• Created on 2/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

When we were (almost) ready to start a family, Ron and I went through trying-but-not-trying times. Then we moved on to actual trying times… …which turned into TRYING times. To cope with the frustration and grief of infertility, I wrote in my journal. In the past, journaling has helped me break through major life barriers (like when I went through a major career change), and it’s helping me now as Ron and I figure out our next step. Writing is an outlet to express my fears, worries, confusion, and hopes. But journaling is just one type art... read more

• Created on 2/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Mothering is teaming up with Hyland’s Homeopathic to bring you a chance to win a Hyland’s Cold ‘n Cough and Nighttime Cold ‘n Cough combo (a $16 value)! Find out how to enter below and come back on Wed at 5pm ET to see if you are one of 3 winners! From Hylands: New! Hyland’s Cold ‘n Cough 4 Kids is a great solution for multi-symptom cold relief for your children. Our 100% natural formula offers safe and effective symptom relief of common cold symptoms, including sneezing, sore throat, and congestion. This fast-acting homeopathic formula is safe... read more

• Created on 2/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Charlie Banana is giving one lucky A la Mama winner 2 6-packs of cloth diapers! And everyone else wins, too, with the following flash sale. For the next three days: February 28, March 1 and March 2, the 6-packs of diapers in S, M and L sizes will be on sale for 20% off (usually $99.99, now $80). Use code Mothering0320. Charlie Banana is also offering free shipping on orders over $150 with the following code: 0203moth from February 28 through March 17, 2011. You can use both codes for one order, and really rack up the savings.... read more

• Created on 2/24/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Thank you to Terra Trevor for this guest post. It’s part family reunion, part cultural revival. Our friends remove their shoes at the door. Sounds overlap in layers. The song Arriang and talking and laughter mixed with the clicking of sticks from the game Yut. We’re celebrating Solnal—the first day of the first month by the lunar calendar. Most people think of this as Chinese New Year, but Koreans celebrate as well, and two of my children are adopted from Korea. My hall table is piled high with wrapped packages, inexpensive items purchased at the... read more

• Created on 2/23/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Maggie Kozel with her husband and two daughters. A top pediatrician, she decided to leave the profession. Her new book explains why.   “You have to read this book,” my friend Rebecca urged, handing me back an advanced review copy I had loaned her. “Everyone needs to read this book. We need to get this book in front of every member of Congress. This is exactly what happened to me. This is why I left medicine.” Even though I’m an avid reader, I have stacks and stacks of unread review copies, sent to me by authors or by their nice PR folks. It was one of... read more

• Created on 2/22/11 by Cynthia Mosher

Parentless Parents book by Allison Gilbert: Stacy, #4 commenter “One of the biggest fears I have is raising my child as I wish I was raised. My mother is gone 10 years now and I’m estranged from my father. I’ve suffered through years of addiction and I’m finally sober with a loving husband and a miracle of a daughter. I’m in therapy right now and we’re working on removing negative self-talk from my lexicon.
I want my DD to have her own experience being raised. I do not want it to be a reaction to myW feelings and how I felt I was raised. This book... read more

• Created on 2/12/11 by Laura E Taylor

Remember the fun of exchanging those cute (and, well, corny) valentines in elementary school? Times have changed, but kids still love to swap valentines. Here are some quick and easy ones for you to make. Just print out these charming cards (designed by Mothering staffer Melyssa Holik) from one of the PDFs provided below and customize them with a thumbprint. (To download instructions and to see examples of where thumbprints might go, click here.) What you’ll need • card stock (white or lightly colored) • a stamp pad •  thumbs • crayons, markers, paint, or glitter... read more

• Created on 2/11/11 by Laura E Taylor

Bag some sweets for your sweetie with these fun designs you can print out on small paper bags—plus a fabulous recipe for sea salt brownies! P.S. Click here (and scroll down to the P.S.) to see the other fun and crafty V-Day projects Melyssa Holik and I have undertaken this week. (Click to download printable PDFs of these instructions and Mel’s bag designs.) What you’ll need • small paper bags (often sold as “lunch bags”) • a printer • pinking shears (optional, but they make for a nice-looking bag top) • treats to put in the bags (We highly recommend the sea-salt brownies... read more

• Created on 2/10/11 by Laura E Taylor

All these years, I haven’t forgotten snow globes we made out of baby food jars when I was in kindergarten. I loved those things! So when—as the snow was yet again coming down outside our office windows—Mel and I started putting together our list of things to make for Valentine’s Day, I saw my chance to create these again. Back in the day, we used some pretty awful plastic flowers (I think we were making our snow globes as Mother’s Day presents), but I thought it might be fun to try making some using old castoff toys and gumball machine trinkets. Here’s how it works. .... read more

• Created on 2/10/11 by Laura E Taylor

More from Mel and Laura’s Fabulous Crafty V-Day Undertaking: A quick and easy project for Valentines of all ages! (To download a printable PDF of these instructions and shape templates, click here.) What you’ll need •    scissors •    pieces of felt in a variety of colors (we used 9 x 12 inch sheets of basic felt) •    tacky glue •    yarn What to do 1. Download and print out the provided PDF of instructions and shapes. 2. Using pins or a stapler, attach the felt to the page containing the shape you want to cut out (so that it won’t slip when you cut it). 3. Cut out the... read more