DALLAS MOMS

I am a horrible housekeeper but a fantastic grocery shopper. I really thought I had all the answers to getting the rock bottom prices for food, but I've met my match and her name is Casey. Within the last year, I discovered the art of getting the price match. A certain big box store that everyone loves to hate will match area store sales papers for the week. I don't remember who told me about it, and I had seen the people in line ahead of me (always, the person in line ahead of me!) doing it, but I didn't realize how much can be saved until I tried it.

Okay, so taxes are never fun to prepare for and it is just that time of year where we all have to MAKE TIME to get our taxes and papers organized for our accountants. So this year, I decided to let my eager nine-year-old help me out! It was a brilliant idea I must add (smile). All it takes a child who knows his or her numbers and how to read.

How would you like to win a gold medal stash of Hershey's Chocolates, Olympic style? Just respond by midnight on Thursday February 25th with your favorite chocolate memory or favorite recipe. The winners will be chosen and the fabulous chocolate prizes will be furnished by Hershey's Chocolates. February is a special month for chocolate! It is "Heart Healthy Month" and also "National Chocolate Month." In honor of chocolate being such a heart healthy treat I am doing a follow up blog on fall in love with chocolate...We all love chocolate and guess what? Chocolate loves us back!

Did you know...Chocolate has more antioxidants than red wine or green tea? A daily intake of a small amount of chocolate may: lower blood pressure, offer disease protection, reduce inflammation, have a positive effect on the immune system, help us to stay sharp, promote blood flow, and moisturizes our skin. The potent flavonoids found in chocolate (the same nutrients that are found in green tea, red wine, and blueberries) are naturally rich in antioxidants and have protective effects that guard against disease. What better reason do you need to enjoy chocolate?

Ok, I'll admit, that title might be a bit dramatic.

As much as we all love being mothers though, let's be honest, there are parts of it that really stink and I'm not just talking about when your kiddo poops in her sling and it explodes half way down your shirt while you're in the midst of the human maze that is Costco. That type of stink can at least be tediously wiped off, in a public restroom, one insanely un-absorbent napkin at a time and that odor is able to be semi-blown away by the complimentary restroom hand dryer you're now getting to second base with while a complete saint of a stranger offers to hold your naked baby in what will be the one of the most humanitarian acts of her life according to you.

But I digress, let's now take a look at the aspects of motherhood that will not be as temporary and by everyone's calculation, probably last for the next 18 years.

"The hardest thing in the world is to watch your child struggle. These challenges are what ultimately build inner strength and develop coping skills necessary to thrive as an adult." Summer Gibson

Two years ago, I was the keynote speaker at an event through Region X called Baby's Day Out where parents of children who have a visual impairment bring their children to play with other toddlers who are also visually impaired. While participants listen to speakers, receive small gifts and have a delicious lunch, the children play with teachers for the visually impaired just a few feet away.
I remember seeing an adorable little girl who was wearing a huge black bow crawling through tunnels, laughing and having the best time with her new friends. Kennedy's pretty white skin, pale eyes and white hair indicate that she was born with Albinism. Her mother, Summer, a special education teacher in Frisco ISD, and her father, Justin, an educator and a football coach also in Frisco, found out that Kennedy had Albinism when she was four months old.

Have a kid who is dying to see the 250 human specimens on display in BODIES: The Exhibition? Fifth through eighth graders can win a free class trip there if they write a winning essay about their favorite bodily system. Questions to address: What is its function? Why is it important? What things can you do to keep that system healthy?

Essays are due Feb. 22, with winners announced Feb. 23. First prize is free admission for a class of no more than 30 and no less than 15, including a required three chaperones. Second prize is six tickets and third prize is four tickets. Submissions must be made through a child's school with the school faxing the essays to BODIES...The Exhibition, Dallas at 214-432-7542. For more details, e-mail Briana Commins at bodiesdallasedu@prxi.com.

Or if art is more your child's style, BODIES...The Exhibition is launching a student contest for artwork inspired by the exhibition March 1-22. Three winning students will receive family passes (limit of seven passes) to BODIES... The Exhibition and have their art displayed in the downstairs area of the Exhibition. All mediums accepted. Art will be judged on creativity, originality and concept. Direct submissions to Briana Commins at bodiesdallasedu@prxi.com.

PHOTO: Jamie Sharp holds her son, Cohen, as she watches Scott Robinson and husband Ryan Sharp peruse a human cross-section during " BODIES...The Exhibition" at the West End Marketplace, photo by G.J. McCarthy

I am asked all the time "how do you do it all". Well, I have a lot of help, at my office I have an amazing staff and home I have an amazing housekeeper, not to mention my husband who is amazing at picking up the pieces. Sometimes I have a hard time saying no when it involves an animal in need. Yesterday was one of those days and this is how I handled it.

My foster dog, Franklin, was due to get neutered , and my husband was going to drop him off at the vet. When he got there I asked him to check on Simba, another mastiff in rescue being boarded at the vet, because there are no more foster homes for him. My husband said he was adorable and in a kennel. I told him we should probably bring him home this afternoon when I pick up Franklin, what's one more mastiff in the house?

A wonderful four-day weekend (courtesy of a record snowfall in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area), created enjoyable downtime for me and my husband Charlie! We watched Charlie Jr., our male schnauzer jump through and play in the snow. The other pups were curious, but Charlie Jr. definitely won the gold for snow play! Charlie Sr. surprised me by cooking his version of Vietnamese Pho - a wonderful chicken rice noodle soup with plenty of fresh veggies. We cuddled and snuggled under soft blanket throws (as well as being covered by puppies!), watching orange, red and gold flames crackle in the fireplace. Outside, a steady downfall of large flakes of snow covered our lawn and weighted our shrubs and trees in heavy, white blankets.

Dallas Dad Brad Schwall reports: "Our family enjoyed a wide range of musical styles last weekend." Here are the details:

Saturday night, we attended the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's (www.dallassymphony.com) performance of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 2 at the Meyerson.

On Sunday, 12-year-old Sam performed in a concert put together by Zounds Sounds (www.zounds-sounds.com), where professional musicians teach kids guitar, bass, drums, piano and voice by having them practice and play music they enjoy. His concert featured all Beatles songs performed by students from the school. Sam played trumpet on "I Am the Walrus," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Magical Mystery Tour," and "All You Need is Love" and electric guitar on "Money," "Please Mr. Postman," and "You Really Got a Hold on Me."

PHOTO: Sam Schwall on trumpet at the Zounds Sounds Beatles Show

My husband, Keith, is the ultimate partner in my life. We have always had a strong, stable relationship, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was a little unsure of how our relationship would handle the birth of triplets. In addition to the bond we have as "soul mates" and through our marriage, we have a unique bond through the unique situation of parenting multiples.

Upon hearing that we would be having more than one baby, my husband was thrilled. Shocked, but thrilled. Within weeks, he was already changing his life for these three precious babies developing in my womb. As each week passed in my pregnancy, my restrictions became greater until ultimately I was placed on bedrest in the hospital for seven long weeks. During this time, Keith worked his regular long hours, took care of our home, did my laundry, ran my errands, lifted my spirits and cooked an amazing surprise Thanksgiving dinner for me to enjoy in my peach-colored hospital room. He even shaved my legs now and again. Without a single cut.

PHOTO: Jessica's husband, Keith, relaxes with Madison, Hayden and Payson after a full day

Its funny how you make a commitment to doing something good and two seconds later you wish you hadn't. Which is where I am with my half marathon training. Four weeks to go and I am over it already. Trying to carve out time to complete my long run is exhausting. With this crazy Texas weather you may get one decent day a week that you won't freeze your backside off, but then it snows more than it has since the first century. Then to add insult to injury I had to travel for work to California, which isn't so bad, but it has been unseasonably rainy and cold there as well.

In addition to training for the half-marathon I am in week 9 of my P90X training, which is an intense 12 week training program that has me doing more pull ups, push ups and core work that the law allows. Although my arms and back are looking buffer than they ever have and I may actually see a 1-pack right above my 'baby gut', I am sore and in pain most days, ok....everyday. Mental note to self.... don't commit to anything, ever.

Dallas Moms blogger and Briefing Moms columnist Susan Sternblitz switched reporting hats with her 10-year-old son, Jordan Sternblitz, as the fifth grader took on a very cool writing assignment for Briefing, interviewing NBA All Star players at Friday's NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service event at Summit International Preparatory in Arlington. Check out Jordan's report (which ran in Briefing today) and his video on www.dallasnews.com here:

My mom and I trudged through a foot of snow and muddy slush, anticipating the entrance of NBA players and legends who were building a playground at Summit International Preparatory School. Our shoes were like ice, frosty and freezing. My teeth were chattering due to both the temperature and my nerves.
This was the moment I had been dreaming of for over a year. I was actually a kid reporter covering the All-Star Weekend.
After a brief lesson in reporting from a friendly and patient staff photographer, I was ready to work. The players were knee-deep in pouring cement, hauling mulch, fixing swings and even painting birdhouses.

PHOTO: Jordan got advice from Dikembe Mutombo about what it takes to make it in the NBA: "Work, work, work, work." Photo by Nathan Hunsinger/DMN

Last Thursday, amidst the record-breaking snowfall, experts on Autism Spectrum Disorders from Easter Seals' programs from across the country came together at the Easter Seals North Texas Autism Treatment Program facility in Carrollton. Dallas Moms Blog Administrator, Healthy Living writer and columnist Nancy Churnin and I were asked to speak on a media panel to the group of expert guests. While the temperatures outside were frigid, our reception in the beautiful facility was quite warm. In speaking with them last week, I found that this group of dedicated, knowledgeable professionals is eager to help spread the word that "Autism is Treatable!" To that, I whole-heartedly add, "Hear, Hear!"

Many people in our society today may not know that Easter Seals has been a great source of information, services and support for families living with various disabilities for nearly a century. With the sharp increase in Autism diagnoses over the past two decades, Easter Seals astutely recognized the critical need for quality treatments for young children, on-going support for families and continued services for adolescents, young adults and grown men and women living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Not only does Easter Seals work "nationally to provide children and adults with autism individualized treatment plans and comprehensive services," they also advocate in our nation's capital for increased research financing. Their motto is basically that any person living with an ASD, no matter the age at diagnosis, is capable of tremendous progress through individualized therapies and interventions so that they may lead meaningful lives.

In the photo: Leigh Attaway Wilcox (left) and Nancy Churnin (right) sit on a media panel to speak to Easter Seals' representatives from across the country.

Looking for an uplifting and inspirational movie to rent and watch with your family? I've got a great recommendation - Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, starring Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. My husband was so impressed with this movie that he ranked it among the top 10 movies he has ever seen (and he has seen lots of movies in his lifetime)!

Gifted Hands is based on the true story of Dr. Benjamin Solomon Carson, a renowned brain surgeon who overcame dire poverty and prejudice and changed the course of medicine forever by, among other accomplishments, becoming the first to separate twins joined at the back of the head ("craniopagus" or Siamese twins).

Last week, I received a call from Melody Barnes, the president's chief domestic policy advisor and director of the Domestic Policy Council. She wanted to talk about First Lady Michelle Obama's new Let's Move initiative, aimed at combating childhood obesity. We had a good talk about this pressing problem that hits us hard here in Texas, where we have the sixth highest obesity rate in the country.

In keeping with the First Lady's solution-oriented approach, I immediately called local doctors who are working hard on this problem: Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the Cooper Aerobics Center and the Cooper Institute, and Dr. Jon Oden, a pediatric endocrinologist and medial director of COACH (Center for Obesity and its Consequences in Health) and the Dean Foods LEAN (Lifestyle, Education and Nutrition) Families programs at Children's Medical Center Dallas. You can read all about it here in my Dallas Morning News Healthy Kids column that ran today.

But I would also like to challenge all of our Moms, Dads, teachers, coaches, nutritionists, doctors, nurses and readers to share your solutions, too. What can WE do RIGHT NOW to help our kids eat healthier, exercise and live longer and happier lives?

PHOTO: First lady Michelle Obama with members of 2009 Pee Wee Division 1 Pop Warner winners during the launch of her Let's Move initiative to fight childhood obesity.

One day, when my daughter was six, I was changing a fluorescent light bulb in my closet - a very difficult task for me. Fluorescent light bulbs are the bane of my existence. I never seem to be able to smoothly install them and enjoy a bright light. I always get something wrong causing the light to flicker and fade. It seems that as I was experiencing this unfortunate occurrence that day that I began to emote because my six-year-old daughter reminded me that I had written the "Cool Rules" for my curriculum, "Cool Kids." She told me, "Just Stay Cool Daddy." My son once suggested I start a program called, "Cool Parents." I can neither confirm nor deny what led him to make that suggestion.

In the parenting talks I give, I talk about being calm, but firm when angry. Parents ask me regularly if it is OK to yell when they are mad. It is natural to feel angry when our kids do not cooperate or are bickering with each other, but intense, consistent anger is bad for our health and our relationships.

Being a mom or dad is stressful. There is much to keep up with and kids are emotional. Since our kids learn more from what we do than what we say, let's talk about how all of us, parents and kids, can deal with everyday frustrations and anger.

My mother used to say "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I still try to live by this rule, but I am also adding to it. "If you have something nice to say, say it!

When I am on the receiving end of a poor product or poor service, I let the people in charge know. I am quick and direct about it. I make no apologies for that. But I'm glad for the revelation that I can be equally reactive to the good that goes on around me. If I'm honest and objective and observant, there is way more good in my life than there is of the bad.

Want to clothe the kids without breaking the budget? Dallas Moms blogger Amy Twomey and our other moms bloggers show you how you can by buying (and selling) your kids clothes at consignment stores and seasonal consignment sales. They pooled their tips for a story for our new Live Better Here page, inspired by one of Amy's regular posts. The story ran on the cover of the Dallas Morning News' GuideDaily section today. You can also read it online here.

PHOTO: Jean Mooney of Dallas shopping for her granddaughter at Sisters' Closet Kids Resale Boutique, photo by Andy Jacobsohn

How much is too much? Do you let your little ones pack their own bags? How do you take things out of the kids' bags that don't need to go on vacation without them freaking out? These are all questions I have today for YOU READERS! We are going skiing and our three kids all hoard their belongings into the car daily on a regular day! I am terrified. How am I going to control our car getting jam-packed with 20 Barbies, a few American Girl dolls, an entire dresser of Legos, suitcases, ski gear and the kids?

The smell of life is intoxicating! Think about the smells you love...the smell of baby's breath; the early morning dew in the summertime, rain...These smells can get imprinted in our memories forever.

We can be transported anywhere by smell. If we wish we were at the beach, a spritz of something citrusy will take us there. My Dad always smells tropical to me because he wears sunscreen daily! That mixed with Old Spice is my Dad's scent. Remember that scene in The Parent Trap when Hayley Mills tells her grandfather she's making a memory and says, "You smell like peppermints and tobacco?" Well...smells, like songs and food can evoke strong memories: We can associate a smell with an experience and it will somehow leave a unique and lasting impression on our brain forever.

I can remember smashing my face against my grandmother's soft wrinkly skin to smell her Oil of Olay face cream. That's why I wear it today, so I can remember her. I cannot smell Gucci Rush without thinking of my other grandmother, Mema; she owns that scent!