There are many solutions to infertility, as varied as the couples who experience it, but those solutions generally fall into four categories: medical, adoption, foster parenting, and surrogacy. I myself tried to solve my infertility medically, with hormone pills, surgeries, artificial inseminations, and an in-vitro procedure. Lindsey Redfern of TheRHouse, our friend, has two adopted children. For Adrienne Arieffe, who we talked about here, surrogacy was the right answer. Whatever you do, there are some important things to keep in mind, which were mentioned during a recent on-line chat with Adrienne and other infertility sufferers.

1-Do your homework.

This is so important, in the context of understanding your symptoms, communicating with doctors or other professionals involved in helping you get a baby, and researching doctors/professionals/adoption agencies. Don’t trust one source alone. Ideally, involve your partner in the process.

2 – Be your own advocate.

Your doctor or adoption agent is not necessarily going to be solely your advocate. My sister‘s doctor recommended she have a full hysterectomy for uterine fibroids; after visits with several other doctors, she found a much more viable option and it became apparent that the first doctor had made his recommendation based on insurance reimbursements, not her needs.  Whatever option you pursue, you will likely spend a fair amount of time answering questions from friends and family. Some women choose not to share the details of their battle, and that’s okay. Others tend to talk a lot, as I did, in the interest of raising awareness, correcting misconceptions, and gaining support. Keep in mind that whichever approach you take, there will likely be those who will still misunderstand, even disagree, among your circle of acquaintance. Says Adrienne: “Let the naysayers be that. You can’t let other people get you down.”

3 – Find support.

Ryley, a member of the chat who was both born by surrogacy and a surrogate mother, says, “It seems like everyone bends over backwards to give the surrogates support but the intended (biological) parents have no clue what to expect either.” So she has two surrogate support groups on Facebook: one through her agency and one state group. There are support groups offered through Resolve, the national infertility association as well. If you do not find sufficient support from your husband, partner, friends, family, blog followers, or therapists, consider joining a support group for people in similar circumstances. Infertility can be a lonely road, but you shouldn’t try to walk it completely alone.

If you suffer from infertility, chances are you will, at one time or another, feel you have been unfairly excluded from the club of motherhood. Take heart in knowing that you most definitely are not alone; there are many other women who have this problem and there is hope through the many options available to you.

Feature photo courtesy of Flickr.

Simple Family Fun Activity Ideas

Family Game Night

Trust me when I tell you this is NOT easy. I often work through dinner or right after we eat; working for a start-up—as amazing and inspiring as it is—means a lot of schedule juggling (God BLESS the fact that the company focuses on online organizing; meaning I’ve become an organized machine). But I know that all my hard work means nothing if my daughter doesn’t get to look in my eyes and talk to me on a regular basis. So once a week, after dinner, we play games. Simple, technology free games like Go Fish and, a serious family favorite, Jenga. Which my daughter ALWAYS wins; it’s like she’s an innate engineer.

Farmer’s Market Outings

We also go to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in nice weather. We have a small one in our little borough, and there’s a larger one near a popular park a few miles away. We buy fruit and veggies my daughter picks out because then there is a teeny possibility that she’ll actually eat them later. We enjoy the live music that is always there, and we enjoy seeing neighbors (my daughter often sees friends at the local farmer’s market, which is fun).

Interactive Car Games

There are smaller things we do, too. In the car whenever we’re driving somewhere, we all play “What Am I?” This is a game my daughter adores where you have to list attributes of the thing you “are” and the other players try to guess what it is. Or we play I-Spy, rather than let her turn on the car’s DVD player. This helps a lot.

Bedtime Routines

Then there’s my favorite thing: bedtime. I put my daughter to bed each night (My husband gets up with her—I know, I’m the luckiest woman in the world.), and we have a great time. We read a book, and recently we switched from me reading the books to her reading them to me. Then we talk for a while. My daughter calls this “getting all her talking out” so she can sleep. It’s my happiest moment of the day. Then I sing her lullabies (Her favorite: Amazing Grace. I KNOW.) and she goes off to sleep.

I realize there are much bigger ways to have family fun traditions: a yearly family vacation to the beach, for instance, or going to amusement parks, zoos, and museums. Don’t get me wrong, we do all those things, too. But I believe in my heart of hearts that it’s these small moments of routine that will stand out in my daughter’s mind more than anything else.

I know they’ll stand out in mine.

What are some of your simple family traditions?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr. Picture courtesy of Flickr.

Cecily Kellogg is the mom of nearly six year old daughter, a wife, and the social media strategist for AboutOne, an online family organizer that turns your phone into a remote control for your life, working with your existing calendar and contact tools so you can automatically organize, store, and share family memories and household paperwork. Through web and mobile apps, AboutOne guides you along the path to organization, rewarding you along the way for meeting your organizational goals.

For this DIY Fabric Basket (or Box) Project, I chose the Verona Collection.
The turquoises and fun flowers won me over, and I was in need of ‘Spring’ fabric in the worst way! I was also in need of a  little girl time, so I invited a couple friends over and we set to work making our own little boxes/baskets.

How to Make Fabric Baskets with Riley Blake Designs

In six easy steps you can create these gorgeous fabric baskets. We used several different fabrics in our boxes. What will you make with this fabric?

Supplies:

• Fabric
• Cereal Boxes
• Sewing Machine

Directions:

Step One

• Save up a bunch of Cereal Boxes. I know it sounds weird, but they seriously work perfectly to give the baskets shape.

Step Two

• Cut out the size of box you want for your finished basket. I wanted little 6 inch boxes, and one friend tried out a larger trapezoid shaped box.
• Cut 5 squares of the cereal boxes (all 6 inch square for a 6 inch box). Cut Trapezoid sides and a square bottom for a wide angled box.

Step Three

• Trace around the cereal box squares onto your fabric, adding ½ inch for seam allowance for the outside fabric.
• Repeat this step for the inside fabric. (You’ll have 5 squares for the inside and 5 for the outside.)

Step Four

• Place the 5 outside pieces right side up in the shape of a plus sign with one square in the middle. Sew the 4 edges of the middle (bottom) piece to the 4 side pieces with just less than (scant) half inch seam. Then fold the plus sign in half diagonally (again, with right sides together) and sew the 4 side seams to each other one at a time.
• You’ll end up with a square basket/box but it won’t stand up very well. Leave the tops unfinished for now.
• Repeat with the 5 inside fabric squares, leaving top seams unfinished.

Step Five

• Fold down and iron a scant ½ inch of the unfinished tops of each fabric box (inside and outside). You will fold the right side down, so wrong sides will be touching on the fold.
• Turn the outside fabric box so the right side is facing out.
• Line the fabric box with your 5 cereal box square pieces. Test to see if they fit well. You may need to trim a bit if your seams were larger than the ½ inch.
• Turn the inside fabric box so the right side is facing in (like a lining). Place it inside the cereal box lined fabric box.

Step Six

• This is the toughest step: You will pin and sew the tops of the two fabric boxes AND the cereal box pieces together all at the same time! Your needle will easily puncture the cereal box, but you can use a larger needle if you want.
• Pin at the corners and even use small clamps to keep the fabric a bit above the cereal box pieces.
• It can be tricky when sewing around the corners. Just be brave and pull and twist hard!

Finishing

I was in love with the idea of girly pinwheel flowers. So we made our own!

• Cut a 20×3 inch strip of coordinating fabric for a 1.5 inch flower.
• Fold in half WRONG sides together. Hand stitch a running stitch along the length of the strip with a knot at the end of your thread.
• Pull the thread tightly to gather the fabric strip, allowing it to coil around in a circle. Use the rest of the thread to sew the coiled strip in place. The middle will look unfinished, but don’t worry, we’ll cover that with a fun button!
• Hot Glue a decorative button to the middle and then glue the whole thing to your fabric basket/box.

Ideas for your little fabric baskets?
Give them away as gifts to teachers, mothers, friends, or anyone else who likes cute things. Use in a little girl’s room for her treasures or in your sewing room for craft supplies!

ENJOY!

How do you like to use fabric to dress up your home organization?

Tutorials I took inspiration from:

• Urban Nest Blog {Full download pdf instructions! Love that!}
• Sometimes Crafter {shows the diagonal fold of the plus sign really well!)

NOTE:  I was given the fabric for this project to play with at no cost to me. However I was not compensated in any other way and I was free to create and design to my heart’s content whatever I wanted!

10 Bite-Size Ways to Help by Talking

1. Call a grandparent to say “I love you.”
2. Call (don’t text, DM, tweet, etc.) a friend you haven’t talked to in a week or more to see how they’re doing.
3. Write one Facebook post about an accomplishment or positive trait of your husband. Better yet, tell him directly.
4. Write a letter to yourself, as if you were someone else, expressing your love and appreciation.
5. Write your own obituary. Pretend you’ve lived a long, full life, and write down the qualities and accomplishments you hope people you will remember you for. Make a goal to do the kind of actions that demonstrate those qualities once a day every day starting today.
6. Write your own family manifesto. Check out Isabel Kallman’s for an example.
7. Visit an organization that serves children removed from the custody of one or more of their parents, like The Christmas Box House, a group home, or a women’s shelter. See if you can spend one hour with a few of the kids, hear their stories, and share some encouraging words.
8. Ask a question like, “If you could be any character on TV, who would it be?” at the dinner table, and see what conversation ensues. See this post about conversation jars for more question ideas.
9. Strike up a conversation with at least two people you haven’t met before at your next church or school meeting.
10. Ask your cashier at the grocery store how they’re doing next time you go grocery shopping, and listen to their answer.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• Have you ever done any of these things? How did it go?
• What other acts of service have inspired you?
• How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.

With my older son, he took his learner permit test, passed it and then began driving. I have to admit, I was a wreck every time he got behind the wheel. I felt like I was teaching him everything for the first time. This time around, when my daughter turned 15, I had her take a driver’s education class first and then go and take her test. She will still be learning how to drive with me, but I am feeling more confident that she understands more of the do’s and don’ts of the road. I thought it would be helpful to share the process of getting a learner’s permit.

Steps for Teens to Get Their Learner’s Permit

• You must be 15 years old in Utah. Check with your state’s law. I grew up in Idaho and actually received my learner’s permit when I was 14. Sounds a little scary, doesn’t it?
• Pick up a driver’s training manual at the local DMV.
• Study for the learner’s permit test.
• Fill out the application for a driver’s license at the DMV. I was able to fill out the application online for my daughter and it saved us time.
• Show the DMV appropriate proof of identity. We had to bring a Birth Certificate, her Social Security card, and proof of residency.
• Take a DMV photo. These mug shots never turn out pretty. Don’t worry about dressing up for this one.
• Pay for you learner’s permit. In Utah, it was $15.
• Parent signs for financial responsibility. You read that right. It is up to you to make sure your child is driving safely out on the road. This sounds easier than it is.
• Pass an eye test, and written exam. You have 3 chances to pass the written exam. What they don’t tell you is that if you fail it twice in one day, you need to wait a day before you can take it again. Be prepared to see a lot of frustrated 15 year old kids at the DMV. Luckily my daughter passed on her second try. She missed it the first time by 1 point.

Enroll your child in a driver’s training program before or after they take they their learner’s permit test. My daughter took this through her High School. It usually costs between $80-100 dollars depending on where you go. I had her take the course before she received her license. I think it helped her have a better understanding of what to expect on the road. Once a student has receive their permit, they will spend at least 6 hours driving with an instructor in their driver’s training class, and spend 3 hours observing other students in their driver’s training class.

After  your child has their learner’s permit, they must also drive with a licensed parent or legal guardian for 30 hours. When they have completed the hours, passed their learner’s permit test, taken the driver’s training course, and done their required hours on the road with a parent, they are eligible for a permanent license when they are 16 or older.

When did your child learn to drive? What was the scariest part for you?

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 17 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. A few years ago, Jill went back to work in sales. She is now working for the Mom It Forward team as their Community Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.

Featured image from flickr

Are you all getting enough calcium and exercise? Take the quick Calcium Quiz to know for sure. Chances are, everyone in the family could use more calcium in their diets. Kids today break more bones than we parents did when we were young. The best way to prevent bone fracture in childhood and osteoporosis in adulthood is to ensure that every family member nine years and older has three servings of dairy every day. Low–fat or fat-free milk, yogurt and cheese provide calcium and vitamin D, both important for building and keeping bones strong. Weight-bearing exercise is another great way to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis. Try walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or aerobics for the biggest benefits. So let’s celebrate the end of the school year, walk to the kitchen and build strong bones by making this simple Baked Rice Pudding.

Baked Rice Pudding

• 1 cup Uncooked white rice
• 1 cups Water
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 3 cups Nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup White sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Raisins
• 1 pinch Ground nutmeg

Place uncooked rice in a 3 quart saucepan, and add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well. Stir in rice and raisins. Pour into a 10x6x2 inch baking dish.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes; stir pudding and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake additional 30 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center comes out clean

Nutritional Information Baked Rice Pudding 11 Servings Per Recipe: Calories: 165 Total Fat: 2.4g Cholesterol: 61mg Sodium: 145mg Total Carbs: 28.9g Dietary Fiber: 0.4g Protein 4.5 g

The following resources are available to help you build stronger bones:

Calcium Quiz

Vitamin D: What You Need to Know about the Sunshine Vitamin

Bone Up On Milk

What foods will you try to build strong bones for you and your family?

Trina Robertson, MS, RD is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in sports nutrition. As a Meals Matter Mom she shares her positive approach to healthy eating with the goal of inspiring others to prepare and enjoy foods. As a Project Manager with the Dairy Council of California, Trina develops, evaluates and promotes nutrition education materials for students and adults. At home she enjoys cooking and sharing meals with her family. Her most rewarding accomplishment is that her tween boys are good eaters and are learning to cook. Follow Trina on Twitter @TrinaR_RD.

You see, fourteen years ago, Lee was raising her three small children and beginning a seven-year battle with a rare form of lung cancer. According to Wikipedia, she had previously given her then husband, Emery Rhodes, glass blowing lessons, and in them he created small glass cups, or “baby glasses,” which she would light with tea light candles to find solace during the difficult cancer treatments. Her friends started asking for them, so she hired local glassblowers in 1998 to produce more “glassybaby,” and began selling them out of her garage. In 2001, the Glassybaby company was officially formed, with the small, but durable, and colorful glass votives as their sole product.

Four years later, Martha Stewart received some glassybaby as a gift, and decided to have Lee appear on her show, and sales increased dramatically. In 2007, glassybaby moved to a studio and retail shop in Seattle’s Madrona neighborhood. In 2009, they opened two more stores in Seattle and a store in New York, and Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos purchased a large stake in the company because he was so passionate about the product. By 2010, sales hit $4 million and were up 50% from the year before. Sales grew more than 30% in 2011, despite the fact that naysayers said a company with a handmade product and goodwill mission would fail. Earlier this year, 2012, Lee was named Entrepreneur of 2011 by Entrepreneur magazine, the first woman to have won that award.

Needless to say, meteoric success has played an important role in this story. But what is more fundamental to its meaning, is the fact that, since its beginning, part of Lee’s vision has been for glassybaby to bring peace to others, not only through the warm light the candles emanate when lit from within, but also through actual donations made by the company to various nonprofits related to health, healing, and quality of life. They make those donations in three ways: 1) giving 10% of the gross sales of certain glassybaby directly to charities or organizations chosen each year, 2) donating the use of their studio and “hot shop” to nonprofits, and 3) donating glassybaby to different charitable organizations to both decorate their fundraising events and to auction off the glassybaby to support their cause.

The ultimate motivation behind all of this is that, during her cancer treatments, Lee met many other patients who could not afford even daily needs such as bus fare, childcare, or groceries. Today, most of the money donated by glassybaby goes directly toward meeting those basic needs. To date, Lee’s company has donated more than $900,000. The more glassybaby sold, the more money is given away to charity, with the eventual goal being to give away 10% of all revenue (as opposed to profits) to charities.

Like Megan Faulkner Brown, who we talked about recently, Lee has tasted not only the sweetness of success but of service. She says, “The reason I do this is to give back. We believe that if you commit to your mission, people will commit to you. Our mission is to help people find what they need to heal. We have built a community that loves and shares our mission.” And as she’s done so, she’s built a life that bespeaks triumph over the challenges that used to beleaguer her: summiting Mount Kilamanjaro last year after surviving cancer, and building a successful, charitable company despite the odds.

How to Recover Plain Lampshades with Fabric

Supplies:

• Lampshade
• Fabric
• Paint
• Glue Gun

Directions:

I took the plain white chandelier shades and disassembled them. The fabric covering and the trim on the top and bottom of the shade were pulled off.

Using the old fabric as a template, I cut out new pieces of fabric. Rather than buy new trim, I chose to reuse the original trim from the lampshades instead. I took them outside and I spray painted them.

That’s right, you can spray paint just about anything, including fabric. Lots of light coats is the key.

When it’s time to attach the fabric and trim to the shades, fire up your glue gun. This also only needs a light touch. A small dab of glue in a few places is all it takes.

This really is a quick and simple change that can take your lampshades from so-so to super.

This change would  work on shades of all sizes. Look around your house … what would you recover?

How have you brought life back to your furniture? Please share!

1. Take a break from a schedule.  Allow your children to spend a few days or a week sleeping late and doing a lot of nothing. Give them time to unwind without having to be a slave to a schedule.
2. Discard old schoolwork. There’s no reason to save the run of the mill math worksheets and spelling tests. Sort through the piles THE DAY they come home. Keep only creative writing or truly special assignments.
3. Evaluate what’s on your bookshelves. With limited space on your bookshelves, it’s important to purge textbooks and books your child has outgrown. The end of the school year is a great time to pare down and organize what’s on your shelves.
4. Sort through old clothes. Take some time to go through your child’s closets and drawers to see what clothes still fit them from last summer and which clothes are ready for donation or the trash. This will help you plan accordingly when shopping for summer bathing suits, shorts, and tanks.
5. Stock up on sunblock and other summer essentials. Sunblock doesn’t retain its efficacy indefinitely. Make sure that yours hasn’t outlived its useful life, and you have it stored where it will be applied daily.
6. Register for summer activities. Ensure that your child doesn’t get shut out of the tennis or baseball clinic that fits their schedule. Sign up early for the activities your child wants to do.
7. Arrange carpools and other transportation. Know how your child is getting to summer camp and other summer activities.
8. Schedule appointments before camp starts. Plan ahead for orthodontist, dentist, and any other doctor appointments your child needs. The perfect time to fit these in is between the end of school and the beginning of camp.

What does your family do to get ready for the summer season routine?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Barbara Reich is a professional organizer based in New York, NY. Her tough love approach turns organization and clutter from chore to lifestyle.  To find more tips from Barbara, please visit www.facebook.com/ResourcefulConsultants or www.resourcefulconsultants.com

Teaching Children How to Love and Care for Pets

Here are some tips to help you teach your kids about taking care of your pets:

Assign Your Child Some Responsibilities

The first tip is to give your children some duties regarding their pet. You can ask your child to feed the pet. Or they can be involved in activities, like playing with the animal, taking them outside for a walk, or giving them a bath. Participating in their care will help to instill a feeling of responsibility in children. However, you should only assign activities that can be done easily by your child.

Set A Good Example

Another way to teach your kids how to be gentle towards animals is to set a good example. When children see the way you take care of your pet, chances are they will do the same.

Treat Them With Kindness

Parents should encourage their kids to bond with the pet. They can be taught to hold them properly; when and how to groom them; and depending on the animal, basic training commands. Never allow your children to tease or harass any pets or other animals; this can be dangerous for both parties.

Give Them Proper Care

All of our pets should receive good care. Always visit your local veterinarian for annual exams and vaccinations. When it is appropriate, spay or neuter your pet. Feed them nutritional pet food appropriate for their age, size, and weight. Your children will understand that it’s important to do things that are helpful and beneficial to your family pet.

It is important to teach children how to respect, love, care and be sensitive to animals. Parents should always guide their kids towards discovering that having a pet is a wonderful experience. It teaches children how to be responsible and how to care for another living thing.

What type of pet do you and your family have? How do you decide who takes care of your pets?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Jane Warren is a pet owner, who enjoys helping others learn about the needs of their animals. Her website, www.pamperthepets.com, has tips for pet owners. She also provides reviews on important products like Frontline pet meds, which help to prevent fleas and ticks.