Finding yourself on Facebook

By Amanda May NYC MOMS BLOG

Lately, it seems as though Everyone I’ve Ever Known is now my “friend,” thanks to Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, I love reconnecting with my college crush who actually crushed me (he’s broke! And balding!) just as much as the next gal. But elementary school kids that I barely remember are trickling out of the woodwork. Even my little brother’s old babysitter found and friended me. Really?

This isn’t an anti-Facebook rant. I actually love the site, and quickly got addicted to the status updates. And while I may not understand the allure of friending random people from your past, it doesn’t bother me all that much. What does bother me is seeing myself through...

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The Palin paradox

By Aisha Sultan St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The moment’s most high-profile mom has the most unexpected cheering section. Head cheerleader and first lady of the modern conservative movement Phyllis Schlafly wanted to throw a party at the Republican National Convention honoring Sarah Palin long before she secured the vice presidential nomination.

Palin, a woman who has chosen a career path that sidelines her family and whose ambition clearly trumps housewifely duties, has become the poster mom for “having it all.”

There was a time when a woman who made career choices like Palin would have been pilloried by the religious right, especially Schlafly.

There...

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Morning sickness, exhaustion and me

By Genevieve Hinson MotherOfConfusion.com

Babies make me sick, literally. It’s been well over a decade since I last felt the lurches, gags and aversions of early pregnancy.

With Jay, I hugged the porcelain for seven months. My astounding ability to become ill at the smell of salt, watching a McDonald’s commercial, or at simply nothing became family legend and lore.

My inability to keep food down became so intense I lost 16 pounds in two weeks and had to be hydrated intravenously. The constant retching took its toll on my skin and eyes too. They were red and patchy with busted blood vessels.

The only other contender for my attention was exhaustion....

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Sage parenting advice: Get some sleep

By Becky Sher McClatchy-Tribune

Talk to any parent of a young child, and here’s what you’ll discover: Whether they love being a parent on any particular day is directly related to how much sleep they got the night before.

“Rock-a-Bye Baby: 200 Ways to Help Baby (and You!) Sleep Better,” by Penny Warner (Chronicle Books, $12.95) isn’t a highly scientific study of infant sleep. (And that’s fine, because if you’re not getting any sleep, you won’t be able to get through a book like that anyway.) Instead, it’s packed with quick-read tips and facts, most from other parents, some from doctors and other “experts.” It includes the lyrics to a handful of popular lullabies (including...

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The bottom line on making a switch to cloth diapers

By Meredith Poldrack-Segrist McClatchy Newspapers

Forget the pins and rubber pants. Cloth diapers have come a long way since your grandma’s day.

Think colors and cute patterns, Velcro and snap closures and fewer leaks.

When I decided to transition to cloth diapers for my 11-month-old son, Sam, I was overwhelmed by the options. What to buy? Bamboo? Hemp? Pocket? Pre-fold? All-in-one? I really just wanted someone to say, “Use this one!”

I turned to experts Diana Alatalo of Babies Bottoms and More in Farmers Branch, Texas, and April Kelm of Green Baby Diaper Service in Rockwall, Texas.

Here’s what I learned:

Your kid wants to be Alpha Pig for Halloween? Why not?

By Becky Sher McClatchy-Tribune

Ask your preschooler what he wants to be for Halloween, and without fail, he’ll name the most complicated character/creature on the planet. His favorite TV show might be good inspiration for a costume, if only it was neatly packaged and available with a few easy clicks.

If your kid is a fan of the PBS educational show “Super WHY!”, your prayers have been answered. The show, which features superheroes with literacy-based powers, now has its own costumes just right for Halloween or everyday dress-up. Deck out your kid as Super Why, Alpha Pig, Princess Presto or Wonder Red. (These names will mean something to you if you’ve got a fan in the house.) Costumes are...

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Experts: Overloaded kids may have tough time getting into college

By Lisa Davis McClatchy Newspapers

Soccer. Baseball. Basketball. Volleyball. Travel teams. Gymnastics. Dance. Tae kwon do. Piano. Violin. Band. Quiz Bowl. French Club. Latin Club. Science Olympiad. Required community service. AP classes. SAT prep. Homework, homework, more homework. Tutoring. Therapist.

When did family life become one giant to-do list?

For decades now, experts have been warning that our children are overbooked. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued reports on the dangers of over-scheduling: Young children deprived of playtime are missing an essential element of their cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Preteens who specialize in one...

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Overscheduled kids? Six tips for cutting back

By Lisa Davis McClatchy Newspapers

Limit activities. Cut back just one or two nights a week. Or consider setting rules such as one sport per child per season. Before signing up for anything new, consider the cost in time and energy to the whole family.

Make family a priority. If your family is too busy to hang out together, if you and your spouse hardly ever spend time alone together, adjustments need to be made.

Be unproductive. Shoot hoops, take walks, play games, sit and talk, read. The fact that you the parent enjoy spending time with your child with no apparent goal lets her know you find her more interesting than just about anything else in the world.

Kids can be easy prey for identity thieves

By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Among the people Linda Foley is currently working to help are a 3-year-old whose Social Security number is being used by someone for work purposes. And there’s a 5-year-old whose identity is linked to driver’s licenses, arrest warrants for drunken driving, and a warrant for unpaid child support.

These stories may sound unusual, but Foley has heard of many such situations since she started the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center in 1999, and she’s convinced that the poaching of children’s identities is more common than anyone knows.

Because identity theft is typically associated with financial matters like the misuse of...

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Mother knows best

By Cara Fox DEEP SOUTH MOMS BLOG

My mom knows everything. She raised three children. She cooks. She sews. She has a basic working knowledge of woodworking, electrical wiring, and plumbing. She is a computer whiz. She and my father have had every dental procedure known to man between the two of them, so she knows everything about dentistry. And most things about medicine — she even diagnosed my husband’s pleurisy over the phone one time. No joke.

Yes, my mom knows everything. And she will not hesitate to share it with you.

But I am so grateful for her knowledge when it comes to parenting advice. Like the time that my two oldest boys were waking up about 3,000 times a night...

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