Erin Mantz

Modern solutions for modern moms

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  • Published Articles
  • HuffPost Divorce Posts
  • Why Kissing Hostess Cupcakes Goodbye Closes a Chapter on Childhood

    • 12 Jan 2012
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    • Hostess
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    Driving in to work today, I was sad to hear the news that Hostess is filing for Chapter 11. The maker of my favorite childhood cupcakes can't cave! Just last year, my sons spotted me veering toward the Hostess snacks and picking up Ho-Hos. "What are those?" they asked. I was shocked they didn't know and were missing out, because of me, on Hostess goodies appearing in their school lunch bags. I started buying Ho-Hos that day - hadn't had one since probably 1982 - and they were as good as ever to me, and a great treat to the boys. Something about Hostess made my childhood happier. I think i'm going to stock up before they disappear. Do Ding Dongs freeze well?

    Hostess_ding_dongs_600w

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  • Ho Ho Ho...How Much? Check out my piece on Holiday Tipping on www.Care.com

    • 22 Nov 2011
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    As parents, we are forever grateful to people who look after, help and/or work with our kids. What's the right kind of gratitude to express at holiday time? Check out my piece where etiquette experts give some good advice:  Ho Ho Ho - How Much? Holiday Tipping Tips from Etiquette Experts on www.Care.com.

     

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  • My Latest on HuffPost Women: Forgive and Forget? One Thing I Won't Do On Facebook

    • 28 Oct 2011
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    • Facebook HuffPost first love
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    Remember your first love and/or the girlfriend who turned her back on you in high school?  Facebook won't let you forget. Check out my HuffPost Women blog post today!

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  • Child Care Choices for Moms Returning to Work

    • 17 Oct 2011
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    Check out my latest article on Care.com:  "Child Care Choices:  Au Pair, Nanny or Daycare?"  I enjoyed talking to experts investigating pros and cons for each, and drew on my personal mom experience of having used great nannies and amazing daycare centers. (Did I just get lucky?)

    Interestingly, I just heard on the radio Forbes listed the Washington, DC area (where I live) as #9 on the Best Cities for Working Moms" list for salary, but we are also lowest ranked on child care.  So, it's a wash?  Go figure.

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  • What Matters More - Manners or Grades?

    • 4 Oct 2011
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    • NBCU manners
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    As a mom, what's more important to you - that your kids have good manners or good grades?  According to a new study by Women at NBCU, 77% of moms surveyed prefer to have kids with good manners instead of good grades. I ask - it is too much to hope for both?

    I was just having a conversation with a mom the other day about some elementary schoolers who don't say please and thank you enough or sometimes forget to flush the toilet. But they are "teachable" kids, getting consistently good grades at school. Why can't they learn their manners?  Is it simple forgetfulness, a lack of trying on the parents' part, some kind of rebellion or just bad habits? Either way, one can only hope they will rise above it to meet the manners expectations at home just as they meet requirements in academics.

    The study raises an interesting issue. After all, if you send your son off to dinner at a fancy friend's house and they eat spaghetti with their hands and never say thanks before leaving, it won't matter if he/she got a top grade in math. He'll make a bad impression, period.

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  • Update on "Milk Mustache" Latte Love Video Contest

    • 16 Sep 2011
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    • cassie wasem got milk latte love milk mustache
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    Thanks to everyone who voted for my video last month in Got Milk's "Latte Love" mom blog contest. I was a Top 20 finalist out of hundreds of entries, so thank you!  Though I did not win the grand prize trip to NYC to meet the next Milk Mustache celebrity, I did win free milk for a month. Congrats to winner Cassie Wasem.

     

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  • Yet Another Good Reason To Limit Kids' Video Game Time

    • 13 Sep 2011
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    • Wii electronic time
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    Every day, I tell myself I will place and enforce a concrete limit on my sons' electronic game time (Wii, iTouch, cell phone and website games). Now, there's another reason to movitate me to do so. Michigan State University researchers found that early and preteen middle schoolers who played more video games were more likely to hold negative views of their parents. Could this be why my six-year old talks back so much? This Vancouver Sun article tells us more - motivation to really put those time restrictions in place.  

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  • Moms of Boys - Don't Worry, Be Happy! (They probably are.)

    • 29 Aug 2011
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    • University of Missouri moms of boys
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    Moms of boys, does this sound familiar?

    In a given day, I often ask my 10 year-old son, who can seem a bit quiet or moody, all of the following:

    - "Are you ok?"
    - "Is something bothering you?"
    - "How do you feel?"
    - "What's wrong?"

    I get the same answers --"Yes, no, fine, nothing." My six year-old is responding the same way! I worry they aren't confiding in me, sharing their feelings with me, facing their feelings or are letting potential embarassment get the best of them.

    But here is some relief for me and other moms of boys who know the above conversations (or lack thereof) so well. A new study from the University of MIssouri says that boys avoid discussing problems not because of some sense of embarrassment, but because they believe that doing so is a waste of time. Check out this article on Futurity.com: "Talk About Problems? Boys Say Why Bother?"

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  • Don't forget to vote daily before Aug. 31 for my "Got Milk" video submitted at BlogHer '11!

    • 25 Aug 2011
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    Hi, I'm in a mom blogger contest for a "Got Milk" video I made at BlogHer ’11 San Diego and would love your vote. Click here, search "Mantz" and vote for my video! You can even vote daily. I could win a trip to NYC to interview the new mystery "Milk Mustache" celebrity and interview him/her for my blog! 

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  • Critics of Kraft's Miracle Whip Campaign, Give the Brand a Break

    • 19 Aug 2011
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    • Kraft divorce miracle whip not for every relationship
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    Critics of Kraft's Miracle Whip "Not For Every Relationship" contest have obviously never had to pay a divorce attorney. The contest asks people to tell their story about how Miracle Whip has affected their relationship for a chance to win $25,000 for their wedding OR divorce.

    I think the brand should be applauded for being in touch with the reality of their consumers/families today. Many moms buy Miracle Whip, and the reality we live in is that a good portion of these moms are thinking about divorce and facing horrible financial battles. So why shouldn't the brand support all moms and give divorcing moms a chance to win the money?

    Open up the refrigerator in homes of single moms and blended families - there's Miracle Whip in there, too.

    Miracle_whip

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  • About

    Since her childhood days touting pigtails and well-pronounced ad copy as she auditioned for television commercials, Erin understood the power of communications. Today, Erin uses the written word to move readers and make things "make sense." She is a blogger for Huffington Post Divorce and her parenting articles appear on www.Care.com, Washington Parent magazine, Potomac Patch and others. Her articles have been published in The New York Post, Bethesda Magazine, Hybrid Mom, TangoMag.com, UrbanTurf.com and others. Erin lives in the Washington, DC area with her two sons, seven and ten and Pug dog, Rizzo.

    CONTACT ERIN: ELMTree1@gmail.com

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  • My Other Blogs and Published Articles

    • Huffington Post Divorce Blog
    • Parenting in Potomac column on Patch.com
    • Summer Safety Tips: A Guide to Protecting Kids when Activities Heat Up - at Care.com
    • Strikeout Zone - New York Post
    • Dealing with Digital Distractions - Washington Parent Magazine
    • Sellers, Prepare To Be Googled - UrbanTurf.com
    • Meet The Campaign Widows - YourTango
    • To Friend or Not to Friend - Networking with Your Nanny on Facebook - Washington Parent Magazine
    • Suddenly Step Siblings: Challenges for Kids and Parents Handling Merged Families - at Care.com
    • School Counselor's Corner: Teaching Your Kids the Fine Art of Friendship|Washingtonparent.com
    • Driving with Dogs - Distractions or Much-To-Do About Nothing? - at Care.com
    • What is Temperament - And Why Does It Matter?
    • What Real Moms Want