Welcome to EverythingMom.com {Community}

If you're a mom you know all about the trials and tribulations of trying to feed your family. Kathy Buckworth's latest book Shut Up and Eat is a humorous look at family meal time. Checkout our review and find out how you can win a copy, plus a copy of her earlier book, The Blackberry Diaries.

Does anyone watch this show? I'm a little interested in how it might turn out, with Kate Gosselin on it (now that we can't chat about Jon and Kate Plus 8 anymore, lol!)

Oh wait, how was Disneyland?

I'm feeling a bit tired. I think there will be earlier bedtimes all around, tonight.

Oh, MY! I must have had some difficulty that day and my links weren't working. Arg!

I'm on it.

whoops! I'll see if I can find it again. Sorry about that!

Oooh! That sounds like fun!

I love lemons. After I got some great advice here about cleaning my windows, I did a little looking online and found this great article about cleaning with lemons. Has anyone tried it?

I'd love to be able to clean with more natural cleaners than the harsh chemically stuff that's out there.

Did anyone see the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies? I didn't see them but I heard they were good. Is anyone going to any of the games? I think it would be a lot of fun and it's not nearly as expensive as the Olympic games were.

Dish!

When Jake was little I used to hate the time changes-they almost always completely threw him off schedule. How do you cope? Do you find yourself being cranky and tired?

I'm going to bed early tonight (ha-ha!)

I've worked in schools for years, and this kind of thing never fails to really creep me out.

Why do teachers do this? I really don't understand. I work with teens myself, and as a mom to a 14 year old it just skeeves me out. This woman was so pretty, young, three kids, married...*sigh*

Wow.

That's the case with mine as well. As much as I always wanted Jake to have a relationship with his grandparents, I had to realize that it wasn't my job. They are adults, and they need to be responsible for their own relationship with their grandson. Kids pick up on tension in families and if grandparents are continually putting them in a tight spot, they feel it.

The clothes were not affected by the gum going through the washer and dryer. Good thing!

I work at a toy store and yes, Michael55 makes some valid points, but in my experience parents are always the best judges of what toys will work for their kids. I'm not sure anyone really needs to read reviews on toys before they buy. (as if they have time!) Many can just ask the staff what's popular, and we can tell you! Also staff can tell you what's hot, where things are manufactured, and more.

Usually it's the grandparents or people who don't have children who have trouble and require more guidance.

Sometimes it's very tempting to tell parents to just pull out some cardboard boxes, tupperware, and things that are around the house. Babies don't need a pile of toys. In fact, they just need their parents time and attention.

every other day

Just answer his questions. You could use a book geared at his age group as a guide if you want. I kept it very factual and scientific with Jake. We talked about how the Dad and the Mom both have special cells (the Dad's are called sperm, the Mom's are called eggs) and how together they make a baby. The Dad puts the sperm in the Mom and that's how a baby is made. We talked about how his 'parts' worked, and always used the right words for both boy and girl 'parts'.

It's been an ongoing discussion, as Jake has come back with more questions as time goes on.

Hey stick around, not everyone has young kids! I have a 14 year old but I was a foster parent to many kids who are grown and have their own kids now. Welcome to Everything Mom!

One thing that people need to remember too is that you aren't responsible to ensure that your kids love their grandparents. It is their job to build a relationship with the kids, and if they can't rise to the challenge, then it's their problem, not yours.

For years I just let things slide with my parents, pretty much thinking the same way Atula's husband does. What's a week? But then we began to dread the visits, I began feeling frustrated and angry when they were visiting, and annoyed afterwards. It really affected our relationship. Talking to them doesn't have to be a big confrontation-just let them know how you feel and work out some ground rules for when they visit.

They need to know that putting a child in that position actually harms their relationship with them. Your husband needs to realize this too-perhaps he's a bit worried about confrontation as well?

yes, started