Mama's Musings

Sittin' round

So I didn't just sit around this summer, although writing a book can make your fanny flatter than a pancake and wider than a waffle at Aunt Sarah's.

Here's the evidence. Enjoy!

All I want for my birthday

...are my two front teeth. Jackson lost his front teeth this month, and I swear I'm gonna miss that whistle when he says soccer once his adult teeth settle into the front of his face.

We celebrated his seventh birthday a little early. You see the fierceness on these boys' mugs? I hired two bodyguards to protect me for the three-hour (endless) fun. My husband and friend played the role well.

Welcome to the knight's of the round table, featuring the fearless, toothless Jackson!

Just Rewards

As you may know, I'm writing a book. No really. Another one. And it's with a major US publisher, which makes me smile, then frown as I realize I want it to be good. I mean really good.

Fragments of what's left of my brain are dripping from my keyboard. I've read terribly difficult academic papers that use Greek symbols to explain what only other scientists can understand. I've interviewed a dozen or more people, and I've continued to act as a PR consultant on various accounts.

I swear I'll never do another writing marathon again. Writing about our collective sense of urgency, and simultaneously experiencing it myself, has left me void of another creative thought.

And it's only chapter five. Of eleven.

Time for vacation.

Stretching the limits is a national pastime, or so it seems. Exactly how many coherent thoughts can I record before my head implodes? I'm not sure. All I know is it's only Wednesday.

The topic of my latest chapter is procrastination. To prove I'm not afflicted, I delved into the subject with such vigor that I must have left skidmarks on the tunnel I slid down before landing with a sonorous kerplunk at the bottom. 5000 words later I looked behind and saw nothing but a dust storm and felt a slow butt burn I'd wish on no one.

One tip for overcoming procrastination is to honor yourself with just rewards. Just one. more. section. then I can watch that made for TV movie...

What a ride!!

I want her life

"I want your life," I heard twice within two hours today. One came from my client whose dreams are big as they are beautiful. I'm supporting her to find a new path in the US.

The other came from my sister, whose phone call got abruptly cut off by my jealous fax machine after I had uttered the words, "I just came back from Austria..." It's as far as Water Country USA is to her. But it sounds exotic, after all.

Being gone for little over eighty hours was instructive. Although I had WLAN at the campground near our rented apartment, I checked in a few times to handhold a few media placements. Other than that, things hummed along beautifully without me. It's the second 'working vacation' I've taken in two weeks.

Next week, however, I will totally unplug, as promised in other posts. It's time for me to think about my book, my family, and most of all, my own sanity. Dog-earring books to research my own book and casually interviewing a few stray Italians don't really count as work, especially if I do it in my bikini. Not checking my email will be tough, but I know I can do it. I'm sure my inbox will implode before I return...

First Day Jitters at School

I know you don't want to admit it, but back-to-school fever has hit again. The lovely folks at AMACOM sent me this book, OVERCOMING SCHOOL ANXIETY: How to Help Your Child Deal with Separation, Tests, Homework, Bullies, Math Phobia and Other Worries by Diane Peter Mayer, MSW, along with some helpful hints to make back-to-school less stressful for kid and parent. It's also great to start thinking about how to prepare your child for any new situation so if your kids are older, there's still great advice to be had.

Ms. Mayer suggests:

• Have your child learn a new skill. Swimming, boating, a sport, foreign language, musical instrument, art class, knitting, cooking, acting, etc. —these pursuits increase self-worth, and classes help to build socialization skills.

• Curtail TV and computer time. Get your child engaged in educational interests and physical activity as much as possible.

• Enroll your child in a yoga or martial arts class. These activities teach breath control (diaphragmatic breathing), relaxation, discipline, build physical and emotional strength and confidence, all important for conquering anxiety. Think about joining your child in these activities.

• Create a family scrapbook or album of the things you do and places you visit during the summer. Include photos, souvenirs and mementos. Have each family member write down their experiences and thoughts relating to photos. This project will help children who are struggling with reading, writing, and spelling practice throughout the summer in a fun way.

• Visit the public library often for “story time” or other events. Take out books and movies. Start a summer reading program for the whole family and add an incentive—for example, if everyone in the family reads a combined total of so many books before school starts, the prize might be a special trip to an amusement park. When a book is finished the reader tells the family about the story. This builds verbal skills and is good practice for children who are anxious about speaking out loud in class. Read to your child or take turns reading books and poetry out loud as often as possible.

• Familiarize a child entering kindergarten or going to a new school about what their day will be like. Knowing what to expect will lessen or prevent first day anxiety. Drive your child to the school, visit if it is open during summer months, show your child the school website, explain in detail what school mornings will be like (especially for soon-to-be-kindergarteners). Reassure your child that you will be waiting at the school or bus stop to greet him. Remember structure and routine feel comforting and safe.

• Arrange play dates with a student a year ahead of your child at school. This may help to lessen first day jitters. Be sure that the older child likes school and can talk about the teachers your child will have and school work in a positive way.

• Have your child help you plan meals, shop for the food, and cook. Read cookbooks together, try new foods and seasonings. Your child will have to use reading and math skills when shopping and cooking (and it’s a great way to teach a child about healthy eating). A good game to play when you both shop for food is “Which is the better buy?” Teach your child how to calculate which is cheaper, for example, a large jar of tomato sauce or two smaller jars?

• Do crossword and suduko puzzles with your child.  Also, play card games such as Uno and Rummy—have your child keep score.

Women and their Synchronous Moments

You know I believe in synchronicity, that delicious melding of needs being met, the spark of the Divine when you least expect it. Just yesterday I was wondering about Meg Ryan. I hadn't seen her in a while so when I received an email today from the folks at Dove who are promoting her new movie, "The Women", I just knew it was the Universe ringing the synchronicity bell.

The more I learn about Dove's commitment to inner beauty, the more I love them. I mean really. Who doesn't want to look like Angelina Jolie? Heck, I'd even take her post-partum look. The woman has outer beauty and, judging from the photos in the magazine I just bought especially to take a gander at her newborn twins, she's got serious love for her kids, too.

Then there's the new film being released September 12th called "The Women", a remake from a 1939 Hollywood classic. The Women features an all-female cast of distinguished actresses, including Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler and Candice Bergen.

But here comes the cool part.

Dove has put together a short film called "The Women Behind the Women". I have to admit I find the making of films almost more intriguing than the film itself. It's the creative process, the jigsaw existence, and the vision every director and actor have. And now we get to take a spin in Meg's high heels to find out what she really looks like behind the scenes.

THE WOMEN BEHIND “THE WOMEN”

Dove worked with film director Diane English to create a short film called 'The Women Behind “The Women".' This short film follows 16-year-old teen journalist Cammy Nelson behind-the-scenes of The Women to learn, first-hand, how Hollywood creates the images we see on screen, highlighting the work and people involved in making a major motion film come to life.

Together, Diane English and Cammy Nelson created a short film that encourages women to challenge today’s beauty stereotypes, celebrates the opportunities for women to empower one another and explores the diverse definitions of beauty, shared through interviews with some of the cast and crew of The Women. "The Women Behind 'The Women' ” is available exclusively on Dove.com.

Here's what to expect if you visit Dove.com:

• View exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of The Women & The Women Behind “The Women”
• Read the Director’s Diary, written by Diane English
• Go Behind-the-Scenes with Dove teen journalist Cammy Nelson
• Download self-esteem building tools for girls, moms and mentors
• Enter for a chance to win a trip for you and a friend to the LA film premiere of The Women on September 4 (Sweepstakes ends 8/20. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.).
• Enter for a chance to win one of 100 pairs of movie tickets each day between 9/3 and 9/19 (No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.).

Let me know what you think. And keep believin' because synchronicity and inner beauty go hand in hand. Check it out for yourself. But beware. You may be changed forever when you do.

Fingerpainting 101 for Moms

After I complete my current book, I am seriously considering another one about names and how they influence who we are and what we do with our lives.

Take this book, Paint Can! Children's Rooms: Patterns & Projects for Colorful, Creative Spaces. The author's name is none other than Sunny Goode. And she has a trillion fantastic ideas on how to turn your kid's space into a wonderland with color. Her colors are, well, sunny, and her ideas are over the top good!

Sunny writes on page 5:

"Part of the fun (and challenge) of painting rooms for older children is involving them in the process. It is nice to know a child’s favorite colors, temperament, style, and so on. I try to find a happy balance between parents and children. Parents might appreciate that there’s a place to hang artwork or pictures from school. Kids love a border that makes them smile. I try to use patterns low on the walls when painting children’s room, since they appreciate a kid’s-eye view. Chalkboards and bulletin boards add utility to a room and are great for collecting photographs and messages from friends and relations. Personalizing the room in these ways does much to give a child a sense of belonging."

The book is broken down into various age groups. Obviously a newborn cares less about colors and design than your average nine-year-old. The book offers great ideas to get the kids involved, too. From stenciling to regular paint jobs, the book has some cool ideas that seem both manageable and non-threatening to the less than adept crowd like me.

This is more than just your average paint book, people. It's got a deeper meaning than that. Our living space is a reflection of who we are, just as our names are, too. Sunny's captured them in a doable 138 pages.

Wondering what to do on those final days of summer vacation? Put some sun in your lives and grab yourselves a copy of this one. You'll be glad you did.

Let the Games Begin!

Today's a cool day. It's all even like with all those eights. 08/08/08. Church bells rang today. Car horns honked. Cows lowed. People got married. And now the Olympics in China are starting. Between the intervals of my six-year-old's shouts "This is bo-ring!!!", we're actually enjoying the international athletic vibe. All those people who've worked towards a singular goal. It's bound to rub off on the rest of us.

Imagine the energy that stadium must contain. Even President Bush put his jacket back on despite the temps as the American delegation joined the floor. You can't help but feel pure joy at the amazing feats these people accomplish.

In an attempt to encourage my son, whose short-lived good mood after buying an Italian soccer shirt went south as he discovered the monotony of the opening ceremony, I told him he could be there one day.

"What!?" he screamed. "But, it's so boooooo-rrrrrring!!!!"

Hmmm....Let the games begin.

Foraging for Mushrooms

It's been the most surprising, delightful 24 hours I've had in a while. First, the seven hour train ride with my six-year-old flew by yesterday because we met the most entertaining actor couple in the second train who happened to take the third train with us, too. We laughed the whole way. Then this morning, after a late start (because I usually don't sleep with the shades down and when I do, boy howdy, I'm not gettin' up until someone knocks...), we went into the forest and rummaged about the moss and trees, looking for Pfifferlinge (bright yellow mushrooms that make even grown women like me yelp with delight just for the discovery!).

In between, I get to pretend I'm on vacation, typing away at blog posts and not worrying that my son is drowning at the local pool because he has three adult relatives with him who aren't me.

Yeah.

Life is good!

Fluoride Debate

As you can tell from the comments from my post Toddler Dental Health, fluoride is a controversial substance. August 7-11, 2008 the International Society of Fluoride Research is holding a conference in Toronto, Canada. According to ScientificBlogging.com:

"[...]the ISFR conference organizer Dr. Hardy Limeback [states], '“Our conference features experts who researched the dangers that fluoride poses to human health. Our keynote speaker, Dr. A.K. Susheela, (Executive Director, Fluorosis Research and Rural Development Foundation, India) probably knows more about fluoride's toxic effects to the body than any other living scientist. It is important that officials who promote water fluoridation hear what she and others have to say,' says Limeback. "

In Germany water is not fluoridated. In fact, pure fluoride is only available in drug stores. Knowing its dubious nature, we tend not to use it in its purest form. The blog post excerpted above goes on to say fluoride is in almost all non-organic foods. Yikes.

What are your thoughts about fluoride? We want to know!