http://meaganfrancis.com writing about motherhood, wellness, and more Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:19:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I was just reading this touching post at Velveteen Mind about hoping for a baby girl, and it reminded me of an essay I wrote years ago while pregnant with baby #4, which was published in the (now-defunct) ePregnancy magazine. Reading it again I am reminded of how intense that ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/S8ez6olttuM" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/S8ez6olttuM/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/07/02/on-having-a-daughter/ Over at THE HAPPIEST MOM I've been writing about the WOHM/WAHM/SAHM "who's unhappiest" debate, Mother's Hierarchy of Needs and starving bad feelings... I've been participating in some group discussions at the Gather.com Special Bedtime Moments site (where you can win prizes for participating), I have an article in American Baby birthday parties ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/rvw4vwHJYwo" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/rvw4vwHJYwo/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/07/01/whats-new-in-my-world/ We just returned from a five-day trip to Wisconsin--four nights in Door County, and a night at the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan on our way back home. Fun times were had. Pictures were taken. Unfortunately, all those pictures reside on my husband's computer at the moment. But I do ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/I50XMEAKtmE" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/I50XMEAKtmE/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/30/wisconsin-trip/ Now through the summer, you can find me over at GoodNites®, where I'm part of the NiteLite™ expert panel. And at The Happiest Mom, I've been writing about happiness for pessimists and playground meditation. I'm also happy to point you toward an article I wrote for the current issue of ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/Xp7q2Cf6INo" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/Xp7q2Cf6INo/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/18/happy-moms-happy-nights/ We're traveling to Door County, WI in a week. It'll be our first road trip with Clara, but we're experienced with-kid travelers: my work as a travel and spa writer has kept us hopping through the Midwest and beyond, almost always with kids in tow. And along the way, I've ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/FgrL-AV9q9s" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/FgrL-AV9q9s/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/18/rules-for-traveling-with-kids/ here are a couple pictures of delicious Clara, who just gets chubbier and cuter by the day: Health-wise, she's doing really well. She has a follow-up EEG next week and will see a neurologist in July, but she hasn't had any more episodes since she was a day old, and since ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/x8yyxgYM088" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/x8yyxgYM088/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/16/its-been-too-long/ Aaaand, the winner of the random* drawing for a FREE DNA testing kit from 23andMe is: Sarah, from What To Do, PoopsyWoo? Sarah's story: "My mother and sister both suffer from autoimmune disorders. My mother with rheumatoid arthritis, and my sister with a form of muscular dystrophy called myasthenia gravis. Autoimmune disorders being ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/LxndgEg9tKQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/LxndgEg9tKQ/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/12/dna-testing-winner/ Ever since I was genotyped for the blogging project I’ve been working on for 23andMe, I’ve found myself talking about the company’s DNA testing service to everyone I know. Having in-depth access to my genetic information has been fascinating, illuminating, and makes for great party conversation (Just try using the ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/YIDsl7sFm-4" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/YIDsl7sFm-4/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/06/04/giveaway-alert-win-a-free-dna-testing-kit-from-23andme/ School’s out, and my kids are ready. They’ve been counting down the days since the beginning of May, keeping a surprisingly accurate count in their heads of how many days are left, total, and of those, how many are school days, and of those, how many are half-days. Who knew ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/Tfx6CIgXLyc" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/Tfx6CIgXLyc/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/05/31/schools-out/ “Mom,” my son said to me one day, “When are you going to tell me about the birds and the Bee Gees?” After I was done laughing, I felt a twinge of guilt about the fact that my son, who was decidedly a “tween” and moving ever-closer to puberty, was so ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~4/YNanfr9whK8" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogmeaganfrancis/~3/YNanfr9whK8/ http://meaganfrancis.com/2009/05/27/thetalk/