Write. Edit. Repeat.

Last-minute Mothers Day: A way to help others

2013-05-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

What do moms really want for Mothers' Day? Someone to say that they get how hard -- and how wonderful -- it can be.

"I always thought that Mothers Day was great, but it always felt like something was missing," Julianna W. Miner, who blogs at Rants from Mommyland, told me in an interview. "I wanted someone to see me and tell me that it was enough. That even though I was not doing everything right, that my efforts counted."

Figuring that plenty of women might feel the same way, Miner teamed up with e-card and gift company Naughty Betty to create Mothers Day cards to honor all moms and say what they really want for Mother's Day. The cards are more than just clever -- they also support a good cause: If people share the free e-cards in time for Mothers Day, SweetRelish.com will donate up to $10,000 to Shelter House, a safe haven for homeless families and victims of domestic violence.

As I mentioned on Yahoo! Shine earlier this week, these Mothers' Day cards speak the truth:

Photos by Julianna W. Miner/Naughty Betty

Love these cards -- and the cause they support -- as much as we do? Share them by clicking here and SweetRelish.com will donate up to $10,000 to Shelter House, a safe haven for homeless families and victims of domestic violence.

The latest from Lylah

2013-04-27T16:52:00.001-04:00

While I work to update this blog with some of the 250 or so articles (!!!) I've written since the last time I hit "publish" over here, please take a moment to check out my archives on Yahoo.com!

Too busy to comb through the archives? Here are links to a few of the most popular ones from this month:

Fourth Grader's Essay on Marriage Equality Goes Viral, Earns National Praise

Who is Katherine Russell, Widow of Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

What's The Significance of April 19?

Boston Marathon Victim Searches for Rescuer -- and Finds Him

Acts of Kindness in the Wake of the Boston Marathon Bombings

Kindergarten Boy Suspended for His 'Distracting' Mohawk

Michelle Obama Accidentally Calls Herself a 'Busy Single Mother.' Can You Relate?

Little Red Riding Hood and AR-15s? New Ads Contrast School Bans and Gun Regulations

'Glee' Takes On School Shootings: Too Soon?

And, finally... a word from Kid President:

Barbie Dolls of the World collection: stunning or stereotypical?

2013-04-12T17:04:00.000-04:00

Mattel has been offering Barbies dressed in traditional, ethnic outfits since 1980, when it launched its Dolls of the World collection, aimed at kids and adult collectors alike. The first three dolls represented France, England, and Italy, and the line has expanded to include more than 200 different dolls. But the most recent versions, especially ones representing Latin America, are causing controversy online. The 2012 Mexico Barbie is dressed in non-traditional pink, has kind of a princess hairstyle, and carries a chihuahua tucked under her arm; it's being called out by critics for being offensive rather than educational.

If Mattel was looking for authenticity, Mexico Barbie "should have braids woven through with ribbons," Adriana Velez, who describes herself as Mexican-American, writes at Cafe Mom. "She could have a white blouse with colorful embroidery and a woven shawl. Hell, they could have just called up a photo of the most iconic Mexican ever, Frida Kahlo, and copied the look. Instead they gave her some vague pink thing with ruffles."

The interesting thing is, though, that earlier versions of Mexico Barbie looked almost exactly as Velez describes. So what was the reason behind the change?

I called Mattel up to find out, and a representative told me that the company's goal is to introduce girls to the world through play. "We consulted with the Mexican Embassy on the Dolls of the World Mexico Barbie, especially with respect to the selection of the Chihuahua," a Mattel spokesperson told me.

After looking through the entire collection, I think the problem goes beyond the Latina dolls. Over at Yahoo! Shine, I've pulled together a slideshow of some of the most-popular dolls in the collection. Take a look and decide for yourself: Are these ethnic Barbie dolls stunning, or just stereotypical?

Spending $500 on school supplies? How to keep costs down

2012-08-02T12:06:00.000-04:00

I was happy to return to Fox 25 News in Boston today, this time to talk about how to save some money while back-to-school shopping. Here's the clip from the show:

Consumer experts are saying that parents plan to spend $500 or more on back-to-school items this year; the number sounds outrageous, but once you add electronics and school clothes into the budget, it's easy to see how parents can spend that much or more per child. Over at Yahoo! Shine, I interviewed frugal shopping expert Mir Kamin of WantNot.net about ways parents can keep costs reasonable.

Kamin suggests that people pay attention to store sales and shop "outside the box," keeping an eye out for deals at the grocery and drug stores as well as office supply centers and warehouse clubs.

"The thing to remember is that 'loss leaders' like 10-cent Crayolas and such are there to bring you into the store and make you feel like that overpriced comic-character notebook is a deal because you saved so much on glue and erasers," she explains. "So basically, watch the sales flyers, grab the cheap stuff when it comes up -- and grab extra, so you don't need to re-buy halfway through the year -- but don't buy the stuff that isn't dirt cheap."

You can read the rest of her tips here: ""Back to school spending: $500 per shopper?"

Tricky interview questions, and how to answer them, on "The Shine"

2012-07-18T12:08:00.004-04:00

When I'm not tapping away at my computer, I'm often in front of the camera, talking about news, workplace, and parenting trends. This week, I was back on "The Shine," Yahoo!'s fantastic talk show (you can find previous episodes at Shine.Yahoo.com). Host Alesha Renee and I were chatting about crazy job-interview questions and how to answer them. Here's the clip!

It's a topic I wrote about earlier this year on Yahoo! Shine ("Bizarre Interview Questions (And How To Answer Them)") and it's proven to be pretty popular -- I was tapped to talk about it on Fox Business News as well. Here's a clip of that segment, which aired July 10: What's the strangest thing you've ever been asked in a job interview?

Industries where women out-earn men, on "The Shine"

2012-07-12T12:24:00.000-04:00

This week, I sat down with Alesha Renee on "The Shine" to talk about paycheck fairness and the few industries where women make more than men. Here's the clip!

You can find previous episodes of "The Shine" at Shine.yahoo.com.

Revamping your Resume? Keep these items off

2012-07-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

I was a guest on Fox Business News recently, talking about the things you should keep off of your resume. It's a topic I've covered for both Yahoo! Shine ("The Worst Things to Put on Your Resume") and for Yahoo!'s talk show, "The Shine,"(you can watch that clip right here) but here's the clip from the folks at Fox:

What to eat if you can't buy organic

2012-07-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

I was on Fox-25 News in Boston this morning, talking about the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen Plus" and "Clean Fifteen" lists and offering suggestions about how to avoid pesticides if you can't afford to buy all organic produce. Here's the clip:

Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

It's worth noting that, if you draw a line down the center of the tablescape (sweet potatoes, watermelon, and asparagus) those things plus everything to the left of them are perfectly fine to buy conventionally -- that is, the pesticide levels on them are so low that it doesn't make much of a difference whether you eat "regular" versions or organic ones. Everything to the right, though? If you have money to spend on organic produce, those are the things you want to buy. A good rule of thumb is that if the produce has a think skin that you can eat -- so, peaches, apples, grapes, berries, lettuce and leafy greens, for example -- you should try to buy organic.

I wrote about the EWG's lists on Yahoo! Shine recently: "When Buying Organic Does (and Doesn't) Make Sense." The "Dirty Dozen Plus" and "Clean Fifteen" lists are pretty straight-forward, but bear in mind that the benefits of eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables far outweigh the risks posed by FDA-approved pesticides -- the EWG found traces of them on their produce samples, not massive amounts. And while some fruits and veggies absorb chemicals or grew from seeds soaked in pesticides, most had pesticide residue only on the surface; a simple wash in cold running water (without soap or bleach) is enough to remove most of it.

In the Fox-25 clip, I point out that locally grown produce is less likely to have lots of pesticides, but there wasn't time to explain the idea fully. Just because something is local does not mean that it was grown organically, but if the produce doesn't have to travel a long distance to the store (and look perfect once it gets there), chances are it will require fewer chemicals to keep it fresh and pest-free. Also: There are plenty of farmers who are not certified organic but who use only a minimum of chemicals and pesticides on their produce. The bottom line? If you're at your local farmer's market, ask whether the food was grown organically or when the last time it was treated. Still feeling worried? Grow your own (some of the most-contaminated produce, like green beans and lettuce, are pretty easy to grow in a garden or even in pots on a balcony).

What not to put on your resume, today on "The Shine"

2012-05-31T11:11:00.001-04:00

Today on "The Shine," Yahoo! Shine's new online talk show, I sat down with host Alisha Renee to talk about the things you should never put on your resume. Take a look!

Of course, there's always more... check out the video and my article, "The Worst Things to Put on Your Resume," only at Yahoo! Shine.

Change Your World: Women, the media, human rights, and social change

2012-05-18T14:26:00.001-04:00

I'm in Washington to represent Yahoo! Shine at "Change Your World," a summit on women, technology, social and digital media sponsored by Yahoo!'s Business and Human Rights Program. I've met a lot of truly inspirational women who are working hard, on and off-line, to change the world, and the day isn't even halfway done yet.

You watch the live broadcast here (I'm hoping that there will be a recording available later, too), and follow along as the attendees Tweet about it at (the hashtag is #YahooCYW).

The panel that I was on was moderated by Lauren Bohn, a journalist and Fullbright Fellow based in Cairo, Egypt, where she is the founder and associate editor of "The Cairo Review," a foreign-policy journal. We were joined by Courtney Martin of Feministing and ValentiMartin Media, Georgia Popplewell of Global Voices, Holly Gordon of 10x10, Lindsay Guetschow of Participant Media, Lisa Belkin of the Huffington Post, and Mikaela Beardsley of Half the Sky.

Photo courtesy of Helen Rosenthal (@HelenRosenthal)

We discussed the idea of "Media with a Mission" -- can (or should) journalists be advocates for change? Does online media amplify women's voices more than traditional media? Can a movie be entertaining and empowering at the same time?

During the discussion, I met women who are trying to change their communities from the inside, by running for office (and battling stereotypes and discrimination along the way). I met women who are struggling to change lives of girls in impoverished countries, to improve options for education, to bring technology to the far corners of the world. And they're all making a difference.

Stay tuned to Yahoo! Shine as I write more about these inspiring women and the things they're trying to do to make life better for people everywhere.

What makes Time's breastfeeding cover so controversial?

2012-05-11T11:06:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I wrote a front-page piece for Yahoo.com about this Time Magazine cover, which shows 26-year-old attachment-parenting advocate Jamie Lynne Grumet nursing her nearly 4-year-old son.

Does this cover cross the line? (Photo: Time.com)

You can read that piece here: Reactions to Time Magazine's breastfeeding cover: Did Time go too far? Today's follow up, about Grumet's appearance on NBC's "Today" show, is here: Jamie Lynne Grumet defends her Time magazine breastfeeding cover.

One day and nearly 17,000 comments later, I thought I'd write about what I really think about the controversy.
Read the rest...

Money saving tips from Yahoo! Shine and Anderson Cooper

2012-03-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! Shine was featured on Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show, "Anderson," today, as I doled out a few money-saving tips. You can watch the clip on Yahoo! Shine, find out more about the "Easy Money Hour" episode of "Anderson," and read my tips right here at WriteEditRepeat:
Read the rest...

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.