I’ve got a few new articles out…

First, my Good Housekeeping article on getting kids to play outside is now on the website.

Second, I wrote about kids with life-threatening allergies (and the hostile responses parents and schools sometimes get when they try to accomodate them) for my column in the Greenville Link:

Third, this month’s issue of Pregnancy magazine features an article of mine about “pregnancy obsession” and how you can protect yourself from information overload. The article also features quotes from Devra Renner of Parentopia.

Hopefully I will have something more interesting to share soon! This weather, it’s making me happy but numbing my brain.

Having trouble getting your kids to play outside this summer? Check out the July issue of Good Housekeeping magazine for my article “Run Outside And Play” on page 85.

Nikki won the drawing for a free copy of THE BABY BONDING BOOK FOR DADSby Jennifer Margulis and James di Properzio, a beautiful book with inspiring and accessible advice helping fathers form a connection with their babies, and coffee-table-quality photography. Congrats Nikki, and I hope your husband loves the book!

To celebrate Father’s Day, I’m giving away a signed copy of THE BABY BONDING BOOK FOR DADS, by authors and husband-wife team James di Properzio and Jennifer Margulis and featuring gorgeous black-and-white photography like this:

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me a little about the special dad or dad-to-be in your life. Winners will be chosen at random after 5 PM on Wednesday, June 11–THAT’S TODAY!–and be sure to include a way I can reach you (e-mail is fine). We may even be able to arrange delivery in time for Father’s Day.

Read on for my interview with Jennifer and James, to find out more about their thoughts on dads, babies, and bonding. read more

I have a post up over on Yahoo’s Shine! about my (finally, successful!) search for a non-clunky, smooth-riding double stroller.

When I was ten years old, I chased a grown woman six blocks (she on bike, me on foot), then demanded she give me back my (stolen) bicycle. I did this not because I was a particularly brave or confrontational or athletic kid (nope, nope, and NOPE) but because there was no way my parents were going to get me a new bike just because I’d been dumb enough to leave mine laying in the driveway. I don’t see a lot of similar appreciation for things in my own kids, and it bugs me. Read my post at Chicago Moms Blog for the whole story!

I’ve got a guest post about the importance of mom friendships over at New Mom Central. Check it out!

Isn’t it funny how you forget what “HOT” really feels like? (Kind of like how you forget what labor really feels like until you have that first “fo’ real” contraction and you say “Ohhh, yeah. THIS again.”) Here in Chicago, today was the first bona fide HOT day of the 08 spring/summer season. This morning it was only about 63; now it’s 86 and feeling hotter by the minute. I just took a shower, and my hair is drying curly in the heat (hey, it’s actually not looking half bad, either…). The boys have a couple of friends over, and they’re sitting on the back deck yakking about God knows what (I can’t understand their language half the time). The windows and doors are open and there’s a nice breeze blowing through the dining room. And I just went into the fridge and was reminded that my dear husband made Jello Jigglers before going to bed last night.

jello jigglers, glistening in the sunlight

Life is good.

I went to the boys’ end-of-year school awards ceremony today, which was a) long and b) long and c) punctuated by my wiggling toddler yelling “WANT TO HEAR CHICKEN SONG!” (his name for Weird Al’s latest “Polkarama” medley). When it comes to this kind of thing, I’m rebellious at heart, and honestly I find the whole awards-ceremony-for-elementary-school-kids thing a little overblown, but all in all the ceremony was pretty cute and at least made an effort to be inclusive. In the lowest grades, every kid got a certificate, which was nice. In the upper grades, all the kids seemed to get something in the end, but the actual awards were a bit more competitive.

As for my family? No kid went away empty-handed, but only one of their awards seemed to be based on an actual achievement–the Major Mathematics award, granted to my second-grader, AKA the family acheiver.

The other two?

William, who’s four, was part of the class where every kid got a certificate. For something, no matter how, well, nothing it was. In his case, the certificate read “This Certifies That __’my favorite part of school is when I get to go home’__”

Very true. A joiner he is not. Nor, apparently, a lover of school. His teacher has a good sense of humor.

Jacob, who’s in fourth grade, got an honorable mention in the “Brought most Box Tops for Education to School” contest. (I think he was fourth. His entire class consists of about 10 kids). The funniest thing? His grandmother actually collected those and put them into his backpack with a note reminding him to turn them in. Jacob had almost nothing to do with it, beside unzipping his backpack that day.

It may not have been a hard-won victory, but Jacob was thrilled with his award trinket. And our family left together, a happy and victorious bunch.

We may not be actual winners around here, darnit, but at least we’re easy to please.