Filed under: Sleepover

I got a new-to-me stove this month (thanks Craigslist!) to replace our old Frigidare workhorse that was down to one working burner. One unlevel, working burner. Obviously, the new stove makes me really quite happy. So, this week, I've been checking out food blogs written by parents, looking for excuses to have fun with my pretty new range.

• Long-time ParentDish readers will remember Stefania. She has an awesome food blog, Family Food. The most recent entry has great photos from her family's Memorial Day barbecue, and the whole site is filled with great recipes and wonderful photos.
  
• Izzy Eats is another great parent-written food site. Am I Raising My Child In The Wrong State? has convinced me once and for all that I'd like to live in Vermont. Now for convincing the rest of the family.
• Vegan Lunch Box, (which a reader told me about on my Bento Lunch post) will inspire you to send your child out into the world with something far more appealing than a white bread and bologna sandwich.
  
• My favorite post in all this drool-inducing food surfing was Mom cooks for Calvin and Friends. I really hope that I have such a great relationship with my kids when they're in high school. And, maybe by then they'll appreciate my cooking!

Have a parent-written food blog you'd like to recommend? Leave the URL in the comments.

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Filed under: Health and Safety, Kidwear

Tween Brands Inc., of New Albany, Ohio, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is voluntarily recalling more than 100,000 pieces of Children's Metal Jewelry. Surely, by now, I don't need to tell you that it's got high levels lead in it, do I? What's different about this jewelry is that it didn't come from a gumball machine or a discount dollar store.

This recall includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and charms depicting or related to the "High School Musical" show, as well as some with animals and symbols unrelated to the show. They were sold at the Limited Too and Justice retail stores as well as via their catalog and websites. The recalled jewelry was available from September 2005 through this month for $2 to $10.

If your child has any of these items, take them away and return them to any Limited Too or Justice store for a full refund and a 15% off coupon. For more information, contact Tween Brands at (800) 934-4497 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web sites at www.limitedtoo.com and www.justicejustforgirls.com.

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Filed under: Newborn, 0-3 months, Infant / First year

As many of you know I am a first time mom tending to a brand new baby boy. Recently at my wits end I turned to the Internet for ways to help calm my crying baby.

I'd like to thank all the readers who provided such wonderfully creative and helpful comments with suggestions on how to calm my crying baby. This was several weeks ago when my son was about seven weeks old. Now he is nine weeks old. He still cries from time to time, and he had a doesy of a day yesterday, but I tried some of the suggestions provided and am here to report on what worked...at least what worked last week!

As for the conventional approaches, we tried two separate swings. One is a regular old swing with built in music. The other was a new-fangled swing into which you fit your infant carrier. The first swing worked miracles, although only for a short time. The baby enjoyed the music and the swaying. He did not appreciate the infant carrier swing, but I believe that had more to do with the angle of the infant carrier than anything. Although kiddo cannot yet hold up his head for too long a period of time, he loves being in the more upright swing so he can look around, and more precisely, at me. This swing occupies him and frees up my hands as well. The swing method normally works for about twenty minutes.

Next up is the bjorn, and old standby of many moms. The baby tends to protest being placed in the bjorn at first, then after screaming for a few moments falls instantly asleep. I get free hands for about as long as I can tolerate the weight with my back (which aches all the time these days, I tell you!) and only so long as I am walking. The moment I sit down, the kiddo protests. Again, I think this has to do with the angle of the bjorn as baby enjoys being close to mommy.

I tried the sling several times over the past few weeks, and, I've got to tell you, I've never seen someone hate something so much in my life. My son DETESTS the sling. Really. You'd think there were scorpions in there stinging him all over. Sheesh! I even tried several different placements with the sling and none of them worked. It's too bad, too, because the sling is pretty and requisitely pricey because of it.

Now for the less conventional ideas (or, maybe they are conventional and I just never heard of them before--after all, I am new to this mommy thing). As noted, the vacuum cleaner did wonders--and kept our floor clean too. Gotta love the multi-tasking aspect of that option!

I also tried running the shower. That worked too, although I didn't use that tactic for more than the time it took for me to establish that it would work because I didn't want to waste water. I put screaming kiddo down, turned on the water and enjoyed his silence. I turned the water off. After a slight delay the screaming resumed. I turned the shower back on. He stopped crying. The whole effect was almost creepy. I probably won't use that method unless I'm desperate, but it's good to have as many options in the arsenal as possible.

Sometimes it was as simple as changing location. We moved from the living room to the kitchen, and from there to the bedroom. A few times we went into the hall. While not always effective, there were times when simply walking into another room did the trick.

Swaddling, shooshing, cuddling, singing and the pacifier all had very mixed results. Sometimes they worked, and sometimes they didn't. Often, if one of these worked it was only for a few minutes, but I've learned how to get a LOT done in a tiny span of time. That's the beauty of this whole experiment--I've become very efficient and an excellent multi-tasker.

Sometimes, I've found that nothing other than mommy will do. And I don't mind that one bit. I love being needed and am glad I can comfort my son. He seems to appreciate my taking care of him too. Much of the time when I pick him up he stops crying asap and eventually falls to sleep in my arms. There isn't much in life more precious than that.

So, to everyone who offered sage advice, I thank you. For the times when my arms are not 100% available I now have a usable arsenal of ideas to calm the baby. Thanks ever so much for sharing your insights!

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Teachers, Private school, 6-7 years

Today was Ellie's last day of school. Not only did today mark the official beginning of summer for us, it also marked the end of Ellie's days at her Montessori school. I am sad for many reasons, but mostly I am sad for Ellie. She won't be back next year and will never see most of these children again.

I brought the camera to school today and let her roam the playground taking pictures of her classmates before we left. We plan to make a scrapbook from the photos for her to keep forever. But there is a difference between looking at photos and being with your friends every day, and Ellie knows this. As we drove away from her school for the very last time, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw her holding back tears.

She was trying to be brave and not cry, but when I asked her if she wanted me to pull over so I could give her a hug, the tears came. I pulled into a parking lot, climbed into the backseat, and held her while she cried. I cried, too. After about ten minutes, she said she was okay and we drove home. I know she really will be okay, but for today we are both broken-hearted and sad. It's hard to look forward to the promise of summer when all you can think about is what you are leaving behind.

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Filed under: Gear, Health and Safety, Cribs and cradles, Beds

Song Lin Industrial Inc., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, is voluntarily recalling their Sleigh Round Cribs. The assembly instructions specify that the mattress support is to be put in the highest position and fail to indicate that it can be lowered. This could lead to a situation where a child able to sit or stand might fall out of the crib. Luckily, no one has been hurt.

This crib is round and features four posts 31 inches high. It is made of solid wood with a mahogany finish. They were sold at children's furniture stores nationwide from January of 2005 through March of this year. They cost about $600. If your child is able to sit up or stand, move the mattress support to the lower setting to avoid having the child fall out. In addition, you should request a revised edition of the instructions which includes information on how to lower the mattress support. For more information, contact Song Lin Industrial Inc. toll-free at (888) 589-0088 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site.

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Filed under: Child Development, Moms, Adventures in Parenting, Emotions

I'm notoriously resistant to change. I like my orange-scented conditioner to the right of my shampoo, I derive comfort from knowing my surroundings and believing that the future holds a semblance of the past. So, the fact that in the last year and a half I had a kid, changed careers, sold my house, experienced a relationship disentegration and moved provinces...well, let's just say I thank the high holy heavens for rice pudding and excellent girlfriends. Long phone calls with trusted friends have kept me sane in this period of constant transition, but I often wonder about Nolan. He is transitioning too, he is not making the decisions but is an affected party of whatever direction I take. I worry about him, and hope he does not worry.

Nolan has always been very attached to his kitty - a mangled, one-eyed mess of sticky fur and manginess - but now he refuses to go anywhere without him, even the bathtub. And now there is another partner-in-crime -- his "baba" or white blanket, the one he has had from the time he was tiny. He insists on taking his baba and kitty everywhere he goes now, and he didn't before.

And I know instinctively (because he does have my genes, after all) that his mangled kitty and shredding blanket are his "constants", his semblance of the past. He needs to have them, as tangible knowledge that some things stay the same, some things are always there. His insistent bleating: "Kitty, baba, kitty, baba" are reminders to me of my job as a Mom. I need to provide a soft, constant place for my son, and a familiar landing pad in a constantly changing, perplexing world. And I'll do that, to the very best of my ability. But some days I wish I had a baba too.

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Filed under: 2 years, 8-9 years, Making a Difference

We post a lot about kids who act up, and occasional trials of parenthood, so I'm always excited to find stories about kids who do amazing things.

Like Madison Yesford, the 8-year-old girl who jumped in front of a truck and saved her brother's life. The 2-year-old apparently chased the family cat into the street, and found himself face to face with the oncoming vehicle. Madison then rushed after him, lifting her brother off the ground just as the truck struck them both. According to police, this kept the brother from going underneath the truck, and saved his life.

Madison suffered a broken collarbone and her brother was slightly injured, but everyone is otherwise fine.

I can't imagine most kids would've been able to keep their head, and act so quickly under pressure. Madison's actions were truly heroic.

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Filed under: Child Development, Lifestyle, Newborn, 0-3 months, Infant / First year, Outings

Well, folks, in the interest of sparking controversy everywhere I have decided to present our dear readers with a question I've been churning around in my mind since I was pregnant. Actually, in all honesty, this is something I am struggling with and could really use some advice on resolving. Maybe you can help!

I'm very strongly considering having my son baptized. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself, of course. Infant baptism is all the rage with many religions. See, the thing is, neither my husband nor I are religious. I would say currently I am a spiritual person, but not someone who attends a house of regular worship on an even remote basis nor who has any real interest in doing so. That said, I've been having this urge to get my kid baptized.

Before we get too far into this, a few things:

1. I have nothing against religion, organized or otherwise. This column is NOT about the virtues (or not) of religion.

2. I know there are those of you who will immediately hit me over the head with my amoral atrocity for not going to church every Sunday. I already know in your eyes that I'm headed to H-E-double-hockey-sticks so no need to comment on that. Again, the column is NOT about this.

Ok, now, moving on:

It might seem hypocritical to not be religious yet wish to do something VERY religious for my child. On the contrary--I figure I was baptized and later had the opportunity to decide for myself whether or not I wanted to remain religious, so why not provide that for my son? I mean, after all, if there is a God (not the point of this column; I repeat NOT the point of this column) and it's important to be baptized in order to get into heaven, why not give my son that opportunity?

At least I think baptism might be a requirement for getting into heaven, in addition to being a good person and whatnot. Like I said, I am not a religious person. I did attend Catholic school from first through third grade though, so you'd think I would remember SOMETHING from that time. Sheesh.

What I'm trying to say is that my parents gave me the foundation and I chose from there; shouldn't I do the same for my son? Or should I let him make that decision when he's old enough (and, if so, when is old enough? When he's an adult?).

Anyhow, this conundrum isn't keeping me from getting sleep or anything but it is something to which I've given a lot of thought. The real issue isn't whether or not I SHOULD do it, but whether or not it can even BE done. Having been raised sort of Catholic I am pretty sure any Catholic priest worth his salt won't baptize a child unless the parents are members of the church. I'd have to assume--and here's where I am hoping for some clarification from you, dear reader--that other houses of worship employ similar policies.

As you might imagine from the above I am not going to join a church. It wouldn't be fair to those who were there in earnest. If I joined, I wouldn't be seen at mass or at fundraisers or at the summer picnic. Well, maybe the picnics--I gotta tell ya, from experience, church picnics are pretty awesome. Not to mention that going through all the hullabaloo of joining only to conspicuously drop after the baptism would totally mess with my karma.

So what advice can you offer? I would like to know what, if any, options exist for this kind of situation. Any thoughts? Remember, I'm not asking whether you to bash religion, think I am headed to tarnation for what I choose for myself (not being religious) or whether or not there's a God. I just want to know if it's possible to have my son baptized.

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Filed under: Feeding & Nutrition, Health and Safety

In my house, we don't drink a lot of soft drinks. I've just never really liked them much and rarely buy them when I grocery shop. Ellie might order a Sprite if we go out to dinner, but even that is rare. I don't want her drinking soda mostly because of the sugar and the complete lack of nutritional value. But, a new study has uncovered another reason you might want to consider limiting the sodas.

According to new research, too many soft drinks might actually cause cell damage in children. Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at a British university, says that sodium benzoate, a common preservative used in carbonated drinks, causes damage to the DNA in the cells known as the mitochondria.

He explains, "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number of diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."

The World Health Organization declared in 2000 that sodium benzoate was safe, but did note that the science supporting that finding was "limited.". Professor Piper says that the testing done by the US Food and Drug Administration is out of date and that more rigorous testing can and should be conducted now. In response to these findings, European Union MPs are now calling for an urgent investigation.

While sodium benzoate occurs naturally in some foods, such as berries, it is used in much larger quantities in soft drinks. Piper is concerned about children who drink large amounts of soda and advises parents to think twice about buying products containing this preservative.

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Filed under: Movies, DVDs and Videos, Books, Amusement parks

In further proof that J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter character will eventually take over the world, fans of the series will now have their very own theme park. It's called the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and, according to the builders, it will be the "first immersive Harry Potter themed environment."

The park won't open until 2008, but with the final book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and the fifth film (Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix) both coming out this July, I'm sure there will be plenty of things to keep followers riding the wave of Pottermania until then.

I can only imagine that the chance to visit a real-live Hogwarts will be a huge hit with kids -- plus, I know a number of adults who will be just as excited. Although, if Rowling decides to kill off her main character in the upcoming novel (as some rumors suggest), the park may have to include a little memorial, so fans can pay final respects to their favorite hero.

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