Also, don't forget to pay special attention to our Help Wanted request!  I know of tons of mommies out there who are looking for some great recipe resources and emommies.net could really use your help in making this area of our site a huge hit!

So, take a load off, let the TV watch your kids (just this once) and enjoy this issue of emommieNews!

Take care
~Noelle

eMommies.net is proud to announce a new section in the ever favorite emommiesSay.  Mommie Tips is a great place to go for quick tips from other mommies!  You can even submit your own tips!

There is an awesome book out there by Stacy Debroff called The Mom Book.  It is a book of over 4000 tips for moms, from moms!  These tips were taken from the real professionals from MomCentral.com -- The Moms!   After all, who doesn't want advice from a professional!  And who better to be labeled professional, than moms!  Here are some Tips from The Mom Book.

CLEAN, CLOTHED & WELL RESTED

• Use a child-size watering can to make rinsing shampoo fun in the bath.

• Put peel-off designs on the bathtub ceiling to get your child to look up when you rinse out shampoo.

FEEDING YOUR CHILD

• Trying to wean from a pacifier?  Dip the nipple of a pacifier into lemon or grapefruit juice to make it taste bitter.

• For a fussy eater, serve chicken, tuna, or egg salad in ice cream cones.

• Play a game with your child to guess your "secret ingredient" in each main course.

MEDICAL & SAFETY

• Use a red washcloth to camouflage the blood from a cut, which often looks dramatic and scary to a child against a white or light colored washcloth.

• To relieve the itching of poison ivy, give your child a fun-shaped sponge or paintbrush to paint on calamine lotion, or try soaking in a lukewarm bath with oatmeal or baking soda.

• Have your child suck on a Popsicle first before taking medications, as the numbing cold will dull the taste of the medicine.

SIBLINGS

• Buy your child a realistic looking baby doll, and have her take home her own baby from the hospital, diaper and all. Type up a mock birth certificate to make it seem even more important, and ask the nurses for hospital wrist band for the baby doll to wear.

• For twins or children close in age, reward both children when one has success. This works especially well with potty training and other milestones, where you want to avoid creating competition between siblings.

ORGANIZING TOYS

• Laminate favorite artwork to make placemats that your child can use every day.

• Use less-than-spectacular artwork that would otherwise be discarded as wrapping paper or stationery. Or put these pictures in a wicker basket in your child's room, and whenever you send letters or packages to family or friends, ask her to choose a piece to enclose.

HOMECARE & HOUSEKEEPING

• Give a gift that will make a particular chore more fun: if your child helps work in the yard, buy him his own child-size gardening tools; if he will clean, a funny feather duster or a new CD to listen to while he works.

• Find out what cleaning routines are practiced at your child's day care or school. You might be surprised to find your toddler pours his own juice and helps clear the table after snack time. If the school or day care has just begun studying plants, introduce him to the garden. If your child is learning about the environment, put him in charge of recycling.

WORKING/FAMILY BALANCE

• If you are traveling for work, explain how long you will be away in terms your young child can understand, such as three bedtimes or two lunches.

• Tape yourself reading a bedtime story for your child if you will be away for several days.

HOLIDAYS & BIRTHDAYS

• When preparing a kids' table for a holiday meal, cover it with butcher paper and make a bucket of crayons your centerpiece.

• Light a piece of dry spaghetti with a match and tilt it downward to keep it lit. This homemade match stays lit long enough to light all the candles on your child's cake without burning your fingers.

KEEPSAKES

• Pick an annual date to have a family picture taken. Choose the same place each year if you have it shot in or near your home. Have your family stand together in the same pose to show how everyone has grown.

• Give a disposable camera to your sitter and encourage her to capture the funny, cute, or remarkable things your child does while in her care.

• Dedicate one videotape for each of your children. When recording special events, such as birthday parties and sporting events, add them to that child's tape. When your child is much older you can present her with copies of "This is Your Life" tapes.

About The Mom Book ~  by: Stacy Debroff  ~ Free Press, February 2002
4,278 of Mom Central's Tips...for Moms, from Moms

                                                         by Sandra Lamb

Created by hundreds of contributing mothers from the MomCentral.com community and Stacy DeBroff, The Mom Book features lists, tips, stories, and defining principles for everything from hiring a nanny to setting up a home office to surviving a rainy day at home. Here are answers to on-the-spot questions about fussy eaters, tantrums, starting school, work-family balance, and the thousand and one other skills needed to thrive as a mom. After all, who better than experienced mothers to share insider parenting advice?

So, now the big question is... WHAT IS THE CONTEST?
Well, this spring's contest is a short story contest.  To find out more about the requirements, visit our contest pages!

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Romance isn't always planning elaborate evenings of passion and pleasure.  It's also, being quick on your feet to encourage and compliment.  Here is a perfect example that I ran across in this month's Reader's Digest.  It goes something like this..."When my friend was pregnant, she was having a hard time with all the weight she'd gained.  One day, her husband persuaded her to go the the beach for the day.  'There I sat with my bulges and potbelly' she told me later, 'and this gorgeous girl, about 14 years old, walked by in a fluorescent pink micro bikini.  And I started to cry.  When my husband asked me what was wrong, I said 'Just look at that beautiful teenager.  My body will never look like that again.'  He rolled over and glanced at the girl in pink, and - here's how I know I married a special man - he took my hand and kissed it.  'You know what honey?' he said. 'Neither will hers.'"

It's been said not to sweat the small stuff....and I agree with that to an extent.  But it's often the "small stuff" that warms our hearts and brings us the most pleasure.  I think this story is a better illustration of romance than any rose covered bedspread could ever be.

Get Things Done. Take 21!
by Maria Gracia

Ever begin doing something that you do for a few days, and then simply stop doing it?

For example, let's say you promised yourself that you were going to file papers immediately before they got out of hand, but then something else came up, and the next thing you knew, you had another pile of papers that needed to be filed. 

Or perhaps, on January 1 you made a vow to yourself to exercise for 20 minutes every day. You exercised for a few days. But then, by January 5, you gave up. 

This happens to everyone on one occasion or another. But, you really can start getting things done!

Next time you really want to do something, and you want to actually start and continue doing it, realize that doing it for one, two, or even three days in a row is usually not enough.

It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine. 

So . . .

1) Decide exactly what you want to do.  Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific as possible.

2) Schedule time to do what you want to do.  Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don't let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your  scheduled days, it's best to start over and schedule another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.

3) Once you reach your 21 days,
congratulations! Don't stop now though, schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do what you want to do, without even thinking about it . . .
Like brushing your teeth.

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!
http://www.getorganizednow.com

FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips,
ideas, articles and more to help you
organize your home, your office and your
life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!

You'll need:

• Craft Foam
• Fine Point Permanent Markers
• Plush Colored Pipe Cleaners
• Pencils

Instructions: Cut small hearts (or other simple shapes) out of the craft foam.  1 - 1½ inches is a good size.  Then, using a fine point marker, write your message on the heart.  Then, push a pipe cleaner through the bottom of the heart and secure by bending it down and twisting the two parts of pipe cleaner together.  Then, twist the long end of the pipe cleaner tightly around your child's pencil.  Once that's done, pull a few spirals up past the eraser so it has some bounce.  Viola, you're done!  Simple and cute.  Can't beat that!

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