The Parent Station - Parenting, Pregnancy & Women's Resource

Cooking
Seven Tips for Successful Crockpot Creations
"Everyone today is so busy, with two worker households and the kids involved in numerous extra-curricular activities, many people are turning to "slow cookers" or crockpots to prepare nutritious and delicious family dinners."

Nail Care
10 Tips to Keep Your Nails Strong and Pretty
"It's that time of year for spring cleaning and outdoor gardening. While our hands and fingernails are an integral part of these chores, you don't have to ruin your manicure. Consider the following nail care tips and your nails will never show that you have been digging in the dirt or scrubbing that kitchen floor."

Women's Interest Featured Article
Frugal Gifts for Frugal Gals
"A frugal gift is measured first by it's usefulness. Speaking from my own experience, I would say that my most appreciated gifts are those that I not only find useful, but that I would have had to purchase myself at some point. With that in mind, the frugal mind that is, the gift actually serves two practical purposes; It is useful and saves me money. "

Oral Health During Pregnancy
The Unsweetened Truth - Pregnancy, Sugar and Oral Health
" According to the Surgeon General's report in 2000, "toxins or other products generated by periodontal (around the teeth) bacteria in the mother may reach the general circulation, cross the placenta, and harm the fetus." Pregnant women with severe gum infections are seven times more prone to having a baby that is premature. Prevention and early diagnosis of dental decay and gingivitis (swollen, tender gums) are important for your health as well as your baby's."

Hobbies & Leisure Featured Article
Fun Things to Do with Your Kids this Summer
"10 Fun Things You Can Do With Your Children this Summer that Won’t Break the Bank For a family with small children like my own, a big family vacation in the summer isn’t always an option. But just because your summer entertainment budget is small doesn’t mean you and your kids can’t have lots of fun this summer. Here are ten ideas to get you started on lots of fun this summer – on a budget."

Women's Health
Empowering Women's Health
"Each and every one of us has the ability to choose a healthy lifestyle. Let's start by taking a look at what we could be doing now that can change our daily routines and encourage other women to do the same. We can start by defining what a healthy life style is and how we can become empowered to make a difference in our lives. "

Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting Featured Article
A Major Cause of Tantrums
"Childhood tantrums most commonly result from negative interaction initiated by the parent toward the child. I don't think anyone would disagree with that statement. The difficulty that so many parents have in dealing with this behavior stems from a lack of understanding as to how and why this seemingly mysterious behavior occurs. What I've discovered as a potentially eye-opening way for some parents to gain a greater understanding and empathy toward this behavior in children involves starting-out by first taking a brief look at our own behavior. I'm still sometimes surprised at the number of parents I encounter who appear to be under the impression that children are born as beings from an unknown species that behave in completely non-human and entirely alien ways."

Cats
Litter Box Choices
"With the increasing popularity of cats as pets, there have been many developments in the accessories we can get to help make their lives, and ours, much happier and more convenient. Litter boxes, for example, have come a long way from the simple, plastic rectangle filled with plain old sand. Now you can find boxes in many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as other litter disposal and handling mechanisms and systems."

Paranormal Ponderables
Paranormal - What Happens When We Die?
"Have you ever wonder what happens when you die? Well your not alone peole have been wondering this since the beginning of time & probably long before. Any answer to this question is theoretical at best. Why you ask? Because no one has ever died and returned to the mortal world with the memory of what it was like on the other side. There has however been a lot of conjecture as to what happens when we die."

In the Classroom
Multitasking virus in our Classrooms
"Too many primary, elementary, and high schoolers are being boxed into the mold of conformity required by big classes, competition for grades, tests with multiple choice questions. The first grader who leaps to his feet when he figures out the math problem is diagnosed as ADHD and medicated to sit quietly with the class. Young learners have immense pressure to perform, to get good grades, but no one is listening to the nuance of their minds. They feel suppressed, they are suppressed, and by the time students get to college, they have become disconnected from the love of learning. Then they are asked to read 1000 pages in a week and skimming is the only solution..."

At-Home Moms
You Can Have It All (Just Not At The Same Time)
"Before going any further, let me say that I wholeheartedly believe in all the feminist principles and ideals that women fought so long and hard to achieve. I think that women absolutely should be free to pursue whatever path they choose and be able to do so without being pigeonholed by their gender."

Maternity Clothing
Great Maternity Clothes and Nursing Clothes for Summer
"The weather is warming up, Spring is in full swing and Summer is just around the corner. Your body is changing daily and you are not sure what to buy next when compounded by seasons changing and long summer months ahead. Here are a few suggestions on some must-haves to get you started out in style this season without breaking the bank."

Homeschooling
How To Schedule Your Homeschooling Day, And Have Time To Spare
"When creating a homeschooling schedule, areas of instruction, student age, and family schedule should all be taken into consideration. These three things should be integrated to come up with a schedule that will benefit children and adults alike. There is no need, however, to redesign the wheel. Use tools available to you to come up with a schedule that meets your needs."

Skin Care
Facial Cleansing for Specific Skin Types
"Cleansing is a vital step in your skin care regime. Proper cleansing with products specific for your skin type will improve your overall appearance. Daily cleansing is important to remove dirt and bacteria, sweat, air pollution, excess oils and in addition cleansing exfoliates the skin surface to promote circulation."

Baby Showers
Couples Baby Shower - A Quick Planning Guide
"Believe it or not, but many husbands would really enjoy going to a Couples Baby Shower with their wife. A baby shower is a fun get-together with friends and family to celebrate a new little baby. Often, the father-to-be would love to be part of that celebration. It helps him get excited about his new son or daughter. And whether he admits it or not, his heart will melt when he opens up a baby shower gift and sees a little pink dress or a little pair of denim overalls."

Dating & Marriage
Dating with Kids: 12 Tips for Single Moms
"Dating with kids can be challenging – whether you’re recently divorced or you’ve already endured two years’ worth of Starbucks dates -- and whether your kids are two or twenty-two. But your children can also be helpful, especially if you recognize their wisdom. Here are a dozen tips on how they can help or hinder your social life."

Harmony & Humor
Summer of My Blissful Miscontent
"I felt like I had started a new chapter. The part of the story where the heroine spirals into some sort of disgusting, addictive or slutty behavior and the reader panics wondering how she'll ever pull it together. But for me, it was a journey I looked forward to. Because I knew I could write the next chapter. Perhaps I'd go back to teaching aerobics, join a rolling blade hockey team, or take up mountain biking and meet some rough-n-tumble boy with big hands and a great laugh on the trail. But for now, my role as a foul mouthed, beer swilling, French fry snatching waitress was, well, fun."

Book Excerpts
Excerpt from Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers
"If you've been looking for a fun and loving way to help your children learn and improve their development, look no further than Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers. New studies show that young kids learn best through play and need at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity each day. There's no better way to engage your child than through the simple practice of yoga."

Parenting Twins & Multiples
Raising Twins: Say Goodbye to Social Stigmas!
"It all goes back to the stigma attached to twins. The stigma of always being a twin, being compared to someone else, having to always share the spotlight with a sibling that just happened to be born on the same day. I suppose if you aren't a twin yourself, you may not think about these things until you become a mom to twins. To go even further, parenting and raising twins to not feel that stigma could be the challenge of a lifetime."

Women's Personal Relationships
Women and Their Sisters - How They Get Mired in Their Childhood Relationships as Siblings
"It's always sad when sisters close in age don't get along. You love each other because you are related, but when you harbor resentments from childhood, it's hard to like each other. "

Gestational Diabetes
The Infant Risk Factor of Gestational Diabetes
"Gestational diabetes brings a variety serious risk factors for any infant whose mother suffers its effects. Most of the problems caused to the growing fetus are a result of high blood glucose levels which makes controlling sugar intake so important. This is true of the woman with either preexisting diabetes or gestational diabetes because the increased risk associated with this disease left uncontrolled include both congenital birth defects and fetal death."

Exercise During Pregnancy
Pregnancy Fitness - 5 Simple & Beneficial Pregnancy Exercises
"Do you feel as though you do not know what types of exercise are right for you now that you are pregnant? When I was pregnant with my child, I was uncertain about what exercises I should do and there was so much conflicting information on the Internet that I was not certain where to begin. I would like to share five simple exercises that are beneficial for you as well as your baby."

Green Living
Organics Goes Beyond the Food We Eat
This is a special .pdf document about the benefits of going organic. You can click on the link and save the document to your computer, or you can right click and save the document from there.

Children Eating Healthy
How to Pack a Healthy Lunch
"Children would rather eat pizza and macaroni and cheese than a carrot stick or apple slice. The good news is that it is easy to sneak in healthy choices and most of the time your kids won't even know! Here are some easy ways to get started."

Green Living
Ten Ways to Green Your Home and Family
"We use a lot of energy in our daily lives, for heating, cooling, lighting, appliances and transportation. There are many ways to save energy and money by making a few simple changes."

Holiday Planning & Celebrations
Memorable Quotes About Mom
This pdf file lists some very heartfelt and memorable quotes about mom. You could use these quotes to create your own memorable gift to your mom this Mother's Day! You can right-click the file and save to your desktop or click the link to open in a new window.

Bird Watching
Hummingbirds - Watch These Amazing Birds Raise Their Family
"The name brings smiles to our faces. Hummingbird. You smile and can imagine this tiny bird darting from flower to flower, hovering in space, in its iridescent splendor. Every year we sit on the patio and watch as several males establish their territories in our backyard birding areas. There always seems to be one who thinks all the feeders are for him and him alone. After a while, it seems like a well laid battle plan. One hummingbird feeds while another draws the bully away - over and over again."

Women's Health
Healthy Weight Loss ( .pdf file - please right click and save to your computer)
"We would like to give you a hand in your weight loss journey and provide you with some of the best tips and info out there when it comes to losing weight. We approach weight loss in a very down-to-earth and no-nonsense way. Sorry if we disappoint you, but there is no magic pill or juice you can take and wake up skinny the next morning. You also can’t join a gym, or buy an exercise tape and expect it to work its magic on its own. We are here to help you along your journey to a skinnier you, but let’s be realistic. You have to eat better, get at least a little exercise and stick with it. If you can commit to that, there’s no stopping you. Here’s to your success and a healthier, leaner you!"

Ask the Doula
Unlocking Perinatal Mood Disorders
"A complete spectrum of perinatal mood disorders can occur during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. These mood disorders like any other illness can occur no matter how old you are, what race you are or how much money you have. We have all seen Brooke Shields bear her soul, Maria Osmond follow suit, and the sad tribulations of Brittney Spears. The stigma associated with perinatal mood disorders needs to be erased to allow us, as a community, to support mothers through this immense transition in life. The following courageous and generous women shared their stories to help me to introduce you to some of the mood disorders."

Parenting During a Crisis
Handling a Crisis With Kids
"Naturally, every parent is the best judge of their own child and knows intrinsically how to speak to them. But rocking a child’s world with bad news or fearful information was new to me. I have learned a great deal on my journey during the past two years about dealing with difficulty and I wanted to share some of my wisdom."

Resourceful Reading at The Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting Channel
Featured Book and Excerpt: The Second Nine Months: One Woman Tells the REAL Truth About Becoming a Mom. Finally. by Vicki Glembocki
"Glembocki lays out the truth about those first months with baby: the certainty that you're doing everything wrong; the desire to kill your husband, your mother, your dog; the struggle to balance who you were with whom you've become--a mother. Unlike any other book on motherhood, Glembocki breaks the New Mother Code of Silence, proving that "maternal bliss" is not innate, but learned. Funny and wise, she connects with new moms on a shockingly intimate level, letting them know that they are not alone."

Cloth Diapering
How to Wash Cloth Diapers
"This is much easier to do than it is to read, so don't be intimidated. There are so many other Mamas out there doing the same thing! I can honestly say that I would rather be washing diapers every couple of days than putting something against my baby's skin that is known to be toxic. It's the least I can do for my little beans!"

Ask the Family Therapist
How to Manage Our Hard-Wired Youth
"A friend of mine who is a high school English teacher in our local schools has been perplexed by the behavior of some of her current students. She said, "Help me understand why a third of my students can't sit still in their desks? They wiggle, they squirm, they tap their pencils and their feet and are constantly in motion." She is experiencing a dose of today's "hard-wired" youngsters."

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
10 Steps to VBAC Success
"If you've had a cesarean section (c-section) and you're now wanting to attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), chances are pretty good you're encountering resistance from your Obstetrician, the hospital where you plan to give birth, and even family and friends. If you are willing to fight the system, you can attempt a VBAC. Don't let anyone tell you that you are NOT allowed a say in your own medical care! Here are 10 things you can do now to get on the road to attempting a VBAC."

Self Esteem in Children
Self-Esteem - Chores for Pre-School Kids
"Do your children care for themselves according to their age and abilities? Would you like to boost their self-esteem and character? Inside you'll find age-appropriate chores that instill the "I can do it myself" attitude."

Plus Size Women
Plus Size Women - 8 Essential Tips (From A Man) For Looking Your Best
"Some people get suspicious when they see a man writing about topics intimately related to women. Especially topics related to plus size women and plus size womens clothing. Afterall, what could a man possibly know about the challenges facing full-figured women such as shopping for plus size clothing? What many women tend to forget is that men are very observant when it comes to the female species. The typical myth that men don’t notice if their wife or girlfriend has changed her hairstyle or is wearing a new dress is definitely not true. Most men are not clueless cavemen."