How To ensure Summer Sanity With Boys

We all know that most boys have more energy than most girls.  But when the kids are in school, this fact is manageable…then the doors swing open and freedom rings! Summer has arrived and your boys are lose, excited and full of energy. What is a parent to do to preserve even the smallest bit of sanity?

First, there’s something good to be said for continuing the organization and structure you set forth during the school year, regardless of your son’s age. If you haven’t been structured or organized, then buck up and get started; remember your sanity’s at stake here. Read more

How to get your son excited about cooking (and eating) healthy

Did you know that children who learn to eat healthy early in life are more likely to continue good eating habits as they get older?

I’ve had friends who didn’t bother to try and feed their child anything beyond standard kid-fare because to them it was a losing battle they didn’t have the energy to fight. If this is you, you’re not alone.

One way to get your son excited about eating healthy is to involve him in the cooking process. Even at a young age, there are plenty of opportunities to help without making more of work than help for mom. Read more

Expert Mommies

Diane Asyre
Diane is a mom of three boys and a veteran communications consultant who has helped clients address human resources and communications issues for more than 20 years.  Her work has been recognized with more than 50 local, regional and national awards for communications excellence. More information about Diane’s work can be found at Asyre Communications.

Her interest in the arts led Diane to be a part of the production team for two Emmy-award winning documentaries: The World’s Greatest Fair, and The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America.  She is associate producer for Johnnie Be Good and co-producing another documentary about breakthrough medical research. She is a board member for Muse-St. Louis and a steering committee member for Youth In Need’s annual Celebration of Youth.

She lives in St. Louis with her husband, three sons and a dog that grew bigger than anyone expected. Diane enjoys comparing notes with other moms who work to maintain strong relationships – particularly those with tweens and teens.

Sarah Baker
Sarah is a mom of two young children. She is passionate about nurturing, equipping and empowering women (and men) as they are preparing to journey toward birth and parenthood. She has nearly completed her certification as a childbirth educator with Birth Works, Intl., a unique and holistic approach to childbirth education addressing the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of birth preparation, and will be teaching regular childbirth preparation classes in her hometown of St. Louis Missouri in 2010. In addition to the joys of mothering and homemaking, she has had a wide variety of experience in the medical field, including an internship with a certified nurse-midwife. Her foremost desire has always been to serve women during their childbearing years. She also writes at Delightful Pregnancy & Birth.

Swati Bharteey
Swati has been a single mom since 2003, post-divorce. She lives with her eight-year old daughter, a parakeet and a dog in Chicago. Swati worked in corporate America for twenty years, but left her job in 2009 to pursue a dream she’s had for ten years: to write a book!   The Single Mothers Chronicles shares real life stories from single moms with all sorts of backgrounds, all over the country. She is so thankful to be living her dream. She blogs at The Single Mothers Chronicles and also writes for Working Mother magazine.

Jennifer Burden
Jennifer Burden is Paramomal, a mother of one with a passion for creating. At 27 years old, she is starting to hear the noisy banging of her dreams trying to escape captivity and she is determined to navigate them safely and successfully from the confines of her mind and into the ‘real world.’ Sure, she could wait until conditions are perfect but she figures that, unless she only wants to make history as the oldest person recorded to have started a business, she better start now. She has several years of customer service experience and even a couple years of management experience as well. While those management positions didn’t contribute much in the way of creativity- she’s pretty sure the experience will come in handy.

Mary Jo Corcoran
Mary Jo Corcoran is a mom of two girls as well as having her Master’s in Education, specifically Early Childhood and Special Education with an emphasis on Parenting. With over 20 years experience woking with families in the public school system, her experience includes classroom teacher, parent educator and school administrator. Mary Jo was also a Regional and National Trainer for Parents As Teachers National Center in St. Louis. As a certified parent coach through the International Network for Children and Family, Mary Jo provides training to day care, preschool personnel and families all over the area.

Pam Dyson, MA, LPC
Pam is a mother of two adult children, a child development expert, a parenting coach and a licensed professional counselor. She offers play therapy for children ages 3-12 at her private practice in West St. Louis County Missouri. A former early childhood educator, she also serves as a consultant to teachers and other professionals and facilitates workshops throughout the Midwest. Pam shares parenting tips that focus on her no-nonsense approach to solving challenging parenting problems. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a member of the Association for Play Therapy.

Sherrie Eldridge
Sherrie Eldridge is a reunited adoptee and best-selling Random House author and motivational speaker. As an internationally-recognized expert in the adoption field and a certified Living from Your Strengths Coach, she encourages parents and adoptees to deepen their connections with one another and with God. Her book, Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew has more than 155,000 copies in print and is required reading by many adoption agencies.

Shellie Fidell, MSW, LCSW
Shellie is a mom to two as well as a psychotherapist in private practice with Women’s Healthcare Partnership in St. Louis Missouri.  Shellie specializes in Women’s Issues including postpartum adjustment, depression during pregnancy, pregnancy loss and panic and anxiety disorders.

Shellie’s quotes have been published in National Magazines such as Working Woman , Parents Magazine and Fit Pregnancy as well as St. Louis Women Magazine. You can also see Shellie the third Tuesday of each month on KMOV’s “Great Day St. Louis.”

Jen Hibbits
Jen turned to writing a blog as self-therapy for becoming a stay at home mom (SAHM) after a layoff last year.  Formerly, she’s made a career out of helping small companies ‘get their legs’ and give leaders’ big visions a running start.  She has worked in the leadership development, personal transformation and internet marketing worlds.  The biggest lesson learned has been communication in relationships (marriages or businesses) is key. You can find Jen in the San Diego area chasing after her boys (a 5 year old, a 2 year old, and her ever- loving and so patient Husband), kissing owwies, and listening to endless stories of race cars, trains and dinosaurs.  Living out loud and honestly, Jen blogs at NotJustAnotherJen.com and working on a number of writing projects to live the SAHM dream.  Jen has a passion for women’s communities, eating and cooking real food, drinking wine, healthy living, and soaking up the sun in the backyard or at the beach with friends and family.

Debbie Hipp
Debbie is the mom of three young children, two girls and a baby boy. Debbie has worked for TLC for KIds, the premier nanny placement agency in  St. Louis, Missouri, for a decade. Debbie and TLC for Kids have now taken their expertise and developed a new national online childcare company, Find The Best Nanny. Find The Best Nanny is a web based nanny agency dedicated to educating parents on how to safely search, screen and hire their own babysitters and nannies. It is the only web based agency that requires both families and sitters to adhere to “Safety First” guidelines.

Catherine Horgan
Catherine is a mom to two as well as a full-time Stylologist. Her love affair with everything stylish began twelve years ago and now, she frequently travels to meet with fashion and beauty designers, in addition to holding events on how to achieve a head-to-toe look for each season. She is Editor in Chief of the popular blog, [my] style files keeping those who want to be ‘in the know’ on top of the latest and greatest finds. She tests products on a daily basis and is known in the industry for her meticulous attention to detail. Catherine has been featured on Fox News Rising for Wardrobe Wednesday, The Cooper Lawrence Show for Fashion Friday and she is a member and editor of the Association of Image Consultants International.

Dr. Tim Jordan, M.D. and Anne Jordan, R.N.
Tim and Anne have raised three children. Together they own Children and Families Incorporated. Tim and Ann are both recognized parenting experts, international speakers, counselors, and authors. authors and business leaders, school groups or people who work in agencies with families. They have spoken to many, many school districts and individual schools as well as Young President Organization (YPO) and Entrepreneur Organization (EO). They especially enjoy retreat and seminar type of presentations that can be more intimate and personal.

Melissa Jennings
Melissa taught Family and Consumer Science on the high school level for 11 years and has a Masters in Education. In June 2005 after her son came home from Guatemala, she made the decision to leave her career’s and become a SAHM.  She loves organization, gardening, going green, cooking, menu planning and everything organic.  You can join her on the journey to frugal living as she uses coupons to build her stockpile and live a debt free life at her site Stockpiling Moms’ Guide to Frugal Living.

Claire Keeling
Claire Keeling is mommy to a girl and a boy and the founder of Sort It Out, Inc., which she established in 2004 because of a growing demand for organization and efficiency expertise in the corporate world. Claire is certified in both the Clear & SIMPLE and FreedomFiler systems. She is the Marketing Chair for the St. Louis Affiliate of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. Claire is also involved with the American Club Association and Women Incorporated Master Mind Group. Claire has been featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Suburban Journa, on the three St. Louis morning television news shows, Channel 2, 4 and 5, as well as KMOX radio and appears every monday on Great Day St. Louis.

Dr. Elizabeth Laffey, M.D.
A graduate of the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine, Dr. Laffey has serves as assistant professor of medicine at St. Louis University and is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She has more than eight years of experience from the delivery room to the emergency room and all points in between. She works collaboratively with other health care providers, including chiropractors, physical therapists and acupuncturists. Dr. Laffey and her innovative concierge medical practice have been featured in St. Louis Magazine, the St. Louis Business Journal, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch among other publications. She has authored chapters for The Essentials of Family Practice and her research has been presented internationally.

Toni Langdon
Toni is a passionate and inspired SAHM living in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, PA.  She is the owner of Simply Siena, a website designed for moms who wish to keep life simple so they can enjoy the moments with their families.  After attaining her bachelors degree in 2000, Toni’s experience ranges from working in a brain injury rehabilitation center to working as a nanny and anything and everything in between. In addition, Toni earned a black belt in Martial Arts and continues to apply this experience and knowledge of martial arts to parenthood.  Don’t let her fool you, as serious as she sounds, Toni makes parenting fun with many games, tips, and fun ideas that help keep the whole family enjoying the moments!

Renee Martinez
As the mother of four boys (ages 9, 6, 3 and 1 months), Renee kept getting comments from people like, “Wow. Four boys. You must be busy!” or “Four boys! You’re life must be crazy! How can you handle it?!” So she started her website, www.raisingboysworld.com that provides information on how to raise boys to be responsible, respectful and confident members of society. “I wanted to create a forum for people with boys who need help as well as for people who really want a community with similar experiences. A place where we can gather and share information that might in someway help create a voice for moms struggling with issues associated with raising boys.”

Jennifer Moore, RN, MS, BSN
Jennifer is the owner of Pink Heels™ a successful career and business coaching company that assists women to follow their passion through personal and professional development. Jennifer is also a yoga instructor, college professor for nursing, health policy, and business students, volunteers as a Maternal Child Health nurse, and is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Michigan.  More information can be found about Pink Heels™ and Jennifer Moore at www.Pink-Heels.com. Jennifer contributes career articles and exclusive health tips in our weekly newsletter.

Margee Moore
Margee is an advertising copywriter, syndicated columnist and mother of two. Her collection of humorous narrative, Sleeping with the Laundry: Notes from the Mommy Track is now available as an iPhone application on the apple store. Buy it and she’ll be your friend forever!

Cara Natterson, M.D.
Dr. Natterson is a mom of two as well as having treated thousands of children in private practice. She is the author of three books: Your Newborn: Head-to-Toe; Your Toddler: Head-to-Toe; and Dangerous or Safe?.

She has appeared as a pediatric and parenting expert on television shows like Today and CNN, and has contributed to Cookie Magazine, MomLogic.com, ParentsAsk.com and GuruMommy.com. Doctor Natterson’s blogs appear on Intent.com and HuffingtonPost.com. A graduate of Harvard College and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Natterson is a Board certified pediatrician and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

Dina-Marie Oswald, RN
Finding her joy in being a stay at home mom, Dina-Marie left the medical profession  to be a full-time mother. Now, ten children later, Dina-Marie offers practical insights and experiences in the areas of frugal living, parenting, recipes, home education, and humorous moments from a large family at Dimes2Vines. She and her husband, John, have been married for 25 years and have 10 children and 3 grandchildren. With children ranging in age from 24 years – 13 mths, Dina-Marie is well versed in the challenges associated with the various stages of child-rearing.

Moving from the secure life in Alabama (with paycheck) to the exciting life of starting a vineyard in Texas (no paycheck yet) has given Dina-Marie the opportunity to take a crash course in frugality.

Sophia L. Pierroutsakos, Ph.D.
Sophia is a developmental psychologist, speaker, and author.  She is a graduate of Washington University and the University of Illinois and a professor at St. Louis Community College, at Meramec, teaching courses in Child and General Psychology and Parenting across Cultures.  She has conducted research and published scientific articles in the area of infants’ and young children’s developing thinking skills, including what and how children learn about pictures, video images and television, and other kinds of symbols.  She speaks on a variety of topics, including how to foster a lifelong love of learning and how working parents can make daily life more manageable and more enjoyable.  She loves talking to parents and educators, translating the latest child development research into valuable suggestions and strategies.

Dr. Pierroutsakos lives in Kirkwood, is married and has two daughters, a 7-year-old and a 7-month-old, so these questions have become much more personally relevant!  She is now even more passionate about continuing to speak and write about how to encourage healthy development, starting in infancy, and starting at home.

Colleen M. Stratton, B.A., B.S., D.C., C.A.C.C.P.
Colleen is a mom of three. She is a Certified Chiropractor with her own practice at Stratton Chiropractic and Family Health Center. She specializes in the care of expectant moms, infants, babies and children. She is certified by the Academy of Chiropractic Family Practice Council in Chiropractic Pediatrics. She has a degree in biology, a post-doctorate certificate in acupuncture, and studied pharmacology and toxicology. Dr. Stratton is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Illinois Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.

Carrie Silver-Stock, , M.S.W., L.C.S.W
Carrie is the founder of Girls With Dreams, a community where girls discover their power, passion and dreams. She is passionate about inspiring teen girls to help them find their own way. As a former radio talk show host, speaker, social worker and life coach, she has advocated for young people for more than 15 years. She is also the author of Secrets Girls Keep.

Her first book, The Powder Box Secrets, won several awards, including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award. Health Communications, Inc. will release Silver-Stock’s newest book, Secrets Girls Keep: What Girls Hide (& Why) and How to Break the Stress of Silence, in November 2009.

Michaela Turner, BS Ed, CYKT, YKT, Co-Founder Yogi Parenting
Michaela is a 30 year veteran educator and a Certified YogaKids Teacher and Trainer. She teaches yoga baby and yoga kids classes for children throughout St. Louis, Missouri. As the Co-founder of Yogi Parenting, Michaela offers positive parenting coaching and seminars nationally, blending her joy for yoga with her love for children.

Julie Sprouse Verleger
Not only does she love to be organized, she love to help others organize their homes, offices and lives. Julie was an art major in college and worked in the furniture industry for many years. With a busy life and three children under the age of four, Julie took time off of work to focus on her family. She took some of her own advice, regrouped, reorganized her life and in 2002 Organized Home Inc was born! Now, Julie helps women integrate organization into their lives on her Blog Talk Radio show. Julie is excited to offer moms practical and inspired organizational tips that are easy, fun and work so they can focus on what really matters… their families. You can find Julie at www.organizedhomeinc.com and www.juliesprouseverleger.com

How to Make New Friends

When it comes to knowing how to make new friends, my kids are the gurus. I’ve watched them for years now on the playground… “Hi! Do you want to be my friend?” So when I went to a conference in Vegas last weekend, courtesy of my new blogger friend Corrin and IZEA, it was that image that I held in my mind. At first, I was a little daunted by the fact that I didn’t expect to know a soul there but I reminded myself that it was going to be one giant playground. I was going to meet so many friends… I just didn’t know who they were… yet! Read more