• Last updated 3/30/13 by mamazee

On Father’s Day Tim asked that his present be to do nothing. Go nowhere. Just hang out. Since arriving in Washington, DC we haven’t had many days like this. Jacob is a constant doer (I’ve always said he needs to work on a cruise ship when he’s older because something’s scheduled every 30 minutes), Aden always wants to play soccer and me, well, that’s the funny thing, I don’t know anymore. Faced with a day of doing nothing and asking myself what would I like to do I didn’t have a clue. So I did five loads of laundry. Okay, I know, that was Red Flag number one... read more

• Last updated 6/22/10 by Mothering Editorial

What are your suggestions for raw diets if Super Walmart is the closest local food source?  Dear Parent, The environment in which a child grows in, is critical for his development. An area that lacks natural foods stores close by, food coops, farmers markets, or farmers from whom to buy directly, is most likely not the best place to raise a child. Feeding your child healthfully is what builds his body and his attitude toward his own well being. If you want your child to take his own health seriously as well as the health of our planet, you may want to move to a... read more

• Last updated 11/15/12 by JenniO11

  "Feeding three kids on one income can be tough," says Shari Fisher of Andover, Minnesota. That is especially true when you want your kids to have the healthiest choices available. Like most Americans, Fisher is prevented from buying more of her family's food from the organic section of her local market due to the price difference over conventional food. If this story feels all too familiar, you're not alone. In fact, more than half of all Americans who frequently consume organic foods are living on an annual budget of $30,000 or less. It is fortunate that... read more

• Last updated 3/30/13 by mamazee

I met Mark Wada in Portland when I was working on an assignment about Oregon’s financial lawyers. I have to come clean and confess that I was nervous about the meeting. Mark Wada, one of the named partners at Farleigh Wada Witt, represents the banking industry, advising bankers on corporate lending and other commercial projects. He’s also the point person when things go wrong and banks find themselves with debtors unable to pay back loans. Though there are a lot of lawyers in my family (my father, my brother, and my sister-in-law), I don’t know any financial... read more

• Last updated 12/28/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Jill Ann Schwartz Web Exclusive This article is a reflection about my journey, with my son, through the first years of mourning the death of my beloved and my son's father. Each day, I am struck by the profoundness of our loss and the effort required of us to face the future. Primarily, I am a mother striving to create a safe haven of love and trust for my young child who was unprepared for letting go and grieving the death of his father. Simultaneously, I am, now, a woman in mourning, a single parent, and the family breadwinner. Prior, to the homebirth of our son,... read more

• Last updated 6/20/10 by Mothering Editorial

Hello. My daughter had a reaction to Pentacel one month ago.( I am fairly certain that no one reported it to VAERS) She fell asleep about an hour after her shot (the first one ever at 3 months) The shot went well, she did not even cry, and was fine until after she awoke about 4 hours later. She awoke SHRIEKING, like I have never before heard a baby cry. Her entire leg was VERY swollen...even her baby feet and toes were swollen, and her leg was bright red like a very bad sunborn. I called the Pediatrician's office. They immediately transferred me to the oncall doc.... read more

• Last updated 3/13/13 by mamazee

Thank you, dear readers, for the kind comments on yesterday’s post about our sleepless nights and Leone’s biting. Nursing has gone better today. I only offer when I am sure the baby’s hungry so she has no temptation to use my breast as a dog chew toy, and then I remind her to be gentle before she latches on. I think that, combined with the screaming and sobbing (mine) when she does bite me by mistake, is getting the point across. This baby has yet to start on solid foods of any kind though she’s had a taste here and there. She ate a pea-sized amount of... read more

• Last updated 6/6/10 by Mothering Editorial

My 16 mos old doesn't seem to be digesting her food. Almost all foods come out whole in her diapers. Is that typical of this age since they don't chew much? She has 11 teeth but is still learning to use them. She seems to have issues with cow's milk products. I'm still nursing her and we've been dairy free since she was 2 mos old with a few trials back in our systems. She's been allergy tested by the Ped with nothing showing up. She has always thrived well. Just trying to deterine if her diapers are telling me something or this is typical for the age.  Whole peas,... read more

• Last updated 6/6/10 by Mothering Editorial

I have a healthy two month old and come from a family who strongly objects to today's vaccines. My husband is a by the book kind of guy, and we are compromising in that I have agreed to vaccinate but want to delay most if not all until she is over 1 year old, and then space them out. I heard you have an alternate schedule, any suggestions for a new mom?Yes - you can find my suggested schedules in The Vaccine Book.  If you are going to delay for a year, but your husband insists that you eventually start at least the most important ones, then I'd suggest you begin with... read more

• Last updated 2/6/12 by Mothering Editorial

Meditation and a Type-A Mom By Jennifer HughesWeb Exclusive, August 28, 2007 Many years ago I bought Steinway—your average goldfish—in an attempt to tame my Type-A personality. My plan? I would meditate while I fed him every morning. I would observe him and think about nothingness. I'd be calmer, more at peace. I would stop biting my nails and swearing at cab drivers. The first morning, Steinway swam and I tried to detach from worldly thoughts, including my unpaid bills, my unscrubbed bathtub, my fiercely competitive job as a newspaper reporter. Surprisingly, it... read more