Support for Parents of Children with Autism

Founded in 2005, AutismKey.com is a support website that was established for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. It offers news, videos, message boards, and a local support database.

Members of AutismKey are are also involved in advocacy and activism.

For more information, visit www.autismkey.com.

TodaysMama.com and MamaVote Project

TodaysMama, founded in 2004, was created as an avenue to inspire and inform empowerment, connection, and a sense of identity for mothers and others.

TodaysMama CEO Rachel Herrscher, a young mother of two, launched the Mamavote Project. More moms than ever are getting involved in politics this year. The MamaVote Project is a non-partisan initiative encouraging more moms to get involved and to make informed and responsible decisions for our communities and country.

Mamavote offers educational resources about the significant role women play in the political process, from local school boards to the federal level.

TodaysMama.com began its "A Conversation With..." interview series in March 2008. This series of interviews with influential women in politics opened with Diane Feinstein's discussion of the changing roles of women in politics.

Feinstein's career began with an atmosphere of "women need not apply," but she became both the first female mayor of San Francisco and the first female Senator from California.

Feinstein encourages mother -- in fact, all women -- to "become really knowledgeable about an issue" and to volunteer for candidates and issues that you're passionate about.

To read Feinstein's complete interview, got to

http://www.todaysmama.com/mama_vote-articles.php?view=306

New conversations will be posted regularly.

Veggietales -- "Lessons from the Sock Drawer"

Granted, the Christian value system in Veggietales flicks does not appeal to everyone. But the tongue-in-cheek humor of the writing and the songs? That's hard to resist.

Big Idea, Inc., introduced Veggietales: Lessons from the Sock Drawer -- A Collection of Veggie Shorts and Briefs, on May 6th of this year. It is Veggietales' first video release since the feature film, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything -- A VeggieTales Movie.

The DVD Lessons from the Sock Drawer (suggested retail price $14.93) includes 15 video shorts for over an hour of laughter and lessons.

Veggietales moments in Lessons from the Sock Drawer center around the importance of a happy heart and a cheerful mind (Proverbs 17:22).

This faith-based collection includes a missing hamster, a sock puppet, and a storytelling donkey, as well as video shorts that have (before now) only been seen on NBC Saturday Mornings Veggietales programming.

Highlighted video shorts include:

"Dr. Jiggle and Mr. Sly"
"Larry's Lagoon"
"Omelet"
"Going Up"
"The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill"

Bonus Features include:
Brief history of the shorts
"Pa Grape's Home Movies"
How to Draw Paco

For more info on Big Idea products, visit www.bigidea.com.

Desperation: The Mother of Invention

When it comes to children's products, desperation, more than necessity, is often the impetus for the invention of new products.

Case in point: Randy and Dana Reid's 18-month-old daughter learned the valuable skill of removing her own clothing. Unfortunately, she preferred to home her newfound talent during what was supposed to be her naptime.

The Reids did not want to discourage their child's creativity, courage, or self-exploration, but were frustrated by the need to keep their daughter warm, comfortable, rested, and safe from strangulation or suffocation.

The day they entered the nursery and found their toddler naked and covered in poop, the first ever "Mooki" was born! Randy haked the feet of a footed sleeper and put it on his child backward.

Mookimoo Sleepwear now offers much more stylish options for its 100 percent custom rib-knit one-piece sleepers with zippers in the back. Parents can remove the garment, but even your toddling contortionists can't.

The "Mooki" comes in three screen-printed designs on three fabric colors in sizes 12 to 36 months.

For more info or to purchase, visit http://mookimoo.com

Postpartum Depression Awareness Month

My pre-labor imaginings of life as a first-time mother were nothing like the reality. A colicky, asthmatic, tense, lactose intolerant infant with latch-on difficulties, after a 44-hour labor and hemorraghing -- this simply did not jive with the earth-mother-goddess image I had concocted during my pregnancy. The discrepancy rings true for thousands of mothers, and leads to much self-blame, anger, and sadness.

May 2008 has been designated Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders Awareness Month.

Postpartum mood, anxiety, and thought disorders (postpartum depression) affect 10 to 20 percent of pregnant and postpartum women. (Yes -- "post"partum depression CAN start during pregnancy -- a fact that has long been all but ignored by many medical professionals.)

Kathleen Kendall-Tacket, University of New Hampshire health psychologist and researcher for the UNH Family Research Lab, is the chair of the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Taskforce and is and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. The impact of maternal depression is one of her current research interests.

Kendall-Tackett suggests that the following non-pharmaceutical treatments be used in treating postpartum disorders:

Omega-3 fatty acids
Bright light therapy
Exercise
Social support
Psychotherapy
St. John's Wort

For more information on breastfeeding friendly approaches to treating maternal depression, visit http://www.nhbreastfeedingtaskforce.org.nhbftf-ppd-curriculum.pdf

OR view the podcast, "Treatments for Depressed Moms That Are Breastfeeding Friendly" at
http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2008/02/podcast-breastf.html

Book Review - Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up

Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up is written by Holly Hughes, a travel writer who is also a mother of three. Her guide is full of memorable destinations for your kids.

500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up could just as easily have been called 500 Places Parents Should Take Themselves Before They Grow Up, if not for her helpful age and activity recommendations.

Hughes's guide to family travel destinations that will entertain and educate your kids also includes hotel information, basic history related to the sites, contact and website info for the destinations (when available), and air and travel info (where applicable). There is no need for parents to even search the nearest airport -- Hughes has done it for you.

500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up provides parents with interesting ideas for family vacations -- ideas designed to interest and inspire your children. A visit to Little Rock Central High School might infuse your teen with a passion for diversity and inclusion. Perhaps Legoland will capture the wonder for a future bricklayer or engineer.

Although not all of the locations listed in 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up are within the financial means of many families, several of Hughes's suggestions are only a road trip away. You can stand in awe of the Rockies or the Great Smoky Mountains even if you can not hop over to Mount Fuji or the Scottish Highlands.

All in all, Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up is a practical family travel guide for middle-to-upper class families, and a "fantasy" travel guide for the rest of us.

For other family travel ideas, check out this article:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-22901294;_ylc=X3oDMTIwbXVvZ2I1BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrAzE1a2lkcGxhY2VzLTIwMDgtMTctMDk-

Recognizing the Signs Of Bullying

Nearly 30 percent of U.S. school children will be bullied or bully other children each year.

According to Melissa Holt, research scientist with the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center, bullying is a major problem facing the United States.

Students who are bullied are repeatedly victimized over an extended period of time. Whereas boys are more likely to be involved in physical bullying, girls are at higher risk for relational bullying (gossiping and social isolation).

Often the victims experience adverse psychological effects and poor school adjustment. They are more lonely and depressed, tend to avoid going to school, and have thoughts of suicide. Following are some tips for parents, children, and educators on dealing with a bullying situation:

For Students

• Tell a trusted adult about the bullying.

• Take a friend, or group of friends, along when speaking to a trusted adult. This creates a community of support and provides a model for how to address these issues.

• If students feel comfortable and safe, speak up when a peer is being bullied.

• Treat peers with respect.

For Parents

• Model respectful interactions.

• Talk with your children and create a space in which they feel safe to discuss fears.

• Be aware of warning signs of bullying.

• Know your children’s friends.

• Take time to connect with your children.

• If your child is being bullied, alert school officials and help your child get assistance. NEVER tell your child to ignore the bullying.

• Expect the bullying to stop. By setting a high standard, parents are demanding that change and consequences occur. They are also empowering the child to take action and shed the victim role.

For Teachers/School Staff

• Create a school climate that does not tolerate bullying.

• Respond quickly to bullying episodes. Most importantly, let students involved in the bullying episode and bystanders know that you do not condone this type of behavior.

• Develop classroom activities that include all students.

• Increase adult supervision at times that bullying occurs most frequently, such as at recess and during lunch.

• Integrate materials into the curriculum that address bullying and engage bullied students in designing policies to address bullying.

• Model respectful interactions.

One Laptop Per Child fails in its mission

This last Christmas, my daughter's grandpa purchased an XO for her. Operating in a Linux-based, open source environment has been confusing for me. I am an admitted Microsoft lemming. Bill Gates owns my object-oriented soul.

But I was thrilled for her to have her little green and white wonder, and it is her mother who has been playing with it the majority of the time. (Although it takes a first grader to remember where to find the camera function and how to play the games!)

The concept of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is innovative, and could have been an international success story, had the premise of the project not been steeped in Western learning traditions that began with Piaget. Don't get me wrong, I have read Piaget's learning theories, and agree with him in large part.

The problem lies in the fact that Eastern educational learning theories do not necessarily agree with Piaget, and because spreading his learning theories are the basis for the XO, it is not only insulting to the Eastern market, but threatening to their educational status quo.

Nussbaum's Businessweek blog (link at bottom) explains the failure of OLPC in more detail.

Was OLPC insulting? Innovative? Misguided? Improperly marketed? Misunderstood? A stroke of genius before the world was ready? Little more than another child's toy for middle-class Americans, from its inception?

Would love to hear what you think...

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2008/05/the_end_of_the.html

Luggage Forwarding Service Lightens Load for Summer Travel

Have you tried air travel with a young child lately?
With the increasing amount of travel regulations,
the prospect of air travel with young children seems
more daunting.

A luggage shipping company in NYC has seen steady
interest from families who are choosing to ship items
and luggage BEFORE they travel.


Luggage Free specializes in door-to-door shipping of
luggage, equipment, bags and anything else travelers
opt not to carry on trips but need to have at their
destination. With the ability to send bags, cribs,
liquid formula, and car seats ahead to any location
in the world, parents are taking advantage of the
service in increasing numbers.



Founded in 2002, Luggage Free has experienced consistent
growth year-after-year due to increased baggage
restrictions imposed by airlines and government agencies.

Out of necessity, families with small children often pack
more than the average traveler and Luggage Free is an
obvious solution.


Since its inception, the company has continued to add to
its services, which include wrapping and protecting luggage,
time-sensitive retrievals, and completion of all airway
bills on the behalf of customers.

For more information, visit www.luggagefree.com or call 1-800-361-6871.

WEDOKU-SUDOKU GAMES & LESSONS FOR KIDS from ESumz

The Sudoku puzzle craze still seems as strong as ever,
and unlike online social networking fads for young kids
surrounding things like virtual pets (which do have
their own virtues), Sudoku helps children develop their
logic, reasoning, and concentration, while tapping into
the tech-savvy side of today’s kids.

EsumZ, an innovative online math learning company, has
launched WEDOKU-SUDOKU Games, an online learning program
where game and puzzle enthusiasts can learn how to solve
Sudoku puzzles.  EsumZ offers structured lessons and live
online tutoring.

Sudoku is a logic-based number-placement brainteaser. It is
a challenging and entertaining pastime. Formal learning is
not necessary to enjoy Sudoku, but ESumz’s introduction to
its simple rules and concepts helps children and adults
hone their puzzle-solving skills.

Children (and their parents!) will be able to integrate the
logical reasoning skills they have refined with Sudoku into
their school experience.

Online tutors present each lesson using a fun-filled story
format in an interactive classroom. Students meet online in
an interactive classroom and learn Sudoku rules, simple
puzzle-solving strategies and how to manage 4 x 4 and 9 x 9
Sudoku grids through the use of stories and “white board”
technology.

Children can also play games in the online portal after
each lesson.

Hands-on Sudoku games build puzzle-solving skills in a
step-by-step process that blends math concepts with games.

EsumZ offers their WEDOKU-SUDOKU online learning program
for only $129.

For more information on WEDOKU- SUDOKU Games, log on to

https://www.esumz.com/General/sudoku.html

Quitting is for Winners

I will not begin to say that I have emotionally recovered from the feelings of grief that accompanied my last breakup, but I have learned a few things about dating as a single parent and about positive parenting through periods of grief, and as a parent with disabilities.

I have learned that it is not necessary to call a moratorium on dating until our young children are graduated and out of the house. It is possible to protect them by setting up clear boundaries from the beginning. “I am your parent. He is your friend” lines in the sand are safe and acceptable. With the rising number of single-parent homes headed by fathers, it is vitally important that women not allow themselves to be fitted for a mommy t-shirt and thrust into the role of being committed to a child with no substantial commitment from the father. And vice versa – it is difficult for men to walk away from the children to whom they have become attached as well. Maintaining boundaries from the beginning spares everyone involved from dealing with the steamy aftermath when a “just add water” pseudo-family evaporates.

It is normal to grieve the loss of a loved one, and normal to cry when one is grieving. Let your children cry. Also, let them be angry. Give them voice to that anger, be it with crayons or a ball that holds up to a lot of kicking.

Believe it or not, it IS okay to be a quitter. There is no honor in clinging to something that adds no value to one’s life. It takes away the energy and time needed for the people and endeavors that hold true importance and meaning in your life when we turn away from those that only hold meaning or importance because of our own stubborn illusions.

The largest and most popular parenting site on the web holds that claim to fame for a reason. I highly recommend www.kidshealth.org. The website contains sections for parents, kids, and teens, and emotional health is given as much, if not more, attention on its pages as is given to physical health. If you are having questions about how to discuss divorce, death, or even homework and puberty, check it out.