Those of you that have visited this blog or my site very much know how highly I think of this product. I thought you would enjoy this press release:

Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record by Karen Melnick (RN, BSNi) s a winner of the prestigious Dr. Toy’s Best Products Summer 2007 Award!

Midhurst, Ontario. - Dr. Toy’s Best Products Summer 2007 was developed by noted child development authority, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D (a.k.a. Dr. Toy) as a service to consumers who desire to purchase safe, affordable, educationally-oriented, age-appropriate, and stimulating toys and products for children.

Dr Toy , Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources, founded in San Francisco in 1975, selects the best products from companies across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Only the best are selected from hundreds and Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record, written by author Karen Melnick, has been given this prestigious award!

Karen Melnick is an RN, BSN, photographer, and mother of three who has written Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record. This beautiful childhood health journal has also been given the Exceptional Parent Award of Excellence. It needs to be added to the ‘must-have’ list of every parent! It makes a fabulous gift for expectant, new and experienced parents alike!

As a health professional and parent, Karen knows first hand how difficult, but important, it can be to remember health and wellness details. We all think that we will remember but the reality is we don’t! Her professional and personal experiences taught her early on that…

“Children whose parents are organized, informed,

and comfortable advocating for them

receive the best healthcare!”

Is this fair? No. Is it true? You bet. Karen also knows first hand how difficult it can to be truly in charge of your family’s health and wellness. As parents, we are not taught these skills, and they certainly don’t come naturally for most people. Parents can be certain that using a health journal such as Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record will make a difference in the care your baby or child receives.

This is true for children who are developing typically,

and is absolutely essential for preemies and

children who have been diagnosed with any illness or condition!

Karen’s goal in writing Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record was to give all parents, regardless of background, the necessary tools, support, and ‘insider information’ to

achieve this.

Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record is a multi-disciplinary health journal in which parents record health and wellness details for their child. It truly is a health journal for every child! Also available is an optional Document Organizer, which is a customizable, 3-ring binder for organizing reports, assessments, resource materials and even report cards. They can be used separately or as a set, depending on each child’s needs.

Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record is unique because it is suitable for all children, whether they are developing typically or have complex health and developmental issues. It also recognizes that children today may be treated by a wide variety of health and wellness professionals.

Health professionals love Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record because it ensures parents bring them the information needed to make accurate decisions. Parents love it because it is easy to use and gives them the confidence to be sure their child is getting the best care possible.

Your Child’s Health & Wellness Record contains no medical advice. Rather, the focus is on learning what information is important to record and why, communicating with health professionals so your concerns are taken seriously, and advocating collaboratively for your child.

There is nothing like it on the market! It is not only practical, it is beautiful to look at and includes gorgeous black and white photographs of children. This is a health journal parents aren’t embarrassed to take to health related appointment. It is a smart product for smart parents to use and can be ordered on-line at The Baby Boutique at Womb’s Window! For more information and a complete listing of Dr. Toy’s award recipients go to www.drtoy.com.

hey gals!
I have a sweet ebook freebie to recommend to you here. Lots of gift, activity, craft, and food ideas here!

I know that a lot of pregnant women need to be especially careful about their blood sugar, and many of you are looking for ways to cut down on sugar for your children as well.

Today there is a very nice review of my Healthy Lemonade recipe here. This recipe uses SweetLeaf Stevia instead of sugar. Stevia has zero calories, zero carbs, and zero glycemic index. The lemonade recipe in the review is my family’s favorite drink all the time! You can check out SweetLeaf Stevia at my health and wellness store, here.

I have been receiving newsletters from The Toymaker for years. I love it! Sweet and fun downloadable projects that you can print out for your children to enjoy. Lots of fun and neat stuff here! Check out the Toymaker here!

It’s summer break (or about to be) for most parents of school-aged children. Here are a bunch of ideas that are cheap and easy to beat the summertime laments of “I’m bored!”

Get a big box (like from a refrigerator) from your nearest appliance or hardware store. Bring it home and let the kids turn it into a fort. You can help them cut out doors and windows, and set them free with duct tape and markers to make it extra special. If you can get more than one box it’s even better. My kids spend hours/days on stuff like this. Always a popular thing with the kids.

When the cardboard box fort is ready to toss, why not use it for a backyard fire? Make a little fire pit out of bricks, rocks, etc. and enjoy having your very own bonfire. Our kids love it when daddy will make a fire. They cook hot dogs and smores outside and love, love, love it. No, it isn’t healthy, but it sure creates great family memories!

How about a tent? If you have a camping tent, why not set it up in the back yard? You don’t even have to sleep out there–it can just be a great place to play. Plus, it gives the kids a break from the sun! (If you don’t want to sleep out all night, maybe you can organize an outdoor nap at least. That fresh air feels so good!)

Put their art to good use! For many years I bought blank calendars for my kids to decorate. Instead of having the kids scribble on papers that get thrown away, have them do their artwork on a calendar page. You can dress up these pictures with stickers or other embellishments. Older children may enjoy adding some poetry, verse, or story they have written. Littlest ones can at least add their hand or foot prints to a page!! Get enough blank calendars to give to grandparents and aunts and uncles at Christmas time. Mom or Dad can fill in the days of the month, holidays, etc. I got my blank calendars here and sticker packs here. Excellent prices and a great way to have a gift and share the fun of kid art!

My daughter is 11 and one of the things she most enjoys is making beaded jewelry. You can get all the supplies fairly inexpensively at Walmart in the craft section. It is pretty easy to have nice results. Now my daughter makes gifts for people and jewelry for herself and me. She even whips up cute items for me on short notice if I am going to wear something that needs a little jewelry flair. She has also sold her jewelry at yard sales for $3 or so which she thought was great.

My daughter also like Breyer horses and has been receiving these horses and accessories for a couple of years now for gifts. She enjoys setting them up in her room.

She also likes art work. Here is a link to a really neat download for coloring patterns and optical illusions. My daughter really likes taking the time to organize the way she places the colors, etc.

We also have a sewing machine. Although I’m not much of a seamstress, my children will periodically get on a roll with making costumes, doll clothes, etc. from scrap fabric. I buy them fabric remnants every now and then, or get fabric from yard sales, let them cut up old things, and sometimes we go to bag sales at a thrift store and get a bunch of clothes that will work for cool fabrics for the kids to use. They have done very well learning how to sew by trial and error, and are very creative with what they make. They have done this since they were probably 6 or 7 years old.

Play games! So many games are fun and educational at the same time. Why not sit down with the kids to play Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, or work a puzzle?

Get in the kitchen! Whether it’s cookies, bread, muffins, dinner, or a special dessert, kids love to help and taste the fruits of their labors! This year I have gotten small photo albums that will hold 3×5 cards in the photo slots. The children have been asking how to cook, so now they can get a little cooking class. They write down the recipe and instructions and add it to their cookbooks. Educational, fun, and good for memories and a neat keepsake! Plus, when my kids are grown they should have a good collection of all their favorite things to eat!

Grow something! If you have a garden, your kids probably have plenty of opportunities to get involved. If you aren’t so sure about a whole garden, how about just a tomato plant or two? Kids usually love to plant things and watch them grow. Some children will enjoy measuring the plant as it grows and even charting it’s progress.
Paint! I know that several of you are probably about to scream at the thought of your little ones painting. But wait! Shhhh! I have a little secret for you.

Little ones love to paint, even when no paint is involved. When my children were really little I would sometimes give them a little cup of water and a chunky paint brush and tell them they could paint. Sometimes they would paint our chalkboard, which shows up their paint strokes pretty well. You can get down a house plant and let your child paint the leaves. This helps dust off the leaves and encourages some greater hand-eye coordination. You can even let them paint the walls, cupboard doors, sidewalk, etc. Anyplace that the water from the brush will show up with keep them happy and busy for a long time.

Also, I love the water paint books. You can find them in the children’s book area at Walmart or similar stores. These books have pages for kids to paint that only requires water on a brush. The paint is already built in to the page. Very easy, and not too messy. My kids always loved those!

I hope these ideas help beef up your arsenal of Mom Tricks! We need all the help we can get.

My second child was born posterior. Let me tell you…a posterior labor is a PAINFUL labor, and a posterior birth is a PAINFUL birth!

During subsequent pregnancies I did my best to encourage my unborn babies to get into positions that were more favorable for an easier birth.

Today I found out about a cool website that helps women encourage their baby to turn to optimal birthing positions. Whether your babe is posterior, breech, or otherwise, Spinning Babies is a great resource! I hope it’s a help to you.

Quick breads are so easy to make, and the whole family will enjoy it!

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup margarine
¾ cup crunchy style peanut butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed banana

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a medium loaf pan and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and sift into a large bowl. In a separate bowl add the peanut butter, margarine and sugar and mix together. Add the eggs and mix. Add this mixture to the sifted dry ingredients and mix together but do not over beat. Gently fold in the mashed banana and transfer to baking pan. Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until baked through.

Hey Gals!

I found out about a great new online service that helps you with menu planning (even healthy recipes and vegetarian menus!) and ready-to-print shopping lists! You can check it out and get some great freebies here.