As we welcomed the New Year, I felt it was appropriate to bring back Dr. J.J. Levenstein, MD. As my Pediatrician expert, she openly discusses ways to beat winter illness and covers several illnesses that new parents need to be aware of such as the Flu and influenza. But there was so much to cover that we ran out of time. She will be back on in a month or so to further discuss illnesses such as RSV (wheezing virus) and Rotavirus (vomiting virus).
Then Alexis Martin Neely, founder of the boutique Estate Planning Law Firm of Martin Neely and Associates is back on my show. This time she is delving into what parents need to do to set up their estate properly to protect their children long term.
A couple of documents that Alexis feels parents need to have in place for their kids are a:
* Kids Protection Plan (www.KidsProtectionPlan.com)
* A Will
* Living Trust
* Living Will for Health Care Decisions
* Durable Power of Attorney
Also, tap into important tax information that could save your heirs 50% of their inheritance if your estate is set up correctly. And if you are interested in finding a Personal Family Attorney to get your affairs in order for your family, long onto www.PersonalFamilyLawyer.com to find one in your area.
** And if your plug in the certificate code FM2009 Alexis will waive the $750.00 first session fee with an attorney in her database.
A great way to start the year!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Spending the Holidays (FM)
Although this was a show focused on traveling to see relatives, the guests that I had on my show are valuable resources that I feel should be mentioned in my blog.
Patty Opoin is President of the company Jet Set Babies (www.JetSetBabies.com) which provides a wonderful service for parents traveling domestically or abroad and don't want to pack up and cart essentials for babies or toddlers such as bulky diapers, extra wipes, jars of baby food, or containers of formula. Instead you can go right onto their website and order these products to be shipped to your destination. And because of Patty's commitment to customer service, her company makes a point of following up to be sure that these products arrive on time to be ready for your immediate use.
I loved hearing about her company and I plan on using them myself when traveling with my son in the future!
Then Kira Ryan and Conner Herman from Dream Team Baby (www.DreamTeamBaby.com) provided some great advice for easing the difficult transition that can occur with baby when traveling to see relatives. Their main focus is creating a world of great sleepers one baby at a time, and their tips to keep baby sleeping while away on vacation are helpful for any new parent.
Patty Opoin is President of the company Jet Set Babies (www.JetSetBabies.com) which provides a wonderful service for parents traveling domestically or abroad and don't want to pack up and cart essentials for babies or toddlers such as bulky diapers, extra wipes, jars of baby food, or containers of formula. Instead you can go right onto their website and order these products to be shipped to your destination. And because of Patty's commitment to customer service, her company makes a point of following up to be sure that these products arrive on time to be ready for your immediate use.
I loved hearing about her company and I plan on using them myself when traveling with my son in the future!
Then Kira Ryan and Conner Herman from Dream Team Baby (www.DreamTeamBaby.com) provided some great advice for easing the difficult transition that can occur with baby when traveling to see relatives. Their main focus is creating a world of great sleepers one baby at a time, and their tips to keep baby sleeping while away on vacation are helpful for any new parent.
Having a Nanny (FM)
Hiring the right person to come into your house full time to be the caretaker of your child can be an anxiety ridden experience. And then leaving your child in their care with a feeling of insecuity can cause thoughts to flash through a mothers mind...is my child being taken care of properly, what is the nanny doing all day in my house, and how do I handlteany possible conflicts with this person?
On this show I am talking with two women who have developed ways to provide an extra peace of mind to parents when bringing a nanny on board.
Dr. Lindsay Heller, a specialist known as The Nanny Doctor (www.TheNannyDoctor.com), is a licensed clinical psychologist and former nanny of 10 years. She consults with families on all issues related to the nanny -- family relationship. She also helps expectant parents identify their childcare needs, aids new moms in the process of returning back to work, helps families through the interview process, facilitates the transition of a new nanny into the home, helps families with conflicts with their nanny, and also helps with endings. She pretty much handles all things nanny!
Then Jill Starishevsky, a New York City prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes, and mother of two children, created a website www.HowsMyNanny.com to give parents who employ nannies an extra peace of mind. Parents can become a member of this site and receive a license plate to display on their strollers to provide a way to be contacted if someone sees any negative or positive behaviors being demonstated by their nanny while taking care of their child or children.
This site and the license plate concept has gained tremendous attention within the nanny community because it allows parents to receive anonymous reports about their nanny and helps to weed out the bad nannies. It also allows for positive feedback which have led to good nannies being awarded bonuses by their employers for the excellent care they provide for their children.
Jill is currently working on creating a bumper magnet for suburban nannies who operate out of mini vans and SUV's, rather than strollers.
On this show I am talking with two women who have developed ways to provide an extra peace of mind to parents when bringing a nanny on board.
Dr. Lindsay Heller, a specialist known as The Nanny Doctor (www.TheNannyDoctor.com), is a licensed clinical psychologist and former nanny of 10 years. She consults with families on all issues related to the nanny -- family relationship. She also helps expectant parents identify their childcare needs, aids new moms in the process of returning back to work, helps families through the interview process, facilitates the transition of a new nanny into the home, helps families with conflicts with their nanny, and also helps with endings. She pretty much handles all things nanny!
Then Jill Starishevsky, a New York City prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes, and mother of two children, created a website www.HowsMyNanny.com to give parents who employ nannies an extra peace of mind. Parents can become a member of this site and receive a license plate to display on their strollers to provide a way to be contacted if someone sees any negative or positive behaviors being demonstated by their nanny while taking care of their child or children.
This site and the license plate concept has gained tremendous attention within the nanny community because it allows parents to receive anonymous reports about their nanny and helps to weed out the bad nannies. It also allows for positive feedback which have led to good nannies being awarded bonuses by their employers for the excellent care they provide for their children.
Jill is currently working on creating a bumper magnet for suburban nannies who operate out of mini vans and SUV's, rather than strollers.
New Face of Fatherhood (FM)
While my radio show may at times seem directed towards new moms, dads today are playing a full time role as caretaker to their child and I hope they are regularly tapping in for desired information.
With that thought in mind, this show was created because more and more dads have become active participants in child rearing. Some are the primary caretakers as their wives go back to work, most are tapping into paternity leave and flex time at work to spend more time with their kids, and there is a movement afoot as dads are carrying masculine diaper bags as a badge of honor.
Joining me on the show is Chris Pegula, known as the Diaper Dude (www.diaperdude.com)the creator of masculine diaper bags that are seen frequently by some of the hottest male celebrity dads in Hollywood. A father of 3 children, he created the first diaper bag for himself when his first child was born because there was nothing out there developed for fathers.
Then Armin Brott of www.MrDad.com has been building better fathers for more than a decade through his six best selling books on fatherhood. He admits to me that the face of fatherhood has changed and it is a very positive movement!
My husband is a perfect example, he is a very hands on dad. He juggles his work schedule to pick up our son from the sitters when I'm working, he takes days off from work to be home with Zack if I have to travel, and he spends dedicated time each day to play and interact with him.
Being an involved father is a main priority for him.
With that thought in mind, this show was created because more and more dads have become active participants in child rearing. Some are the primary caretakers as their wives go back to work, most are tapping into paternity leave and flex time at work to spend more time with their kids, and there is a movement afoot as dads are carrying masculine diaper bags as a badge of honor.
Joining me on the show is Chris Pegula, known as the Diaper Dude (www.diaperdude.com)the creator of masculine diaper bags that are seen frequently by some of the hottest male celebrity dads in Hollywood. A father of 3 children, he created the first diaper bag for himself when his first child was born because there was nothing out there developed for fathers.
Then Armin Brott of www.MrDad.com has been building better fathers for more than a decade through his six best selling books on fatherhood. He admits to me that the face of fatherhood has changed and it is a very positive movement!
My husband is a perfect example, he is a very hands on dad. He juggles his work schedule to pick up our son from the sitters when I'm working, he takes days off from work to be home with Zack if I have to travel, and he spends dedicated time each day to play and interact with him.
Being an involved father is a main priority for him.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Where Did the Holidays Go?
I can't believe that we are already into January and everyone is busy getting back into the swing of things for the new year! Personally, I don't know where the holidays went -- the last I remember I was getting a family picture taken for holiday cards, trying to figure out presents for friends and family, and BOOM suddenly it was Christmas morning, New Years day and now January!!
Normally I like to relax during the holidays, sit in front of my tree, and take in the peace that the tiny white lights and beautiful bright ornaments bring me, while watching inspirational holiday movies. And while I did get to do a little bit of that, it just seems like a blur.
However, the highlight of my holiday was watching my 2 year old son really experience his first Christmas -- that was the most fun. Although he was around for Christmas the last two years, the first year he was only a month old and didn't know anything, and last year while he liked opening presents he was more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than in the presents themselves.
This year my husband and I really had fun going out shopping for him and thinking about how excited he would get when he walked downstairs and saw all these great presents under the tree. We even made a date out of shopping for Zack. I met my husband at the Garden State Plaza mall for lunch (it was so nice having a relaxing meal in the middle of the day without baby in tow) and then we shopped the mall and the surrounding stores on Rt. 4 and 17 before heading to the babysitter to pick up our little man.
The best part of the holiday has to be experiencing the excitement and wonderment through a child's eyes. He was so cute, walking down the stairs in his Santa flannel pajamas, watching his eyes and hearing his squeal when he saw what Santa had brought for him. And while I know as he gets older he will want to tear through the presents and rip through the wrapping paper, this year was precious. He opened each gift and then handed it to daddy to unlock all the twists and ties that come with toys today, so he could play with that one gift. He wasn't even aware of all the other presents he still needed to unwrap, he was focused on each present, and savoring each gift!
That was a good day!
But it too has passed and we are now back into the grind and I wonder, where was the REST that I wanted to get?
Normally I like to relax during the holidays, sit in front of my tree, and take in the peace that the tiny white lights and beautiful bright ornaments bring me, while watching inspirational holiday movies. And while I did get to do a little bit of that, it just seems like a blur.
However, the highlight of my holiday was watching my 2 year old son really experience his first Christmas -- that was the most fun. Although he was around for Christmas the last two years, the first year he was only a month old and didn't know anything, and last year while he liked opening presents he was more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than in the presents themselves.
This year my husband and I really had fun going out shopping for him and thinking about how excited he would get when he walked downstairs and saw all these great presents under the tree. We even made a date out of shopping for Zack. I met my husband at the Garden State Plaza mall for lunch (it was so nice having a relaxing meal in the middle of the day without baby in tow) and then we shopped the mall and the surrounding stores on Rt. 4 and 17 before heading to the babysitter to pick up our little man.
The best part of the holiday has to be experiencing the excitement and wonderment through a child's eyes. He was so cute, walking down the stairs in his Santa flannel pajamas, watching his eyes and hearing his squeal when he saw what Santa had brought for him. And while I know as he gets older he will want to tear through the presents and rip through the wrapping paper, this year was precious. He opened each gift and then handed it to daddy to unlock all the twists and ties that come with toys today, so he could play with that one gift. He wasn't even aware of all the other presents he still needed to unwrap, he was focused on each present, and savoring each gift!
That was a good day!
But it too has passed and we are now back into the grind and I wonder, where was the REST that I wanted to get?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sex & Intimacy After Baby (FM)
Whenever a new baby comes along, a couples sex life takes a backseat to the needs of a newborn and sleep deprivation. But the key to keeping a couples relationship strong is to find the time and energy for intimacy and sex, even if that means scheduling a time together.
Wendy Jaffe, a former divorce attorney and author of the book "The Divorce Lawyers Guide to Staying Married" confirms that one of the biggest reasons couples get divorced is the lack of sex in their marriage. She also talks about how some parents can become "kidaholics" once they have a child and how that can affect their relationship.
Then Gregory Keer, father of three, and publisher of www.Familymanonline.com, provides a dads perspective on a couples sex life after baby's arrival. He shares how a dad can be supportive of mom, and be open to intimacy and other alternatives to sex when sex doesn't work such as cuddling, kissing and holding one another. Sometimes quiet time at the end of the day can help reaffirm ones connection and love for the other, and that is just as important.
We also discussed the idea of a couple getting away for a weekend, if at all possible, 3 - 4 months after the baby's birth to reconnect and jumpstart your sex life. If you have relatives that can watch the baby, that would be ideal. It not only gives you a chance to get away to sleep, talk, and get your love life back on track, but your baby will also get accustomed to staying overnight at someone else's house.
Remember you were a couple before you became parents, don't lose that strong foundation as you take on the new role of father and mother.
Wendy Jaffe, a former divorce attorney and author of the book "The Divorce Lawyers Guide to Staying Married" confirms that one of the biggest reasons couples get divorced is the lack of sex in their marriage. She also talks about how some parents can become "kidaholics" once they have a child and how that can affect their relationship.
Then Gregory Keer, father of three, and publisher of www.Familymanonline.com, provides a dads perspective on a couples sex life after baby's arrival. He shares how a dad can be supportive of mom, and be open to intimacy and other alternatives to sex when sex doesn't work such as cuddling, kissing and holding one another. Sometimes quiet time at the end of the day can help reaffirm ones connection and love for the other, and that is just as important.
We also discussed the idea of a couple getting away for a weekend, if at all possible, 3 - 4 months after the baby's birth to reconnect and jumpstart your sex life. If you have relatives that can watch the baby, that would be ideal. It not only gives you a chance to get away to sleep, talk, and get your love life back on track, but your baby will also get accustomed to staying overnight at someone else's house.
Remember you were a couple before you became parents, don't lose that strong foundation as you take on the new role of father and mother.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Motherhood Untold (FM)
As I was gearing up for the birth of my son 2 years ago, I knew that my life would change, but I wasn't truly prepared for how much it would change! Or how challenging it would be to integrate this little person into my marriage, my career, and what used to be "my time." I had a friend tell me, after having her first child, how being a mom was the hardest job she ever had, and I brushed her off. I thought if I can work four months in a row, while working 60-70 hours a week without a day off, I can handle taking care of a baby.
Little did I realize that at the end of each day of work I was able to go home and not be pulled on by work, not so with a little baby that needs you 24/7. And at the end of 4 months I was able to take a reprieve from my job after completing that project, but that doesn't happen with a baby. Your baby is with you from the day he is born, until he hopefully goes off to college.
I used to be really good at pacing myself, knowing my limits, and taking time to take care of myself so I wouldn't burn myself out.....and that is so much harder with a baby. When you are sick you can't just crawl into bed and sleep it away, like you could before baby. The world changes, and you have to change with it.
On my show, Dr. Shoshana Bennett and I talk about several common fantasies that mothers have about motherhood that can create a harsh reality for them when they realize that those fantasies that they believed, are not true. Several are:
*This should be the happiest time of my life
*I should be able to do everything myself
*I shouldn't need breaks
*My life won't change that much
*My needs shouldn't matter
*Breastfeeding is natural, so it should come easily
Then later Jenna McCarthy, author of the book "The Parent Trip -- from High Heels and Parties, to High Chairs and Potties" and I laugh and joke about several sections of her book dealing with Take My Husband Please, How Competitive Motherhood kicks in when baby is born, The 5 Second Rule, and No Sex in the City.
Enjoy us laughing about the challenges that moms go through and know that we all face similar situations.
Little did I realize that at the end of each day of work I was able to go home and not be pulled on by work, not so with a little baby that needs you 24/7. And at the end of 4 months I was able to take a reprieve from my job after completing that project, but that doesn't happen with a baby. Your baby is with you from the day he is born, until he hopefully goes off to college.
I used to be really good at pacing myself, knowing my limits, and taking time to take care of myself so I wouldn't burn myself out.....and that is so much harder with a baby. When you are sick you can't just crawl into bed and sleep it away, like you could before baby. The world changes, and you have to change with it.
On my show, Dr. Shoshana Bennett and I talk about several common fantasies that mothers have about motherhood that can create a harsh reality for them when they realize that those fantasies that they believed, are not true. Several are:
*This should be the happiest time of my life
*I should be able to do everything myself
*I shouldn't need breaks
*My life won't change that much
*My needs shouldn't matter
*Breastfeeding is natural, so it should come easily
Then later Jenna McCarthy, author of the book "The Parent Trip -- from High Heels and Parties, to High Chairs and Potties" and I laugh and joke about several sections of her book dealing with Take My Husband Please, How Competitive Motherhood kicks in when baby is born, The 5 Second Rule, and No Sex in the City.
Enjoy us laughing about the challenges that moms go through and know that we all face similar situations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
