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.