I was able to meet http://www.themotherhood.com/KimMoldofsky  face-to-face this past weekend. It was so nice to actually see her in person.We were both invited to the http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23safeandbright tweet up sponsored by UL. Which, I might add was also VERY fun - my kids had a blast and made three very lovely wreaths. And Santa was there!  I hope we get the chance to meet up again sometime! =)

(first my note: I read this and it just felt so powerful and important and huge and so many lightbulbs went off in my head. I know the title seems a bite scary - but please read it. And also I wasn't sure where to put it, so I posted it here because I think it is something you've got to see. Also, I know it's from a while ago, but I just found it this week from a link on twitter).June 26, 2009 by http://fugitivus.wordpress.com/author/fugitivus/ By the by, I consistently use that title because I mean for it to operate as a trigger warning. I write a lot about rape, but sometimes I write about other things, and I don’t want anybody taken off-guard transitioning from “help computer” into wtf rape-talk. Case you were wondering. I was re-reading my five billion goddamn posts about rape and force, and I realized (surprise!) there is a more succinct way for me to express what I was thinking. I tend to go on and on, circling a subject, trying to get out everything in my head that possibly relates to it, and then sometimes find I didn’t really address the subject at all. So, here is what I wanted to say in those five billion posts about rape: If women are raised being told by parents, teachers, media, peers, and all surrounding social strata that: *it is not okay to set solid and distinct boundaries and reinforce them immediately and dramatically when crossed (“mean bitch”)* it is not okay to appear distraught or emotional (“crazy bitch”)* it is not okay to make personal decisions that the adults or other peers in your life do not agree with, and it is not okay to refuse to explain those decisions to others (“stuck-up bitch”)* it is not okay to refuse to agree with somebody, over and over and over again (“angry bitch”)* it is not okay to have (or express) conflicted, fluid, or experimental feelings about yourself, your body, your sexuality, your desires, and your needs (“bitch got daddy issues”)*it is not okay to use your physical strength (if you have it) to set physical boundaries (“dyke bitch”)* it is not okay to raise your voice (“shrill bitch”)* it is not okay to completely and utterly shut down somebody who obviously likes you (“mean dyke/frigid bitch”) If we teach women that there are only certain ways they may acceptably behave, we should not be surprised when they behave in those ways. And we should not be surprised when they behave these ways during attempted or completed rapes.I highly, highly encourage you to continue reading http://fugitivus.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/another-post-about-rape-3/

Originally Posted by Brandie in Brandie's CircleThis is my 10,000th post! Can you believe it? Well, given how much time I spend on here I sure can ROFL!!! ;-) But it seems like a lot of posts for sure!I feel like this should be an eye-opening, special, full of wisdom or beautiful words post, and alas - I have nothing special, eye opening, beautiful or wisdom-y to say to everyone. So let me just say this. I <3 the motherhood. I love coming here and seeing what everyone is sharing. I love coming here and sharing links, stories, pictures, ideas, etc that I think are important and worth passing along. This community rocks and there is nothing else like this out there I think! So, thank you, a million times over, to our Emily and Cooper for thinking fo this idea, for not being too afraid to follow through on their idea and sharing it with all of us! =)

Originally Posted by mommaslittlehelper in mommaslittlehelper's CircleWhen life gets tough, I make soup. When something bad happens to someone I love and I don't know what to do, I make them soup. I am hesitant to say,"I'll pray for you." I worry that it will somehow offend their sensibilities in some way. Maybe I have become overly politically correct. I consider myself to be a quietly spiritual person. Okay, maybe I'm not that self-aware since, I'm an ordained minister. I perform marriages and I'm getting a degree in holistic ministry.In any event, I don't really talk about my faith. I don't want to be a "faith pusher." But I find that at times I error on the other side. I say stuff like,"Please send me good vibes." When what I really want to ask is please pray for me. In my mind, prayer and mediation are completely different. For me, mediation is passive it allows me time to empty out all my mental muck. To just sit and be still. Prayer on the other hand, is active, it's about me having a conversation with God.Yes, I said God. I have been studying world religions, for me, religion was created by man to explain God. God, prayer and spirituality, in my mind, have nothing to do with religion. God is not religion and religion is not God. Religion is a map, a marker, a guideline to help us find God. But unfortunately, religion is managed and implemented by man, and man has this tendency to just screw things up.Getting back to my need to make soup, my friend is burying her baby this week and the only thing I could think to ask her is what kind of soup can I make you? It is the second child she has lost. I can't even begin to imagine. I just can't. Nor can I imagine the devastation that is happening in Haiti either. The only way I have come to terms with any of this, besides making soup, is that suffering is a part of the human condition. And I choose to believe that God isn't behind the death of an infant or the earth quaking, but that God is behind Doctors Without Boarders, or the people who have donated money or in making soup. Yeah, for me, God is in the soup. For complete blog go to Momma's Little HelperThis is just what I needed to read today.

I was really blessed to get the opportunity to be one of the volunteer builders on this project in my hometown of Louisville, KY. Enjoy this short clip (just 1min 48sec). Thanks for your interest! Love, Robin http://vimeo.com/8860081

Hi MOMS ON THE LABYRINTH and all other friends on the Path! Check out this FABULOUS new iPhone app (just 99 cents!) created by Notebook Press. You can "walk" six different labyrinths to the music you select from your iPod library. Here (finally!) is Peace for everyone's Path on-the-go! Love, Robin http://www.notebookpress.com/info_ipause.html

Just found the video of it. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by CoffeeMom in CoffeeMom's CircleThe genetic engineering of plants and animals is looming as one of the greatest and most intractable environmental challenges of the 21st Century. Already, this novel technology has invaded our grocery stores and our kitchen pantries by fundamentally altering some of our most important staple food crops. By being able to take the genetic material from one organism and insert it into the permanent genetic code of another, biotechnologists have engineered numerous novel creations, such as potatoes with bacteria genes, "super" pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle growth genes, tomatoes with flounder genes, and thousands of other plants, animals and insects. At an alarming rate, these creations are now being patented and released into the environment. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall7.cfm

TheMotherhood is up for a Webby Award - the Oscars of the web! - and the last day of voting is TOMORROW!!! Please vote for TheMotherhood for the People's Voice Award! http://webby.aol.com/living/familyparenting Of all the parenting websites around the world, TheMotherhood is one of only five finalists chosen by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences - and the only site in the category that's independent and run by MOMS!!! It is because of you, the incredible TheMotherhood community, this has happened! TheMotherhood has gotten so much support across the web. Here are links to some of the fantastically supportive posts and tweets (lots of you tweeted numerous times, but I posted only one in the interest of space. If I've missed yours, I'm so sorry and please, please, please, post a link in the comments!) Ginormous hugs all around! What an amazing group of women - thank you!!!!!! DaniGirl wrote a gorgeous post that made Cooper and me cry: http://danigirl.ca/blog/2010/04/28/vote-for-the-motherhood-nominated-for-a-webby/ Liza Barry-Kessler: http://twitter.com/LizaWasHere/status/13018583570 Kristen Maschka, author of the book I loved, "Remodeling Motherhood": http://twitter.com/KristinMaschka/status/13012127978 Aller-Ease: http://twitter.com/AllerEase/status/13013407226 MammaLoves: http://twitter.com/mammaloves/status/13013056969 Let Kids Play: http://twitter.com/letkidsplay/status/13011991957 Kamichat: http://twitter.com/kamichat/status/13011558252 Baby Potential: http://twitter.com/babypotential/status/13011518146 Kimberley C. Blaine: http://twitter.com/TheGoToMom/status/12296721002 Nancy Moon: http://twitter.com/NancyMoonPR/status/12201148242 Discovery Communications: http://twitter.com/DiscoveryComm/status/12128485377 Executive Moms: http://twitter.com/ExecutiveMoms/status/12124627005 Liz Gumbinner: http://twitter.com/Mom101/statuses/12644212115 Mom Trends: http://twitter.com/momtrends/status/12108989117 ParentHacks: http://twitter.com/parenthacks/status/12106978160 Angie Knutson of My Four Monkeys: http://twitter.com/MyFourMonkeys/status/12282677139 Stacie in Atlanta: http://twitter.com/StacieinAtlanta/status/12257692664 Ellen Beck: http://twitter.com/tannawings/status/12149113727 Mommy's Joy:http://twitter.com/Mommysjoy/status/12168042224 Debi Pfitzenmaier:http://twitter.com/MomonMars/status/12175032713 Kelly Skoloda: http://twitter.com/toobusytoshop/status/12166047186 Tracy Mayers: http://twitter.com/mommyprayers/status/12124645992 Hale Mom: http://twitter.com/TheHaleMom/status/12152376465 Jeannine Harvey: http://twitter.com/jharveyrocks/status/12116815730 Robyn's Online World: http://twitter.com/RobynsWorld/status/12117422544 Stephanie Wagner: http://twitter.com/andtwinsmake5/status/12112139868 PBS Parents: http://twitter.com/pbsparents/status/12111743098 Liz Fongemie: http://twitter.com/lizfongemie/status/12107489303 Plus Size Mommy: http://twitter.com/PlusSizeMommy/status/12107193457 Robin Bradley Hansel: http://twitter.com/labyrinthwell/status/12133858575

I've posted about Gertrude and the children she is caring for before. Actually, just after the earthquake in Haiti. She was just in the US visiting my FB friend Janet and her husband. Please read here: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100429/NEWS10/4290589/1027/rss18 They are still in need of monies. There is so much work left to be done. Thanks.

CBS had run this segment, but apparently enough people aren't taking this security risk seriously. If you are a working mom or have used a copier, please watch the clip. Most of us don't realize that copied and faxed information is stored on a hard drive permanently and is not wiped out after the machine is sold or disposed of: http://www.wimp.com/copymachines/

ShePosts podcast with Cooper and me. http://sheposts.com/content/motherhood-emily-mckhann-cooper-munroe The wonderful Esther Brady Crawford interviewed us for ShePosts.com and her postcast is up. Thanks Esther - it was a blast talking with you!!!

Dangerous delivery shows peril of multiple C-sections The worst surgical case of my residency came when we delivered my patient's baby by cesarean - her ninth cesarean birth. The baby came out fine, but for the mother we suspected one of most feared complications in obstetrics - that her placenta had burrowed deep into the muscle of the uterus. To get oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, the placenta needs to attach just a few millimeters deep into the uterus. We worried that hers had gone much farther and might eat through the entire thickness of the uterus, keeping it from shrinking back to its normal size after delivery and causing a massive hemorrhage. We gave a gentle tug on the umbilical cord. Usually the placenta peels off with such gentle pulling, but hers remained stuck - an ominous sign. Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20100531_Dangerous_delivery_shows_peril_of_multiple_C-sections.html#ixzz0pcbXvwsh

To to fun and funny to not share!! Overall I have no words, but I confess a teeny corner of me thinks, "Where were these in my clubbing days?" (Not, mind you, that I'd likely ever wear them but hey, weren't we always looking for a good place to stash money and lipstick? But..the "tips" label...sort of trashes it up, rather than camps it up or vamps it up LOL!!!)

Okay this article *blew my mind* and is making this inveterate brainstormer rethink a lot of things...it might just be the boost I need to get over what has felt recently like a creativity hump! I confess my best ideas come when I am doing my laps! Also, in terms of raising kids...what do YOU think about this for inspiring their creativity? Look at number 4: upon reflection, I think my kids have mostly superficial exposure. I never wanted to be a stage mom! But maybe they need a deeper attachment to an activity, a focus. I just haven't seem them develop a passion for anything, per se. GO READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/12/forget-brainstorming.html Forget Brainstorming What you think you know about fostering creativity is wrong. A look at what really works. How Creative Are You? Brainstorming in a group became popular in 1953 with the publication of a business book, Applied Imagination. But it’s been proven not to work since 1958, when Yale researchers found that the technique actually reduced a team’s creative output: the same number of people generate more and better ideas separately than together. In fact, according to University of Oklahoma professor Michael Mumford, half of the commonly used techniques intended to spur creativity don’t work, or even have a negative impact. As for most commercially available creativity training, Mumford doesn’t mince words: it’s “garbage.” Whether for adults or kids, the worst of these programs focus solely on imagination exercises, expression of feelings, or imagery. They pander to an easy, unchallenging notion that all you have to do is let your natural creativity out of its shell. However, there are some techniques that do boost the creative process: 1. Don’t tell someone to ‘be creative.’ 2. Get moving. 3. Explore other cultures. 4. Follow a passion. Rena Subotnik, a researcher with the American Psychological Association, has studied children’s progression into adult creative careers. Kids do best when they are allowed to develop deep passions and pursue them wholeheartedly—at the expense of well-roundedness. “Kids who have deep identification with a field have better discipline and handle setbacks better,” she noted. By contrast, kids given superficial exposure to many activities don’t have the same centeredness to overcome periods of difficulty. 5. Ditch the suggestion box.

Tomorrow, February 2nd, is the first class in the Cooking Connections series, happening right here in The Motherhood and we are SO excited!!!! The class is called Navigating Food Allergies and it's happening live in TheMotherhood at 1:00 pm EST (10:00 a.m. PST). The wonderful host and co-hosts are: Lori Sandler, founder of Divvies Bakery and author of The Divvies Bakery Cookbook, http://www.divvies.com Caryn Bailey, Rockin' Mama, http://rockinmama.net/ Christina McMenemy, Mommy's Must Haves, http://amommystoryreviews.blogspot.com Christy Matte, Quirky Fusion, http://www.quirkyfusion.com/ Clarissa Nassar, The Posh Parent, http://www.theposhpreneur.com/ Emily Paster, West of the Loop, http://www.westoftheloop.com/ Kelly Rudnicki, Food Allergy Mama, http://www.foodallergymama.com/ Mary Jo Strobel, FoodAllergy.org, http://www.foodallergy.org/ Nicole Shields Smith, Allergic Child, http://allergicchild.com/ Nirasha Jaganath, Mommy Niri, http://www.mommyniri.com/ Piera Jolly, Jolly Mom, http://www.jollymom.com/ Stefany Thode, To Be Thode, http://www.tobethode.com/ Nicole Meadow, NutritionWise, http://www.nicolemeadow.com/ Here are some great blog posts our co-hosts have written about the class: Stefany: http://www.tobethode.com/2011/01/cooking-connections-navigating-food-allergies.html http://www.tobethode.com/2011/02/reminder-cooking-connections-class-wednesday-1pm.html Caryn: http://rockinmama.net/2011/02/living-with-food-allergies-my-sons-story/ Christina: http://amommystoryreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/navigating-food-allergies-with-conagra.html Emily: http://www.westoftheloop.com/2011/01/29/cooking-connections-navigating-food-allergies/ Christy: http://quirkyfusion.com/2011/02/new-directions-food-allergies-blog-and-chat/ Niri: http://www.mommyniri.com/2011/02/cooking-connections-class/ Piera: http://www.jollymom.com/2011/02/join-me-in-webs-first-ever-virtual.html We can't wait! Join us here Wednesday, Feb 2nd, for a great (all-text) conversation: http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62140 ConAgra is sponsoring the series - thank you so much for making this possible!

This young girl sings a cover of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" ... and accompanies herself on piano. I expect to see her winning American Idol in a few years. WOW. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG0wi1m-89o

Recently, a good friend of mine lost not just her house and pets in a fire, but also her precious, beautiful 11 yo son. Although the family was in the process of leaving the house, he dashed back upstairs to rescue the family pets, and sadly, he and the pets did not make it out. The fireman said he found him in his bedroom, surrounded by and cuddling his animals. Like this beautiful boy I've known since babyhood -- such a tragic, horrible, incomprehensible loss -- my daughter adores our pets. And so, our family has upped our fire escape plan and prevention. We're having the firemen check our smoke detectors for placement and appropriateness -- maximum safety. We're ensuring we have what we need in our home to safely escape, should we ever need to. We're making sure our girls know that they must get out, don't stop, don't go back, don't grab anything, don't try to rescue a pet...just get out. A friend sent me this really great guide for families to practice fire safety and evacuation plans (from Livestrong): 6 Ways to Practice a Family Fire Escape Plan Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/6981-practice-family-fire-escape-plan/#ixzz1ELKy4W8u

The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know – from fifty feet away – what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television.

Important to read the rest here:http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/