Write. Edit. Repeat.

An exclusive interview with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, only on Yahoo! Shine

2011-11-07T15:48:00.003-05:00

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during an interview with Yahoo! Shine Senior Editor Lylah M. Alphonse in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Nov. 2, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson; photo via Yahoo! Shine)

Last week, I went back to the White House, this time for an exclusive sit-down interview with First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden. The interview was supposed to focus on the Joining Forces initiative and military families, in honor of Veterans' Day, but Yahoo! and Yahoo! Shine readers submitted nearly 5,000 questions for me to pour over, so I was able to touch on a few other topics as well.

Here's a look at the segments, which went live on Yahoo.com today:
Read the rest...

DIY natural African-American hair styles for Barbie. Plus: The Roundup

2011-11-04T10:51:00.002-04:00

I've written before about my struggle with my own hair. It's super-curly (kinky-curly, really), and very long—when straightened, it falls almost to my waist. My daughter inherited her father's African-American hair; though it's never been cut in her entire 7-year-long life, it barely reaches her shoulders. I keep it in sleek, two-strand twists, with beads on the ends to give them that swingy weight she loves.

A generation ago, older women would have touched her twists and lamented over the "bad hair." Even now, people reach for my youngest son's bouncy curls and marvel at how "good" his hair is. Look at most of the brown-skinned dolls on the mainstream market, and you'll see this same idea reinforced: Disney's Princess Tiana and other fashion-forward dolls have classic Barbie hair, long and glossy and straight. Even Addy Walker, the African-American American Girl Doll who escaped from slavery in the 1860s, has
longer-than-waist-length, barely wavy hair.

If you want to give your girl a doll that's rocking a pair of puffs, twist-outs, or braids, you'll probably have re-style it yourself—and that's where this awesome post from Black Girls with Long Hair, by NikG of Beads, Braids, and Beyond, comes in. She takes a couple of standard Barbies—the "So In Style"Grace and Chandra dolls—and sets about transforming their long, straight tresses into bouncy, kinky, curls.

I've written about it over at Yahoo! Shine, but basically Grace went from the standard look (above), to this:

Comb out the curls, and you end up with an awesome Afro or Halo. Read the post at Shine ("A Barbie with natural-looking African-American hair") to find out how to do it yourself.

And now, The Roundup:

On Yahoo! Shine:

On Work It, Mom!:

How often do you undermine yourself?

On 4 Kids or More:

Confessions of a clutter queen

The White House and the winter garden. Plus: The Roundup

2011-10-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

Last week's excursion to the White House didn't end indoors. After the small roundtable discussion with Michelle Obama, the other invited journalists and I joined a couple hundred teachers and school officials on the White House South lawn to celebrate the winners of the Healthier U.S. School Challenge.

On the South Lawn, October 17, 2011.

After milling around and munching on apples, White House chef Sam Kass took us down to the official White House garden for an exclusive tour. You can read about it on Yahoo! Shine, of course: The White House and the winter garden: Eating local all year long. My favorite part was getting to snack on pineapple basil blossoms and learning about some of the Thomas Jefferson heirloom seeds that they had planted, courtesy of Monticello. Here are a few pictures from that tour:

A slate tablet in the garden. (Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

Part of the White House garden. (Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

White House chef Sam Kass with the Thomas Jefferson fig tree. (Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

Chef Kass picks one of the last of the pumpkins. (Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

The White House garden, with the Washington Monument in the background. (Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

And now, The Roundup:

On Yahoo! Shine:

On Work It Mom!:

Juggling work and family when you're away on business

On 4 Kids or More:

What's your go-to meal when you don't have time to cook?

On the Savvy Source for Parents:

Kid-friendly haunts in the Greater Boston area

Michelle Obama on work, life, and parenthood

2011-10-24T09:49:00.000-04:00

First Lady Michelle Obama (third from right) holds a roundtable discussion on the "Let's Move" initiative and motherhood issues in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House on October 17, 2011. Yes, that's me sitting right next to the first lady! (Official White House Photo: Chuck Kennedy)

I spent the beginning of last week at the White House, taking part in a small round table discussion with First Lady Michelle Obama. The focus was supposed to be on fitness, health, and her "Let's Move!" initiative, but as we went around the table in the Old Family Dining room, introducing ourselves, the conversation quickly turned to the thing we all had in common: juggling work and life.

The eight other journalists and I asked questions about non-political, personal topics: How she's trying to make the White House feel like home to her two daughters, how to stay motivated and focused while living in the public eye, how to handle stress, kids and screen time, and more.

"Like any mother, I am just hoping that I don't mess them up," Mrs. Obama said of her daughters, Malia (age 13) and Sasha (age 10). "Even when times are tough, in the end you are as happy as your least happy child."

Given my perpetual search for work-life balance, is it any wonder that I asked the first lady how she manages to find her own? Here's what she told me:
Read the rest...

Let your kids go crazy with Glow Crazy! This weekend only...

2011-10-21T16:07:00.000-04:00

My youngest kids' newest obsession is the Glow Crazy Distance Doodler, a cool play-in-the-dark concept. It's pretty simple: Load up the special light wand with AAA batteries, smooth a sheet of light-sensitive paper onto the wall, turn off the lights, and draw on the walls with impunity. The light-sensitive paper fades to darkness again in a few minutes--the images last long enough for a few cut-throat games of tic-tac-toe, but fade quickly enough to use over and over again before bedtime.

This weekend only, the makers of Glow Crazy are offering a special deal: Buy a Glow Crazy Distance Doodler (they're available at WalMart, Toys R Us, and stores) and you'll get a cool Glow Glove for free. (You'll need the UPC code from the Distance Doodler box and your dated store register receipt; details are here.)

If you're doing a little early holiday shopping, this is worth checking out!

Note: Aside from a sample for my kids to try out, the makers of Glow Crazy have not compensated me in any way for this post. I just really love the product!

Can lingerie ads also be sexist? Plus: The Roundup

2011-10-18T11:19:00.022-04:00

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen's latest ads for Hope lingerie have set off a firestorm in her native Brazil, where the country's first female president, Dilma Rousseff, has denounced them as sexist and demanded that Brazil's National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation investigate the campaign.

You can view all three of the ads over at Yahoo! Shine, but here's the gist: Each one starts off with the Brazilian bombshell dowdily dressed, looking contrite and just a little upset, confessing something that could infuriate her husband (she crashed the car, she spent too much money shopping, her mother is coming to stay for while). Then the word "errado"—Portuguese for "wrong"—flashes on the screen. The next shot shows Bundchen making the same confession, but while standing in a come-hither pose, wearing nothing but high heels, a push-up bra, and panties (and some major confidene). A bell dings, and the word "certo"—"right"—appears.

"You're a Brazilian woman. Use your charm," a man's voice says in Portuguese as Gisele struts across the screen in skimpy lingerie and sky-high stilettos.

"The campaign promotes the misguided stereotype of a woman as a sexual object of her husband and ignores the major advances we have achieved in deconstructing sexist practices and thinking," Rousseff's Secretariat for Women's Politics said in a statement. They also accused Hope Lingerie of promoting "discriminatory content against women," which is against Brazil's constitution.

So, is the ad sexist and exploitative, as President Rousseff claims? Personally, I don't think so. For one thing, she's shilling lingerie (and her own lingerie line, at that). For another, she's the highest-paid supermodel out there right now, and Hope Lingerie paid her a bundle.

Click over to Shine and watch the videos at "Gisele Bundchen and lingerie: Are these ads sexist?". What do you think?

And now, The Roundup:

On Yahoo! Shine:

On Work It Mom!:

What's on your "ignore" list?

On 4 Kids or More:

Staying home with your kids: Career choice or moral imperative?

Should marriage be temporary? Plus: The Roundup

2011-10-04T16:10:00.002-04:00

Lawmakers in Mexico City have come up with a new and controversial way to address that city's soaring divorce rates: by making marriage temporary.

Instead of "'Til death do us part," couples would be allowed to decide on the length of their marriage (minimum length: two years). The temporary contracts would contain prenup-like legalese about financial support, how marital assets would be divided, and who gets custody of the kids. And at the end of the contract, happy (or semi-happy) couples could opt to renew for another two years, while those who are tired of being together could simply walk away without a legal hassle.

Mexico has the second-largest Catholic population in the world (after Brazil) and, needless to say, the Catholic Church isn't too keen on the idea.

"This reform is absurd. It contradicts the nature of marriage," said Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the Mexican archdiocese. "It's another one of these electoral theatrics the assembly tends to do that are irresponsible and immoral."

What do you think? You can read the rest (and jump in to the 100+ comments) on Shine: I do... for now. Mexico City considers temporary marriages

The Roundup continues! Here's what you may have missed last week:

On Shine:

On Work It Mom

Bonus for coffee drinkers: Lower rates of depression

On 4 Kids or More

Your most valuable network? Other working parents

Rock a child's world: The 2012 Children's Hospital Boston Battle of the Bands

2011-10-03T15:28:00.000-04:00

It's too easy to do nothing, because you think that what you can do just isn't enough. But doing what you love can also help others. Case in point: The 2012 Children's Hospital Boston Battle of the Bands.

The competition is part of Generation Cures, a philanthropic organization that raises awareness about the power of giving and science. Student bands (minimum size: two people) who sign up and raise funds for the hospital get a chance to perform at a live Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston on Feb. 12, 2012.

To sign up, go to www.generationcures.org/battle and submit an original song with a positive, upbeat, “make it better” theme and then set up an online fundraising page; each band has to promise to raise at least $500 by Dec. 22 in order to be eligible to compete.

For two weeks in January (Jan 4-18) fans will be able to vote for the best band online at the Generation Cures website. The top eight bands will rock out at the Hard Rock, and the winner will receive a cool bundle of prizes, including studio time and chances to perform elsewhere. (There are also prizes for the 2nd and 3rd place bands and the band that raises the most money for Children's Hospital Boston.)

Bonus: Student bands that sign up by today (Oct. 5) at www.generationcures.org/battle can be in the running for a little something extra: A recording session on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. The state-of-the-art mobile recording studio and high-definition production facility will be at Children's Hospital Boston on Oct. 9.

Get rocking!

Kids, parents, and stress: It's all connected. Plus: The Roundup

2011-09-26T22:40:00.001-04:00

You may think you're doing a good job of shielding your kids from your anxiety and stress. But research shows that your children are probably picking up on it anyway—and it's affecting them, physically and emotionally, more than you could imagine.

Last week, I talked with David Code, the author of "To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First," about his new book, "Kids Pick Up on Everything." Research shows that kids can "catch" their parents' stress, overloading their systems until they act out or exhibit mental and physical illness, he says. "Stress is highly contagious between parent and child, even if the parent is unaware of his or her own anxiety."

I also chatted with parenting expert Lori Lite, a mother of three, author, and founder of the "Stress Free Kids," who told me that she believes that children can feel their parents stress and be adversely affected by it. "Children that do not know how to manage stress in a healthy manner will see it manifest in other areas like overeating, headaches, even anger," she says.

You can read my interviews with both experts over at Shine: "Can your kids catch your stress?" 'The research is fascinating and troublesome, but there is hope: By reducing your own stress levels, you can help to reduce your child's.

* * *

Things have gotten busy—so much so that I can't keep up with my posts at WriteEditRepeat! So let's try something new (for me): Every Monday, I'll try to posti highlights of what I worked on the week before. Here's what you may have missed last week:

On Shine:

On Work It, Mom!:

Judge: The law does not mandate work-life balance

On Savvy Source for Parents

Best-loved book nooks in Boston

On 4 Kids or More

Moms and Dads of 4 or more: How do you do it?

In The Boston Globe

Historic Salem, by day or by night

A great deal at Life is Good

2011-09-22T14:17:00.000-04:00

Life is Good, purveyors of all things positive, is holding their second-annual Life is Good music festival this weekend, at Prowse Farm in Canton, Mass. I went last year, husband and kids in tow, and I have to say that it was one of the best kid-friendly events I've ever attended (and I do a lot of kid-friendly stuff). Watching parents hoist their children onto their shoulders and pogo along with They Might Be Giants was one of my favorite parts; when they started singing "Istanbul, not Constantinople," my then-3-year-old turned to me with a look that said, "WHY have you not played this for me before?!?" Hours later, New Orleans Jazz great Trombone Shorty leaped off the stage and walked through the cheering crowd, playing "When the Saints Come Marching In." My kids still talk about how amazing it was.

This year, the festival is on Sept. 24 and 25 (this weekend!), and if you've been waiting to buy tickets, now is the time: Use the links below to get 50 percent off the price of admission.

SAT: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/65519?utm_medium=bks
SUN: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/65583?utm_medium=bks
2 DAY: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/65601?utm_medium=bks

All profits go to benefit the Life is Good Playmakers, a foundation that helps kids overcome life-threatening challenges.

This year, the line-up on the kids' stage is the same on Saturday as it is on Sunday: Ben Rudnick and Friends, Keller Williams, The Laurie Berkner Band, and the Imagination Movers. But my kids are holding out for Michael Franti and Spearhead and the Avett Brothers on Saturday and The Boston Pops, Maceo Parker, and Ray LaMontagne on Sunday. (You can find the entire schedule of performers for both days here.)

Doors open at 11 a.m., and the first bands go on at 11:45 a.m. There'll be plenty of other things to do as well, from low-key backyard games to arts and crafts to rock climbing. For more details, go to Lifeisgood.com/festivals.

Hope to see you there, rain or shine!

(This post was not sponsored by Life is Good. I just like them a lot.)

Traveling to the Far East (without leaving Boston)

2011-09-19T22:54:00.000-04:00

Please join me over at SavvySource.com, where every other week I'll be writing about things to do with your kids in and around Boston. First up, exploring the Far East without leaving the Boston area. Here's a taste:

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is much more family-friendly than one might think, and has an extensive collection of Asian artifacts, including Chinese painting and calligraphy, Himalayan artwork, prints and postcards, and Japanese arms and armor. A dimly lit room filled with Japanese Buddhist art is a quiet place to contemplate the meaning of life (or just give your kids a chance to chill out). To get there, take the T -- the Green Line's "E" train takes you right to the door. The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. every day, and stays open until 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Admission is free for kids under age 6 (strollers are allowed, baby backpacks are not but can be coat-checked), kids age 7 to 17 are free on weekdays after 3:00 p.m. and on weekends and school holidays ($10 at other times), and adults are $22.

Read the rest here: Around the World Without Leaving Boston.

Happy National Step Families Day! On being happy in a blender

2011-09-16T10:48:00.000-04:00

The thing about having a big blended family is that you’re always juggling—not just career vs. parenthood, or being a parent vs. being a spouse vs. being yourself, but ideals and misconceptions and expectations about family life as well. Step mothers, in particular, don't get a lot of positive press, and the unrealistic expectations we have for ourselves can be a recipe for failure.

September 16 is National Step Family Day, and I was fortunate to be able to celebrate a few weeks early, during one of those now-rare times when all five of our kids are in the same place at the same time. We didn't do anything fancy; in fact, I don't think anyone else knew I was celebrating. But I savored every second of our time together—something that comes easily to me now that I've let go of my expectations about the way things "should" be. There's a lot more to be happy about when you're not wasting energy worrying about what you can't control.

If you're a step parent, here are a few posts that might be of interest:

On being a step mother on mother's day

Are you a working step mom?

What do you call a step parent?

Step parenting mistakes, challenges, and advice from three experts

Remarried with children: What role should your child have in your wedding?

Blending isn't easy: An expert offers help for stepparents

I also write about having a big, blended family in my first post at the newly launched 4 Kids or More, a fantastic resource for people living in a large family, no matter how theirs was created. Read "When Your Big Family is a Blended Family," and stay tuned for more... I'll be writing about careers and passions (work related ones!) over there every week.

Happy Step Family Day! How are you honoring your experience in a blended family?

They're famous, but did you know they're heroes?

2011-09-12T07:53:00.000-04:00

The gossip sites and tabloids are quick to point things out whenever a celebrity has a personal crisis or a wardrobe malfunction, but the good things they've done tend to fly under the radar—especially when it wasn't part of a publicity event. Over at Yahoo! Shine I took a look at a dozen stars who have done things that shine off the screen as well.

You probably heard about how Kate Winslet ran back into a burning building to save British billionaire Richard Branson's 90-year-old mother from the flames, but did you know that Harrison Ford uses his own helicopter to help out search-and-rescue teams in Wyoming? (How cool would it be to be saved by Indiana Jones!) Or that the same year Tom Cruise starred in "Mission: Impossible" he saved people's lives not once, but three different times? Click here to read all about 'em: Ryan Gosling (and other celebrities) to the rescue! Heroic stars in action.

Jesus is the most-popular guy on Facebook

2011-09-07T20:13:00.000-04:00

Justin Bieber may have more fans on Facebook, but Jesus Christ gets more engagement, according to AllFacebook.com, a site that tracks Facebook traffic. Or, at least, his words and wisdom inspire plenty of interaction, which is one metric by which social-media mavens measure popularity.

The Facebook page for Jesus Daily—where Dr. Aaron Tabor of Kernersville, N.C., posts Bible verses, religious artwork, news, and inspirational messages—has spent 18 weeks in the number one spot for engagement, which includes the number of posts, likes, and comments a page receives.

"I just started it as a hobby," Tabor, 41, told ABC News. He also runs a diet business, which has a separate Facebook page. "I looked at a friend’s page and there was a little Bible app at the bottom, and I thought people would want something more."

You can read more about Tabor and his site over at Yahoo! Shine: "The most-engaging guy on Facebook? Jesus."

5 great alternatives to JC Penney's "I'm too pretty to do homework" shirt

2011-09-02T12:23:00.006-04:00

Early Wednesday, after angry parents took to social media and started petitions to complain, JC Penney pulled from it's stores and website a back-to-school T-Shirt that read: "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me."

I wrote reported the story for Yahoo.com on Wednesday afternoon and, 7,075 comments later, opinions are still clearly divided. Plenty of readers were outraged, saying that the shirt was sexist and demeaning. But just as many felt that it was a joke blown out of proportion by politically correct parents who needed to lighten up. "Honestly. Anyone seeing a problem with this shirt should just not purchase it," one Yahoo user named Krissy wrote.
Read the rest...

Couple to marry on 9/11: "If we don't take back that day ... the terrorists win"

2011-08-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

Another profile I wrote for Yahoo! News went live this week. This one is about a young couple getting married on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

My favorite part of the interview was when the bride told me that, after a moment's hesitation about the date, they decided to go ahead with it anyway:

"But the more I thought about it," Briggs says, "I was like, 'You know what? If we don't take that day back at some point and start celebrating something else, the terrorists win.'

"We grieve that day every year. I'm honored to share that day with all of the people that lost their lives, the people on the planes, the people in the World Trade Center, and the military. Especially the military."

Click here to read their uplifting story.

9/11 remembered: A retired NY firefighter focuses on hope instead of hatred

2011-08-20T12:45:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview a truly inspirational person. Lee Ielpi lost his son Jonathan, a New York City firefighter, when the World Trade Center fell on September 11, 2001. But instead of focusing on retribution, he's determined to make the world a more understanding, more hopeful place.

"On September 10, I was still retired," he told me. "My wishes were to go fishing and hunting and hiking and camping and enjoy the outdoors and travel.... But 9/11 changed many people, not just me."

"My life changed. I had to put most of that on the back burner," he said. "Someday maybe I'll get back to fishing and hiking. Right now, we feel it's more important to continue this mission we're on."

That mission is one of peace and understanding. Ielpi is the co-founder of the Tribute WTC Visitors Center in New York City. Thanks to his efforts, about 2.2 million people have walked through the center, led by more than 450 people with firsthand knowledge of the way 9/11 changed the world.

My interview with Mr. Ielpi is part of a series of in-depth articles at Yahoo.com marking the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11; that picture, above, is a snapshot of the Yahoo News page showcasing Mr. Ielpi's story. You can can read the rest below, and you can see the entire mosaic of Yahoo.com 9/11 articles here. (Keep checking that link for more!)
Read the rest...

A sweet, appreciative post about working moms

2011-08-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

One of my co-workers sent me this post by City Mama, and it was so on-point that I just had to share it with you:

To the mothers who work,

The ones who know that staying home with kids is work, too, but who choose who work outside the home because they need to (and, maybe, wish they didn't) or they like to (and, maybe, wish they didn't).

The ones who would like to slow down. Just a little.

Read the rest over at Citymama.com.

Breadwinning women and balloon wedding dresses

2011-08-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

I have two stories on the Yahoo.com home page right now, and both are fun and fluffy (a bit of a departure from the news and politics I've been writing about lately).

First up: Those birthday-party animals have nothing on these dresses made entirely out of balloons.

And next: What do Kim Kardashian, Gisele Bundchen, and Katy Perry all have in common (besides being gorgeous, rich, famous and female)? They all out-earn their husbands by quite a bit.

Click the links to go read the stories at Yahoo.com!

A field trip fit for a king: Hammond Castle

2011-08-06T12:02:00.000-04:00

Hammond Castle, Gloucester, Mass.
(Photo: Lylah M. Alphonse)

Last week, my youngest kids and our best friends piled into the car for a family-friendly road trip to Hammond Castle, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. My 6-year-old daughter is at the princess stage, my 4-year-old son loves knights and dragons, and I've always had an interest in Medieval history, castles, and the like.

This royal outing was so much fun that I shared it with my readers of the Boston Globe's "Bring the Family" column today. You can read the article at Boston.com, but these pictures also tell a good part of the story:
Read the rest...

15 things you should always keep in your car

2011-07-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

Labor day is fast approaching, but there's still time to get one last road trip in before the school year begins. And when it comes to driving, there are certain things you should always have handy, no matter where you're going. Here's a checklist of things you should try to keep in your car at all times.

Spare tire. It seems silly to include this—don't most cars just come with one?—but if you've used yours recently then it's worth making sure it's back where it belongs before you hit the road again. Be sure to check the pressure and condition of your spare tire just as you would all of your other ones.
Fix-a-Flat. At less than $10 a can, this product can be a lifesaver if you have a slow leak. Just connect the small hose (included) to your tire; the rubber compound flows in to form a strong seal and your tire is temporarily re-inflated, all without using a jack or having to remove the wheel.
Booster cables. It's often easier to boost your battery than it is to find a new one when you're stuck on the side of the road.
Roadside assistance. If you don't want to pay an annual fee for a service you only rarely use, but don't want to be stuck without a safety net while you're driving far from home, check out Allstate's new Good Hands Roadside Assistance. It's a pay-as-you-use-it program with set fees for certain services—$50 for jump starts, retrieving keys that have been locked in the car, tire changes, and fuel delivery (up to three gallons) and $75 for basic towing (up to 10 miles, $3 per additional mile). You can sign up in advance (it works in all 50 states, but not in Puerto Rico) and you don't pay anything unless you need their help. You can find out more or register for the program by clicking this widget:
Small tool kit. I prefer an all-in-one gadget like a classic Leatherman multi-tool, but if you have room for a small box, be sure to stock it with a wrench, a ratchet and sockets, a small hammer, pliers, electrical tape, and flat-head and Philips-head screwdrivers.
Flashlight. Don't forget to keep it stocked with fresh batteries!
Charger for your cell phone. In an emergency, one of the last things you want to deal with is a dying cell-phone battery. Consider a solar-powered charger, like the Solio Universal solar charger kit, which comes with adapters for popular smart phones.
Small first aid kit. You don't have to bring a kit fit for a wilderness explorer, but some antibiotic ointment, alcohol pads, an ace bandage, sterile gauze, medical tape, a small pair of scissors, a couple of maxi pads, and a few adhesive bandages can help you handle a minor injury. (Why maxi pads? Because they're far more absorbent than plain gauze.)
Duct tape. Duct tape always comes in handy.
Plastic bags. Those ubiquitous grocery bags can be used for stashing wet clothes, lining a child-size beach bucket for use as a portable potty, covering your shoes in preparation for a wet walk, temporarily fixing a cracked window, and so much more. Bonus: Squished together, they hardly take up any space at all.
Large towel. Use it for drying off in warm or wet weather, or as an emergency blanket during the winter.
Tarp. Use it as a shelter during inclement weather. Use it as a ground cover, or as an impromptu raincoat. A shower curtain may do, in a pinch, though it's not as large or as durable as a tarp.
Chemical hand warmers or ice packs, depending on the season. Available at most hardware stores, hand warmers activate when exposed to air and can be used to stave off frostbite in an emergency. When it's hot out, a chemical ice pack (squeeze it to break an interior seal and mix the two components together) can help prevent heat stroke in people and pets
Water. For drinking, and for cooling down hot engines or cleaning off buggy windshields.
Extra clothing. You don't need much—a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, plus fleece gloves/scarf/hat for those cold weather months.

What emergency materials do you keep in your car ?

This post was commissioned by Allstate; all opinions/reviews presented in it are my own.

Wish, granted: 6-year-old cancer patient hugs her favorite princess

2011-07-08T17:48:00.000-04:00

I was so happy when this assignment was tossed to me today; after writing about horrible and heart-aching stuff for the past few weeks, it was wonderful to be able to share something so uplifting. Struggling with stage IV cancer, Diamond Marshall, 6, has her wish granted when she is chosen to greet Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at the Calgary Airport yesterday. She was so excited that she threw herself into the princess's arms for a hug.

The pictures tell the story, but of course there's more to read over at Yahoo!'s Shine. Click here to read "6-year-old cancer patient gets a royal hug," or keep your eyes right here to see some of the sweetest shots.

Alberta Lt. Gov. Donald S. Ethell waited patiently while Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, stopped to chat with 6-year-old Diamond Marshall on Thursday, July 7, 2011, in Calgary, Alberta.
(AP Photos/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette) (Photos via Yahoo! Shine)

The 6-year-old was accompanied by her father and stepmother. "She was so lovely and so gracious," Danielle Marshall, 32, said of the former Kate Middleton. "For a little girl who has dreamed of meeting a princess it was a dream come true."

After hugging the pretty princess, Diamond said, "She was as fancy as she looks on the TV!"

The real clincher for me, though, was little Diamond's letter to the princess. "I watched you get married from my bed," she wrote. "My favorite princess is Aurora, who is yours? I would really like to meet you. Do you want to meet me too?"

(Photos via the Alberta, Canada, Public Affairs Bureau)

The Casey Anthony verdict: "This is a court of law, not a court of justice"

2011-07-06T21:42:00.002-04:00

Casey Anthony and her lawyer after the July 5 "not guilty" verdict. Photo: AP via Yahoo!'s Shine.

I was horrified when 2-year-old Caylee Anthony was in the news back in 2008. I'd "lost" my youngest daughter in a museum before, though it was only for a few minutes, and my heart went out to both mother and child. Caylee had been missing for 31 days before her mother, Casey Anthony, reported her disappearance; soon after, the mother was arrested for murder. A few months after that, the toddler's skeletal remains, with duct tape over the nose and mouth, were found in the woods near her grandparents' house, where the little girl and her mother both lived.

The details are even worse, so I won't go into them here. But the most damning evidence against Casey Anthony was the fact that she lied about her toddler's whereabouts for weeks, and spent her time partying instead of searching for her daughter.

On Tuesday, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder, manslaughter, and child abuse. The 7-woman, 5-man jury in Florida convicted her only on four misdemeanor counts of lying to law enforcement, which has a maximum sentence of a year in jail for each count. Given that she's been locked up since late 2008, it's possible that tomorrow the judge will sentence her to time served—meaning that she'll walk away a free woman instead of facing the death penalty or life in prison.

People all over the country responded to the verdict with disgust, disbelief, and anger. I've spent this week looking over the case and pouring over the details, and I have to admit: I'm disgusted, too. But still, the not-guilty verdict is right, even if it feels horribly wrong. Over at Yahoo.com, I explain why:

The outrage over the death of a little girl is understandable (to say the least), but it's easy to forget that Casey Anthony wasn't on trial for knowing what happened to her 2-year-old daughter. She was on trial for premeditated murder. And though there was plenty of logical, circumstantial evidence that pointed to her guilt, there was no concrete, forensic evidence that tied her to the crime. To put it another way: In spite of the phone calls, the diary entries, the lies, the non-existent nanny, the duct tape on the body, the computer searches for chloroform, and the evidence found in Anthony's car, the prosecution couldn't prove that Anthony was the one who killed Caylee, or that she wasn't instead covering up for the person who did.

The quote in the title of my post has been attributed to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and it seems right for this case. The jury followed the letter of the law, even if those of us on the sidelines feel that justice wasn't served. And isn't our court system supposed to be about the law and the presumption of innocence, even when morals, and possibly common sense, seem to say otherwise?

Wisdom from the road: What do you wish you'd learned earlier in life?

2011-07-01T10:44:00.000-04:00

I first met Miss Britt when I interviewed her for a Member Close-Up piece at Work It, Mom!, back in 2008. We reconnected when she started writing the "Full Time, All the Time" column there, and finally met in person at BlogHer in 2010. A month ago, she and her family sold their belongings, left their home in Central Florida to spend a year living out of a 24-foot RV while they travel the country. And she's sharing her experience with her readers at her blog, "In Pursuit of Happiness."

Today's post is offers 18 things that she's learned during that first month on the road. They're pieces of wisdom that most of us are looking for but unable to find easily, distracted as we are by the minutiae of daily life. Here are the five things that really struck a chord with me:

Time together and time apart are both important for maintaining healthy relationships.
What you can provide your children has almost nothing to do with how grateful (or ungrateful) they will be.
Don’t put stuff off. Just do it, even if you think the outcome or news will be bad.
People and places can surprise you. Even if you don’t have the time to learn the back story, remember that there always is one.
Being clear about your intentions increases the odds that you’ll be happy with your results – in just about anything.

Click through to read Miss Britt's entire post and follow her adventures. But first, tell me: What's one you've learned that you wish you'd understood earlier in your life? (For me, it's the fact that the little things in life are the big things.)

My kids think I work too much

2011-06-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

I truly believe that work-life balance is a myth—at least, in the long-term. One might achieve it for short bursts here and there, but in general I think it's less about balance and more about juggling. Some times, the only balls that stay in the air are the ones related to your job, the ones labeled "deadline" and "business meeting" and "massive project," and by the end of the day all you can do is make promises about tomorrow being better. Other times, the most important meeting on your schedule is the one with your child's teacher or the daytime date with your spouse—or you're tapping away on the computer with one hand while holding a sick child on your lap, or trying to write a blog post with "Phineas and Ferb" blaring in the background (ahem).

The other day, I was trying to finish an assignment while my daughter was sitting next to me on the couch. I had my laptop open, and she was hunched over the coffee table, drawing and humming a tune that sounded a lot like "Bingo."

When I scooted closer to her on the couch to get a peek at what she was doing, I discovered that she had made up new words to go along with the song. And had made an illustrated guide to the new lyrics (spelled phonetically, of course—she's only in kindergarten).

There was a girl who worked a lot
and Lylah was her name-o
L-Y-L-A-H, L-Y-L-A-H, L-Y-L-A-H
and Lylah was her name-o!

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of getting out of work mode and morphing into Mama mode during the window between school pick-up and bedtime. But apparently not.
Read the rest...