We're always telling our kids how proud we are of them, and focusing on their strengths. Why don't we do the same for ourselves? Here's your chance each week to say something nice about yourself.

What have you done this week that you can be proud of? Did you lose weight? Get a promotion at work? Finish off a project at home? Help out a friend that needed an extra hand?

We'll be hosting the "Feel Good Fridays" each week. Post your thoughts on your blog, then come back here and drop a comment to let us know you're participating. Read the other messages and while you're here to see how other people are doing.

We'll select a featured "Feel Good" blog for the week and a small picture (capture) of that blog in our blog roll section for a week.

Hello ... is this thing on? Testing ... 1 ... 2 ... 3. Just Kidding. I know someone out there has done something they are proud of this week! Don't be shy. Share your success with us so we can say "good job" too!

What could be a cuter (or fun!) way to dress up a plain tee-or-blazer this season than with one of these button / badges from Prickie?

All the buttons are unique and are designed by talented artists. At $3.00/each you can pick up several and give them to your friends as little thank-yous, or just to make them smile.

My personal favs are Ann Ellis' designs and "The Birds" and "Bat Cave" by Jaime Zollars.

Q What are some ideas for healthy snacks for kids?

I just read an article in Family Fun magazine that suggested you put all the "go" snacks at eye level in your cupboard like the do in the grocery store. Grocery stores market stuff at eye level so put all the healthy snacks on that shelf and as the shelves get higher put the not so healthy snacks there. The same applies to the refrigerator - the kids whip open the door and if they see some healthy carrot sticks or celery sticks - they are more apt to grab for them than search through all the drawers. Keep fruit on the counter (apples, bananas) - if they see healthy stuff they will eat it. Reward their good snacking behavior with a sweet treat every now and then.

Instead of going for the standard chips salty snacks, check out the natural food section in your grocery store. There are some great veggie alternatives like Veggie Sticks. Also, try substituting in yogurt raisins instead of M & Ms or other candy treats in trail mixes. You get the same "sweet" taste with the added fruit bonus!

Q What are some pet peeves you have about driving?

All other drivers except the Diva and myself. Kidding - people who cut you off and most importantly people who don't use their signals.


The signal/directional thing drives me batty as well! Another one I have is people who play their music so loud that I can hear it in -my- car. Is that really necessary?

We're always telling our kids how proud we are of them, and focusing on their strengths. Why don't we do the same for ourselves? Here's your chance each week to say something nice about yourself.

What have you done this week that you can be proud of? Did you lose weight? Get a promotion at work? Finish off a project at home? Help out a friend that needed an extra hand?

We'll be hosting the "Feel Good Fridays" each week. Post your thoughts on your blog, then come back here and drop a comment to let us know you're participating. Read the other messages and while you're here to see how other people are doing.

We'll select a featured "Feel Good" blog for the week and a small picture (capture) of that blog in our blog roll section for a week.

A friend of mine asked me to watch her 2 children for a day this week. She had some legal meetings to attend with a family member, and I was glad to help out. I can imagine the stress and chaos of having two children in long (boring) meetings. That said, it was quite an eye opener moving from a family of one child to three *instantly.* The carseats ... the carpooling ... mealtime ... sharing! By the end of the day I was exhausted! Big snaps to all the Moms and Dads out there who manage it on a regular basis.

New from the people who changed the we look up almost everything ... a way to track your daily activities Google Calendar.

I know you're thinking. Have you been under a rock? A calendar program isn't new. Everyone's got a calendar program ... what makes this so special?

Some of the features I like in Google Calendar are:

• you can manage multiple calendars - you can setup calendars (and colors) for different parts of your life (work / home) or people (parents / kids). The events for all the calendars show up on the same grid! No more flipping pages to coordinate schedules.
• you can share your calendar with other people. This makes planning events (and vacations) so much easier!

QI have a friend that seems to only call me when she needs or wants something from me. She never calls to see how I am doing, and our conversations are very one-sided. She tells me about her life, her problems, etc. and I listen. My family tells me I shouldn't return her calls, she's just using me. But I feel mean acting that way. How can I keep this friend but not get hurt in the process?

I have to agree with your family. Sounds like she is not a true friend if she doesn't listen to your problems or even ask how you and your family are doing. When she calls don't be in hurry to answer (Thank God for caller ID) and don't be in a rush to return the call. Give it a day or two - maybe she will get the clue that your life is busy and your time is just as important as hers.

Belle is right. It's okay to say you have to go when her stories go on too long and get too involved. You're not being less of a friend by cutting her off to save some of your own personal space (and sanity).

If the chocolaty-sweetness of Easter has you running to the medicine cabinet to brush more frequently, you may want to check out this toothpaste kit from Breath Palette.

With flavors like kiwi, fresh yogurt, and banana, brushing can be a whole new experience every day! You can read more about about Breath Palette on their website where they have sets with 31-flavors!

We're always telling our kids how proud we are of them, and focusing on their strengths. Why don't we do the same for ourselves? Here's your chance each week to say something nice about yourself.

What have you done this week that you can be proud of? Did you lose weight? Get a promotion at work? Finish off a project at home? Help out a friend that needed an extra hand?

We'll be hosting the "Feel Good Fridays" each week. Post your thoughts on your blog, then come back here and drop a comment to let us know you're participating. Read the other messages and while you're here to see how other people are doing.

We'll select a featured "Feel Good" blog for the week and a small picture (capture) of that blog in our blog roll section for a week.

QI have a lot of boiled eggs now for Easter - what can I do with them?

My favorite recipes for hard boiled eggs are: deviled eggs and potato salad with eggs.

Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
a pastry bag with star tip

Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise and mustard and stir with whisk until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Fill pastry bag with yolk mixture and pipe into egg whites.

Potato Salad with Eggs

3 pounds potatoes, cooked until just tender, cubed, cooled
5 or 6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped celery, optional

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Combine potatoes, egg, onions, and celery. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.

Leave it to allrecipes.com to have a category just for this! http://allrecipes.com/directory/5091.asp They have lots of other great ideas!

Nice choices Diva - but I have another one - egg salad. Makes great sandwiches for you or the kids!!

QIf you missed Pink on Oprah this week, they discussed her new "Stupid Girl" video and talked about what it means to be smart. One definition is that smart means being true to yourself instead of being defined by someone else. Pink challenged some of her friends to name 5 smart women. Can you?

1. My mom
   
2. Hillary Clinton
   
3. Oprah
   
4. Condeleeza Rice
   
5. Elizabeth Dole
   

1. My son's teacher
   
2. Oprah
   
3. Queen Noor of Jordan
   
4. Brooke Shields
   
5. Carolyn Kepcher
   

QWhat do you think about the new Sesame Street Baby videos?

These new videos have certainly caused a lot of controversy. What's it all about? To start, the videos are targeted at 1 to 3 olds and the American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against TV viewing for children under 2. The AAP did this because it is still unclear how TV viewing stimulates the brain at an early age. However, it is clear that positive interaction with adults and other people encourages healthy development in babies, so they would rather promote that "active" interaction. Here are the links to what the AAP recommends for TV viewing of toddlers and family viewing.

• http://www.aap.org/family/tv1.htm
  
• http://www.aap.org/family/smarttv.htm
  
• http://www.aap.org/pubed/ZZZGF8VOQ7C.htm?&sub_cat=1

I have read through all the guidelines by the AAP and try to live by them (yes even the 2 hours of TV -- or less a day). If you wanted to get one of these videos when they come out, I would recommend watching the Sesame Street Baby video once every 2 weeks (or less often).

1 video = 30 minutes
2 year old = 140 waking hours = 8,400 waking minutes (2 week period)
30 minutes = 0.03% waking time (2 week period)

Watching the video more often cuts into a baby's "active" time ... and then it starts to creep into that "danger" area. As with other things ... in moderation it could be a good thing.

Yes there has been a lot of controversy over these videos. It has been all over the news and radio stations. I agree with Diva
everything in moderation. I have to admit that I did not adhere to the AAP warnings on TV for children under the age of 3 - HOWEVER I did not let them watch for long periods of time but they did watch some TV. In this case you need to do your research and do what is best for you and your child.

QI'm at the end of my rope. My son is 15 months old, and has begun to throw things at other children. I really need some advice because it has been going for a while and it is affecting our going to playgroups and being around other Moms with children.

The next time your son throws something, you need to make it absolutely clear that it not acceptable behavior. That may mean using a stern but firm voice and telling him "No throwing" and taking the toy (or object) that he threw away from him for a period of time. Children learn by testing their limits. They try out new behaviors and actions to see ... is this all right? Can I get away with this? If they are allowed to continue it they will. If they are corrected then they will understand that limit and move on to testing a new area. Prepare yourself. This is just the first of many normal phases he will go through!


They certainly are testing you at this age - in all sorts of ways. Be firm and tell them no throwing. Also taking the toy away like Diva said is good. Keep it simple - dont try to get into an explanation of why you took the toy away b/c the child will not understand. Good luck!

QIs it too soon for the movie "United 93?" (for more information on this movie, visit http://www.flight93.net/index.php

Universal is only donating 10% of the first 3 days?Come on - I don't think they should have done trailers for it - although with anything people will like this or people will complain about it- just like releasing the 911 tapes.


When most people see images from 9/11 are reminded of the sadness and grief that still surrounds the day -- it's hard to see beyond that yet. In talking with some of my friends and family, I have yet to talk to anyone who wants to go see this movie.

Additionally, there is a lot of speculation surrounding United flight 93 and what exactly happened on it. Did it get shot down? Did the passengers try to overtake the hijackers? Did the hijackers crash the plane? Will this movie just stir up more conspiracy theories? If Universal wanted to make a film about the heroism of that day they could have gone about it differently.

Did you hear? The Parents Television Council, a children's TV watchdog group, has identified children's TV channels as having an excessive number of incidents of violence, according to CNN. The group studied four broadcast networks (ABC, Fox, NBC, and The WB) and four cable networks (Cartoon Network, the Disney Channel, ABC Family and Nickelodeon) over a three-week period in the summer of 2005.

The study focused on entertainment programming for school-aged children aged 5-10 run after-school and Saturday morning programming. The study did not include children's educational programming.

• Although the Cartoon Network had the highest total number of violent incidents, the ABC Family Channel turned out to pack the most punch-per-program, with 318 instances of violence (only 11 of these could be considered "cartoon" violence) for an average of 10.96 violent incidents per episode.
• The Disney Channel had the least-violent children's programming with 0.95 incidents per episode.
• The WB had the highest levels of offensive language, verbal abuse, sexual content and offensive/excretory references.

For more information on the study, visit The Parents Television Council website

QWho do you like on The Apprentice now?

I've only seen one episode this season (Tivo misprogramming) but so far I was impressed with Tammy from Synergy. I have to give Ivanka snaps as well - a well spoken intelligent young woman!



Unfortunately like Diva I have missed a few of the episodes - why isn't it on Thursday nights anymore? Anyway - I really don't have a passion for one player over the other like i did in past episodes. I really am enjoying Ivanka - she is very well spoken and seems to be knowledgeable - esp in the boardroom. I don't get the sense from her that she is trying to ride on her dad's coattails.

Q I have a friend who was married for 8+ years and was divorced recently. She is very bitter about the break-up and blames the entire thing on her husband. She is now dating someone and she swings back and forth between complaining about him and saying how much she "loves him." She calls me often to tell me about her love life in great detail. Her children are confused over the divorce and she barely has time for them with her busy dating schedule. I am frustrated and don't know how to be her friend right now. Please help

It sounds like your friend is still dealing with a lot of the emotions from her divorce. She may feel sadness, anger, and even guilt about it. Her children may have some of the same feelings she does, and they need her to be there for them. And now that's she's in a brand-new relationship she may be confused about her feelings for that man as well.

Sit down with her and tell her that you've seen that she's been struggling with some issues, and suggest that she talk to a professional who's trained to help her work through some of the things she's feeling. Through this process, she may discover new things about herself that might not have know were there before; her own strengths and values. Once she has gone through this process of self discovery, and is healed from pain of her divorce, she can may see things from a new perspective. Good luck!
Boy this question hits close to home - First of all this woman needs some professional help and needs to get her priorities realigned.
If the children are confused she needs to spend more time with them and helping them deal/cope with the divorce situation. Perhaps even the children would benefit from some counseling or a kids support group. The children need her attention and it would be bad if they looked at other resources or bad influences for that attention. She ought to wait on the dating as well b/c it seems she hasn't really dealt with the whole thing. No Matter what try to be supportive - suggest counseling to your friend.