P&K Insider

I have had the honor of being considered a rockin’ mom - at least by the folks at BostonMamas.com! This week, I’m featured in their 5th installment of Boston Mamas Rock! - where, as they describe, “give a voice to fabulous local mamas, whether they be enterpreneurs, avid volunteers, stay at home moms…”

This all things mama-related site has it all - daily blog postings; must-have products; an ultra-cool page listing retail discounts exclusive to Boston Mamas; resources for families in Boston and beyond; and much more. Right now, the site is celebrating its 2nd birthday with over 1100 posts and that’s thanks to the efforts of Christine Koh.

Koh developed, designed and founded the idenpendent site that has now gained popularity both locally and nationally. I’ve turned the tables on Christine and plan to post my interview with her in the weeks to come. Keep posted - she has led a rather interesting life - from an academic (she’s a Ph.D. with expertise in music) to independent entrepreneur.

Oh and if you know a Boston mama that rocks - be sure to nominate her today!

As a rule, no child has yet to forget to honor thy mother and father on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. But when it comes to Grandparent’s Day, let’s face it - we fall short!

P&K wants to help you spread the love this Grandparent’s Day (Sunday, Sept. 7) with a special Grandparent’s Day wishes page. It’s simple, submit a message and a color photo for a small fee and we’ll print it in our September issue!

During a thunderstorm in early June, I innocently mentioned to my 5-year-old son that if he is ever outside during a thunderstorm, it is best to get inside as soon as he can. In an instant, he abandoned his seat near the window and cowered in his bed. Since then, any threat of rain (ie. A few clouds in the sky) and he bolts for the indoors. In fact, he wants us to tune into the weather station every day to find out what we can expect that day.

“Are we near Boston?” he’ll ask if that word and the word rain are in the same sentence. I’m always honest with him - but I choose my wording very carefully. I let him know that he can leave his weather concerns with me and I’ll make sure he is safe.

That being said, here’s a clip from NECN which includes some lightning safety tips for us parents out there.

Have you caught this NBC show yet? I’ll do my best to explain. Five teenage couples get a dose of real life when they fast track to adulthood by setting up a home, getting a job and becoming caring parents. How exactly do they become parents? Parents loan out their babies. Yes, real life parents hand over their infants, toddlers, school-age and preteen children to TEENAGERS for three days.

The narrator of the show is sure to tell us that the real parents are set up across the street able to monitor the situation. Also, the couples are under under 24-hour supervision by nannies.

For three-day spells, the teenage couples care for a variety of age groups and last night it was the toddler group. I watched as one of the teenagers dragged a toddler by his arm (he wasn’t hurt or crying) across the floor to change his “totally disgusting” diaper.

The camera recorded the real mom’s reaction which wasn’t positive, HOWEVER, I would have flown across the street to “handle” the situation. I can only imagine what the babies and toddlers think about their parents leaving them with strangers. Some may cope better than others but is it a fair thing to do. What do the real parents gain?

For that matter, what do the teenage couples gain? I would guess the general public hopes that these kids will realize that life as an adult is hard. Maybe we can successfully squash any of their fairytale images of marriage, work and family. With all the craziness in Gloucester, that may not be such a bad idea. I do worry, however, about one of the couples, who seem to be enjoying themselves. Will they catch the Jamie Lynn Spear’s tvibe? I just saw her on the cover of OK magazine which read: “Being a mom is the best feeling in the world!”

I’m not a big fan but I’m trying to get my kids to appreciate those little creatures. I remember when my son was only 3 and we had a small invasion of ants in our living room. By “small invasion” I mean about a ga-zillion ants swarming angrily towards our couch. Without thinking of the impression I could leave on my little guy, I grabbed a shoe and acted like a mad woman! Yelling and smacking and crushing…

When my rampage ended, I looked up and my son’s eyes met mine. He look bewildered and a tad unsure if I was the mom he had come to know. “Oh, honey. Bugs aren’t dangerous. They just live outside, not inside,” I said as kindly as I could muster.

For several months following this incident, my son was deathly afraid of all bugs. So in turn, I had to be extra nice to them. I pointed out butterflies, held a caterpillar, observed ants digging a hole. It worked and now he’s totally into them.

He was absolutely amazed by the larger-than-life bug sculptures that are being exhibited at the New England Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Around every corner of the one-mile walk, there are enourmous bug sculptures - ants, spiders, bees and ladybugs and all are part of a traveling exhibit. Now through October, there will be special events on all things bugs. You have to check it out!

I am a self-proclaimed bargain shopper. I love to know I’m saving money - even if it only amounts to a few dollars. What I’m really digging lately is the extra-appealing consignment shops in the area. Kellie Carrarra, a longtime P&K contributor and mother to a 3-year-old diva was thrilled when I asked to her to pen a story on great deals at consignment shops! She immediately told me about a Minni Lilly Pulitzer shift dress she height=”142″ /> found for only $20 (normally it would cost $68!)

The producers at NECN also liked the idea and invited me to come in and share some great deals. So last week, I headed to The Children’s Orchard at 861 Edgell Road in Framingham and started tearing through the racks and racks of clothing. The owner told me that at any given time, they have about 15,000 items at the store!

If you want to see what I got, tune into NECN this Monday morning (July 14) at 8:45 a.m.

A 24-year-old that works in my office was shocked to learn that I was a Facebook member. “Why?” she innocently asked with a chuckle.

It was, in all fairness, a good question and I had a good answer. I’m promoting my first book and have been told that social networking is the way to go.  I created a profile, uploaded a photo and did a quick search for friends. It’s pretty easy and it’s a free.  And if you’ve got news to share (something a little more significant than what most 20-year-olds are sharing - i.e. what party they just went too) you can share it. I got a fun suprise along the way…reconnected with an old high school buddy of mine - learned he’s a dad and works close by. Got a message from a college friend who had all but disappeared from our social circle. He’s alive and well. I’m really loving the photos too. Interesting to see how we’ve all aged. It’s the college reunion minus the anxiety of seeing each other face to face.

If you’re looking for a little more mature avenue, I happily suggest WickedLocal People. It’s for us truly busy people (the ones with kids and carpools and events to coordinate!)

From sports schedules to carpools, Wicked Local People is designed to help track and manage the lives of busy families. A centralized family calendar, address book and family blog make it easy to keep tabs on all elements of day-to-day family activity. Wicked Local People makes it easy for members to integrate events and contacts from their existing tools like Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, AOL and Yahoo.

Wicked Local People is for anyone who wants to save time and stay in the loop with their friends and community. Wicked Local People is for individuals, parents and families, group leader, coaches, teachers and parent volunteers. And it’s FREE. You can find it our site www.wickedlocalparents.com - just click on the community tab!

I had dinner with a dear friend of mine last night. She’s eight months pregnant and nervous as could be. The truth is she’s going to be a fantastic mom - she’s caring, nurturing and one of the most organized woman I’ve ever known.

No matter how prepared you are, though, becoming a mom is a major transformation. I’m excited to welcome her to the world of choas (although I never said that word out loud) In fact, I was very careful about every word that came out of my mouth. When she asked how long my labor was, I put a positive spin on the 18 HOURS. When she asked how breastfeeding went, I encouraged her to give it her best shot (if she wanted to).

Being with her reminded me of what it was like to be pregnant. There’s no hiding it and every one feels the need to comment. I never minded that part. I loved sharing the news and answering the same questions over and over.

“I’m due in January.”

“Yes, we know it’s a boy.”

“Haven’t decided on a name yet.”

I mean towards the end, I could say the answers in my sleep.

Strangers became rather friendly too. They opened doors, always offered up their seat on a busy train and one woman went as far as to help me pick out comfortable underwear. No word of a lie. She asked what I was looking for in the racks at Marshalls and then she went to work finding me the best pair she could. She didn’t work there.

Another stranger put parenthood in total perspective for me. I was four weeks away from my due date when the crib and dresser were being delievered to our house. I rushed to the door to welcome the moving guy. He smiled at me and asked “the questions.”

“Yup, my husband and I are getting ready for our new roommate.”

The man laughed…at me. “Roommate?” He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Honey, you’re not getting a roomate. Your boss is moving in with you.”

And that my friend…was the most candid advice I ever got.

Little things can make a big difference. And in this case, when I use the word ‘little’ I’m referring to our children and the word ‘big’…well that refers to our world.

Ask any parents about going green and they’ll most likely tell you about how their child is the driving force behind changes in their own home.

One mom recently told me that her 6-year-old son refused to eat his school lunch if the contents were in plastic bags (Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade-breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest). Instead he finished out the school year using re-usable containers.

For four kids in Wellesley, weekend fun includes a trip to the dump. There they sort all the recyclables in colored bins. This mom reports that her family of six has reduced their trash consumption significantly. (The average American individual throws away 3 and 1/2 pounds of trash per day. This contributes to environmental ills from shrinking forests to changes in climate.) “The kids get so mad if my husband throws a bottle or piece of cardboard in the trash!”

My own nephews (ages 3 and 5) will walk around my house to be sure all the lights in unoccupied rooms are turned off. “Auntie, don’t waste energy,” they say.

From global warming to consuming less electricity, our kids are challenging us adults to change some bad habits by considering how our actions affect our world and our environment. Little things can make a big difference.

We know saving the world can seem a bit overwhelming so we’re giving you a quick list of little changes you can make right now in this issue of P&K.

There are lots of other ‘little’ things to check out in this issue. Read about how discovering nature’s littliest treasures (like bugs) can help your children develop a respect for nature that will follow them into adulthood. You can also meet the area’s littlest heroes - with courage beyond their years, they helped to save lives.

You know our kids are really impressive teachers. They look at the world with open eyes, they believe that they can make a difference and they take action. Let’s follow their lead, shall we?

Heather