IN THE NEWS - WAHM Talk Radio

Hello! I recently did an interview with Work at Home Moms Talk Radio. Kelly McCausey, the host of the show, and I talked about how Parents for Parents(TM) magazine came to be and what is like working for yourself. I had a blast doing the interview. If you would like to listen to or download the interview, go to http://www.wahmtalkradio.com. It is January 21, 2008 Show 211.

WAHM Talk Radio has excellent interviews every week with a mother entrepreneur and provides some great tips and support for people who want to work from home or own their own business.

IN THE NEWS - THE WINTER ISSUE IS HERE!

The Winter 07-08 issue of Parents for Parents™ is here! The Focus Topic is "Cure for Common Children's Ailment".

Check out www.ParentsforParentsMag.com to get a Sneak Peek inside the issue, to order a copy of the Winter issue (or annual subscriptions) and to find out what Newsstands carry the magazine in your area.

Thank you for your continuous and tremendous support!

TIP and IN THE NEWS - Sneaking pureed veggies into my kids' food

I saw Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica on Oprah show talking about her book Deceptively Delicious. The premise of the book is that you can hide pureed veggies in your kid’s favorite meals. Then the kids get the veggies they need and you feel better about what your kids are eating.

I have to admit this got me thinking about my own kids and how much vegetables they eat or I should say how much vegetable they don’t eat. Aside from potatoes and corn, they really don’t eat too many vegetables. This has been weighing somewhat heavy on my mind. When I give them vegetables, they pick them off the plate. Contrary to many people’s opinion, you really can’t make kids eat anything nor would I want to.

So the concept of pureeing vegetables and putting them in the kids’ meal made perfect sense! It made sense. My kids eat garlic, onion and other vegetables but only if they are cooked into their food like tomato pasta sauce where they don’t really notice all the vegetables. They eat broccoli but only if I chop them up really fine and putting it in their fried rice. Pureeing vegetables and “hiding” it in their favorite foods was just taking that next step.

So, I tried it. But I did it the “lazy” way, simpler way. I was not going to puree tons of vegetables and have numerous baggies in my refrigerator. I knew most of it would go to waste. I didn’t follow the recipes in the book, I simply added the pureed vegetables into foods I normally cooked. I pureed 2-3 vegetables of the same color (carrots and sweet potatoes or cauliflower and potatoes, etc.), put puree in a Tupperware container, and use that puree throughout the week. I mixed some into the hamburgers. I mixed some into mac and cheese. I mixed some into pancake mix. I mixed it into meatloaf. I was not going to try to add the puree to everything I cook I just added it whenever the color and the taste of the puree would not stand out too much. And it does work! The kids (my 7 year old and my 2 year old) eat everything right up. I think the puree even made some dishes taste BETTER.

As an aside, I did not really like the idea of “sneaking the puree in” as if I was “tricking” the kids. I just added puree into what I was cooking out in the open, in plain view. They did not even pay attention; they just assumed that it was just another ingredient. They probably assumed that their favorite dishes were always cooked that way.

Also, I did not buy the Deceptively Delicious book, because I found out that there was already a book out there called The Sneaky Chef. This book too was able pureeing vegetables and putting them in everyday dishes. I decided to buy this book instead. The best tip the book had was – if you don’t feel like pureeing vegetables or if you don’t have the time, then just use baby food. There are many jars of pureed vegetable baby food.

UPDATE:  July 23, 2012

I still put in a jar of baby food puree of sweet potato into the brownie mix. The brownies come out great.  My kids are now 12 and 7 and they do not notice the difference.  In fact, my 12 year old helps me make the brownies and puts in the jar of veggie puree into the mixing bowl himself!  He calls it "Mom's secret ingredient!"

IN THE NEWS - Surgery to get rid of pregnancy fat?

Now, I am not happy with my tummy flab after having two babies, but somehow surgeons packaging a set of plastic surgeries targeting mommies and calling them “mommy makeover” offends me. See the article link below from NY Times. These surgeons seem to think that mommies can't possibly be okay with their bodies after having babies. I have nothing against plastic surgeries and people who choose to get them, but packaging them to target mommies bothers me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/fashion/04skin.html?th&emc=th

What are your thoughts?

IN THE NEWS - Possible First Ladies in the Presidential Race

There is a great article in the Boston Globe newspaper with profiles of the wives, possible First Ladies, of the 2008 presidential candidates. It was interesting since we usually do not get a close look at them except to see them stand next to their husbands on a podium after a debate. The article did not have a profile of Bill Clinton assuming that we knew enough about them already.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/10/02/some_women_who_could_be_first_lady/

IN THE NEWS - Survey Participants Needed for Parents for Parents™ magazine

For the Parent Point of View section of the Parents for Parents™ magazine, we continuously conduct surveys to gain some insight into today's parenting world and to gather recommendations for other parents, especially for specific issue topics. In the last survey about "Finding Balance in Your Life", we received 640 respondents!

We are currently conducting a survey focusing on the Winter 2007 issue topic – "Cures for the Common Ailments" - over the counter medicines or natural remedies for colds, allergies, diaper rashes, etc. If you would like to participate in the survey to share what you currently do for your children's common ailments, please click on below link:

Parents for Parents™ Magazine Parent Survey Version 3.0 Winter Issue

You must be a parent to participate in the survey. All your responses will be anonymous and to thank you, we will email you a $5 Amazon.com gift certificate for completing this survey. Feel free to forward this email to other parents you know who may be interested in participating in this survey.

Thank you for your participation and contributing to our magazine –only with contributions from other parents, can this magazine truly meet the needs of today's parents!

OCTOBER 12TH UPDATE: THE SURVEY IS CLOSED. We discovered that there was an error in the survey service program. The survey did not close automatically as it was supposed to do when the first 100 people responded. Between September 28(the day the survey was created) to October 11, we had gotten 46 responses. Then, much to our shock, on Friday October 12th , more than 5,000 people responded in that one day! The survey service program did not notify them that the survey was closed after the first 100. It also appears that our survey had been listed on websites unrelated to parenting which had a much larger audience than we were are used to or were expecting which may have caused the incredibly high pike in response. We sent emails last night as soon as we discovered the malfunction in the program, notifying people who responded after the first 100 that their response will not be used in the results of the survey and that, unfortunately, we could not honor the $5 Amazon.com e-giftcard to the more than 5,000 unexpected respondents (we had planned for only 100). I sincerely apologize for this confusion and error! I will definitely make sure that this type situation never happens again!

IN THE NEWS, TIP - Best Diapers for Your Baby

Which diaper is best for your baby?

Accordingly to one of my favorite mags, ShopSmart from Consumer Reports magazine editors, after testing 7 diaper brands, they recommended the following:

“Top Pick”:
-Pampers Cruisers. They fit well and prevented leaks. About $37 per month’s use.

“Bargain Buys”:
-Pampers Baby Dry with Caterpillar Flex. Worked almost as well as Pampers Cruisers. About $29 per month’s use.
-White Cloud (from Wal-mart). Works well. About $29 per month’s use.

Pamper brands are available at most supermarkets and retail stores. White Cloud is available only at Wal-Mart.

Sneak Peek at the Fall 2007 Issue COVER!

Here is a sneak peek at our Fall 2007 issue COVER of Parents for Parents™ magazine:

IN THE NEWS - "Finding Balance in Your Life"

Here is an article that I wrote for the August/September edition of Boston Women's Journal about finding balance in our lives based on the survey results for the Point of View section for our Parents for Parents™ magazine.







A Mother of Two’s Guide Series – Finding Balance in Your Life
By SK Joun

Balance in life. We all want it, we all crave it, and we all know we should have it, but we all cannot seem to quite find it. Balance in life is elusive and diverse as happiness. Like happiness, levels of balance - and the areas of our lives where balance is most needed - are different for everyone. And just like happiness, balance is not something we have to find only once and it stays with us. Something new always comes along and knocks us off balance and if we are not careful, while we are not looking, it slips away a little bit at a time. For the upcoming fall issue of the Parents for Parents™ magazine (www.ParentsforParentsMag.com), we conducted a survey of parents from across the country on the topic of finding balance.

When the parents were asked, “Which ONE balance issue is the most critical to you and your family?”

• 49% said Balance between work and family.
• 31% said Balance between self and family.
• 9% said Balance between immediate family (household) and extended family (parents, siblings, uncles/aunts, in-laws).
• 7% Balance between their wishes/dreams/goals and their spouses/partners’ wishes/dreams/goals.
• 4% said Other.

Since balance between work and family was the most critical to families, we asked the parents for ways they find balance between work and family. Their techniques were diverse and some quite simple. Here is a sampling of those techniques:

Keep a clear line between work and family. Try not to bring extra work back home. Establish a good schedule for kids. Then parents have more control of time.

I changed my work schedule to get home one hour earlier, but go in one hour earlier, as well. I stopped wasting time at night when friends would call every night just to chat and now limit it to only one night a week. I just let my voice mail pick up and don't call them back until the one night I chose to chat. I stopped bringing work home from the office so I could spend more time in the evenings and at night with my son.

Plan ahead, know each other's calendar and distribute the task; hire a part-time sitter

Learning to say NO to things outside our family that are NOT a priority and being OK with it. Being organized so that we have more time to do family things ...having a family meeting so we know what the week looks like and don’t add in things and overwhelm the family or the mom.

During dinnertime, we turn off the TV and talk together (like what happened in school or how to spend this weekend). This way, we can spend family time. Also I am trying not to say I am tired ... because that makes kids worry about me.

Both parents share the household work; we don’t bring office tensions back home.

We pick 2 nights a week as family night and play board games or go for a walk or to the park. My husband and I take turns spending one on one time with the kids.

We all like to get in bed together and watch movies on the weekends, which is the only time my husband has off from work.

As the above tips suggest –sometimes the little things are the things make us feel balanced. Many little actions and steps get us to the greater goal of finding balance in our lives.

Sometimes the big changes that are needed for balance in our lives do not happen quickly enough or sometimes are not even feasible (like not working, finding a full time nanny or taking long vacations). We can still get some peace and some sense of balance by tweaking small parts of our lives or starting something new. For example, in some years of my corporate career, I was rarely able to complete projects. Most projects were either very complicated and took many years to finish. Some projects morphed into completely different projects. I was feeling “out of whack”, fragmented, and downright cranky! I needed an outlet for my need to finish something. One day, I saw some yarn at a craft store and remembered that I used to enjoy crocheting as a child. I eagerly bought three rolls of yarn and quickly completed a scarf for my husband and baby blankets for my children. I was not a good crotcheter, but I got immense satisfaction in planning a crochet project and then looking and touching the finished product! Every couple of weeks (or months depending on my need), I finished a crocheting project. Eventually after a few years, I took the big step and started my own business (the big change that was needed) but in the meantime, crocheting was an excellent method of appeasing one of my basic core needs – my desire to finish something!

Once I interviewed a work life coach, Teri Heard Ralbovsky, for a radio show. She stated that balance in life is NOT a scale where things are equal on each side. Since we cannot possibly find balance in every aspect of our lives, we should look at what is important to us based on our core desires and needs and then taking steps to satisfy them. When we are balanced in the area that is most important to us, then we are balanced overall.

Read more about “Finding Balance in Your Life” in the Fall issue of Parents for Parents™. The magazine is available on www.ParentsforParentsMag.com, www.magazines.com and many retail stores.
If you have tips or thoughts that you would like to share with other parents, visit www.ParentsforParentsMag.com and post your ideas. Remember, other parents are the best resources - they are the real "experts" on parenting!

IN THE NEWS - "Family-Leave Values"

According to this article, "Family-Leave Values" in the NY Times today, people are losing their jobs due to family leave issues. Amazing!

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/magazine/29discrimination-t.html?pagewanted=6&_r=1&th&adxnnl=0&emc=th&adxnnlx=1185804131-j1srVjT1XbXubC9VTPXohQ

IN THE NEWS - "The Anguish of a Part-Timer"

I saw this article in New York Times and thought it would sound very familiar to working mothers! The writer describes how she went part-time thinking that it would be easier, but it was not the case! She is going back to full-time!

Here is the link: http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E14F7345A0C768DDDAE0894DF404482

IN THE NEWS - Parent Survey for Parents for Parents™ magazine

Parents for Parents™ magazine is conducting a parent survey for the Fall 2007 issue. All participants who complete the survey will receive $5 Amazon.com e-gift certificate. All respondents will remain anonymous. The focus of the survey will be on "Finding Balance in Your Life."

Here is the link to the survey:

Parents for Parents™ Magazine Parent Survey Version 2.0 Fall Issue

Feel free to pass on the survey to other parents.

6/29/07 UPDATE. SURVEY CLOSED. TREMENDOUS RESPONSE - TARGET NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS MET. GO TO WWW.PARENTSFORPARENTSMAG.COM TO SIGN UP FOR FUTURE SURVEYS.

IN THE NEWS - Stay at Home Dad's Salary Less than Stay at Home Mom's Salary

I saw this article in the Boston Globe - stay at home Dad's salary is measured to be worth less than stay at home Mom's salary according to Salary.com. The link for the below article is:
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2007/06/dad_worth_10k_l.html?s_campaign=8299

IN THE NEWS - "Kids + Money"

New York Times featured "Kids & Money," a film by Lauren Greenfield.

It certainly opened my eyes and think about how and what to teach my children about money. Be sure to click on all the kids to hear the different perspectives. Here is the link:

http://nytimesshorts.feedroom.com/?fr_chl=5ffba501e74c858c758a3b94dfc38a4d706d9777&emc=th

IN THE NEWS - Best High Chairs

According to one of my favorite magazines - ShopSmart;) from the editors of Consumer Reports, in the Spring 2007 issue, after testing 19 high chairs, they recommended:

"Bargain Buy" Evenflo Expressions Plus $60. They said, "Why we like it: The price is right. It's also very stable and super easy to use. This high chair is one the most adjustable models we tested. Where to get it: Babies R Us, Target and on line."

Amazon.com also has it for $59.99 with free SUPER SAVER shipping:
Evenflo Expressions Plus High Chair

"The Hot Seat" Graco Contempo 3800 $100. They said, "Why we like it: It's very stable but folds up very nicely to fit tight spaces. Also, the seat has a five-point safety harness, reclines, and has six adjustable heights. Where to get it: Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Target, on line."

Amazon.com also has it for $99.99 with free SUPER SAVER shipping:
Graco Contempo High Chair - Graham

They did not like Mozzee Nest $570. They said, "The Mozzee Nest...looks groovy, but it doesn't meet voluntary safety standards because there's no integrated crotch restraint. So if you don't use the harness, your baby could slide under the tray and onto the floor. Also, the Mozzee, as well as the Svan Chair, $235, failed the forward-stability tests, which means they have a higher tip-over risk."

Good to know that higher prices do not always mean better!

IN THE NEWS - "Heavy TV Viewing Under 2 Is Found"

Here is an article from Boston Globe about how children under the age of 2 are watching lots of "educational" TV. The article can be found here:

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2007/05/27/heavy_tv_viewing_under_2_is_found?mode=PF

IN THE NEWS - "Disciplining Your Child"

Here is an article I wrote for the Boston Women's Journal for their June/July 2007 issue:





A Mother of Two’s Guide Series – Disciplining Your Child
By SK Joun

One area where all parents need additional information and support is disciplining your child. Few other topics tear at our emotions and our confidence as parents as disciplining. Our new parenting magazine called Parents for Parents™ magazine (www.ParentsforParentsMag.com) did a survey of parents from across the country on their disciplining practices.

In the survey, when parents were asked, “What behavior do you discipline your child (ren) for?” Many said for “not doing what you asked them to do”, “not listening”, “fighting with sibling”, “hitting” and “speaking in a disrespectful tone”. Some others were for “poor school performance”, “bad eating habits”, “behaving defiantly” and “breaking house rules.”

Many parents used similar disciplining methods: time-outs, taking away privileges (dessert, TV time, favorite toy, etc.) and spanking. Some parents were very creative in their disciplining methods:

• “If siblings fight, they must hold hands and complete a chore together (such as
cleaning their rooms).”
• “I have my oldest son write sentences.”
• “We mainly use positive reinforcement of good behaviors, a token economy system. Incorrect behaviors mostly results in loss of an opportunity to earn tokens.”

Many parents used other parents as resources for disciplining. They also used their own parents and friends as well as books and magazines. Among the books parents recommended to other parents on disciplining were:

• Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline
by Lisa Whelchel.
• Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care: 8th Edition
by Benjamin Spock.
• How to Behave So Your Children Will Too!
by Sal Severe Ph.D and Tim McCormick.
• Supernanny: How to Get the Best from Your Children
by Jo Frost.
• Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and
Reason by Alfie Kohn.

When parents were asked to write articles on their experiences and solutions to disciplining, the most common theme in the articles was to pick a disciplining method based on what you think will work best for you and your child. And pick one method. Trying too many different methods confuses the child being disciplined. Then be consistent with the disciplining method! Carry the method out – over and over and over and over (and over and over and over) each and every time an unacceptable behavior occurs. Continue the method even when it does not seem like it is working. Soon, you will know exactly what to do when your child “misbehaves” and the child will know exactly what will happen when he does. It is hard work, but of course, it is worth it. As one parent said her article, “Discipline…is like the foundation and framework of a house. Build a strong foundation with solid walls and your house will withstand the storms of life.”

If you have tips or thoughts that you would like to share with other parents, visit www.ParentsforParentsMag.com. Remember, other parents are the best resources - they are the real "experts" on parenting!

IN THE NEWS - Able to Freeze the Biological Clock? "A New Fertility Gamble for Women"

For those women and couples who are very concerned about their biological clock, there is the option of egg freezing. I always thought it was very sci-fi and not an option for right now. However, it turns out that many women are opting for it and it may be a viable option. Here is an interesting article from the Boston Globe about how women are freezing their eggs so that they can have babies later in life and the risks associated with it. The link to the article is http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/06/a_new_fertility_gamble_for_women/?page=2.

IN THE NEWS - "Mom's 2007 salary: $138K"

I think it is time all the stay-at-home moms got a raise!

Here is an interesting article from Boston Globe newspaper at this link: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2007/05/moms_2007_salar.html?s_campaign=8299

TIP, IN THE NEWS - Tools to Teach Children about Money

I am always on the lookout for ways to teach my children about money. I want them to know something beyond "money isn't everything" and "love is more important than money and things." I wanted to be able to teach them how to manage money.

I saw a piggy bank with three compartments for SAVE, SPEND,and CHARITY. I thought it was a great to way to start money conversations and teach my 6-year-old son about how money works, where it comes from, why we should save, when we should spend and how giving money can help other people.

It turns out that there are many type of these piggy banks. I found this site that goes thru them all:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CollegeandFamily/Raisekids/P100248.asp