• Last updated 10/18/12 by emilyfrischmann

Why They Whine: How Corporations Prey on our Children By Gary Ruskin Web Exlusive Cheryl Idell knows a lot about nagging. She has written reports for major corporations with such titles as the "Nag Factor" and "The Art of Fine Whining." She tells her clients that nagging spurs about a third of a family's trips to a fast-food restaurant, to buy children's clothing or a video. Idell, who is chief strategic officer for Western Initiative Media Worldwide, a major market research firm, speaks with the cold precision of a physicist. "Nagging falls into two... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Athena, 3; Etani, 8 months; Hesperus, 5 I understand why people raise their eyebrows at us for being pregnant with our fourth baby. The vast majority of Americans still only have two children but there is a small subset of the population creating such large families that one Women’s Health writer suggests the craze for more children stems from an addiction to being pregnant. She argues that women become pregnant because they like being treated like rock stars and being in the limelight and she dubs women like me with more than two children... read more

• Last updated 6/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Hi! This is a thread for member-recommended Waldorf resources, websites, blog links and helpful MDC Waldorf threads. Please note that inclusion in the Resource thread does not constitute an MDC endorsement of the content. If you have an educational and informative resource you would like to nominate for inclusion in this thread, please PM the forum moderators Mothering Magazine Articles Inspired Education Waldorf at Home Helpful MDC Threads Where to Start? Waldorf Resources Helpful Sites, Links,... read more

• Last updated 12/8/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Janet FackrellIssue 103, November/December 2000 We are as busy as most families are. We have four daughters, a business, , piano lessons, a paper route or two, a preschool co-op, a homeschooling group, a cycling hobby, a research project, housekeeping, breastfeeding, and a pet turtle to juggle. Some days we rush from one project and appointment to the next. The weeks blur as we try to accommodate every commitment and activity. And we know that some families have even more obligations to squeeze into their schedule than we have. Some nights I look in on our sleeping... read more

• Last updated 10/7/12 by SavvyHomeschool

In this episode we catch up after a week off, chat about fun and games while homeschooling, and… Homeschooling with The Amazing Race! Learn about all the great ideas we’ve found on the web, and some we thought up ourselves, on how to turn the tv show “The Amazing Race” into geography and social studies lessons, and more! Some links in this episode: Red Cabbage pH Indicator Homeschool Realm Exchange Change Game Secular Homeschooling Magazine (currently in hiatus, but back issues are available!) Homeschooling the Amazing Race on Annie-Babble Homeschooling with the Amazing... read more

• Last updated 2/13/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Jennifer Graf Groneberg Web Exclusive Each night before bed, my son casually, nonchalantly, reaches out and grabs my ear, pinning me to his side. If he is particularly uneasy, he grabs both ears, pulling me close, and I smell baby soap and milk, warm cotton and skin. Our breaths mingle, our heartbeats answer each other and together, we drift to sleep. I am his, and he knows it. It wasn't always this way. I was a nervous new mother. I'd read all the books and knew all the ages and stages, but none of it helped me. I was terrified. Too scared to let myself love this... read more

• Last updated 9/26/11 by Laura Grace Weldon

JustArrived Flickr photostream In our family, changing the lyrics to “If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands” is essential to the song. We substitute words like silly, grumpy, snotty, and even verklempt for “happy.”  Making up appropriate accompanying motions, well, that’s the fun part. Apparently hand-clapping rhymes and songs are actually linked to cognitive skills. Research by Dr. Idit Sulkin, of the Ben-Gurion University Music Science Lab, found that young children who naturally play hand-clapping games are better spellers, have neater handwriting, and... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by Melanie Mayo

  CC by 2.0 ricardo266 My name is Laura. I have a chronic library habit. Sure, I have other, less socially acceptable habits. We can talk about those another day. Right now I’m eager to turn other people into equally obsessed library fanatics. I’ve already been successful with my kids. The stacks of books my family brings home may be pushing up the state average. Now that my kids are older they are surprised most of their peers never bother with libraries, in person or online. And I’m surprised to see how many of my friends don’t... read more

• Last updated 5/25/12 by Mothering Editorial

More on Routine Swaddling Rethinking Swaddling from author Nancy Morbacher, IBCLC, FILCA. Originally published in Nancy Morbacher: Breastfeeding Reporter, Sept 2010 More Debate on Swaddling, an exchange between Harvey Karp, MD and Nancy Morbacher in response to "Rethinking Swaddling," a feature article in the Journal of Childbirth Education, Sept 2010.    The Question of Routine Swaddling New research takes a closer look at the act of swaddling and the reasons why its routine use may not be best for baby.  Remember the bumper sticker, “What Would... read more

• Last updated 8/1/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Lisen StrombergIssue 93, March/April, 1999 My son is a cross-dresser. Most mornings he gets up, puts on a hand-me-down dress, wraps an old pillowcase around his head with a ribbon (to create his "long blond hair"), and prances around singing, "The hills are alive with the sound of music." My son is three and a half years old. At the toy store, he does not want a Batman doll. "I want Batgirl," he cries. When he begs to play with his friend Margo, it is because she has such an extensive collection of Barbie dolls and outfits in which he can dress them. He loves... read more