NorthPiedmontMommies

Crafty Kids: DIY Shaving Cream Paint Creations #crafts #kids

2014-08-20T15:17:00.001-04:00

Crafty Kids: DIY Shaving Cream Paint Creations

Rheney Williams-Guest Blogger

For moms who grew up in the '80s like I did, you'll probably remember those spinning art toys that let you create splashes and spiral smears of paint. You know – there was a spinning platform with paper exposed underneath, you dropped dots of paint into the middle and the spinning motion and centrifugal force pulled the paint out to the edges of the circle and you were left with these crazy, tie-died-looking paintings?

Although the toys have changed over the years, a kid's (and kids at heart!) basic desire to see swirls of paint and crazy combinations of colors hasn't. And an old-school product is making new spiral innovations possible: Shaving cream! All you need are a few basic supplies and you and your kids can have hours of creative and colorful fun with a beautiful piece of artwork to show for it at the end of the day.

Gather the materials for your shaving cream paint projects. You'll need:

Foam Shaving Cream (not the gel)
Paints in an assortment of colors
Heavy card stock or construction paper
Spatula or ruler
Skewer or little fingers!
Large cookie sheet or use smaller individual trays, one for each child

Tip: To make clean-up a breeze (and avoid having to buy a disposable tray), line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil first. Then all you have to do is remove the foil and you're done!

1. Spray a few lines of shaving cream onto the sheet and use the spatula or ruler to spread out the shaving cream flat and in a square or rectangle about the size of the paper.

2. Add a few random dots of paint or food coloring around the shaving cream palette.

Tip: If you have leftover paint samples from the last time you painted a room, this is a great way to use those and ensure whatever masterpiece your kids come up with coordinates with the space!

3. Use the skewer to make swirls with the paint in free-flowing circles or waves and if you have little kids, just let them go nuts with their fingers.

4. Place the paper into the shaving cream with the right-side facing down so that when you pull the paper off, the paint is on the correct side.

5. Gently push the paper into the shaving cream so that all surfaces touch and allow it to sit for about 10 seconds before carefully peeling the paper off of the shaving cream.

6. Place the paper on a flat surface (in my case, I had another foil-lined sheet pan at the ready) and carefully scrape all of the shaving cream off of the paper to reveal the magical marbling below!

7. Set the paper aside to dry thoroughly and if the edges start to curl, place a glass or other heavy object on the corners to keep them down during drying.

From here, take some time to admire your work and see what imaginative images your kids can find! Can you spot the hidden smiley face that appeared in my swirls? In addition to your classic refrigerator pin-up, here are some other creative uses for your pint-sized Picasso's masterpiece:

Make DIY bookmarks to give as Christmas gifts to the readers you love
Use the brown paper bags from the grocery store in your shaving cream paint project and have unique book covers for school next year
Frame it so you always have a custom piece of art in your office or work space
A DIY puzzle: Cut it into a bunch of different pieces that your kids can put back together and learn about how shapes and patterns relate to each other

What other cool things can you and your kids come up with for shaving cream paint creations?

Rheney Williams is a prolific crafter with a background in theatre arts. Besides writing about projects for Home Depot, Rheney is currently putting her DIY expertise to work by remodeling her first home and experimenting with colors and textures in her home decor.

Amazon.com Widgets

Are you a Business Owner? Now Sponsorship is easier (and cheaper) than ever!!!!

2014-07-16T20:49:00.001-04:00

Every day, moms across the country are logging into their chapter of The Mommies Network, thanks in part to the support that we get from our sponsors... and our moms are returning the favor by finding out more about those businesses that support their chapter.

That could be you! Sponsorship is a really inexpensive option to marketing, and this week, it's even more affordable.

Now until July 23rd, we are offering 50% all Forum Sponsorship spots with a graphic and text. For as little as $10-$125, your business can be in front of our members for a whole year!!!!

And, we try to make it really easy for you.

Simply Click Here and select the 50% Forum Sponsorship Option. From there, select your chapter and how many spots you want and fill out all of the other information and your discount is instantly applied. Or, you can look around to see if one of our other options works better for you!

After submitting your sponsorship, you'll be taken to a secure PayPal page, and with that complete, we will have your sponsorship up and running within 24 hours!!

An entire year of presentation to our members for as little as $10.... how can you NOT afford to!

Click Here to order your sponsorship today.

WANNA CHANGE YOUR USERNAME? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!!!!!

2014-05-29T13:02:00.001-04:00

We are in the last 48 hours of the Mommies Network May is for Mothers, and we are upping the perks for you to donate!!!

If you make a $25 donation before 11:59pm on May 31st, you can change your username by simply forwarding your donation receipt to heather@themommiesnetwork.org!

Yeah- it's really that easy!!!

Visit http://themommiesnetwork.causevox.com to make your donation right now!!!

Are you part of the 99%?

2014-05-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

How would you feel if I told you that less than 1% of the people around you cared about what you need?

Far too often, we feel the impact of standing alone and just wish that someone else would stand there with us, knowing that the journey would not be so hard if we just had a few extra people to help us along the way. This is apathy, and it's a big problem. I bet this is something you have experienced in your life. However, when the shoe is on the other foot and something out there in the world needs us, we tend to pass it right by.

The Mommies Network has over 20,000 members... moms who come to us for help and support and community. 20,000 moms just like you. Last year, less than 350 of those members donated to The Mommies Network during our May is for Mothers campaign. Look around you- do you think that only 350 of our members need support and community and the other 19,650 don't? And which one of those are you?

When we look at our chapters, that is not what we see. We see moms logging in day after day, sometimes 20 or 30 times a day. What we see is that almost all 20,000 of those members do need us and do use us, but that less than 1% of our membership helping burden the cost of the other 99% of us. Less than 1% of us are committed to what you need.

Forget the money, because it's not about the money. It's about apathy. The indifference of saying 'I don't need to do anything because someone else will take care of it and I'll still get what I need'. Do any of us really want to be that person?

Are you satisfied knowing that select few people are more invested in your support than you are?

This week, the conversation we are having on the forums is asking our members to make a commitment. We are asking one simple question:

"What will you do to make your community better?"

It doesn't have to be money! There are dozens of ways you can help... little things like signing up for Amazon Smiles and giving 0.5% of your purchases back to The Mommies Network, or asking a friend to join so that our community of support gets bigger, going to an event that one of our volunteers worked hard to provide to you, or even just not passing by a post without saying something.

Or you can give a few bucks and know for the next year that you were not a part of the 99% being cared for by 1%, if for not other reason than to know that a community cannot sustain itself like that and you know you use and need that community.

Give today so you can receive tomorrow.

Get Support. Give Support. The Mommies Network.

I Don't Like Mothers Day

2014-05-06T10:44:00.001-04:00

Let me tell you why.

I don't want to sound ungrateful- I really don't! But, I could do without the store bought card. Flowers are always nice, but they will wilt ( and guess who is going to have to throw them out and wash out the gunky water from the vase?)

Honestly, one day a year, a $5 card and overpriced flowers do not make this job any easier. I'd rather get something I know that I need. Something that actually makes motherhood a little easier. Something that is personal. Something I use the whole year!

This year, I am asking the people I love to give me a community of friends and people who understand me. This year, I'm just asking the people who love me to skip the card and the flowers and make a donation to The Mommies Network instead.

The Mommies Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which means that it can't continue to bring FREE support to moms without help.

It's super easy and takes just a second! Just click on the image you would prefer below and you can post it right to your Facebook Wall. Tag the people you know will be sending you a card and ask for this instead! Best of all, you actually are saving time (and money) of those people you love, because this takes just a minute. We will even be send out a personalized E-Card to you on Mothers Day to let you know that person has made a donation in your honor.

Give up the Mommy Myth that you can't ask for what you need, and tell the people that love you to skip the card... you'd prefer a circle of friends this Mothers Day!

Click here to Share this image on your Facebook Wall

Tales from our Supermoms

2014-05-03T11:41:00.001-04:00

Over the past two days, we asked for our moms to share their Mommy Myths, and the response has been overwhelming! Here are a just a few*...

" I had to learn it's okay to ask for help... My mom was very sick several years ago and was in and out of the hospital.... between taking care of my mom, going back and forth to the hospital... trying to keep some sort of normalcy for my family.... Dinner, homework, etc, I almost lost it. I felt like the world was on my shoulders and I was a moment away from losing it.

Thankfully several friends from this site would just send little notes of encouragement, offers to help with the kids, etc. I wouldn't have made it without them. I tear up just typing this because I will never be able to repay them for what they did during that time...."

"I'm not one who's afraid to lay it on the line.... For some reason however, it took me longer than usual to talk about (some) issues. I finally opened up last week and boy am I glad I did! It was like a weight was lifted. I don't want to talk about it on FB .... but I knew here I'd be safe. I got a ton of support and a wealth of information I would've had no clue about otherwise. I feel a lot better about my situation and I feel like I'm able to move forward not only more educated but also supported which means the world."

"When I started back at work after having my first daughter, I really depended on the MOTC forum for major support. I remember the feeling of missing the baby were so strong I felt like someone was ripping my heart strings out! I cried my first day back. The first few weeks were the hardest, and I went to the forum often for encouragement, understanding, advice, tips on how to balance working and being a new mom. It was so fantastic to get connected with other moms who knew exactly what I was feeling."

"I was talking to my MIL last night on the phone, and she asked me how I was coping... I said "Well, I am managing to feed the kids and keep them fairly clean, so we're doing okay." and she said "Well, I see you post smiling, happy pictures on FB and just think you are doing fine,....

Which is exactly why BM helps me. I don't post this stuff on FB because I don't want the whole world to know, but I can come here and talk, vent, ask for advice etc. I know that people here, other moms going through similar things will understand and give me support.

That's really such an amazing thing TMN provides, for their members to get and give support, for FREE! "

This is what just a few of our moms are saying when they are telling us why they need their chapter. We are not social media! We are a place where moms find support when the rest of the world expects them to just deal with what life throws at them. But we cannot do it alone.. just like these moms cannot do it alone.

We give this to our members for free because we don't believe that moms should have to pay to get this kind of support... but that doesn't mean that that it's cost free for us to provide it. We have moms who can't donate... and we understand that. We also have moms who already give their time to our organization, and we do not want to ask them to give more... they make your support possible! If you can give, give for yourself and another mom. Your donation means that these moms and tens of thousands of moms just like them can come here tomorrow and get the support they need!


Click here to donate now!

* Some of the details have been changed to protect the identity of our members and have been used with the permission of those members Our mission: To provide a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, mothers and community leaders.

Lessons from a Stressed-Out Mommy!

2014-05-01T00:04:00.001-04:00

I've had it. The smile has disappeared from my face and I am in a twisty-twirly spiral of self-doubt and the words echo through my brain like a mantra I know too well.

I can't do it all....

Those aren't the words of the Mommy I show the rest of the world. To the rest of the world, I am a rock. A pillar. A foundation. But inside, I am crumbling. The dozens of masks I put on... complete parent to my children, loving partner to my spouse, absolute provider to my family, dedicated employee to my job, willing volunteer to the schools and clubs, kind and thoughtful neighbor, generous and loving daughter, giving and supportive friend... I'm exhausted and I'm sick of constantly sacrificing myself. I have to be these things- all of these things- and I don't know which one to let go of ( or even if I can let go of) without feeling like I've disappointed everyone. And in my mind, I spin.

...But I have to do it all.

This is where I have been. Tied up in knots. Caught in a race with myself. Unable to feel any satisfaction because everything I did, even if it was good, was never good enough. And the path out of my Stressed-Out Mommy Syndrome was simple. I just wanted someone else who understood it all.

There is a relief that comes with having someone who tells you that you are not alone. The reason is that within struggle lies a feeling of solitude..and not the good kind of solitude I get when the kids are in bed and I can have a moment of peace. The bad solitude... the lonely solitude. People, by nature, long for connection, especially in times of struggle. And during those times, the best connection is made by simply acknowledging that my struggle is hard. And that I am not alone in thinking that.

What lessons have I learned? Three simple things:

- Admit the struggle. Every time you think the world is depending on you, stop telling yourself that you can't show that to the rest of the world. Stop thinking that you don't deserve support, because you do. We all do.

- Don't underestimate the power of connection. Connecting with other people is key, and finding a place where you can let down the masks, and what you get back is that you are not alone; it's vital to overcoming struggle that you not feel like you are walking the path by yourself.

- You only get what you are willing to give. When we connect, we cannot simply expect to take and never give. Connection is about exchange.... others being there when we need them, and showing up when others need us. With this, we create our own safe space. Our own community of people we can turn to.

This is what we do at The Mommies Network. When we started, we didn't do it to get the latest slow-cooker recipe or to debate about the whether we return shopping carts or not. We did it because we recognized that connections matter, and that women ( and especially mothers!) find it difficult to connect in a meaningful way unless we have a place to be honest about our struggles. And nobody can understand the struggle of a mother like another mother. When I talk about the twisty-twirly spiral of self-doubt, that is a place that almost every other mother recognizes. When I say I can't do it all but I have to do it all, millions of other mothers know this feeling... because they feel it too.

We Get It

We've Been There

This month, The Mommies Network is launching in annual May is for Mothers campaign focused on one idea... the letting go of the Mommy Myth. The Mommy Myth is simply that we don't need help and support. What we do is give you a safe space to let go of your Mommy Myths. A place to come with your struggles and have a community of moms who understand why it's so hard who can rally around you and say the thing you need to hear... that you are not alone.

We are YOUR Community

We are asking for a donation- whatever you can afford- so that we can continue to keep "the lights on and the doors open", for you and for every other moms in our communities. If you have received support, or watched other moms benefit from simply having a place where they can be honest about their struggles, please make even a small donation. We want to keep doing this year after year, but we can't do it without your help.

Click on a mom YOU identify with to help us keep doing what we love.... supporting you!

Now Thru 3/31- earn $5 for The Mommies Network by purchasing from Amazon!!!!

2014-03-24T09:44:00.001-04:00

The Mommies Network

Now through 3/31, make an Amazon purchase through The Mommies Network Amazon Smiles page, and Amazon will donate $5 to the organization we love so dearly ( in addition to the 0.5% we receive regularly). If you are making a purchase from Amazon ( including Prime purchases), please use this link to earn TMN $5!!!

HOW EASY IS THAT!!!!

Click Banner to sign up now to start earning money by shopping at Amazon for The Mommies Network!

Noel Bullard

noel.bullard@themommiesnetwork.org

Skype: noelbullard

Director of Fund Development

The Mommies Network

http://www.themommiesnetwork.org

11524-C Providence Rd #248
Charlotte, NC 28277

Phone: (704) 719-9771

Check out our latest deals from our TMN Affiliates!

2014-02-12T22:06:00.001-05:00

ᐧ

Giveaway Time ~ Kandoo and Boogie Wipes!!

2013-09-07T06:41:00.000-04:00

Product Review- Kandoo (by Pampers)

2 in 1 Conditioning Shampoo:

Kandoo Description and Information on the product.

Tear Free. Dermatologist Tested
Contains Vitamin E and Natural Fruit Extracts to clean and condition hair
Frog fits in corner of tub for easy use by kids
Hypoallergenic. No parabens or SLS

http://www.pamperskandoo.com/Our-Products.aspx#

My husband and I tried this out on our daughter and son. My son's hair is fairly normal, just curly. Most shampoos and/or conditioners work well for him, including this one. Our daughter's hair is a different story! Her hair is very light in color and super fine. It tangles up something awful during the night and often goes wild when combed or brushed (frizzy). We tried several different options and had no luck, especially through the night. We had our hair stylist took a look at it to see if she could help us out.

We were told that our daughter's hair is very sensitive to chemicals and that we needed to be careful what we used on it. In addition, even the baby shampoo we were using was too harsh on it and damaging it, hence the frizzing out. We were told the best course of action was trial and error. Not all shampoos and/or conditioners are the same, they have different PHs. If we could find the right one for her, it would be beneficial for her hair. So, we started trying out different options.

We needed to stay tear-free, because she is just a baby (under 2yo). Going tear-free limited our options quite a bit, but we went ahead and started trying to find the best option for her hair. We tried using shampoo plus conditioner for children (other brands). They helped a bit, but not really long term and some worked better than others. We tried using children's/baby shampoo with regular conditioner. It helped a lot with the over night tangling, but not so much on the frizz. So, we added a detangler to help with the frizz. Between the shampoo, conditioner and detangler we seemed to have found a solution. However, we noticed that the regular conditioner was causing her hair to look oily at times. In addition, she was not too fond on getting her hair rinsed twice. Finally, we decided to try Kandoo's 2 in Conditioning Shampoo.

My husband and I both liked how it worked on her hair. It does not matter if she gets her bath during the day or night, her hair does not tangle as badly when we use the Kandoo. The Kandoo does not leave her hair looking oily and dirty. Her hair is clean and tangle free when she gets out of the bath and for the most part when she wakes up. We still use a detangler, but it is not a must every day like we were encountering with the other options we tried out.

Side Notes:

The price is a little higher per volume than some of the other options, but it is worth it to get something that works for our daughter's hair.
The container is made for the corner and does not sit too well anywhere else in our tub. In addition, the corners of our tub are somewhat hard for a toddler to access. However, in the scheme of things this is not a true issue, we find ways to work around it.
The only con for us was the scent, tropical smoothie. Although, neither my husband nor I really care for that particular scent it is bearable.

Kandoo Flushable Wipes

Kandoo Description and Information on the product.

Pampers Kandoo® Flushable Toilet Wipes clean up to 30% better than toilet paper! They're moistened with lotion and pop up from the tub with the push of a button designed for little hands.

Easy to Use - No rolling or ripping required
Perfect for Little Hands - About the size of two pieces of toilet paper
Moistened with lotion - ensures a thorough cleaning
Flushable and Biodegradable - safe for sewer and septic systems

Kandoo Flushable Wipes come in Sensitive (unscented and hypoallergenic) and Magic Melon®
http://www.pamperskandoo.com/Our-Products.aspx#

We like to have flushable wipes at our house, but they are not a must. We have only tried out a few brands at our house. However, we have used other brands at other people's houses. Between all the ones we have tried, Kandoo is one of our two favorites for our house.

We do not keep multiple packs out, which means adults and children use the same wipes. Kandoo wipes are the perfect size for little hands, yet big enough to work for adults too. In addition, we love the fact that we could buy the initial dispenser and then buy refills to go in it, opposed to buying the dispenser every time. At first I wondered about the re-filling from the bottom, opposed to the top like baby wipes. However, it actually works out and better! We actually use them in addition to, not in place of toilet paper. We have tried the Magic Melon and sensitive unscented. Our 6yo prefers scented, but we prefer unscented. When a child has a sore butt, sensitive unscented tends to be a better option than Magic Melon.

Side Notes:

The price is about the same as the prices for similar wipes (in my area), which was unexpected. I honestly thought they would be spendier.

Product Review: Boogie Wipes

Boogie Wipes Description and Information on the product.
Boogie Wipes are made with saline to dissolve boogies (mucus) caused by the common cold, allergies or otherwise booger-filled kid moments. Extra soft and scented in Great Grape, Fresh Scent, Magic Menthol (for extra stuffy noses), Simply Unscented and Boogieberry, Boogie Wipes are recommended by Pediatricians as a gentle, effective alternative to a dry tissue.
http://www.boogiewipes.com/our-products/

Our first experience with Boogie wipes was when my daughter was a newborn. My dad bought some for her. My initial thought was, "We don't need these, these are fluff. We can just use tissue or regular baby wipes." However, we loved them and so did our kids! We have not gone without them since! They really come in handy during those times when they have a cold or allergy related runny/stuffy nose. Their little noses can get so sore in no time. With Boogie wipes they do not get as sore as quick and they can tolerate the Boogie wipes better than tissue or regular wipes when their noses are already sore. They work for adults too, especially if your nose is sore. I have allergies and eczema, I know from personal experience.

We have tried the Great Grape, Fresh Scent and Simply Unscented boogie wipes. Great Grape is tolerable, but not our favorite. Simply Unscented are just that unscented and for some people with sensitivity to scents, they would be great. We do not need to go with Simply Unscented, so I prefer to go with Fresh Scent. I just love the scent of the wipe and it leaves such a pretty scent on the child's face. When children are sick, they have a smell about them around their mouth and nose and the scented wipes help to mask that "sick smell".

Giveaway Time!

Enter below to receive a Kandoo and Boogie Wipe Giveaway! One Entry per person. Two winners will be selected (one to receive Kandoo and one to receive Boogie Wipes Prize Packs) Winners will be randomly selected and notified by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Invitation to free new website in Charlotte that helps moms better manage their kids’ group activities

2013-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hello fellow Mommies,

I am a mom here in Charlotte and the creator of a new website called Podanize, which helps moms, dads and group leaders better organize their kids’ group activities (e.g. soccer, scouts, school classes, etc.)

Kids today are over scheduled, and keeping up is a challenge:

· What day did I volunteer at school to go read with the kids?

· Who is driving to the scout meeting?

· When am I signed up to bring the team’s snacks?

These are just a few of the many little details that busy parents have to keep straight. Try as we might, something inevitably falls through the cracks. We all need a little help to stay organized.

I’d like to invite you to join our brand new website, and we’re giving local moms the first opportunity. To join, just go to http://www.podanize.com and click Get Started to create a “Pod” for any real-world group, or even just your family for now. You can create a Pod if you’re a group leader or a group member. It’s quick, easy and free. Then “get your Pod going” by adding discussions or events, and inviting others to join your Pod. Podanize can also be accessed via a mobile browser, and our mobile app will be available in late 2013.

Our mission at Podanize is to help ease the stress that comes with keeping our kids active and involved. To this end, we welcome any feedback you have. Podanize is for you and is built to get better over time by adding your suggestions – I’d love to hear from you. Also, if you know of other moms (or dads) who might benefit from Podanize, please share this with them.

Podanize is ideal for all extra-curricular activities: soccer, little league, playgroups, scout troops, swim teams, theater groups, school classes, PTA, etc. The list is endless and includes anything with a need for ongoing communication and coordination.

Again, just go to http://www.podanize.com to get started.

Best,

Nikki Sacks

Co-Founder of Podanize

nikki@podanize.com

Preparing For School

2013-08-15T11:22:00.001-04:00

As summer break comes to a end, the beginning of a new school year approaches. Parents and children alike will begin to take steps to prepare for a successful school year. Here are 3 tips to get things going.

1) Get the supply list and start compiling your supplies. You can obtain your child's supply list at orientation, from the school, and/or at most local stores that sell school supplies. Most parents have more than 1 school age child. When that is the case, getting all the supplies at once is not logical. With that, keep in mind that the earlier you get the list the longer you have to compile the supplies. You can buy a little at a time, until you have everything your child needs for a successful school year.

If you do not have a list and cannot get one now, but you want to get started go with the basics.

**Kindergarten‐5th**

~Box of pencils

~Box of colored pencils

~Box of markers

~Box of crayons

~4 Spiral notebooks‐wide lined

~1 pair of scissors

~2 bottles of glue

~3 sturdy pocket folders to be used for homework

~Composition Book

**Middle School/ High School (6th‐12th)**

~1 Binder

~Set of dividers

~Notebook Paper

~Pencils to last the whole year

~Package of Pens (blue, black, red)

~1 Small bottle of glue

~1 Pair of scissors

~Ruler, with both inches and metric measurements

~1 Highlighter

~1 Pencil pouch

~2 Composition Notebooks

~4 Spiral Notebooks

~4 Folders

~Calculator

~Compass/protractor

~Colored Pencils

2) Take the last few weeks of summer to get back on a school year schedule. If you and/or your children have been staying up late and sleeping in, now is the time to reset your biological clocks. You want to ensure that your children are able to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. If your sleeping patterns are off by a lot, make slow and steady changes.

Ex: Start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier and waking up 15 minutes earlier. Continue on, until you and/or you children are getting a full nights sleep and getting up in time to get ready for school and get there on time.

3) If your children have not been working on their studies and/or skills over the summer, take some time to study and prepare for what they will be learning this year in school.

K-5^th: Go back over the things they learned last year. If they are where they should be, you can go ahead and try to get them a head start on the upcoming year by going over new things they will cover this year.

6^th-12^th: Get a list of their classes/courses for the year and go over the basics for those courses. This will give them a heads up on what they will be learning and help them to go in prepared.

Making a list, Checking it twice

2012-11-15T01:19:00.000-05:00

Don't get caught on the Naughty List because you forgot to order customized Santa Letters for all your favorite kids!

For just $6 for the first letter and 10% off for each thereafter with the discount code SANTA, you can send the magic of Christmas to any child. A unique letter that you personalize will arrive from North Pole Station in Alaska in time for Christmas. Choose from a variety of themes including The Reason for the Season and School Days templates. Each one is special - just like the children.

Act now before Santa gets too busy making toys and packing his sleigh! Ordering is open through Tuesday, November 20.

Proceeds benefit The Mommies Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, mothers and community leaders.

You better watch out; You better not cry

2012-11-14T01:21:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus letters are coming to town!

This year share the magic of the holidays with your favorite children by ordering personalized letters for each one. Each unique letter will be mailed from North Pole Station in Alaska in time for Christmas. For just $6 for the first letter and 10% off for each thereafter with the discount code SANTA, choose from one of our eight templates to customize the perfect letter for each child on your Nice List. Whether it be Baby's First Christmas or encouraging an older kid to Keep Believing, we've got the right message for Santa to send! And if you order more than one, use the discount code

Santa gets very busy this time of year, so place your order by Tuesday, November 20. All proceeds benefit The Mommies Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, secure, FREE place for mothers to find support and encouragement from other mothers and to empower them to be better women, mothers and community leaders.

Place your order today by clicking on our Santa Letter campaign here, on our forums, or through our facebook event that you can share with all your friends and family.

National Appeal

2012-10-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

These voices represent the tens of thousands who belong to our communities and many more who just haven’t found us yet. Help us continue to provide the valuable connections that makes every mom's life better.

National Appeal

2012-10-02T10:30:00.002-04:00

Moms just like you are finding support, encouragement, and friendship every day on The Mommies Network. What started with two new moms ten years ago has grown into a nationwide network of over 30,000 women! Where will we be in ten years?

We are dedicated to providing valuable connections to all moms at no charge. In order to continue that, and to expand and improve our network, we rely on generous donations from the communities we reach. Please take a moment to view our fundraising campaign and share it via social media or word-of-mouth. Just $10 keeps our network running for 80 minutes. That's enough time for a lonely mom to find a friend, a struggling mom to find support, a grieving mom to find a hug, and a searching mom to find answers.

Thank you for supporting the network that supports moms. We are excited about sharing the next ten years with you!

What to Tell Your Children About Money - 7 Essential Lessons

2012-09-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted By: StatesvilleMommies

If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked by a parent what to tell your kids about money, I'd be a millionaire. There are many different aspects of money management you can & should tell your children about. Here I will share with you what I believe are seven of the most important principles

1. Money can be exchanged for goods or services.

This is one of the first few lessons you should teach your child once they are old enough to understand - usually around the age of 3 years. Next time you go down to the corner store to buy one or two items, let your child hand the money to the cashier. By doing so, they will gain a greater appreciation of the concept of being able to exchange money for things you want or need.

2. One should be careful with money.

Some people I know, seem to think that any coins with a value under 50 cents are just too small to be bothered using, and so when cleaning out their loose change from around the house will simply throw these smaller coins in the bin. What a waste! Encourage your child to be careful with all denominations of money, and show them how those small coins can add up, by starting a family small coins box. Maybe you could use the money to fund small family outings (a trip to the shop to get ice creams).

3. Money has to be earned.

There are many people in the world these days that don't seem to have ever learned this lesson. They sit around home and expect handouts so they can live, or turn to a life of crime to fund their existence. Be careful not to give your child money every time he or she asks, without expecting anything in return i.e. completion of household chores.

4. Encourage one-third savings, one-third donations, one-third spending.

The exact proportions in which your child divides their money are up to each individual family to decide, based on their beliefs and the needs of the child. This can quite easily be achieved by providing them with 3 piggy banks or moneyboxes - one for spending, one for saving & one for donating.

5. Avoid borrowing money wherever possible.

It is always much harder to repay money that has been borrowed, than to save your money. Some loans, such as home loans, tend to be unavoidable though. A good rule of thumb is if you don't have the cash to buy it, you can't afford it!

6. Money isn't your best friend so don't let it control your life.

Quite simply, try not to become so over committed with your finances, that you are forced to work 60 to 70 hours a week to continue the lifestyle. If you do, then you are letting the money control your life. You don't usually need the fancy car (and car loan) or overseas holiday (and personal loan). All these things are nice, but only if you can easily afford them!

7. Show them how to budget & live within their means

This is one of the most important skills that your child must know, that so many people don't seem to know how to do. Recent surveys have shown, that many people are spending 10% to 20% above what they earn. They are earning enough money to fund their lifestyle, but they simply aren't budgeting it, and so are wasting large amounts of money each week.

With these seven lessons under their belt, they will be off to a good start, but there are many more money skills that your child will benefit enormously from learning. Visit Kids Money Tips to find more simple tips & tools, along with fun worksheets, printable charts & exciting games, you can use to help your child manage their money more effectively.

Ten Steps for Developing Good Study Habits

2012-09-05T09:05:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted By: CharlotteMommmies

Your child can expect to spend more than thirteen years going through school from pre-school to high school. How he/she performs during those thirteen years determines how well she’ll do in college and later in life. Grades are extremely important when determining scholarships or if internships are granted. But how can you ensure your child will do well in her/his classes? The first step for great performance in school and college is to learn good study habits. The sooner your child learns good study habits, the sooner she’ll/he'll start making the grades and opening the doors to opportunities.

There are basically ten steps to developing good study habits.

1. Understand the necessity of studying- As a parent, you must convey to your child as soon as possible why studying is important. You must also be interested in school; your child will take an interest because you do. The earlier he/she becomes interested in school the better. Keep the child motivated to achieve his/her goals, not only in life but also in classes. One way of doing this is writing down where your child wants to be in five years. For younger children, try next year or even a few months. The important thing is to get the child used to developing goals. For older students, the issue becomes what profession does he/she want to study? Writing down a list of goals will serve as a reminder to study your child of what she/he wants to achieve and is a great motivator when she/he doesn't feel like studying.

2. Pay Attention- Pay attention to the lectures in class. Be attentive, to what the teacher is going over in class.

3. Plan out a time and place to study- Locate a place where your child can study. If possible this area should be specifically designated for studying. The child must go to this area everyday at the same time to devote to studying. You are building up a habit of when your child is in this area at a certain time, he/she is there to study.

4. Do Homework Immediately- As soon your child arrives at home, start on homework. If the child plays sports, homework should be performed as soon as you arrive home from practice. If other items are placed before completing the homework, the child may forget to complete his/her homework. Once homework is behind, it is sometimes difficult to catch up.

5. Know the Weak and Strong Subjects- Know your child's weak and strong subjects. Devote more time to the weak subjects.

6. Sleep- Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. Being tired during classes makes it difficult to be attentive during class and makes it even harder to study later on.

7. Do Practice Tests- If a test is coming up, make up practice tests to take at home during the study time. Concentrate on the missed questions and concentrate on those areas.

8. No cramming!- Your child should study for a test or quiz as soon as it is announced that one is approaching. Cramming for a test undermines student confidence and produces a great deal of stress the day of the test.

9. Take Notes- Assist your child with writing notes. Writing notes provide key points to refer back to when studying, and contrary to popular belief, note taking must be taught. No one is born knowing how to take notes. Notes also provide questions for the practice test. Notes should also be taken during lectures.

10. Repeat steps 1-9- Repeating steps one through nine each day will help develop good study habits. Remember it’s never too young to start developing study habits.

Nicole Givens “Ten Steps to Good Study Habits” It is essential in today’s competitive markets that individuals develop good studying habits for all aspects of life, not just high school or college. For what better test to pass than the test of life.

Ten Online Websites for Homework Help:

1. Find homework help for all subjects and grade levels from AOL (http://school.aol.com).

2. DiscoverySchool (http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/) assists students with homework in Science, English, Computer Internet, even PE and much more.

3. About.com (http://www.about.com/homework) is also a great place for homework help. They offer an expanded list of subjects that they give assistance in.

4. Homeworkhelp.com (http://www.homeworkhelp.com) offers homework help (like it name implies) but you must be a member to receive assistance. The membership isn’t free, but you receive access to teachers.

5. bigchalk.com (http://www.bigchalk.com) provides homework assistance. The site is divided into three categories: elementary, middle and high school.

6. Homework Spot (http://www.homeworkspot.com) is the spot for all subjects. They even offer a reference desk for finding information.

7. Algebra.com (http://www.algebra.com) is a website devoted to assisting students with their algebra homework. This includes pre-algebra, algebra and algebra II.

8. National Geographic Kids (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/homework) offers help in the areas of maps, geography, animals and other social sciences.

9. Math.com (http://www.math.com) boasts that it is the “world of math” location. Indeed they offer help with all levels of math including Calculus and Trigonometry.

10. KidsClick (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/) is a searchable website developed for students by librarians. This is sure to offer some answers for those tough homework English questions.

Labor Day History

2012-09-03T08:46:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted By: AlamanceMommies

As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.

With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an upaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.

On May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They sought support from their union led by Eugene V. Debs and on June 26 the American Railroad Union called a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. Within days, 50,000 rail workers complied and railroad traffic out of Chicago came to a halt. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Debs and three other union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.

The founder of Labor Day remains unclear, but some credit either Peter McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, for proposing the holiday.

Although Labor Day is meant as a celebration of the labor movement and its achievements, it has come to be celebrated as the last, long summer weekend before Autumn

Linking Music to the Heart of a Child

2012-08-31T08:13:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted By: StatesvilleMommies

Music is powerful and persuasive. It touches one's emotion, motivation, creativity and relaxation. It has the soothing effect that can calm our mental nerves. It inspires you to do something new and productive. It gives you ideas. It lulls you to sleep. The list is definitely endless.

Music is many things. It makes us happy, annoyed, melancholic, afraid and mad. Music is also for every one. It invades almost anything and everything. Different milieus have their own music to recollect. Various races and continents also enjoy distinctive music. Young and old alike take pleasure in it.

In every stages of life there will always be music for it is perpetual. In fact, there are unique types of music that caters to specific group of individuals. Rock and metal music cater to hyperactive music enthusiasts. Love, acoustic and pop songs blend well with lovers and emotional persons. For kids there is the children's music.

Children's music can give kids a magical experience. They can play roles with it. For a moment, they can be a pretty princess with a castle or a dashing knight in shining armor. They can simultaneously play musical instruments. They can dance and sing.

Music is entertaining most especially to children. Thus, even at the very young age they must be exposed to music. By doing so, kids develop their sense of adventure and discovery.

Aside from that, they can be knowledgeable about children's music lyrics. They can also develop the basic languages.

Children's music can also be treated as therapy. Application of children's music can treat some physiological and psychosocial elements of illness. Treatment is aimed for the acquisition of non-musical behavior by virtue of systematic musical methods.

Studies have proven that children with developmental delays and learning disabilities like Down's syndrome respond to music. Thus, exposure to music can boost response and expression. As a result, individual expressions and talents like singing and dancing can be discovered.

Children's music treats developmental delays and learning disabilities by drawing out movements. The latter develops self-awareness which can easily be manifested. Examples of these movements are gripping the beater, tapping a triangle, playing cymbals and drums and the likes.

The relationship between children's music and movement cannot be overemphasized. The rhythm of music creates the ideal stimulus that results to coordinated movements. These movements lead to repetition which is a mode of child learning.

Aside from entertainment and therapy, children's music is also a special kind of education. It develops the cognitive skills of children. Exposure to music stimulates learning about colors, numbers, shapes and parts of the body. As a consequence, though may not be the primary goal, it increases the child's intelligence.

Stimulation of cognitive abilities leads to multi-sensory development. The latter contributes to the ability of a child to retail information and be attentive to detail. As a result, the child becomes confident and clever.

Children's music can also develop the child's social skills. Usually, musical experiences are done in groups. Participants can sing in unison or one after the other. With this process, every one is encouraged to participate thus participants eventually become closer.

Children's music can be so powerful that it can develop both the intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of a child. It simultaneously augments functional abilities at the same time the expressive and creative capacities of a child.

Mabel's Labels Fundraiser

2012-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Time is running out! Don't miss you chance to order fantastic Mabel's Labels products as part of NorthPiedmontMommies' fundraiser.

Now through Sunday, August 19, when you shop through our direct shopping link, a portion of your order comes right back to NorthPiedmontMommies. Fundraisers like this help us fill the calendar with fun events and provide supplies for our tireless volunteer team. Choose from a full selection of personalized or writable labels for everything that leaves the house with your child. Mabel's Labels puts the fun in functional!

Ways To Deal With Supermom Stress

2012-08-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted by: StatesvilleMommies

One of the top stressors for women today is what many are calling the "supermom syndrome". Many of us are led by society today to believe that in order to be successful Moms, we have to do it all, and give all. Nonsense. We all want to do our best as Moms, as we should. But at some point, for our own mental health, our best has got to be good enough. Here are some great ideas to reduce the syndrome at your house.

It's ok not to be perfect. Let me say that again. It's ok, not to be perfect. I think many of us hold ourselves up to a level of perfection that merely hurts our ability to be a good Mom. So what if the living room isn't clean on Monday nights?â€¦you had bedtime stories to read. Who cares if you had to choose a work presentation over your childs field tripâ€¦you'll go next time. Not allowing ourselves any slack simply causes more stress in our lives, and prevents us from savoring every precious moment of being a Mom. Lighten up. It's ok not to be perfect!

Don't buy into societies hype that in order to be a good parent, you must offer your child every experience under the stars. Over and over again, psychologists talk about the dangers of over scheduling our kids, but it seems few are listening. It is not healthy for your child to learn to be so busy that he/she never learns to be with and like himself, to dream, use his imagination, or just be bored! Limiting your family to one extracurricular activity per child will help reduce family stress both in time and money. Do not let society guilt you into doing more - after all, this is the same society rules that say its ok for our children to starve themselves to look like movie stars, or to play Nintendo for 12 hours straight. Is that what you want for your kids?

Make time for yourself. Make a rule that you will take 10, 20, even 30 minutes a day and shut out the world. Close the bedroom door, take a bath, take a walkâ€¦just have that time to yourself. You deserve it, and your family owes you that much. Do not feel guilty asking for it either! Tell the kids Mom is not to be disturbed unless someone is bleeding or something is on fireâ€¦then enforce the rule! Oprah says it well - if your cup is empty, how will you fill up the ones you love?

That being said, it is important to recognize your family as an essential part of your life. Stopping to smell the roses when it comes to your family will help you to keep your life in perspective, and therefore, reduce your daily stress. Make sure you take time for yourself, but also take time to spend with your family outside of the daily chores and running around. Let your children help you cook dinner, play cards together in the evening, take a walk around your neighborhood with your kids. Make sure you read to those little ones every night, and make sure you do those great voices with the characters! Laugh with your family, choose your battles wisely, and savor every moment of their precious childhood - before you know it, they will be tending their own families! (And won't you feel good knowing what an example you were, cherishing your family as you do!)

Finally, make sure you remember who you are as a person. Not as Mom, or wife, or business associate, but as who you are. Cultivate old pastimes, and expand your world by developing new ones! Learn to play piano, paint, or to speak a different language. Read. Celebrate your spiritual life, and let yourself grow in the world that has been gifted to you.

It is time Moms stood up and made a standâ€¦we don't have to do it all to be good Moms. We already are good Moms, because we do our best. And that's good enough.

Summertime Water & Sun Safety

2012-08-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted by: StatesvilleMommies

Whether it's spring break or summertime, it's important for parents not to take a vacation from safety. While warmer weather means endless hours of sun and fun for kids, it's also an opportunity for both minor and serious injuries. In fact, summer is the most dangerous time of year for kids - nearly half of all unintentional injury-related deaths among children occur during the summer.

"Tragedies peak during the summer months because children are supervised less, have more free time and engage in more outdoor activities," said St. Joseph's Children's Advocate Bevin Maynard.

To help parents and guardians prevent unintentional summertime injuries, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa recommends the following:

Swimming Safety Tips

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends that parents always supervise children around water and install fencing that completely surrounds all pools, spas, whirlpools and hot tubs. Pool fences should be at least five feet high and have self-latching gates. Some states require newly constructed in ground pools to have fencing on all four sides. To find out the law in your state, go to www.safekids.org Pool alarms and pool covers can offer an extra layer of protection. However, do not rely on them to keep your kids safe; they should be used in conjunction with fencing and constant supervision.

I. Know which of your child's friends and neighbors have pools. Make sure your child will be supervised by an adult while visiting.

II. Children should learn to swim. Enroll them in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors when they are ready, usually after age 4. If you don't know how to swim, enroll with your kids!

III. Do not let children dive into water unless the child has learned proper diving techniques, an adult is present and the depth of the water is greater than 9 feet.

IV. Install multiple drains in all pools, spas, whirlpools and hot tubs. This minimizes the suction of any one drain, reducing risk of death or injury

V. Regularly check to make sure drain covers are secure and have no cracks. Replace flat drain covers with dome-shaped ones.

VI. Know where the manual cut-off switch for the pump is in case of emergency. Consider installing an approved safety vacuum release system (SVRS), a tool that quickly and automatically turns off the pump (and stops the suction) when something is trapped in or blocks the drain.

VII. Teach children never to go near a pool drain with or without a cover, and to pin up long hair when in water.

VIII. Adults and kids over age 13 should learn infant and child CPR.

IX. Pay attention to open water. Be aware of undercurrents and changing waves and undertows when at the ocean or a lake.

X. Children with marginal mobility should not be left unattended in a tub or other body of water regardless of age or presumed ability.

XI. Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside-down and out of children's reach.

The American Cancer Society suggests the following guidelines to protect children from the sun:

Sun Safety Tips

S- Shadow test. If the shadow is shorter than the child, the sun is at its strongest and most dangerous point .

U- Ultraviolet sun block with an SPF of 15 or greater should always be used if the child is exposed to sun.

N- Now! Protect children from the harmful effects of the sun now.

I. A blistering sunburn before the age of 10 will double the likelihood of that child developing skin cancer sometime during their lifetime.

II. Sunscreens cannot take the place of protective clothing and should be used together for the best protection.

III. Choose a sunscreen with at least a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or more. This means you are protected from a reaction to the sun's rays 15 times longer than without the sunscreen. Read the label, and know when to reapply.

IV. Try to keep your children out of the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun's ultraviolet rays are the strongest.

V. Know the ways of the rays! Your children can get a sun burn on a cloudy day just as easily as on a sunny day.

The sun's rays can penetrate through three feet of water. The sun will also reflect off the water and the sand. A beach umbrella is great but may not provide all the protection needed.

Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser

2012-08-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

Bookbags, gym shoes, lunchboxes and more: You send your kids to school with so much stuff. So how can you help them keep track of it all? Place a Mabel's Labels order through NorthPiedmontMommies between August 1 and August 19 and a portion of your total comes back to our community!

Mabel's Labels has well-loved products for anything you need to keep track of. From allergy alerts to clothing and shoes, baby bottles to books and media- you're sure to find exactly what you need to get back what you send with your little ones.

Order online through NorthPiedmontMommies direct shopping link to ensure we get credit for your great products. Spread the word, share with friends, and thanks for supporting the chapter that supports you!

Here is NorthPiedmontMommies' link to start your shopping: www.NorthPiedmontMommies.mabelslabels.com/

2012-06-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

The 7 Phases of Stay-at-Home-Mommieness
Posted By: Ashley (00tedsgirl)TriangleMommies.com

Phase 1 is like the first day of a new diet. You know, the day you swear you’ll never eat another doughnut and will hit the gym every day? Yeah. So Phase 1 is full of big ideas, hours spent cruising mommy blogs, crafting blogs, searching for the perfect organization system for your pantry/closet/playroom/garage. Phase 1 is full of blissfully willful ignorance. You make lists of all the places you will take your children. You make a cleaning schedule like that bug woman. In Phase 1, you are going to stick to a well-planned schedule and proudly display your home, your children, and yourself. Phase 1 is when you pull out all your children's clothes and re-launder them for sorting into the following categories: consign, hand-me-down, preserve for life, mend, donate.

Phase 2, also known as Tuesday, starts with Phase 1's enthusiasm. You wake up and probably bathe. You check the menus you planned yesterday to get meals ready for the entire day. You consult that cleaning schedule and notice that you need to start a new load of laundry. This is where it begins to fall apart. That forgotten load in the washer rears its ugly head. You can't start today's load of laundry until you rewash the now-stale load from yesterday. In the meantime, your darlings have awoken and are begging for Sugar Blasted Crunchies for breakfast. They will not be swayed by your explanation that today's menu calls for green eggs and ham (your oh-so-clever attempt to sneak some spinach into their mouths). Undaunted, you prepare bowls of cereal, wipe the kitchen sink, and pat yourself on the back for your excellent skills. Why do stay-at-home moms think this is hard?

Tuesday continues with very few speed bumps. You get your clean children to whatever class you’ve scheduled for the day and return in time for dinner with the same number of small people that you left with. Dinner prep is a snap since you were smart enough to plan ahead. The children play while you set a lovely table, complete with linen napkins.

After the family meal, you beg your husband to get the kids ready for bed while you scrape mashed potatoes off the underside of the table, compliments of your littlest slugger's newly found throwing skills. While down there, you find a petrified stash of green beans from a week ago. By the time you have reclaimed the kitchen and dining rooms, it's time to tuck the kids into bed, do one more sweep through the house to tidy up, and you, too, head for bed.

Enter Phase 3. You wake from a restless sleep to find at least one extra creature in your bed: child, pet, alien, whatever. Out of compassion for this little creature, you roll over and grab a few extra z’s yourself. Suddenly, your eyes snap open, and you silently chastise yourself for being so slovenly. You have a schedule! The mental tongue-lashing gets you back on track, and you check the schedule. Laundry. Rats, that load from Monday has gone stale again, and yesterday's load never made it into the wash. Unfortunately, Monday's wash fails the sniff test, so you wash it again.

The kids turn their noses up at your homemade oat-bran muffins and demand Sugar Blasted Crunchies again. You sigh and pour the bowls again. There’s just enough milk to eke out breakfast, which means an unexpected trip to the grocery store. You begin to question the wisdom of weekly menu planning.

Once every one is dressed, you head to the grocery store with all the kids. The baby falls asleep in the car. The toddler insists on the cart that looks like a race car. The preschooler demands to push said cart. As soon as the door slides open, you are assaulted with requests for cookies, balloons, money for the gumball machine, and every item on the shelves with a remotely recognizable character on the label. As you get in line to pay, you realize you've left your coupons in the car and have to make a series of nimble adjustments to get all the kids back outside just long enough to retrieve the envelope and then back inside maneuvering around the cookie/balloon/gumball gauntlet.

It’s too late to bake homemade macaroni with artisan cheese for lunch, so you run through the drive-thru on the way home. Child B manages to get the chocolate milk open and pour it on the floor of the car while Child A discovers the excitement of ketchup-packet squishing. Making a game of it, you let the children eat a picnic on the porch while you sop up the rapidly spoiling dairy product and discover that even Windex is no match for ketchup on glass. You declare mandatory naptime so you can feed yourself and get off your aching feet for a few minutes. But dinner cannot be delayed, and you end up spending your You Time cleaning up the breakfast mess and preparing another four-star meal that only you appreciate. The children beg for hot dogs, and your husband informs you that he had a late lunch and isn't all that hungry. Saint that he is, he offers to clean the kitchen while you get the kids ready for bed.

You strip the kids down and begin running a bath when you discover that last night, the little angels poured all the shampoo into the tub while Daddy was reading about muscle cars. You head out the door to the drugstore when one of your naked offspring bursts into tears not wanting to be apart from you for that long. You quickly clothe one, and the others join the bandwagon. You load your children, wearing mostly matching outfits, back into the car so you can grab a 99-cent bottle of shampoo. By the time you get back to the house and unloaded, the water in the bath has cooled, and you don't have the energy. You get the kids into their pajamas and into bed. You are asleep before your head hits the pillow.

Phase 4 is not going to show you any mercy. You've resigned yourself to less than perfection. You scour mommy blogs for other posts with reality checks and declarations that you shouldn't try to do it all. You cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself on not putting yourself under all the pressure of Wonder Mom ideals. Today you promise to spend time with your children: the real reason you decided to stay home anyway. After Sugar Blasted Crunchies, drive-thru for lunch on the way to the park, and laughter with your kids, you scrap your menu plans and make breakfast for dinner.

Division of labor for after dinner is not an option since the love of your life has to work on a project. You put the leftovers away, throw the dirty dishes in the sink, and run a bath for the kids when you remember that load of laundry. Crud. As you re-restart Monday's wash, you forget about the tub, which overflows. The kids find this hilarious and use you as a personal jungle gym while you mop up the excess and drain the tub to a reasonable level. Once the kids are tucked in you go to collapse in bed when you realize there's a clump of ketchup in your hair from yesterday. You take the World’s Fastest Shower and pass out with your feet hanging out of the bed.

Phase 5 brings renewal. It’s Friday! The weekend is always a chance to relax and spend some family time. Today you will get the house neat and tidy again so that you can spend some much-needed fun time with your beloved. You set your children in front of a DVD with Sugar Blasted Crunchies and warn them to not disturb you unless someone is bleeding. You start scrubbing toilets and floors. As you begin sorting mail, you realize you need to balance the checkbook and pay bills, which leads to searching the web for a new paperwork organization system. You bookmark 15 different sites with the promise to yourself that you will come back to them and implement your own POS when you have some free time.

Lunch consists of peanut butter sandwiches and potato chips. At least that’s what you surmise by the mess left in the kitchen when you finally get the rest of the house clean. This is also when you discover that your offspring have poured honey on the baby, scribbled on the walls with permanent marker, and deemed your living room a nudist colony. The bookshelf has been converted to a climbing wall. You grab a granola bar for your own lunch as you tackle the newest avalanche of filth.

Exhausted from a productive day of cleaning everything, you call your husband with orders to pick up pizzas on his way home. Family Movie Night plucks a tiny chord of guilt in your belly, but you are too tired to worry about your kids watching too much TV.

Phase 6 is a great day! You have big ideas again. This time about all the fun your family will have together on this day. You let yourself daydream about home-improvement projects and crafts for upcoming gift-giving holidays. But no day is without responsibilities. You can pile everyone into the car and head to a nearby lake, park, or hiking trail, but when you return, you will still have cleaning and cooking and bathing and, oh crap, that load of laundry.

Phase 7. Yesterday recharged your batteries some, and you are grateful for one more family day. The kids follow Daddy around, helping with the yardwork and his latest woodworking masterpiece. You take some time to clip coupons and reward yourself with the Sunday crossword or celebrity gossip pages. It's a smooth day. One that reminds you that you are more capable than you imagine. One that gives you time to reflect on your successes and failures of the last week. You go to bed promising to do a better job of keeping everything on track. You steal a few moments of cuddling with each of your children and then your husband. In his warm embrace, just as you are dozing off, he gently asks, "Do I have any clean shirts for this week?"