High Maintenance Mom

Summer Reading Programs are an excellent way to introduce kids to the joys of libraries and reading. Many libraries now have Listening and Parent programs too so everyone can participate. Reading to your kids is one of the best ways to prepare them for school and help them develop lifelong reading skills (Reading is Fundamental). Last year was B's first year in the Reading program instead of the Listening program and it was very exciting. We still read to him but we also had him read a little bit almost every night. Reading the same books over an over really helped as did finding a very simple series that he found interesting. Each child learns to read at a different rate and making the process enjoyable is very important. N and I snuggle with books in the evening. I let him finish the words at the end of rhyming sentences he knows and I occasionally point out words so he starts to learn more about how I read. Check out Read*Write*Now! for more information on reading to kids from birth until the 6th grade.

Our son was born a healthy 9 pounds 7 months ago and in that time we learned a great deal about Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. Our son had what his pediatrician and I considered to be a mild case and in hindsight, our daughter, now 2 ½ may have had an even milder case. When my son was about 2 weeks old he began what I can only describe as grunting. I remembered my daughter doing it also but hers was slight and soon went away. My son’s grunting was loud and kept him awake at night.

Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) is a non profit organization that was founded in 1993 and whose main goal is to use “the power of public information to protect public health and the environment”. I found it to be a very helpful resources on environmental issues for my family. In their “for parents” section there is a guide to infant formula, a shoppers guide to pesticides in produce and a safety guide to children’s personal care products.

Tankini, one piece or bikini? Mom's have a decision to make when their daughters are choosing girls swimsuits. Designers such as Kate Mack and Banana Cabana create cute swimwear in all three styles. Older girls often have a strong preference, while babies seem to feel most comfortable in one piece or tankinis.

One of B's favorite days at school was 100's day (on the 100th day of school). B loved counting the school days in his classroom and was very excited for the celebration. In addition to counting out 100 snacks, decorating a crown with 100 stickers, and stringing 100 pieces of cereal into a necklace, the kids also got to search for 100 Hershey kisses. Each of the kisses had a sticker on the bottom with a number written on it. The kids had to match the numbers on the candy to numbers on a large paper Hershey kiss. It was fun to watch the smiling kids try to match the numbers and I wanted to see if N would enjoy a similar activity at home...

We've been having trouble accomplishing our basic morning chores - get up, come to the table, eat breakfast, clear your plate, get dressed, etc. It's not really new trouble, just the realization that most mornings are a struggle. After reading Positive Discipline and particularly Positive Discipline A-Z: 1001 Solutions to Everyday Parenting Problems , which I highly recommend because it condenses the first book into 30 pages and then gives specific advice for numerous issues through the teenage years, I decided to try a family meeting. This was not our first family meeting. I've tried them several times while reading the books but I tend to want to try everything at once so it wasn't surprising they didn't work the first time. Somehow, this meeting was a success. Maybe the kids needed to adjust to the idea or maybe we were all in the perfect mood but somehow it worked...

A good friend of mine introduced me to Gloucester Oneseas (http://www.gloucesteroneseas.com) recently and I was impressed with both the clothing and the cause they promote. My daughter loves her star fish t-shirt and my son's organic blue fish onesea is a hit. Just in time for summer the web site has adorable sea life inspired shirts and oneseas. But most of all I love that this company has decided to team up with The Ocean Project (http://www.theoceanproject.org) and donate a portion of all sales to the organization. The Ocean Project is an international network of aquariums, zoos, museums and conservation organizations. They work to educate their visitors of the important role each person plays in conserving the plant. Check out Gloucester Oneseas for their fun summer t's and oneseas and your kids can wear the clothes knowing they helped mother earth.

I hope you are having a great Mother's Day. My special alone time this morning included an exercise class at the gym where I heard the following comments from friends. "This class is the highlight of my day. The rest of the day will include the usual errands, cleaning, and cooking." "My child made me a flower pot in Kinder but on Friday all I received was a note from her friend apologizing for breaking it." "My children like to tell me I can clean tomorrow instead." I hope you have the opportunity to do something you really enjoy today!

Want to introduce your kids to new lunchtime foods in addition to geography, math, reading, different languages, and telling time? High Maintenance Mom and The Creative Kitchen want to help you explore recipes and cultures from around the world with our lunchtime fun giveaway! Two lucky High Maintenance Mom readers will be chosen randomly from the logs to win a copy of Cricket Azima's new book, Everybody Eats Lunch...

The Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder is the easiest camcorder I've ever used and perfect for catching those adorable kid moments. It comes with two AA batteries so all you have to do is plug them in and you're ready to start recording. There are easy to recognize buttons for turning it on, recording, zooming, and deleting. There is also a USB plug that flips out to connect to your laptop. Once connected, the software loads (on a Mac you have to click on the Flip drive) and you are ready to download movies, edit them, burn them to DVD, or send them to friends and family - and uTube. It's the size of a phone and doesn't weigh very much so it fits into a purse with everything else. Like digital cameras, you can record your kids and then show them the movie - it's really that easy. For $130 from Amazon, the Flip 60 minute digital camcorder is a great Mother's Day gift. I also recommend rechargeable batteries.