The DeBroff DeBrief

Postcard on the Run

Stacy DeBroff — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:21 PST

With the increased use of technology and Smartphones, staying connected to family and friends – regardless of their location – becomes easier every year. Sending a digital picture helps stay in touch, but it sometimes lacks a personal touch, like the ability to be framed or hung up on the fridge. Especially when sending to a grandparent or a “not-so-tech-savvy” relative, sometimes a traditional photo print just might be necessary.

Fortunately, now you don’t need to keep a digital camera handy to capture the best photo-sharing moments. Using your smartphone, you can snap a picture and send it the old-fashion way to loved ones. The Postcard on the Run cell phone app allows you to turn any photo into a postcard and instantly mail it for as low as $0.99 (to pay for printing and shipping).

Everything can be done quickly on your phone – select the contacts or enter their addresses and click “send.” In addition, you can type a message for the back of the card and hand-sign using your touch screen. Within a few days, the folks back home will have a high-quality 4”x6” postcard in the mailbox! Capture vacation memories or important milestones with this app and stay in touch with family and friends in real time.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a sample of the Postcard on the Run app to facilitate this review.

Beating the New Year’s Blues: Tips on Turning the Long, Cold Winter into Fabulous Family Fun

Stacy DeBroff — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:54:02 PST

With the December holidays now a dim memory and the long winter stretched out before us, we Moms know that the January Blues continue to hover on the horizon. From parents worn out from holiday travel and celebrations to toddlers dealing with cabin-fever to teens stressed about the second-half of the school year, January can result in tumultuous times for families.

But with a little thought and creativity, we can kick-start the New Year with excursions, activities, and strategies that can leave the January Blues in the cold. Read on for some of my favorite tips:

Ignore the Weather and Head Outdoors

Plan a winter scavenger hunt – look for evergreen trees, frozen streams, and other signs of winter. Chat about your findings when you get home over mugs of steaming cocoa.
Help your child mix water and a few drops of food coloring into an assortment of spray bottles and brighten up a gray winter day by spraying colorful patterns and rainbows on the snow.
Plan a fun afternoon in the snow with your toddler using easy-to-handle items from around the house. Make a snow shovel with a dustpan, and use cookie cutters, cups, plastic spoons, or spatulas as toys.
Make snowballs and freeze them in aluminum foil or freezer bags. Bring them back out in the heat of summer to remember the winter season.
Bring snow indoors for your child to play with in the kitchen or bathroom sink.
Make a “snowy” miniature golf course by burying a few plastic cups level with the snow. Hit colored balls across the snow with a stick or bat and see who can get a hole in one!

When the Weather Just Won’t Allow Outdoor Play, Get Creative with Indoor Activities
Younger Kids:

Save junk mail and play Post Office – sort by color, size, and family member name.
Have a parade – make costumes from old clothes, towels, and paper bags. Pick up a few pots and pans for the marching band section.
When fulfilling those “clean out the closet” New Year’s resolutions, put aside old shoes, handbags, formal dresses, boots, and wraps for your child to play dress up.
Have an indoor picnic – complete with blanket, basket, and lemonade.
Get creative with art projects. Collect rocks from the yard and paint them crazy colors or decorate with glitter.
Hang butcher or craft paper on the walls and encourage your child to draw or paint a mural. Keep Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes nearby to wipe your kids’ hands before they move onto the next messy activity.

Older Kids:

Interview grandma and grandpa and write, as well as illustrate, a family tree. Decorate it with pictures cut out from magazines that depict items from their heyday.
Help your child write a letter to the president or a favorite author.
Find a topic of recent interest to your child – anything from tigers to a favorite soccer player – and help him do Internet research on it.
Research how to grow indoor fruit plants and start your own indoor garden with fun fruits like pineapples and avocados.

Start the Second-Half of the School Year Off Right – Refresh Backpacks and School Supplies

Empty out your kids’ backpacks and give them a good wipe-down. Toss out old snacks, crumbled paper, misshapen art projects, and old supplies.
Since kids return to school at the height of Cold & Flu Season, make sure your child’s backpack contains a fresh supply of tissues.
Remind your kids to clean their hands frequently and pack their backpacks with Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes in either singles or travel packs. And don’t forget to replenish Wet Ones® Wipes into older kids’ lockers or your daughter’s indoor soccer bag or music case at the same time.
If your child’s backpack seems a little tired, help kids jazz it up with collectible keychains, sports stickers, colorful fabric, or decorative ribbons.
Consider updating frayed school folders or beat-up notebooks with a fresh supply. And a new set of markers or colorful pencils can help inspire kids for the New Year.

Disclosure: Wet Ones® Antibacterial Hand Wipes is a client of Mom Central Consulting, and Stacy DeBroff is serving as a Wet Ones spokesperson.

Join us for the Grain Foods Foundation #HealthyBaby Twitter Party!

editor — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:18:40 PST

Join us for a Twitter Party to talk about healthy diet choices, pregnancy and ways to get important nutrients when you are expecting.

 What: Grain Foods Foundation #HealthyBaby Twitter Party
 When: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 from 3:00-4:00PM EST 
Hashtag: #HealthyBaby 
Moderator: @MomCentral
 Assistant Moderators: @DadCentral, @kellysluckyyou, @fabfindfoodie
Guest Co-Hosts: @gowiththegrain, @grainsrd, @sklingerrd
Prizes: Six people will win a $50 Walmart gift card during the hour-long party. We’ll also be giving away two $50 Walmart gift cards for tweeting before the party.
Questions: Contact Jess Hogan at jhogan@momcentral.com 
TweetGrid: http://bit.ly/yHeFdn

Pre-tweet to Win!
Anyone who tweets this from now until the #HealthyBaby Twitter Party will be eligible to win one of two $50 Walmart gift cards before the party starts.

About the party:
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month and the Grain Foods Foundation has teamed up with the Spina Bifida Association to remind all women of child-bearing age the important role folic acid plays in a healthy diet. Folic acid consumption is critical for the prevention of neural tube birth defects and is found in enriched grains such as white bread, pasta and cereal. Enriched grains have also been shown to help maintain a healthy weight. The Grain Foods Foundation is dedicated to increasing the knowledge and awareness around this important matter.

FAQs:
How do I join the conversation?
Easy. Just tweet using the hashtag #HealthyBaby. Mom Central moderators will help guide the conversation with engaging questions and giveaways.

Who are the moderators?
The Mom Central Team (@MomCentral) will be on hand to guide the discussion and chat with participants. Also, @DadCentral, @kellysluckyyou and @fabfindfoodie will be assistant moderators during the Twitter Party. The Grain Foods Foundation team will be joining the party to answer questions and provide insight, so make sure you're following @gowiththegrain, @grainsrd, @sklingerrd before the party starts!

How do I follow the conversation?
Use the hashtag #HealthyBaby to follow along. To help keep up with the conversation, we suggest that you follow the hashtag by:

Setting up a #HealthyBaby search on search.twitter.com or on your twitter program (e.g. TweetDeck or Twhirl)
Using a twitter aggregator such as twubs.com

About the Twitter Party Pre-Party Giveaway
 The #HealthyBaby Twitter Party features a pre-party giveaway of two (2) Walmart gift cards valued at $50.00 each. Please see below for an overview of specific details and go to http://www.momcentral.com/giveaway-rules to be directed to Mom Central’s official Giveaway Rules.

 Entry Period: The entry period for the Twitter Party Pre-Party Giveaway begins on January 17, 2012, at 3:00:01 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and ends on January 18, 2012 at 3:00:00 p.m. ET (the “Entry Period”). 
How to Enter: Current Twitter users or those willing to create a Twitter account can enter by following @MomCentral on Twitter and posting a Tweet during the Entry Period with the hashtag #HealthyBaby. Only one (1) Twitter account can be used to enter the Pre-Party Giveaway. 
Winner Selection Process: Mom Central will select two (2) winners in a random drawing from all eligible entries during the Entry Period. Odds of being chosen as a selected Winner depend on the total number of entries. The Sponsor will Tweet the names of selected entrants from the Twitter account @MomCentral following the Entry Period on January 18, 2012, between 3:00:01 p.m. ET and 4:00:01 p.m. ET. Each entrant is limited to one (1) prize. The results of the random selection are final and binding. 
Winner Prizes and Retail Values: Each Winner will receive one (1) Walmart gift card, with a retail value of $50.00 (the “Winner Prize”) upon being declared a Winner. Mom Central will deliver the Winner Prize to an address provided by the Winner.

About the Twitter Party Giveaway
The Twitter Party features a giveaway of six (6) Walmart gift cards valued at $50.00 each. Please see below for an overview of specific details and go to http://www.momcentral.com/giveaway-rules to be directed to Mom Central’s official Giveaway Rules. 

Entry Period: The entry period for the Grain Foods Foundation Twitter Party Giveaway begins on January 18, 2012, at 3:00:01 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and ends on January 18, 2012 at 4:00:00 p.m. ET (the “Entry Period”).
 How to Enter: Current Twitter users or those willing to create a Twitter account can enter by following @MomCentral on Twitter and posting a Tweet during the Entry Period with the hashtag #HealthyBaby. Only one (1) Twitter account can be used to enter the Party Giveaway. 
Winner Selection Process: Mom Central will select six (6) winners in a random drawing from all eligible entries during the Entry Period. Odds of being chosen as a selected Winner depend on the total number of entries. The Sponsor will Tweet the names of selected entrants from the Twitter account @MomCentral following the Entry Period on January 18, 2012, between 3:00:01 p.m. ET and 4:00:01 p.m. ET. Each entrant is limited to one (1) prize. The results of the random selection are final and binding.
 Winner Prizes and Approximate Retail Values: Each Winner will receive one (1) Walmart gift card, with a retail value of $50.00 (the “Winner Prize”) upon being declared a Winner. Mom Central will deliver the Winner Prize to an address provided by the Winner.

A Small Book for a Great Laugh

Stacy DeBroff — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:13:12 PST

Today’s fast-paced society often leaves people tired, stressed, and overall worn-out after a long week of work, chores, family schedules, and much more. Not to mention the added items on the to-do list such as buying gifts for birthdays and other occasions that creep up when we least expect them. Recognizing that others find themselves walking in these same stressed-out shoes, sometimes the best gift of all comes from the ability to spark laughter—even if it comes from the oldest, and corniest, of jokes.

The World’s Oldest Joke Book provides exactly this gift of smiles and laughter. Dan Crompton’s collection of “hilariously terrible” jokes, dating back to the 4th Century AD, fits into even the busiest of lifestyles with the power to make readers chuckle after browsing through only a few short lines.

Take a look at the sneak preview below:

At a dignitary’s funeral in Kyme, someone goes up to the officials and asks, “Who’s the dead guy?”
One of the Kymaeans turns around and points.
“The one lying in the coffin.”

Hairdresser: “How shall I cut your hair?”
Client: “In silence.”

Crompton’s collection provides us – in our exhausted, busy state – exactly what we need to sit back, take a break, and simply laugh.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a copy of The World’s Oldest Joke Book to facilitate this review.

Best Friends, Occasional Enemies

Stacy DeBroff — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:35:20 PST

The ups and downs of mother-daughter relationships – similar to tracks on a rollercoaster – bring moments of affection, often followed by anger and arguments. While the latter hopefully occurs less frequently than the former, the bumps along the tracks create a unique bond. As author Lisa Scottoline describes it, the fighting only proves that “you raised her to think independently from you, and to voice her own views.” If you find yourself in the mood for a dose of charmingly relatable independent thinking, dive into Scottoline’s newest book Best Friends, Occasional Enemies.

This true tale told by the mother-daughter writing team had me laughing at everyday situations, sympathizing with the tough moments of friction, and overall appreciating my own daughter and the relationship we have formed as friends. For those who have read Scottoline’s mystery novels, this book serves as a behind-the-scenes look into the candid humor and everyday life that allow her to create such real characters that leap off of the pages and into real life.

With both sides of the story recounted – thanks to the help of Scottoline’s daughter, Francesa Serritella – this book allows mothers and daughters alike to laugh along with the tales of their journey. The underlying message – about not letting the little things come between this bond – provides a meaningful reminder. Relish your family, reconnect with your children, and dive into this wonderfully humorous conversational story today.

Best Friends, Occasional Enemies is also available in audiobook format (read by the authors) from Macmillan Audio. Listen to a clip below.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a copy of Best Friends, Occasional Enemies to facilitate this review.

BFOE_Scottoline_webclip.mp3

The Verseur Full Bottle Service

Stacy DeBroff — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:30:20 PST

Tired of all that tugging and pulling just to get a bottle of wine open? With the potential for spills and snapped corks, sometimes a relaxing glass of wine proves anything but. Then, while uncorking the bottle can present an obstacle, serving and keeping the wine fresh often proves equally challenging.

Luckily, Quirky now offers the perfect tool for wine lovers – the Verseur Full Bottle Service. The Verseur combines opening, serving, and saving a bottle of wine all in one sleek, stainless steel tool.

The easy-to-use corkscrew requires only a single motion and includes a foil cutter, as well. The built-in pour spout eliminates drips and the integrated rubber stopper keeps your wine preserved and fresh. Cheers!

Disclosure: Mom Central received a sample of the Verseur Full Bottle Service to facilitate this review.

Two-in-One Conveinence - Cordless Skype and Landline Calling

Stacy DeBroff — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:24:52 PST

From personal calls to business conferences to virtual meetings, Skype stepped into the connectivity go-to role and changed the way people communicate with one another across the country and around the world.

But while Skype seems to do it all in terms of digital communications, many families don’t want to let go of their landline and completely plunge into the Internet era just yet. Instead of trying to replace the traditional comforts of a landline phone, Skype found a way to combine its services within a cordless, digital telephone in order to give consumers the option of having the best of both worlds.

With both Skype calling and basic landline functioning, this cordless device balances a host of technology needs. The GE 31591 model supports 100 Skype contacts and up to 200 contacts from your local phonebook. The base simply plugs into a telephone jack and also connects through your Internet provider. This duo-connection allows for communication with friends and family via their Skype accounts, mobile phones, or landlines.

The all-in-one Skype base supports up to five handsets which last for 10 hours when fully charged. Skype also offers the option of bundling the cordless phone with Skype minutes in order to save money and create a plan that supports your needs.

As a Mom – searching endlessly for lost cordless phones and dealing with low batteries – creates a layer of unnecessary complication around calling family and friends. Thanks to Skype, staying in touch has never proved easier.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a sample of the Skype GE 31591 model cordless device to facilitate this review.

Thank You, Whirlpool!

Stacey Smith — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:10:50 PST

It’s not a secret how much I’ve been loving my Whirlpool Duet Laundry Set. What’s surprised me is that the novelty hasn’t worn off - even a little bit.

Every time I do laundry, yet another feature on the Duet makes me smile.

Here are some of my favorite features. If you too want to smile, go get yourself these gorgeous machines!

Precision Dispense: This is by far my favorite and most time saving feature. The Precision Dispense feature is a reservoir that holds enough detergent for up to 36 loads of laundry. You simply fill the reservoir and forget about it until your machine lets you know that the detergent is low. It’s one of those things, when you don’t have it, you don’t know what you’re missing. It would make me crazy when I had to fill that little cup with drippy detergent each and every time I did laundry. Spilling, sticky and running all over the place – EVERY TIME. Now, it’s one pour into the cup and literally you forget about it for a few weeks! Love it!

Jeans Cycle: Luckily for me I work remotely in my home office. I wear jeans almost everyday as do my three kids. The Whirlpool Duet Laundry Set is equipped with a Jeans Cycle that makes sure our jeans are washed and dried properly. It’s been so long since I’ve had to run my dryer a minimum of two times to get all of those jeans dried. Now it’s one time on the Jeans Cycle and they are cleaned and dried to perfection! All helping me save time, money and stress!

Clean Cycle: Prior to having the Duets, I had a top-loading washer and didn’t know the bad rap that front-loading washing machines got when it came to the smell of the machines. Whirlpool answered that problem because I haven’t had any issues. The Whirlpool Duet has a Clean Cycle and an alert to let you know that it’s time to wash your washing machine.

All you need to do is simply throw in an Affresh tablet and start the Clean Washer with Affresh cycle. It’s a beautiful thing and basically mindless – the machine reminds you, you drop the table, run the cycle and all fresh smelling again.

Bulky Items Cycle: We just welcomed a puppy into our home. That’s all you have to say when discussing laundry. My daughter has a shaggy rug in her bedroom. Gizmo (the dog) loves that rug. So much so that he gets so happy and pees almost every time he steps on it. There are only so many times you can put woolite on it. I decided to put it in the Duet. Sure enough “there’s a cycle for that”! It cleaned and dried perfectly! The Bulky Item Cycle says it’s ideal for comforters, sleeping bags, down jackets or pillows. Now you know it’s good for synthetic rugs too!

Hand Wash Cycle: How annoying is it when you buy a shirt and look at the tag and it says “Hand Wash Only” or “Dry Clean Only”. Well, now I just put the garment into my Duet and place it on the Hand Wash Cycle and it’s comes out as if I washed it myself, by hand. No more hand washing for me!

I honestly could write about each and every feature, but I really believe you should try and experience them yourself!

I can’t thank Whirlpool enough for including me in this amazing campaign. You’ve changed my view on laundry forever. Thank you!

Disclosure: Whirlpool is a current client of Mom Central Consulting.

See what other Whirlpool Moms are saying about their Duets!

Follow the #WhirlpoolMoms on Twitter

Calling 911 on your own Kids?

Stacy DeBroff — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:59:06 PST

photo credit: WHDH Boston News

This past Monday, a Salem, MA single Mom, angered by and fed up with her five bickering kids, called 911 to send the cops to break up the fighting. Her complaint: their throwing toys and games at each other led her 15-year-old son to punch her 8-year-old daughter in the arm while she was out grocery shopping, and she wanted them both “out of here— I can’t take this anymore.” Cops arrived on the scene, and the son has been summoned to juvenile court on domestic assault and battery charges. No medical attention was needed for the daughter.

Threats Gone Amuck
We often use threats as parents to cajole our kids into better behavior. From the classic, “Wait until your Dad gets home” to threatening to meet with our kid’s teachers to go over failure to get homework done, we often point to authority figures as a way to restore order. In this case, none of the children’s fathers want to be involved, and she went straight to the police.

Abdicating Parental Responsibility
It’s a complete sign of giving up when parents turn to significant authority figures to handle normal parenting tasks, like breaking up fights. It would be the equivalent of calling the principal to summon your child who refused to do his Tuesday night homework. In this instance, the Mom summoned the cops to take on her parental job – the sibling’s fighting clearly did not reach immediate danger levels as no medical treatment was needed for the arm punch.

Total Loss of Parental Control
By any definition, bringing police in on a family fight – where no weapons outside of toys and games were involved– represents an extreme response. Many intermediary steps exist including anticipating issues proactively and taking younger kids with you instead of leaving them at home as well as realizing that kids are in crisis and working with community resources like counselors and religious groups to get help.

Anger Turned into Public Punishment
A frustrated public lashing of out-of-control parent anger is something that we’re seeing more frequently, as we did with the Mom last year who punished her kids by selling their toys on eBay with a picture of them holding them up while crying. When done in anger public punishment represents the ultimate retaliation. There’s little hope of repairing the relationship or regaining a child’s respect or trust.

Support System Breakdown
In this case, the Mom clearly lacked a support system- which families often turn to in times of extreme stress or crisis: from relatives, to close friends, neighbors, religious figures, or school administrators.

Putting Your Family Under the State's Microscope
Not only does the son face criminal charges, but the cops have notified state welfare authorities - the Department of Children and Families, who will not doubt investigate what’s happening inside the family. This will include reviewing parental competence, and by her extreme action this Mom may ultimately face loss of her parental rights, in essence calling the cops on herself.

Stacy DeBroff is a national Mom expert, parenting author, founder and CEO of Mom Central Consulting, and former attorney founder of the Public Interest Office at Harvard Law School.

Your Family’s Favorite Apples Hit the Big Screen!

Stacy DeBroff — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:29:36 PST

Now that winter appears upon us and families begin the search for post-holiday activities, games that appeal to the whole family will return to the forefront. Fortunately, Apples to Apples, the board game that brings families together through contagious laughter, appears poised for a makeover. Plan on transforming your family’s favorite gaming console into the newest home of these hilarious apples. The mobile app now allows players to share the game with friends and family across the country and around the world.

Recently, my son’s high school track team filled our home to the brim with hungry stomachs and teenage energy. One second, the walls vibrated with loud music and wild dancing, and the next, the living room became the center of a massive game of Apples to Apples. Pausing in awe of the extremes, the sight of my son and his friends roaring with laughter displayed the game’s pure ability to bring joy to all ages.

When the Apples to Apples social and mobile applications launch later this winter, the fun never needs to end. With smartphones scattered across the tables in my living room, the vision of excited teens flooded my thoughts. The next iteration of the original card game combines technology and social networking with the classic platform. The new connective digital experience invites players to join in ongoing games with friends and family, post scores to sites such as Facebook, and create their own custom experience.

The family game favorite that sparks laughter and brings people together continues to evolve. The newest video game and mobile application versions provide all new channels through which to enjoy these fun and humorous apples with the ones you love.

Disclosure: Mom Central received a sample of Apples to Apples social and mobile app to facilitate this review.