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January 2012
Tuesday's Top 10 - Ten Things You Must Teach Your Child
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 by Stef Daniel
When it comes to parenting, the laundry list of lessons that you should teach your children is endless. Of course, there are things like teaching your child responsibility, consequence, and manners. But I feel that there are lots of other lessons that children need to learn as well in order to have a successful life. You know, like h...
eBook Reader Ownership Almost Doubles, But Digital Book Prices Still Seem High to this Reader
Monday, January 30, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
From the time the eBook readers came out, I put my foot down in deep defiance and pronounced I would never read a book from a computer screen. I have had my nose stuck in a book since I was a young girl. I volunteered in a public library when I was seven, and I got my Master's in Library Science. I love books. Then I got a tablet that allows me t...
Monday, January 30, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Go ahead. Wave your magic wand. As a parent, you have the opportunity. What IS the most important skill you want your child to obtain? Why? As I trek down the path of parenthood, I often look at my little girl and ponder this question. I know the answer. If you've been reading this blog a bit (thank you!), this may sound familiar. Yes, I have...
Sunday, January 29, 2012 by Stef Daniel
I started exercising. Again. If I think back to when I have felt the best in my life, it has always been during times that I was remaining physically active. So in order to bolster my health – I decided to start working out again. My plan was to attend the hour-long free class going on right up the street from my d...
Hemsworth and Pataky Expecting and Causing Controversy
Saturday, January 28, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky announced this week that they are expecting their first child. The couple married in 2010 and are expecting their baby this spring. In an interview with Hola! Magazine, Pataky said “Since it’s our first child, we don’t care if it’s a boy or girl. Our only wish is that it’s healthy.&rdquo...
Friday, January 27, 2012 by Stef Daniel
My children love to fight and bicker about E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. They will collectively argue the color of the sky just for the sake of the debate. (Either that, or they have conspired together in order push me right over the edge of sanity.) I don’t know how many times during the day I've found myself mediating stupid argumen...
Keeping the Kids Entertained this Winter Without Breaking the Bank
Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
A few months ago, hubby and I took the two little ones to see a 3D movie. It had been a while since we’d wandered to the theater, and after hubby stepped away from the counter, tickets in hand, and told me the cost of four tickets (no discount despite matinee time because, I suppose, those cheap glasses cost a premium to make), I remembered w...
Yummo! How About Eating YOUR Placenta?
Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Wow, right? If you haven’t already thrown up in your mouth over just the title of this little blog post, you likely will by the time you are finished reading it. But try and make it through, as it actually has some useful information for you – especially if you have a history of PPD (Postpartum depression). A few weeks back,...
Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Ah, the holidays. There were parties, presents, too much food, and potty training? Potty training? I had a friend whose goal over the holiday break was to toilet train her little man. She's savvy, she's smart (a teacher) and she had everything in place: rewards, make-it-fun, new undies, a plan to stick close to home, a timer, stickers. You ...
Heidi Klum and Seal to Separate
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
News broke this weekend via TMZ that Heidi Klum and Seal were going to be filing legal papers for the dissolution of their marriage. Heidi and Seal confirmed the news with a statement saying that the couple of nearly seven years are separating citing that they have grown apart. In the statement they said, "We have had the deepest respect ...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I posted the other day about the expected rise in grocery costs for 2012. We know what we do when other prices rise; we cut back. We shop second hand stores when clothes get too expensive, or we ditch the gym membership when the fee to walk on the treadmill shoots through the roof and we realize we can do the same thing outside on the pavement for ...
Tuesday's Top 10 - Things My Children Have Taught Me
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 by Stef Daniel
"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” (This is one of my favorite life quotes.) I have found it to be truer for motherhood than with any other experiences in my life thus far. My teachers are so often my children. The lessons that we learn from parenting are vast. This Tuesday's Top 10 is the...
Cleaning Green is Healthy and Inexpensive
Monday, January 23, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
When I first brought my oldest daughter home from the hospital, I began to panic about all of the potential dangerous things looming in my home. Suddenly, the idea of fixing meat for dinner left visions of nasty bacteria dancing on the countertops in my head. And as she got a bit older, I constantly worried about the chemicals I used to clean, part...
Monday, January 23, 2012 by Stef Daniel
“Mom, can you bring me some toilet paper?” How familiar is this? It seems that of late, if we are not out of toilet paper or shampoo or trash bags, we are out of milk, bread, and laundry detergent. And then, of course, there is that constant state of empty that my minivan seems to be running on. Does it ever end?&n...
Preemies - Sweetness And Love Can Help
Monday, January 23, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
If you are going to be a parent, expect the unexpected. I was a planner. Most details of my life were nicely organized as evidenced by my calendar and to-do lists which were marked up nicely. Then, I got pregnant. It seemed like minutes passed and I had lost brain cells. I definitely had baby brain. I couldn't wait to meet this little one. Since t...
Kasey Kahne Tweets About Breastfeeding
Saturday, January 21, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Do you hear that screeching sound? That is NASCAR Driver Kasey Kahne as he backpedals... After encountering a woman breastfeeding her baby in a grocery store, Kahne Tweeted using the hash tag “#nasty.” Unfortunately for Kahne, his followers lashed out at him and he engaged in an argument with one Tweeter calling her a "bitch!"...
Saturday, January 21, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Just yesterday, I was pregnant with you. You would kick around in my stomach and I would listen to your heartbeat – hardly patient enough to wait for the day I got to meet you. But I was patient. I had to be, because you were only going to come at the time that was right for you. So I waited. Sometimes in pain, someti...
What is YOUR Favorite Time of Day?
Friday, January 20, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Do you have a favorite time of day? You know, like a certain “o’clock” when the world seems to just click into place and you can retreat to the comfort of your own mind without interruption? For me, this time of day is 4:30 in the morning. I am what you would call a morning person – and I love waking up at 4...
Gas, Grocery, Coffee Prices Expected to Increase in 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
Just when I thought I had my grocery and gas budget settled, I came across an article on CNN.com about the rising prices of some of our most basic needs: certain foods, coffee and gas. Grocery prices seem to increase faster than I can clip coupons. Orange juice, which was once $2.50 a half gallon, always costs almost $3 for a half gallon these day...
Staying in Touch with Long Distance Family
Thursday, January 19, 2012 by Stef Daniel
I miss my brother. I really wish that his kids could play with my kids on a daily basis. I wish that we could spend Saturday afternoons bowling with our children, or that it would be simple to get closer to my sister in law. I miss my folks in Florida too. How nice it would be to have them here every day, never missing my ch...
Thursday, January 19, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
It's true. Children learn what they live. You can learn a lot about the environment your child is in by simply listening to and watching them. What are they saying? What are they doing? Where did these behaviors come from? I was reminded of this the other day. I had that “oops” moment where I slipped. Well, I cussed to be mo...
Kelsey Grammer to Be a Father for the Fifth and Sixth Time
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Kelsey Grammer joyfully announced backstage at the Golden Globes that his wife, Kayte Walsh, and he were expecting twins. Grammer is perhaps best known for his roles in the iconic Cheers and Frasier, but recently has been in the press for his failed marriages and custody battle. Grammer met his current wife while still married to his fourth wife, C...
Politics, Pregnancy and Motherhood
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 by Stef Daniel
The older I get the more I care about politics. Not really politicians or the politics in play, but the fact that my children are going to be unleashed into this world and could end up paying a very high price for the mistakes of the politics today. When 9/11 occurred, I was pregnant – and it was honestly the first time I felt lik...
Consumers Borrowing Money in Record Numbers
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
It seems consumers are ready to borrow money again. In November, people charged debt and took out loans as though they’d hopped into a time machine and landed back in pre-recession days. The $20.4 billion dollar borrowing frenzy was the biggest monthly gain in ten years, and, it seems, this gain is becoming a rising trend. Maybe we are feeli...
UMMM, YES I AM Breastfeeding in Public
Monday, January 16, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Really, what is the big deal? It’s a boob, definitely not as sexy as the ones that you see on Victoria Secrets ads and posters – and a baby. In fact, it’s mostly a baby because when they are nursing they pretty much cover the boob entirely. This means that what is left is a mom, nursing her baby, with the oc...
Fitting in Fitness Without Breaking the Bank
Monday, January 16, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
If you are like 45-percent of the population, you set a New Year resolution before January 1st rolled around; and, chances are likely some type of fitness goal topped your list. One survey I read stated nearly 38-percent of people who set resolutions focus on losing weight. New Year resolutions don’t have a fantastic success rate. In fact, s...
Monday, January 16, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
I have a dream. The moment we become parents, our dreams take on new meaning. For many of us, our dreams aren't about us anymore at all. They are the future of our children. Our hopes, our visions, our goals all of a sudden lie in our children's happiness, in their well-being. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is a great reminder...
Molly Sims Pregnant and Other Pregnancy Announcements and Births
Saturday, January 14, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Molly Sims and husband Scott Stuber were busy on their honeymoon. The couple just announced that they are expecting their first child together; they were married this past September. The rumor mill of US Weekly is reporting that Sienna Miller is pregnant with her first child. She has been dating boyfriend Tom Sturridge since 2010. The couple repor...
Saturday, January 14, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Put that down. Pick up your shoes. Brush your teeth. Cover your mouth when you burp. Dont eat your boogers. Get your fingers out of your nose. Eat your vegetables. Get ready for bed. Throw that in the trash. Pick up your room. Do your homework. Look at me when I am talking to you.&nb...
Convenience Could be the Largest Villain to My Grocery Bill
Thursday, January 12, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
The last few weeks have been a lottery for what our family will eat for dinner. Foods have been fished from the depths of the freezer. Rice and macaroni that has set on our shelves untouched for six months have been boiled and eaten. Crackers that remained unopened during the holidays have been reduced to crumbs. What happened? This was not an att...
Thursday, January 12, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
The day I found I was pregnant, it was a total surprise. The reality was we had been trying to conceive for over a year. I was finally heading to the doctor’s for an initial checkup to see if we could figure out why things hadn’t happened despite "our best efforts" – lol. Are you trying to conceive? Newly preg...
Thursday, January 12, 2012 by Stef Daniel
"Mama, come wipe my butt," my seven year old daughter would holler from behind the bathroom door. Lovely, it was just the thing that I wanted to hear while I was cooking dinner. "Nope, you need to do it yourself," I would holler back. I'm pretty sure that butt-wiping is an all important life lesson, right? ...
Beyoncé Gives Birth and Pisses off A Lot of People
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
So unless you were living under a rock recently, you have heard that Beyoncé gave birth to a baby girl this past weekend. Blue Ivy Carter was born on Saturday January 7th. After the birth, there were a lot of reports that stated she had a scheduled C-section and that an entire floor of Lenox Hill Hospital was shut down to give the couple pri...
January’s Bargains May Entice You to Shop Once Again
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
You may have packed away your credit cards at this point, worried that after the hectic holiday season they may spontaneously combust. Or you might feel like I do: I don’t want to see the inside of a department store for a long, long time. Our attitudes, it seems, may hurt us when it comes to savings. Freeshipping.org (freeshipping.org) rep...
Tuesday's Top 10 - Perks of Motherhood
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Being a mother is perhaps the greatest thing on earth. Most of the time. If you check out most of the mom blogs around town, or peek at what Facebook moms are saying, you find out pretty quick that it isn't ALWAYS what it's cracked up to be. In fact, moms complain. A lot. About the lack of sleep and personal hygiene, t...
Returns on Online Purchases to Increase as Online Shopping Increases
Monday, January 09, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
Prior to moving to a small southern town, our family lived in Los Angeles. If I wanted a pair of running shoes, or something so rare it might seem impossible to find, I could have most likely located the item within a ten mile radius of my house. We had so many places to shop I never turned to the computer to buy anything. Then we moved to a sleep...
Monday, January 09, 2012 by Stef Daniel
"Wow, she's so big. She must be eating good!" When my twins were born, there was a huge size difference between them. The size difference still exists today, where one is at least nine inches taller than the other. When they were itty bitty, people would always refer to them as the big one and the little one.&nbs...
Monday, January 09, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Just a couple of short weeks ago, there were a few moments of quiet in our house. If you have a young child, you understand why this is news. The quiet came as my little girl happily explored all the "newness" that had found its way into the toy room. The new doll, the new house, the new crayons. Yes, for those few minutes, I sat there, d...
Elizabeth Banks Talks About Surrogacy
Saturday, January 07, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
30 Rock star, Elizabeth Banks, recently opened up to Lucky magazine about surrogacy. Banks and her husband Max Handelman used a surrogate for their 9-month old son, Felix. After multiple failed attempts to get pregnant caused by what Banks calls a “womb issue,” they made the hard decision to turn to a surrogate. Banks told Lucky, &ldquo...
Saturday, January 07, 2012 by Stef Daniel
The other day, I saw a newborn. It was the first time that I had seen a newborn in quite a while. Now that I have graduated from the baby phase of my life, and have a couple teenagers under my belt – most of the people I know or see on a daily basis have absolutely no inkling to have or hold a newborn again. (Don’t worry ...
The Saga of the New Year's French Fry
Friday, January 06, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Note to Momspirational readers – This post is not really “Momspirational” at all. But, even so, I bet you $100 (okay, not really) that you can relate! On New Year's Day, the family and I made a big, mouth-watering batch of homemade French Fries for a lunchtime snack. It was the best thing I could think of to get t...
Create a Pleasant Spending Goal for Yourself This Year
Thursday, January 05, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
As I was reading about creating spending goals the other day, I came across an article on cnbc.com regarding getting out of debt. The article talked about the pitfalls of debt, which include paying enormous interest rate fees (sometimes 14.99%) and not being able to save enough for the future because of this, and it also discussed creating a savin...
Thursday, January 05, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Although I understand the process of development, I am always floored by the product. It's incredible when you really stop and think about it. How do our children get from here to there when it comes to skill development? Less than three months ago, our family was vacationing. We split the cost of a beach house and were enjoying a week...
Glee Star Dot-Marie Talks About Bullying
Wednesday, January 04, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Glee’s Dot-Marie Jones recently spoke to People about bullying. She recalls being bullied as a kid saying, "I grew really fast … seven inches in six months." Jones, who plays Coach Beiste on the series, continues, saying that "kids would say comments like, 'You're so tall, you should have been a man. Are you a man?...
Make Finances a Priority in the New Year by Creating Goals
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
The tree has been packed away, along with stockings, and now we look forward to 2012. It’s that time of the year when people get out their pens and paper and write a list of things they hope to do in the New Year: lose weight, stop smoking, remain positive in tough times. I gave up writing resolutions years ago. I found creating a "thin...
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Are you reading to your baby? I admit it. It was several weeks after my pea pod was born when someone said to me, "so, have you read to her yet?" Um, no. Come on, I was happy to just be nursing away and getting a little sleep. She seemed content, as was I. Reading? Then, I did it. I had this tiny little person and when I read ...
Rein in the Spending for the New Year
Monday, January 02, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
Now that the holidays are over, the presents unwrapped and the credit card bills marching in like a steady line of soldiers ready for battle, it’s time to take a deep breath and lock the wallet. Christmas always brings some debt, even when you try your best to go lightly. Gifts and food and decorations add up, and sadly they don’t disap...
Monday, January 02, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Conflict. It happens. Do you and your significant other ever argue in front of your child? This weekend, I admit it. I was a grump. Perhaps it was too much holiday hoopla. Perhaps it is the fact that I long for a morning where the streaming bright sunshine wakes me vs. the 5:15am alarm that is my cat meowing, followed by the do...
Today's Everyday Sweepstakes Action: Write in your My Everyday Blog!
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Your My Everyday blog is the perfect place to unload about your pregnancy cravings, record precious moments, and save all of those new thoughts, feelings, and lessons learned that come with life as a parent. Check out this instructional video for help with How to Use: My Everyday ...
