If you’re expecting and you just cracked up reading that title, don’t worry. You’re not alone. I had to laugh at the notion of a pregnant woman who keeps her cool 24/7. That said, if any of the following tips might help anyone out there, I would be remiss to not share them here.

The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to help keep mood swings under control:

* Get enough quality sleep.
* Take a few quick breaks each day to just relax and unwind, or sneak in a quick nap.
* Get daily exercise and eat a healthy, balanced diet. Talk to your doctor about what’s appropriate.
* Spend time relaxing with your partner.
* Do something fun with a friend.
* Get a massage, or take a pregnancy yoga class.
* Take it easy. Try not to get too stressed or overwhelmed with worry.

The sleep thing is definitely true. I’m not fun to be around when I’m not pregnant and am short on sleep. When I am expecting, it’s ten times worse. The rest…well, I had to laugh at the last one. Let me know if it works for you.

Posted by Sunshine.

At MomSquawk, we get lots of email from PR people trying to get us to pitch their products to our readership. We almost always delete those without even fully reading them because they’re not even remotely interesting. Today, however, I was blessed with this gem. I applaud the effort, but honestly, it’s the name that won me over. It’s still not entirely clear if she’s selling books, tupperware, or sex toys. Enjoy.

I would like to invite you to cover Kimberly Ford’s HUMP: True Tales of Sex After Kids (St Martin’s Press | July 2008) and attend one of her special HUMP tupperware parties!

HUMP is an exploration of how couples can have a healthy and robust sex life after having children. The author shares intimate and honest advice from the front lines of her own post-childbirth sexual adventures, all the time underscoring the importance of monogamy and the richness of family life.

In a way that has never been done before, Kimberly discusses the fraught first instance of intercourse after the arrival of that initial life-changing infant, broaches the reality of having to one day discuss sex with the little ones, and extols the virtues of vibrators and masturbation.

This is the book for any new mother dedicated to getting “Private Time” as they are to getting the kids to soccer on time, HUMP promises to be a well-loved treasure at the top of many nightstand libraries. HUMP will inspire women to reclaim their bodies for themselves and their husbands, and to make sex a priority in their own lives no matter how many scuffed sneakers they have to kick out of the way to make it to bed.

In the great tradition of tupperware / sex toy parties, Kimberly will be heading out on a HUMP Tupperware Party. These special events will be at private homes, but we welcome the media to join the author at these events:

HUMP TUPPERWARE EVENTS
Weds. July 9 - Menlo Park
Tues. July 15 - Menlo Park
Thurs. July 24 - Menlo Park
Thurs. Aug. 14 - Ashland, OR
Sunday, August 17 - San Francisco
Thurs. Aug 21 - Menlo Park
Fri. Aug. 29 - Piedmont
Thurs. Sept. 4 - Menlo Park
Fri. Sept. 12 - San Diego
Fri. Sept. 19 - Menlo Park
Thurs. Sept. 25 - San Francisco
Sat, Sept. 27 - Los Angeles
Thurs. Oct 2- New York City
Fri. Oct 3 - Rye, NY

You can direct your readers to buy the book via amazon here.

Posted by MomSquawk

A new study says that it does.

The study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, looked at the potential health effects of a trait known as “locus of control” — the extent to which individuals think they can influence events through their own actions. Those who believe they are largely in charge of their lives have an “internal” locus of control, while those who feel they are not have an “external” locus.

The researchers tracked over seven thousand individuals from birth and found that those who had an internal locus of control at age ten were less likely to be overweight twenty years later, and were possibly more inclined to develop healthy habits and more likely to have a healthy self-esteem.

Locus of control is often viewed as a natural component of a person’s personality. However, [lead researcher Dr. Catharine R.] Gale said, there is also evidence that it is shaped by childhood experiences — including children’s interactions with their parents.

“Parents who encourage independence and help children learn the connection between their actions and consequences tend to have children with a more internal locus of control,” she explained.

Posted by Sunshine.

Not being able to get to sleep, or having trouble staying asleep, is the pits. But did you know that if you suffer from insomnia, your children could be at risk for certain serious problems?

In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Professional Sleep Societies, Dr. Xianchen Liu revealed that children of insomniac parents were almost three times more likely to report symptoms of insomnia themselves, more than twice as likely to report fatigue, and more than five times as likely to report using hypnotic drugs compared to adolescents whose parents did not have insomnia.

Even more troubling, almost 17 percent of children with parents who had insomnia reported suicidal ideation (thoughts and behavior), 9.5 percent reported suicide plans, and 9.5 percent reported actual suicide attempts during the past year. This compared to 5.3 percent, 1.5 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively, of teens whose parents did not suffer from insomnia.

These statistics are startling, to say the least. Dr. Liu says that by understanding the possible correlations between insomniac parents and certain behaviors and problems with their children, teachers and health care workers can, in theory, proactively work to help children overcome these potential issues.

Posted by Sunshine.

I love my children. I really, really do. And most of the time, I think they’re not only adorable, but angelic. I know I’m lucky!

But some of those other times…you know the times I mean, the ones when you wonder “Who are you, spawn of Satan, and what have you done with my sweet kid?”…argh!

I thought it might be fun to air our pet peeves about our kids (with ages noted). I wonder if we have a lot of the same gripes for the same age groups.

My son, who just had his first birthday at the end of May, drives me nuts when he refuses to eat something that was his absolute favorite food yesterday, and instead flings it all over the floor while I’m busy trying to convince his sister to eat that same something.

My daughter, who will turn three on Saturday, irks me when she asks for something, then promptly informs me that it’s yucky and she doesn’t want that.

Can you tell mealtimes are a ton of fun around here right now?

Your turn!

Posted by Sunshine.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider banning certain food colorings because, according to its studies, these colorings can cause children to display hyperactivity and other behavior problems.

Dyes are used in countless foods and are sometimes used to simulate the color of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods pitched to kids.[…]

The center’s petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group’s request to ban the dyes outright.

The FDA has repeatedly stated that these food additives are safe for the general public, and notes that its European counterpart holds a similar view.

Thoughts? Do you think the additives in our food could be harming our kids, or is this consumer advocacy group crying wolf?

Posted by Sunshine.

Maximize your pill’s effectiveness. Despite claims that the pill can be 99% effective, each year 2-8% of women using the pill end up pregnant. If starting or adding to your family isn’t currently in your plans, please consider these following tips:

Timing. Over the years for health reasons, the levels of Estrogen in the pill have been reduced. Ensure you take the pill at the same day every day.

Don’t skip. If you miss a day, double the does the enxt day. Watch out for breakthrough bleeding and consider using secondary birth control that cycle.

Watch your alcohol consumption. Alcohol is metabolized by the liver and that may also affect the way the pill is absorbed by the body.

Antiboitics. The jury is currently out on this, some say it impacts the pills effectiveness, others say the blood levels are not impacted. If in doubt, break out the secondary birth control.

Generic drugs. FDA allows for generic drugs to contain up to 15% variation. So if you are a fertile myrtle, you might want to consider speading the extra bit of money for the assurance.

Am I taking away her childhood? My almost 3 year old loves everything that her 9 year old big sister loves, but she especially loves High School Musical. I have always thought it cute that she dances to the songs mimicing the gestures. (gratuitous picture to the right) But I never actually thought that exposing her to this could cause her to grow up too fast, that it would expose her to things that are too big for her to understand.

Did I do a big no-no? I don’t think so. Firstly, I think it would be hard for her to to not be exposed to some degree to the things her big sis loves. We don’t own a lot of paraphenalia, but my youngest does have her sisters HSM dolls in her Barbie box. I don’t see a big difference there. and I honestly don’t think she understand the whole storyline/theme of the movies - she appears to only like the songs and dances. So, if I am burying my head in the sand here, so be it. I will save my abundance of “mommy guilt” for things a little bit more significant, thank you very much!

I know several of the moms on the MomSquawk message boards have done so with no adverse effects, so please don’t think that I’m jumping on anyone. The American Pregnancy Association (APA) says that, in general, it’s safest not to paint during pregnancy, but if you choose to do so, you can minimize risks by taking the following precautions:

* Always talk to your doctor before you attempt to paint anything or use any type of paint.
* If you do paint, always wear a face mask and protective clothing to guard your skin. Also, keep the area well-ventilated.
* Paint for short periods over several days. Don’t do too much or paint too frequently.
* Avoid latex paints that contain the chemicals ethylene glycol ethers or biocides.

(Courtesy of HealthDay.)

Posted by Sunshine.

I don’t know about your town, but where I live, it’s already consistently pretty hot outside. So I thought I’d break out a few summer fun ideas centered around water (because I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be outside much once it hits 90+ unless there’s water involved!).

Try these silly games with kids aged three to five, courtesy of Kaboose.com:

Bucket blast:
For this game, you need two or more children. Each child or team will need a bucket of water, an empty bucket and a paper cup. The first child fills the cup with water from the full bucket and runs with it to the empty bucket to pour their water into it. Both children (or teams) continue until they empty the original bucket of water and fill the second bucket. The child or team with the most water in the bucket wins. For even more fun, cut a quarter-sized hole in each cup and get the kids to plug it using their fingers or by placing it on their heads while they run to fill the bucket.

Butterfinger ball:
This one is played in the shallow end of a pool. Butter each child’s hand with suntan lotion and then wet a large beach ball, says Penny Warner, author of Splish Splash: Water Fun for Kids (Chicago Review Press). The kids throw a ball back and forth to each other and have a fun giggly time trying to hold on to it.

The site includes suggestions for water games to play with older kids, too. Also, there are always the old stand-bys of sprinklers, kiddie pools, and Slip ‘n Slides (Boy, have they ever expanded their water fun since I was a kid with the basic yellow skid-to-the-end-and-pray model!).

Posted by Sunshine.

Today’s guest bloggers, Lisa Friedman and Alexis Stein are the experts behind SomeoneSpoilMe.com:

For years people have asked us, “What should I give Dad for father’s day?” Or, more simply, “What should I give Amy since she just had a baby?” We always knew the perfect gift and the best place to get it from. From the coolest gadgets to the softest blankets, nothing was off limits. For so many, gifting seems to be such a challenge, so we decided to take our skills and stylish taste to a broader level (hello dot com) to help people beyond our close friends, give fabulous gifts. With that being said, SomeoneSpoilMe.com has evolved into the best online source for giving and getting fabulous gifts!

When deciding on what makes a “fabulous” gift you need to put yourself in the recipients’ shoes (if you dare). Take Dad for example, what kind of guy is he? Does he like to play sports or does he prefer to watch them on his couch with a beer and some greasy food? Is he up to date on the latest cameras and technical devices or does he not know how to get online? Does he care about protecting the earth or is he more concerned with protecting his hair from thinning? And lastly, does he prefer to listen to classical music and read war epics or does he prefer to stay home and play guitar hero? As you can see there are many types of dads out there with many different personalities. Before you decide on your gift, you must figure out what “kind of dad” you have. Once you have made that decision, SomeoneSpoilMe.com makes the rest VERY easy. All you need to do is browse our fabulous father’s day gift guide (broken down by personality) and press, “click to buy” when you find the perfect gift for Dad. See how easy it is!