Grandma Says I Can!

The Juicebox Jungle has a new video up this week, entitled "Grandma Says I Can!" which is all about the relationship between our children and their grandparents. Many parents bite their tongues when it comes to the situations our parents or in-laws let our offspring get away with. They never let us get away with those same things when we were their age.

My mom and dad live thousands of miles away. My son's other grandma lives even further. So, needless to say, I pretty much accept the fact that their role will consist of some spoiling behavior and I just shake my head when I see my parents give my son chocolate in between meals.

My mom (aka Grandma Sylvie) continues to inspire me. She takes care of my nephews at least once a week and even survived an overnight with the 1-year-old.

She sent me some great quotes about being a grandparent and I suspect there's probably many more which she felt the need to filter out!

"Grandchildren: The only people who get more out of you than the IRS." - Gene Perret

"My grandchild has taught me what true love means. It means watching Scooby-Doo cartoons while the basketball game is on another channel." - Gene Perret

If you're a grandparent, please share your favorite quote with us. If you have a parent (or grandparent) in your life who can appreciate this, please pass it along. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for them!

Summer Vacation

School's out for the summer so last week was spent keeping busy with my son and enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather. Last Monday, we met Sugar Jones and her little sugar cubes and spent the day at Legoland!

The kids had a blast, although there were some rides that we had to skip since the lines were so long. One of the first rides the kids wanted to go on had a sign out front that read:

120 Minute Wait Time

There were people actually walking in to wait in this line and I couldn't believe it. I thought it had to be a joke, but I wasn't about to go stand in line to find out so we never did make it on the Sky Cruiser that day...

During our lunch break, my son studied the map so he could make sure we didn't miss out on the Indiana Jones ride that is his all-time favorite.

I don't recall seeing the sign out front about how long the wait was, but it felt like 45 minutes or so. Definitely worth the wait though. The boys had a blast shooting at the targets inside and Sugar nearly peed her pants when the "falling" building came close to us. She has some great video footage from that day so you'll have to visit her site to check it out.

Happy Mother's Day to Me

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I woke up (a bit hungover) to my son staring at me and asking me to play first thing in the morning. One of the first things I typically do when I get up, regardless of what day it is, is visit my Twitter account and Facebook to see what's been going on. I was surprised to see so many congratulatory notes and assumed people were congratulating me on my Front Page feature in the San Diego Union Tribune. But wait, how would people outside of San Diego know about that?

It wasn't until I saw the tweet from Totally_Toni of Just Stop Screaming, that I realized that my blog (yep, the one that you're reading right now) was listed in the Top 50 Power Moms list published by Nielsen! So, what exactly does this mean?

It means that the audience is listening, or reading to be exact. They're commenting, sharing links and passing along valuable information and resources that are shared on my site and those of the other moms on this list.

I couldn't be more honored to be listed with such influential and successful mommy bloggers. These are the women who I look forward to meeting in person at the upcoming BlogHer convention in Chicago.

Happy Healthy Hip Parenting was mentioned - or appeared - elsewhere over the last few days. Thanks to Keep It Classy Jen and Sugar Jones for putting together this awesome Mother's Day video:






Mammarazi Knows Best and San Diego Momma did a lovely re-cap of the San Diego Mom's Nite Out event that took place last Thursday night. If you're a San Diego mom or dad, you'll definitely want to join us on Thursday, May 21st for the 2nd Annual Happy Healthy Hip Parenting Party. It takes place at The Airport Lounge and each guest will receive a FREE drink ticket, half-price appetizers and be eligible for some GREAT giveaways provided by our many sponsors. I hope to see you there!

Orgasmic Birth

With a provocative title and in a city that boasts the highest percentage of births attended by a doula, Debra Pascali-Bonaro, a birthing assistant-turned-filmmaker, released Orgasmic Birth to an audience of over 500 people recently in Minneapolis.

Most of us associate childbirth with pain and discomfort. Debra's goal is to put a positive spin on the process of labor and hopefully, transform women's experience of it as well.

So what exactly does birth have to do with sex, other than the obvious fact that one follows from the other?

"The same hormone that we release in lovemaking is also released in childbirth and in breastfeeding — oxytocin," said doula Gail Tully. "It's a hormone that gives us a heightened perception, and it can take the edge off of pain."

Research suggests oxytocin is released when a woman feels safe and secure, when lights are dim, when there are few disturbances and there is quiet and privacy — not exactly the conditions in most hospitals.

In other words, the same conditions that are necessary for making love are necessary for having a baby.

The point of the film, says Pascali-Bonaro, is to show women, especially young women who have not yet given birth, an empowering image of birth that may certainly include pain but isn't about suffering.

Stephanie Johnson and her husband Andre Fischer of Minneapolis were at the screening.

"All I've been thinking of is that day of labor. I liked what someone said in the film, that pain of a contraction isn't a warning sign, something to get over. It's squeezing and embracing the baby."

Her husband, Andre Fischer, who has children from a previous relationship, was also moved by the film.

"I cried, because not all the other births of my children were like these," he said. "It was very emotional for me."

DVDs of Orgasmic Birth go on sale tomorrow, October 15th.

Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Sarah Palin & Hillary Clinton: Live from New York

Since NBC had this video removed from YouTube due to copyright issues, I feel the need to share it with those who were not able to watch Saturday Night Live last night.

I too agree that Sarah Palin looks just like Tina Fey so it's great to see her come back ato SNL to play the woman who stormed onto the political scene just weeks ago and keeps on surprising us.

Someone Needs a Time Out

I LOVE this commercial! I just saw it on TV for the first time (I hardly ever have the TV on) and immediately looked it up on YouTube.

The Redirecting Children's Behavior program that I am certified to teach does not endorse time outs, unless it's done like this!

Judging a Book By Its Cover

I was asked by a colleague to answer a few questions about on line dating for an upcoming article she's writing. It seems that since I'm one of the few single parents that is in this particular circle, I'm suddenly an "expert" on the subject.

For a very short while after my husband and I separated, I joined Match.com after a friend convinced me to put my profile on line. Not a good idea. I had to describe myself and what I was looking for in a potential partner. (Can I just say that if I couldn't get it right the first time, how in the heck was I supposed to know what I was looking for a second time? Or third? Or...)

I did not include a photo at first since I couldn't find one that I wanted to advertise to the world. But I soon learned that this was the only way I was going to get anyone interested in communicating with me.

A few men showed interest but once I saw their photo - I didn't even read their profile. I grew very disappointed with the prospects. A couple of men asked me to send them a photo. I did and, of course, never heard from them again.

Once my photo was on line I started to get a ridiculous number of emails from older men. And by older, I mean 15 or more years older. No, thank you. Needless to say, my on line profile did not last long.

I've dated a few men in the last year but only those that I first met in real life. What I forgot about the dating scene that is so wonderful is the physical aspect of it. And by that I mean eye contact, seeing his reaction to what I'm saying or how his voice changes when he talks to me. None of this could be done on line.

It's nice to be able to lean in close when talking and smell his cologne, hold his hand as we're walking next to each other or brush my lips gently against his as we say goodbye to one another.

The sparks that fly between two people are what makes dating so exciting. Regardless of whether we end up with someone temporarily or for an extended period of time, the truth is, we all enjoy a little affection and knowing that someone is interested in what we have to say.

On line dating is not for me, although I have heard of people who have had great success, fallen in love and are now married. Will they end up in the storybooks like the others who live happily ever after? Who knows?

What I do know is that I look forward to dating, to hold hands with someone who makes me laugh, who respects me, and who listens to what I have to say.

Thanks to Grandma J for sharing this adorable video!

Bite Marks

My 3.75-year-old son bit me this past weekend. Not that he's never done this before but this time he left a mark, a very large bite mark that has now turned into a major bruise. It turned black and blue instantly, but is currently an ugly yellow and is not looking as though it will begin to fade for quite some time.

As a newly Certified Parent Educator through the International Network of Families and Children (INCAF) I think it's only fitting that I start out this blog by saying that no one is perfect. Neither parent nor child are going to go through life without conflict and frustration. That would take away all of the fun, right?

I am a perfectionist, however, so my intention is to help other parents learn from my (plethora of) mistakes by using my own examples in the Redirecting Children's Behavior (RCB) 5-week course and individual workshops that are offered through my newly formed company (and the name of this blog), Happy Healthy Hip Parenting (HHH).

Somehow, I feel as though admitting to having made mistakes along the way will not only help ease my guilt, but to also provide an atmosphere where the participants in my course look to me as a peer and not someone standing in front of them telling them what to do or how to be a better parent. Because, after all, each child is unique and each situation will require a different solution. I am here to offer a supportive and open environment where parents learn new skills, learn from one another, and learn more about themselves and their children.

I also think this will help me to learn to laugh at myself more often because they say that laughter is the best medicine and I am all about self-medication! ;^)