Family, not age, is what mattersAccording to UC Santa Barbara’s Kathy Bedard and Elizabeth Dhuey, "the oldest kids in eighth grade in the U.S. were ranking 4 to 8 percent higher than the youngest children in…

• What is poverty-stricken language?

  Graham Scharf

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:05 am

  None of the right booksIn C.S. Lewis' great adventure The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he describes Eustace, the obnoxious cousin of the Pevensie children, with these words: “He liked books if they were books of information and had pictures of grain elevators or of fat foreign children doing exercises in model schools." When Eustace comes face-to-face with a dragon, Lewis says, "Edmund or Lucy or you would have recognized it at once, but Eustace had read none of the right books." Eustace did not have the vocabulary with which to make sense of his experience, much less to meet the…

• 
  Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids

• Special Invitation

  Kalai

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:13 am

  I would like to extend a special invitation to Half Full/Raising Happiness readers to be in ABC’s View from the Bay studio audience on Tuesday Feb. 9th, 2010 when Christine Carter will be discussing how to nurture your children’s social connections. Meet Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang and get a chance to see the behind the scenes of a live television broadcast. Tickets for the show must be reserved in advance. Audience doors open at 2:15pm with a cut-off time of 2:30pm, the show is live from 3-4pm. To reserve your seats please call the ticket request line at (415)-954-7733 or…

• How to Raise Happy Kids

  Kalai

  1 Feb 2010 | 3:08 pm

  Recently I was an observer at a sold-out parent education seminar about the epidemic levels of depression, suicide, and anxiety disorders affecting children. The lecturer asked the audience rhetorically, “What is it that we most want our children to be?” In stunning synchronicity, the audience roared “HAPPY.” Of course. We parents want our children to grow into happy adults. In my new book Raising Happiness —which went on sale yesterday!—I give parents 10 research-based steps for raising happy children that promise to make us happier parents as well. As a part of my job at…

• Is Sleep the Most Important Happiness Habit?

  Kalai

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:02 pm

  If I posted a video of my daughter when she is sleep-deprived and trying to finish her homework or clean her room—or do anything, really, that she doesn’t want to do—I would lose all credibility as a parenting expert. This is because there is a good chance you would all witness her shockingly bad behavior, from bratty-voice screaming to head-on-the-desk, teary, fist pounding protests. We humans don’t really function all that well when we are seriously tired, and that is especially true for little humans whose brains are not yet fully developed. As Arianna Huffington writes in…

• Siblings: How to Help them be Friends Forever

  Kalai

  20 Jan 2010 | 4:19 pm

  “YOU ARE THE MEANEST SISTER IN THE WORLD!!!” My children are upstairs in the room directly above me, putting together a puzzle and fighting. I just heard a loud whap. Now there is crying. Also screaming. Our sitter is issuing time-outs. Ah, siblings. My kids, 22 months apart, are best friends more often than not. But the recent winter break tested their love, to put it mildly. By the end of two-weeks spent mostly in each other’s presence, a typical exchange had Older Sister declaring “I am SICK OF YOU,” followed by Younger Sister screaming “GET AWAY FROM ME! Just get AWAY from…

• Not Shocked—Research Parents Can Learn From

  Kalai

  14 Jan 2010 | 9:27 am

  A review of NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman Did you know that nearly all children lie—six year olds at a rate of about once an hour? That’s not the only bad news Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman give us in NurtureShock. It also turns out that most kids are probably not getting enough sleep, and this sleep deprivation hinders their learning and brain development permanently. Oh, and the way we praise our kids is likely making them insecure and unmotivated. Did I just make you want to buy this book? Bronson and Merryman have cleverly (some…

• 
  Attachment Parenting Blog: Raising Children with Love

• Looking for an über-chic hotel in San Diego?

  Dave Taylor

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:57 am

  I was in San Diego a week or two ago and rather than just check out Expedia to find a place to stay I contacted a friend at Bailey * Gardiner who arranged for me to get a journalist rate at the Sé San Diego, downtown in the center of urban San Diego, California. Just as well, too, as even with the special room rate, it cost me over $150 for a single night's stay. The normal rate would double the tab, but you know what? It was totally worth it and was probably the very nicest place I've ever stayed on my travels. Please continue reading Looking for an über-chic hotel in San Diego? - Tech…

• Weird Pic Caption Contest

  Dave Taylor

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:25 am

  I hosted a panel last night on the future of television, for the DaVinci Institute, and as part of it, I continued an amusing tradition of presenting the weirdest pictures of the week and offered up what I hope were amusing captions for them unrelated to the original context of the pictures. Seems to me that'd be fun to do here on my blog to, so without further ado, here they are... The first one is easy, and I'll use it as a demonstration of what I mean: (1) Larry was determined to do anything to avoid being the black sheep of the family. Now, what's your best caption? Read on for more...

• Research: Why your match.com email doesn't lead to dates

  Dave Taylor

  25 Jan 2010 | 10:27 am

  I know I'm a research geek with lots of academic background and even a stint as a research scientist at an R&D lab, but still, this kind of data really fascinates me to no end: Online dating site OK Cupid has released the result of some semantic analysis that it did of the aggregate emails that people on the site sent each other, comparing what they wrote against whether or not they actually went on a date with the other person. Now anyone with a research background will immediately glom onto the fact that they have committed the cardinal sin of assuming causality from correlational data,…

• The Story Behind Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE

  Dave Taylor

  19 Jan 2010 | 9:08 am

  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I write about all sorts of stuff, not just parenting (though as a single dad with three kids parenting is pretty much always on my mind!), including some of the shows that I have a chance to see as I travel around. About a year ago I got to see Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE, and wrote an extensive review on this blog [see Review of Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles: LOVE]. I was back in Las Vegas a few weeks ago for the Consumer Electronics Show, and my friend Jessica who works at Cirque sent me tickets to see The Beatles LOVE again,…

• Finding your sex appeal after divorce

  Dave Taylor

  16 Jan 2010 | 9:40 am

  This amusing piece was sent to me by the gal who wrote the book The Laptop Dancer Diaries and I thought I'd share it, even though it's a bit, um, explicit. It's written from a woman's perspective, but with a few tweaks I think it addresses universal issues of self-image and self-confidence post-divorce. Read on, but you've been warned. Oh, and it's okay to laugh a few times, even if it's in embarrassment. :-)You're a woman in your forties. You've been through enough of life's experiences that nothing can faze you. You've developed confidence and style. You are no longer self-conscious about…

• 
  Susan Heim on Parenting

• Holey Donuts! Buy 2 Boxes, Get 1 Free!

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:05 am

  A couple of days ago, I told you about Holey Donuts’ newest contest where you have the chance to win 4 boxes of their latest, best-selling, super yummy Holey Donuts Low Fat Treats and a $250 Holey Donuts store credit good for one year! Click HERE for the details. Holey Donuts just informed me that they have another opportunity for you to try their great-tasting, handmade, gourmet low-fat Donuts! Here it is:Buy 2 boxes of Holey Donuts, and get ONE BOX FREE (3 for the price of 2)!This is great if you want to try a smaller order or don’t have a lot of room in your freezer. Each box is as…

• Are Your Kids Afraid of Monsters? Calm Their Fears with Bye Bye Monster Products (Giveaway)

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:07 am

  Every night, my six-year-old twins have a ritual where they squirt “monster spray” around their room to keep away scary things. This really works well in calming their fear that something is lurking in the dark. This fabulous monster spray comes from a company called the Bye Bye Shop, which specializes in organic products to help kids. Bye Bye Monster Organic Monster Repellent is made with all-natural aromatherapy ingredients like lavender, chamomile and sweet orange. Besides scaring away monsters, it has the added benefit of helping kids to relax. It smells wonderful, and when my kids…

• Go to IHOP on February 23 for Free Pancakes and Support the Children’s Miracle Network!

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:49 pm

  IHOP, world renowned for their signature buttermilk pancakes, has just set a goal to raise $1.75 million for Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities during its celebration of National Pancake Day on February 23, 2010. This ambitious goal will raise a cumulative $5 million in the first five years of IHOP’s National Pancake Day program. From 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., IHOP restaurants nationwide will offer their guests a free short stack (3) of IHOP’s signature buttermilk pancakes and, in return, ask guests to donate what they would have paid for the pancakes, or more, to their…

• Enter to Win a Luxurious Babymoon Vacation!

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:51 pm

  Baby on the way? Before baby arrives, win a getaway to pamper yourself and enjoy some downtime. Bright Starts™ is giving away a luxurious 7-night babymoon vacation to three lucky couples. Relax and reconnect at an incredible U.S. Virgin Islands destination – St. Croix, St. John , or St. Thomas. Your babymoon includes:· Airfare for up to four from anywhere in the continental U.S.· Seven night’s hotel accommodations· Spa treatment for the mother-to-be· Dinner for up to four people· $500 spending cash· Choice of activities Sweepstakes ends November 30, 2010. One winner will be chosen…

• Enter to Win a Holey Donuts Love Assortment and $250 Store Credit!

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:37 pm

  I’ve written about Holey Donuts before because they are so delicious and so much better for you than standard donuts. Here’s what Holey Donuts would like you to know about their products:Did you know the average donut has 15-20 grams of fat and as much as 480 calories?Our patented cooking process avoids deep frying, creating a light, fluffy donut with as little as 3-4 grams of fat and 150-250 calories. You’d actually have to eat 4 of our full-sized, delicious donuts to get the amount of fat in just one traditional donut. What’s more amazing is that we do not use any artificial…

• 
  The Father Life

• Are You Ready for Some… Valentines?

  Joey Watkins

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:31 pm

  Well, the big Sunday is coming! NO, not Super Bowl Sunday… the one after that. Valentines DAY! Got plans for the big day of romance with your special woman? I personally don’t like the idea of focusing just one day out of the year on romancing our wives. It should be something we family dads naturally WANT to do on a very regular basis. But the busy-ness of work, family, and every other demand on our time and energy can sometimes drag us into a “rut” or take the edge off our romantic creativity and planning. So here are some ideas I came up with to help you express…

• [NFL] Super Bowl XLIV Preview

  Chris Osburn

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:27 am

  New Orleans Saints (15-3) Vs. Indianapolis Colts (16-2) Time: Sunday at 6:25 PM EST on CBS How they match up: This is a dream match up for the avid football fan. These teams stack up so well on paper that (for once) there doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming favorite. The obvious pick is the Colts due to Peyton Manning’s leadership and his over the top playoff numbers. But, don’t overlook the rag-tag group from New Orleans. Drew Brees and company finished with the top ranked offense in the NFL by being the only team to average more than 400 yards per game. The unit also finished #1 in…

• The M Word: Coping With Miscarriage

  Joe Cassara

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:22 pm

  Before my wife had two miscarriages on our first two pregnancies, whenever I heard the word “miscarriage” I thought about an old baby carriage, and a young couple living in the 1920’s who lose a child, and how it must be pretty terrible for them to have to put the carriage back into a closet. For some reason it was always the wrapping paper closet in my mind, and they would forget it was there, and then over and over, while they were trying to rush out the door and having to wrap a present really quickly, out falls the baby carriage and they just start crying… and they…

• [DAD FITNESS] The 5 Best Ways To Stay In Shape While Traveling

  Sean Barker

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:05 pm

  Did you have to pay the airlines “overweight” on your way home from your last business trip?  …and no I am not talking about your luggage. For a lot of busy dads it seems just when we get on a role with our workouts and healthy eating, it all goes out the window when we have to go out of town for work. I recently spent a week in Tampa, Florida, attending and speaking at fitness seminars with all the top fitness professionals, and I started to pick up on some of the secrets these guys use to stay in awesome shape even while spending a lot of time on the road. So here are The…

• [A DAD'S POINT-OF-VIEW] Marriage — It’s Complicated

  Bruce Sallan

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:54 pm

  My wife took me to see Nancy Meyers’ new movie, It’s Complicated, which stars Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin.  She had seen it a day or two before and wanted to see it with me saying, “It would be good for us.”  Honestly, I do tend to like what is typically labeled “chick flicks,” but don’t like director Nancy Meyers’ perfect world, perfect rich characters, perfect looking people, dressed and coifed just perfectly.  But, for the sake of marital harmony, I agreed. I didn’t expect what followed.  Throughout the movie, my wife was jabbing me in the ribs…

• 
  Totally Her, Totally Real - TotallyHer.com

• Megan Park Interview: The Secret Life of the American Teenager

  Sarah Eve

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:38 am

  Grace is the Christian good girl that is finding her life turning out much differently than she expected. Watching this character grow, change, and mature is a relatable journey not only to the audience but also to Megan herself.

• Baby Crying? Check Your iPhone!

  Lores

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:36 am

  Now, there's an application to help new parents figure out what their baby's cry means. Are we getting too dependent on technology?

• Haiti: Miracles in the Midst of Disaster

  Lores

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:01 am

  The images we've seen on television are heart-wrenching. Collapsed buildings. Bloody and broken bodies. And, the worst, lifeless bodies pulled out of the rubble. In the midst of devastation, there are so many unbelievable stories of survival. These are the miracles of Haiti.

• Abstinence Works

  Lores

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

  Results showed that while 48.5 percent of students in the health-promotion group had sex for the first time during the study period, only 33.5 percent of those in the abstinence-only group did so.

• How to be Less Cranky

  Sarah Eve

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

  10 ways to be less cranky, improve your mood, and get in tune with your emotional well being.

• 
  CafeMom Daily Buzz: Baby

• Baby's First Year: Week 11 (First Road Trip and First Giggle)

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

  Photo by starburst1680 Meet first-time momstarburst1680. She's sharing the roller coaster ride of her first year of motherhood. Check back every week for all the emotion and exhaustion — right up until Kathryn Grace's first birthday. Week 11: We took Kathryn on her first road trip this week. We went to visit my husband's cousin and his family. He has a wife and 3 kids: 3 ½ year old boy-girl twins and a 6-month-old little boy. It was about a two hour drive each way and Kathryn did great. She slept the whole time in the car both ways. The 6-month-old was just fascinated with Kathryn and…

• Breastfeeding and Work: 8 "Don't Dry Up" Tips

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:59 am

  [slideshow id="140"]

• Michelle Obama the New Symbol for Breastfeeding?

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:36 am

  Photo by 3gifts.from.god Michelle Obama breastfed both her daughters. Wow, I never knew that. The First Lady rarely talks about her personal experience with, much less publicly endorses, nursing. Breastfeeding advocates hope that will change, if not with today's announcement of Michelle Obama's big childhood obesity initiative, then in the near future. "Lactivists" such as Best for Babes and MamaTotoMatema are trying to make inroads to Obama to get her include breastfeeding as a vital part of her plan. They'd love her to become the new "public symbol" for breastfeeding. Every First Lady has…

• Giveaway: Boba Baby Carrier

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:26 am

  Boba Baby Carrier; $99 When you talk about baby items moms can't live without, here's one of my tops: baby carrier. With an active toddler and an infant who didn't like to be in a stroller, it would have been tough going without one. Now there's a carrier with foot holds! It's called the Boba Baby Carrier and we're giving you the chance to win one today. Some details about Boba:-- Eco-friendly shell and batting made with certified organic cotton and lined with 100 percent organic Texas cotton. No pesticides or herbicides are used -- ever. -- Carry child from 15 to 45 pounds on the front or…

• 5 "Get Real" Baby Tips for Kourtney Kardashian

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  [slideshow id="139"]

• 
  CafeMom Daily Buzz: Toddler

• Learning to Speak Nanny

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:15 am

  Photo by MomToAnArmyOf3 Pop quiz. Your nanny takes your kid for a haircut. You didn't ask her to and you liked your kid's hair the way it was. What do you do? a. You nicely ask her not to do it again. b. You go ballistic on her. c. You give her a look that you hope she understands to mean please don't do it again.If you answered a, you probably don't have a nanny. If you answered b, you probably don't have a nanny and think that all moms who hire them are like the super bitches depicted in The Nanny Diaries and Nanny Returns. If you answered c, you probably have a nanny. According to Why Moms…

• Planet Awesome Kids: Kid Street Style

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:30 am

  Photo from Planet Awesome Kids Photo from Planet Awesome Kids Being called the Sartorialist for kids, Planet Awesome Kids is celebrating the best kid street style in New York City and around the planet. Check it out. Photo from Planet Awesome Kids Believe your kid has amazing style? You can submit your photos of him/her to be considered for Planet Awesome Kids. Do you have a stylish kid? If so, who picks out and puts together the clothes? Related posts: A 10-Year Old Fashion Designer Tips from Stylish Celebrity Kids How Important Is Organic Kids' Clothing?

• Is It Mean to Hide Holiday Books?

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am

  Photo from Amazon My two-year-old daughter has tons of books and she loves to "read." Here's my problem. We have books that are specific to various holidays—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more. She grows to love these books and wants to read them "off-season."The other night she chose Five Little Pumpkins. I read it to her because it was what she wanted, but it felt weird to be reading her a book about Halloween when Valentine's Day is just around the corner. She's also still very much interested in reading about Frosty and Rudolph. I've tried to hide holiday books but she finds…

• Turn Your Tot's Valentines Into a Cute Placemat

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:50 am

  Photo from Parent Hacks I love anything green—and useful—like this valentine recycling tip from Heather over at Parent Hacks. "Turn your child's valentines into a placement by arranging them between two sheets of clear contact paper. My mom did this with mine when I was a kid—and bow my son is eating off my old valentines from the eighties!" Will you save the valentines your child receives? What will you do with them? Related posts: Do You Buy Your Toddlers Valentine Gifts? Valentines Crafts for Toddlers

• Dad Chains Two-Year-Old to Lamp Post

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  A rickshaw driver in China chained his two-year-old to a lamp post outside a shopping mall so he could pick up customers. Someone took a photo of the boy (you can see at ABC News), which was published in newspapers and on the web. Many people were outraged. Here's the dad's side of the story.Chen Chuanliu said he chained his son to keep him safe from getting lost or kidnapped. He is unable to afford child care—he makes about $7.35 a day from his mini taxi service. Chuanliu's wife is mentally disabled and unable to care for their children. The couple had a four-year-old daughter who went…

• 
  CafeMom Daily Buzz: Big Kid

• Russian Roulette for Kids

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:32 am

  Responding to a recent post on a teacher organizing a fight club in middle school, some CafeMom users had no problem with letting boys duke it out in a supervised, safe school setting. Curious what those moms think about Russian Roulette for kids. The game Kaba Kick has been available in Japan for a while. Surprise surprise it hasn't found its way across US borders yet. That advertisement at left has to win some kind of WTF award. Terrified kid holding a pink gun hippo to his temple like he's seen the actors do in all those R-rated movies his parents let him watch. Yes, this "gadget" is…

• Books Help Obese Girls Lose Weight

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  Photo by rootbeermom Books are the best. I could whittle away the rest of my days curled up with one. The benefits of starting read to your kids at their littlest go on and on. I just can't run out of good things to say about books. Here's another one -- books can actually help overweight adolescent girls shed pounds. A study in the journal Pediatrics tested this out on 81 obese girls. Some girls were given a book featuring an overweight girl who, through her adventures, improves her self-esteem and learns about nutrition and physical activity. Other girls were given a book with similar…

• Teacher Organizes Fight Club

  7 Feb 2010 | 3:51 am

  I'm married to a teacher. I always get the inside scoop. I thought I'd heard it all. Then I read that two New York City teachers organized a fight club for two of their bickering middle schoolers, and I think, well, at least I'll be able to one-up my husband at the dinner table tonight. Unbelievable! The 10 year olds were reportedly fighting over a pencil, according to the Daily News. Instead of trying to help the kids resolve the matter peacefully, like, um, any teacher who wants to keep his job would, he and his aid locked the classroom door, asks the other kids to stand aside, and tells…

• 13 Year Old Accepts USC Football Scholarship

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:09 am

  See this video at CafeMom. Um, is this kid even thinking about college yet? Since he's obviously an amazing quarterback, I guess 13 year old David Sills must appreciate the immensity of being offered a football scholarship to the University of Southern California, an awesome Division 1 school. Still, that's five years away. That's like 50 in teen years. The way I see it, the Bear, Delaware 7th grader should appreciate the benefits he stands to gain from this right now. Most important: dates with any girl of his choosing through the rest of his secondary education. Of course, he's also made…

• Noah Cyrus' Lingerie for Tweens a Big Hoax

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:34 am

  Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty I'm happy to report that Hannah Montana's little sister, Noah Cyrus, and her best bud are NOT designing a tween lingerie line as reported across the web recently. Oh, phew, I was really ready to give up all faith in humanity. According to the Daily Mail, Noah Cyrus, Mylie's pole dancing, mini-skirt wearing sis and the tween's bud Emily Grace Reaves would be teaming up with Ooh! La, La Couture designers to create the "trendy, sweet, yet edgy" Emily Grace Collection just in time for Valentine's Day. But our friends at Parent Dish talked to the owners of Ooh! La,…

• 
  Moms & Dads: A Parenting Blog | Sun-Sentinel Blogs

• Fighting childhood obesity: Maybe it does take a village

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:41 am

  Today, Mrs. Obama announced an effort to combat childhood obesity. It feels like an enormous problem -- no pun intended -- and I hope she can get kids moving and slimming down. (Read about it here.) If any public figure can do it, maybe she can. She's a strong role model: she feeds her kids a healthy vegetable-laden diet, she planted a garden with school kids ... those arms! Full disclosure: My kids are slim, but I'm not about to wag my finger at others. Because I wish I could be as good a role model in my house as Michelle Obama is in the People's House. I do not exercise nearly as much as I…

• Valentine's Day: It's all about matters of the heart

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Valentine's Day is all about romance: chocolates, wine and soft music. Even for parents. In fact, what I learned from my mom, a mother of five children, is that the most important relationship in a family is the one between the adults - the couple, the parents of the household. Their strength enables family stability, mom says. If they're happy as a couple, the family is happy, the kids are secure and the environment is nurturing for everyone. Mom is also very pragmatic. I got that gene from her. So I'd like to take a few minutes here to discuss the business of loving your family. A few years…

• Poll: Is it dangerous to post kid photos and videos online?

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  I read an advice column a while back that suggested it was OK to post videos on YouTube of, say, a children's birthday party, to share with other family members and parents of the kids who attended. Whoa! I'm not over protective, and I do have photos of my kids on Facebook. But I don't think it's OK for an adult to post videos of anyone else's child on YouTube. And I wouldn't post pictures of someone else's child online anywhere. Here's a story in the New York Times that addresses this point. Parents are in wide disagreement about what's OK and what's not. The mom in the story posted photos…

• Results mixed on whether FCAT tutoring works

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:50 am

  In case you missed this story in Monday's Sun Sentinel, staff writer Marc Freeman reports on the usefulness of FCAT tutoring: There are only four weeks left before the reading and math portions of the FCAT — the writing test begins Tuesday — and more than 9,500 struggling students in Palm Beach and Broward counties are each receiving up to $1,500 worth of free tutoring. That adds up to more than $14 million in federal funds that the school districts pay local tutoring firms. But South Florida educators say they aren't sure this tutoring produces smarter students and higher test scores.

• Should parents network at school functions?

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:20 pm

  Let’s face it with the economy the way it is right now landing a good job is not easy. Many, who run their own businesses, have seen traffic slow down. Finding a lead on a job opening can be tough. But should parents see the moms and dads at their child’s school as prospective clients or leads, or should they limit their contact to school related matters only. I can see how this can be touchy. For one, you don’t want to rub a parent the wrong way and make them feel like you only sparked conversation with them to share your unemployment woes. But what’s so wrong with throwing out to…

• 
  Parent Hacks

• links for 2010-02-09

  Asha Dornfest {Parent Hacks}

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

  Free Pretzel Day at Auntie Anne's: February 20, 2010 I can't pass one of these places without getting a pretzel.

• Layer cotton pants and skirts to keep them from falling down

  Asha Dornfest {Parent Hacks}

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:21 am

  You know something good's afoot when kids start coming up with their own hacks. From Bethany: My oldest daughter actually came up with this one! She is really petite and we were given lots hand-me-down cotton pants, leggings, and other pants that lack belt loops. Since I’m not great at sewing I’ve struggled to find a way to keep her pants from falling down. She recently began to layer her clothes – multiple pants/shorts/skirts on all at the same time – and she realized that when she put bloomers on under her pants, the cotton “stuck” to the cotton and her pants no longer fell…

• Skyrest Travel Pillow works well as a kids' travel footrest (no more kicking the seat in front)

  Asha Dornfest {Parent Hacks}

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am

  Dave's got a great idea for solving the "restless feet" problem on road and plane trips: We know of the problems that are caused by children's feet dangling off their car seats. But there are few alternatives on the market and they are expensive and fit few vehicles. The Skyrest Travel Pillow works great in any vehicle. Just turn it upside-down and inflate it to fill the space and reach your child's feet. The bottom is easy care vinyl. No more dangling feet kicking and resting on the back of the front seat. We have noticed our kids are less restless on the long trips.

• links for 2010-02-08

  Asha Dornfest {Parent Hacks}

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

  kidyos - the best of the web for kids Pre-screened videos, games and educational content for 1-6 YO kids. Thanks, Oren! Baby Toolkit: Dock those tails: Streamlining adjustable elastic pants YES! My no-waist daughter always has these thingies sticking out. Thank you, Adrienne (by way of Tracy)! Smart-Bottom Enterprises: Personal ABC Books I always admire when parents put time into projects like these. Thanks for sharing, Darcy! glue sky » Fixing Crazy Action Figure Eyes Hilarious. Sharpies to the rescue! Cook Play Explore: Avoiding Mealtime Battles Interesting...may help some, although in my…

• Life Scoop: Your own personal "events" calendar

  Asha Dornfest {Parent Hacks}

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:30 am

  How do you keep track of the about-town activities you might want to do if you feel like it and have time and noone's sick and... My next post for the Intel-sponsored site Life Scoop shares my solution: a personalized "Possibilities" calendar. Related: Life Scoop: Five ways texting can make your life easier

• 
  Tech Savvy Mama

• System Mechanic Helps Fine Tune Your PC on Clean Out Your Computer Day (w. giveaway)

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Did you know that today, February 9, is Clean Out Your Computer Day? 

Anecdotal evidence demonstrates that many valuable hours are often wasted because of slow computers. Psychological research also documents the negative influences of clutter - digital or otherwise - in our life. Despite this research, few users take time to proactively clean out their computers. Today is the perfect day to jump-start your spring cleaning, remove frustrating clutter and recover lost hours in your days.If you are experiencing problems with your PC, you might want to try System Mechanic from Iolo…

• VTech DS6321-3: Answer Your Cell Phone Anywhere in the House. One Less Reason to Keep Your Landline. (w. giveaway)

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  For the last few years Tech Savvy Daddy has argued that single people who are always on the move have no use for a landline. But if you’ve got a family and a decent sized house, what are you going to do… carry your cell phone around the house 24/7 in your pocket? Then be honest…How many people’s phone numbers do you remember? Sometimes when I want to make a call at home in the evening, I have to go get my cell phone to find the number I want to dial. At that point, I might as well use the cell phone to call them.VTech has a solution to both of the problems that Tech Savvy Daddy has…

• SitterCity and Restaurant.Com Make Going Out a Little Easier & More Affordable

  7 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Tech Savvy Daddy and I are the worst about hiring a sitter for a night out. For the longest time our high school sitters told us that we needed to go out more because they wanted to babysit at night. Now these great sitters who are fabulous at handling the nighttime routine for Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer will be graduating in the spring and heading off to college.Finding someone to replace our 2 über-sitters is no easy task. Neighbors hoarde the names of their sitters and I don’t have the time or to interview and hold playdates to see who clicks with our kids. In fact, it…

• Tweeting and Facebooking to Survive the DC Blizzard

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:49 am

  This morning I woke up and did what any good blogger would do would do- did a little happy dance that our power stayed on through the night and then started using social media to Tweet, blog, and update my friends on Facebook about the DC area blizzard.The conversation that I had with friends over coffee while at my computer this morning was far more satisfying that starting to clear the 24"+ of snow outside our house.As Joanne Bamberger (aka @PunditMom) said:Then further justifed by Jean from Stimeyland:And as you can tell, conventional means of conversing are just not our style!I'm so…

• Suave Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes w. Daily Giveaways

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

  I know I have lots of loyal readers who are dedicated to entering all of my fabulous giveaways so I wanted to give you a chance to win daily prizes thanks to the Suave Wash Them Grow Sweepstakes.The sweepstakes is part of the Suave Kids® Wash Them Grow campaign that encourages parents to recognize your child's bath time routine as an opportunity to teach, nurture and transition your child through the stages of growth and cleansing. Suave products are affordable and best of all, made for kids' sensitive skin. All of the products are ophthalmologist-tested and tear-free.Poor Captain Computer…

• 
  Earnest Parenting

• The Tooth Fairy Almost Made Me Cry

  Amy

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:19 pm

  Hubby took the boys and me to a movie this evening, specifically Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne Johnson. Wow. We really enjoyed the story! I knew from the previews to expect humor; I was surprised by the message the movie sent. In the movie, washed-up hockey player Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) has lost his ability to believe in himself and manages to kill kids’ dreams whenever he talks to them. Thompson plays pro hockey, but hasn’t actually taken a shot at a goal in 9 years. He’s summoned to work as a tooth fairy for 2 weeks and in the process, learns a thing or two about…

• FFYF: Googly Eyes Edition

  Amy

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:29 pm

  Welcome to Friday, Internets! Sorry I’ve been quiet this week…have been dealing with the knee injury and it has been taking more of my time and attention than I’d prefer. Still no diagnosis due to swelling, but hopefully next week things will be clearer. Or healed. Healed would be nice. In the meantime, how about a giggle courtesy of Captain Earthquake? I was working on a craft this evening and the Captain was kind enough to help with the gluing. He asked to have some of the materials and I agreed. A few minutes later, TechnoBoy asked, “What’s wrong with your…

• We’re Working on that “Getting Along” Thing

  Amy

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:04 am

  Growing up, I didn’t get along well with my brother. Two years younger than me, we were constantly competing for attention and the rivalry was pretty intense. Seriously intense. I hated him with passion, and it wasn’t until we were both out of the house and on our own that we made peace and became friends. Having that much contention in the home is something both Hubby and I want very much to avoid, so we work very hard to encourage our boys to get along with each other. I was very pleasantly surprised when the younger ones were born at how wonderful the older ones were as…

• FFYF: Mom Down Edition

  Amy

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:02 pm

  Happy Friday, Internets! I hope everyone’s well today. Me personally? I managed to fall on the big ski trip (first time down the hill, even!) and wrenched my knee. Sooooo, I’m spending today resting quietly. We all went through ski school in the morning, then I spent a half hour trying to convince Captain Earthquake to go up on the bigger hill with us. He skied down it fine last year, but really wasn’t willing to try this time. I was anxious for him to go because skiing it successfully meant earning a pass to ride on the ski lift. Hubby finally convinced him to go. I went up…

• Be Surprising

  Amy

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:08 pm

  Last year at this time the boys and I went skiing for the very first time ever in our whole lives. Our neighbors’ private school was having a field trip and invited us to join. It was a fantastic trip! The only downside was the 12 months of begging to go again. Skiing is extremely expensive, plus we live far from a slope so I didn’t manage another trip. There has been much begging. And complaining. Sunday night Hubby took a call from the neighbors inviting us to the slopes for a similar trip. We’re going to go tomorrow, and the really cool part is we were able to keep it a…

• 
  Radical Parenting

• Pursuing Passions: An Opportunity in Playwriting

  Vanessa Van Petten

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Nina Harada is an actor, writer, blogger, artist and RadicalParenting intern manager! She is an LA native with a passion for the arts. As a producer with her production team, PianoFight, she hopes to build an artistic community in her hometown bringing together art, music, theater, film and more. Vanessa recently wrote a post on the top weirdest teen trend predictions for 2010. The first one is not as much weird as it is awesome! I’d never heard of it until I read this post. It’s called “Daylighting”, which means taking a day job to supplement your living from your…

• How to Beat the Mid-winter Blues

  Intern

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Laura is a 17-year-old from Ontario, Canada. She enjoys reading, traveling, and music. In her free time, she loves watching Friends reruns. It’s cold and damp outside. The holidays are over and there won’t be another holiday from school until spring break which feels like ages away. No one gets excited when it snows; it no longer puts them in a Christmas mood. It just means another day that includes the inconvenience of having to dig your way out of the driveway so you can drive or walk without getting plastered with snow. Poor driving conditions or fear of cold weather keeps you inside…

• 2-5-2010 Articles for Parents This Week

  Vanessa Van Petten

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Hello Readers! This week we are heading to Portland for some events with Parents and Teens and just left San Diego for a great parenting conference. Top Articles: I think I am really bad at… Help Vanessa make RadicalParenting even better this year, by telling us what you want to see more of! Book Review: Frog or Prince? By Kaycee Jane Fun dating advice that can double as a girls night, bonding over similar frog or prince stories and dilemmas discussed in the book. 10 Weirdest Trends for Teens in 2010 Vanessa makes her predictions for the top strangest trends teens will follow this year.

• Advice for Teen Entrepreneurs

  Vanessa Van Petten

  4 Feb 2010 | 6:14 am

  Click here to view the embedded video. David Garland at Rise to the Top shares some awesome advice for teen entrepreneurs.  If you are a teen or twenty something entrepreneur you MUST subscribe to his website and Twitter feed.  He puts out an astounding amount of videos and free information. This is an interview I did with the amazing David Garland who runs Rise to the Top a website and show that helps entrepreneurs and business people be successful and happy with their careers.  All of his videos have fabulous advice and I was honored when he asked me to do an interview about my business,…

• What Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Sibling Rivalry

  Intern

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Stephanie is a writing intern for Radical Parenting. She is a high school sophomore residing in New Jersey with hopes of further developing her writing career. She took her shirt. He embarrassed him in front of his friends. Simple little actions like these can set off brothers and sisters just like that. You know what I’m talking about – the pouting, the eye-rolling, the insults, the blaming, the (hopefully not!) kicking and screaming… Then there comes a point in time during our raucous fighting where you, the parent, feel the need to step in and act as a referee. And don’t get me…

• 
  Have Kids Will Travel

• Savoring the Simple Pleasures of Paris

  Catherine

  14 Jan 2010 | 2:00 pm

  Aimie O’Shaughnessy, editor of the wonderful Ciao Bambino, recently tapped my shoulder to write a guest post for their Paris Week feature. It doesn’t take much to convince me to reminisce about my family’s summer in Paris. That city has a way of gripping you and seeping into your soul so that it is never [...]

• The Final Frontier is Open for Business

  Catherine

  11 Dec 2009 | 7:03 pm

  Bored of the beach? Tired of the ski hills? Already visited the great cities, seven wonders and hotspots around the world? Here’s a cure for the been-there-done-that blues: space travel! Yup, space tourism has finally become a reality where regular folk like you and I can blast off beyond the stratosphere, experience the thrill of zero [...]

• Getting Along While Aloft

  Catherine

  7 Dec 2009 | 8:00 am

  A recent decision by Southwest Airlines to eject a mother and toddler from a flight because the kid was being too noisy has reignited an age-old debate about traveling with children. How to deal with unruly kids, and who’s responsible for managing what can be a testy situation at the best of times? Flying with a [...]

• Enough With the Whining About Kids on Planes

  Catherine

  4 Dec 2009 | 7:12 am

  Everyone loves to knock airline travel. The bland (or non-existent) food, lack of legroom, lost luggage and security hassles are all ripe joke fodder, but there’s one subject that generates more punch than punchline. Kids on a plane. This topic has been in the hot seat yet again due to the recent headlines about Southwest Airlines [...]

• TravelKiddy Has It All in the Bag

  Catherine

  1 Dec 2009 | 8:13 pm

  I was just diving into some research for a post on kids’ travel toys and activities when I stumbled upon a company that puts together great compact yet comprehensive kits for this purpose – TravelKiddy. Now, there are quite a lot of travel packs for children out there in the stores and available online, but most [...]

• 
  parenting-blogs « WordPress.com Tag Feed

• Sue Scheff: McKay Scholarship - Does Your Child Qualify?

  suescheff

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:20 am

  Usually at this time of the year and progress reports are coming out for the first half of the second semester. Parents are reviewing their child’s academic progress and if their school is meeting their needs. In Florida, the McKay Scholarship is offered to students that may have some difficulties academically where they are attending.  What is the McKay Scholarship? The John M. McKay Scholarship Program allows parents of students with disabilities to choose the best learning environment for their children. The parent of a Florida public school student who is dissatisfied with the…

• Parents Universal Resource Experts - Sue Scheff: The Choking Game

  suescheff

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  G.A.S.P. – Games Adolescents Shouldn’t Play is a very serious concern for parents everywhere. The Choking Game is a misunderstood activity causing death and suffering for thousands of families worldwide. It often begins with high-achieving teens choking each other as a way to get high without the risk of getting caught with drugs or alcohol. It ends with thousands of kids dying or suffering permanent brain damage each year. Part of being an educated parent is learning about prevention of dangerous activities, such as the Choking Game. Prevention within your own family begins with…

• Parents Universal Resource Experts - Sue Scheff: iPad and Your Teen

  suescheff

  6 Feb 2010 | 4:01 am

  Apple’s Steve Jobs recently launched the iPad, displaying the many capabilities that this latest gadget can perform. Reminiscent of an iPhone, only larger, the iPad has practical applications for the gadget loving teens.  Even colleges students will fall in love with this latest tech system. The iPad offers a wide variety of features that will delight and make life surfing and studying with more ease. One benefit of the iPad it the ability for organized note taking, especially for those busy High School Juniors and Seniors that are crunching to get their college applications in and…

• Sue Scheff: F-Word in Florida Education

  suescheff

  6 Feb 2010 | 3:55 am

  Every February, parents and students alike cringe when they hear that dreaded four-letter word – FCAT. What exactly is the FCAT?  According tot he Florida Department of Education, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or FCAT, is part of the state’s overall place to increase student achievement by implementing higher standards.  The FCAT, administered to students in Grades 3-11, consists of criterion-referenced tests (CRT) in mathematics, reading, science, and writing, which measure student progress toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) benchmarks. Because the…

• Sue Scheff: Teens and the iPad

  suescheff

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:47 am

  Apple’s Steve Jobs recently launched the iPad, displaying the many capabilities that this latest gadget can perform. Reminiscent of an iPhone, only larger, the iPad has practical applications for the gadget loving teens.  Even colleges students will fall in love with this latest tech system. The iPad offers a wide variety of features that will delight and make life surfing and studying with more ease. One benefit of the iPad it the ability for organized note taking, especially for those busy High School Juniors and Seniors that are crunching to get their college applications in and…

• 
  mummifiedtimesfive.net

• To clean or not to clean

  Tina

  9 Feb 2010 | 1:19 am

  Do you clean your teenager’s bedroom? William has his own bedroom and Tiesha and Madeline share a bedroom. All three of them complain when I go in there to clean up their rooms because “we can’t find anything once you’ve been in here!” You’d think that, with the way they carried on, they were going to run out and get identity theft protection against me or something! I’m surprised that they can find anything at all at the best of times! I’ve tried leaving it thinking they’ll do it on their own when they can’t see the carpet anymore. I’ve tried just shutting their doors…

• Shake it, baby!

  Tina

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:44 pm

  A box of Biggest Loser meal replacements. A half box of Celebrity Slim. And a few sachets of KicStart. That is what I found in my pantry and so I’m starting today on a “liquid diet”. I had one of the KicStart ones this morning for breakfast and thanks to a fellow blogger, I have a list of “free food” that I can eat while on the KicStart plan. Going to stock up on diet jelly and lots of vegies. Feeling optimistic and inspired Technorati Tags: kicstart,weight loss,vlcd

• Flattening my tummy using the Ab Circle Pro

  Tina

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:25 pm

  We’ve seen the ad for the ab circle pro on tv a few hundred times and each time we discussed whether it would be any good for us. We both have bad backs – Bill more so than me – so doing sit ups and crunches is too painful of an option so we needed to find something that would still work but be a little more kinder on our backs. I’m participating in a 12 week weight loss challenge at We Are Slimming at the moment and I thought I’d make use of the ab circle pro as part of my daily routine instead of the many weight loss products I’ve bought and found were a waste of money! It was…

• Putting it out there

  Tina

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:39 pm

  Starting…again! One of these days I will get rid of this excess weight and keep it off! Bill and I bought one of those ab circle pro things and have both been using it daily. I’ll be blogging my thoughts about it soon In the mean time, I’m scrapping my weight loss journey – a page a month, me thinks. Had some free time yesterday so (instead of decrapifying the bathroom like I was going to because I happened to find prenatal vitamins in the bottom of the bathroom cupboard and I haven’t been pregnant for nearly 3 years!) I decided to do some scrapping while it was quiet…..

• 17 years

  Tina

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:11 pm

  That is the number of years Bill and I have been married…almost….our anniversary is on Friday. Why so close to Valentine’s Day, you ask? Is it because Bill is such a romantic and wanted to get married on Valentine’s Day but it happened to fall on a weekday that year? Nope! Is it because with all the hype of Valentine’s Day, it would remind him each year of our anniversary? Maybe! LOL Or maybe it was that I had decided that there was no way I was going into hospital to have our second child and still not be married to him? Yep! We got married while I was 8 months pregnant with…

• 
  Blisstree » Parenting

• Are Your Youngsters Becoming Too Public?

  Mary Emma Allen

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:47 am

  Is privacy becoming an attitude of the past? Does the younger generation have a different version of privacy than yours?  When I see all these young people posting private messages and candid photos on social media outlets, I wonder if they realize what some of the ramifications can be.   Often the information is what we would have whispered in secret to our best friend.  Nowadays, it’s made public for all one’s friends and often friends of friends, which translates into strangers.  In some cases, I’ve even seen parents commenting on these private messages which seems…

• Communicating with Your Youngsters

  Mary Emma Allen

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:16 am

  When I was young, we didn’t think of it in terms of parents developing communication with their youngsters, of the necessity of Dad and Mom being on our wave length.  It was our job to understand their messages, directions and, yes, commands.  Were our feelings hurt sometimes?  Did we have misunderstandings?  Did we wish we didn’t have to do some of our farm chores?  Yes, to all of these.  But this prepared us for life, when those in the “outside” world might not take the time to consider our feelings before they spoke and the effects of their words afterwards.

• The Valentine’s Fairy

  Marye Audet

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:45 pm

  When I was growing up my parents liked to celebrate everything. Rarely did I just get a toy or gift bought for me … it was usually presented wrapped, bowed, and in honor of a special day.. First Tuesday in March Day, for example. Me, at age 6... 1966 Valentine’s Day was a big deal. It was celebrated in a big way with a special dinner and at some point during the evening the Valentine’s Fairy would sneak in and leave gifts for me to find. It was never anything  big but the idea of having a fantasy creature leave me gifts was magical. When I asked Dad about it later, as an…

• NY Elementary Teacher Encouraged Fighting

  Eliza Ferree

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:05 am

  Two teachers (a teacher and the aide) are under a lot of heat after a parent overheard a conversation his 10-year-old was having with a friend while they played video games. What could’ve been so bad? The kids were talking about how they were told to fight in class and it was all coming from a teacher. The father catching wind of this story investigated further, making his boy tell him exactly what had went on and how the teacher was involved. News sites are reporting that the teacher told students: “Close the door, clear out the desks and stand back.” At this point the…

• Faith Healing Parents Guilty in Son’s Death

  Mary Emma Allen

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  A couple in Portland, OR have been found guilty of criminally negligent homicide,  in the death of their 16-year old son.  Scales of justice image: sxc.hu  Apparently, they are members of a church that believes in prayer instead of modern medicine.  So they refused the use of a catheter for complications in a urinary tract infection their son experienced. Other situations have been in the news where parents either have had legal action taken against them because they refused medical treatment of their children or disagreed with what doctors recommended.  In some cases, the children have…

• 
  Raising A Healthy Family

• Menu Plan Monday – February 8

  Char

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:00 pm

  So we got slammed with snow this weekend and spent plenty of together time over the past few days. I’m pretty convinced the kids will not have school most of the week as the roads are still bad, people are without power and the schools are pretty low on the priority list in our area. We did a good grocery shopping late last week with a rough menu in mind. Now that I have had a chance to really assess what we have, I have the menu for the week ready: Monday – Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy with broccoli Tuesday – Broccoli and cheese quiche with apple turnovers for…

• Quick Valentine Dessert – Cupids Cloud

  Char

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:32 am

  After a recent swim meet where they were serving “Dirt Cups”, my daughter has become obsessed with creating her own gelatin/pudding creations and giving them crazy names. Here is her creation from yesterday – Cupid’s Cloud. What you need: Clear plastic cups or parfait glasses (since the kids did these on their own, plastic was my first choice) Two packages of strawberry or other red gelatin Cool whip or other whipped topping Candy hearts for the top (optional) How to assemble Cupid’s Cloud: Prepare the gelatin using the “Jigglers” recipe on the box.

• All Things Family Blog Carnival – 1st Edition

  Char

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:11 am

  Welcome to the new All Things Family Blog Carnival. The weekly roundup of some of the best family friendly articles, tips and ideas from around the web will be hosted at a different site giving you the opportunity to find plenty of new reads! Pour yourself a cup of tea, kick back and enjoy the following submissions to this week’s carnival. Let’s Get Creative Heather presents Make an Eight-Dollar Playhouse posted at Dollar Store Crafts and how to Make Felted Sweater Mittens posted at Croq Zine – The Blog. CraftFail highlights projects that just didn’t quite turn out…

• Menu Plan Monday – January 25

  Char

  25 Jan 2010 | 6:06 am

  It was another busy weekend for us but I still took the time to plan my menu for the week. My goal this week is to use up as much as I can that we already have and not do a major grocery shopping trip. Monday - Spaghetti and meatballs with a tossed salad Tuesday – Sloppy Joe’s, baked fries, raw carrots/celery with dip Wednesday – Shredded chicken tacos, beans and rice Thursday – Turkey and Cheese rollups on a tortilla and vegetable soup Friday – Pizza and salad Need more inspiration?Feel free to check out my Menu Plan Monday archives or head over to Laura’s at…

• 3 Tips for Dealing with Dry Winter Air

  Char

  16 Jan 2010 | 5:40 am

  I don’t know about you, but between the dry winter air and the dry air created by the fireplace and our heater everyone in our house is beginning to crack – literally! Our skin, our noses, our lips – it’s horrible. I know it is like this in the winter, but for some reason this winter seems worse than usual so it’s time to take some more preventative measures. Here are three easy things you can do to ease the effects of dry winter air on your family: Increase your water intake – yep, give your body a little help from the inside out. Make sure the kids are…

• 
  gspn.tv » Full Time Mom

• 113 Full Time Mom – Getting My Nose Pierced

  Cliff Ravenscraft

  22 Jan 2010 | 3:49 pm

  Full Time Mom Podcast Episode 113 Getting My Nose Pierced Right-Click Here To Download You can follow Stephanie and Sarah on Twitter using the following links: http://Twitter.com/FullTimeMom http://Twitter.com/FTMSarah Also, you can leave feedback for the show on our voice mail hotline by calling 859-795-4067. Note: The Full Time Mom podcast is recorded on a weekly basis and made available to gspn.tv Plus Members on the new gspn.tv Plus Feed for the Full Time Mom podcast. However, those subscribed to the free feed will only receive an episode about once per month. If you want to receive every…

• 111 Full Time Mom – All You Have To Do Is Tweet!

  Cliff Ravenscraft

  28 Dec 2009 | 11:04 am

  Full Time Mom Podcast Episode 111 All You Have To Do Is Tweet! Right-Click Here To Download You can follow Stephanie and Sarah on Twitter using the following links: http://Twitter.com/FullTimeMom http://Twitter.com/FTMSarah Also, you can leave feedback for the show on our voice mail hotline by calling 859-795-4067. Note: The Full Time Mom podcast is recorded on a weekly basis and made available to gspn.tv Plus Members on the new gspn.tv Plus Feed for the Full Time Mom podcast. However, those subscribed to the free feed will only receive an episode about once per month. If you want to receive…

• 106 Full Time Mom – I Turned Into That Mom

  Cliff Ravenscraft

  10 Nov 2009 | 3:48 am

  Full Time Mom Podcast Episode 106 I Turned Into That Mom Right-Click Here To Download Note: The Full Time Mom podcast is recorded on a weekly basis and made available to gspn.tv Plus Members on the new gspn.tv Plus Feed for the Full Time Mom podcast. However, those subscribed to the free feed will only receive an episode about once per month. If you want to receive every episode of the Full Time Mom podcast, please visit http://gspn.tv/plus to learn how to become a gspn.tv Plus Member. Thanks For Subscribing To The Full Time Mom Podcast: Plus Members Subscribe Using Plus Feed Generator.

• 105 Full Time Mom – I Know You Could Have Died But You Didnt

  Cliff Ravenscraft

  25 Oct 2009 | 4:25 pm

  Full Time Mom Podcast Episode 105 I Know You Could Have Died But You Didn’t Right-Click Here To Download Note: The Full Time Mom podcast is recorded on a weekly basis and made available to gspn.tv Plus Members on the new gspn.tv Plus Feed for the Full Time Mom podcast. However, those subscribed to the free feed will only receive an episode about once per month. If you want to receive every episode of the Full Time Mom podcast, please visit http://gspn.tv/plus to learn how to become a gspn.tv Plus Member. Thanks For Subscribing To The Full Time Mom Podcast: Plus Members Subscribe Using…

• 102 Full Time Mom – Fight For Your Marriage

  Cliff Ravenscraft

  5 Oct 2009 | 7:33 pm

  Full Time Mom Podcast Episode 102 Fight For Your Marriage Right-Click Here To Download Note: The Full Time Mom podcast is recorded on a weekly basis and made available to gspn.tv Plus Members on the new gspn.tv Plus Feed for the Full Time Mom podcast. However, those subscribed to the free feed will only receive an episode about once per month. If you want to receive every episode of the Full Time Mom podcast, please visit http://gspn.tv/plus to learn how to become a gspn.tv Plus Member. Thanks For Subscribing To The Full Time Mom Podcast: Plus Members Subscribe Using Plus Feed Generator.

• 
  FreeRangeKids

• Throwing “What to Expect” Across the Room

  lskenazy

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:02 am

  Hi Readers — I just loved this comment to the “Driven Crazy by Pregnancy Perfectionists” post. And her phrase to describe the over-the-top precautions mom-to-be are advised to take — “mindless acts of pointless martyrdom”  – is so wonderful, it deserves to be embroidered on a million Baby Boppies. Voila: Dear Free-Range Kids: I literally threw What [...]

• Hey Kids! What To Do If You Are Trapped in A Trunk by Your Local Madman!

  lskenazy

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:01 pm

  Hi Readers: As a Free-Range parent I believe in preparing kids to be independent and safe. Just as we teach them to “Stop, drop and roll!” in the unlikely event they’re ever on fire, it makes sense to teach them to yell, kick and run in the equally unlikely event some creep tries to grab [...]

• Should a Teen Who Forwards a Sext Land on Sex Offender Registry?

  lskenazy

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:33 am

  No, says the dad of the boy in question. Here’s the story: Boy #1, age 14, had a girlfriend who sent him a nude picture of herself. Then he and the girl broke up and he, repulsively, forwarded the photo to kids at three other schools. It seems that some of the kids who got the [...]

• You Will Love This! Yay, Kid!

  lskenazy

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:36 am

  A five-year-old calls 911 when her daddy can’t breathe. Here’s the story, as seen on the Bonnie Hunt Show. A reminder to all of us: 1 – Teach your kids about 911. 2 – Remember what kids are capable of! They can rise to the occasion! (Let’s just hope the kid doesn’t get her own reality show and [...]

• Interesting Stories I’ve Tweeted in the Past 24 Hours

  lskenazy

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:53 am

  Hi Readers! I get a lot of amazing material throughout the day and when I can’t think of anything particular to add in the way of a blog post,  I just Tweet them. It finally dawned on me that maybe I should share those Tweets right here, because not everyone is a  Twitter-type. So here [...]

• 
  The Imperfect Parent

• Mominatrix

  Kristen Chase

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Sex and music are intimately bound so it's no surprise that someone decided to connect them almost literally in what could be deemed "The Music Lover's Sex Toys" or as they're known in the sex business, OhMiBod. These super smart toys allow iPod (and iPhone) users to raise the pleasure ante with toys that vibrate to the pulse of your music.   And as a connoisseur of music and sex separately and together, I jumped at the chance to try out the new OhMiBod Freestyle, courtesy of Eden Fantasys. Now if you're thinking that the OhMiBod is just another schticky gag toy, you're wrong.

• 2010: A Sexual Resolution - Complete

  mominatrix

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  Congratulations for completing all 31 challenges, or at least sticking around to watch the madness. It's been an exciting month - not just because we've done a sexually-related activity for every day this month, but even better, we've made some great strides in our own sexuality and in that of our relationships. Plus, it's been fabulous meeting a whole slew of new people that I would never have met before. If you're wondering what's next, stay tuned: A valentine's Day Gift Guide "I'm a Mominatrix" interviews Mominatrix book tour stops Mom 2.0 Speaking engagement BlogHer 2010 Speaking…

• Scott Roeder Guilty In Abortion Provider's Death

  Kris

  30 Jan 2010 | 11:27 am

  Last May, Dr. George Tiller was gunned down by a pro-life activist in Sunday church. Yesterday the activist, Scott Roeder, was convicted of Dr. Tiller's murder. A Kansas jury deliberated just 37 minutes before convicting an anti-abortion activist of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of an abortion provider. Roeder says he has no regrets concerning his actions and justifies them by claiming he killed Dr. Tiller to "save lives". Prosecutors initially fought to keep abortion out of the trial, claiming that Tiller's death was a straightforward case of premeditated murder. Tiller was no…

• I do you, You do me

  mominatrix

  30 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  Well now, I hope that all parties involved were pleased yesterday, and you're ready to tackle Challenge #30 today. I must say that I am so appreciative of all the emails and the comments about how the 2010: A Sexual Resolution has helped you. We're going to keep it up and running (well, not the daily blogging part - but the 30 challenges) so that if folks missed out for January, they can try it for February (or beyond). If you're looking to find me after this month is over, you can listen to my weekly Mominatrix podcast (or download it via iTunes so you can listen to it later on) and read my…

• Teach your students well

  mominatrix

  29 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  So folks - I'm hoping your feed readers and twitter followers are stocked full of sexy bloggers. Who knew you'd be doing that with a Sexual Resolution? Everyone thought we'd be pounding it hard all month long. I suppose Challenge #29 is a bit more expected, but still exciting nonetheless. I wonder - who's the better giver and who's the better receiver in your duo. Now a few of you noticed that I've been tweeting "only one more challenge left." And it's true. I'm only going to do 30 official challenges. It just sounds better for people to do 30 than 31 if they want to try again on another…

• 
  Graco Heart to Heart Blog

• Pinkalicious Nautilus

  Melissa Parlaman

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:12 pm

  As a mom of an almost 4-year-old girl, my house is exploding with pink. Pink clothes, pink sheets, pink stuffed animals, pink cars, pink tutus…you name, I have it. The one pink thing that I did not have is a pink car seat. Pudding Pop is now at the age that she thinks her car seat is a “baby seat” since she sees her little sister in her car seat. So, in order to get around this (and to add some color to my back seat), I got a pink Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat (in the Miley fashion to be exact). I was shocked by how excited PP got when she saw the box. She jumped up & down…

• Staying Connected with My Kids as They Grow

  Karen Hartzell

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pm

  For a parent, feeling immediately bonded with your newborn is not something that should be taken for granted. It’s sometimes not as easy as 1-2-3. Happily there are plenty of ideas out there to share if someone is looking for help. There are ideas to promote bonding between both parents and baby here and here, but it can also be as simple as a massage with sweet smelling baby lotion, wearing your baby in a sling, or taking a stroll in a face to face stroller. As babies grow into toddlers, they take on a new persona of independence. They start wanting to try and walk, feed themselves, get…

• Becoming a Brother Isn’t Always Easy

  Kelly Voelker

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:18 pm

  Thanks so much to our friend Tiffany over at Lattes and Life for this adorable post! Make sure you pay her a visit and check out more great stories like this one. Growing up an only child I often wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. Someone to play with, argue with, plot crazy schemes with. Someone who would have my back as we grew older, and be my confidant. Being an only child was very lonely, especially since I was raised by a single mom. Because of my experience I knew I wanted more than one child when the time came. I wanted my kids to experience the camaraderie and…

• Bundles, Bumps & Babies! #1

  Donna Donnelly

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:06 pm

  Today we’d like to introduce the first of our “Bundles, Bumps & Babies” series – a new little bundle of joy who arrived exactly two weeks ago! Congrats to new daddy Brian Ashton, Finance Leader at Graco. She’s just beautiful! We’ve been having so much fun on Wednesdays, sharing wondrous moments of our Graco family’s children and friends in our weekly “Wondrous Wednesday” blog posts. And it seems like our readers have too, because we’ve gotten a lot of questions asking, “Can you put my baby on the blog too!?” Our Graco Blog team thought it…

• Face-to-Face Time to Connect with Baby in the New Alano FlipIt

  Melissa Parlaman

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:47 pm

  I love working here at Graco for many reasons..but being able to try new products definitely tops the list on why I love it here. Recently, I received the Alano FlipIt for my little daughter, Pinkie Pie. The Alano FlipIt stroller is one our newest strollers to hit the market–and one of my favorite innovative features about this product is the reversible (and adjustable!) handle. When Pudding Pop was Pinkie Pie’s age, I used a traditional stroller (baby faces out). Now with Pinkie Pie, I had the chance to use a stroller which gives you the option to face your baby while strolling…

• 
  Family Of Five

• There's no such thing as a bad year

  Gerard

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:43 am

  It must be said - since about April last year a ton of things have gone horribly wrong for us. We've been worried about money, whether we can continue to run a home business. My father was diagnosed with cancer and died. Phew, that should have been the worst thing to happen, right? Wrong. After the funeral, my mother and youngest sister went to mush and remain that way. Instead of being comforted by the show of support from my father's sisters and brothers, they spent more time criticising and bitching about them, which was distressing to hear. read more

• An epic tantrum!

  Gerard

  30 Jan 2010 | 6:44 am

  Rachel had a memorably epic meltdown a couple of days ago. We'd gone to one of the local outlet shopping centers where there's a Subway that we frequent. Afterward, we let the kids run round the pirate park for a while to burn off some of that excess energy. Before we went, Lisa and I wanted to pop into Next to look at a few new clothes - you know how the children always come first in clothes shopping when everything you own is misshapen and ugly. Time to buy a couple of new shirts. read more

• Daniel and the wrist-slashing incident

  Gerard

  21 Jan 2010 | 7:36 am

  Right, let’s talk about the night of 1st July 2009 and the bloody, wrist-slashing adventure that ensued. We’d only buried my father at the weekend, and with that rather large event behind us, there was suddenly a metric ton of paperwork to take care of. Notifying all the various companies he had accounts with, getting utility bills transferred into The Mother’s name and dealing with a few legal matters. Not to mention the insurance claim for their disastrous trip to Lourdes. read more

• Poem by Anthony Browne!

  bayard

  20 Jan 2010 | 7:50 am

  read more

• Cancer everywhere

  Gerard

  16 Dec 2009 | 8:50 am

  Let's come straight out and say it: Lisa's mother has been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. The events that led up to this have been unfolding over the past month, and a fairly concrete diagnosis came something over a week or a fortnight ago. Lisa, naturally, was devastated. She didn't help herself much by doing some web research into the survival rates and details of the disease. Seems Ovarian Cancer is dubbed the 'silent killer'... read more

• 
  UnchartedParent.com

• The Right Kind of Red Tape

  Tracy Hahn-Burkett

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

  By now, everyone who isn’t living under a rock has heard about the American group from the New Life Children’s Refuge that was arrested trying to whisk thirty-three alleged orphans out of Haiti following last month’s devastating earthquake.  The Haitian government is furious and has charged ten of the Americans, who admit they did not go through official procedures or assemble the required documentation, with kidnapping.  The missionaries claim that they were just trying to do the right thing.  But as it turns out, many of the children they tried to bring across the border into the…

• The REALLY Icky Conversations

  Tracy Hahn-Burkett

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:37 am

  I’ve blogged a fair amount lately about conversations we need to have with our kids.  We need to talk to them about how babies are made and when we think it’s okay to have sex.  We need to warn them about drugs and equip them to make good choices when they’re faced with tough situations.  We need to educate them about racism, sexism, anti-name-your-religionisms, homophobia and a myriad of ways human beings seek to devalue other human beings.  There is a world full of dangers out there, and as parents, we need to swallow hard and talk to our kids to prepare them as best we can for…

• Repeat: How A Kid Says “I Love You”

  Tracy Hahn-Burkett

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:50 am

  Today’s post is a slightly edited, repeat offering for About.com’s February blog carnival on the topic of love.  Read through it for a reminder of the diverse ways our kids tell us they love us. Then, starting tomorrow, you can click on the link above to find out what other bloggers have to say on this Valentine’s Day-inspired topic. _________________________ Four-and-a-half year old “Emmie” has been glued to my side all week due to her cold-flu-whatever-the-heck-it-is, and she’s made it clear that despite feeling icky, she’s loved spending this much time with me. I’ve been…

• Dangerous Definitions?

  Tracy Hahn-Burkett

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

  I like to consider myself a fairly open-minded person.  But some people and some situations are just so ridiculous that they deserve to be called out unequivocally and immediately.  So let’s not waste any time in giving this week’s Unbelievable Ignoramuses Prize to the Menifee Union School District in southern California. What has the district done to deserve such notoriety?  Menifee Union decided, upon prompting by a complaining elementary school parent, to do a little book-banning.  To be more specific: they banned the dictionary for including “age-inappropriate” words.  The…

• Trying to Raise a Reader

  Tracy Hahn-Burkett

  26 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

  “Don’t force it,” the little voice in my brain whispers.  “Don’t push.  You made a suggestion and it was rejected.  Just shut up and walk away.” We each have a little voice in our heads that warns us to do what is smart instead of the thing we long to do.  Lately, my little voice has been working overtime, popping up constantly to warn me not to push eight-year-old “Jack” to read books. Jack was an early reader.  He began reading in earnest before he was five-and-a-half and has read several grades above his chronological age ever since.  He spent his first few months as…

• 
  The Parenting Weblog

• Seen that? - Bullying in School

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:18 pm

  Bullying in School The Parenting Weblog Bullying is a problem that I wouldn't wany my child -- nor, someone else's child -- to experience. boys directly bully other kids by taunting, hitting or threatening them. Bullying by girls are done ...

• Of Kindergartens, Spring Cleaning and Full Color Brochures

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:19 pm

  © dusk-photographyMy youngest child will attend kindergarten soon, and though I do feel some anxiety, I can't deny how much I'm looking forward to having a bit more "me" time again. Actually, it's not so much as having time for myself, really, but just having the chance to do tasks alone. Perhaps I can finally launch a major spring cleaning and give the entire house a much needed clean-up without the "help" from my well-meaning daughter. Perhaps I can finally organize our bills, receipts, ...

• Seen that? - Pregnancy Beauty Tips by Bobbi Brown

  27 Jan 2010 | 6:18 pm

  Pregnancy Beauty Tips by Bobbi Brown The Parenting Weblog I walked like a duck, ate like a tasmanian devil, snored like a pig, farted like a cow and looked very much like an Asian version of the Goodyear blimp...That was my ...

• Product Recall: Diane Crib by Cara Mia Furniture

  18 Jan 2010 | 5:55 pm

  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary recall of Drop Side Cribs Recalled by Cara Mia Furniture due to fall and entrapment hazards. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Diane Crib Units: About 1,000 Distributors: Caramia Furniture and Mother Hubbard Cupboard's, of Ontario, Canada Hazard: The slats on the cribs drop-side can detach from the top and bottom rails, posing fall and entrapment hazards to the child. Incidents/Injuries: The firm ...

• Seen that? - Circumcision

  14 Jan 2010 | 6:18 pm

  Circumcision The Parenting Weblog To circumcise or not? A lot of you may take it for granted since everyone else around you have their sons circumcised. However, if you live in a country (like Germany) where people look in horror ...

• 
  ModernMom.com Recent Articles

• Sugar Mommas’ SWEETHEART Pretzels

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  These pretzel treats are a perfect activity to get the kids involved. Pretzels and chocolate - I think those are two staples in a kids’ life, aren’t they? I could not keep my son away if I tried. Once these treats are assembled and cooled, we put them in cello bags and tied them with a decorative ribbon. My kids can’t wait to give their gourmet gifts to teachers, grandparents, and friends.

• Sugar Mommas’ LOVE Pops

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  The Sugar Mommas are obsessed with marshmallows. We like marshmallow anything, anytime, anywhere. Spongy, chewy, stretchy deliciousness. Chocolate covered marshmallows are just one step further towards glutton heaven. This treat is simple, quick, and a crowd pleaser. Warning: the LOVE Pops may get eaten before Valentine’s Day.

• How to Choose the Perfect Perfume

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Choosing the perfect perfume can be a daunting task. These days, department store perfume counters look more akin to candy stores. With countless choices and plenty of eye-catching bottles, shopping for your favorite scent is difficult. Here are a few tips to help you make the right decision.

• Sugar Mommas’ Valentine Sugar Cookies

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  The BASIC Sugar Cookie recipe is great year round for every occasion. You can use it to make cut-out cookies (with cookie cutters), dye the dough any color to suite your occasion, make a cookie log to freeze for later or give as a gift, or just sprinkle some sugar on top, bake and eat. This dough is very versatile so get your big THREE (butter, sugar, flour) and let’s get going.

• 10 Romantic Movies to Watch This Valentine’s Day

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Choose a romantic movie from this collection to watch with your honey (or your girlfriends) this Valentine’s Day. Some are old classics, some are new favorites. Don’t agree with my selection? Let us know what you are planning to watch this Valentines! Just a warning…I really like a good old-fashioned happy ending.

• 
  Parenting, Child Development, Shopping Resources, Recalls and Reviews

• Have you shown your support for family&life yet?

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  The Pro-life group, the Susan B Anthony List has started a letter writing campaign, Block Hard for Tebow, to show Tim Tebow, quarterback and Heissman trophy winner for the Florida Gators, that we are behind him and support his willingness to share his inspiring story of life.  Here is a brief summary of his story: Tim's mother became very sick during her pregnancy with dysentary while living in

• #hcr Alert:Canadian med students practice pelvic exams on anesthetized women undergoing surgery,w/out consent!

  31 Jan 2010 | 2:00 pm

  Image via WikipediaThis is insane and another example of how nationalized health care takes the choice out of the patients control. Canada has government health care, apparently a group of government talking heads allow this to happen...it is sick and I would consider it a form of rape!! I would never want to have someone down there without my consent for any reason, medical or not!!According to

• URGENT:Don't let them 'pull the plug' on baby Isaiah!

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:19 am

  I learned about this beautiful baby boy yesterday and his plight to survive. My heart and prayers go out to baby Isaiah's family and friends, I wish there was more I could do besides share his story and pray, but I hope sharing his story will encourage others to pray and act to save baby Isaiah's life. It is never right when a parent who loves their child is given a choice between life or death

• Who is going to help the children of Haiti?? 100s still without Aid!

  21 Jan 2010 | 10:02 am

  Who is going to help the children of Haiti?? The orphaned, abandoned and neglected?? They are without food,water and need medical care!! Only those children who have pending adoptions are getting transported and adopted to the US and other countries at this time. Here is the latest from Fox News Liveshots: Obstacles in Getting Orphans Out of Haiti UPDATE:Thursday, January 21, 2010For His Glory

• Teaching Your Kids You Are What You Eat

  19 Jan 2010 | 10:53 pm

  I just learned about this tonight and thought it was a great resource to pass along.Catch What’s on Your Plate?, the documentary about kids and food politics, on national TV this February 7th, 2010! Join families across the country for a Family Cook-In! on Sunday, February 7th and spend an afternoon learning with your kids about food – what it’s made of, where it come from and how to enjoy

• 
  ParentSphere

• Spa Baby: Babies Bathe European-style

  Amy

  1 Feb 2010 | 11:11 pm

  When the press release for Spa Baby came through in my email, I was instantly curious about this new way (new to me, anyway) of bathing a baby.  I giggled at first and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to experience it for myself.  The timing was perfect, as baby Teagan had just made her arrival and I received the Spa Baby tub to try out. The above photo is Teagan between 5 and 6 months old.  I’m posting snapshots of her bath in our Spa Baby from a video that I had taken.  I ultimately decided that I didn’t want to post the video of me bathing her.  You can see a…

• GroBaby All Natural Baby Wipes

  Amy

  30 Jan 2010 | 7:17 am

  I have had the opportunity to try out a new product from The Natural Baby Company; GroBaby All Natural Baby Wipes and I happen to really like them. I have used a handful of different brands of baby wipes over the past four years, so this comparison is quite easy.  These wipes are very soft, with almost a satin-like feel to them.  In my opinion, they have the perfect amount of moisture to clean baby’s bottom.   I really feel like I’m “cleaning” her bottom.  I guess that’s hard to describe but I just feel like she’s truly clean after I wipe her. …

• LeapFrog products for your collection

  Amy

  25 Jan 2010 | 9:17 pm

  I’ve played with a lot of toys over the past four years and can honestly tell you that my favorite brand is LeapFrog.  I really like the quality of their toys and I’m also very impressed by the technology they use in their products.  Not to mention they are an extremely generous company. We recently added the following LeapFrog products to our ever-growing collection: Zippity Zippity is quite popular with my preschooler right now.  It is very easy for her to grasp the concept of how this gaming system works.  She gets to use her whole body, which is a plus because I swear, the…

• Epson WorkForce 610 All-in-One Printer

  Amy

  11 Jan 2010 | 10:04 pm

  I have used three different Epson All-in-One printers over the past several years and quite honestly, none of them have failed me.  I have owned and used other name brand printers and they’ve been alright but truthfully, I have preferred the Epson All-in-One printers over anything else that I’ve used.  I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to try them out. Besides the Epson WorkForce 610, I have used the Epson Stylus CX8400 and the Epson Artisan 800.  All three are considered “all-in-one”, which means they are a printer, scanner, copier and fax machine all in…

• Wow, The Nutcracker is cool!

  Amy

  24 Dec 2009 | 7:49 am

  …is just what my four year old exclaims as she sits and watches Prima Princessa’s “The Nutcracker”. She sits and watches the ballet DVD in awe of the beautiful ballerinas and then practices her ballet steps along with the students from the NYC Ballet’s School of American Ballet. You can purchase Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker from Amazon for around $10 or so. A perfect holiday gift for your little princess.  More »

• 
  Just Spotted

• Spread the KOOZA love this Valentine's

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:43 am

  So sorry for the last minute-ness of this incredible offer, but I just became aware of it. (I've had other things on my mind, like running my first marathon, so I hope you can forgive me!) Anyway, if you haven't had a chance yet to see KOOZA the amazing Cirque du Soleil show now playing at the Orange County Great Park, this is an opportunity you don't (& can't) pass up...Buy one ticket for a select performance before February 14th (I told you it was last minute!) & get the second one FREE! To take advantage of this incredible offer (seriously?! buy one get one FREE?!), go HERE. When I…

• Forever 21 launches HTG81

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:56 pm

  Am I the last to know? Forever 21 launched HTG81, their new line for kids from 6-16.I love it because its affordable and fun. Now all we need is a store in the OC.xoxo, C

• Orange County College Counseling Workshop (Free!)

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:45 pm

  College Materials, a college consulting firm in Orange County will be hosting a free workshop to help families navigate the college admissions process. This workshop is free and will be geared toward helping families with students of all ages make their education count by understanding what colleges are looking for and how they can make the most of their academic experiences.When: March 1st at 7:00 PMWhere: Oso Grande Elementary School (MPR)What: College Admissions 101 for FamiliesWho: Coleen Bryan is an experienced College Admission Consultant and has been providing college counseling…

• This Weekend in Orange County

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:33 am

  Looking for something to do this weekend? Here are just some of the events happening this weekend. For the complete list go HERE.Daily:* Bowers Kidseum* Bowling* Discovery Science Center * FREE Ice Skating at the Orange County Great Park* Indoor Bounce Houses* Irvine Park Railroad* KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil at the Orange County Great Park* La Habra Children's Museum* Pretend City* Public Dolphin 'Citizen Science' Project at Crystal Cove State Park* Whale Watching in Dana PointFriday, February 5th:* Good to Go, Ages & Stages at Pretend City, 9am - 3pm* Toddler Class at the Orange County…

• Lion King at the Orange County Performing Arts Center

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:19 am

  Mark your calendars, Disney's The Lion King is coming to town May 26th - June 13th, 2010, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Tickets for this amazing production (trust me, I've already seen it 3 times & LOVE it) start at just $25.75 & go on sale Sunday, February 7th. Check show times & dates and Get YOUR tickets HERE.xoxo, K

• 
  Happy Healthy Hip Parenting

• Thinking Healthier Thoughts

  hipm0m

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:51 pm

  I ran this afternoon for the first time in over two weeks. It felt great. I feel great and my head is more clear. I track my run using Run Keeper so I can compete – with myself. I’ve never really been a competitive person and I only started running three and a half years ago (when my ex-husband and I first separated) so it still feels like a relatively new experience for me. Each and every time I run, I remind myself why I need to do it more often, how great I feel afterward and how much more healthier I will be when I add it into my routine more regularly.  I tell my clients…

• Apparently I Have An Issue With Letting Go

  hipm0m

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:56 am

  I was the first one to arrive…scoping out the joint and trying to figure out if I would be able to summon the courage to climb up the ladder and swing from the trapeze along with my friends. But my son and I showed up way too early. When we got there, the sports center was filled with young volleyball players and their parents. There was no sign of trapeze, circus-type activities going on so we sat on the sidelines, waiting patiently for the game to end. Once the young girls and their families departed, the people behind Circus Fund wasted no time. In less than 25 minutes, the nets were…

• Do You Care for Valentine’s Day?

  hipm0m

  25 Jan 2010 | 12:20 pm

  I  cringe when thinking about the time my ex-husband gave me a Vermont Teddy Bear for Valentine’s Day – over six months after he moved out and filed for divorce. Even though the card said that it was from my son, I couldn’t help but gag at the idea. I mean, it’s not like our son (who was only 3 at the time) actually picked it out or even suggested that he get me a gift at all. In fact, when I opened the box, my son grabbed the bear, assuming it was for him. I didn’t argue. Sad to say this is the memory that first came to mind when reading about this contest from…

• Mother Beauty

  hipm0m

  22 Jan 2010 | 10:46 pm

  Last week, much of my energy and excitement went into a professional photo shoot that I put together rather quickly. I gathered up the courage to put myself on center stage, posing for nearly 75 photos during the two-hour session, changing into over 7 outfits and using several different props and backgrounds. From a business suit to my birthday suit, I took a wide range of photos to show how diverse even just one woman can be in the many roles she plays. Although this was a rather impulsive idea, the plan was to create a photo shoot around “The Many Faces of Mom” theme. My focus…

• Home Sweet Home

  hipm0m

  17 Jan 2010 | 9:20 pm

  Last night was our first overnight at the new apartment. There was nothing to do but play cards since we packed up just a handful of items to bring with us at the last-minute. We snuggled next to each other at bedtime to stay warm, the sun waking us up this morning, reminding us where we were (the sunlight had a difficult time reaching us at our old place). We sprawled our sleeping bags out on the floor of my son’s new room and brought just a few items to set up in the kitchen and bathroom – enough for a sleepover. Today, we made our second trip, bringing over a few more things…

• 
  Crazy Adventures in Parenting

• To Do Tuesday Week 51

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  If this is your first time reading and you're wondering what To-Do Tuesday is all about, click to check out the first post to find out more.While we may not be out from under the blanket of snot and coughing here, we are seemingly on the mend *fingers crossed* But Holy Antibiotics, Batman! I can hardly keep it all straight! The least they could've done was prescribe us all the same medicines, but noooo! I think the doc's in kahootz with Mr. Pharmacist, anyway.More good news - I'm (slowly) getting back into the swing of things, here. Or at least, trying to. My husband is back from his…

• Custom T-Shirts Made of Awesome

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:45 pm

  I am so freakin' excited! Lookie, lookie at what I got!Isn't my shirt awesome!?Making a custom T-shirt of your choice with Swarovski crystal rhinestones with your blog's name on it - yeah, I have to admit, that's pretty money right there. Oh yeah, baby! Bring on the blogging conferences! I can't wait to show this bad boy off!JustJen.com has the absolute CUTEST options for custom T-shirts, personalized T-shirts, and rhinestone Clothing. My teenage daughter won't stop oogling my new fandangled shirt. Makes Christmas and birthday shopping for her easier for me!(Psst! Hey Saints fans, they have…

• A Mother's Prayer - "Today"

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Today I'm going to smile, and mean it.I won't half- listen,or be too busy to respond.I won't shoo them away if I'm occupied.Today, I will try,I will fight hard to not be cranky,and I will hear it all for myself, not second-hand.Today I'm going to snack on some baby cheeksas much as possible.I'm going to play tickle wars,and video games,and read and read and read,and pretend the Jonas Brothers,playing monsters,and the princesses are the awesomest things ever.Today I'm not going to snap,or overreact.I'm not going to get upset,(please don't let me get upset)I will promise to count to ten before…

• Adventures with Child Proof Caps, and the Pharmacist is Out to Get Me

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:15 pm

  The Pharmacist-jerk is mocking me, I tell you. Child proof caps my ass! I know I'm all-kinds-of stuffed up and sick-like, but c'mon, I can't twist the damn caps to save. my. life. (or, should I say, save my cough). What the hell did you do, superglue them shut? Oh, you did, didn't you?I just spilled cough medicine all over the floor, wrestling the bottle into a Full Nelson to get it open. Why? Why must you mock me, Mr. Pharmacist? Did I stop you with my eye daggers in the middle of your diatribe as you were about to explain there is some super-secret handshake to get the bottles open? Did I…

• Dear Mr. Pharmacist - Don't Be a Jerk-Nugget

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  (I couldn't stop myself from venting about this after my fiasco of an experience yesterday...)Dear Mr. Pharmacist-type person,I'm sure you're just doing your "job" in an attempt to be overly thorough. Or perhaps you're just new at it, and doing your job the way it was originally intended (and subsequently seen as 'overkill' by those who have been at it for a while). Or maybe you thought I was just some young, stupid Army wife who can't read, or something. But Mr. Pharmacist AKA Killer of Any Remaining Joy, I beg of you, if I'm there with four of my six children in two, SICK children in fact,…

• 
  Boutique Café

• baby emi jewelry lets you jingle after the holidays {giveaway}

  Emily

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  I love the sound of jingling bells because it usually means the holidays are here and Santa’s on his way. It’s a sad, sad day when the bells stop jingling but thanks to Baby Emi jewelry you can hear those tinkling, jingling bells all year long! Baby Emi was founded “to celebrate Debbie’s [the owner's] Cambodian heritage and the culture’s family-oriented traditions. She was also inspired by her grandparents who made a brave trek to America during a dark time in history wanting to create lives filled with peace, hope and promise.” Cambodian families welcome…

• Hopscotch Tees get personal

  Emily

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  I love a non-cheesy personalized children’s tee as much as the next mom but this type of tee can be hard to find. Fortunately for you–and your little one–I discovered Hopscotch Tees on Cool Mom Picks and knew I had to feature them on Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish. With a tee that said “Pirate {enter your son’s name here}” how could I not? Hopscotch Tees sent George their Roboman t-shirt and I should’ve paid to have them overnight it. Once George had picked out his tee he asked me “Is that my robot shirt?” every time I grabbed the mail.

• Hey there, sunshine–it’s time to “Rise and Shine” {giveaway}

  Emily

  28 Jan 2010 | 12:00 am

  As I write this post the upper half of my body is bobbing along to “Going to the Moon,” ditty number eight on Rise and Shine by Key Wilde and Mr Clarke. I kid you not, I’m rockin’ and rollin’ in my office chair. Good thing it has armrests to keep me somewhat contained, because if I weren’t bobbing to track eight, I’d be movin’ and groovin’ to track three, “Favorite Names.” Seriously–this song is awesome! Though not all songs on Rise and Shine were made for serious rockin’ and rollin’, they are all made for…

• Say “I LOVE YOU” DIY Style

  daria

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:27 am

  Article by: Kim ChristophersonYouCanMakeThis.com Remember the days when you couldn’t wait to open that special valentine card filled with a paper note and conversation heart candy. I just KNEW that those conversation heart candies meant TRU LUV when given by the boy I had a crush on.:) Years later, those special “valentines” are still ones I look forward to giving and receiving. A handmade card and artwork from our children are some of the best, aren’t they? A small handmade gift from a friend says, “I’m thinking of you”. Those kinds of things are…

• An allergen-friendly way to do breakfast

  Emily

  26 Jan 2010 | 12:00 am

  I’ve reviewed Enjoy Life Foods a couple times on the Daily Dish. Their semi-sweet chocolate chips taste just like the “real” thing while their granola is packed full of vitamins, whole grains and taste. That’s not easy to do considering Enjoy Life Foods’ products are free of eight of the most common allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish. Yet their products are consistently delicious, which is why there are so dang popular! The company sent me two of their newest products: Perk’s Crunchy Rice cereal and Perk’s…

• 
  Today Is Fun

• Code Words

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

      This activity is just pure silly fun.  My kids really like it, probably because they love pure silly fun.   First, with your kids, choose some words -- any common word will do.  Maybe you and your ...

• Sweet and Sour

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

  When we are driving around in the car, my kids like to play a game they call "Sweet and Sour."  I know that this might not be an idea that we made up ourselves, but if your kids don't know it, they might enjoy it.  ...

• Follow the sun

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

  Teaching your kids direction can be difficult. North is always North, of course, but without a compass, you really can't be sure exactly what direction you are facing. But with a few simple instructions and a fun dance, your family can be close to kno...

• Weekend Reading: The Runaway Mummy

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

      Truth be told, I wouldn't have thought that The Runaway Mummy would be such a hit in my house.  I don't know why -- there's certainly nothing wrong with this book.  But I didn't expe...

• The Not-Very-Good Drawer

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

      At some point, kids become quite self-critical of their artwork.  "That picture is no good," they say.  "That doesn't look anything like a fireman."  Or a baseba...

• 
  The Committed Parent

• ZZZZ’s are for Wusses … Not!

  Mark Brady

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:01 am

  I haven’t used an alarm clock in more than 30 years. I go to bed when I’m tired and get up when I awaken. I trust my body to tell me when it’s had enough rest, and I pride myself on “only” needing five or six hours most nights. Manly men don’t sleep their lives away. Brain Drain Trusting my body seems wise and reasonable enough. Except for one thing: my body has a lot of miles on it, and I’m overweight and out of shape – not the best body to trust! Especially with something as critical to good mental and physical health as sleep. How critical is sleep? More essential than…

• Why Our Children Can’t Be Trusted

  Mark Brady

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:51 am

  Basically, it’s not them, it’s their brains. And for pretty much the same reasons, parents’ brains can’t be trusted, either. Or teacher’s brains. Or clergy’s brains. It’s why seasoned police veterans take eye-witness testimony with a grain of salt – the limitations of our senses make us and our children very unreliable reporters. How unreliable? Here’s a website that lists 50 different biases that come pre-packaged or get home-grown in most of our brains. They work to seriously compromise our multiple intelligences: 50 Brain Biases. I’m going to discuss the four I find…

• Neuro-Riffing on “The Science of Success”

  Mark Brady

  23 Jan 2010 | 4:26 am

  Below I’ve excerpted portions from David Dobbs’ Atlantic magazine article, “The Science of Success” and reproduced them in green. Under each short excerpt I’ve added commentary of my own in blue, mostly looking through the lens of social neuroscience. Feel free to excerpt and add commentary of your own as you feel so inspired. Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a…

• Betrayed by Your Thieving Orchid Brain?

  Mark Brady

  17 Jan 2010 | 5:24 am

  This week’s blog posting arrives in two parts. This first part is a magazine article that describes: ~ the difference between Dandelion Children and Orchid Children ~ why ADHD is really attentional agility and not a deficiency disorder at all ~ how parents, through no fault of their own, often unconsciously damage and delay children’s development ~ why kids from the same family are often so different ~ how to turn human frailty into redemption ~ how to change genes that affect depression, anxiety, ADHD and antisocial behaviors ~ the power of gene-environment interactions ~ how to turn…

• How America’s Bankers are Rotting Our Children’s Brains

  Mark Brady

  10 Jan 2010 | 4:07 am

  Pardon this rant, but what the hell are the bankers thinking? Why does Goldman Sachs get to pay 1% tax on billions while I have to pay 35% on capital gains? Haven’t the banks ever watched It’s a Wonderful Life? Don’t they get just how depraved Mr. Potter’s ripoff karma is? Not just for him, but in this age of instant global communication and connectivity, hellish for the whole world! It must be cognitive dissonance at work: “I heard about people like me, but I never made the connection” – The Banker’s Lullabye. This past week I got an unexpected bill from…

• 
  My Home Sweet Home

• My BlissDom Moment with Harry Connick, Jr.

  Dawn

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:32 pm

  My husband was in the room when I read that Harry Connick, Jr. would be at BlissDom. Thankfully, he’s a good sport and understands my love for Harry. Still, it was a moment that no husband really deserves to witness. The next night he announced at dinner, “Children, I want you to know that your mom might not be coming home from BlissDom.” It was good for a laugh, but of course, this also referred to Harry. You see, Harry and I go way back. I bought my first Harry album in 1990, 20 years ago. I own Hope Floats on both DVD and VHS. My love for Harry runs deep. At Harry’s…

• Visual Bliss

  Dawn

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:23 pm

  There are BlissDom recap posts in my future, but for now, I’m processing hundreds of images from the weekend. Feel free to view my BlissDom set at Flickr, which is being continuously updated. The full BlissDom ‘10 Flickr group can be viewed here. Here is one of my favorites, Stephanie and Holley from (in)courage: Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks

• Living Online and the Importance of Face-to-Face Girlfriends Today at (in)courage

  Dawn

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:43 am

  Join me today at (in)courage for a post about balancing your online life and face-to-face relationships. Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks

• Spanx Bliss

  Dawn

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:44 pm

  As a woman who has birthed 8 children and added a few extra pounds this winter, I couldn’t be more excited about my BlissDom sponsor: Spanx. Spanx makes intelligently designed slimming intimates, body shapers, hosiery, and tights that support you in comfort. They’re made by women for women. At BlissDom, they’re saving the day for me. From my blog, I can hide behind my monitor and edit the heck out of every picture you see of me (and don’t for a minute believe that I don’t). BlissDom is face-to-face, and even Lightroom doesn’t make a brush for that. We all…

• At least it was chocolate.

  Dawn

  1 Feb 2010 | 9:32 pm

  I’m not entirely sure how I managed to birth a child who would prefer an un-iced cake to brownies… …but at least he forgave his mama for not baking anything a little fancier for his birthday. At least it was chocolate. Share this on del.icio.us Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Digg this! Subscribe to the comments for this post? Add this to Google Bookmarks

• 
  Postcards from the Mothership

• A love letter to Lucas, Age 2(!)

  DaniGirl

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:22 am

  My dear darling Lucas, You are TWO today! Two years old! My goodness, was it not just last week that you arrived, late and large, to join our family? (And of course, on the other hand, have you not always been with us? How quiet our lives must have been before we had three boys contributing to the cacaphony!) You, my son, are a delightful child. Smart, sweet and loving, you charm all who know you. You are also stubborn, strong-willed, jealous and territorial. Did I mention stubborn? Not to mention the fact that you’re a bit of a brute, regularly taking on your big brothers and coming…

• In which my 7 year old reveals Obama’s egregious copyright violation

  DaniGirl

  6 Feb 2010 | 10:31 am

  Tristan and I are in the car, sitting in the Tim’s drivethrough on the way to skating lessons. We’re listening to one of my favourite radio program on CBC, Terry O’Reilly’s The Age of Persuasion. The episode is about tag lines and slogans. As it runs through the opening, it plays a series of famous tag lines from past to present, including Obama’s infamous rallying cry of “Yes, we can!” Tristan says, “Hey, I recognize that guy!” “I’m sure you do,” I reply. We may be Canadian, but the average school kid can likely name…

• 373 – 379 of 1000 pictures

  DaniGirl

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:01 am

  Now that I’m officially done the 365 project, I don’t carry my camera quite so obsessively as I did before. And yet, I still feel the need to take a picture most days, so the subject matter this week is largely skewed to the close at home. That’s why you get pictures like this one of Tristan, using the brand new tablet and animation program he got for Christmas. He took to it like a fish to water, and when I commented my amazement on the Flickr picture, a friend said, “Well, of course he’s not afraid of computers and technology. It’s everywhere in his…

• Patchin’ it, old skool

  DaniGirl

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am

  When I saw the tear in the knee of Tristan’s gorgeous new Gap cargo pants, I was more than annoyed. I was disappointed, and frustrated. The boy is hard on his clothes. We hand down a lot of t-shirts in my house, but pants rarely survive to have a boy grow out of them. Even with reinforced knees, they get blown out regularly. So you know what I did? I went to the notions section of Zellers (something about the notions section makes me think of my childhood Saturdays spent at Kmart with my mom and my granny) and I bought a $1.29 iron-on patch kit. Oh yes I did. Eight patches in four…

• Blog is five years old today!

  DaniGirl

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:04 am

  Wow, can you believe it? Five years ago today, I dipped my toe in the Internet Ocean and have been dog-paddling madly across the sea ever since! Five years! Wowza. And to celebrate, I dust off an old favourite meme that I’ve done at least two or three times before: the Time Traveler meme. Because that’s what anniversaries for, right? Taking a moment to look back down the path you’ve trod and shaking your head in wonder that you ever made it through at all. 15 years ago today I would have been: about a month away from meeting the man of my dreams. living in a rented room in a…

• 
  Dinker and Giggles

• Choosing A Hosting Company Is Like Naming A Baby

  Alaina Frederick

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:28 pm

  Whether you have a business or a blog chronicling the life of your children your hosting company is an important decision. It’s just as important as naming your baby. Yes, seriously! Think about it. So Apple sounds like terrific name. Fast forward a few years after it’s “cute” and now she’s the “apple of your eye” “teacher’s pet” and well kids can be harsh. Let’s face it you probably aren’t a cool rock star or a famous actress. So the moment she’s of legal age it’s to the court rooms changing her name.

• The Cloth Diaper Foundation Provides Diaper Miracles

  Alaina Frederick

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:38 pm

  Many of you know how much I love cloth products. From cloth diapers, unpaper towels, and yes even cloth feminine pads. They are all wonderful and help us to save money and reduce waste on this planet. I wanted to share with you a recent press release from one of the organizations on the front lines helping to make affordable diapering a reality for families around the world. One thing that scares many away from cloth diapering their children is the initial “sticker shock”. They are blind to the fact that over the course of one child it will save them hundreds. Add one or two more…

• Lancaster County Secrets: The Choice

  Alaina Frederick

  30 Jan 2010 | 5:24 pm

  I may be a ‘city girl’ now, but it wasn’t long ago that I lived in a town where buggies and horses were not uncommon. Road signs graced the streets warning non-local drivers to share the roads with the occasional buggy. When I received the email from LitFuse Publicity Group asking if I’d be interested in reviewing The Choice by Suzzanne Woods Fisher I jumped on it. I’ve always been interested in my neighbors lifestyle. When I was young I’d look at them in judgment. Why would anyone want a life like that? Don’t the kids want to play with flashy toys…

• Even While Sick I’m Making Lifetime Changes

  Alaina Frederick

  25 Jan 2010 | 10:53 am

  Can I just say how proud I am of myself? About 5 days ago I made myself a short list of three things I can change easily and now. While I haven’t met all three goals on a regular and daily basis I am making strides. Here’s the kicker – myself, husband, and my three kids have all had horrible colds during the last five days. So even while I’ve been sick I’ve made it a point to stick to making lifetime changes. Let’s review my goals and where I’m at just five days later: Drink at least 60 oz of cool, refreshing H20 daily – While I don’t…

• Many Days Gone A New Promise Made

  Alaina Frederick

  19 Jan 2010 | 6:26 pm

  If you haven’t noticed I’ve totally slacked on my daily get healthy journal. Life happens right. No excuses – just didn’t do it. Not that I don’t care. I do. It’s a life or death situation. For me life just got in the way of making changes. Tonight I was talking with my insanely talented friend about making changes. My kids have been sick for a while and I really think that a better diet could really help things. Talking about eczema and drinking water. She asked me what three things can I change and just stick to those three things. So here they are: Drink…

• 
  Babies Online - The Blog

• Sarah Chalke: A Celebrity’s View on Pregnancy

  Every woman will probably have her own take on pregnancy. That’s why we never tire of hearing pregnancy stories as there is always something new. Actress Sarah Chalke has offered her own view on this life changing event. Let’s just say that for her it was something of an educational experience. Chalke and her fiancé Jamie [...]

• Claims That Vaccines Cause Autism Revisited

  Unless engaged in the medical profession and the health care industry, we parents normally do not pay too much attention to the squabbles of scientists and medical experts. The Claim That a Vaccine Can Cause Autism But in 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London published a [...]

• Take the Fear Out of Baby Injections

  Injections hurt. Needles can be scary. Even for adults. How much more for a little child? I remember stories about the bigger the man, the faster he crashes down when he sees a needle. My mom who was a health worker loved to tell stories about how she reduced the toughest of guys to unconsciousness [...]

• Winter Fun Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner

  The Grand Prize winner was Sofia Marie Thanks to all the babies (and their parents) who participated in this weeks round. The photo contest is now closed for reprogramming. Please check back in March for our new and improved photo contest. The contest is free so enter your babies picture today! Or just vote for your favorite. [...]

• Parenting Events in February

  Many of us need all the resources we can find to navigate the parental maze that we are in regardless of our children’s age. One of my friends is tearing her hair out trying to potty-train her almost 3-year old daughter. Another friend starts psychotherapy this week in order to deal with problems with her [...]

• 
  ZRecommends

• Sick kid

  jmcnichols@gmail.com

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:53 am

  When Z and I needed a break from octopus-watching at the Seattle Aquarium (she had been fever-free all morning but had developed one again during the outing) we found refuge in the second-floor cafe, where a lemon sugar cookie and peppermint tea (her) and coffee (me) held much promise for raising our spirits. The vacant, long-suffering look of my sick kid, even clutching her prized whale cookie, caught my eye and I raised my camera for a photo. Z's grandmother works as a commercial portrait photographer, so our daughter is used to posing. I want a picture that shows how you feel, I said. And…

• An amazing playground digging toy

  jmcnichols@gmail.com

  28 Jan 2010 | 3:32 pm

  We live in one of the many communities where all playgrounds seem to have the same equipment. But we're visiting family and making art in Seattle this week, where there are many playgrounds that are memorable for their unique play structures and toys. Z and I visited a park a couple days ago that had this amazing piece of equipment. In addition to the actions my second cousin is performing below, the backhoe also turns 360 degrees on its pole, allowing for some major construction projects.

• What the FDA’s admission to “some concern” over BPA really means

  jmcnichols@gmail.com

  25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

  The Food and Drug Administration recently announced a new assessment of the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A, and it's a sharp turnaround from their previous claims. The agency has spent the last decade and a half propping up industry's insistence that there is nothing wrong with using BPA, and exposing our children to it, whenever and however they want. For those of us who have been arguing for the banning of BPA in children's products for years, it is a turning point. The FDA's about-face First, the big wins: In addition to confirming the National Toxicology Program's assessment of…

• Toys, trash and the CPSIA

  jmcnichols@gmail.com

  23 Jan 2010 | 10:48 pm

  Amy over at Crunchy Domestic Goddess has an interesting post recently about disposing of - and passing on - used children's toys, and it encouraged us to write about something that has been bothering us for a while here at ZRecs. From our point of view, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is one of the biggest reasons why the trashing of useful - and perfectly safe - children's toys is going to get worse, not better, in the years to come. We review and process dozens of children's products every month - during the ramp-up to the holiday shopping season, sometimes hundreds. These…

• How long is too long to wait to recall a product with a known hazard?

  jmcnichols@gmail.com

  14 Jan 2010 | 2:11 am

  Last week, the CPSC announced the recall of a children's book published by St. Martin's Press that included a piece of vinyl that contained dangerous levels of lead. While the recall was the first in what will likely be a long list of novelty children's books coming under CPSC scrutiny for their incorporation of sketchy plastics, what really caught our eye about it was a note in the recall notice that indicated that the CPSC had been alerted to the product's lead levels by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG). Digging deeper, we discovered that US PIRG had reported their findings…

• 
  The Tranquil Parent

• Travel, volunteer opportunities, and kids

  mcnicholsterry@comcast.net

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:38 pm

  The aftermath of the Haiti earthquake is on all of our minds this past couple of weeks. The earthquake exacerbated the already poor country's ills beyond our limited ability to comprehend! Jennifer wrote about their family response to the tragedy. What a great learning experience for children to participate in the relief efforts. But poverty in the world is not limited to those areas that are experiencing natural disasters. They do get a lot of our attention, but we need to remain aware that poverty is a world problem - all the time! After the Vietnam War we were part of a church group that…

• Giving to Haiti: Making charitable giving real for young children

  mcnicholsterry@comcast.net

  24 Jan 2010 | 3:28 am

  Like most of the rest of the world, we've been watching the news of the earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath with a mixture of sadness and concern and an urge to do something to help. I've been trying to think of ways to help the situation in Haiti and to make our response meaningful to the mind of our five-year-old daughter, Zella. First and foremost, of course, we wanted to help - but in doing so, we wanted to help in a way that she could comprehend and appreciate, to prepare her for responses of her own. We considered donating money, but because she wouldn't be personally involved in…

• ZRecs Family: Dealing with anxiety

  mcnicholsterry@comcast.net

  15 Jan 2010 | 2:34 am

  I wrote about anxiety not too long ago in a post about stress and its effect on children. But I have been feeling the need to write more about anxiety. PBS just aired 6 hours worth of programming on how we function as human beings called This Emotional Life. The second segment, "Facing Our Fears," contains valuable information on anxiety and coping skills and I would recommend it to all. But my reason for writing about anxiety is a little closer to home. One of my family members admitted to me that she is experiencing anxiety attacks in these troubled economic times. Since I have had a lot of…

• Irony and sincerity collide in my favorite new travel mug

  mcnicholsterry@comcast.net

  8 Jan 2010 | 12:41 pm

  DCI's I Am Not A Paper Cup sells on irony. It looks like a disposable coffee cup with a plastic lid, while in fact it's an insulated ceramic mug with a silicone lid. And it isn't without its faults. Someone may reach for it, prepared to throw it away for you, and although once they pick it up they will be surprised by its heft, it does feel a bit more vulnerable and in need of your protection. I won't criticize it for not being dishwasher-safe - no double-walled vessels are (if you have been dishwashing yours, water will get in there over time) but both the lid and cup should be washed…

• ZRecs Family: Good Enough Parenting

  mcnicholsterry@comcast.net

  1 Jan 2010 | 1:39 am

  As we head into a new year, full of unexpected joys and challenges, I would like to suggest that we focus our thoughts on what it means to be “good enough parents.” I don't claim to have all the answers about parenting, or about relationships, but you will find in my posts a strong bent towards what I like to call Good Enough Parenting. I will continue to explore different opinions about what works and what doesn't work in both parenting and relationships, as they are very connected, and will cite studies relating to many different topics, but we are on a journey of discovery and the…

• 
  PARENTise BLOG

• In Praise of Grandparents

  admin

  23 Jan 2010 | 11:12 am

  Guest Post by: Michelle Eisenberg Over the holidays, we were fortunate to have a visit from my parents (also known as Gwamma and Gwampa).  Since they live far away, this time together was an intensive installment of warm memories and good bonding.  Silly songs filled the air, snuggles were exchanged, and a lot of nose stealing took place!  In the end, my son was very sad to see them go back to Wisconsin. I have similarly fond memories of time spent with my grandparents – playing card games, going to the beach, listening to their stories, special sleep-over arrangements,  special foods,…

• Going to the Movies…Not so much…

  admin

  17 Jan 2010 | 7:01 pm

  I love going to the movies.  I haven’t been going so much since the kids were born.  When my children were babies - sleeping more than 10 hours a day, not speaking, able to be comforted by shushing and rocking…etc. - I used to take them to the movie theatre in the middle of the day and enjoy a flick.  They slept through it - I got some time to do something I love and we were all happy. I wish I had known about Baby Nights at the movies.  What a great thing.  A special showing for you to bring your baby - so if something should happen - the baby wakes up, starts crying, needs…

• What’s in a name?

  admin

  10 Jan 2010 | 1:57 pm

  I think we made a mistake with our kids names.  No, not the mistake that my mother thinks we made (she’s not into the gender neutral names) - but a mistake that I couldn’t have anticipated until I actually became a parent of a child who could speak and tell me what she wanted. You see, while I love my kids names - the names are somewhat unique.  Mind you - I didn’t name my child Tu Morrow, Moxie CrimeFighter, Pilot Inspektor, Bogart or even Audio Science.   No, my girls have fairly ordinary names in comparison, but they don’t fall into the Christina, Julia, Logan…

• The Holidays

  admin

  25 Dec 2009 | 2:49 pm

  The holidays are such a great time of year.  Friends call just to say hi, families get together and are nice to each other.  Giving is considered part of the fun and…if only it were that easy. As parents, the holiday times often mean shopping for just the right gift - budgeting to make sure that you can afford everything, hiding things, putting things together, making sure the batteries are in the package, getting kids to sleep in time to build the bike or wrap the presents. Whatever holiday you celebrate - I’m sure you agree - celebrating holidays as a parent is much different…

• Toddler Mind Games

  admin

  12 Dec 2009 | 5:29 pm

  Guest Post by: Michelle Eisenberg Imagine having a boss who contradicts you, micro-manages you, changes his mind every 5 seconds, and screams when he doesn’t get his way. Now imagine that boss is a mere 3 feet tall, still wearing diapers, and has the look of an angel when he’s asleep. Welcome to the Terrible Twos, whose primary symptom is “medically” known as “negativism.” Does this sound familiar? “What color is this milk, Mama?” “It’s white.” “No it’s not, it’s red.” Or how about: “Mommy needs to cook dinner now, sweet pea.” “No. You don’t want to.”…

• 
  From My Perspective

• Lessons Learned from Childrens National Medical Center, Washington DC

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:05 pm

  Why a "well oiled machine run so well." Monday evening  the sharp squeeks of sneakers moving, girls shouting and parents clapping came to a sudden stop, as did my heart, the moment I saw my daughter brought down hard in a battle for the basket ball, and heard the dull thud of her head hitting the hard wood floor. In that moment, time was frozen in silence. Suddenly I was on the floor and holding her hand  and coaxing my evervescent, bubbly and talkative 14 year old to open her eyes and please talk to me. Suddenly letting go of my hand, she lost consciousnes, and everything else…

• Blow Dryers and Helicopters

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:41 pm

  Lessons learned - from the new mom to helicopter parents.After our first son was born; the nurse came to our room, assuming she should take the baby out of the room while I blow-dried my hair. Looking down at my son and glancing skeptically at the blow-dryer, I replied, ‘why?’ then quickly adding, “I do this at home too, he might as well get used to it.”Our fervent desire to protect our children needs to be balanced.We need to be conscious of what we’re protecting them from. Otherwise our children grow up in a bubble, separated from the realities of life, not learning how to respond…

• Playground Bullies have Morphed into our Worst Nightmare

  15 Oct 2009 | 4:21 am

  Michael Brewer, a 15 year old boy from Deerfield Beach, Florida, was purposely set on fire by several classmates between 13 and 15 years old. When classmates tried to steel his father's bike from him, he didn't threaten the kids, he didn't spread viral, internet rumors about them, Michael Brewer responded in an appropriate manner, filing a report with the police. He 'followed the rules' of society. Sadly, Michael's mature response to having his property threatened was the catalyst to his being in an incubated and painful state in a hopsital bed. Every school has had the challenge of dealing…

• Children are Born Negotiators

  12 Jul 2009 | 11:28 am

  Kids of all ages have an innate and natural talent for negotiating to get what they want. From three year-olds wrangling for later bedtimes, to teenagers rattling off reasons to stay out late, they all have something in common - the overwhelming drive to say whatever it takes to get what they want. Sometimes, in our efforts to be the parent who listens and shows their child respect by taking into consideration their child's perspective, we allow ourselves to get get wrapped up in the dance, and lose our parental position in the process. The rules of engagement that apply to parenting three…

• DC Suburb Middle School Embraces Twitter to Communicate to Parents!

  17 Jun 2009 | 9:17 am

  Rockville, MD. June 17th, 2009. Redland Middle School . Principal, Robert Sinclair announced today, via his email distribution list to parents, the school's new utilization of Twitter as an additional communications tool to reach out to parents and school community members as needed. For those of you not already enjoying the big buzz of connecting via Twitter, is a free, social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. When asked, Why Twitter? Mr. Sinclair responded, "My reasoning is to get more parents more actively involved in their children’s education and to inform parents…

• 
  pleasestoptherollercoaster.com

• How Do You Define “Success” for Your Teenager?

  Sue Blaney

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:10 am

  In my morning inspirational reading I reopened a favorite book The Art of Possibility by Ben and Roz Zander. In it, Ben Zander notes “The drive to be successful and the fear of failure are, like the head and tail of a coin, inseparably linked. They goaded me on to unusual efforts and caused me, and those around me, considerable suffering. Of course, the surprising thing was that my increasing success did little to lessen the tension…. {Eventually} I settled on a game called I am a contribution. Unlike success and failure, ‘contribution’ has no other side. It is not…

• Teens, Technology and School

  Sue Blaney

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:22 pm

  Last week the Kaiser Family Foundation released data that seemed to shock adults, stating that kids 8 – 18 spend more than 7 1/2 hours plugged in to entertainment media daily. It is interesting to consider this figure while looking at another report that polled parents on the role of technology in education, which puts a different perspective on this subject entirely. And it indicates that parents value technology and want their kids to engage with it in the classroom. [Should we dig in to the distinction between technology used for "entertainment" vs for educational purposes? I think…

• Proud to Receive a MOM’s CHOICE Award!

  Sue Blaney

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:56 am

  We are delighted to have been named a recipient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award for our audio program You’re Empowered! Parenting Teens with Conviction, Communication and Love. To have been named among the best in family-friendly media products and services is an honor, and validation of our commitment to truly meet the unique needs of parents of teenagers. Audiobooks such as this one provide a unique way for parents to access valuable information. We recognize that parents are way too busy, and this audio program was designed for parents who don’t have time to sit and…

• “Technology is Like Oxygen” to Teenagers

  Sue Blaney

  31 Jan 2010 | 2:36 pm

  Even though parents are sometimes struggling to catch up with their kids’ use of technology, parents do value its use as a vital part of education. There is a PBS special titled Digital Nation coming up Tuesday, February 2 that will discuss parenting in the digital age, and will touch upon many of the topics I know parents are concerned about. The accompanying website Digital Workshops: Online Resources for Parents and Educators that takes the PBS special one step further with interactive surveys, resources and more. Renee Hobbs at Temple University’s Media Education Lab has once…

• Teens: Media Consumption and Screen Time

  Sue Blaney

  22 Jan 2010 | 3:16 pm

  The media-saturated world that surrounds your kids has made an indelible impact on them… thing is, nobody is quite sure just what that impact is. Has technology caused damage to kids’ ability to focus, to interact, and to relax without outside stimulation? Or has our tech-driven culture expanded opportunities, creativity, and taught new skills in ways we should be heralding? Experts aren’t sure… it’s that simple. Because it’s complicated. Earlier this week the Kaiser Family Foundation released the third wave of a large national study about young…

• 
  News Moms Need

• Heart health

  Lindsay

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:11 am

  I was reminded today that it is healthy heart month.  Since pregnancy puts a fair amount of physical stress on a woman, I thought it a good time to mention taking care of your ticker before you conceive.  I’m not thinking about having a baby (not at my age!), but it’s a good reminder for me, too.  Here are some things each of us can do to help improve our heart health.  Stop smoking – Even if you do smoke, you’ve got to know it’s not good for you.  But did you know smoking may make it harder for you to get pregnant? And if you smoke while you’re pregnant, your baby is at…

• Finding a babysitter

  Anne

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:17 am

  I planned on returning to the office when my daughter turned one. I was excited about the idea to interacting with colleagues again, but felt very nervous (and guilty) about leaving her. We don’t live near family, so I had to look to outside resources for help. My husband asked, “how are we going to do this?” At a loss for words, I shook my head. How will we ever find someone we can trust? With a heavy heart, I started my search online. It was important to us that we find a facility where the providers were trained and supervised. I researched local daycare providers and came across two…

• Happy 1st birthday

  Anne

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:27 am

  It’s hard to believe, but my Hannah is one today. I have no idea where this year went. What a whirlwind filled with anticipation, difficulties, excitement, exhaustion, worry and fun! I have to admit that I’m a little sad today. I’m shocked that I feel this way. I’m realizing that the very early stage of our daughter’s life is over. That’s it. The bassinet is in the garage. She’s a toddler who’s drinking from a sippy - cup and loves Sesame Street. She’ll be walking any day now and…oh, brother! I’m tearing-up. It’s been a wonderful experience and I can’t remember life…

• Whoo-hoo! March of Dimes wins award for health education videos

  Pam

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:48 am

  Celebrate with us! The March of Dimes has won the prestigious Freddie award for its health education video series Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby. These awards are the Oscars for health and medicine media. The March of Dimes won in the category of women’s health. Here’s the winning team (left to right): Kerry, Ivette, Dr. Siobhan, Chris, Pam and Frank. As you can tell, we have a lot of fun while we’re doing our work.

• Wordless Wednesday

  Wendy

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:32 am

• 
  The Erin Experiment

• Blogcation!

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:03 pm

  Vacation Blogcation All I ever wantedVacation Blogcation Had to get awayVacation Blogcation Meant to be spent alone-- The Erin-Adapted Go-Go's Well ladies, I'm thinking for the sake of my creative juices and the sense of impending doom I feel when I can't come up with a proper blog post, I'm going to take a blogcation...starting as soon as I hit Publish on this post. Don't worry -- I"ll be back in a couple of weeks. I'm planning to use my blogcation time to research and write blog posts that offer well thought out tips instead of some of fodder that happens as a result of a misfired…

• The Ex Factor

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:54 am

  For the past year or so, I've operated under the assumption that my stepkids' mom and I got along. I mean, I think we get along pretty well.Recently she wrote a post on her blog that has me paranoid. She mentioned about feeling slapped in the face by someone she thought was a friend. The very same weekend, I also saw that she was a fan of this blog's Facebook page.::gulp::Me thinks she may now know I have a Stepmom Blog.I don't know for certain if her post was aimed at me or if she's mad at me (although we haven't communicated in two days so I'm starting to suspect it's me she's mad at).The…

• Everyone would be fine without me

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:54 am

  I contribute to another online mom community (that isn't Stepchicks). Someone recently asked a question about getting preventative mastectomies and ovary removals if you have a genetic predisposition to cancer. My response probably shocked a few people. I said I'd rather get my standard screenings and not get my breasts or ovaries removed in the off-chance that I could have cancer.A couple of the moms responded that they'd get the removal and that they'd want to live for their kids.I couldn't help but respond that I'm willing to accept my own death, how ever it may come, and that everyone…

• My life in bullet points...February 2010 edition

  31 Jan 2010 | 10:34 am

  Hi. I'm Erin and I'm a chronic bullet pointer. I'm a natural list maker and as a byproduct of that I tend to communicate in bullet points. In fact, during an e-mail exchange with my stepkids' mom this week, we went an entire half-day talking strictly in bullet points. It was hilarious, particularly when we started cracking jokes.I find writing in bullet points streamlines my thought process. Maybe it will help with the all-overness of my blog post today.My grandmother made it to her 83rd birthday on Friday and is now resting somewhat comfortably in a home that is not her apartment but is not…

• Having Ex-Wife Issues? Tune in to Stepmoms Toolbox on February 1

  29 Jan 2010 | 6:42 am

  We're tackling a huge issue on this month's The Stepmom's Toolbox Radio Show: Handling Ex-Wife issues.We'll have guests Cathryn Bond-Doyle of Stepmoms on a Mission (SMOMS) and Tricia Powe of Stepfamily Systems talking about how stepmoms and bio-moms can get along better. You can listen in to the show (and future shows) or bookmark us using that handy dandy widget above (and also in the right column). If you have any questions you'd like for us to ask Cathryn or Tricia, please be sure to leave them in the comments section below or on the Erin Experiment Facebook Fan page.

• 
  Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology

• Teens Learn CPR with Be the Beat Website

  Jennifer Wagner

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:42 am

  Be the Beat, the American Heart Association's new online cardiac arrest awareness campaign, teaches teens fun ways to learn the basics of CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator or AED. Through the use of video games,interactive quizzes and songs, teens and tweens learn what to do if someone collapses in sudden cardiac arrest. “Be the Beat is helping to create the next generation of lifesavers by empowering teens and tweens to act when they see someone suddenly collapse,” said Michael Sayre, M.D., chair of the American Heart Association’s Emergency Cardiovascular Care…

• E-Book Readers - More Choices than Needed?

  Jennifer Wagner

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:51 am

  As consumers are becoming aware of the many advantages of e-book readers, their sales are steadily growing. While the Amazon Kindle is the most purchased and most widely known e-reader, the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Sony e-readers are also very competitive in this market. When the Apple iPad goes on sale, who knows what will happen. Will it take sales away from the other e-readers or will it create a whole new market? Did you know that there are many other e-book readers on the market? Do they have a chance of being found in this relatively new market? Will e-readers become like mp-3…

• Charge your Mobile Devices Anywhere with these Gadgets

  Jennifer Wagner

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:04 am

  Do your electronic devices ever need to be charged while you are on the run? You no longer have to wait until you get home to plug them into a wall socket. With the help of iGo Charge Anywhere or the Dexim P-Flip Foldable Power Dock, you can charge your electronic devices while they sit in your handbag or briefcase. iGo Charge Anywhere The more versatile of the two chargers, the iGo Charge Anywhere is compatible with almost every mobile and gaming electronic device on the market. This wall charger has an internal battery that allows it to charge other devices without an outlet. Even better,…

• Pepsi Refresh Project - You Choose the Charities

  Jennifer Wagner

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:59 am

  The Pepsi Refresh Project will award more than $20 million this year to fund great ideas that refresh the world. Launched on January 13th, the project lets the public choose where grant money is given. The Pepsi Refresh Project allows anyone to submit an idea for a grant. The project has already exceeded expectations by receiving the monthly limit of 1,000 submissions in less than seven days with at least one from each state in the U.S.   Joining this effort are actors Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon, who have generated their own ideas for Pepsi Refresh and are competing for support in the…

• Lost Season 6 premiere LA X Highlights and Questions

  Jennifer Wagner

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:16 pm

  Damon and Carlton did deliver the mind-blowing episode of Lost that they promised. Wow! Alternate Realities. Alternate Universes. Crazy and great! Whatever you call it, we are now seeing two different scenarios of how the Oceanic 816 passengers lives play out. The bomb did work, as Miles heard Juliet say from the grave, but instead of rebooting everything, a different reality was created. So we have the survivors continuing their lives on the Island, and in another dimension, they landed in LAX. Instead of flashbacks or flash fowards, we now have flash sideways. The highlight of Lost season…

• 
  MommyQ

• Think Pink on Valentine’s Day: Five Fab Gifts for Mom

  admin

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:35 am

  Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Have you found something smashing for your sweet? If not, here are a few sensational gift ideas for every mom - from fashionista to functional. (All but one are under $100.) Moms, if you see something you like on this list, just send the link to your hubby. [...]

• Sweet & Sassy: Valentine’s Day Party Dress

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:07 am

  Oh, what fun in red! This Iris & Ivy Dot Tier Dress is divine. It features 3 tiers and a big, ruffle rosette. The back is smocked for a snug fit. Wouldn’t it be adorable for a Valentine’s Day party? You can throw a cute sweater over it and a pair of tights under it [...]

• MommyQ Redesign Happening Soon

  admin

  28 Jan 2010 | 11:33 am

  Just wanted to give you all a quick update about MommyQ. The new layout is in progress and it looks great. You will have the ability to search for categories you’re interested in much more quickly. There will be tabs across the top of the blog and if you hover over them, you will see [...]

• MommyQ ’s Top 10 List of Toddler Replies

  admin

  20 Jan 2010 | 2:09 pm

  As you know, toddlers talk A LOT. And they are funny! No, he’s not as well-spoken or as diabolical as Stewie - thank goodness. In addition to  “please” and “thank you” and “you’re welcome,” we’ve been hearing some other amusing responses to our questions and comments.  Here’s my Top 10 List: 1. - “Mine!” 2. - “Me [...]

• Hot Rollers: Are You Still Using Them?

  admin

  19 Jan 2010 | 3:24 pm

  I was watching the Real Housewives of the OC reunion show last week, and evidently Gretchen Rossi’s hair is a big deal. I think she always looks pretty, but never really noticed her hair. During the show they talk about how many viewers are in luuuv with her hairdo. (Scroll down to the comments to [...]

• 
  Priceless Parenting

• 2010 Training: Great Parenting Is Learned

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:17 pm

  You might think … the internet has lots of parenting information. Why do I need a class? The real question is … how can I bridge the gap between reading information and the daily practice of good parenting skills, so I can improve life with my kids? Today I want to tell you how Priceless Parenting crosses the chasm of learning - how we bridge the gap between reading a good parenting concept and creating a good relationship with our kids. Here is the 1-2-3 punch I will share with you: 1. Priceless Parenting concepts - what is in the class! 2. How we use repetition to reinforce concepts and…

• Interview about kids searching online for sex or porn

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:36 am

  I met with Shaniqua Manning from NorthWest Cable News to discuss the recent study from Norton Family Online showing that the fourth most popular search term for children, even those 7 and under, is sex or porn. Click this picture to see the interview:

• Preview New 2010 Priceless Parenting Training

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:53 am

  We all want the best for our kids, and it is frustrating when kids don't cooperate and we are not having fun together. We should be having fun together. 2010 is a new year and it is time to add some new approaches to PricelessParenting.com training. I am thrilled about the improvements and I can't wait to tell you about the revised training program. You will see parenting skills and kids' behavior improve daily. But I am getting ahead of myself. First it is important to share my parenting philosophy, which is the foundation of Priceless Parenting training. When you get to know me a little…

• Critical Comments Flow Freely from Parents

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  Do you make more positive comments or negative comments to your children? If you're like most parents, you make a lot more negative comments than positive ones. In her book, Building Moral Intelligence, Dr. Michele Borba writes "studies reveal that the average parent makes 18 critical comments to his child for every one positive comment." Really? Could we really be making that many critical comments to our children? In their article, "Why Our Kids Are Out of Control", Azerrad and Change report "Glenn Latham, Ed.D., a family and educational consultant, has found that adults typically ignore 90…

• Kids Suspended for Bullying on Facebook

  25 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  McClure Middle School in Seattle recently suspended 28 students for allegedly bullying a classmate through Facebook.  Apparently a Facebook page was created that students could sign up for if they didn't like a certain student.  When the problem was discovered, the page was taken down and the school began conversations with both the parents and the students about appropriate Internet usage. Computers and cellphones make it increasingly easy for children to make big, public mistakes.  Unfortunately kids' brains are not done developing until they are about 25-years-old and the…

• 
  Wired for Noise

• Spending Money We Don’t Have

  Summer

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:50 am

  photo credit: Doublep1 The guy who had my phone number before me must have run up some serious bills. I’ve gotten a truck load of phone calls from creditors looking for him. A couple credit card companies, one with a thick Australian voice every time they’ve called. Not that I don’t have my own share of financial woe. I’m staring down 2 huge bills this month that even with the best of work I’m not sure how to cover. One was an unexpected medical expense, the other was me not reading the small print right and fees ending up twice what I had expected. I’m…

• Testing

  Summer

  6 Feb 2010 | 4:17 pm

  Just a test post from my Blackberry. I, trying the new Wordpress/Blackberry app. Hey! What are you doing reading this in your feed reader? Click over and leave me a comment, damn it! I promise I don’t bite. Unless you’re into that sort of thing… Related Reading: Internet, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method BlackBerry For Dummies The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner Share this on del.icio.us Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on FriendFeed Add to a lense on Squidoo Blog…

• Choices, Commericals, Sweaty Men Chasing Balls

  Summer

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:46 am

  A pro-life mouth piece told me that the only reason I hate the Tebow Superbowl ad is because I’m really just pissed that his mom didn’t have an abortion. She made her choice. You just hate it. This line of thinking, unfortunately, is nothing new. Too many anti-choice mouth pieces assume that if you are pro-choice, you are pro-abortion only. They ignore the many of us who are actually mothers ourselves, they ignore our words and actions, they ignore our arguments. They just claim we want all women to have abortions then stick their fingers in their ears and sing…

• How Social Media Can Change The World

  Summer

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:53 pm

  photo credit: laffy4k A few months ago Nestle invited a group of moms to a little get together, fed them some half truths and misinformation, and tried to pretend they were a sunny, happy, family friendly company and everyone loved. It didn’t work out so well. A group of loud and outspoken people fought back on Twitter, refusing to let the death of infants and the slavery of children go ignored for the cost of a chocolate bar. One of the loudest was Anne of PhD in Parenting, who fought back with information, facts, and the questions everyone should have been asking. Some people laughed,…

• The Grim Reaper Carries Insulin

  Summer

  2 Feb 2010 | 11:02 am

  photo credit: Mel B.mesothelioma Diabetes runs in my family. Not just hanging out, it kills us. My mom is in a wheelchair, flushing her body because her kidneys quit working. Thanks to diabetes. I’ve know of 3 aunts that died from diabetes. One cousin who probably would have ended up the same way if other things hadn’t gotten to her first. I’ve spent a lot of years being aware of what this disease can do to me. So when my blood sugar popped high a couple weeks ago I fluctuated between denial and terror. On one side, I’m genetically predetermined to have diabetes. Like…

• 
  Telling It Like It Is

• Chicago Vacations – Things to Do in Chicago

  Lin

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  What are some cheap and fun things to do during family vacations to Chicago? Anyone who has been to Chicago during the winter months knows that taking a Chicago vacation requires bundling up with warm winter clothes to offset the cold, blustery, freezing temperatures and winds from the Windy City. There are a lot of fun and cheap things to do in and outside of Chicago, indoors and outdoors, including things to do in the suburbs for families, kids and adults of all ages. Looking for fun things to do in Chicago during the summer or winter? Chicago has a lot to offer tourists and vacationers…

• Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Book Review and Video

  Lin

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  This is a book review guest post of Hush, Hush: The New York Times bestselling book by Becca Fitzpatrick. The “Hush Hush” novel is a very popular book among teens and young adults, including a Hush Hush fansite “Fallen Archangel” at fallenarchangel.com and a Youtube video trailer. In Hush, Hush, Nora Grey meets Patch Cipriano. Patch is mysterious, attractive, a bad boy, and the school’s newest transfer. Nora is brown-haired, smokey-eyed, an only child, and a columnist for the school’s eZine. In the biology class they share together, Patch seems to know way too much about…

• Reality Steve Bachelor Spoilers vs ABC The Bachelor Mike Fleiss

  Lin

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:56 pm

  Our favorite snarky and sarcastic reality tv blog-master Reality Steve has Bachelor producers in a dither because of Steve’s bachelor spoilers. Reality Steve, aka Steve Carbone, just might need to watch out for the Israeli secret service to come knocking on his door, according to an interview executive producer Mike Fleiss had with EW. Really ABC? I just bet that Reality Steve is shaking in his Texas boots right about now. Not likely. While Bachelor producers are going about their business of preparing for the upcoming wedding of Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney, to be aired on March 8,…

• Apple iPad Reviews – Is the Price of the iPad Worth the Hype?

  Lin

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  When the Apple iPad was unveiled last week by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, gadget geeks were anxious to learn what all the hype was about. Who will want to buy the iPad and what all does it do? Is the iPad application device worth the hype that has been built up? Whether or not the iPad will crush or slay netbooks and e-readers like the Kindle remains to be seen. The iPad is an application device and not a computer or a laptop, so why there is talk about the iPad crushing netbooks sounds like nothing more than hype and geek jargon to me. After reading a ton of pro and con reviews about the Apple…

• How to Talk to Teenage Girls – Things NOT to Say to a Girl You Like

  Lin

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  What is the best way to flirt with a teenage girl you like, without coming on too strong, if you are a teenage boy? Sometimes teenage guys say stupid things to girls and end up regretting it, especially if the dumb thing said leads the girl to slap the guy in the face. Young guys in the process of becoming a man sometimes learn valuable lessons the hard way, and learning what things not to say to a girl they like or have a crush should rank very high on the list of learning “how to talk to girls”. A young, 17-year-old teenage guy contacted me the other day, telling me the story of…

• 
  I Never Signed Up For This

• decisions

  Darryle Pollack

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am

  Though it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,  I think this is V’s least favorite thing about me:  not only being indecisive, but also revisiting decisions I already supposedly made.  ( Somehow this isn’t a problem when it comes to making decisions for everyone else–that’s easy.) And now my indecisiveness can extend into cyberspace:  Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email–when and where and why and how to comment and connect—can all be completely confounding and confusing. Even my own blog can be confusing. I started out with one decision:…

• Home SWEET Home

  Darryle Pollack

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:26 am

  People were so taken by those Carmel cottages I posted about recently— I have to share my favorite. If you’re in Carmel, don’t miss it— it’s so tiny, you easily could. There it is, tucked away on the main street in town….a scene right out of a storybook…. Like many local cottages, there’s a quaint little sign with the name: which fits perfectly.: As a frequent visitor, I can testity that the Cottage of Sweets is equally perfect inside….. The decor is in my favorite color….chocolate brown….  and in excellent taste. Related…

• Far away….

  Darryle Pollack

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pm

  … .. faded from the headlines—from the hearts and minds of many Americans occupied with pressing problems in Haiti and closer to home. For other Americans it’s still far but not forgotten.  Never for an instant can they forget the people they love, separated by continents and conflicts far from home….held close to their hearts. Today I said goodbye to our soldier.  After a short visit home he’s begun his long trip back to a place I will never see, on the other side of the world  in the middle of a desert. Right now he’s on a plane or walking through an…

• how do you celebrate?

  Darryle Pollack

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:06 am

  The groundhog has barely crawled back underground—- and now I find out there’s already another day in early February that demands attention. Today is World Cancer Day.    So, um…….Best Wishes Have a Happy Merry Congratulations FUCK Cancer?    That last one sounds about right. As a cancer activist I can’t write about anything else and I can’t let this day pass unmentioned….and I’m not sure how to commemorate this day designated by the World Health Organization— that feels like so many other days when cancer is on my radar and on my…

• Money talks….

  Darryle Pollack

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:24 am

  …..and often it seems as if people talk about nothing else.   For good reason: 44% of American families spend more than they earn The average American household carries over $8000 in credit card debt Money is the #1 cause of divorce And these  figures were  BEFORE the current crisis. It’s scary—not only the economy; but the issues around our unhealthy relationships with money—as a society and as individuals.   When it comes to money, otherwise smart people can do some very dumb things. I’m not pointing fingers or naming names (though the name Madoff leaps…

• 
  MommyKnows.com

• Mountain Climbing

  MommyKnows

  27 Jan 2010 | 10:25 am

  We’re finally home from a month long trekking holiday in South America. Lizzy is full of energy and always in the lead. Lizzy was the first to make the summit of Aconcagua. Even Georgia managed to make it to the top. If this were even a little bit true, it would be glorious. Unfortunately the only climbing I’ve done the past few weeks is up the basement stairs. The climbing trip above was just a big ‘ole pile of snow on the farm. I feel like I’ve been in hibernation for the past several weeks. I’m still groggy, but I’m back. Thank you all for your emails…

• Merry Christmas

  MommyKnows

  24 Dec 2009 | 8:44 pm

  From my family to yours! We wish you all, a safe and happy holiday. MK xo

• The House that …

  MommyKnows

  18 Dec 2009 | 2:41 pm

  (as my cousins put it) … PUKED Christmas. Obviously, these homeowners LOVE to decorate. I have a hard time getting the tree up, so I can’t imagine doing this annually. ‘Griswold’s on CRACK’ was my description. Georgia informed me later that they thought the presents in the tree were beautiful. What do you think? MK xo If you’ve enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my feed. NOTE: I’ve been having trouble with the comments. If you can’t comment PLEASE let me know at kim (at) mommyknows (dot) com. Thank you!

• Free Printable – Holiday Coupon Template

  MommyKnows

  18 Dec 2009 | 11:13 am

  We’re really trying to keep the holiday spending to a minimum this year. The budget has really forced me to get creative in regards to gift giving. I decided to give the kids some coupons in their stockings for ‘on-demand’ fun outings and of course ‘free passes’ to get out of chores. I searched the internet high-and-low for printable coupons and couldn’t find anything. I decided to create my own. Although we’d most likely do most of these things anyway. I think they’ll enjoy the ‘redemption’ process. It’s always fun to be in…

• @KraftFoods – Holiday Gift Basket Giveaway

  MommyKnows

  15 Dec 2009 | 11:34 am

  Winner is: Debbie of SuburbSanity (You could win this wonderful Kraft Foods gift basket. Kraft Foods has generously provided me with two wonderful gift baskets. One for me and one to give away to one of you. They are identical and filled with: 4 delicious holiday recipes from the Kraft Foods Kitchens (I’ll be making and sharing one of these with you tomorrow.) a Zak Designs garlic peeler, an HA Mack olivewood mixing spoon NEW Velveeta Rotini and Cheese Whole Grain (the kids loved this!) Planters cocktail peanuts Planters pecans Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate Stove Top Honey Maid…

• 
  SafetyClicks

• Safer Internet Day - From Canada

  Francis Duncan

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Sharing Info Online, Cyberbullying, Online Safety Tips, Social Networking, Parental ControlsFor Safer Internet Day, Canada is marking the occasion with a campaign by The Canadian Centre for Child Protection called The Door That's Not Locked.One of the disconnects between kids and adults is that kids are being raised with the technology, so it is simply part of their world. Many adults have begun to use technology regularly, but in many cases there is a definitive line between online and offline. The youth are flowing easily between on and offline and in many…

• Safer Internet Day

  Francis Duncan

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

  Filed under: Internet Safety Tips, Social NetworkingFebruary 9, 2010 is Safer Internet Day. To mark the occasion, countries around the world are holding a variety of events to raise awareness about how to keep kids safer while online.The issues of one country rarely match the issues of another as closely as they do regarding children's online safety. Regardless of where you live, the desire of parents to keep kids safe online are only matched by the desire of the kids and teens to be independent and free to use the Web without hassle.In the U.K., Safer Internet Day is being marked with an…

• Social Networks In the Classroom

  Francis Duncan

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:03 pm

  Filed under: Social Networking, TechnologyIt's no secret that many schools block social networking sites. What is a mystery to most educators is how to block sites from teens that they shouldn't be able to get to and how to allow sites that they should be able to get to easily and economically. This article from YourSphere talks about this very problem, but poses a different solution. Instead of blocking them - use them as tools in teaching. This is a solution that I've suggested before - and I still believe in it.When I hear from teachers, they say that if they can't get to a web site they…

• What Exactly Is Twitter?

  Francis Duncan

  1 Feb 2010 | 2:14 am

  Filed under: Internet Lingo, Social Networking, TechnologyWe've talked about Twitter on this blog and it is mentioned with some regularity in the traditional media. But what IS it?The answer (in exactly 140 characters) is:Twitter is a micro-blogging site that is asking you to share what you are doing right now with your friends and the world in 140 characters.Why? This video from Common Craft answers this question:Pew Internet did a study showing that teens aren't using it very much. It is mainly a product used by young adults. This doesn't mean that some teens don't use it, or that they…

• Not Like the LEGOS I Used to Play With

  Francis Duncan

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:22 pm

  Filed under: Video GamingThere is a new MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) coming to an online universe near you. LEGO is going to be launching an online game that is described as "World of Warcraft, Second Life and Club Penguin all wrapped into one." In this universe, you will be able to build all the Lego creations you've ever dreamed of. Since it is online, users will be encouraged to play with other users - including being able to talk to each other online.Because it has the LEGO brand associated with it, kids may be interested in it. The game will give parents the ability to limit…

• 
  Kids Stuff World

• Our Perfect Valentines Day

  Stacy

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:34 pm

  The Westin La Cantera wants to know what the KSW toddlers, perfect Valentine’s Day would be like. Here’s the general consensus of what a perfect V-Day looks like for these two crazy tots. Begins With This: Mama’s Sweet Potato Heart Shaped Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries … YUM!! Followed by a little of this: Valentines Finger Painting {We borrowed this awesome piece of work from the Art Emporium} Then its outside for a little of this and this: Valentine’s Sidewalk Chalk Murals Popcorn Bird feeder from Ordinary Life Magic After feeding the birds, we’d love…

• Beyond Cute Valentines

  Stacy

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:41 pm

  These adorable Valentines CutOuts from Secret Agent Josephine were sooo cute, I just had to share them with you – Click on the images to download a copy & give these babies to everyone you know. Upload the whole image to facebook and tag each square to a close friend as a quick way to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! Related posts:Psssst… I’ve got a secret And you know what they say – a real... 10 Simple Ways You Can Change Your World Today I wanted to do something a little different.... Our Perfect Valentines Day The Westin La Cantera wants to know…

• Pardon My Mess

  Stacy

  30 Jan 2010 | 8:38 am

  Kids Stuff World will be undergoing some much needed site maintenance this weekend, I hope to have a shiny new webpage ready for everyone by Monday, but if you stop by in the meantime and find things a bit out of place, please pardon the mess … [Wish me luck] Related posts:Preparing for a KSW Spooktacular! We’re hard at work scouring the web to bring... I believe in Christmas Miracles Benson and Claire were born with a rare genetic... The Pleasure in Today A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost Oh, give...

• Something sweet for your sweets

  Stacy

  26 Jan 2010 | 7:31 pm

  Just some bright and cheery things I thought you might enjoy as you prepare for Valentine’s Day, you can see more of my KSW Valentine’s Gift Guide list and tons of other recommendations here. Also, I’ll be adding links and prices to the Gift Guide tab sometime tomorrow. Just out of curiosity, do you buy your children gifts for Valentine’s Day or perhaps make them something special yourself? Do you dress them differently for the holiday or have another fun tradition you’d like to share? Related posts:KSW Easter Gift Guide Items $25 or Less Nyokki-Egg Plant Pet…

• Hazardous Materials in Your Home

  Stacy

  24 Jan 2010 | 9:01 pm

  If you’re like me, you’ve probably never put much thought into your batteries. You probably rotate between a few popular brands trying to find the longest lasting, most affordable options on sale at the time. You bring them home, you pop them in to your flashlights, remotes and smoke detectors and Voila, you don’t think about them again until your stuff stops working or your child’s favorite toy starts sounding like some sort of demented demon. I’ll even go as far to say that once or twice, you have probably forgotten about a pair of batteries left in a gadget…

• 
  My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings

• Snowball Throwing, Coca-Cola, and A Giveaway Too!

  Lisa

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:38 am

  Can you believe that the Olympics start in less than a week??!!??  Crazy, I know.  Even crazier?  It’s suppose to snow here in Chicago for the next three days.  By the time it’s over, we may have a foot of snow.  What’s the best thing to do when you have so much snow?  Snowball Fights!! Did you know that there is an International Federation of Snowball Throwing who would love to be part of the Olympics?  Until recently, me either!  If you think snowball throwing should be an official sport, please sign this petition!  This is something that is definitely taking off…

• Banned Superbowl Ads

  Lisa

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:49 am

  I swear that sometimes the banned ads are better than some of the actual ads that are shown.  Go Daddy has made it a running joke in their ads about how hard it is to get one of their ads through.  That being said, here are some ads what where turned down this year: Go Daddy Doritos ManCrunch (this is the gay ad you’ve heard about) This last one is from 2008, but it is super funny (and maybe even PG rated) What do you think of these ads? Copyright © 2010 My Thoughts, Ideas, and Ramblings. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in…

• Wednesday’s Hero

  Lisa

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:50 am

  Airmen from the Kentucky National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group help to offload wounded Haitian refugees and medics from Puerto Rico National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters at the air hub Jan. 25, 2010, in Barahona, Dominican Republic. Photo Courtesy U.S Air Force Taken By Tech. Sgt. Dennis Flora These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived This post is…

• Health and Potty Training . . . Kinda

  Lisa

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:36 am

  Thanks for all emails asking how Madison was.  She’s actually doing fine now.  I was right.  Her keytones were pretty high and as soon as I got them in check, she was her normal annoying self.  Something I will be asking the doctor when we got for her  year old checkup (when I get around to scheduling it) is when I can let her go to school and when I should keep her home based on her keytone levels. And on the potty training front.  Well, something weird has happened with Will.  Really weird.  Bill and I were seeing who could be more stubborn.  We were out of diapers and…

• Some days it’s hard to be a mom

  Lisa

  1 Feb 2010 | 6:32 am

  I’m not really complaining.  Seriously, I’m not.  My kids fell asleep in the chair in the living room last night at 6:30!  They also slept all night too.  Well, sort of all night.  They both were up around 3, and we did some bed switching.  Bill dealt with Will in Madison’s room from 3 – 6.  Then he got up to go to work, and Will fell back asleep around the 6ish mark.  It’s now around 8:30 and he’s still sleeping.  However, he’s not where my title comes from. I never know what to do about Madison.  I let her stay home today against what may…

• 
  Play-Activities.com

• Talk back Tuesday: Who do you recommend?

  Melitsa

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:21 pm

  Who has inspired you to try a play activity recently? Do you read other play blogs? Share your favourite must read blogs. I’m loving two British Blogs right now: The Madhouse and NurtureStore. I love blogs about play that feature a variety of play activities. There is the argument, I guess , that if you are a generalist of everything then you are great at nothing! But I really enjoy giving a taste of things to my boys. There are plenty of blogs that write on ONE aspect of play that I read and follow as well. There is something about seeing another parent struggle with things but the…

• 10 Questions to ask when choosing a book for your preschooler

  Melitsa

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:58 pm

  This is a guest post by Tonya Wright. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. 10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Book for Your Preschooler Unless you are looking for a specific book, walking into the local bookstore or neighborhood library can be overwhelming if you have no idea where to begin! Preschoolers are vastly different from the toddlers they once were. Younger children are quite happy with books that have simplistic illustrations and minimal text. Somewhere around the age of three, and sometimes around the age of two-and-a-half, children began to crave…

• A chance to experiment

  Melitsa

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:42 pm

  What was interesting about this activity was that I didn’t show him what to do. I put down a coloured pencil and paper. Then I put him inside the high chair. Then went off and waited………………. I was close by doing something else but I could see him. Many times I’m happy to let him play by himself but today I wanted to watch him a little. Do you still watch yours a little? We used to watch them a lot when they were newborn babies. They were so cute and snuggly we listened to their snuffles and their little movements. I know that now I’m often…

• When mum’s away what will the kids play?

  Melitsa

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:11 am

  So I have a big confession. This is the first time in over 6 years that I will be leaving my children for 4 days and 3 nights. I know. I know I should have done this a lot sooner but being a military wife and having a husband with an all over the place work schedule has meant that I have been flexible to our families needs and well………neglected my own somewhat! New year new priorities. I have been blogging for a while and decided that this year I would be going to Blissdom in Nashville, Tn.  I want to meet more people like me in real life. I’m totally excited, anxious…

• WW: Toddler fun

  Melitsa

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:40 pm

  For more Wordless Wednesday posts visit : Wordless Wednesday and 5 minutes for mom. Find out more about this photo tomorrow with Tell me Thursday

• 
  Jitterbug

• Ziggy Marley wins Grammy Award

  Dan Gellert

  1 Feb 2010 | 2:25 pm

  Congratulations to Ziggy Marley for winning a Grammy Award in the Best Musical Album For Children category. His album Family Time gets better and better the more you listen, with or without the little ones….

• Holiday song playlist for DailyCandy

  Dan Gellert

  17 Dec 2009 | 6:48 am

  It’s that time of year to give gifts…  Jitterbug has put together a holiday song playlist of 7 original songs for DailyCandy Kids.  We’re offering a free download of the songs for the holidays.  Take a listen and give a gift of music – download for free here, enjoy!

• Grammy Nominees on jitterbug

  Dan Gellert

  16 Dec 2009 | 10:10 am

  Congratulations to artists Milkshake, Ziggy Marley, and Cathy and Marcy for your Grammy Award Nominations this year.  We’re happy and proud you are involved with jitterbug – good luck…

• Daily Candy Kids Playlist

  Dan Gellert

  15 Jun 2009 | 4:43 pm

  Daily Candy, the free daily e-mail that gives you the scoop on fashion, food, good deals…… and kids stuff – asked Jitterbug to put together a summer music playlist. We were happy to help out! Barenaked Ladies, Ziggy Marley, The Jimmies, Randy Kaplan and Brady Rymer are part of the mix. The artists were generous enough to offer a free download of their song (for a limited time). Five artists, five songs – listen and download here. Go enjoy! -Dan

• Batchblue recognizes Jitterbug

  Dan Gellert

  29 May 2009 | 1:35 pm

  Jitterbug was recognized by Batchblue in their annual Small Business Super Hero Contest. Read about it here, and congratulations to RetroRazor and Kitbook for their 1st and 2nd place finishes! Batchblue’s online software is a great way to keep track of people, communications, to do lists…etc. Thanks Batchblue for providing a solid service and choosing jitterbug! -Dan

• 
  Bedtime Stories My Kids Love

• Adventures of Microscopic Man - Changes in the Creature

  20 Jan 2010 | 3:09 pm

  YaiYai completes the first nanobot transformation and now he is awake in the lab. Is the creature changed? Is he more dangerous?Find out in today's episode of The Adventures of Microscopic Man. MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast GREAT DEALS FOR BEDTIME STORIES LISTENERS! Save 10% on all your pet's needs at PetMeds.com Up to 20% off on great athletic gear at Eastbay.com Get your own .com domain name for $7.49* bedtime7

• Rodney's New Year's Resolutions

  27 Dec 2009 | 4:11 pm

  Rodney is working hard at being a better person and you can tell by his thoughtful New Year's Resolutions.Happy New Year Everyone from Bedtime Stories My Kids Love!MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast GREAT DEALS FOR BEDTIME STORIES LISTENERS! Save 10% on all your pet's needs at PetMeds.com Up to 20% off on great athletic gear at Eastbay.com Get your own .com domain name for $7.49* bedtime7

• Twas the Night Before Christmas by Labotomy Boy

  17 Dec 2009 | 2:34 pm

  It's Christmas and Lobotomy Boy has a special version of "The Night Before Christmas" for everyone!Enjoy this special Holiday Edition of Bedtime Stories My Kids Love.MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast GREAT DEALS FOR BEDTIME STORIES LISTENERS! Save 10% on all your pet's needs at PetMeds.com Up to 20% off on great athletic gear at Eastbay.com Get your own .com domain name for $7.49* bedtime7

• Rodney Writes a Letter to Santa

  10 Dec 2009 | 8:29 pm

  Lovable Rodney reaches out to Santa as only Rodney can as he sends his annual letter to Santa Clause.Enjoy this special Holiday Edition of Bedtime Stories My Kids Love.MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast GREAT DEALS FOR BEDTIME STORIES LISTENERS! Save 10% on all your pet's needs at PetMeds.com Up to 20% off on great athletic gear at Eastbay.com Get your own .com domain name for $7.49* bedtime7

• The Gophers Meet Santa?

  4 Dec 2009 | 8:42 pm

  Happy and Snappy get their Christmas lists ready and head out to the mall to meet Santa...but to their surprise, things are not always as they appear to be...Enjoy this special Holiday Edition of Bedtime Stories My Kids Love.MP3 File - Click Here to Download Podcast GREAT DEALS FOR BEDTIME STORIES LISTENERS! Save 10% on all your pet's needs at PetMeds.com Up to 20% off on great athletic gear at Eastbay.com Get your own .com domain name for $7.49* bedtime7

• 
  Jodifur

• In Case You Haven't Heard

  jodifur

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:21 am

  We are powerless and homeless.  Power went out 1 pm on Saturday and is still not on and they are saying it will be off ALL WEEK.  We have taken refuge at my best friend's, and I'm not sure when I will be posting again.  So, we are safe and warm, just not in our house.  Thank you for you all who have been thinking warm thoughts on twitter.  Not sure when I will post again.  Probably when we are back in our house.  And it better be before 6 pm on Friday. 

• Shoe Friday #63

  jodifur

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:28 am

  My husband, Doug's, "Grandpa Slippers."  He hates the hardwood floors in our house, and wanted slippers with a hard sole.  His mom got him these for the holidays. And yes, those are Steeler socks.  Perfect for Snowmagedon. 

• Okay, So Snow Is Pretty And All

  jodifur

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:53 am

  But really, I am over it.  Like honestly and truly over it.  I never even liked snow in the first place.  We got 2 feet in December, and now they are calling for a foot this weekend?  Are you fucking kidding me?  Do I live in Buffalo?I went to college in Hartford, Ct.  I did my time in snow.  I'm done.  I request a snow, reprieve.In other news, my roof leaks, but only when it snows.  Not when it rains,  feel free to explain that feet of nature to me.  We thought it was fixed during the first snow storm but that roofer sucked and now we have to REFIX IT.  Please imagine how…

• Being an Aunt is a Blast

  jodifur

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:18 am

  Sunday night we went out to dinner with my whole family.  My 8 year old nephew is one of my favorite people in the whole world, and certainly one of Michael's.  He was explaining to us why he would not eat a "living creature."  His father explained to him that he does eat living creatures and he said he meant a living creature from the sea.  I told him he eats salmon, which is a sea creature, and his father told him he eats living creatures from the land.My nephew responded with "I eat a hamburger which is a living creature from a cow and I eat a hot dog which is a…

• Choosing Kindergarten for Michael is Turning into Me Picking College

  jodifur

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:44 am

  Doug and I are faced with making a decision I really don't want to make.  It is re-registration time at Michael's school.  And we can keep him there for Kindergarten, or send him to the the public school DOWN THE STREET for Kindergarten.  And there are pros and cons to each approach and I have been mulling it over in my head for so long and I am so sick of thinking about it that I thought I would do the smart thing, ask the internet.I could not make a decision when I applied to college, or when I applied to law school, and I ended up making a decision at the last possible moment,…

• 
  Parenting Advice Blog

• Feb 9, Children Chores - Learning Self Value and Responsibilty

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:15 am

  Children chores - parents attitude to responsibility usually determines their ideas around hidlren doing chores. What do you think?

• Feb 9, Child Safety Tips - Combat Anxiety in Your Children!

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:03 am

  Child safety tips which combat anxiety in your children and teach about secrets, bullying, it's my body and trust.

• Feb 9, Improving Self Confidence

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:51 pm

  The task of improving self confidence can seem insurmountable at times. It appears to come down to an inner battle for the mind - a battle waged between two parts of ourselves.

• Jan 26, Self Esteem - ways to improve self esteem, self confidence, self respect, self image

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:39 pm

  Self esteem - how we think about ourselves and whether we find value in our selves, translates into how we teach, show and mirror these qualities to our children.

• Jan 18, Divorce and Children - Impact, Change and Care - How to be a consistent parent

  17 Jan 2010 | 11:28 pm

  Divorce and children - How to be a consistent parent around divorce and children? Divorce can create much change in our children's lives, so that the need to be consistent is highlighted in a major way.

• 
  Shaman Mother

• Learning to Love

  Shaman Mother

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:21 am

  There are very few who truly know how to love.  Most of us are operating on an ego based personality, looking towards another human being to fill the cracked holes within ourselves.  Early in a relationship, our hearts and minds are filled with euphoria and happiness, like a box of chocolates.  This tastes so good.  We start to associate that the other person is making us feel this way.  Then reality sets in like a dark cloud and the ‘blame game’ begins.  You begin to say “you don’t bring me flowers anymore; you did this to me;  you make me feel like a piece of…

• Manifesting Money

  Shaman Mother

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:31 am

  It’s easy in today’s economy to get swept up in the tidal wave of mass belief of lack.  People losing jobs and their homes sends aftershocks into the vibrational field of energy that surrounds us.  This fear spreads like a virus among all of us.  Beliefs have a strong impact on creating our reality.  Yes, you create your own reality.  The moment you decide to be self responsible, everything in your life will change. Thoughts are energy and so is money.  A dear friend of mine Dr. Bhutti, a Tibetan physician, once said to my husband, “All this stress over a piece of…

• Complaining…..it holds you back!

  Shaman Mother

  21 Jan 2010 | 4:32 pm

  You’re complaining…it’s raining or what else is bothering you?  Did you ever stop and LISTEN to all the whining and complaining?  It will wear you out.  I stopped in my local coffee shop for my daily cup of coffee and listened while the owner complained to every customer.  She complained that her help never shows up.  She complained about customers complaining and today was the day she was going to call up an interested buyer to buy the shop.  Then my twenty one year old daughter came home from a long day.  She complained about school and her job. Be more positive I…

• Lady in Red…..STOP forcing pain in your life!

  Shaman Mother

  8 Jan 2010 | 2:32 pm

  The real question is why are we creating so much pain in our life?   Our whole society is addicted to pain and the only way out for most of us is drugs and alcohol.  We want a quick fix.  What can we do differently?  First a quick story…..  Saturdays in the afternoon you can find me dressing women in my daughter’s boutique “Twilight.”  I have always had a passion for fashion since childhood and it really balances out the inner work I do with clients Monday thru Friday. Saturday is for feeling good on the outside.  A couple of weeks ago I was assisting a young…

• Tiger Woods ~ Judgment Day!

  Shaman Mother

  11 Dec 2009 | 3:27 am

  Judgment is truly low energy and something that keeps us from reaching our true spiritual potential as human beings.  The media once again is in a feeding frenzy over the Tiger Woods’ situation. Television and radio talk hosts are debating the character of Tiger Woods.  I don’t know about all of you but I am tired of this. Gossip serves the lower aspects of our souls because we delight in the fall of grace of a wealthy, public figure. It makes us feel good that someone so successful has screwed up. The most famous spiritual teacher, Jesus said: “He who has not sinned cast…

• 
  Dater's Ed

• Dating Curves

  mama j

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:19 am

  Ortega Highway – one of the most beautiful roads in North America and one of the most dangerous. The 25-mile drive over the mountain pass has breathing taking views followed by some of the most treacherous curves I’ve ever experienced.No matter how often I drive this splendid piece of pavement, I will never be able to predict what is on the other side of that curve. Yesterday, it was another victim.I hear it all the time, “I should have seen it coming.” No, I’m not talking about the unexpected circular bend in the road but a devastating curve in a relationship: an affair.We get…

• Black Ice Dating

  mama j

  3 Jan 2010 | 9:04 am

• Enough is Enough

  mama j

  3 Dec 2009 | 10:55 am

• Technology Trap

  mama j

  19 Oct 2009 | 8:48 am

  Run a red light, event burnt orange in California and a high-tech camera takes a picture of your license plate so that the police department can send you a ticket. Crazy. No officer within miles. The camera doesn’t lie. Laws are enforced. Technology can sometimes be your worst enemy. Your student was dead wrong when she thought she wouldn’t get caught.Recently, a young man in our town thought he wouldn’t get caught either; “sexting” two underage girls didn’t just leave tangible evidence on the cells phones but could possibly prove “without a shadow…” While police officers…

• Best Choice

  mama j

  12 Oct 2009 | 11:03 am

• 
  Oooh Baby Green Living and Parenting Ideas

• BEST GREEN BABY WIPES

  J Claire

  30 Jan 2010 | 7:43 am

  After a round with baby rash, I did a little research on the best green baby wipes. I've had concerns about the cheap store-bought brands for a long time. With my baby's sensitive skin, allergies and eczema I'm very particular about all products she comes in contact with and wipes appeared on my radar when I read that some brands have materials that have been bleached with chlorine and contain alcohol or other irritants that might cause diaper rash. A few common brands are Huggies, Pampers and Luvs so I decided to see if I could find a list of ingredients for each and here's what I…

• GREEN PARENTING TIPS

  J Claire

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:03 pm

  When I started this blog I wanted to focus on sharing green parenting tips. My goal was to turn the lot of you into eco-friendly parents in 10 Easy Steps or less. As so many of you know, it’s easy to run to the end of the thread of your subject and be jerked backwards only to fall on your butt. Why I thought I could give advice to others at a time when I was completely overwhelmed with parenting a very sick child is beyond me. In between emergencies, I did manage to offer some advice but I feel I must apologize for those days when I ventured off the course or didn't post at all.The reason I…

• Parenting Independent Children

  J Claire

  24 Jan 2010 | 3:56 pm

  I can tell you from experience that parenting independent children is more of a challenge than raising people pleasers. I have a few of each so I know of what I speak. After studying nature versus nurture in school, I thought I had it all figured out until I had kids of my own. After venturing forth into the hands-on experience of actual child rearing, my thinking is that each baby comes here pre-programmed and while some behaviors can be tempered the basic character of a child is hard wired. My daughters all have different temperaments. Two are shy and eager to please and the other two are…

• A Step Forward and Two Back

  J Claire

  13 Jan 2010 | 9:26 am

  Battling illness in my house follows a pattern, a step forward and two back or maybe it's three but who's counting, right? I haven't posted much on MRSA wound healing or our battle with staph lately. It's like I've been avoiding the pink elephant in the room that you hope will go away if you ignore it. The step forward that I mentioned was that the worst of the wounds finally closed. You know you've taken a step forward when the wound care doctor and nurses join for a group cheer some with tears in their eyes and others threatening to tear their shoulders out of the socket patting themselves…

• GREEN HOUSE CLEANERS

  J Claire

  31 Dec 2009 | 8:40 am

  The best Christmas present ever is causing me problems! Researching green house cleaners (actually house cleaning services not the products) has now been added to my VERY long "to do" list. I'm ashamed to say that I knuckled and bumped it to the top. I did so out of selfishness and more than a healthy dose of the need for assistance in digging through the after holiday clutter and confusion. Before my awakening to the dangers of household cleaning products I might have called the first commercial cleaning service with an impressive ad in the yellow pages. But now I want to know more about…

• 
  Mommy in Pink

• Rethink What Matters with Bare Escentuals – GIVEAWAY

  Jeri Maxedon

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:22 pm

  Rethink what a revolution looks like, from going bare in public to what freedom feels like. Bare Escentuals, the mineral makeup pioneer, invites you to shake up that foundation and sound off on topics that are more than just skin-deep with their new campaign, Rethink What Matters. Each week at RethinkWhatMatters.com, a new discussion topic is [...]

• You’re Playing Like Betty White Out There

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:38 pm

  I have no clue what football is about, I dread any sporting event actually, but here’s why it’s all worth it -  those guys have great butts, watching it makes my husband a happy man and hilarious commercials like this… This totally confirms that I still in fact wish Betty White was my Grandmother! Tweet This! Share this [...]

• Ok, You Can Spanx Me Now

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 12:37 pm

  Since some of you are home-bound right now in snow that’s taller than my daughter, I thought I’d show you that light at the end of the tunnel and give you an idea of what’s in store this Summer. Spanx, the leaders in shapewear that’s been having everyone bending over backwards for a little “spanx”ing, [...]

• Get Red Hot Nails for Valentine’s Day

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 4:05 am

  One of the quickest and most affordable ways to pamper yourself is to always top off your look with well groomed nails. Whether short or long, having neatly filed and polished nails along with soft, moisturized cuticles and hands will make you feel and look more feminine. Skyy Hadley of As “U” Wish Nail Spa [...]

• Josie Maran: Luxury Cosmetics with a Conscience

  Kristy Rossman

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:24 pm

  As a Supermodel and Spokesperson, Josie Maran(the face behind the brand) is one who recognizes the transformative abilities of makeup and the simple truth that a little can go a long way.  She is aware of which ingredients are good for the environment as well as which ingredients to avoid all together summing up what her collection [...]

• 
  ecomii parenting blog

• Seeing the World through Baking and Traveling

  Lynn Fantom

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:13 pm

  The Great Recession has taught us there’s more to life than granite countertops. Someone said this to me recently, and I thought of it again when my co-worker Jessica Birk told me that she and her two sons, Craig, 4, and Brandon, 2, have started baking together every weekend.  Often they give their goodies away. I don’t [...]

• Green Toy Safety Backfire?

  Linda Brown-Kuhn

  24 Nov 2009 | 9:05 am

  The mad rush for holiday toy shopping is on. This can be tricky territory for the health and eco-conscious parent. And now a new law designed to improve toy safety may end up reducing eco-friendly toy choices. The Scoop The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) sets mandatory safety standards for toys, clothes, and other items used [...]

• Give Your Kids Consciousness for Christmas

  Heather O'Neill

  12 Nov 2009 | 10:13 pm

  As a native New Yorker, before I moved to California I thought drinking tea was New Age-y and I didn’t know a chakra from a hole in the wall. After five years in California I go to acupuncture, own a pair of Birkenstocks and my boyfriend’s mother is a healer. Fancy that. The older I get [...]

• New Research on Twins Confirms Genetic Role in Autism

  Marie Oser

  10 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am

  There has been an unprecedented increase in recent years in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).  A variety of elements are suspected of playing a role (see our recent post linking environmental toxins to autism).  Researchers have known that a higher incidence of autism exists among twins¹, and this new study [...]

• Baby Deluxe

  Heather O'Neill

  3 Nov 2009 | 11:04 am

  With all of the delicious eco-friendly baby products on the market I often find myself coveting items made especially for infants. Recently I found myself fervently wishing that the Ruffle Blanket from Organica Deluxe would morph into an adult-sized wrap. Alas, it did not. One consolation is that if you wrap your baby in this delicious blanket [...]

• 
  Jolly Mom

• Get Your Family Organized with Cozi: FREE Online Family Organizer PLUS WIn Free Groceries!

  Jolly Mom

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:58 pm

  Before I started blogging I ran across this really cool online family organizer called Cozi. I fell in love with Cozi back then and then inevitably something happened to knock me off track and I got out of the hang of using it. Now as a blogger--I have been reintroduced to it and my love for Cozi has grown even more. It is still the same easy to use FREE online family organizer that I once loved PLUS some other great features. If you've never heard of Cozi, here's a little overview. Cozi is basically command central for families. It can help families manage everyone's schedules, track…

• HP Mini Notebook Computer & Printer Bundle Giveaway!

  Jolly Mom

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:06 am

  Recently, HP launched their Create Change campaign, which gives 4% of each purchase made at the HP Direct Store to one of seven charities. Customers can choose to donate to CARE, the American Red Cross, DonorsChoose.org, Junior Achievement, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Susan G. Komen, and the World Wildlife Fund. I think this is such a wonderful initiative by HP that gives the consumer an easy way to help others. As HP says, "Don't just buy a computer, support a worthy cause." Watch the Video To Learn More: As part of HP’s Create Change program, they’d like to hear stories about how…

• Handmade Valentine's Day Gifts: Homemade Marshmallow Recipe

  Jolly Mom

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  If you've never had homemade marshmallows, you are truly missing out. They are nothing like the store bought ones. Homemade marshmallows are soft and fluffy and delicious. They are also surprisingly easy to make and make great gifts! Wrap them in clear cellophane bags and give them out to loved ones on Valentine's Day. Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray 3 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 2 cups granulated sugar 2/3 cup light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tsp pure vanilla extract Liquid or gel food coloring Confectioners' sugar, sifted, for dusting the marshmallows…

• Winners!

  Jolly Mom

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:27 pm

  I have announced winners for the following giveaways {click on the links to see who won}: Organic Women's Loungewear Set Flirty Apron X-Ceter-O Tic Tac Toe Board Game 30 Photo Cards by PhotoAffections.com Thomas & Friends DVD Congratulations to all of the winners! As always, all of the winners have been emailed and have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize.

• Weekend At the Movies with Jolly Mom: The Children's Edition {Giveaway}

  Jolly Mom

  7 Feb 2010 | 4:03 pm

  We are huge movie buffs at my house. Every Tuesday, Mike and I rent new releases as they come out and have movie nights pretty much every weekend. While I do try to limit the amount of tube time Lucas gets, he does enjoy children's movies and programs too. And, honestly--he has learned a lot from watching children's dvds. They offer a fun way to supplement what I am already teaching Lucas on a daily basis {i.e. counting, colors, shapes, etc}.  Since I review a lot of new releases here at Jolly Mom--I thought it would be more convenient for you guys to consolidate them down to one weekly…

• 
  Pink & Posh

• Rethink What Matters with Bare Escentuals – GIVEAWAY

  Jeri Maxedon

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:22 pm

  Rethink what a revolution looks like, from going bare in public to what freedom feels like. Bare Escentuals, the mineral makeup pioneer, invites you to shake up that foundation and sound off on topics that are more than just skin-deep with their new campaign, Rethink What Matters. Each week at RethinkWhatMatters.com, a new discussion topic is [...]

• You’re Playing Like Betty White Out There

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:38 pm

  I have no clue what football is about, I dread any sporting event actually, but here’s why it’s all worth it -  those guys have great butts, watching it makes my husband a happy man and hilarious commercials like this… This totally confirms that I still in fact wish Betty White was my Grandmother! Tweet This! Share this [...]

• Ok, You Can Spanx Me Now

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 12:37 pm

  Since some of you are home-bound right now in snow that’s taller than my daughter, I thought I’d show you that light at the end of the tunnel and give you an idea of what’s in store this Summer. Spanx, the leaders in shapewear that’s been having everyone bending over backwards for a little “spanx”ing, [...]

• Get Red Hot Nails for Valentine’s Day

  Nicole Ibarrondo

  7 Feb 2010 | 4:05 am

  One of the quickest and most affordable ways to pamper yourself is to always top off your look with well groomed nails. Whether short or long, having neatly filed and polished nails along with soft, moisturized cuticles and hands will make you feel and look more feminine. Skyy Hadley of As “U” Wish Nail Spa [...]

• Josie Maran: Luxury Cosmetics with a Conscience

  Kristy Rossman

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:24 pm

  As a Supermodel and Spokesperson, Josie Maran(the face behind the brand) is one who recognizes the transformative abilities of makeup and the simple truth that a little can go a long way.  She is aware of which ingredients are good for the environment as well as which ingredients to avoid all together summing up what her collection [...]

• 
  My Mommy Manual

• How to Mend a Broken Heart

  Diane Asyre

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:55 am

  “What’s ‘unrequited love’ mean?”  That’s the opening line from my son when I picked him up from school earlier today. As any experienced parent knows, this is the type of question that doesn’t deserve an immediate answer.  It deserves another question. So I say, “Why do you ask?” “Well, this girl at school said that she had ‘unrequited love’ for me.  I don’t know what she’s talking about.” It sounds to me as if this girl may not only be more mature than my son but she also has a better vocabulary. I start thinking about how to best answer his question and my…

• How Our Relationships Matter

  Practical Mommy

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:56 am

  When people ask me what I do and I tell them I co-create an online community for moms, they often follow up with, “That is so cool! How did you decide to do that?” Depending on the window of time available (that I can sometimes gauge by the amount of liquid they have left in their glass), I go into a version of the following narrative: A couple of years ago, I went to a conference in Chicago called Successful and Outstanding Bloggers. At the time, I had another business and my purpose for being there was to learn how blogging could help promote it. I didn’t know any of these…

• How to Keep Following Your Bliss

  Practical Mommy

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:41 am

  Last week, we heard Elena Verlee’s tips on finding your passion. The next in our series is singer-songwriter, Heidi Howes. Heidi definitely has a passion for music but… how does she feed that passion as a busy mom of two kids? In our interview, Heidi shares her struggles with balancing being the mom she wants to be with fulfilling her own dreams! Interview with Heidi Howes (AUDIO 3:09) Heidi has been a guest with us before, sharing her Postpartum Depression journey. You can listen to tracks from Heidi’s upcoming CD, Mother Songs here. Related Articles How to Find Your…

• Positive Parenting Tip: Power

  Practical Mommy

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:26 am

  Our Yogi Parenting audio tips are presented every Friday by Michaela Turner, BS Ed, CYKT, YKT, Co-Founder Yogi Parenting Listen to this :15 AUDIO TIP: — Michaela is a 30 year veteran educator and a Certified YogaKids Teacher and Trainer. She teaches yoga baby and yoga kids classes for children throughout St. Louis, Missouri. As the Co-founder of the online parenting course, Yogi Parenting, Michaela offers tips on parenting and seminars nationally, blending her joy for yoga with her love for children.

• How To Prepare for the Emotional Aspects of Birth

  Sarah Baker

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:30 am

  During pregnancy, a great deal of energy is exerted in preparation for the physical arrival of a new baby. Between multiple prenatal appointments, purchasing baby supplies, and taking childbirth classes, there is a limitless list of things to do before the birth. However, amongst all the physical preparations, there is a key aspect of birth preparation that’s often overlooked: the emotional preparation. Emotions, whether negative or positive, have a profound impact on pregnancy, birth and parenthood and it is vitally important for expectant couples to explore their emotions before the…

• 
  The HolisticFM Show

• Dare To Love Yourself Challenge Video Day 2 – My “This Too Shall Pass” Moment

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 11:28 pm

  Here’s my Dare To Love Yourself Challenge Video Day 2 – I share with you my “This Too Shall Pass” Moment: I have tried affirmations in the past without a huge shift – but I never did stick to it every day for 3 weeks. When I do them I feel like I am lying sometimes. When I’m not in a good mood I can’t possibly believe that many of those phrases could ever be possible. A friend of mine on Facebook, Nancy Barry-Jansson has taught hundreds of people how to get the most from affirmations and is a coach. Her comment to my Day 1 Challenge video yesterday…

• Dare To Love Yourself Challenge “Families don’t need Martyrs, they need Mothers”

  admin

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:22 pm

  “Families don’t need martyrs, they need mothers. You have to take care of yourself first, so you have something to give. You can’t give what you don’t have.” Dr. Phil This quote was posted by a friend of mine who is taking the Dare To Love Yourself Challenge with me. Here’s a few videos I recorded, will try to Vlog every day of the Challenge!! =) I am going to do this as much as I can – morning, noon and night or anytime I need regulation! I put them on an MP3 player and am going to carry it around with me, listening before I go to bed and right when…

• Book Review: “Beyond Consequences, Logic & Control” Vol 2

  admin

  30 Dec 2009 | 5:41 am

  I wish that my parents would have been able to read a copy of this book, when I was a little girl. I am absolutely positive if they would have been able to parent in this manner, treat themselves and each other with unconditional love, that all of our lives would have been better by miles. I know they did the best they could. But if they’d had these tools (what the Beyond Consequences Institute teaches) I know there would have been a lot less darkness, heartache and loss in our lives. I have attended four of Heather’s in person events this year: 1. “Beyond Consequences…

• “…Changing the Lives of More People Than She Will Ever Know.”

  admin

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pm

  A testimonial for Heather T. Forbes, LCSW and Parenting Expert “I have seven adopted kids all from disrupted adoptions. If the first families would have had the support and education of Heathers books and seminars they might not have disrupted. “I’m 56 and have worked with troubled kids all my life. Heather has the best info out there. I myself was developing Hyper-Tension because what I do is so challenging. After I read Heather fist book my stress level dropped 50% because I finally found the answers I was looking for. I will be at the Nov. Seminar with my Bio Daughter, 28…

• Online Parenting Class Feedback

  admin

  18 Nov 2009 | 10:07 pm

  Online Parenting Classes “The Beyond Consequences model is refreshing and hope-filled in its focus on healing the child from within through relationship and unconditional love rather than on just correcting outward behaviors with the traditional, fear-based parenting model.” Margie Magar “Powerful workshop. Left with new insights into myself, and greater confidence in becoming the kind of woman, mother, and helper that I want to be, as well as with some great tools and a support network I truly believe I can count on for help and encouragement on my journey.” Cindy P.

• 
  For love or funny

• Dark, scary places

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

  It's terrifyingly easy to get lost in our woods.But our neighbor didn't think of that when she ran away from home.When her parents returned to an empty house, they were devastated.Her parents called 911 for help. In a matter of moments, helicopters and police swarmed our quiet neck of the woods.The little girl was 12 years old. I couldn't help but wonder... What made her flee?Once she got into the woods, her troubles must have morphed into fear. There are many things to fear in the woods, like animals who are bigger than you. Briars that grab and slice at your clothing and skin. Eerie trees…

• I can handle 21 inches

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

  We got snowed in this weekend.Luckily, I'm the CEO of a vast corporation.I have "People."I immediately put my People to work, because the company van needs access to our delivery routes.Clear the driveway!Visibility is zero.Mush, doggy, mush!!Getting clearer.Mush, doggy!Looking good!I love it when a plan comes together.Unfortunately, my colleague was covered in snowballs.Then she brought all of the snow inside corporate headquarters."You're fired!"Ever the entrepreneur, I enlisted the help of two new recruits.They're young. Energetic. And they've got opposable thumbs.Perfect for holding snow…

• Weekend Wish

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

  Last year, we looked like this:This year, we look like this: I hope you have plenty of milk and bread.And electricity.

• Signs of stupidity

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

  This time of year, I can see where the deer are heading.Often, I follow their trails.Luckily, I'm smart enough not to follow them down this trail...

• The best meal EVER!

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:30 am

  I'm feeling sorry for myself, because it's still winter. I need comfort.So I made this...My kids thought this meal was the BEST meal EVER!I'm inclined to agree.For Love or Funny, it's the simple things.

• 
  Harassed Mom

• The silver lining doesnt always come in silver

  LauraKim

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:45 am

  Today has been one of the most emotionally draining days I have had in a long time. Short version - my mother resigned and my brother and I had the biggest fight we have ever had. It was aweful Made me so very heart sore. We did work through it but it was still horrible. This means [...]

• yes Yes YES!

  LauraKim

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:19 pm

  The 20h00 movie on MNET on Sunday night was Yes Man with Jim Carrey. If you haven’t seen it the just of the story is Jim Carrey attends a seminar that will change his life – all he has to do is say “Yes” to everthing. His life changes over night (as it would if you [...]

• I am a finalist

  LauraKim

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:28 am

  I have made the Nerdies finals! Please go here and vote for me. I really REALLY want the photo shoot with Jeanette and the years hosting would really come in handy now! PLEASE PLEASE!

• I am not ahead of the curve, I am the curve.

  LauraKim

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:16 pm

  Weekends come and weekends go – it is sad. We spent 5 days waiting for those two days at the end of the week that allow us to relax, spend time with friends and if we are lucky sleep in. It was my weekend with the kids. It had a very rocky start with Kiara fortunately by Sunday [...]

• The whole truth and nothing but the truth

  LauraKim

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  I have been hiding behind bullet point posts, my awesome boyfriend and my troubled child. I am not hiding anymore. The truth is I went to see a shrink yesterday. The truth is the shrink thinks I am depressed. The truth is I have been crying alot the last few weeks. The truth is I am not [...]

• 
  KidGlue

• Healthy Pick/Makes Me Sick: Dunkin’ Donuts

  Sarah Matheny

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:30 am

  Every Tuesday, KidGlue presents “Healthy Pick/Makes Me Sick” where Sarah Matheny takes a popular restaurant’s menu and uncovers the most healthy and least healthy items on the menu. This week:  Dunkin’ Donuts. Being a West Coaster, I had no idea about the East Coast obsession with Dunkin’ Donuts, and I certainly wasn’t hip to the fact that they had a rivalry with my beloved Starbucks. But Dunkin’ is invading the nation, one annoying Rachael Ray ad at a time.  Could a restaurant that specializes in Homer Simpson’s ultimate weakness have a choice for those…

• Cash for Refrigerators Coming Soon to Your State

  Bridget Tyler

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

  The State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program, aka, “Cash for Refrigerators” is coming to a state near you. In fact, it may already be in effect, depending on where you live.  This latest “green” oriented stimulus program is being funded with $300 million dollars of federal stimulus money. It’s starting at different times in different states because each state is operating its own version of the program, which means different start dates, budgets and rules. Generally buyers can earn rebates of $50 to $250 for buying new Energy Star qualified products to…

• Sugary Soda Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

  Bridget Tyler

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:30 am

  If you needed another reason to not allow your kids to drink too much soda, you’ve got one.  A new study shows that people who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a heightened risk of pancreatic cancer.  Sugar has long been suspected of contributing to cancer risks because tumor cells use more glucose than other cells. However, evidence of this link is contradictory at best.  People in the current study who drank fruit juice instead of soda did not have the same risk. Pancreatic cancer is an unusual, but almost always deadly, cancer. Last year there were 42,470 new…

• Toyota Recalls Prius, Other Models, Worldwide

  Bridget Tyler

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:33 am

  Toyota is in the recall business this morning. Again. Toyota is recalling 437,000 of its flagship Prius’ and other hybrid cars over a breaking issue. This recall mostly applies to the 2010 Prius models, but there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence that Toyota knew about the breaking problem in previous models and simply ignored it. Toyota is having a bad year. It has already recalled more than eight million vehicles world wide over floormats and unintentional acceleration.  And, of course, recalls mean law suits – particularly with more than 19 deaths and many more injuries…

• Beauty Tips For Time Crunched Moms

  Bonnie Owens

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

  Remember when you could spend the whole afternoon at the spa without thinking twice?  In an effort to recreate those memories for me, my incredibly thoughtful husband bought me a spa package an upscale Beverly Hills spa for Mother’s Day a few years ago.  He took the kids all day while I got to unwind.  But it didn’t really happen that way.  I spent the whole day wondering how they were doing what they were doing, etc…  Although I enjoyed my time there it just wasn’t the same.  The kids were fine save some peed pants and their cupcake lunch, but after that…

• 
  Tales From The Trenches of Parenting

• In My World - Everyday Seems Like A Monday!

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:05 am

  So waking up every morning is always a new adventure for me since my motto is "Everyday is a new day". Cause last night I was like, all freaking anxiety-ridden over the impending SE - PAR - A -... Parenting with sarcasm and humor while taking it all in with a side of chocolate and a serious latte'! You be the judge of whether we are crazy or not.

• WARNING: Bored Domesticated Female on the Loose!

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:11 am

  Haven't been inspired to write this past week because frankly, I got a really, really bad case of Boreditis. Let me tell you something, there is NOTHING worse than a bored housewife, mom,... Parenting with sarcasm and humor while taking it all in with a side of chocolate and a serious latte'! You be the judge of whether we are crazy or not.

• There Is Life Beyond the Internet.... Well... Uh... Kinda

  24 Jan 2010 | 8:31 pm

  My internet went down for almost four days this week after my modem went ca-PUT. Modem was replaced, but then the whole internet system as we know got shoved in some megabyte corner of the... Parenting with sarcasm and humor while taking it all in with a side of chocolate and a serious latte'! You be the judge of whether we are crazy or not.

• The Merry Hula

  24 Jan 2010 | 5:41 pm

  Ladies and Gentleman! Now featuring Nia singing "The Merry Hula"! I know it's a bit late considering the holidays are over and we've eaten all the crappy fruitcake (or either it's still being used as... Parenting with sarcasm and humor while taking it all in with a side of chocolate and a serious latte'! You be the judge of whether we are crazy or not.

• My Sanity Was Saved By Jack Bauer and a Almond Joy

  19 Jan 2010 | 2:36 pm

  I woke up from a short nap this afternoon only to be faced with one of the most pressing emergencies my family has ever faced in its' entire 12 year existence: Our modem connecting 3 computers and... Parenting with sarcasm and humor while taking it all in with a side of chocolate and a serious latte'! You be the judge of whether we are crazy or not.

• 
  Charm City Moms

• The snow penguin of Catonsville

  Kate Shatzkin

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:19 am

  Here's an adorable snow penguin from Sue Slade of Catonsville. Keep sending me your pictures of creative snow contraptions and creatures for our snowmaggedon contest. Don't forget to include your name and neighborhood with your photo, please.

• Hollins Market snowman

  Kate Shatzkin

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:49 am

  Latest in our snow creature and snow contraption contest: a merry snowman from Hollins Market. Shaina Wahl writes: "Here is our Snowman at Hollins Market- buttons of beer cans, a cucumber mouth. Photoed with: Peter, Brian, Trevor, Sebastian."

• The fire-breathing snowman of Bel Air

  Kate Shatzkin

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:12 am

  Nick and Anna Berte of Bel Air sent me these pictures of the giant snowman they made with their children in front of their home. "My husband is an engineer and decided later on to make the snowman breathe fire," Anna Berte writes. "Hope everyone enjoys this snowman as much as the rest of our neighborhood does." We like! Now if you could just get him to work on melting all the snow before the next storm comes... Can you top this? We're running a contest for pictures of the most creative snow forts and snow creatures. Send your photos my way.

• Valentine's Day for tweens

  Kate Shatzkin

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:41 am

  Liz Atwood muses on the possible end of Valentine's Day for her tweens this Tween Tuesday: If you're the parent of a tween, beware. Valentine's Day might come early this year--or not at all. My third-grader is supposed to have a Valentine party in school this Friday (provided schools are back in session by then). I only know this because I got an e-mail from the teacher asking what I would like to contribute to the party. I think if I had not received the e-mail, I would have never known about it. Valentine's Day for tween boys is no big deal, it seems. Concerned that my son would be…

• Snow fort pictures: The toboggan run

  Kate Shatzkin

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:36 pm

  Who needs the Winter Olympics when you've got this awesome toboggan run David Hewes built for his kids (and, as he says, "anyone passing by") in Bowley's Quarters. In case you haven't heard, we're running a contest all week for pictures of the most creative snow forts and snow creatures from Snowmaggedon Snowpocalypse SNOMG 2010. Send them my way with your name and neighborhood. UPDATED: Here's another view of the toboggan run:

• 
  Parenting Help Me

• Your Teen Wants Rhinoplasty – How Should You Respond?

  Billy the kid

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:40 am

  Image by madelineyoki via Flickr “The teen years are a difficult stage for anyone, especially when it comes to appearances. We all remember how hard we tried to fit in; wearing “cool” clothes, the latest shoes, styling our hair the right way, and more. One year you might be a punk, the next year a prep. [...]

• Parenting Tips on Recognizing the Signs of Teething

  Parenting Help

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:20 pm

  Parenting Tips on Recognizing the Signs of Teething photo credit: ripkas As an adult, you barely think about your teeth unless you are brushing them or have serious dental problems. Your baby and teeth, however, still have a special relationship. Just think of how young children believe in the Tooth Fairy at almost the same level [...]

• Educating Your Kids About Cultural Diversity

  Billy the kid

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:55 am

  Having an au pair around the house is a great help to parents and children. With very young kids busy parents sometimes have trouble to find time to take a shower much less socialize with their friends or simply see a movie. An au pair can help with those problems but it doesn’t mean she will [...]

• Parenting Help for the Mom Who Wants to Maintain Friendships

  Parenting Help

  22 Jan 2010 | 12:04 pm

  Parenting Help for the Mom Who Wants to Maintain Friendships photo credit: AJU_photography If you have just given birth for the first time, you realize that everything about your life could change drastically. When you were still single or at least married but without kids, you own your time. Your husband may demand some of those [...]

• One Thing You Must Know About Parenting a Newborn

  Parenting Help

  17 Jan 2010 | 11:29 am

  Experiencing Lack of Interest in Making Love– One Thing You Must Know About Parenting a Newborn After giving birth, having sex is definitely NOT one of the top ten priorities in a woman?s head. Surprisingly, it may neither be in the new father?s mind. ?Why? Well, simply because sex takes energy, time, and concentration?all of which you [...]

• 
  The Official Mommy-Muse.com Blog

• Healing Touch for All Ages: Part Two

  mmuse

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  Did you catch Part One of Healing Touch for All Ages?  If you did, you are already a firm believer in the power of touch and human connection to transform our lives. It’s so easy to do.  I rarely have time to give lengthy massages, and I doubt you do, either.  However, just five minutes, twice [...]

• Healing Touch for All Ages: Part One

  mmuse

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:19 pm

  Have you experienced the pleasure of J.P. Cormier’s music?  I owe a debt of gratitutde to my best friend for introducing me to Cormier’s album Another Morning.  In the title track, this Canadian folksinger portrays a day in the life of an 83 year old man, declaring “…the days are growing longer, and I am [...]

• Mommy-Muse Survey: What Kind of Therapy Keeps YOU Going?

  mmuse

  30 Jan 2010 | 12:43 pm

  Personal or Professional: What Type of Talk “Therapy” Keeps You Going?(trends) Related Posts The Men's Doc to Appear on "The Mommy-Muse Is In"      Did you know that as many as 1 in 4 new dads get postpartum depression?  It's true!  Just being a parent can be hard, and being the parent of an [...]

• Fresh Serving of The Week’s Best PPD Posts

  mmuse

  26 Jan 2010 | 7:15 pm

  Loving your good thoughts and e-hugs over this past two weeks – what a difference kind words make in a stressed mama’s life!  Here is the promised serving of this week’s picks for PPD posts: Blogging with Boldness–Postpartum Depression: One mom’s truth in … – Bi-polar, manic-depression, social anxiety, depression, postpartum depression (PPD), general anxiety [...]

• One of Those Weeks

  mmuse

  20 Jan 2010 | 5:08 pm

  There are “those days” and then there are “those weeks,” when we get through moment to moment instead of day by day.  I apologize for the long absence in blog posts, but know you will understand when I say this has been one of THOSE WEEKS!  I am hanging in there, and positive thoughts are [...]

• 
  Early Childhood Brain Insights

• Smiling in Haiti? A Wonderful Example of the Need and Benefits of Play!

  Deborah McNelis

  29 Jan 2010 | 10:54 am

  I frequently write and speak about the importance of play.  I also emphasize that children do not need expensive toys, gadgets, and programs to have fun and learn.  Play is natural and can take place anywhere.  The brain craves opportunities for fun and interaction. This NBC story of children in Haiti is a fantastic example of the positive impact of play.  It is sure to make you smile! Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy To help the children of Haiti you can make a donation to Save the Children or the American Red Cross.

• Give Kids A Smile Day!

  Deborah McNelis

  26 Jan 2010 | 8:56 am

  braininsights not only likes happy brains but likes to see healthy smiles as part of a child’s development.  A child that is in pain or that cannot chew food properly is going to have increased stress and decreased nutrition which all lead to negative experiences for the brain.  Luckily, the American Dental Association sponsors the Give Kids a Smile Day each year where dentists across the country provide free oral health care services to children from low-income families.  This year the event takes place on February 5th.  To find out more information or to find a…

• January Newsletter: The Importance of Imagination

  Deborah McNelis

  21 Jan 2010 | 7:33 am

  Check out the January issue of the braininsights newsletter here  This month's issue focuses on the importance of imagination and creativity.  View past newsletters or sign up to have the free newsletter delivered to your inbox here Share

• Helping Others Helps the Brain

  Deborah McNelis

  18 Jan 2010 | 7:00 am

  Today we honor and celebrate a great man in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  His vision of equality and serving others has enhanced our nation.  To properly honor and remember him, Congress created the National Day of Service.  On this day and throughout the year, you and your children can help others while helping your brain at the same time. The brain benefits by activating the reward centers when we give to others. Research has demonstrated when giving, the brain releases dopamine which is responsible for the feelings of euphoria. Additionally, it has been…

• December braininsights Newsletter!

  Deborah McNelis

  17 Dec 2009 | 7:15 am

  Did you know.... when donating, the reward center is activated in the brain.... of the giver! The December braininsights Newsletter has great information on how the brain benefits from giving and how now is a great time to focus on brain development.  Read more here You can subscribe to the free newsletter here

• 
  Baby Sleep Help | Toddler Sleep Help - The Baby Sleep Site

• How Many Baby Naps : Sleep Quick Tip

  karin

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

  In the beginning, your newborn sleeps most of the time and you don’t have to worry too much about naps. Your newborn’s sleep schedule and patterns are highly unpredictable, usually, so it’s hard to tell if she will have 5 naps or 8 on any given day. You’ve just given birth (or partnered the birth), so as long as she sorts out the difference between day and night, you probably won’t stress too much about it, unless she isn’t “sleeping like a baby.” Once the fog lifts, you most likely want more predictability in your day and so you start focusing…

• Your Baby Won’t Sleep – It’s Your Fault

  Nicole

  19 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  A common theme when I read the first e-mail in a one-on-one consultation or when I first talk on the phone with a new client is that the parent feels somehow responsible for the sleep trouble they’re in. Either they were first time parents and didn’t know what they were or weren’t “supposed” to do or they knew they weren’t supposed to do it, but didn’t know what else to do. This is also a common theme in many of the sleep books out there, too. Many of them make you feel guilty for nursing your baby all the way to sleep or using a pacifier or…

• We’ve Survived the Holidays… Now We Sleep

  Nicole

  4 Jan 2010 | 9:31 pm

  So, we’ve made it through the holidays in one piece. Phew! Sleep seems to be back on track in our house, given we had some late bedtimes and off-schedules surrounding Christmas. If you are still struggling with the holiday upheaval, make sure you review your post-holiday sleep recovery tips, and if you’re a member, be sure to listen to the tele-seminar recording from 12/29. One member e-mailed me this about it: “LOVED the Recovering from the Holidays and Nap Transitions taping. I missed it yesterday b/c it was the last of the in-laws… and so I was very grateful to hear…

• Holiday Giveaway Winners and a Sale!

  Nicole

  29 Dec 2009 | 6:00 am

  I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and those of you who celebrated Eid’ul-Adha, Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Boxing Day I hope you had a great holiday! And, I wish all of you a Happy New Year (any interesting resolutions out there this year?), Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Omisoka, and Happy anything else you might celebrate that I haven’t listed! I love learning about different cultures, so please do comment below with your choice of holiday (even if it’s not in December!). We celebrate Christmas and had a great holiday, but…

• Making Sure Baby Sleeps During the Holidays (Warning: Free stuff mentioned)

  Nicole

  15 Dec 2009 | 8:04 am

  The holidays are tricky for your baby’s sleep. Grandma and grandpa want to spend time with the little fella, since they don’t get to see him that much. Or, you have two parties to go to on the same day, babysitters galore, or you have a lot of family members over making it really loud during nap time. Some people even like to get babysitters just to go Christmas shopping, especially those of you with more than one kid or twins or triplets, or more! After all, keeping your eye on two kids running around makes it THAT much harder to actually look for gifts to buy for people (believe…

• 
  Meet the Hazards

• A Boy Named Will

  jenniferhazard

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:29 am

  The Basher is one tough dude. I’ll wake up in the morning, hair askew, wearing a ratty sweater and yoga pants (hot, I know) and my son will hold my face in his hands, look me in the eyes, and say with all sincerity, “Mama, you’re beautiful.” Then he’ll plant a kiss on my cheek. What a charmer. Since birth, my son Will has been a sweet boy. He’s the type of kid that always says thank you, gives bear hugs without prompting or asks to snuggle after reading to him at night. So it came as a bit of a surprise when Will started to show a more aggressive side. It started with a game of…

• Controlling the Chaos

  jenniferhazard

  18 Jan 2010 | 10:34 am

  I grew up in a clean house. A spotless house. Nothing was ever out of place. When crumbs hit the floor, they were vacuumed up immediately. Our beds were never left unmade before school. Even the basement, which was home to our toys and games, was picked up every night. My parents were and are Type A perfectionists. I’m made up of the same genetic code, but I worry if it’s to a fault. Often my son will call from the family room, “Mama? Will you play trains with me?” I tell him, yes, I’ll be right there, and I mean well, but before I know it, an hour has gone by. I’ve put the…

• The Great Christmas Card Debate

  jenniferhazard

  18 Dec 2009 | 10:19 am

  The card that started it all... When Lauren was born, my husband and I were ecstatic. After two-plus years of trying, we were blessed with a 9-lb. baby girl. So it is no wonder when Christmas rolled around, I wanted our holiday card to be memorable. Sure we could do the typical cute baby in a red dress photo, but it seemed to me she deserved something better. After some thought, I landed on this idea: Lauren, Ted and I posing in furry Mad Bomber hats from L.L.Bean. Who could resist a chubby-cheeked, blue-eyed baby in one of those hats? Who wouldn’t laugh? My mother. She told me friends and…

• A Heartbreaking Work of… Oh, Never Mind

  jenniferhazard

  11 Dec 2009 | 9:55 am

  A scene from The Polar Express I was watching The Polar Express with Ted and the kids, and thinking how I could relate to the main character­–a boy whose belief is restored in Santa Claus after he’s given a bell that only true believers can hear. He’s thrilled by this gift, but on the return trip home, when he reaches inside his pocket to retrieve the bell, he finds a gaping hole instead. His shoulders slump. There’s a look of shock and disappointment on his face. Then there’s me, a grown woman, sobbing in the corner of our sectional, wondering like him, what could I have done…

• Happy Thanksgiving

  jenniferhazard

  26 Nov 2009 | 10:45 am

  My two toddlers could easily achieve this culinary feat... they're pros. Our kitchen usually looks just like this New Yorker cartoon, which reads, “And that’s how you make a peanut butter sandwich.” Enjoy and have a great holiday! We’ll be back with a new post soon.

• 
  Playground Confidential

• Bad-Ass Mothers: Shame and Alcoholism and Us

  rebecca

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:05 pm

  We all carry around some shame. Most of us can just sweep it under the carpet or tie a pretty bow on it and make it all better. Some of us like to out our shame and turn it into a joke. Have I mentioned how filthy my home is? Yours too, I bet. But, really, my children don’t even know what colour the inside of a toilet bowl should be. There are items in my fridge older than at least one of my children. And I’m not even sure which year the Christmas tree needles on the front steps are from. Hardy har har. Right? How about the time some poor mom dressed her toddler in snowsuit, hat,…

• Certifiably Doused in the Spirit

  rebecca

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:47 am

  DAILY SNACK Word to the wise: Your child’s baptismal certificate, Should not be stashed away in a dusty old keepsake box, Next to the baptismal candles and a sample of one of his first scribbles. Not if there’s any chance, However remote, That you might one day wish to enrol him in a Catholic school. That memento is actually considered an important document in those circles. And trust me. After you spend the better part of 12 hours unearthing his birth certificate and immunization record, The last thing you’ll want to do, Is spend another five desperately searching for the…

• Peek-A-Boo

  rebecca

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:48 am

  DAILY SNACK We’re way into peek-a-boo and hiding these days. I’m not sure how long she was waiting for me to find her behind this bookshelf. But it was clearly worth the wait.

• Fountain Heads

  rebecca

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am

  DAILY SNACK We sat in teams of two, On either side of the Eaton Centre fountain. Colum and I, and Dad and Irene. At the end of its cycle, The fountain would remain still and empty and lifeless for a couple minutes. “I guess it’s over now,” Colum said, Teasing out the suspense, “I guess there won’t be anymore.” Then the fountain shoots a geyser up 30 feet in the air, And we all ooh and ahh. And pretend to be surprised, When we really aren’t. Except that (even though we knew what would happen) in some ways we really are.

• At the Theatre

  rebecca

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:43 am

  DAILY SNACK In a sea of pink, There was my little strawberry-headed boy, In broad red and black stripes. A few pigtails over, Were his cousins, One in brown and gray and another pink-clad little girl. There were exactly three boys attending this performance of, Pinkalicious, The Musical. All the kids sat on carpets near the stage and the adults found chairs behind them. For 50 minutes, Colum sat and watched intently, And then for the last ten minutes, He found me and settled into my lap. Not a baby anymore, certainly. But not so big either.

• 
  SafeMama.com

• Cheat Sheet: BPA Free Baby Food, Baby Food Creation and Storage Tools

  Kathy

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:10 am

  Having a 6 month old means I am in the midst of the baby food jungle.. starting to introduce cereals and purees, which he is really loving and doing so well on them. I’d love to say I carve time out of my day to make all my own baby food but realistically, we all [...] Related posts:Baby Cubes: BPA Free & Phthalate Free Food Storage for BabySafeMama’s Safer Dishware Cheat Sheet: BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free DishesReview: Sprout Organic Baby Food

• Scientists Link Flame Retardants to Reduced Fertility

  Statia

  1 Feb 2010 | 6:56 am

  We’ve covered the basics of flame retardants in the past.  But new studies show that Flame Retardants may reduce Fertility. Epidemiologists from the University of California at Berkeley studied 223 pregnant women in California’s Salinas Valley, an agricultural community with predominantly low-income, Mexican immigrants. More than 97 percent of the women had PBDEs in their blood, [...] Related posts:SafeMama Rewind: PBDE’sOrganic Mattresses: Naturepedic ReviewFriday Link Roundup:The Kathy’s Sick Edition

• Safer Skin Care: How Far Do You Go?

  Kathy

  30 Jan 2010 | 8:02 am

  When I have some extra cash (which is not often) I sometimes go through our list of Safer Skin Care and purchase a sampler set of something I haven’t tried yet. It gives me a chance to try something new first hand as well as keep up with any reformulations that might occur as time [...] Related posts:Baby Skin Care Products: A Quick Users GuideTruKid Launches Skin Care Line for KidsReview: Eden’s Kiss Skin Care

• SafeMama Cheat Sheet: Dishwashing Detergents

  Statia

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:50 am

  Well hello there!  I know I’ve kind of slacked off on writing anything.   And like Kathy so kindly pointed out, we’ve been kind of going through a learning curve being new moms of two.  I’ll tell you, I don’t know how people have more than two children.  You all are saints! That said, I’m really [...] Related posts:SafeMama Review: Dapple Dish LiquidSafe Bottle Soap: BabyGanics Foaming Dish SoapSafeMama’s Safer Dishware Cheat Sheet: BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dishes

• Whole Foods 365 Brand Body Care Reviewed on LovelySafeMama.com

  Kathy

  23 Jan 2010 | 5:54 am

  As requested in our recent “Help Us Help You” Suggestion Box I went ahead and weighed in on what we think of the Whole Foods brand of body care 365 Everyday Value over on LovelyMama!  If you aren’t familiar with LovelyMama.com, we opened it up to talk about and review safer skin care for the [...] Related posts:1, 4-Dioxane in Organic Body Care ProductsSafe for Mama: Finding Safe Cosmetics and Body CareWhole Foods Market Launches New Safety Seal

• 
  Family Anatomy

• Anatomy of Sex Ed (Episode 96)

  Dr. Brian MacDonald, C. Psych.

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:05 am

  Doctors Brian and Giuseppe talk about how kids learn about sexuality at school and at home. When is the best time for parents to talk to their kids about sex? What do children need to know? Do abstinence-only programs work? What about “the birds and the bees” talk? Find out what we think on this week’s episode! Listen here: … or right click here to save the episode for later! You can also get your free podcast subscription in iTunes. If you use iTunes, you can leave a review! x x x Website of the Week: Children Now-Talking with Kids Leave us a comment, or you can…

• How kids fool their parents

  Dr. Brian MacDonald, C. Psych.

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:57 am

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/qwrrty/ / CC BY 2.0 Let’s face it: kids tell lies. Sometimes it’s because they fear the consequences if they tell the truth, at other times, it may be to avoid an unpleasant task. There can be many reasons for it, but the bottom line is, if you’re a parent, chances are you’ve been lied to at some point by your child. It’s not a pleasant thing to think about, and it’s made less so by the fact that many kids quickly become very good liars. So what can parents do?(...)Read the rest of How kids fool their parents (659 words) ©…

• Knowing When You’re Being Deceived Is Not So Easy

  Dr. Giuseppe Spezzano, C. Psych.

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Flickr: Crossed fingers II by Katie Tegtmeyer When it comes to lying, it can seem like you just can’t win. People don’t like to be lied to. Lies can damage the bonds of any relationship. On the other hand, telling people the truth can hurt. Emotional pain caused by telling people the truth can also damage relational bonds. What do you do when both the truth and a lie are likely to cause pain? People routinely make choices of this nature. Studies show that we all lie on a daily basis. Most of our daily lies are “white lies” told to protect the feelings of others or to…

• Anatomy of Lying (Episode 95)

  Dr. Brian MacDonald, C. Psych.

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  Doctors Brian and Giuseppe talk about lying and how parents can respond to their kids’ fibs. How does lying develop? How can parents prevent it from becoming a problem and maintain trust? Find out in this week’s episode! Listen here: … or right click here to save the episode for later. You can also set up free automatic downloads in iTunes. If you use iTunes, you can leave a review! Website of the Week: Family Education Leave us a comment, or you can e-mail suggestions or questions to info@familyanatomy.com. Vote for The Family Anatomy Podcast at Podcast Alley and for…

• Does the month of your birth affect IQ?

  Dr. Brian MacDonald, C. Psych.

  28 Jan 2010 | 8:38 am

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajari/ / CC BY 2.0 For over 70 years, research has shown a relationship between season of birth and intelligence or educational achievement. Although some research results vary, the bulk of the data suggests that learning skills and birth season are linked. However, the jury is out as to why month of birth might be related to IQ. Debbie Lawlor and her colleagues examined some data to confirm the link between birth season and intelligence and to find out why such a relationship might exist. Two theories have been proposed to explain the relationship. One suggests…

• 
  Rave and Review

• bareMinerals Rethink What Matters Giveaway

  Leanne Heilman

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:21 am

  Unless you’ve still got rabbit-ear antennas on your television and you’re still doing the aol dial up, my guess is that you’ve heard about bareMinerals makeup or maybe even had the chance to try it. I’m not really huge into makeup or anything, but I have always thought the bareMinerals line looked like something that might work for me and the fact that they have really pale shades means I might even find one that matches my skin tone. So, when I found out they were running a promotion that awarded applicants with instant win products and goodies, I emailed my girlfriends right away.

• prAna Clothing for All Seasons

  Leanne Heilman

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:33 pm

  In my quest for warm clothes this past January, I remembered a brand I had seen while hubby was browsing one of the (many) local outdoors shops we frequent. Normally, I don’t do much shopping for me in those kinds of stores, with the exception of the stray water bottles or specific biking gear, but the prAna clothing display was different in that I had loved each and every piece sold in the store. I decided to check out their website to see if the rest of their collection was as cute as the sampling I had seen, and promptly fell in love with 90% of their winter and spring collection. Since…

• Coddlelife PP Bottle with Anti-Colic Technology Giveaway

  Leanne Heilman

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  My daughter didn’t really use bottles when she was an infant because we were exclusively breastfeeding, but then when she did take a bottle she was rather picky about the nipple and would only take certain brands that had longer nipples. This means I have a whole drawer full of bottles we purchased before she was born that she won’t use, and a hard time keeping her favorites clean in between feedings. When Coddleinc contacted me and asked me to review their Coddlelife Anti-Colic Bottle featuring their Peristaltic Nipple with Venting Technology, I thought it sounded interesting. It arrived…

• Nowali Moccasins Review and Giveaway

  Leanne Heilman

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:51 am

  The Pacific Northwest has at least another 3 ½ months of cool weather before things start heating up for Spring, which means we’ve still got months of sweaters, coats and even mittens left in the year. My favorite part of Seattle’s chilly spring? Family cuddle nights that don’t have to end on March 20th. So, while some may be looking forward to tank tops and skirts this time of year, I’m still looking for clothing that can keep us all warm and cozy on those family snuggle nights ahead. The Swedish-based Nowali Moccasins knows all about chilly Spring weather, which is why they have…

• Cricut Expression Review + Handmade Creations Giveaway!

  Leanne Heilman

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:17 am

  For years I admired the Cricut display in the craft store and wondered if it was really as cool as it seemed, but honestly, I had no idea what it really could do. I knew it was for scrapbooking, but beyond that, I was pretty clueless. But I knew I wanted it. Eventually, all my girlfriends got bit by the Cricut bug, and we all made a pact that as soon as one of us got our hands on one, we would host a Cricut party for us all to try it out and see if it was really worth all the hype. As luck would have it, Santa came a few days early to Rave Central and with him was the Cricut Expression…

• 
  MyBrownBaby

• I Am a Black Writer

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  EDITOR'S NOTE: I originally wrote this piece for my writer friend, Eisa Eulen, author of the novel, Crystelle Mourning, and the purveyor of EisaUlen.com, where she pens a thoughtful, poignant blog about books and writings by and about people of color. I wasn't in the best place when I wrote this piece, and though today my writing career is going well, there are still days when I feel like this...

• Evil Black Men

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  It was supposed to be a simple assignment -- a little something to remind the kids about their lesson on adjectives. Magazine and newspaper clippings + lots of glue + fancy descriptives = an easy lesson and the perfect student work display for the parent/teacher conference.We all drank in the oversized poster boards, us parents patiently waiting in the hallway for our turn with the teacher. Mari

• Spiked Hot Chocolate

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:21 pm

  Godiva Chocolatinis.Godiva liquer- and rum-infused fudge and caramel brownies.The oh-so-chocolatey Morris Chestnut (The Best Man) and Omar Epps (Love & Basketball).And my girls *waving at Angelou, Akilah, and Selassie*Oh, lawd, yes.These are the things that make for the perfect Spiked Hot Chocolate party.You better go on ahead and get you some!

• Terror on the Pole

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  By MALAKA GYEKYEI’m really hoping to go to Ghana this summer with the girls. I’m in the midst of looking for a Twi teacher to help them assimilate a little bit better, and have been plying them with plantain and stew so that they can appreciate good Ghanaian cooking when it comes across their plates. Their immersion into Ghanaian culture is nearly done, with only one thing alluding me: the money

• Wordful Wednesday: A Beautiful Black Boy

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:25 am

  This is my nephew, Miles. Take a good, hard look at him. What do you see? He's athletic, sure. And a handsome lil' devil, too. And he likes to talk. A lot. What you should also know is that Miles is a smart one. Brilliant, really. And when he grows up and figures out how to use his powers for good, he's going to change the world, for sure. I can feel it. Anyone who spends a half

• 
  Three Stairs

• Hi. I’m… uh… what?

  Crystal

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:51 pm

  I'm... uh... huh? I’m tired. I’m stressed. I’m spacey. I’m forgetting words like parking lot and hole punch. I got pulled over tonight shortly after I left the hospital because I forgot to turn the headlights from parking lights to actual headlights. Oy. Thankfully, the officer (M. Riggle – thank you for saving us!) was going the opposite direction and just barely saw the parking lights. I can’t imagine driving all the way home without my headlights. It was a great opportunity to reinforce to my kids that policemen are there to keep us safe.

• Update on Michael

  Crystal

  6 Feb 2010 | 10:36 pm

  Michael will have surgery at about 10 am CST on 7 February 2010 Michael is having surgery around 10 or 11 am to clean the abscess completely. After that they will continue to work on getting his blood glucose levels (bgl) down. He was officially diagnosed as having Type II Diabetes. His A1C level was a 12. It’s supposed to be between 6 and 7. His blood sugar level before meals is running just under 400 (it should be around 80-120). At his last meal they gave him 16 units of insulin. The doctor said the infection will throw his bgl off and make them high. The doctor mentioned today that…

• SuperBowl Safety: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving

  Crystal

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:48 pm

  Buzzed driving *is* drunk driving! Don't drink and drive! The teams are set, the hype is well underway and Super Bowl party planning is in full swing. While you may not be thinking about the dangers of buzzed driving this time of year, you or someone you know will likely be attending a party where alcohol is served.  So whether you’re rooting for the Colts or the Saints, there are some things you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones safe before, during and after Super Bowl XLIV. When you’re heading out to a party or hosting guests, remember to always plan ahead:…

• This Week’s Twitter Blatherings

  Crystal

  6 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

  feel horrible; need someone to bring me cold strawberry jello and take care of me #fb # @Getalonghome thank you! in reply to Getalonghome # AWW! @marcand is making me jello! # gonna go take a hot shower while i wait for my jello to set # @lauriepercival he is! i'll have to tell you the knight in a shining white isuzu story sometime! in reply to lauriepercival # @lauriepercival @marcand also brought me a dish of vanilla ice cream from Sonic to make my throat feel better! in reply to lauriepercival # @lsrtx thanks, dearie – you, too! in reply to lsrtx # saving the rest of my ice cream…

• Urgent Prayer Request

  Crystal

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:57 am

  Please pray! Michael got some sort of bite on his back between his shoulderblades last week. It has turned into a staph infection. The doctor gave him an antibiotic shot yesterday and oral antibiotics. He went back in this morning and the doctor said it doesn’t appear to be responding to the antibiotics. He gave him another antibiotic shot to see if that would help. He said his next step is to either come back in tomorrow or he could have the hospital in Quitman admit him. Please pray for wisdom about what to do and healing if it is in God’s will. Thanks.

• 
  Being a Mummy

• Meme: ' You're Welcome'

  zooarchaeologist

  5 Feb 2010 | 1:10 pm

  Blogging friend and frankly inspirational woman Lisa, aka The Mummy Whisperer has tagged me in the 'You're Welcome' meme. This one was started by another blogging friend of mine, Sally from Who's the Mummy blog, who is frankly superhuman in her ability to juggle balls/ blogs.As Lisa so rightly notes, I have struggled a bit with the growth of the mummy blogging world and its cliques and communities. You see, the thing is I am never all that keen on being stuck in a room full of people all with the same interest. I find it supremely boring in the real and virtual world. I am just not interested…

• Review: Cosatto You2 Twin Stroller

  zooarchaeologist

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:36 am

  One of the problems with having two babies quite close in age is transporting them around. When you have twins, you know where you are, you can buy the appropriate pushchair right at the start. When you have two in as many years you get into the realms of buying additional pushchairs. Lets face it, as nice as it is to carry your baby around in a sling, it’s not all that easy to sort out a toddler with a baby in a sling attached to you and you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as you get just far enough away from the house without a pushchair (if you go down the walking route) to make…

• Guilty Shopping

  zooarchaeologist

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:39 am

  The other day I looked at my current favourite on line shop ASOS and did that thing which we all do. I filled my virtual shopping basket with, oh, about £150 worth of shoes, dresses and tops. Not an unreasonable amount, I mean I go to work, so why not? Then I broke out in a cold sweat, hmmn, perhaps I should be a bit more frugal. Ok, assess each item. Those shoe boots, well they do have a four inch heel, they are quite glamorous, I do love them, look! They are just like Sarah Jessica Parker's. I dunno, they might look silly with the pushchair. Perhaps not. That lovely 'to die for' knitted…

• Spinning Around

  zooarchaeologist

  28 Jan 2010 | 11:55 am

  Life without a computer has moved so fast that I don't think I would have had time to blog even if I could have. I have been spinning around and around, LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD. And a great world it is. Sorry readers, but I haven't even given a thought about any blogger's or twitterer's who I don't know personally. But I have:Made two pinafore dressesCoped with winter vomiting and possible swine flu in the household.Helped re-organise our entire living room (a big project)Felt happy, sad, depressed, ecstatic, love, proud and tiredExperienced a first birthday and a thirty fifthLunched with…

• Favourite Photo Meme: Stonehenge

  zooarchaeologist

  12 Jan 2010 | 12:09 pm

  I wasn't going to blog here for a few weeks, but the favourite photo meme is such a lovely one that I thought I would briefly provide you with a gem from my archives. Thanks to the lovely Amy for tagging me.It's hard to find a favourite picture, I have lots. However, this represents a really happy weekend before a momentous change in our lives. On this weekend, we went to Stonehenge (to the inner bit that archaeologists go to) camped nearby and quite literally flew a kite over it as the sun came up. This was to take some aerial photographs of the stones. Really cool.I pass this one…

• 
  Flying Giggles & Lollipops

• Our Kitty is on Vacation

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:36 am

  Our cat is taking a vacation. Hopefully not a permanent one, but it is starting to look that way.Last week, Chloe's allergies were getting really bad again, to the point where it sounded like she was developing an asthmatic cough. After talking to our holistic pharmacist, we knew the only option we were left with was removing our cat from our home to see if it helps Chloe's symptoms.The problem was, everyone we know either has a dog or is allergic to cats. We didn't know anyone who was willing and able to take my precious kitty off our hands for a week or two. We decided to put her out into…

• Slow Death By Rubber Duck - A Must Read!

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:09 pm

  I recommend everyone who has children or thinking of having children to read Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. Actually, I take that back. This is a book everyone should read, even those without children because it makes the reader aware of all the harmful toxins we are living with and exposed to every single day of our life. Some people might take the "what can I really do about it?" attitude because these toxins are everywhere, but I took the information I learned and am doing my best to reduce the amounts of toxins my family is exposed to in our…

• Stepping It Up And Melting It Off

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:10 pm

  Wowzers! I really stepped it up this morning. I have been working out using the Melt It Off system and I think my body was finally getting used to it because I wasn't walking around with sore muscles anymore. My body is gaining strength, I can already do more push ups than when I first started doing the workouts. This morning, when my iPod froze while I was running on the treadmill, I decided to get off and really push myself with a Melt It Off workout.Ouch! I squated lower and lunged further. I pushed myself when my body was begging me to stop and I really worked up a sweat. My body felt…

• Your Chance To Win A Babymoon!

  6 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  When I was pregnant with Aiyana, I heard about babymoons. I thought it was kind of silly to take such an extravagant vacation while I was pregnant. Why not wait until after I have my baby so I can really have some fun? I had no idea it was going to be so hard to leave her overnight and I had no idea how badly I was going to need a vacation after the first several months of parenting.My advice now, take a babymoon! If this is your first child, it is really your last chance to go on a vacation, sleep in and pamper yourself without thinking about your child at practically every waking moment.

• Chloe: On A Mission at Grandma's House

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Mission Completion!

• 
  Simple Father

• When people tell me about their kids, they tell me...

  scott

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am

  As my days at work have gotten longer, my nights of brainstorming have gotten shorter. Even though I haven't had a lot of time to dream up brilliant ideas, I do have a few rattling around in my head... but I need your opinion. If you've been out there lurking, but not leaving comments, could you please do me a favor and at least vote in the poll to the right. I would really like to know what you tell people about your kids, or what you hear when people talk to you about their kids. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for participating. photo courtesy of secretlondon

• Control Yourself

  scott

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  If people do something that surprises you, it's your fault. I heard the phrase above a while back, and I just can't seem to get it out of my head. With some very minor changes, the same phrase applies to parenting. If a kid does something that surprises you, it's your own fault. Just to be clear, I'm mainly talking about the unpleasant surprises, like wiping a booger on grandma, streaking in front of company, dating a hoodlum... those types of things. What does it mean? Do humans, and therefore kids, have flaws? Do they get emotional and act erratically? Of course they do, that's part of the…

• The Dragon Slayer

  scott

  2 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Long ago, in a distant land, there lived a king. The king ruled his kingdom with a fair and just hand, and life was good. However, after a period of stability throughout the region, an unsettling presence sought to disrupt the peace. Enter the dragon... this was no friendly, PBS Kids Dragon Tales type of dragon, but a man eating, fire breathing dragon. After laying in slumber for many years, the beast was awakened, and seeking to devour all in its way. Luckily, the noble king mounted his trusty steed, and rode out to confront the great winged creature. What happened next is the stuff legends…

• Seven Suggestions for Spouses

  scott

  26 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

  It's no secret that when a married couple has kids, soon their world revolves around the kids, and the relationship they once had starts to deteriorate. Less and less time is spent focusing on the person that helped you become a family in the first place. Below are seven suggestions that may keep you and your spouse from becoming strangers. Be nice to each other - This was one of the very first pieces of relationship advice that my wife and I received. I thought the person was joking... isn't this a given? However, I now realize that this was great advice. It's so simple, yet so many couples…

• You're going to ___________ and you're going to like it!

  scott

  21 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

  There have been times in the past when I have grown frustrated with my children... particularly the older one. One could say that I have been curt, gruff, and insensitive. Take what I like to call the "bike riding incidents" for example. They started out well enough, but always ended in me saying something like, "I'm not carrying your bike home, if you want it, you can ride it... or else we'll leave it in the park for someone else to enjoy." While reflecting on my parenting tactics, I had a hard time figuring out why my approach didn't work. Doesn't everyone like their stuff given away,…

• 
  Simple Father

• When people tell me about their kids, they tell me...

  scott

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:30 am

  As my days at work have gotten longer, my nights of brainstorming have gotten shorter. Even though I haven't had a lot of time to dream up brilliant ideas, I do have a few rattling around in my head... but I need your opinion. If you've been out there lurking, but not leaving comments, could you please do me a favor and at least vote in the poll to the right. I would really like to know what you tell people about your kids, or what you hear when people talk to you about their kids. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for participating. photo courtesy of secretlondon

• Control Yourself

  scott

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  If people do something that surprises you, it's your fault. I heard the phrase above a while back, and I just can't seem to get it out of my head. With some very minor changes, the same phrase applies to parenting. If a kid does something that surprises you, it's your own fault. Just to be clear, I'm mainly talking about the unpleasant surprises, like wiping a booger on grandma, streaking in front of company, dating a hoodlum... those types of things. What does it mean? Do humans, and therefore kids, have flaws? Do they get emotional and act erratically? Of course they do, that's part of the…

• The Dragon Slayer

  scott

  2 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Long ago, in a distant land, there lived a king. The king ruled his kingdom with a fair and just hand, and life was good. However, after a period of stability throughout the region, an unsettling presence sought to disrupt the peace. Enter the dragon... this was no friendly, PBS Kids Dragon Tales type of dragon, but a man eating, fire breathing dragon. After laying in slumber for many years, the beast was awakened, and seeking to devour all in its way. Luckily, the noble king mounted his trusty steed, and rode out to confront the great winged creature. What happened next is the stuff legends…

• Seven Suggestions for Spouses

  scott

  26 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

  It's no secret that when a married couple has kids, soon their world revolves around the kids, and the relationship they once had starts to deteriorate. Less and less time is spent focusing on the person that helped you become a family in the first place. Below are seven suggestions that may keep you and your spouse from becoming strangers. Be nice to each other - This was one of the very first pieces of relationship advice that my wife and I received. I thought the person was joking... isn't this a given? However, I now realize that this was great advice. It's so simple, yet so many couples…

• You're going to ___________ and you're going to like it!

  scott

  21 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

  There have been times in the past when I have grown frustrated with my children... particularly the older one. One could say that I have been curt, gruff, and insensitive. Take what I like to call the "bike riding incidents" for example. They started out well enough, but always ended in me saying something like, "I'm not carrying your bike home, if you want it, you can ride it... or else we'll leave it in the park for someone else to enjoy." While reflecting on my parenting tactics, I had a hard time figuring out why my approach didn't work. Doesn't everyone like their stuff given away,…

• 
  My Story Is Not Over

• In My Makeup Bag

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:56 am

  I wrote about my must have essential beauty products a few months ago, but since it's also today's Show Us How You Live topic, I thought I'd repost it and add a few more things to it.  First of all, I LOVE makeup and I'm on a constant quest to find the best anti-aging/prevent aging products.  Since I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on these types of things, it makes it a little more

• Who Likes Wednesdays?

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:15 am

  My little Spencer isn't feeling well today and she is in a mood, let me tell you!  We spent last night with the PGPs and she cried every 30 minutes, all night long.  She wouldn't wake up exactly, she'd just start wailing until I could soothe her back to dreamland.  It was a LONG night.  Thank goodness we were at their house, because they let me sleep in a few extra hours this morning since I got

• Winter Wonderland Weekend

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:46 pm

  We had a huge snow storm here this weekend with over a foot of snow!  It started early Saturday morning and didn't stop until early Sunday morning.  We were snowed in with my bestie and her family, which was great for Spencer- she had such a great time playing with the other kiddos.  It was great for us because we got to have a lot of girl time! Yesterday we played in the snow and made 3/4

• Standing Outside With My Mouth Open Wide

  30 Jan 2010 | 9:52 pm

• Project Runway

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:27 am

    This week on Show Us How You Live we're sharing our best fashion tips.  I'm not so sure if mine are more rules than tips, but I think that's okay.  Back in the day, way in the day, my friends used to come over to house and shop in my closet.  My mom loves to shop and since she was the one buying my clothes, she usually bought what she liked for me.  This left me with a gigantic wardrobe, half

• 
  So Not Zen

• It's good to have girlfriends

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:33 pm

  My friend came over to bring Carlie home after school. Of course, I had to show her my ziplock full of gallstones and my cyborg drain in my gut and my cool bag of bile. Because I am cool like that.When she finished gagging a little bit in her mouth, her comment:"At least it doesn't smell like poo."So you see there? There's always a bright side. Yes, I have two nasty bags of disgust hanging on my right hip. But neither one of them smells like poo.I win! Yay!

• Bye-Bye, Gallbladder

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:47 am

  This smiley face image? You can thank me later. I was googling a picture of a gallbladder to show you, but it was all so horrible and disgusting that I went with the smiley face instead. You're welcome.Friday night I had a funky belly ache. By 9 pm, it was really bothering me, so I skipped Carlie's dance party and had Tim take her. When they got home at 11 pm, I was contemplating going to the ER, but talked myself out of it, thinking I had gas or had eaten something that wasn’t agreeing with me.By 2 a.m. I was ready to go to the ER, but didn’t want to wake up Carlie and drag her along,…

• The Cape

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:34 pm

  Oh, just found a better picture of Disco Girl's cape. Divalicious, who?

• What I've been up to this week

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:03 pm

  Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of the blog? I know I do. This week is Catholic Schools Week, which is kind of like a ghetto version of what would be Spirit Week at your child's school. I say ghetto because it's not as fabulous as one might hope and there are only two of the five days that kids actually get to "dress up" and forego their school uniforms. Monday was "Super Hero" theme day. So Sunday was my sewing day, because Disco Girl needed a cape.You must click to enlarge so you can behold the itchy splendor of the silver polka dotted lame' fabric. And how do you like that "D"…

• The Female Brain Gone Insane - a book review

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  I have been slow to get this review written, but not for lack of trying. But you see, the problem is, I suffer from every single *issue* that is discussed in this book. And as you can tell by the title, that's probably not a good thing.I received this book for review by simple "luck of the draw." Lisa at TLC Book Tours had no idea that I have actually been on the insane side of the female brain since 2006. A brief history so you'll know where I'm coming from when I opened this book. I had a hysterectomy in my early thirties. I suffered virtually no symptoms of menopause because I went right…

• 
  Tooth Fairy Tooth City Blog

• How much does the Tooth Fairy leave under the pillow in your house? Does she leave only money or are there other traditions she practices?

• 9 Comments »

• Tooth Fairy Stories & Poems

• No Comments »

• Fun Tooth Fairy Games

• 
  Parenting Teens Blog

• The saga of DOOM…

  Lessa

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:45 pm

  DOOOOOOOOOOOM I say! It started when Peppermist decided she wanted to go on the band trip in February. I knew then that I’d need to get her at least a State ID for the trip, and of course SHE was certain that meant I would let her take her Drivers Permit test. The boy, of course, said no way – since I hadn’t let HIM get HIS until just before his 16th birthday, because I just wasn’t ready and he was already mad that she got her cell phone a year before he did. (….inorite?) ANYWAY, I quickly ran into a problem – I’d put the kids Social Security cards in…

• Super Weekend!

  Lessa

  25 Jan 2010 | 9:17 am

  It was a BIG WEEKEND here at Casa de Lessa, folks, dominated by the PreTeen and her cousins and the Big Swim Meet in Soldotna. Oh yes, there was kids to wake up early, early, the buglet to be dropped off here with Peppermist, the others to get to the pool, dressed in swim gear and on deck by 9am for warm-ups for the meet to start at 10:15. That’s stupid early for a Saturday, ya’ll. But there we were, our collective four kids on deck, on time, with our spot in the bleachers staked out, programs and highlighters and cameras and sharpies in hand – the later gets a real workout,…

• Supermom FAIL.

  Lessa

  22 Jan 2010 | 4:52 pm

  TGIF – because if it weren’t for it being Friday I’d be all ready to give up! You see, my darling baby boy (Yeah, the one that’s a foot taller than me – what’s your point?) came home the other day flinging things and searching under and growling and muttering under his breath. It seems that when he was at the local superstore, he changed in the bathroom out of his work clothes – and apparently left his wallet sitting on the sink. … He realizes this a full 24 hours later, chaos ensues, and lo and behold -no wallet. So, we hit the bank right away…

• Stuck at Prom 2010!

  Lessa

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:58 am

  Dude, I ALWAYS wanted to do this. Alas, I’m several years too old to be Stuck at Prom! However, this years contest is gearing up, and starts March 1st! What contest, you say? The one where you and you’re prom date make your prom outfits entirely from Duck Tape! INORITE?! Here in Alaska the joke is we can fix anything with duct tape and bailing wire, though shockingly the entries from Alaska for Stuck At Prom are few and far between! Check out the gallery! There are some AMAZING outfits (that’s last year’s winner on the left here)! And it’s not all just for fun…

• Triaminic – Flu Tracker!

  Lessa

  18 Jan 2010 | 8:41 am

  So – we’re knee deep into winter now, and this is right about the time that everyone in my household succumbs to the Sickness to some level. It usually has to do with the temperatures dipping to negative AreYouKiddingMe? degrees, and my teenagers inability to actually WEAR the coats they own. Because, like, that’s SO uncool, mom… (coughhack sneezeshiver fevergroan). The ever lovely Mary Ann dropped me a line recently (and I’ve been a BADBLOGGER, and kept her waiting while I hibernated! So sorry, Mary!) to let me know that Triamimic totally has our back once…

• 
  Boy Crazy

• Navigating Preschool

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:04 am

  Though my child is only 15 months old the topic of preschool is already popping up amongst the fellow moms in my neighborhood. With my background in early childhood education, I find myself answering many anxious questions these days with watchful eyes as to what my plan is for Quinn. Before my resume read “Mom” part of my profession was counseling parents in finding the best schools for their children. It is fascinating to step into the parent world. I’m the fly on the wall that I always wanted to be. I hope the answers provided break through the mystery and anxiety associated with…

• Am I Tripping on Mushrooms? Nope, Just Watching Yo Gabba Gabba

  12 Jan 2010 | 2:57 pm

  “Does Quinn watch Yo Gabba Gabba?” my brother-in-law asked me. “Huh?” I had never heard of the show and promised to tune in. After searching all over for what I had heard is a crazy ass show I found it at 1pm on Nick Jr. Honestly, after watching for a few minutes I was not sure what to make of it so I used my kid as a test case. After 5 minutes Quinn turned to me, asked for a hug and then had uncontrollable hiccups. Whoops! Perhaps at 14 months he is too young? Not tough enough for Yo Gabba Gabba due to his steadfast love of Barney and Elmo? Or maybe, just maybe, this show is an entry…

• Subway

  12 Jan 2010 | 12:53 pm

  During a recent visit to NYC my mom stumbled upon Anastasia Suen’s Subway, and thought it would be perfect for my little country mouse turned city mouse. Subway is a must-have board book for your young city-dweller (or city-visitor/dreamer). With simple text Suen walks her readers step by step through the subway experience. With illustrations by the amazing Karen Katz, Suen captures the whimsy of being a child. No mention of over-crowded trains or that overbearing summer subway smell here. Subway is the childhood experience of delighting in the everyday events that all too often we miss as…

• Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

  5 Jan 2010 | 12:29 pm

  If you are one of the unlucky readers braving the bone-chilling temps of winter you are probably ready to pull your hair out trying to fill the hours with a little one (or two or three). While nothing beats a morning spent outside at the playground followed by a picnic in the park, there are ways to make indoor time a bit more fun. So put your hats, coats, mittens, scarves and boots (phew!) aside and try of few of these indoor activities. Homemade Play Dough: A favorite of any early childhood teacher, homemade play dough offers endless hours of fun and spans a wide range of ages (relaxing for…

• Signs There is a Toddler in Your Home

  11 Dec 2009 | 12:39 pm

  Uncontrollable fits of crying are instantly followed by a laughing child. You are left wondering, “What the F- just happened?”He puts an apple slice on his head and leaves it there because that makes sense.When you look around the room you realize not even MacGyver can get into your cabinets. You see all forms of technology as instant peace offerings. Now where did I put my cell phone?Your blood begins to boil when the telephone rings/ doorbell buzzes during nap time!Walking barefoot is an adventure- was that mashed banana or a glob of peanut butter?

• 
  The Mother's Handbook

• What Time?

  themother

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:54 am

  An article from the Washington Post entitled, “The Test of Time: A busy working mother tries to find out where all her time is going” created a firestorm last week. (Thanks to Undomestic Diva for pointing it out, because, not being a Washington Post regular, I would have missed it.) Mommy bloggers went nuts over the basic idea–a sociologist who studies time management announced that women have an average of 30 hours per week of leisure time. Dr. Phil apparently even did a show on the outrage. My knee jerk reaction was–only if you count sleeping hours. Then I read the…

• Done.

  themother

  7 Feb 2010 | 12:12 pm

  Except for when the dog ate the first set of buttons, the vest went without a hitch. I present the Goth in all his glory on the way out the door. Altered coat, pants and shirt; handmade vest, tie and kerchief. He was snazzy. Send this to the person bothering you today! More » Related posts:They Still Do Cotillions?

• Anything a Woman Can Do, A Man Can Do Better

  themother

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:59 am

  Somewhere around the 17th century, a new class of obstetric practitioners developed, first in England and then spreading to the Continent. They called themselves man-midwives. The theory was that those uneducated women who had been practicing midwifery for generations (millennia) were just too stupid to actually do a good job. It took a man. We will carefully ignore the fact that women were excluded from any form of formal education at this time. Unless she was destined to be queen, a woman was lucky to get even a grammar school education, even in middle and upper class families. We will also…

• The Law of Time

  themother

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:51 am

  Quick! What’s the second law of thermodynamics? You non-science types are probably shaking your heads right now. But that concept is so fundamental to science that we cannot live without it. Nor can you make an omelet, boil a cup of coffee or (gasp!) write a biography. [This is sort of a continuation of a thread from Miss Hum's site. But it's also a response to the book I'm halfway through. And sort of a pet peeve. So bear with me.] I often hear non-science types (and especially non-medical types) decry the lack of “roundness” in medical and science education. Doctors are…

• They Still Do Cotillions?

  themother

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:05 pm

  The Goth is going to a cotillion. I know. That was my reaction. He is escorting this good friend of his. She asked, and he said sure, and so we’ve been giving dance lessons and etiquette lessons and explaining the meaning of the word “corsage.” Because we are that kind of parents. Rather than a cheesy Rent-a-Tux, grandpa, who is about the same height but nowhere near as thin as the Goth, volunteered his beautiful designer tux. It needs some temporary alteration. He also showed the Goth his fancy-schmancy silver patterned tuxedo vest, and the Goth immediately fell in love…

• 
  About.com: Working Moms

• Work-Life Redefined - a Blog Carnival of Ideas

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  I'm thrilled to be part the Feminism 2.0 effort to promote discussion about work-life issues in our communities. If you haven't visited Fem2pt0.com, it's well worth listening to the just-concluded blog radio series, which included dynamic groups of speakers on everything from caregiving and work to how work-life issues impact minority groups. Today, I'm hosting a work-life blog carnival as part of the rolling Fem 2.0 blog carnival this week. I'm thrilled to feature some of my favorite bloggers on the topic. We've got a variety of voices and opinions for you, so without further ado: step right…

• Site of the Week: Weather.com

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:25 am

  There are a lot of Web sites I rely on and visit every day. But this week, one has received especially heavy use: Weather.com, which I'm making the About Working Moms Site of the Week. In the mid-Atlantic, where I live, winter weather is unpredictable and hard for the local governments to handle. Boy, how a snow day can wreak havoc with a working parent's schedule and anxiety level! This week alone, school was closed on Wednesday because of a snowstorm that turned out to be merely a dusting. And today, our public schools will close two and a half hours early in anticipation of the mammoth…

• The Best Jobs for Moms and Dads

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:25 am

  When I was choosing a career, I didn't give much thought to work-life balance. I was 21 years old and couldn't wait to give 100 percent of myself to the working world. Fortunately, I lucked into a field - journalism - with a wide range of job intensity. You can be a breaking news reporter trying to beat the world to a hot story, a book writer with an annual deadline or anything in between. To me, this is the key factor in the best jobs for moms and dads: scalability. Can you work intensely when you're at a demanding point in your career? Can you phase down work and still stay in the game? Or…

• President Obama's Budget Aims to Help Working Families

  31 Jan 2010 | 10:00 pm

  President Barack Obama's administration today will unveil a federal budget proposal that includes several provisions of interest to working parents. While the overall budget aims to reduce the deficit by freezing discretionary spending, the president proposes nearly doubling the child care tax credit for families making under $85,000 a year. Even households with incomes up to $115,000 would see some benefit. Moreover, the budget would: Increase by $3 billion to $28 billion the funding for certain elementary and secondary school programs. Boost Pell Grant funding by $17 billion compared with…

• Site of the Week: PTA

  29 Jan 2010 | 2:32 pm

  I don't know about you, but in my community the PTA is a force with which to be reckoned. Not only do they organize we parents to advocate for our school facilities and resources, but they put together most of the fun activities in the school for kids and families. Since I can't exactly link to each reader's Parent Teacher Association, I'm making the national PTA the About Working Moms Site of the Week. On the PTA Web site, you can search for your local organization. You can also find resources for issues your child may be facing, such as bullying; fundraising advice; and information about…

• 
  Sprittibee

• Blissdom Baby Carrier Give-Away!!!

  Sprittibee

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:10 pm

  Saturday is the day! Ergobaby and Beco have given me some amazing ORGANIC baby carriers to give away at Blissdom to two lucky bloggers. I have already been getting so many compliments on the two carriers I have worn (and the amazingly cute baby I have worn in them). They are both wonderful, supportive, and stylish carriers and they have made this conference possible for me by giving me my hands when baby has had to tag along. 25 pounds of Viking man is just too much for a mom with a laptop and camera bag to carry - unless you have a GREAT heavy-duty carrier like these!My mom tried them today…

• Rev Up Your Engines - The Bee Travels

  Robyn

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:30 am

  As a parent, we have all wanted to be able to be in two places at one time. Right? Haven't you wanted to be able to snuggle your child while also wanted to spend time alone with your husband? Or make a baseball game and a friend's birthday party? Yep. Not possible. We all have tried. We'll push ourselves to the max and drive everyone around us crazy as betsy bugs trying with all of our might to do all that we can. Pack as much in a day as we can. Help everyone we are able to help. Enjoy as many things as possible. But, we still can't be in two places at once. We sometimes just have…

• First Day at Blissdom 2010 - Wednesday

  Sprittibee

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:09 pm

  It was a long WAY to Blissdom, and a long first DAY at Blissdom. It started out at 4AM in the dark. I woke up in Arkansas at a blogger friend's house. Far, far away from the comfort of home... with Tennessee calling.We watched the pastel sunrise over the Mississippi and saw Memphis peeking out of the pink fog as we entered the state. Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries or was unreachable for most of the drive. I was kicking myself internally for not being prepared for all the amazing scenery we saw on the trip.A few miles after Memphis, we saw snow glistening on the hills. Texans…

• Blissdom Limerick

  Autumn Beck

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:09 am

  There once was a girl named HeatherTo Blissdom she went with Goodwill pants made of pleatherThere's no way you will miss herIn tow are her kids and a her coolerNo doubt she'll come back with all her thoughts put ToGEtHeRCan you imagine how much fun Heather is having right now?! Nothing better than driving many, many, m.a.n.y. hours in a car with children. Ah, the bliss. Who needs spas or a solitary trip to the bathroom when you can have that?But, she does have a sweet destination to set her eyes on. While all of us non-Blissers carry on with the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the dishes,…

• Win a $100 Container Store Gift Certificate from Springpad!

  Sprittibee

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:21 pm

  I left Texas in the dust today on my way to Blissdom. Those are my drinks and snacks up there. Sorry about the silence in here, but there's only so much blogging that can get done while you are packing the back end of your vehicle so tight that you can't slip a piece of paper between the suitcases, hanging clothes, or boxes that touch the padded top of the vehicle. And eating lunch out of the back of your truck. And keeping the baby happy by singing endless rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus".While I was busy stuffing my things in the SUV, my sponsor, Springpad was cooking up a super awesome…

• 
  Attachment Parenting International Blog

• The Conscious Parent

  Joni

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:37 am

  Positive parenting is hard. Why? Because you must be a conscious parent, always. Constantly. All day long. Every minute of every day. Even in the fuzzy gray of those groggy mornings after a night of restless co-sleeping–even when it’s late in the afternoon following a whirling day of no naps and fussy teething–and yes–even when it’s smack dab in the middle of bedtime and you are ready to go to bed much much more than the little one that you are struggling to soothe to sleep. You must be a conscious parent–a calm, gentle, thinking, and strategical parent,…

• Three Easy Tricks to Maintaining a Loving and Positive State of Being

  Monica

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:14 am

  To consistently express the nurturing and attentive love that Attachment Parenting is all about is no easy task when you’re out of your mind sleep-deprived, weary of toddler tantrums and stretched to your capacity to care for your family, your house, your work, and maybe — if you’re lucky — yourself. I’ve teetered on burn-out quite a bit over the last several months and was delighted recently to learn some quick tricks for shifting out of my “this is too hard” mindset and into total gratitude for my life and my ability to create something new and…

• Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting Blog Carnival

  Melissa

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Attention attachment parenting bloggers. The first of the 2010 Attachment Parenting International Principles of Parenting blog carnivals will be posted on February 19, just two weeks away. The February carnival will focus on API’s first Principle of Parenting, Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting. Although the submission deadline for this carnival is still a week away, February 12, I’ve already received a few entries. If you are interested in submitting a post for the carnival, please have it published on your blog with the following text (including hyperlinks), by the 2/12/10…

• Trusting Birth

  Jasmine Carlson

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  A few days ago I was putting together a letter for the 2010 Trust Birth Conference and it started me on a train of thought that culminated today as I was sitting having the second pedicure of my life at the local beauty school. Let me take you for a little ride. Most of us know that your bond with your child starts at a very early age, pre-birth actually. They hear you and are able to sense many of your emotions. They can even detect some of your actions. A baby can sense when they are wanted and loved and when they are not. From the very first moment I wanted my baby and everything to do…

• Patience

  shelly

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  She has this special spot at the top of the stairs, where she likes to go when she’s upset. Sometimes, it is me who she’s upset with. I tell her its okay, everyone needs time alone to cry once in a while. She learns that emotions are okay, and how to handle them appropriately. I learn Patience, as I give her space and wait for her to be ready to rejoin us. When I sense the time is right, I slowly climb those stairs…. And by the time I get to the top….. She always greets me with a smile, ready to welcome me back into her space. Because sometimes, all it takes is a…

• 
  Pancakes and French Fries

• Footprints

  Jules

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:26 pm

  There are three things in life you should never delay: filing your taxes, visiting the doctor when things start to flutter, ooze, or become malodorous, and buying special occasion shoes for boys.  Left untended, the first will imprison you, the second will hospitalize you, and the third will kill you. Knowing this, I should have bought the shoes for Nicholas’s baptism in January.  I should have shopped online from the comfort of my own home, the cost of shipping my fee for peace of mind.  But, no.  Something happened, although I am not sure what, and that something turned into that…

• BYW Inspiration Board

  Jules

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:35 am

  I had so much more to say about this series of images.  I had a long post written in my head, my analytical nature incapable of simply tossing online four pictures without some sort of explanation.  Unfortunately, I have a touch of the stomach flu.  Clearly I am on the mend, or I wouldn’t be here.  Still, I am not yet recuperated enough to artfully say everything that is in my heart.  I’ll do my best right now. Late last year, around my birthday, I felt within me a need to be more creative.  I can’t explain it, other than to say it felt more like a compulsion, an…

• Curtains

  Jules

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:18 am

  They’re here! But, I don’t know about these guys.  They aren’t lined (I knew they weren’t) and despite knowing how much of a pet peeve unlined curtains are for me, I still bought them.  And, yet, knowing they weren’t lined and consciously making the decision to buy them regardless, I still groused about the fact they weren’t lined ten seconds after they were up. Also, you have no idea how I pleased I am that an opportunity to use the word “grouse” has all but fallen in my lap.  It beats the word “grumble” by ten, at least. So, the…

• Waiting

  Jules

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:16 am

  It’s 9:36am and I am waiting for Nicholas to wake up.  He was up most of the night coughing, shivering with a mild fever.  I rocked him for about thirty minutes in the five o’clock hour this morning.  We both enjoyed the comfort only early morning snuggling can bring.  I’m a bit torn up about him being sick, actually.  His baptism is on Saturday (at long last!) and while I know he will be fine by then, I can’t help but wonder why it is my boys always seem to catch every cough and cold they come across. They eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, many of them…

• The Fireplace: Plan G

  Jules

  1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  A good interior decorator or designer is worth their weight in gold.  The amount I have spent in paint, paint samples, curtains, furniture, and God knows what else would easily cover their professional fee along with a few core pieces for the house. Last week I spent over $40 in paint samples.  I tested nearly every color I posted about last week plus a few more.  (All this because Sisal, the awesome color Maria recommended, is unavailable thanks to The Home Depot no longer selling the Ralph Lauren line.  I could have color matched it, but that’s too simple a solution, isn’t…

• 
  Ziggy's Blog

• TEEN TRENDS: WHAT'S A PARENT TO DO?

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  So, you find yourself with a troubled teen. What can you do? First, you must not feel guilty, because you are not the only influence in your teen's life. Oh, if only it were that simple. IS THIS A TROUBLED TEEN OR NORMAL ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR? SIGNS OF A TROUBLED TEEN:Your teen becomes more secretive.Your teen disregards house rules.Your teen is defiant towards you or teachers.Your teen is easily agitated and uses profanity regularly and shows disrespect.Your teen has regular, sudden outbursts of anger that seem unreasonable for the event that caused the anger.Your teen regularly misses curfew,…

• TEEN TRENDS: TEENS + DRIVING + TEXTING = DANGER

  1 Jan 2010 | 6:22 pm

  (This blog is written to inform parents & others of disturbing trends of teenagers.)Extensive research tells us that teen drivers are less likely to buckle up and more likely to speed and drive too fast in dangerous conditions. What is even more scary is that 56% of teens admit to texting while driving. This dangerous behavior has been termed Driving While Text - DWT.So you may be wondering: DUI...DWT - which is more dangerous?FACTS:Driving under the influence of alcohol is more likely to result in a serious accident, but texting while driving is done more frequent among teens making an…

• MEETING CASTING CROWNS

  6 Dec 2009 | 9:40 am

  Okay, so this post is a big change from my usual "teen trends" posts, but this was the highlight of my day...week...year!Hollie and I went to the Casting Crowns concert in Jackson, MS on Saturday, December 5, 2009. I won tickets, plus meet and greets. (Exciting!!) (Thanks Mark!)Saturday night, the members of Casting Crowns walked down the line, talking to everyone, signing autographs, plus we got our picture made with each member. They were very friendly and down-to-earth, such a thrill to meet, and I kept thinking, "Wow! They are real."First, we met Chris. Okay, I was talking when they…

• TEEN TRENDS: "HOOKING UP"

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:00 pm

  (This blog is written to inform parents and others of disturbing trends of teenagers.)WARNING: This post contains explicit language, but it's what parents need to know."Hooking up" used to mean meeting up with friends and just hanging out. Today, teens use the phrase "hooking up" to mean anything from kissing to oral sex to intercourse. But just because they're "hooking up", it doesn't mean they're dating. Teens are "hooking up" with friends and strangers, in groups and in public."HOOKING UP" CAN INCLUDE:KissingRubbing & touching, with or without clothesOral sexFingeringAt the college…

• TEEN TRENDS: 10 Signs of an Abusive Boyfriend

  2 Nov 2009 | 8:14 am

  (This blog is written to inform parents and others of disturbing trends of teenagers.)(Because of school and midterms, I am honored to have a guest writer this week that many of you probably know. Elizabeth Donovan, M. A. of ParentingPink.com is the author of this great post that all parents who have a daughter, who is of dating age, should read and make note of these warning signs. It wouldn't hurt for the parents of sons to also read this article to see if he is displaying some of these signs towards his girlfriend. Remember to leave a comment letting Elizabeth know how much you enjoyed her…

• 
  icefairy's Treasure Chest

• Adventures of Meno Review

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:48 am

  Please let me introduce our new friend Meno (pronounced as mee-no), a super cool space-elf visiting Earthland from Planet Claire, who lives in a beautiful house of cloud. He is also the title character of the six-book series Adventures Of Meno, written by award winning author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi and his wife Angela, "an up-and-coming author within Simon & Schuster Children’s

• Discover the Carrera Vingtage Collection

  13 Dec 2009 | 4:14 pm

  Carrera, the leading fashion and sporty eyewear brand has recently relaunched their "Vingtage Collection". The signature "Champion" sunglasses from the collection are worn by Lady Gaga in the music video of her latest single "Bad Romance."The highly unique and recognizable aviator shape of the "Champion" sunglasses is inspired by the original design first introduced in the early 1980's and

• One Day Giveaway: Fiber One Toaster Pastries Prize Pack

  11 Dec 2009 | 2:45 am

  ~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~Are you on the lookout for snacks that are both yummy and high in fiber? Fiber One has you covered with their mouth watering Toaster Pastries! With 20% of your Daily Value of fiber (5 grams), Fiber One Toaster Pastries come in four great flavors: Blueberry, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry.To let me try out the great-tasting toaster pastries,

• Pillow Pets Review & Giveaway

  8 Dec 2009 | 1:51 pm

  ~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~Have you met Pillow Pets, the rising pop star in the stuffed animal world? What is a pillow pet? It's a pillow AND a stuffed animal, snapped up into one. Invented by a San Diego mom of two, Pillow Pets transform from a standard size pillow into a snuggly pet with one strap that closes underneath. This simple but clever design makes a plush toy more functional and a

• Saving Money with Usborne Books Review & Giveaway

  7 Dec 2009 | 3:40 pm

  ~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~As a division of Educational Development Corporation, Usborne Books & More is dedicated to providing quality children's books at affordable prices. Jolene, mom and Usborne Educational Consultant, has kindly introduced me to her store Saving Money with Usborne Books and provided me with $25 worth of books for review. I happily chose ABC Touchy-Feely Board Book for

• 
  Single Mom Survives

• Daily Dose of Vapid

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:12 pm

  A couple of weeks ago I had a moment of superficial joy that surpassed any I’ve had before. I’ll never forget my fleeting moment of shallow bliss… I started seeing news stories and Twitter messages that Brad and Angelina had (gasp) broken up. Oh my! Say this shit isn’t so! For one fleeting moment I was so happy at the thought that they had broken up I could have quite possibly shit a rainbow. Yes

• Medifast Doesn't Suck, Who Knew??

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:06 pm

  Ok, so here’s the deal. I’ve been on this Medifast plan for two weeks and three days now and I never thought I’d be able to say that I love it. Holy crap, I do love it. In fact, I’ve been happy in general. I’m feeling great! And somehow that presents a problem. Damn. I thought for sure I’d be able to blog about how I would be willing to mug a bitch for her white chocolate mocha or that I was

• Getting My "Me" On

  16 Jan 2010 | 6:57 pm

  One of the things I love about getting older is my growing ability to be brutally honest with myself and with others. For the past few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, re-evaluating where I’m at now and getting real with myself. I have absolutely lost myself. It didn’t happen all at once, it happened slowly. This is the year that something has to change. And by that I mean my ass. Well,

• HOA Trial Smackdown

  9 Jan 2010 | 6:34 pm

  <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable

• Why Tiger Has Rattled My Cage

  6 Dec 2009 | 10:01 pm

  I’ve been mulling over this post for the past week. Writing and rewriting it in my head as more and more information about Tiger Woods’ “transgressions” have unfolded. I mean given my history which I’ve been pretty open about on this blog it seems this is a topic ripe for my snarky two cents. Sure, we hear about celebrities and politicians cheating on their spouses all the time but for some

• 
  MyBrownBaby

• I Am a Black Writer

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  EDITOR'S NOTE: I originally wrote this piece for my writer friend, Eisa Eulen, author of the novel, Crystelle Mourning, and the purveyor of EisaUlen.com, where she pens a thoughtful, poignant blog about books and writings by and about people of color. I wasn't in the best place when I wrote this piece, and though today my writing career is going well, there are still days when I feel like this...

• Evil Black Men

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  It was supposed to be a simple assignment -- a little something to remind the kids about their lesson on adjectives. Magazine and newspaper clippings + lots of glue + fancy descriptives = an easy lesson and the perfect student work display for the parent/teacher conference.We all drank in the oversized poster boards, us parents patiently waiting in the hallway for our turn with the teacher. Mari

• Spiked Hot Chocolate

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:21 pm

  Godiva Chocolatinis.Godiva liquer- and rum-infused fudge and caramel brownies.The oh-so-chocolatey Morris Chestnut (The Best Man) and Omar Epps (Love & Basketball).And my girls *waving at Angelou, Akilah, and Selassie*Oh, lawd, yes.These are the things that make for the perfect Spiked Hot Chocolate party.You better go on ahead and get you some!

• Terror on the Pole

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  By MALAKA GYEKYEI’m really hoping to go to Ghana this summer with the girls. I’m in the midst of looking for a Twi teacher to help them assimilate a little bit better, and have been plying them with plantain and stew so that they can appreciate good Ghanaian cooking when it comes across their plates. Their immersion into Ghanaian culture is nearly done, with only one thing alluding me: the money

• Wordful Wednesday: A Beautiful Black Boy

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:25 am

  This is my nephew, Miles. Take a good, hard look at him. What do you see? He's athletic, sure. And a handsome lil' devil, too. And he likes to talk. A lot. What you should also know is that Miles is a smart one. Brilliant, really. And when he grows up and figures out how to use his powers for good, he's going to change the world, for sure. I can feel it. Anyone who spends a half

• 
  Latest recommendations on Parentville.com

• Liddle Kidz Foundation | Best Infant Massage and Pediatric Massage Courses & Information

  StephanieMumof2

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:40 pm

  I took the following off of the Liddle Kidz Foundation website: Since its inception, the goal of the Liddle Kidz Foundation has been to empower families and professionals to provide nurturing touch: building stronger, more loving bonds with children. We provide education and support for families and professionals, giving them the tools necessary to ensure the safe, professional practice of nurturing touch and developmental movement with infants and children. read more

• PrintArtKids - print a child's artwork

  ParentvilleMom

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:51 pm

  PrintArtKids is a nice service started by a mom, Abbe Lunger, who takes your kid's artwork and graphically arranges and designs them on postcards, holiday cards, notebooks, pads, address and gift labels (especially unique), among other items. read more

• nomie baby 'cozy up' stroller blankets

  Katie

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:33 pm

  The nomie baby 'cozy up' stroller blanket is a cozy way to zip your little one in warmth, and makes strolling in the cold a treat! No more slipping off and getting caught in the wheels and the convenient pocket is perfect for stashing mittens, small snacks, keys or cell phones.

• Sportime USA, Elmsford, NY

  Alan

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:26 pm

  Sportime USA has a young kids section, and you can play some of the games with the kids...

• Fuji EnviroMAX Batteries

  SavvyMomOnCallBabyPlanner

  6 Feb 2010 | 12:47 pm

  If it wasn't for Parentville, I would not have stumbled upon these great Fuji EnviroMax batteries! Thanks Parentville!!! I won these batteries along with the VTech Jungle Gym Ride and Learn Giraffe. We were so excited to get the package and try out our gifts. The batteries are wonderful. They are Eco-friendly, cadmium free, mercury free and PVC free. The package is even recycable. We tried out the AA, AAA, CC, and DD and we can't say enough. They are all still working just fine and my son uses his toys all the time. Pick up a few packages when you get a chance! You won't be sorry.

• 
  Natural Parenting Tips

• How Does Their Learning Environment Affect Your Child?

  Kiera

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:38 am

  I’ve noticed where we live, the primary (elementary) schools are increasingly looking like prisons. Surrounded by iron fences, topped with barbs, with chained gates that are locked as soon as the school day starts. My two youngest sisters are attending a government school, where the students are treated as suspects, with random bag and locker [...]

• Children Brushing Teeth

  Adam

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:50 am

  Some babies maybe born with a tooth while others may not get their first tooth for over a year but on average your child will get their first tooth at approximately 6 months of age. So there are a number of questions that are raised of when should I started brushing their teeth and what [...]

• Sibling Rivalry Or Unmet Needs?

  Kiera

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:24 am

    It’s possibly the most common assumption about the age gaps between your children, and I must have personally been asked at least a hundred times “Is he jealous of his younger brother?” Pondering on the meaning of jealousy, which the Princeton Wordnet Dictionary defines as: suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a [...]

• 5 Ways To Reduce The Toxicity Of Your Home

  Kiera

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:05 am

  Our homes are where we spend the great majority of our time, so it makes sense to keep them as healthy as possible. You might be surprised to learn where some of the chemical toxins in your home actually come from, your mattress, couch, carpets and cleaning products. There are a few simple things you [...]

• 17 Ideas For Date Nights At Home

  Adam

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:22 am

  When you become a parent, you can no longer just spontaneously go out to dinner or see a movie. It needs to be a planned event normally a few days to a week in advance and that is if you can get babysitters. Keeping your relationship going with your partner is important and instead of [...]

• 
  The Pro Child Way Blog

• Divorced-Parenting Challenge: Nurturing Your Child’s Spirit Through the Process

  Ellen@theprochildway.com

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:56 am

  What is the biggest challenge facing parents after divorce? It’s nurturing their child’s spirit through the new array of divorced-parenting situations.  Visitation, holidays, public occasions, extended family, behavior issues, and finances - a host of new situations that leave parents, and their children, grasping for the right way.  How is a parent to proceed?  When faced with a divorced parenting situation, parents can take the time to mindfully guide their child through a nurturing solution instead of blindly pushing through their first reaction.  Mindful…

• www.loadedweb.com

  Ellen@theprochildway.com

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:37 am

• “Daddy Said…” Handling Negative Comments, The Pro-Child Way

  Ellen@theprochildway.com

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:27 am

  [I write this as a mother who has an ex and a daughter.  If you are a father with an ex, read “Mom” where you see “Dad”.  If you have a son, read “he” instead of “she.”  The thoughts are universal, regardless of the pronouns.] “Daddy said…” has been an issue swirling around me lately.  Many moms and dads are listening to their child repeat words of anger, regret, and fear that were spoken by their other parent.  Words concerning you.  Words concerning your new partner. Words concerning the…

• Divorced-Parenting: Through A Child’s Eyes

  Ellen@theprochildway.com

  7 Jan 2010 | 7:35 am

  My youngest was with me when I received my printed book from the publisher.  She helped me open the box, she shared in my jumping up and down, and knowing that it was an eventful occasion, she got the camera and took my picture.  We had a great, whirlwind time. After the mini-celebration, it was time for her to head to her dad’s house for the evening.  As we were walking out the door, I grabbed a book to take to him.  I could tell by my daughter’s face that she did not approve.  She knows that it is a book that ‘teaches parents to be better…

• Christmas - Getting through it when divorce life stinks

  Ellen@theprochildway.com

  12 Dec 2009 | 11:16 am

  This message is for all of those divorced parents out there that really would rather crawl under a rock then face Christmas.  In looking at the postings on Twitter and mindfulness blogs, there are many wonderful stories of inspiration and motivation, but what if you’re seriously too overwhelmed and just not in the mood for another “You Can Do It!” Christmas message?  Divorce stinks. It isn’t a quaint cliche, it’s your life.  Divorce, especially when there are children involved, can be absolutely exhausting and overwhelming.  And that’s…

• 
  Parenting Videos and Tips

• Meet Our New presenters for Season 3!

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:11 pm

  Have a look Room to Grow's main Website

• How to start a Parents Groups

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:14 pm

  Once you have settled in with your newborn, one of the first things you will want to do is join a parents group. They're not compulsory, but are lots of fun to participate in. What a good way to make friends and share ideas, and find out what everyone else's baby is doing! Sam and Glenys are here to guide us through the steps of putting together a parents group. SubscribeWatch Podcast Here

• The Billings Ovulation Method

  31 Jan 2010 | 2:32 pm

  An interview with Blinda Henkel on how to use the Billings Method Subscribe Watch Video

• Introducing Solids to your baby

  30 Jan 2010 | 3:58 pm

  Interview with Heather Ferguson from Heinz Subscribe Watch Video

• Dealing with Frustration

  29 Jan 2010 | 2:13 pm

  We talk to Sally-Anne McCormack about dealing with Frustration Subscribe Watch Video

• 
  Shannon Honeybloom

• DIY Valentine

  Shannon

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:36 am

  Children (and grown-ups) love to make things, and there is nothing quite so heart-warming as a handmade Valentine.  Make this year a DIY Valentine’s Day.  Here are two ideas to get you started! For a “heart-felt” project, cut out hearts from felt, sew them with colorful beads, and string them together with more beads!  My children loved making these simple and darling valentine’s day decorations.  I found plant-dyed felt here, and the beads at my local bead store, Bead It. Paint a simple heart using watercolors.  Then mat and frame it and voila — a lovely…

• Lemonade (and Lemonade the Movie)

  Shannon

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:44 am

  Master Cleanse Devotees may claim that Stanley Burroughs (the man behind the Master Cleanse) invented lemonade.  But of course, deep down, they know better.  In fact, lemonade has been around as long as lemons and that’s a long time. Lemons have a wonderful revitalizing quality.  All the more reason not to wait until the summer to serve up a glass.  We need a little sunny lemon in our lives during these gray February days. Which brings me to Lemonade the Movie.  Ever heard of the phrase “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” (I tried to find the origin of that…

• Seeing Red

  Shannon

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:12 am

  Red for love, for power, for passion, for sin, for guilt, for pain, for sex, for sacrifice, for courage, for happiness, for fortune, for fertility,  for life, for death. The Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox.  The American Flag and St. George, the Red Cross Knight.  The Red Army. Apples, strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, pomegranates, cranberries, peppers and red wine. Blood-red, rose-red, ruby lips and the Red Sea.  The color red (or scarlet, crimson, carmine, vermilion) is on my mind, for Valentine’s Day.  But I don’t need a holiday to profess a fondness for this…

• Top Ten Tips for the Best Bath, and Bonus: A Personal Bathing Retrospective

  Shannon

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am

  I never took a bath.  I mean, for thirty years, I never bathed.  Maybe when I was a baby, but I can’t be held responsible for that.  Talk to my mother.  So for most of my life, I’ve been a shower girl.  Never a bath.  And we had a bath.  In fact my mom and my sister are bath devotees — the whole works,candles, bubbles, reading material.  But for many years, it never caught on with me.  I don’t think I had the time, and I certainly did not have the inclination to soak myself wrinkled for hours, or even for a minute. But times have changed.  I’ve…

• Toast and the Toaster and the Toaster-Maker

  Shannon

  29 Jan 2010 | 9:03 am

  DIY (Do it Yourself), Slow and Green, are all movements and concepts which are intertwined and connected. Here’s a DIY story, which is oh so Slow, and teaches a lot about Green: Consider if you will, the delightful pleasure of toast.  Not only a way to redeem stale bread, toast is also a symbol of hearth and home. “It isn’t only fictional heroes to whom toast means home and comfort. It is related of the Duke of Wellington – I believe by Lord Ellesmere – that when he landed at Dover in 1814, after six years’ absence from England, the first order he gave at the…

• 
  The Mother Huddle

• Red Velvet Brownie Hearts

  Destri

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:22 pm

  For those of you thinking ‘not another Valentines post’ don’t worry, you can cut these into any ole shape you’d like. I’m going to level with you, I was worried about these ones. In fact I even called Maria to tell her I had failed and there would be no post for her today.  But I held onto hope, finished them up, and took my first bite…my friends there are no words.  Then my hubby came home and first said “you made these?” then took a bite and said “mmmmm…wow….are you sure you made these?” Oh yes, they are that good. I…

• Cake Decorating 101~Part 1

  Suzanne

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:02 pm

  Did you know I decorate cakes?  Well I do, and I am going to have a little series on TMH that will help all you diy enthusiasts wanting to become known for their cakes.  It will require your participation of course, so don’t be shy.  If you have anything you are really wanting to learn let me know in the comments and I will do my best to show you. Part 1~ How to get your cake to the decorating stage. The Frosting First things first; you have to start with the right frosting for the best results.  One of my favorite recipes for cake frosting and the most beloved one from those who…

• Valentine’s Day Roundup

  Destri

  6 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Have you seen all the fabulous ideas around the internet?  Oh my my.  So many….too many to list, so I decided to show you a few of my favorites.  I linked the title and picture to the actual project post and the link to the home page of each site is in the description, did that make sense?  I hope so…enjoy! Fabric Window Valentines These fabric window Valentines from The Purl Bee are a perfect way to use your scrap fabric.  And the hand embroidery around the edges?  Well, you can guess how I feel about that.  So sweet. Madlib Valentines for Boys It should be no surprise…

• 40 Ways To Show Your Child Love

  candace

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:01 pm

  Displayed on a shelf in the entry way of my mother’s home is a book entitled To A Child Love Is Spelled T-I-M-E.  I have often thought about that statement and how much truth it holds.  It’s easy for us to say “I love you” but those three words, devoid of action and the gift of our quality time, are simply that—just words.  As we celebrate this season of sentiment and affection, let us show our littlest valentines just how special they really are. 40 simple ways to show your child love: Take them to a movie they want to see. Go on a treasure hunt (collect all the loose change…

• The Bullet List {Kami Bigler}

  Destri

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:44 am

  You know when you meet someone and you instantly know you are going to like them?  They are just so easy to like.  Conversation with them is easy, they talk to you like they’ve known you forever, and out of nowhere they say the funniest things showing their spunky side.  I had the pleasure of meeting such a person a couple weeks ago…and I think you’ll like her too. Kami isn’t the type to take herself too seriously and her blog No Biggie seems to be a tribute to her personality–laid back and a easy to hang out with.  You really must check out her Quick Tip…

• 
  Writing to Sanity

• Perpetual shut-down mode

  Desiree

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:18 am

  I had a rough year in 2009. In fact, when I first moved to New Jersey in October, I published my traumatic journey on New Jersey Moms Blog: “God’s meter is broken.”  To re-cap, some of the life-changing events: I lost my job the day before my 30th birthday, my cat died, I was officially divorced and started a new visitation plan with my ex and our kids, I moved in with my boyfriend of over a year… and, after he deemed our relationship inconvenient to the lifestyle he most-desired, my kids and I moved to New Jersey to live with my parents. I’m sure it comes as no…

• Mommy in New York City

  Desiree

  28 Jan 2010 | 8:59 am

  Last week, my mom and I headed to the Big Apple to check out some new (to me) sights and sounds.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to see and do — I mean, I’m completely satisfied to sit and people-watch on the subway, at this point. In the end, we saw the Empire State Building, John Lennon’s last residence, Central Park, Columbus Circle, and ate some really great food! Here are pictures from our jaunt — see if you recognize any of the buildings/places, and a virtual high-five to the first person who finds the picture of the place where the RMS Titanic would have…

• Mary Monday: Mary’s home sick

  Desiree

  25 Jan 2010 | 2:10 pm

  Today has been an interesting day. After looking like death warmed over this morning, Mary stayed home from school today; it looks like she’s developed a sinus infection. True to every child her age (she claims she’s eight, but she’s really six), she wanted to play all day… instead, I forced her to watch a movie and chill all day until Ethan arrived home from school. I know, I know… I’m SUCH a mean mom. Ethan was bent out of shape at first that he couldn’t stay home from school but, when he left, he was all giggles and air kisses. We’ll see what…

• I’m beginning to think I’m an old pro at this

  Desiree

  24 Jan 2010 | 6:16 pm

  My mom and I took a trip to New York City the other day.  Yeah, I’m beginning to think I’m an old pro at this whole “riding the public transportation” deal.  Or not.  Whatever!  It was a cool time, and we drank some pretty darn good wine and ate some pretty fine food while we were there… no complaints from this peanut gallery, my friend! The picture I’m showing you is the street sign that’s in front of The Dakota, which was John Lennon’s last residence… it was where he was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980. …

• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

  Desiree

  23 Jan 2010 | 5:08 pm

  “Ladies and gentleman, we have exactly one hour to steal everything in this studio.” I have been smitten since 1996, when I was on Spring Break in Seattle, Washington. For me and the rest of his fans, it’s been a surreal experience to have watched him on “The Tonight Show”. For your enjoyment, here are the last few shows he gave to the world as our host: God bless and good luck, Conan! You’ve rocked my world.

• 
  Parenting Pink

• The Art of Beauty: Reinforcing Beauty Within

  By: Kathleen Semp. As a parent we love to watch our children succeed. We want them to use those experiences to help build self-esteem and set new goals and challenges for themselves. With my oldest daughter I have found myself in a bit of a conflict. The arenas she is most successful in [...]

• Plastic Surgery for Teen Girls: Is it right for your daughter?

  Nips, tucks, and lifts have become commonplace in our society among adults, and in particular, women. Women spend an estimated $300 million on cosmetic surgery each year in the United States. Yet, a desire to find the fountain of youth has led some women to extremes and others to invest in cosmetic surgery procedures for [...]

• 5 Foods To Help Beat The Winter Blues

  By: Joanna Dolgoff, MD. GBQQSHDGD26T In the winter when the cold weather blows in, you might find it hard to motivate yourself to get out of bed or even leave the house. Shorter winter days also mean less sunlight every day and sunlight helps us feel wide-awake. You might be experiencing a winter slump and a [...]

• Valentine’s Day “Pink Girls Dream” Giveaway by Artistic Senations, over $125!

  There are so many ways to tell your daughter you love her this Valentine’s Day, but why not do it with style and a bit of pink panache?! Artistic Sensations, a trendy online boutique specializing in unique, chic, and affordable kids room design, believes that “every girl is special.” And to help parents indulge [...]

• What’s a Parent to Do? Dealing with Your Troubled Teen

  By: Laura Day. Where Did We Go Wrong? Somewhere along the way, parents and teens have forgotten the difference between rights and privileges. As parents, we live such busy lives just trying to support our family that we feel guilty about not being able to spend as much time with our teen as we should. To [...]

• 
  Me Too You

• It is coming together

  Linsey K / KrolikLegal / Me Too You

  31 Jan 2010 | 7:37 am

  At the end of the last year/start of the new year, I wrote a #best09 series of posts, inspired by Gwen Bell. It was refreshing to look back over 2009 with a positive view, remembering things like the best restaurant moment, best social web moment, best trip, best person, best book, etc., instead of looking back on all the things that were wrong with my life...like I normally do at the start of a new year. The last entry was a resolution, very traditional new year's stuff and fitting for the new year, especially after having done an exercise on the positives. MY RESOLUTION 1 MONTH…

• A Jar for "Old Man"...and Haiti

  Linsey K / KrolikLegal / Me Too You

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:08 am

  Discussions in the car lately.... Lily: "Oh my gosh! What is that old man doing standing in the middle of the street?!" Me: "Actually, he's sitting."Ben: "He's going to be smashed like a bug!"Me: "Actually, he's on the divider in between where the cars drive. So he's safe."Ava: "He's holding a paper." Ben: "It says (sounding out words)...P-L-E-A-S-E....H-E-L-P... Me. I know that word: Me. It says Please Help Me."Me: "He doesn't have any money and sometimes when people don't have any money they…

• '"It's not the money I care about," Coco muses, "it's the independence."' - Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky by Chris Greenhalgh

  Linsey K / KrolikLegal / Me Too You

  28 Jan 2010 | 11:20 am

  Women entreprenuers and businesswomen can be seen in a different light than their male counterparts. The urge to go for it can be diminished by the struggle to create a balance with the other pieces of their lives. Home and work conflict much? When women don't have families, is it easier for them to immerse themselves in work? A couple of months ago I was invited to participate as a guest on a conference call with my sister's company's women's book club. The subject was one of my favorite reads from 2009 (#best09), The Shriver Report. It was such an engaging discussion -…

• Take the Pearl Pledge - Pearls of Wisdom Cervical Cancer Awareness

  Linsey K / KrolikLegal / Me Too You

  7 Jan 2010 | 11:00 pm

  Last month, I had the opportunity to be a part of a conversation with other SV Moms Group bloggers, Michelle Whitlock, and ABC News Medical Contributor Dr. Marie Savard ("Dr. Marie"). It was a frank and open call...and I learned a lot. As a cancer survivor, I am hyper-interested in learning anything about how any cancer can be PREVENTED. And the amazing news is, cervical cancer is a cancer that can be prevented. Some statistics: Cervical cancer used to be the #1 cause of death and it still remains the #2 cause of cancer (2nd only to breast cancer). There is no other cancer we know…

• GIveaway Time! The Harlem Globetrotters

  Linsey K / KrolikLegal / Me Too You

  5 Jan 2010 | 5:37 pm

  I don't know about you, but whenever I think about the Harlem Globetrotters, that song just invades my head. I have always wanted to see them live, having seen them on TV as a pretty young kid. So fun! I just heard that they are coming to town, to San Jose, in a couple of weeks and I have been offered tickets to go. And...I also have four tickets to giveaway to a lucky reader! Hooray - we can whistle the song together. (Yes, if you win, you MUST hang out with me and whistle the song. Just kidding. Not really.)So...if you are so inclined, please enter the giveaway below. To enter, please…