Filed under: Image of the Day

This one made me smile; I love shots that capture kids' personalities. It also reminded me a of a great story my dad likes to tell about a little boy and his mother who he saw at the natural history museum. They stepped outside, the boy holding her hand and bouncing. "Here?" asked the boy. "Not yet," said the mother. They kept walking toward the grass, repeating their question and answer. When they finally got to the lawn, she turned loose of his hand, and he ran in circles until he was red-faced and tired.

"Phew," he sighed as they went back inside.

I have a feeling that the boys in this wonderful shot by Mamabrarian are doing something similar -- getting their fidgets and wiggles out by racing around in circles.

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Filed under: Dads, Tees, Kidwear

My husband is a total geek. Seriously. The other night, we were watching The Lord of the Rings on cable (because The Lord of the Rings is ALWAYS on cable) and he was telling me, in GREAT detail, how the film differed from the novel.

For about the four millionth time. Because it really REALLY irks him that somebody didn't really do something, or wasn't really someplace or . . .

Yeah, I wasn't really listening.

I love his geekiness, though, and so do my sons, because it's what makes him so interesting. And now the kids can show everyone how much they love their geek daddy, with this cool tee from Big Geek Daddy. Available in white, pink, blue and yellow, in sizes 6 months through 4T.

After all, one day soon, the kids WILL think Daddy is a geek, no matter what he does.

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Newborn, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, Infant / First year, 12-18 months, 18-24 months, 2 years, 3 years, Toddler, Blogs, Parental relationships

There's an interview up at ParentWonder.com with Dave Taylor, of the attachment parenting blog APparenting.com, which got me thinking about my days as a brand-new mom.

It's been a while, nearly 9 years. Back then, the idea of sleeping with your baby, or wearing them in Baby Bjorns or slings--things most often associated with Attachment Parenting (AP)--weren't particularly commonplace. I remember wearing Carter in a sling through the busy Salt Lake City airport, and the number of looks and comments I received made me turn to my husband Tom and ask, "What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"

But for the most part, I happily embraced it all, because it felt right to me as a new mama, and since I was very much finding-my-way-as-I-went, it seemed like the only thing I could do.

Fast forward 4 years and when the twins arrived, it was much more difficult to AP. Someone was always wearing a baby--it just wasn't always me. Each baby got breast milk--only sometimes, it came from a bottle. They were on a schedule, from being in the NICU. They had bedtimes and nap times at regular intervals. Like I mentioned, there were many more hands than just mine caring for them. And it was terrific: the babies thrived, and it took a lot of the pressure off of me.

These days, I don't hear much about AP v. traditional parenting. Is it just because I'm out of the baby loop, or is it because like me with the twins, parents have decided to take and use the best of both worlds?

Thanks to Abel for the links and Ladyheart for the photo.

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Filed under: Health and Safety, Dads, Celebrity kids, Celebrity parents, Drugs, Alcohol

Whenever I hear about a celebrity in trouble with drugs or other destructive behavior, I always think about the parents. Just because your kid becomes an adult does not mean you no longer worry about them. And if that grown child is making spectacularly bad choices, the feeling of helplessness and pain can be intense and life-altering.

Just ask Mitch Winehouse. His daughter, Amy Winehouse, is famous for being a mess. If you aren't familiar with her song Rehab, click here for the lyrics. That should tell you everything you need to know about Ms. Winehouse and her state of mind.

Recently, Winehouse and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil had a very public, drug-fueled fight that ended with both of them bloodied and bruised. The pictures of the couple after the fight are quite disturbing. But instead of heading off to rehab, where they clearly belong, the couple chose to patch things up on a vacation in St Lucia.

Amy's dad saw those awful pictures and reacted like most any parent would. He tells how he was "sickened and wanted to die" after seeing the photographic evidence of his daughter's downward spiral. "I would just ask everyone who has sent me their good wishes to pray for her, as I do. I go to my father's grave and I pray. Unless you sit on someone and tie them up and handcuff them - which you obviously cannot do - you have to sit back and let things take their course. That is all I can do," he says.

Amy responded by text messaging her dad , saying "I am as right as rain. Love you Dad." I imagine Mr. Winehouse wants desperately to believe his daughter is fine, but all the signs say otherwise. My heart goes out to him.

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Filed under: Toys, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, Creative projects

I'm always watching for clever gifts for kids, something not from the Bionicles aisle at Toys R Us. Something--dare I say it?--hand crafted, that encourages my kids to use their imaginations.

Shocking, I know.

As a result, I love Etsy, the online store for handcrafted everything. Today I am in love with these Plushies Happy Eggs. Each carton comes with two regular eggs, two "happy eggs," and two egg boxes with removable chicks, for $35.00.

Perfect for your budding chef, or chicken farmer.

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Filed under: Middle school, High school, Public school, Going to school, Pre-teen

This year my two older children are making some pretty big transitions where school is concerned. First, they are both attending bigger schools than they have ever attended. Second, they are both transitioning into public schools. My son is entering a public high school and my daughter is entering a public middle school. It is a good and natural transition for them, but a big change. There are so many aspects that have them both excited: more kids, more class variety, more freedom in the clothing department. But for my daughter the main excitement is her very own locker.

Earlier this week we stopped by her new school to pay her fees and pick out a locker. She received the combination and was allowed to find her locker and practice opening it. We spent about 30 minutes working on memorizing the numbers and taking turns opening the door. The next day we returned with pictures and what-nots to cover the metal innards of her locker. The next day we returned with a friend to give it another go. At this point I hear the locker combination in my sleep and I sometimes see my daughter mumbling the numbers to herself. Her innocent fascination with this new part of her life is a joy to watch. She is practically vibrating with excitement at the thought that in five more days she will get a pile of textbooks that she will get to remove and insert in her locker several times a day. That sort of excitement is a pretty great thing to watch.

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Filed under: 12-18 months, Celebrity babies, Celebrity kids, Rumors, Celebrity parents

Eonline is reporting that a planned OK! Magazine spread featuring pictures of Larry Birkhead and his daughter Dannielynn celebrating her first birthday has been scrapped due to to 'explosive allegations'.

OK! Magazine editor in chief Sarah Ivens says: "Newly obtained allegations are detailed, shocking and potentially incriminating. Furthermore, it makes it impossible for OK!, in good conscience, to promote this family's highly questionable relationship in our pages. Next week's issue of OK! will bring all of the unfortunate, relevant details to light."

The phrase "highly questionable relationship" leaves you hanging, but click on over to Perez Hilton and you'll get a little more of the story. There, a quoted press release reveals that the allegations have something to do with the relationship between Birkhead, Dannielynn and Howard K. Stern. Maybe I am dense, but I have no idea what they could be talking about. Do you?

I guess we will have to wait until next week's issue of OK! to find out just what is up with the late Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy.

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Filed under: Health and Safety, Toys, Crafts, Creative projects

Here we go again. Another Chinese-made, lead-tainted product is being recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This time it is Imaginarium Wooden Coloring Cases, imported and sold by Toys "R" Us. The ink on the packaging of the wooden case contains lead, as do some of the black watercolor paints.

The recall involves the Imaginarium brand 213 Piece Wooden Coloring Case which comes with crayons, pastels, colored pencils, fiber pens, paintbrush, pencil, watercolors, palette, white paint, ruler and pencil sharpener. The wooden case itself is a light tan color and measures about 14 inches high by 19 inches wide.

About 27,000 of these sets were sold at Toys "R" Us stores nationwide from October 2006 through August 2007 for about $20.

If you have one, stop using it and return it to any Toys "R" Us for a store credit. Store credit? Maybe they can't afford to keep giving refunds on lead-tainted products?

If you have questions or need more information, contact Toys "R" Us at (800) TOYSRUS/869-7787 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, or visit their Web site.

If you are as tired of these recalls as I am, click here for links to places to buy American made toys.

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Filed under: Media, Celebrity kids, Magazines, Child Custody, Divorce, Celebrity parents

It's celebrity custody case involving drugs and rehab and one party attempting to "get their life on track" only it's not Britney and Kevin.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are battling in court over custody of their fourteen year old daughter Bobbi Kristina. Bobby says Whitney hasn't let him see his daughter since early June. Whitney claims Bobby is an uninvolved father who just wants money. Bobby says he spent lots of money on Whitney when she was in rehab for her drug problem, so much money that he was basically living out of his car. She says she needed to be divorced from him to get her life back on track.

From this brief account, I'd have to say that Bobby sounds more like the wronged parent. If one parent won't let the kid see or talk to the other, that parent doesn't get to complain about the other not being active in the kid's life.

Official scoring: Whitney-0, Bobby-0

(In spite of being the wronged parent, Bobby received no points in my custody scoring system because he whipped out the rehab card and added a living-in-a-van-down-by-the-river twist which was both jerky AND pathetic.)

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Filed under: Child Development, Teachers, Elementary school, Public school, 6-7 years

Ellie didn't have such a great day at school yesterday. Some kids laughed at her when she spilled water on herself, the cafeteria lunch offering was inedible and a boy got a little rough on the playground and 'sort of' punched her. The playground incident involved a game of freeze tag and I feel sure it was not intentional - it hurt her feelings more than anything. But we talked about it and she's over it.

If she went to school at Discovery Canyon Campus in Colorado Springs, she wouldn't have to deal with the hazards of playing tag on the playground. They've banned the game after some students complained of being chased against their will and feeling harassed. "It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, the assistant principal at the school.

In fact, to avoid squabbles, the school has prohibited any game that involves chasing. I don't know that I agree with this banning of games that might lead to conflict. I always thought the purpose of recess was two-fold: to get kids out in the fresh air for exercise, and to allow them some unstructured time in the 'real world' of the playground. Part of the real world is dealing with conflict and working out your differences. I am sure it's not fun for the teachers to referee these squabbles, but isn't that just part of life?

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