parenting

Interview with Book Author Jenna McCarthy

On todays show we welcomed back the always funny Jenna McCarthy to our show! Jenna was here to talk to us about her latest book that was just released a couple of weeks ago titled “Cheers to the New Mom/Cheers to the New Dad!: Tips and Tricks to Help You Ace the Frist Months of Parenthood“. This book is a flip book meaning you read one side of the book and it has tips for Moms and then you flip the book over and now it is Dad’s tips on that side.

Jenna is always one of our favorite guests with her funny wit and her tendacy to leave us speechless and laughing at the same time, and she didn’t disappoint us this time either. Jenna explanied that they wanted a fun and easy to read book that shares all those tips and tricks that maybe people don’t want to tell you when you are becoming a first time parent. Everything from how to keep your new baby happy and healthy, how to deal with well intentioned inlawas, how to keep the Father involved in caring for the new baby, how parents can still have time for themselves and their marriage. Of course this is written with Jenna’s brutal and funny way that not only helps to provide you with great information, but also leaves you with a aching stomach from laughing. We encourage you to sit back and enjoy this great interview! Also if you did not get a chance to listen to our interview with Jenna in February talking about her other book Parent Trip just do a search on our site to find the old interview. Also find below links to both of her books that you can purchase easily by just clicking on the Amazon links below.

parenting

Our Interview with Josh from MomFaves.com Come Listen to the Show!

On today’s show we had the pleasure of interviewing Josh from Momfaves.com.  First off let me state that it is so refreshing to meet a man who truly truly understands all the struggles Moms go through in our daily lives. Thank goodness Josh is married to his beautiful wife Rebecca, because I was afraid out chatroom members would try to run way with him lol. Ok seriously, Josh started this site with his wife Rebecca to honor his Mother’s memory who sadly passed away from Cancer four years ago. Having techincal background, he wanted to offer a place that allowed Mom’s to have a voice to share their favorite sites, recipes and so much more.

MomFaves is a Social Networking site that was built just for us Moms! The wonderful thing about this site first off is the ease of use, you can navigate around the site very easily and find everything you are looking for. Whether it be  a great shopping deal, a great recipe, news stories, remedies, causes, Mom’s favorite websites and so much more. Also when you come across a great article or deal or article you can vote on this with the Fave It button which will allow Josh and his wife Rebecca to know which stories or deals or articles really interest other Moms. Along with the great content you can also meet other great Moms online which is where your networking comes in. From finding your favorite friends or Moms and adding them to your Girlfriends Lists or by meeting new Moms in the groups there is simply an endless amount of things you can do on MomFaves.

Josh also talked about his Blog Why Moms Matter Project this is a wonderful blog! On this Blog they have people nominate a Mom that Matters! This is very simple to do on the top of the blog in the cream section simply click on Nominate a Mom and simply fill out the form to tell them why your Mom should be showcased.  Some of the latests nominees on there now is the Famous Kathy Ireland, and then a special article on “Remebering Maddie” which is a touchng story! This is a touching blog posting on little Maddie who lost her life and their special show at Why Moms Matter Radio Show.

Josh also informed us that right before Mothers Day they will be offering a FREE Mother’s Day E-book featuring some of the touching and heartwarming stories that were featured on their Why Moms Matter Blog and Talk Radio Show. So be sure to check back often to see when that will be realeased and we will be sure to list that here on our site as well.  We wanted to remind that you also that MomFaves also has their own podcast that we briefly touched on above but is on Fridays on our Blog Talk Radio Network on this show they also feature their Why Moms Matter Project winners so be sure to tune in and listen. Click our media player below to listen to our latests show and please stop by visit all of Josh’s sites and don’t forget to listen to his Radio Show!

parenting

Your Child’s Friends…Don’t Like?

It’s a challenge most of us face at least one time — not approving of our child’s friend, or group of friends.

When our children are at a younger age, toddlers to elementary school, we can have great influence on whom they see, and ultimately whom may become their best friends. But as they get older we see them less, and they become more independent. It is part of the maturing process, and picking friends is part of that process. We may still want to jump in, but knowing how and when is key.

My husband has a lot more tolerance than I do, and often reminds me that many issues or childhood habits that bother me are quite minor in the big picture of life. And over the years I think I have become more open minded if a friend of one of our children does something off beat, or has an annoying habit. What we have found works best is the open communication…talk to your child about the friends “issue” that is bothering you. Maybe there is another side or aspect you were unaware of. And maybe your child was unaware themselves.

Of course all of this depends greatly on the issue. If it is something dangerous or illegal you must take a harder stance…for the safety of your child. Many times your child may actually take that message and try to discuss the concerns with their friend. Nobody likes to see a friend take the wrong path. On the lighter issues…clothing, hair, piercings (ok, I admit this one is still edgy for me), speech, etc…try to let them go. It’s still ok if you want to discuss it with your child, but don’t make it accusatory.

A good point that Dr David Walsh (Author of ‘No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.’) makes is that “forbidding friends can backfire”. Your child may continue to see that friend and delve into the behavior or habit you don’t like themselves. More of his interview can be seen here on WCCO news ‘What To Do If You Don’t Like Your Child’s Friends’

In the end the best thing to do is focus on your own child’s behaviors and habits. Bring them up to be positive role models to their peers and younger children. Hopefully their good habits and behavior will be the one that many of their friends emulate.

parenting

Our Interview with Jenna McCarthy Book Author

We we so thrilled to have with us today Book Author Jenna McCarthy. Jenna was such a warm and inviting and FUNNY lady to chat with this morning it was a geat interview. This was probably the funniest interview I have given over my last three years, Jenna was a down to earth lady who talk about the joys of motherhood in the funniest way. Before becoming a renowned book author Jenna started her career writing for large magazine publications like Mademoiselle and Shape just to name a few.

Also during her career she was a Morning Deejay on a popular Early Show where nothing was NO HOLD bar, she talked about her marriage and her kids and it was huge hit. After writing all of her columns for her magazines and realizing that there wasnt any books out there that just told it like it is about being a mother and her pregnancy, she decided to write her book “The Parent Trip”.  Jenna shared with us how there are many baby experts out there telling you to raise your child a certain way, and her philopsy is that every child is diffrent and every Mom has their own parenting techiques. And whatever works for each individual Mom is great!

Jenna ’s book “The Parent Trip-From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties” is an honest and funny look at the trials and tribulations alot of Mothers go through that you are likely NOT to find in another book. The way Jenna uses humor to talk about such delicate subjects as giving birth is hysterical.  Listed below are just some of these chapters from inside the book:

• Anyone Seen My Maternal Instincts?
• 287 Days is a Really, Really Really Long Time
• This Just In: They Don’t Call It Labor For Nothing
• So That’s What They’re For!

Here is an excerpt from the first book that is so funny it literally sets the tone for this hysterical book.

I was Twelve the first time I had the dream. Maybe the health class I was taking at the time put the idea in my head: perhaps it was the litter of kittens our family cat had recently delivered. It certainly wasnt because I was worried about getting knocked up. That would be at least another four and half years.

Be sure to grab yourself your favorite cup of tea or coffee and sit back and plan on laughing hysterically as we interview the funny and sweet Jenna McCarthy! Also her latest book was just released on Amazon called “Cheers to the New Mom!/Cheers to the New Dad! Tips and Tricks to Help You Ace the First Months of Parenthood” You can purchase both of these books by using our links below and purchasing through Amazon!

Also if you would like to win a FREE Copy of “The Parent Trip” all you need to do is listen to our interview and tell us your favorite part and be sure to include your email address and we will draw a winner in a couple of days! And Don’t forget to stop by Jenna’s site to learn all about this funny lady and to keep updated on her latests books coming out!

parenting

Kids and Books…Read Read Read!!!

We recently went out with some very dear friends, and the discussion turned to their 1st grader. They told us he is doing good in school, and got really happy when they told us he is one of the top readers in his class. They said he didn’t used to be, but recently there was a reading challenge given to his class. As with most classrooms, there is a boy in his class who is somewhat of a nemesis on certain things. During one of the classroom reading minute updates, our friends’ son saw this other boy had a lot more minutes read. That’s all it took…he went home, told his parents about it, and told his parents he was going to get more reading minutes than the other boy. That night he began reading more than ever before!

Not only did he win the reading challenge, he greatly improved his reading skills, and was recently given the only speaking part from his class at a recent school event! I could just feel the pride as his parents told us this story

For anyone who knows us, books have always been a large part of our lives. Our kids have always had books to read. The only downside is we have a hard time getting rid of them…still need to get some book shelves *sigh*

Some of our favorite places to get books:

• Barnes and Noble: we purchase the annual membership, and easily save more than that with the books and items we purchase both in store and online. I really, really love using the online site, especially at Christmas when our DD puts together her book wish list.
• Garage Sales: Another fantastic idea is to look for books at garage sales…summer is coming and there are sure to be many sales with books for all ages! I found many books this way for my kids when they were younger. And it was even more fun when the kids found them themselves…it was like they had found a secret treasure LOL
• Libraries: Many school libraries do a turnover once every 2-3 years and will have a book sale. The prices here are super on these books, and there is normally a large variety to chose from.

Don’t forget that books make wonderful gifts as well. No child is too young to have a book — I even give them for Baby Shower Gifts. Hey, Dr Seuss will never be out of style

parenting

You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate

parenting

“Stained Glass” Valentine Heart Craft

Visit Mom Fuse for more fun Valentine’s Day crafts, gifts and other goodies!

This article was written by Darcy from Smart-Bottom Enterprises. Darcy is also the owner and creator of, And Then…, an etsy shop that carries preassembled “Craft Kits” – Darcy supplies the ideas and the materials and you supply the kids!

“Stained Glass” Valentine Heart Craft

Help your child decorate the windows with a beautiful Valentine’s Day Heart! When the sun shines through, it looks just like stained glass.

This craft is perfect for kids 3 and up. Kids love this craft because they get to “paint” with liquid starch and play with colored tissue paper – what could be more fun?

Disclaimer: There will be no doubt that you are the coolest, craftiest parent on the block as all your neighbors stare in awe at your child’s Valentine’s Day masterpiece. Don’t blame me if everyone wants to be your friend after they see the Valentine Heart in the window. I really can’t be held responsible for your immediate fame.

Also, if you want some major family bonus points, make a few so that your child can give one to the grandparents as well. You’re welcome!

HOW TO MAKE A “STAINED GLASS” VALENTINE HEART

Materials Needed:
Red, purple, pink, and/or white tissue paper
Scissors
Red construction paper or card stock
Wax paper
Liquid starch (not the aerosol kind)
Foam sponge brush
Glue
Red or white sequins
Tape

DAY 1
Prepare Your Materials

Tear the tissue paper into large (2-3 inch) pieces.

*Tip that you might not even care about: I can almost guarantee that if you give your child more than one color of tissue paper, she will want to use more than one color of tissue paper on her Valentine Heart. This technique will make a pretty mosaic-looking Valentine Heart. If you want a solid-colored version, you might want to give your child only one color.

Fold the red card stock in half and cut out a heart. The pictures shown are from the instruction sheet included in my “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart Kid Kit. Your template does not need to have a black border. Open up your heart template and place a sheet of wax paper on top of it. Make sure the wax paper is on top of the red heart template.

Pour some liquid starch into a cup. It’s a good idea to place the liquid starch cup on a plate. That way, if you accidentally spill it, you won’t lose any liquid starch.

Create Your “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart

Use the foam sponge brush to “paint” a light layer of liquid starch on the wax paper. Fill in the outline of the red heart with tissue paper. Use the sponge brush to wet the tissue paper. It’s best to dab at the tissue, since a brushing motion may crumple or tear the tissue. Add one or two more layers of tissue paper to your Valentine Heart. The tissue paper should be completely wet with liquid starch when you are finished.

*Tip: Make sure to completely fill in the heart outline. If there are gaps in the tissue paper, there will be holes in your Valentine Heart and it won’t be very sturdy.

Remove the red heart template from underneath the wax paper.

Let the tissue paper “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart dry overnight.

DAY 2
Finish Your “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart

*A parent may want to do this first step, as it requires some fancy scissor and finger skills. Place the red heart template underneath the wax paper and use it as an outline to cut out your Valentine Heart. Very carefully, peel your tissue paper Valentine Heart off the wax paper.

Troubleshooting: If some of the tissue paper starts to peel away from your Valentine Heart, fix it by dabbing on a little white glue.

Fold the red heart template in half and cut another heart along the inside of the first heart. This will make a heart frame for your Valentine Heart. Dab a little glue around the edge of your “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart and attach the heart frame to it.

Decorate your Valentine Heart by gluing on the sequins. It’s easiest to dab glue onto the Valentine Heart and then place the sequins on the glue.

*Tip: Sequins are slightly bowl-shaped. Stick the bottom of the “bowl” to the glue for best adhesion. Sequins will stick to the oil on your fingers. It’s easy to put your fingertip in the “bowl” and then place it on the glue.

Use tape to attach your beautiful “Stained Glass” Valentine Heart to a window and let the sun shine through!

Go Ahead! Make One Yourself!

If you want to make a really pretty grown-up version, use black card stock to make a heart frame – it’s so pretty and sophisticated!

Bonus Craft

You can decorate the middle of the red heart template with crayons and/or any leftover sequins and give it to someone you love. If you have a wooden craft stick lying around, you can glue it to the back of the heart and stick it in a plant for a pretty decoration.

For more great craft ideas or to comment on this one, please visit Darcy’s blog – Smart-Bottom Enterprises!

Visit Mom Fuse for more fun Valentine’s Day crafts, gifts and other goodies!

parenting

Fab Find: HINT: Naturally Flavored Water

Fab Find brought to you by Mom Fuse. To see more “Fab Finds” visit MomFuse.com

My mom always said.. “You need to drink more water.”

HINT is a premium essence water with a hint of flavor. Their motto at HINT is simple, “Drink Water, Not Sugar” and to help you do that, HINT provides naturally flavored water with no calories, sweeteners or preservatives making this a great alternative to juices and soda.

You may have also seen it on some of your favorite television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal, CSI, The Early Show and more. It was also selected as the “Best Flavored Water” in 2007 by Health Magazine.

Available in 13 different flavors:

Hibiscus Vanilla, Watermelon, Honeydew Hibiscus, Blackberry, Mango-Grapefruit, Pomegranate-Tangerine, Lime, Raspberry-Lime, Peppermint, Pear, Tropical Punch, Cucumber and Strawberry Kiwi.

While I was reading the HINT Blog, I noticed that they will offer an easy grab-and-go drink pack for kids. HINT’s grab-and-go packs will be available in three of HINT’s delicious signature flavors; strawberry-kiwi, tropical and watermelon.

Where you can find it:

HINT is available in high-end grocery stores, spas, hotels, cafes and food retailers nationwide including Pax, Dean & Deluca, Food Emporium, Stop & Shop, Morton Williams Associated Supermarkets and more.

If you are like me and live in a small town where HINT is not offered, you can order HINT online directly from the Hint website (www.drinkhint.com) and have it delivered straight to your door!

About the Founder

In 2004, Kara Goldin, a former AOL exec turned mother of 3 (now 4), found herself spending a lot of time in the grocery aisles and she quickly realized that beverages were headed in an unusual direction. Simple, all-natural foods were popping up in most areas of the store, but in the beverage aisle it was all about functional claims. She saw drinks that would make her smarter, more energetic, calmer and more resistant to illness, but there was no good alternative to the juice and soda her family was drinking. Concerned about all the empty calories, but wanting to avoid sugar substitutes and preservatives, nothing on the shelf seemed quite right.

While drinking a glass or water with a slice of lime, Kara saw one of her kids reaching for a juice and said to her “no, please try to make a better choice.” To Kara’s surprise that choice was the very drink she held in her hand – simple, no calories and no junk – just ice cold refreshing water with a HINT of lime flavor. Thus, the concept for HINT was born.

HINT Website & Blog can be found at http://www.drinkhint.com

Fab Find brought to you by Mom Fuse. To see more “Fab Finds” visit MomFuse.com

parenting

Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio Thurs Jan 22nd Show

On our show today we had a great chance to meet another fellow Work At Home Mom, today we chatted with Genesis Davis. Genesis is from Guatemala and is a stay at home Mom to two lovely boys Dante and Dorian the loves of her life!

One of the challenges that Genesis mentioned in her interview was having to remind herself that the reason she decided to stay at home was to make sure she spent time with her kids. Not letting work rob  her of that time which I think is something that effects all of us as work at home moms is doing the constant juggling act.

 Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio Thurs Jan 22nd Show: Download

parenting

Time Management for Parents

For new parents, they face a common dilemma of making that much needed transition. If you do have work, you also need to juggle that along with your priorities in the family. You can probably easily manage the time at the office but the real challenge lies in organizing your household such as sending or picking the kids up at school, preparing dinner, or cleaning up the house. If not managed well, these tasks can prove stressful.

When you have kids for the first time, it is only natural to suffer from jitters especially with a new setup. However, the solution to this is simple. You just have to cope with your situation since it is only through experience that you’d be able to find a better approach to family life. But here are proven and trusted solutions that any parent might find useful.

Setting Priorities

Learning how to properly set priorities is among the most important skill that every parent, whether new or not, must practice especially for the working ones. The key here is to recognize the difference in schedule as compared to when you were on your own now that you have your kids as your main obligation. Then, you can make the appropriate changes.

You must be able to determine which is your top priority: is it your kids or your work? You have to remember that your decisions have trade-offs, therefore you would have to identify which of them has the least trade-off.

An additional tip that you can employ, you can also try setting up a “to-do” list for your set of activities within a day. That way, you can easily update what priorities you need to focus one.

Delegating other Duties

When it comes to work at home, it is usually the wives’ responsibility to handle them. However, wives must not carry the sole burden of looking after the entire house. Instead, you can delegate other duties to your husband so you can have equal share of the workload at home.

If your husband is not acquainted with domestic chores, this is the best time to get him started. You can divide the chores at home such as washing the dishes, doing the laundry, or cleaning up the house. If not, then you can have him take care of the kids while you finish up on some chores. More than being able to accomplish the chores faster, it forms a bond and creates a healthier working relationship between both of you as parents.

If your kids are old enough, you can even ask them to help you out with the tasks at home. You can start with training them to fix their beds or clean up their rooms, as well as putting their dirty clothes into the laundry basket. Aside from the help they can provide you in maintaining your home, it also teaches them how to be responsible.

Planning out in Advance what you have to do

For mothers, it is best to plan ahead what you have set out to do for the following day. Among these things is creating a menu ahead of time. Therefore, when it is time to prepare lunch or dinner for the family, you already have an idea what to cook for them.

By creating a weekly menu, you increase your efficiency. After all, who has the time and energy to spend wondering about what to cook for dinner after an exhausting day at the office?

Delegate Proper Time for Shopping

When it comes to going out with your family, you need to also plan ahead your itinerary. This will help you prepare the things you will bring with you ahead and figure out if you have missed anything. Enough preparation will ensure that you will have all the things you need for this day off with the family.

As for shopping, there are a few simple tips that any mother would find useful. Shopping at the grocery usually takes a lot of time. Hence, you need to produce a list of the essential items you need to pick up. Not only will this help make shopping faster, but will also make sure that you do not forget anything. Or else you would eat up more time since you have to return to get the items you’ve missed.

For parents, time management usually entails mere common sense. And when you have properly set your priorities, you are good to go.

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