May 25
Parents: Think you're doing most things right and trying to stay on top of things? Checked Facebook lately? There's always a parent whose posts teeter on perfection as far as the picture perfect family life. Read my post on 5 Ways Facebook Can Make You Feel Like the World's Worst Parent, this week in HuffPost Parents!
May 15
Note it's daycare and nannies - not daycare vs. nannies! I've done both, and both choices were right for me and my sons at the time. But every family's situation is different. Moms of babies or toddler returning to work might want to check out my latest article on www.Care.com - Child Care Choices: Weighing the Pros and Cons of Daycare and Nannies. Experts share tips on factors to consider, from your child's temperament and your level of comfort with someone in your home to your ability to deal with logistics, locations and the witching hour. Like many things of parenthood, there is no one right answer.
May 15
Getting my son that pack of Trident gum last week seemed harmless enough. So did my other son's request for "just one piece" on the way to school this morning. "I'll have fresh breath!" he said proudly. Then I see news about this study: Chewing Gum May Impair Short-Term Memory!
Say it isn't so.
Just last month, my ten-year old begged me to stop at CVS on the way to school so he could get gum for their big Maryland State Assessment tests. It's the one time the teachers let them chew gum in class. When i dropped him off, chomping away, pack in hand, I watched him greet all the other fifth graders who were also happily chewing.
Poor kids. I hope parents don't take the fun out of bubble-making until more studies back up this one.
A ray of hope: researchers said flavored gum could possible cancel out the negative impact on memory loss. Perhaps i'll have to put up with the sickly-sweet smell of that strawberry gum they really love.
Jan 12
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?
Nov 22
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.
Oct 28
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!
Oct 17
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.
Oct 4
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.
Sep 16
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.
Sep 13
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.
