Archive for October, 2008
Oct
31
Posted by
besttech
By Suzette NEW JERSEY MOMS BLOG
I recently started receiving e-mails from an address I didn’t know. They were mostly innocuous pictures of people I didn’t know on vacation. I figured maybe I knew the photographer (hence not pictured) and would just politely delete the e-mails after scanning the pictures. Then the person started sending me political e-mails. And ones I didn’t agree with.
Usually, I figure there are enough e-mails going around that I don’t need to make it worse by forwarding ones I don’t like or even responding to them. But lately I’ve felt that was just too passive and that maybe I should try to counteract the negativity in the world.
So, for these...
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Oct
31
Posted by
besttech
By Heidi Stevens Chicago Tribune
Problem: My daughter is a tattletale. She’ll stop mid-play and run over to tell me, “She took my car!” My first instinct is to say, “Sweetie, don’t tattle. Just ask her to give it back.”
Then after preschool one day she said, “That boy always hits me.” My response? “Tell your teacher if someone hits you.”
In other words, tattle. I’m confused. She’s confused. Help!
Solution: “This is along the lines of ‘No kid drags her baby blanket down the aisle when she gets married,”‘ says Parenting magazine’s senior editor, Deborah Skolnik. “At some point, they outgrow it.”
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Oct
31
Posted by
besttech
McClatchy-Tribune
(MCT)
Moms Forum spotlights useful discussion taking place on the parenting forums of newspapers around the country.
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QUESTION: I have an almost 7-month-old son who we have been swaddling with the Miracle Blanket since 7 weeks old. He has started rolling over in his bed while swaddled which makes me uneasy about his safety. We decided to unswaddle him and it has been so hard; he just won’t sleep. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make this transition?
— Posted by courtney—newmom at mom2momdfw.com
RESPONSES:
— “My daughter also slept swaddled until 8+ months (she’s...
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Oct
30
Posted by
besttech
By Farrah CHICAGO MOMS BLOG
My toddler son consumed nothing but breast milk until he was 6 months old and wasn’t completely weaned until 21 months. But, I went back to work part-time after three months. You do the math.
OK, so I didn’t have to pump that whole time. At the end he was only really nursing before nap and bed and maybe when he first woke up. Even those times weren’t set in stone. But I did my fair share of pumping. And it is wretched.
I am a nurse, so I would have to find an empty patient room at least twice during my eight-hour shift. I sat on the floor with both boobs attached to the dreadful machine because I had to conserve time. Most days, I even ate my...
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Oct
29
Posted by
besttech
By Claire Bushey divorce360.com
(MCT)
This year’s presidential candidates have oddly symbiotic positions on child support: Democrat Barack Obama believes more parents should pay it, and Republican John McCain paid it.
Child support collection is hardly a front-and-center issue in the presidential race, but with 15.8 million cases in the national enforcement program, it’s a compelling one for custodial parents across the country.
Of the two candidates, Obama has addressed the issue most directly, making responsible fatherhood one of his campaign’s themes and including improved child support collection in his platform. McCain’s record is longer but more muted. He also...
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Oct
29
Posted by
besttech
By Genevieve Hinson MotherOfConfusion.com
(MCT)
Adoptive parents are perfect parents. At least that is what I sense the stereotypical thought is. We’ve waited a long time, have a lot of money and have learned extensively about child development. Somewhere during the process we have discovered our inner perfect parent and know the politically correct and right way to respond to our tantrum tossing toddler and sometimes snarling teenager. We’ve figured out the delicate balance of letting our children explore, learn from their experiences and somehow manage to keep them from safe from the lurking dangers that surround them.
I will admit I did find myself lured into swimming the honey-scented sea ...
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Oct
29
Posted by
Shaun Bennett
I’ve decided in this era of modern media to never buy another CD or DVD again. What’s the need? I’ve realized that with On Demand, Netflix and Blockbuster Online there is just no time to watch my movie collection over and over again.
This will surely be good news to my wife Mary, who calls me a pack rat and hates my collections — comics, sports cards, DVDs, CDs and plenty more — than are piled around the house collecting dust.
I was at Blockbuster Tuesday at 11 a.m. to rent a copy of “Tinkerbell” for my daughter Stephanie. She had been watching the commercials — played about every 6 minutes on...
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Oct
29
Posted by
besttech
By Andrea McMann FamilyFun magazine
(MCT)
My 5-year-old son, Tyler, used to loiter in the kitchen while I was cooking, repeating the dreaded phrase, “Mommy, is my food ready yet?” It was a mealtime routine that didn’t work for anyone. Thankfully, I discovered “Cooking with Kids,” by Linda Collister. Featuring fun dishes, such as hedgehog-shaped dinner rolls, easy homemade pizza and gingerbread people, this nifty cookbook is a great way to get kids involved in meal prep. Tyler loves the colorful photos and the adventure of trying new recipes. I appreciate the fact that each recipe clearly states when adult assistance is needed. Ages 5 and up. Ryland, Peters & Small, $18.
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Oct
28
Posted by
Julie Wallace
One of my earlier posts referenced my 5-year-old daughter’s problems with kindergarten.
At least initially, the problems pretty much befuddled her father and I as she was so excited about going to school, and she spent two years in preschool so she should have been adequately prepared.
But we got some good news late last week and this week. After her initial problems (she wasn’t performing and doing stuff in class that she could do at home without a hint of trouble), she’s turned it around.
Her teacher pulled me aside late last week and said she’s doing great in class now.
So what changed? I think it just took time for my very sensitive and very spoiled daughter to adjust to her new surroundings. She’s an only, so she’s...
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Oct
28
Posted by
besttech
McClatchy-Tribune
Moms Forum spotlights useful discussion taking place on the parenting forums of newspapers around the country.
___
QUESTION: So we put them to sleep with all those lovely lullabies … how do you wake them up?
Do you sing them awake? Yell? Dump cold water on them? Rub their backs?
DD15 & DS7 are like me and wake up to the slightest sound or touch. All I have to do is come in, whisper their name, and touch them and they’re up. DS5 is a little tougher. He really resists it. But I found if I just pick him up and carry him out to the couch, turn on a cartoon he will wake up. Don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do that.
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