Friday Finds – Oct. 9, 2009

Susan’s Finds
I have a serious backlog of finds, so get ready:

Virtual Polaroid: Turn your digital photos into classic-looking vintage Polaroids with Rollip.com. This free online software makes it easy to customize and share your creations. Cool!

Win a Disney Vacation: In honor of National Family History Month, enter your favorite family recipe (that contains a Smucker’s product) for a chance to win a fabulous trip to Disney for you and 7 members of your fam. Hurry — contest ends Monday, Oct. 12!

Free Child Care for a Year: Today is the last day to enter Care.com’s Year of Care Giveaway. The grand prize is $12,445, which is the cost of a year of child care for the average American family (OUCH!)

Help Your Kid Rock the Schoolhouse: Mom’s Homeroom is an MSN site sponsored by one of my favorite cereals, Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats (mmmmm, I think I’ll get a bowl right now). It’s full of quick-reads, articles and online tools for moms on-the-go to easily help their children perform their best in school.

Kids Eat Free: Got an iPhone? I wish I did. Anywho … there’s a cool app called Kids Eat For that lets you search by zip code for restaurants in your area with free or discounted meals for kids.

Fix Dinner and Fight Breast Cancer: Local foodie, working mom and author Amy Tobin is donating 100% of the royalties for Amy’s Table: Food for Family and Friends to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She wants to sell 1,000 copies this month (’tis the season for breast cancer awareness). So if you’ve been looking for a new cookbook (or know someone who is), pick up a copy of Amy’s Table and help fight breast cancer. Good cause, all around.

Attention, Local Bean Lovers: If you’re in Cincinnati and looking for something fun to do with the fam, get out the Beano and head to the annual Bean Bash at Turfway Park, this Saturday starting at noon. The event benefits some great local charities and kids 12 and under are free! Get all the details at Family Friendly Cincinnati.

1 thought on “Friday Finds – Oct. 9, 2009

  1. It does feel like a War sometimes, doesn’t it? But I think intased of the Mommy War, it should be called the Mommy War With Herself, because I think that’s when the war really starts. There have been times when I feel 100% sure that being at home is the right thing for me and our family, and then comments others make to me just roll off of my back. However, there have been many times, especially recently, when I find myself wondering if we’ve made the right choice, and then things that people say really get under my skin.I think my greatest fear as a stay at home mom is that I won’t be able to get back into the workforce when my children are older. I am doing what I can right now (maintaining my professional contacts and doing freelance work from home) to keep my skill sets sharp, but it’s still a gamble. So when the host said that she thinks that kids will see their working moms as strong, smart, involved mom that are smart enough to be out there working and who are good role models, it was one of those remarks that gets under my skin. I do worry about the message I am sending my kids and I hope that I am also able to show them that I am strong, smart, and involved in contributing to society. Even now in my role as a stay at home mom, I strive to show them these things, but I still to worry about what they will think of me someday.But these feelings that I get, these emotional reactions, they aren’t really about what she says to me, they are more about the insecurities, fears, and indecision that I have as a parent. I have these same fears when it comes to getting my baby to sleep (am I doing it the right way?), supplementing with formula (and feeling guilty as she sucks down a bottle), and disciplining my toddler (am I too strict or not strict enough?). Every step of the way, we make choices that other people will judge and comment on, and it’s finding our own confidence and ability to feel good about these decisions.As you’ve said before, sometimes there are no right decisions and what is right will change and evolve as my family changes and evolves. At the end of the day, I think my children are lucky to have me as a mom, not because I stay home, but because I love them with all of my heart and live each day doing the best I can to do the best for them. I know you do the same and that your children are equally fortunate to have you as their mom.

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