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Mom story: I started BollyFit, Inc.

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:00:00 -0800

When Anuja Rajendra started BollyFit, Inc., she knew it was more than a fad. The mom of two boys, ages 7 and 6, shares how she’s bridging cultural gaps and getting people moving with fitness classes that include Indian dance styles and mindfulness.

Parenting Guru: Grade school mean girls

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:00:00 -0800

If you’ve got girls, you’re likely going to worry about the eventual mean girl experience. But it turns out the social problems and bullying may not be so far away. Mean girl behavior can start as young as kindergarten and it needs to be nipped as early as possible, according to Michelle Anthony, M.A., Ph.D., co-author of Little Girls Can Be Mean, Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades, and co-founder of Wide-Eyed Learning, LLC. The Centennial, Colorado-based mom of three, co-wrote Little Girls Can Be Mean to help guide parents through the social challenges of elementary-aged girls.

Mom story: I had 5 kids in 6-1/2 years

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Most moms’ first inclination after having five kids back-to-back probably isn’t “Hmmm, I think I’ll start a business,” but that’s exactly what Melissa Lawrence, 42, of New York, New York did with her internet resource for moms — and she’s never looked back.

Mom story: I left Hollywood to help sick kids

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0700

After realizing that she wanted to help families with critically ill children, Paula DuPre’ Pesmen, 50, quit her job as an associate producer in Hollywood and returned home to Boulder, Colorado, to start There With Care, a nonprofit that gives families a hand. The mother of two boys ages 7 and 10, Paula knows from personal experience how important it is to have people to lean on.

Parenting Guru: Is ADHD good?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:30:00 -0700

According to the most recent Centers for Disease and Prevention reports, 9.5 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder . This week, October 14-20, marks ADHD Awareness Week, and SheKnows tapped Ben Glenn of Indianapolis, Indiana — an ADHD expert, father of two and author of the upcoming release, Simple Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About ADHD — to offer a new way to look at ADHD.

Mom story: I invented a one-of-a-kind product

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0700

When Talia Bahr Goldfarb, 39, of St. Louis, Missouri, couldn’t find a belt easy for her then-toddler son to fasten, she and her sister, Danielle, invented a Velcro belt that’s a cinch for little ones to use with one hand. Today, the belts are sold in catalogs and at more than 700 stores throughout the country. Their business, Myself Belts, has earned $2 million in sales since launching in 2004. Goldfarb, mom of three kids ages 13, 9 and 7, sometimes can’t believe the success is real and says the sole reason she has a business is because she’s a mom.

Parenting Guru: Want to raise a future innovator?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0700

If you thought getting your kids “college-ready” was the key to a bright future, think again. Though business leaders, educators and policy makers stress loading up on math and science classes and getting good grades, it’s no longer enough, says Tony Wagner, Ed.D., the first Innovation Education fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, and author of Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. Wagner says kids today need to be “innovation-ready” and strive to create their own jobs for the future.

Mom story: My daughter was bullied

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0700

After the loss of her baby due to a rare kidney disease, Carrie Goldman, 38, of Evanston, Illinois, and her husband, Andrew, adopted a baby girl, Katie , out of foster care. They eventually added two healthy biological daughters to their family, Annie Rose, age 5, and Cleo, 2. But when one daughter was bullied due to her unique interests, it put Carrie’s strength to the test and motivated her to write the book, Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know About Ending the Cycle of Fear , with hopes of uncovering the reasons why people bully and how parents and teachers can step in.

Mom story: I launched a bakery with my husband’s ex

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

With one daughter and two stepdaughters, Janelle Copeland, of Covina, California, knew she had to make nice with her husband’s ex, Fabiola Gomez, for the sake of their kids, but she never imagined she’d start a business with her and form a beautiful friendship. The duo launched a booming bakery venture, scored a win on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and still managed to put family first.

Parenting Guru: When you stop enabling

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Kay Wills Wyma, author of Cleaning House, earned an MBA and worked at the White House, but her greatest challenge may have been her recent quest to rid her Texas home of youth entitlement through a 12-month experiment that got her five kids cooking, cleaning and helping others, rather than leaning on Mom to do it all.

Parenting Guru: Do your kids get good sleep?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Sleep doesn’t always come easy. Homework, activities, technology and socializing cut into the night, and even if kids get to bed early, there’s often tossing and turning that many students endure with school in full swing. Dennis Rosen, M.D., associate medical director, Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Boston Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, gives tips to help your family settle into the school year well rested. Dr. Rosen, who's also the author of Sleep Tight : Helping Your Child Get a Better Night’s Sleep , reveals what not to do on weekends.

Mom story: I got sober for my family

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Kate Thorp-Hickner, 42, of Royal Oak, Michigan, chooses to be sober and cherishes each moment she spends with her husband, tween daughter and teen stepson — time she almost didn’t have after struggling with a deadly addiction.

Parenting Guru: Are your kids a healthy weight?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

It’s simple when you think about it. We gain weight when we take in more calories than we burn. “It’s what we call a positive energy balance,” says Monica J. Mitchell, Ph.D., associate professor and pediatric psychologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who has worked with more than 1,500 children and their parents in school-based, after school and summer programs to promote healthy eating, physical activity and water intake. Despite efforts to help kids get healthier, turning around the upward obesity trend is a challenge. September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and SheKnows tackles the psyche aspect of kids tipping the scale.

Mom story: I’m in a band with my twin daughters

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:00:00 -0700

When two generations of identical twins, , formed the band MJ2 and signed a recording contract in Nashville, they set out to do more than create rockin’ country music. The family band used their talent to help find a cure for diabetes. Jackie Singer, mom of the younger Mollie and Jackie talks to SheKnows about why raising money for diabetes research is close to her heart.

Parenting Guru: Raising bilingual kids

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Following the success of their parenting blog, SpanglishBaby, co-authors Ana Flores and Roxana Soto molded their ideas into a new book that gives guidance on raising bilingual kids. Their memoir, Bilingual is Better: Two Latina Moms On How The Bilingual Parenting Revolution Is Changing The Face of America, explores the politics of bilingualism and the authors’ opinions of being Latina moms in the U.S. Ana Flores talks to SheKnows about why we should consider raising bilingual babies.

Parenting Guru: Are your kids homework-trapped?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

When does homework become too much? According to clinical psychologist Dr. Kenneth Goldberg, roughly 10 percent to 25 percent of students in school today are homework-trapped — homework dominates their lives. “Kids are homework-trapped when interventions do more harm than good and the end result is not homework-compliance, but acting out and losing interest in school,” he says. Read Dr. Goldberg's advice on relieving homework stress below.

Mom story: I’m a top jewelry designer

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Erica Courtney took a jagged path from being broke in Dallas, Texas, to launching a top jewelry design business in Los Angeles, California. Finding success was a gem, but she almost lost her freedom and her only child along the way.

Mom story: I run marathons for at-risk kids

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Brooke Curran, 44, of Alexandria, Virginia, is a mother of three daughters ages 14, 17 and 19, and has 49 marathons under her belt. Brooke’s determined to run marathons on every continent. Learn how she’s achieving her goal and what keeps her motivated to run roughly 80 miles a week.

Parenting Guru: Can coaches shape boys into men?

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

Esta Soler, an expert on violence against women and children, founded Futures Without Violence 30 years ago and made it into one of the world’s leading violence prevention agencies. Soler talks with SheKnows about how Futures Without Violence is reaching out to boys in innovative ways.

Mom story: I endured the greatest loss

Julie Weingarden Dubin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:00:00 -0700

In January 2009, Rachel Reynolds’ 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte, began complaining of headaches. Rachel, 36, and her husband Roger, of Ashland, Virginia, went to the pediatrician for what they thought was an ordinary sick visit, but it soon turned into every parent's nightmare. Charlotte had a massive brain tumor and needed immediate surgery. From that day forward, they began an incredible journey as they learned how to navigate the hospital system and struggle for their daughter's survival.