We can't stop laughing over this "commercial" about a new way to keep kids from napping in the car. If this product really existed, we'd buy it—bet you would, too.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan issued rules for a $4 billion grant
program to promote innovation in education, allaying fears from some
education groups that it would be too focused on testing.
More than two-thirds of U.S. teachers disapprove of how their public
schools are run and 90 percent say “routine duties and paperwork”
interfere with their teaching, a report found.
Three school districts and a coalition of charter schools have agreed
to be test kitchens for some radical ideas for improving teacher
quality. In exchange, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced
$290 million in grants to the four groups, plus another $45 million for
education research aimed at uncovering what exactly is an effective
teacher.
School board members in one New Jersey town want parents of high school
students who are habitually sent to detention to pay, saying the
district spends $10,000 per year in overtime and maintenance to run
after-school detention.
My 10-year-old son has suffered from chapped lips since he was 6. Not just the chapped lips we all get once in a while: he looks like a clown from October to March. Once the dentist actually stopped working on his filling, stood up, and asked me: "What are you going to do about his lips? They're getting infected." Talk about embarrassing... after trying every lip balm around (and having to chase after him with the dreaded stick as soon as he saw it), I brought him to the doctor. His diagnosis: "lip licking." All I had to do was get him to stop. Okaaaay...I needed another solution.
I found it: Neosporin Overnight Renewal Therapy. It really did work overnight. And he doesn't mind putting it on -- it's light, creamy without being greasy, doesn't burn, and has no smell. It'll be the first Thanksgiving in years my mother-in-law doesn't walk in and announce: "What's wrong with his face? Don't you take care of him?"
They also have a daytime product that I think you're supposed to use with the nighttime one, but to be honest, the nighttime worked so well, I didn't even use the daytime one. Just wanted to share this find in case any of you are dealing with the same thing! It costs around five bucks and you can find it in most drugstores and supermarkets.
This is what I've learned about choosing baby names: we are inspired by the Bible, travel, and peer pressure.
I recently discovered a story in USA Today that examined the most popular baby names by decade since 1890.
As someone who had to pick first and middle names for his two children,
I understand the fascination. One name my wife and I had loved since
college (Jackson), one was lifted from a friend's random anecdote
(Tanner), one was picked from a baby name book (Tate) and the last one
came in a deperate attempt to choose before the water broke (Owen).
In reviewing the names listed by decade, it becomes obvious where they
come from. Considering that John and Mary were the most popular names
from 1890-1920, it's clear that simple, status quo names were the
thing. We also relied on the Good Book for ideas, a trend that
continues today (Paul, Thomas, Jonah, Ruth, Joseph, Carl). During the
90s, Mary got kicked to the curb, and we became enamored with all the
girls that signed my yearbook with circles over their i's (Christina,
Jennifer, Stephanie, Melissa). And now with this millennium, we are
inspired by places we've been (Austin, Sydney, Brooklyn) and places we
know we're headed to (Destiny).
Parents-to-be in search of that perfect munchkin moniker should check the baby name section on Parenting.com. Beyond
the standard A-Z list, you can review the themed lists (like action
heroes? Learn about the origins of names like Indiana, Conan,and
Maverick) and pick based on any cultural and ethnic heritage you can
think of (from Aboriginal to Zimbabwean).
While some of us opt for an out-of-the-box name, we are largely
creatures of habit and victims of trends. "Parents in the United States
are increasingly sensitive to the change in frequency of a name in
recent time," states the USA Today article. It will be interesting to see the name chart in another 10 years, and if there are more Baracks and less Georges.
We'll drink to this: Jamba Juice has joined forces with the National PTA to help raise $1 million for local schools nationwide and encourage healthier lifestyles. They've created a keychain-sized School Appreciation Card that you can swipe at the 742 Jamba Juice stores nationwide when you purchase one of their yummy smoothies, salads, flatbreads, or other good-for-you-and-your-kiddo offerings. Every time you use the card, 10% of the purchase will be donated to your local PTA, and another 2% to the National PTA. Local PTA officers just need to go to JambaJuice.com/PTA to register, then the swipe cards will be shipped out to be distributed in your community. Now that's one delicious deal!
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Not yet a member of your PTA? It's a great way to connect with other moms working for positive change in their children's schools. Parenting is also a proud partner and supporter of the National PTA, and readers can get a special discounted membership rate. Go to Parenting.com/PTA for all the details.
The only things I never run short on at my house are to-do’s, from
picking up the dry cleaning to dropping a kid off at soccer or dance.
If, like me, your life is a crazy carousel of errands and appointments
(and really, what mom’s life isn’t?), you’re going to love this Happeez whiteboard from Mayfair Lane.
Oh,
I know, you’ve seen dry-erase boards before — so have I. But usually,
behind every great board is a not-so-great backing: they generally
either have magnets (which won’t work on stainless-steel fridges and
non-metal surfaces) or they’ve got an adhesive that leaves gummy goo
behind once the board is removed. I don’t know what kind of magic
Flubber is used on the Happeez board, but it sticks just about
anywhere, and comes off without a trace. I’ve been using mine to write
down our family’s schedule each day for our babysitter...and who knows,
if my kids slack off on their chores, I may make them a list and stick
it right on their bathroom mirror, hee hee! ($18, available at mayfairlane.com and retailers nationwide and in Canada)
A few years ago, my husband and I went to see a financial counselor.
Our son had just been born, and we had to put things in shape.
Complicating this was that we were coming from different worlds: Rob
was (and is) enlisted in the Air Force, I was a New York City magazine
editor. The way our wages were calculated, the tax rules that applied,
how we could see our careers playing out—everything was so different
between us.
Our financial planner, it turned out, had himself been in the military
for many years, and he had great suggestions on how to use all our many
benefits: We got a super low-rate loan, wrote up our will totally free,
and found out how to basically get our son’s college paid for. Yay!
So I wanted to pass on that benefit to all the military moms out there
(without the honking fee we paid, ouch!). If you have a money question,
send it in, and we’ll get Jim Ludwick, founder of MainStreet Financial Planning, which offices in Washington DC and in California, (and a former serviceman himself) to weigh in.
By the holidays, your finances will be ship-shape!
In the season of newsworthy remakes (Spike Jonze’s hipster ode to Where the Wild Things Are, Tim Burton’s forthcoming Alice in Wonderland) it's hard to know which films you’re supposed to be dragging the kids to, and which ones you’re supposed to steal away to watch by your nostalgic lonesome. Wes Anderson’s stop-action remake of the Roald Dahl book Fantastic Mr. Fox (now playing in select cities, opening nationwide on Thanksgiving) is the clear winner of this brood: its silly, imaginative, stylish world is for absolutely everyone.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney) spends his life outwitting 3 local farmers -- very different men who share an equal hate for Fox. A life of sinking his chops into live chicks dead-ends in domestication when he falls for Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep), swears off his life of daring-do, and becomes a newspaper columnist. Alas, animal nature is too strong: One night, he feeds the watchdogs laced blueberries, slides into the coop, and back into a familiar life of crime.
It's a real joy to see Anderson’s style expressed though animation, and every intricate detail has his stamp, from the retro corduroy suit dawned by a Mr. Fox to the smart bluegrass soundtrack. The take-homes are heartfelt, not mushy: Accept your family the way they are, know your true nature, and if you break into a grocery store, remember to do a little dancing before you leave.
Photo courtesy of us.penguingroup.com
Plus: Check out this clip featuring the song "Let Her Dance" from the Fantastic Mr. Fox soundtrack!
If you're among the 20 bajillion families headed to the airport this
holiday season, here's a little perk: Google has teamed up with 47
airports to bring you free wireless Internet access from November 16,
2009 – January 15, 2010.
Shawn: "Sure, it helps to know what a mucus plug is, but mostly guys need books that offers simple, streamlined, practical info that doesn't get bogged down with a lot of 'medical diagrams' or 'compound sentences.' Well have I got the book for you, Pops." Updated frequently.
