Happy to be a stay-at-home mom — even if it wasn’t by choice

Why do I freeze every time someone asks me what I do or who my employer is? It really should not be a hard question to answer, but it is one I struggle with everyday. My dilemma is quite simple. Am I a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM), or am I unemployed? Can I be both?

Here are the facts. On January 2, 2009, I was no longer employed. Was it by choice: no. Nice way to start a New Year, huh? So on January 5, 2009, I got up as I always did when I was employed and made my husband coffee and a lunch to take to work. But instead of packing a diaper bag for the sitter, or taking a shower and putting on work attire, I brushed my teeth, my hair, and sat and played with my kids. As the day went on, I looked on some job boards for a new job and even sent my resume out. But I also cleaned the house...

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Think outside the basket for Easter fun

By Karen Deer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A traditional Easter basket can be fun. It’s filled with lots of sweets, chocolate bunnies and stuffed animals. But with a little imagination, a nontraditional basket may surprise the youngsters.

Start by thinking out of the box — or — out of the basket. Choose items such as a Frisbee, a dump truck or even a fancy little purse to replace the basket. Next, fill them up with Easter basket grass. Finally, select items such as crayons, sticker books and kites. These are all inexpensive fillers, and most can be found at dollar stores and discount chains. And of course, you can always add a chocolate bunny or two and some jelly beans.

If you style the toy just right, the kids won’t even notice the missing...

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Book review: ‘Tupac Shakur’

“Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon” by Tayannah Lee McQuillar and Fred L. Johnson III, PhD
c.2010, Da Capo Press
$15.95 / $20.00 Canada
276 pages, includes index

By Terri Schlichenmeyer, Philadelphia Tribune contributor

Have you ever wondered why music is important to you?

Scientists have all sorts of explanations, but you probably can’t live without your iPod because the tunes you love speak to you. Those songs move you, body and soul, and the singers say words only you wish you could say. …

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Sugary soft drinks coming out of many schools

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — PepsiCo plans to remove sugary drinks from schools worldwide, following the success of programs in the U.S. aimed at cutting down on childhood obesity.

The company said Tuesday it will remove full-calorie, sweetened drinks from schools in more than 200 countries by 2012, marking the first such move by a major soft drink producer.

Both PepsiCo Inc., the world’s second-biggest soft drink maker, and No. 1 player Coca-Cola Co. adopted guidelines to stop selling sugary drinks in U.S. schools in 2006.

The World Heart Federation has been negotiating with soft drink makers to have them remove sugary beverages from schools for the past year as it looks to fight a rise in childhood obesity, which can lead to diabetes,...

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Praying for a miracle on Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is one of my favorite Masses to attend as a Catholic. For me, it’s the start of the holiest week for Catholics and it reminds me of what special event will be taking place on Easter Sunday – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

(And in my opinion, Jesus rising from the dead is a miracle.)

When I married Seth, who is Protestant, we agreed that all of the children we have would be raised in the Catholic faith. He didn’t object and thus, all...

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Baby name trends for 2010

By Paula Kashtan, TheBump.com

The biggest name trends for 2010? Anything decidedly non-trendy.

The tireless search for the perfect baby name isn’t always easy on any new mom and pop — even after scouring the web for advice, playing with naming tools, and sifting through mountains of baby-name books at the bookstore. (Sound familiar?) If you’re still on a quest to name baby something cool and trendy, you might want to reconsider your strategy: Instead of hopping on the trend train this year, it’s looking like more and more parents-to-be will be opting for unique classics they love. Wondering what oldies-but-goodies will trump the rest? With the help of Jennifer Moss from BabyNames.com, we make our predictions about what’s hot (and...

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The age of the teenager has arrived in my home

By Dwana, Chicago Moms Blog

My cousin warned me 18 months ago, but to be honest, I thought she was losing her mind.

She intimated that her son, now 15, was “going through” something.

I gave her that look you give someone after you smell their feet!

This could not be something I need to consider because at that time my baby was only 13.

As the year moved into summer, I slowly began to see how she was right.

My heart bled, and my eyes teared each time he answered me with an inflection that was much deeper than the one before.

“Yes, Mom” grew into tones that James Earl Jones and Denzel deliver, not my beautiful, baby boy!

Then the inching up started.

My already tall child, slimmed and grew...

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Protecting kids from themselves is a challenge

Is it possible to curb a child’s natural curiosity, especially when it’s combined with a terrifying lack of impulse control?
We have a seven-foot tall cabinet in our basement and have caught our two youngest, 4-year-old Keira and 6-year-old Ethan, trying to climb it to reach things on the higher shelves inside.
We’ve very clearly explained the danger of this.
My mother was babysitting recently and Ethan decided to climb the cabinet. Sure enough, it fell over on him despite furniture cups under the front corners to further stabilize it.
Thankfully, Ethan wasn’t hurt, but I’m sure he took several years off my mother’s life. He managed to wiggle out from underneath the cabinet before my mom even got to him.
Why must children learn so many lessons...

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Mom cursed with a daughter just like her

By Traci Arbios, herdingsquirrels.com

I sit at the dinner table silently watching my brood chatter, and I reflect on my own teen years.

My mind dances over one particular period in middle school, which began with a single day marked by streak of confidence. That day my hair looked good, my makeup went on right and I loved the outfit I was wearing. I felt, perhaps for the first time in my middle school years, cool.

When I arrived at school, a friend commented on how great my outfit looked. And so, with the assurance that only such compliments can ply, I proceeded to wear that same outfit everyday for the next 3 days, and then as often as possible in the ensuing two weeks.

My mom tried to get me to change my clothes, but I was convinced I was onto...

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Tips on texting for teens and parents

By Amy Kossoff Smith, The Business of Motherhood

It seems like teens and even tweens today can text using two thumbs faster than most adults can type using 10 fingers. That’s not research, by the way, but a MomTini observation. They’re fast; they’ve got their own lingo; and for parents who grew up with cassette tape players in their cars (!), the technology can be overwhelming at times.

This is a first where the younger generation has become proficient in a “language” that is often foreign to parents, in an area that can get them into trouble with peers with a single keystroke, before parents are even aware it’s happening. If parents can become educated on the statistics and arm themselves with new technology parenting tools,...

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