Archive for June, 2011

Oh, terrible morning (or all-day) sickness! It feels so awful. Why won’t your doctor give you something to help? One word: thalidomide. Ever since, only the ladies with the all-day, nine-month morning sickness get any relief. If you have your garden variety first-trimester sickness, girl, you’re on your own.

Or maybe not. Believe it or not, those acupressure bands (often sold for sea sickness) really do work, on a significant number of people. The bands have nodules on them that bear down on points on your wrist. No worries about hurting the baby, and most users find that their nausea is significantly reduced (worked for me when I was pregnant!).

But traditional acupressure bands are pretty darned ugly: knit bands that look like sweat socks, or like some type of hospital bandage that will make people ask you why you’re wearing them. Psi Bands, in contrast, look like watch bands. No one will notice. No one will ask you about them. You needn’t tell them that the reason you are ill is that every single thing in the world has a smell, and it’s all bad.

Psi Bands can be found at CVS, RITE AID, Whole Food, and other stores, as well as online. They retail for $15.

Highlights from the boards for the week of June 23rd – June 29th:

Can I Leave My 1 Year Old in Hotel Room… (86 Replies)
If you are staying at a hotel with 1 yr old dc, is it ok to put dc to bed in the hotel room and then go down to the hotel restaurant for dinner or hang out in the hotel bar/lounge? If not do we have to sit in the hotel room in the dark from the time we put dc down at 7pm? If we get a babysitter do they literally sit in the dark with dc?

Nonviable Pregnancy and D&C… (55 Replies)
Just found out yesterday that I have a nonviable pregnancy. I am very sad but I realize that the baby probably had a chromosomal abnormality and so it was all probably for the best. I have a choice to wait for it to pass naturally or get a D&C. If I get a D&C it can be done in the operating room or as an office visit. Anyone BTDT? How long/how painful was it to naturally pass vs how painful is a D&C and what is the recovery?

When Should You Explain Periods to DD’s?… (12 Replies)
How old was your DD when you first explained to her about periods (not the grammatical kind)? My DD’s (six and eight) found a box of my tampons and have been bugging me about what it’s for. They have observed I close the door to bathroom when I open one (we have a pretty “open door” policy normally). I just feel like this is the slippery slope into the birds and bees, and I’m so not prepared!!!

Summer Camp Counselors Won’t Apply Sunscreen… (27 Replies)
The counselors at DD’s summer camp aren’t allowed to put sunscreen on the kids, so the kids have to do it themselves or help each other. Is this normal? At DD’s daycare, they put sunscreen on them. DD is 6. They’re going to be outdoors all day, swimming, etc., I’m just so worried she’s not going to do a great job and get burned. Am I overreacting?

Miscellany

Will Anyone Hire a Knocked Up Woman? (27 Replies)

When Do You Bathe DS and DD Separately? (15 Replies)

DH Thinks Housecleaner Would Be Creepy (10 Replies)

DD‘s Friends Boss Her Around (6 Replies)

Most people who grew up in the ’70s know well the thrill of unrolling the Slip ‘n Slide each summer. You’d set up the hose, run, jump…and skid right onto the grass, laughing crazily. Even though the Slip ‘n Slide was nothing more than a glorified bathmat, it sure was fun.

And the new version, the Slip ‘n Slide Extreme Black Diamond, is even more fun. It’s long; 18 full feet. It’s like Slip ‘n Sliiiiiiiide. Older kids especially get into the curve; swiftly learning to turn their bodies and slide smoothly down. Best of all for parents, all you have to do is connect up your garden hose, then retreat back to the house and listen to the happy screams of children exhausting themselves.

Slip ‘n Slide Extreme Black Diamond Racer, $16

Unless you have a hardened tween, don’t even think about the remake, 1990’s way-too-violent Race to Witch Mountain. Instead, take  kinder, gentler classic Escape to Witch Mountain home for quirky thrills and a storyline that’s probably more interesting than you remember.

Set in 1975, prime time for Disney’s bid to leave its animated past behind, Escape to Witch Mountain was of a piece with other live action Disney fantasy/sci-fi films, like Freaky Friday, The Cat From Mars, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. But Witch Mountain is better. Based on a cool teen 1968 sci-fi novel by Alexander Key, the story follows Tony and Tia, two extraterrestrials who crash-landed on earth when their home planet was dying. Having lost touch with their fellow planeteers, Tony and Tia are beset by those who’d like to control their extrasensory powers for evil, and must make it to Witch Mountain to find their people, and their home.

Kinda heady stuff for a kids movie, but it works. Tony and Tia, played by Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards, are natural, cute, and easy to root for. The adults, chief among them Donald Pleasance, Ray Milland, and Eddie Albert, are surprisingly great actors for a kid’s movie. Disney spent some money and took some care with this one, and it shows: in the smooth plot, great sets, and cheesy-but-wonderful special effects.

City kids might be more used to the elements of the concrete jungle (subways, taxicabs, and crowds) but there is also much for them to explore in the natural world. From the author of I Love Dirt! and Let’s Go Outside! comes a new guide for urban children and their parents, It’s a Jungle Out There! 52 Nature Adventures for City Kids. Author Jennifer Ward provides unique activities, games, and adventures specific for city environments so curious kids can engage their sense of wonder and imagination.

It’s compact (throw it in your purse moms) and complete with practical information including “Plant the Seed” sidebars that help direct your child’s learning. All the seasons are covered in the chapters as well as an additional tool, “Indoor Inspirations: Activities to Experience the Outdoors When the Weather Prevents Going Out and About.”

52 Open-ended activities include:

* Packing and Tracking in the Park
* Pondering Ponds and Puddles
* Stars Above
* Neighborhood Nest Map
* Snow Stories

Jennifer Ward offers additional resources ad recommendations at the conclusion of her book to help exploring families that want the journey to continue. Susie Ghahremani’s appealing and simple illustrations add to the gentle feel of this handy book.

Whether the weather is wonderful or wicked help your child become connected to the rhythms and opportunities that abound in nature.

Available at Amazon.com

Who likes buying stuff that your kid’s going to outgrow in a few short months or years? Don’t give in to the temptation to buy some cheap, crappy intermediate toddler bed (I’m looking at you, IKEA shoppers!) that will get creaky, loose, and shaky even before your kid outgrows it. Why purchase something destined for the dump, when you can spend a little more money and get something that will last?

The Oeuf Sparrow Bed is a case in point. It’s not some weird mini size that you need to buy special sheets for; it’s just a small, sleek twin bed, in muted colors that will go with a changing rainbow of wall and bedspread selections. It’s made mostly of silky birch wood, and it’s quality stuff: edges meet firmly, the bed sits solidly. This is a bed that can take years and years of angry flopping and gleeful bouncing; this, quite possibly, might be the bed your kid will use until he or she goes off to college.

Oeuf Sparrow Bed, $890

Highlights from the boards for the week of June 16th – June 22nd:

My Inlaws Share Too Much… (6 Replies)
Wow, FIL starts randomly sharing SIL’s marital problems and BIL’s sperm count issue with us. It was completely out of no where and not at all related to what we were discussing. Lesson learned. Do not share ANYTHING with the ILs.

MIL - Hands off My Laundry & Garbage… (72 Replies)
I love my MIL, always have, she’s an amazing woman however I’m fed up with her touching my washing, my dishes and my garbage. I’ve told her repeatedly that I don’t like her helping out with the house, the children yes, that’s fantastic and important and lovely for them etc, but I draw the line at her putting out my garbage bins, stealing washing from my laundry. I’ve asked her not to put any washing away for me. I know all this sounds petty but I’ve been married to this man for ten years and she’s still doing all this, the first few years it was mildy annoying but now I’m tearing my hair out. Just now I had to argue with her about my garbage.

DH Moved to the Guestroom to Avoid Waking with Baby… (31 Replies)
DH moved to guestroom since 3 mo. old DS’ crib is in master. DH doesn’t want wake up at night,. and guestroom faces street - too noisy for baby plus too small for me to share with him. I plan keep baby with me at night for at least 1 yr. Now DH is moving clothes out of our bedroom since he wakes the baby by trying to get dressed early in the am or past bedtime (long work hours). Is this a really bad idea?

Is Preschool Really Necessary?… (16 Replies)
I never went to preschool nor did my friends and family. I don’t think my DB will suffer if she doesn’t go. Plus, I’m a teacher and can homeschool her that year. Why are parents so determined to get their children in the top preschool? What do the top preschools do differently from any other preschool? Put gold flakes in their non-toxic paint?

Miscellany

Why Did You or Didn’t You Take DH’s Name? (34 replies)

I’m a DW But I Don’t Wear a Ring (25 Replies)

How to Tell 4 Year Old Nanny is Leaving (5 Replies)

Pregnancy Should Be Temp Disability with Handicapped Parking (20 Replies)

Have you been seeing entirely too many little girls in string bikinis lately? The kids’ section at swimwear stores used to be wall-to-wall rash guard suits and one-pieces; now the bikinis are getting steadily smaller and smaller (and Abercrombie has even taken to selling prepubescents padded bikini tops).

Make a move in the opposite direction with one of these modest and gorgeous suits, which offer the coverage of yesteryear. The first is from Juicy Couture. The Shirred Halter Swimdress has vintage appeal. Can’t you imagine Esther Williams swimming by in this one? It comes in sunshine yellow and blue, and in sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8. Hey, it’s on sale! $65, hmm, not much of a bargain, but it sure looks cute. Juicycouture.com.

Not quite your thing? Maybe you’ll cozy up to Submarine Swim’s Red Heart 50’s suit, a romper just made to encase fat toddler/preschooler legs for squeeze-crazy moms. Submarine is a Brazilian swim company known for making vintage-look swimwear in extremely high-quality Lycra. In fact, if your kid doesn’t grow too much between summers, one of their suits can last two swimming summers, or even longer. $78, Everythingbuttheprincess.com.

Whether the fathers in our lives are our own husbands and we’re watching them navigate the waters as amateurs, or our own fathers whose roles might be changing, there are many new books this year that are sure to shed insight and lend some laughs.

Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! How to Get (Both of You) Through the Next 9 Months by John Pfeiffer

With Chapters like “Things to Squeeze in Before the Baby Squeezes Out” author John Pfeiffer helps men prepare for impending fatherhood with both experience and a sense of humor. John’s advice to men is to prepare themselves and be involved from the beginning, “You need to stay on top of the ball and not get caught with your pants down - a position that’s perfectly acceptable during the impregnation phase, but not so much when you’re asked your opinion on critical issues like the color of the baby’s room, or if and when Mommy is going back to work after baby arrives.”

Available at Amazon.com

The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It by Anthony T. DeBenedet, M.D. and Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D.

Our modern world is more focused than ever on ensuring children’s safety and eliminating any dangerous play. But authors Anthony T. DeBenedet and Lawrence Cohen believe there is still a time and a place for some good old-fashioned roughhousing. They believe it nurtures close connections, solves behavior problems, and boosts confidence. Forty-five activities are illustrated in chapters that include, “Games,” “Imagination,” and “Extreme Roughhousing.”

Available at Amazon.com

Driving Lessons: A Father, a Son, and the Healing Power of Golf by Steve Friedman

The walls that sometimes exist between fathers and sons can be heart-breaking and lifelong. Award-winning journalist Steve Friedman was on a mission to share his fathers sport of golf with him, in hopes to break down the walls that existed between them. Driving Lessons is his honest account of two men working to break through years of misunderstanding.

Available at Amazon.com

Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers, and the Changing American Family by Dr. Peggy Drexler

“Peggy Drexler maps the largely unexplored regions of father-daughter relationships in this insightful and heartfelt book. In scense of both pain and joy she explores the ancient dance of love and longing between fathers and daughters. If you’re been a father or a daughter, or even watched such a relationship play itself out, you’ll want to read this book.” - Alan Alda

Thanks to the extensive research and first-hand interviews from Dr. Peggy Drexler, we are able to view important aspects of the evolving nature of the father-daughter relationship in today’s world. This is an important and noteworthy read for many members of the family.

Available at Amazon.com

Middle-aged parents may remember this one from the ’70s, when it appeared as a television special. Afterwards, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi made its way into schools in the form of filmstrips and VHS; you might remember your teacher pulling this one out of the AV closet on the last day of school. Watch it today with your own kids and you’ll understand why: based on a classic story by Rudyard Kipling, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is suspenseful and mesmerizing for kids and adults alike.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a mongoose, living in India. When a family moves into a long-empty house in India, two evil cobras take offense to people invading their solitary garden. It’s up to Rikki-Tikki to save the day, battling the resourceful and vengeful Nag and Nagaina. The story is unusual and wonderful, but the cast is even better, with Orson Welles providing narration and the stentorian voice of Nag, and the versatile June Foray (Rocky & Bullwinkle) as Nagaina.

The animation holds up well, crisp and clean and beautifully hand-drawn. If the animation looks familiar, there’s a reason why: Chuck Jones of Looney Toons fame was the director. No slapstick here; this is the other side of Chuck Jones.

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is available on DVD, packaged with another Chuck Jones feature, Yankee Doodle Cricket. Meh. You’ll probably want to go take the dishes out of the dishwasher when this one’s on, but it does fill the DVD out to an hour.