Archive for August, 2011
Aug
31
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
http://.nameberry.com
Here’s an idea: Why not make your child an award winner from the get-go, and give him or her a name with the bonus point of a ‘best of’ association? We’re all familiar with Oscar and Tony and Emmy, but there are lots of other award names that aren’t as well known, most representing a distinguished namesake. And no, we’re not suggesting using Nobel or Pulitzer or Pritzger.
Some possibilities:
Girls
Agatha: Named for Agatha Christie, the Agatha Awards are given to mystery authors writing in the vein of the creator of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot — that is, featuring an amateur detective and sans sex or violence. Agathas are bestowed at an annual convention in Washington, D.C. in several...
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Aug
31
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press
School’s never out for 14-year-old Zoe Bentley. Nor is it ever in.
The perky teen from Tucson, Ariz., explores what she likes, when she likes as deeply as she chooses every day of the year. As an “unschooler,” Zoe is untethered from the demands of traditional, compulsory education.
That means, at the moment, she’s checking out the redwoods of California with her family, tinkering with her website and looking forward to making her next video on her favorite subject, exogeology, the study of geology on other planets.
“I love seeing the history of an area,” Zoe said. “Maybe a volcano erupted and grew taller over time, or wind eroded rock into sand dunes, or a meteor hit the ground and made a...
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Aug
30
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
Disney FamilyFun magazine
Summer is over, but you have memories with your kids that you want to hang onto forever. Use these three ideas to turn your souvenirs into keepsakes.
Slide Sleeve Treasure Holder
This playful version of a shadow box can be tacked up just about anywhere or hung like a mobile to let the sun shine through.
Simply fill the pockets of a slide sleeve or a nine-pocket trading-card page protector with small mementos, such as ticket stubs, map fragments, photos, bird feathers, pine needles and dried flowers.
Sand Masks
Memorialize your trip to the shore with a sandcast plaster mask made with beachcombed features.
- Collect objects, such as shells, feathers, small...
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Aug
30
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Doreen Christensen, OrlandoSentinel.com
How’d that first day back at school go? If you’re like me, you had a bit o’ trouble getting dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. Now that those lazy summer days are over, you might be looking for a few fast shortcuts to make week-night dinners come together in a snap.
Two free downloadable e-cookbooks will help get the job done.
“Family Circle’s 15 Slow Cooker Favorites:” Dust off that slow cooker and download a free copy of this 11-page PDF e-cookbook. It features one-pot soups, entrees and desserts that prep in 15 minutes or less. We liked the Pineapple Ginger-Glazed Pork Chops and Slow Cooker Ratatouille.
“Signature Family Recipes” from Reynolds Wrap: Seven recipes, such...
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Aug
29
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Tricia Romano, www.RetailMeNot.com
If there’s one thing about the new school year that kids love and parents don’t, it’s shopping for clothes. As children get into their tweens and teens, fashion and trends play a bigger part in their lives. But single mom Marcelle Karp, of New York City, satisfies her child’s sense of style without breaking the bank. Marcelle and her daughter, Ruby, who blogs for HelloGiggles.com and will enter sixth grade this fall, have a tried-and-true system worked out for back-to-school shopping.
“The younger you initiate your child to budget and cost, the more savvy they can become and also more considerate about what they choose,” Marcelle says. “So I have a daughter who chooses her own wardrobe because...
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Aug
29
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Priscilla J. Dunstan, McClatchy-Tribune
Back to school a time both loved and dreaded by children and parents alike. Being back at school will bring out the extremes in your children.
Tactile children will need more physical contact and cuddles, visual children will be more particular about how things look, auditory children will chatter more, and taste and smell children will be more clingy. This is all part of the process and very normal! Be kind, calm and respectful and your child will settle in a few weeks.
Visual children will benefit from a visually based school schedule. Consider making a wall chart to illustrate what’s going on, and use lots of pictures, particularly if they are pre-readers. Your child will be very picky about how things...
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Aug
28
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Jan Norman, The Orange County Register
Ladera Ranch, Calif., mom Julia Christensen gained 83 pounds when she was pregnant with her son Bradford.
Nothing in the stores looked attractive or fit with style for this self-described fashionista. “Clothes either cost $400 for a one-time wearing or weren’t made nicely,” she says.
Sound familiar? It sure seemed to Christensen that maternity clothes were designed and made by people who had never been pregnant.
So she decided to do something about it. And fortunately for her and other style-conscious pregnant women, Christensen actually had the training, patience and entrepreneurial spirit to follow through.
Her great, great grandmother had been a seamstress. Her mom was “quite a...
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Aug
27
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
By Jenny Schafer, Celebritybabyscoop.com
Tia Mowry Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Housley became overnight teen sensations for their hit comedy series “Sister, Sister.” Twelve years after successfully escaping the “child star curse,” the identical twins are ready to show us just how different they really are as they embark on two of the biggest journeys of their lives. The new reality TV show “Tia & Tamera” follows Tia as she becomes a first-time mother, and gives viewers an all-access pass to Tamera’s road to her dream wedding.
The 33-year-old new mom opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about adjusting to motherhood and the special bond her newborn son has with her twin sis, her husband Cory Hardrict, the joys of breastfeeding and her new reality...
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Aug
26
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
McClatchy-Tribune
With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, it is time for parents to plan how they will explain that day to children too young to remember 9/11.
Don Brown’s book “America is Under Attack” might be one way to help a child understand why this day is so sad for so many Americans and why we take time to remember.
The book tells first-hand stories about people who worked in the World Trade Center and firefighters, those who escaped and those who died. Muted illustrations, also by Brown, are often scary, but not graphic. It is certainly not going to make it easier on parents — the stories takes the readers’ emotions right back to that day — but it is straightforward without being overwhelming, and...
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Aug
26
Posted by
Lorain County Moms
McClatchy-Tribune
Experts agree that breastfeeding is one of the best things that a mother can do for her child, but it’s not always as easy as it would seem. Many new moms face difficulties breastfeeding, and a new survey by the websites TheBump.com and Breastfeeding.com show misinformation and ignorant attitudes still exist.
Polling more than 1,600 women on TheKnot.com, TheNest.com and TheBump.com, the survey found that 44 percent of women feel uncomfortable seeing a mom breastfeed in public. In fact, 10 percent of women said “Eww, in private please!” about public breastfeeding. And 47 percent of pregnant women admitted that seeing women breastfeed in public makes them uncomfortable. Elena Mauer, site editor for TheBump.com said perhaps that’s...
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