Pregnancy is filled with ups and downs. There’s the excitement, the preparation, the happiness and anticipation…and then there’s the morning sickness, the weight gain, the swollen ankles, the mood swings etc.

That’s why baby showers are so great…it makes moms-to-be feel loved and supported during a time of many emotions, and helps her prepare for her bundle of joy! In my opinion, every party should have at least a basic theme, whether it be a color scheme or a full blown, top-to-bottom concept. Here are a few theme ideas that are sure to impress.

• Alphabet
• Animal Print
• Jungle
• Tea Party
• Birds, Bees, Flowers & Trees
• Paris
• Rock-A-Bye Baby
• Lavender & Lace
• Nautical

Do you have any other great ideas for baby shower themes?

Photo credit: babyshowerstation.com

Every year around this time, the men in my life get excited and plan the ultimate Super Bowl party. To them, it’s all about the football, but to me it’s all about the food! Game day is the one day I let them off the hook to enjoy some “man” time and treat them to a spread they’ll dream about ‘til next year’s game! Here are some Super Bowl recipes that will drive everyone to the end zone!

Party Nachos

7-Layer Dip

Baked Buffalo Wings

Cheesy Jalapeno Poppers

Cranberry Chili Meatballs

Tailgate Chili

Pulled Pork Sliders

Pull-Apart Touchdown Cupcakes

What’s your favorite game day recipe?

As this weekend starts the holiday celebrations, think about taking time to enjoy the time. You can get lost in the preparations and craziness and it can all pass you by without a moment of enjoyment. Trust me, this has happened to me in the past, but I am determined to enjoy the time this year. As my boys get older I never know when Christmas will become gift cards and less magical, so I need to make sure to savor the moments.

My first step was getting as much done ahead of time. That means not saving wrapping till the last minute, making food preparation easier, and having laundry done and clothes for the holiday gatherings picked out. A little preparation goes a long way, right?

The next part is to not getting worked up. That means remembering to not stress about simple things like misbehaving kids or family drama. This is obviously easier said that done. This means remembering that everyone has only the best intentions, although they may not be the same as yours. Also, the other thing is don’t set yourself up with unrealistic exceptions. This rule works with both children and family.

A little bit of preparation and limited stress will only help you to be able to enjoy the holidays.

Kim Ross also writes at  A Little Bit of This and That ~ The Adventures of a Stay at Home Mom.

The best athletes in the world have gathered in London for the Olympics and many of us are gathered around our televisions cheering them on. Nearly 11,000 athletes paraded into Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremonies, along with 70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, three cows, two goats and three sheepdogs. No, these animals are not competitors; they were just part of the “Isles of Wonder” theme of the ceremonies.

But several events at this year’s summer games will feature animal athletes working in conjunction with human athletes. More than 200 horses from 40 countries are scheduled to compete.

Equestrian Events

In the ancient Olympics, chariot racing and horseback riding were key events. Equestrian competitions have been part of the modern Olympics since 1900 and this year will include six events:

• Eventing, Team Competition
• Eventing, Individual Competition
• Dressage, Team Competition
• Dressage, Individual Competition
• Olympic Show Jumping, Team Competition
• Olympic Show Jumping, Individual Competition

In Eventing, (sometimes called horse trials), horses and riders are tested over four days in cross country jumping, dressage, and stadium jumping.

Dressage (sometimes called “horse dancing” or “horse ballet”) is essentially a test of how well a horse and rider have trained to work together. They are judged by a panel of seven international judges on a number of predetermined movements defined by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body for equestrian events. In a little celebrity news, Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, has a horse named Rafalca that is competing as part of the US men’s dressage team.

Olympic Show Jumping takes place in a riding ring laid out with 10 to 16 jumps. The courses are elaborate and colorful, and the horse/rider team is judged on the fewest jumps knocked down, fewest penalties called, and fastest times.

Pentathlon

The only other Olympic event that features animals is the modern pentathlon, which includes show jumping on horseback (as well as epee fencing, pistol shooting, cross-country running and freestyle swimming).

I hope you and your family are having as much fun watching the athletes compete—human and equine—as we are. For more information on all things Olympic, visit teamusa.org, olympic.org or nbcolympics.com.

Related picture books
G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet by Brad Herzog
Horse: The Essential Guide for Young Equestrians by Libby Hamilton

Susan Bearman also writes at Two Kinds of People, Mike&Ollie: 24-weekers Who Beat the Odds and The Animal Store Blog, as well as being a regular contributor to The Chicago Moms and Technorati.

Our family got to have a very unique experience this summer. We won a special appearance by my son’s preschool teacher and her guitarist husband in a school auction. We got to hold a Patio Concert where we invited some of our preschool friends and their families to come and sing along.

Our preschool teacher is amazing with music in the classroom and her husband comes in often and plays along while the kids sing.  Some of our absolute favorites are “We are the Colors of the Rainbow,” “Wiggly Fish,” and “If I were a Butterfly.” We had so much fun singing along with the kids and their teacher.

I have that fun everyday in the car when I listen to Kids Place Live in the car. When the kids are in the car, we listen to kid’s music. This wasn’t a conscious decision we made. When my oldest was two or three years old he didn’t do the best with car rides so we found a kid’s channel on the radio and have been listening ever since. You will find me singing “Cucumber Canoe” or “Butterfly Driving a Truck.”

I love that my kids love music!

Exposing your children to music has so many lasting effects on their body, mind, mood, and psyche. It can stimulate their brain, lift their spirits, and help to relieve stress. My youngest, Connor, loves to dance when music is on. Danicing is a great physical activity, also.

Summer provides some great opportunities for listening to music. Whether it be at an outdoor concert, to a street musician, or during a parade, we love to stop and listen to the different songs. Think of adding some of these activities to your summer activity list.

Where do your kids listen to music in the summer?

Kim Ross also writes at  A Little Bit of This and That ~ The Adventures of a Stay at Home Mom.

February can be a tough month for people and animals alike. That’s why it was chosen for National Bird-Feeding Month by former Illinois representative John Porter, who introduced the idea to Congress in 1994 to provide food, water and shelter for wild birds, and to promote backyard bird feeding.

Bird feeding is the second most popular hobby in the US (behind gardening), with more than 55 million Americans participating annually. One great way to start is to join in the Great Backyard Bird Count, which will be held this year from February 17-20. Their terrific website has lots of ways you can participate. The kids page is particularly impressive.

I had a lot of fun clicking around the site. For example, I entered my city and state for a complete list of the 38 different species counted in our town during the 2011 count. You can even print out a tally list of birds you’re likely to see.

One of the co-sponsors of the Great Backyard Bird Count is The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Their website is loaded with gorgeous pictures of native birds, as well as lots of information and freebies, including downloadable bird songs. According to the lab, it’s been a pretty exciting year for bird watchers, as Snowy Owls (Harry Potter’s Hedwig was a Snowy), rarely seen in the US, are visiting in record numbers this winter.

I can’t guarantee that you’ll see a Snowy, but you and your kids can have a lot of fun getting to know the birds that inhabit your community. Bird feeders come in many shapes and sizes, and you can even purchase designer models. But some of my favorites are these simple, handmade feeders that you can create with your kids.

It’s interesting to note that the U.S. Government has always encouraged families to feed birds during harsh winter months. In this original 1917 document, the Department of Agriculture offers winter bird feeding tips, different kinds of feeders, and how birds act as natural pest control. The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife continues to maintain an information-packed website about feeding backyard birds, covering:

• how to choose a feeder
• best placement
• best foods
• birds from your area
• how to discourage uninvited guests

Let us know if you participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Related Picture Books

Backyard Birds by Robert Bateman
Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl by Bruce Hiscock

photo credit: Snowbirds by Cheryl Reed

Susan Bearman also writes at Two Kinds of People, Mike&Ollie: 24-weekers Who Beat the Odds and The Animal Store Blog, as well as being a regular contributor to The Chicago Moms and Technorati.

Here in Chicago, we’ve had a relatively mild start to winter. The forecast for February 2 is expected to be mostly cloudy with a high of 44°F. That’s a far cry from last year, when we celebrated Groundhog Day with the 2011 blizzard, the third largest snowfall in recorded history.

Groundhog Day itself has a longer, more illustrious history than recorded weather. It’s been celebrated in America since 1887. Legend has it that each February 2, Punxsutawney Phil (the official groundhog) comes out of his den, checks out the weather and predicts the future. If he sees his shadow, he heads back into his den and we can expect six more weeks of winter. If not, he stays out and spring is allegedly right around the corner.

This all sounded like a lot of hooey to me, remnants of the 1993 Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. But when I did my research, the origins of looking for shadows in midwinter stretch back to Europe and the Christian celebration of Candlemas.

Churches would hand out candles to parishioners on Candlemas, the midpoint between winter and spring. Many nursery rhymes surround the custom of looking for shadows to predict the length of winter. One version goes like this:

If Candlemas be fair and bright, 
Winter has another flight. 
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, 
Winter will not come again.

These days, Phil and his home town of Punxsutawney, PA, have become a tourist industry. Thousands travel to the town northwest of Pittsburgh to see Phil do his bit at Gobblers Knob. But what about all the other, non-famous groundhogs?

Groundhogs (also known as woodchucks) are rodents native to the eastern US and most of Canada. They’re big diggers, burrowing elaborate dens that can have many chambers. Farmer’s consider them pests, as their burrowing and eating habits can harm equipment and devastate crops.

Here in Chicago, we don’t put a lot of stock in predictions from a groundhog, a meteorologist, or even a calendar. Whether or not Phil sees his shadow next week, we’ve got a lot of winter ahead, and we’ll be lucky if it’s over by the first day of spring, March 20—a little more than six weeks after Groundhog Day.

Related Picture Books

Groundhog Day! by Gail Gibbons
Go to Sleep, Groundhog! by Judy Cox

Susan Bearman also writes at Two Kinds of People, Mike&Ollie: 24-weekers Who Beat the Odds and The Animal Store Blog, as well as being a regular contributor to The Chicago Moms and Technorati.

A party seems like such a big endeavor, but putting a few games and snacks together makes a fun event for the kids. I want to share some things I did for my  sons’ classes last year.

Snacks

This is a great treat that looks like a giant candy corn but isn’t full of sugar. Take a simple frosting bag (found in the cake decorating supplies) and fill with regular popcorn, cheese popcorn, and caramel corn. The preschoolers think this snack is great. Instead of cheese popcorn I used the corn puffs since my youngest doesn’t like anything cheesy.

What is more Halloween than some worms to eat? Make Grape jello and add some food coloring to make them more worm colored. Fill a glass with the jello mixture and then set straws in the glass. Squeeze out worms for everyone to enjoy.

We also had punch, but to make it more fun I hid the pitcher and filled a bowl inside of a cauldron. I purchased some dry ice which I put in the bowl and covered with water. Just remember, a little dry ice is enough to make a fun effect!

Games

An easy game is to have a Witches Hat Ring Toss. Purchase some witches hat’s from the dollar store and stuff with newspaper. Use rings of some sort (I used glow necklaces) to throw around the hats.

Another fun activity is a sensory box. I took a box and cut a hole in it and covered with a cloth. I filled it with stuff and had the kids pass it around to touch. Some of the fun things I added were:

• Popcorn Kernels – Witches Teeth
• Bologna – Tongue
• Peeled Grapes – Eyeballs
• Spaghetti – Brains

Kim Ross also writes at  A Little Bit of This and That ~ The Adventures of a Stay at Home Mom.

September is Responsible Dog Ownership Month, sponsored by the American Kennel Club (AKC). (If you’re not into dogs, it’s also National Chicken Month, but that’s a whole other story). This week, September 18-25, is also  National Dog Week, so it’s a good time to talk about Man’s Best Friend.

While humans and dogs have been have had a strong bond for more than 15,000 years, the origin of the saying “Man’s Best Friend” dates back to an 1870 court case (Burden vs. Hornsby) in Warrensburg, MO, where one brother-in-law sued another for shooting a beloved dog, Old Drum. In his famous closing argument, now known as Eulogy of the Dog, then Senator George Graham Vest summed up what a dog means to a (hu)man:

“The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.”

Sadly, not all humans are as kind in return. Hundreds of thousands of adoptable dogs are euthanized every year for want of a good home. Dog fighting continues to grow as an illegal betting sport. Puppy mills continue to thrive. We can do better. Here a few ways to honor our best friends.

• Make sure you’re ready for the commitment before you bring a new dog or puppy into your home.
• Adopt from a shelter or purchase only from a reputable breeder.
• Spay or neuter your dog.
• Find a good vet and commit to regular checkups and keeping up required vaccinations.
• Play with and exercise your dog daily.
• Learn how to train your dog.
• Keep your dog collared with up-to-date tags; consider microchipping.
• Dog proof your home and yard to keep your animal safe indoors and out.
• Sign the AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Pet Promise Petition.

If you happen to be in the Raleigh, NC area this Saturday, September 24, AKC will host its own event at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Or celebrate Responsible Pet Ownership Days virtually on their Facebook Page.

Even if you aren’t a pet owner, you can celebrate by honoring a dog from your past or one that you love. Consider making a donation in that animal’s name to one of these or other dog-worthy causes:

When I was about eight, my parents bought a popup camper and we spent the next 12 years camping as a family. We explored practically every inch of the state of Michigan and most of the country east of the Mississippi. The whole camping thing was my mom’s idea. Before each trip, she would take us to the library for books about the areas we would visit, including plants and animals we were likely to see. Those were great memories.

I have to admit, I was less excited to start camping with my own family. My husband is a purest (meaning he likes actual tents where you sleep on the actual ground). We haven’t done a ton of camping, but it has always been fun, and we’ve seen some pretty spectacular wildlife along the way.

It seems like our family and many others we tend to become hermits, addicted to our indoor activities and far removed from nature. I know that camping can seem like a huge deal, especially for young families, but you don’t have to start with a three-month backpacking trek. You can ease your way into camping.

On June 25, The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is sponsoring the second annual Great American Backyard Campout. Thousands of people across the country will gather in backyards, neighborhoods, communities and parks to take part in a one-night to reconnect with nature. According to NWF, some of the benefits of getting your family outdoors include:

• improved creativity through imaginative play.
• better grades and increased focus in school.
• improved eyesight — studies show that kids who play outdoors are less likely to need corrective lenses.
• improved people skills through playing outdoor games with family and other children.
• better health, improved lung capacity, increased strength and less obesity.

You can register for the event on the NWF website. Once you do, you can connect with other campers, get all kinds of camping tips (from what you’ll need to recipes to songs and activities). Registration is free, but you are encouraged to make a donation or participate in an NWF fundraiser (completely optional).

So start planning your own backyard campout. Make it into a safari and go hunting with your digital camera. You will be amazed at how many birds, bugs and animals you will find. Look for animal homes, animal scat (that’s animal poop), and tracks. You and the kids can spend the whole summer identifying your discoveries and making your own backyard nature guide.

Even though you’ll be close to home, follow basic camping rules:

• keep food safely stored so animals don’t come foraging during the night
• dispose of garbage promptly
• check local ordinances about camp fires and never leave a burning fire unattended
• leave the screens inside (even parents can live for one night without cell phones, PDAs or laptops)

Finally, have fun. If you decide you want to move expand your camping experience beyond your backyard, here’s a great list checklist to help you get ready.

Susan Bearman also writes at Two Kinds of People, Mike&Ollie: 24-weekers Who Beat the Odds and The Animal Store Blog, as well as being a regular contributor to The Chicago Moms and Technorati.