Lock Up Those Meds!

Don't be caught later wishing you had done just that.

In 2006, unintentional poisoning caused about 703,702 emergency department (ED) visits (CDC 2008).
Almost 25% of these unintentional ED visits resulted in hospitalization or transfer to another facility (CDC 2008).
In 2006, poison control centers reported about two million unintentional poisoning or poison exposure cases (Bronstein et al. 2007).

Leaps and Bounds has this great little box that keeps your meds locked up and out of the hands of your kids. $16.95

Back to School - Some in Need

During times of economic uncertainty - non-essential items such as school supplies are usually the first to go. Many children will go to school this year without any school supplies. If you would like to help - contact your local arm of The Salvation Army. They would love any donations you could provide. Put a smile on a kid's face ~ the first day of school is already an uneasy time for many kids ~ equip them with some supplies and alleviate the extra anxiety that accompanies going to school with nothing.

The Winner of the Frog and The Princess $50 gift certificate is: Jenny G, who said, "I like the Herringbone Tweed Hobo Woodrose diaper bag!" Congrats Jenny! You should be receiving an email shortly!

Add Some Glam to Your Shots!

So we know you kid lovin' mama's out there are glued to your cameras - just waiting to catch little cutie doing something for the first time or something that should forever be remembered and posted on the family blog. Well, since you spend so much time with your trusty camera - why not spice it up a little bit? We found this great little online store, My Funky Camera that has some great straps! Check them out! They'll make you one trendy camera weilding mama!

And remember only one more day to enter the Frog and the Princess Giveaway --- see above for the link!

The Weekend Edition: Dallas Trendy Moms

What: CIRCUS BABY

Where: American Airlines Center

When: This weekend (Friday - Sunday) multiple showtimes

Need More Info: http://www.ringling.com/

You can purchase tickets here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/98723/804232

************************************************************************************
We NEED you - our readers in other cities --- we are looking for editors to join our team and write weekend editions for the following cities - send an email to jobs@thetrendymommy.com for more information!

Austin * Atlanta * San Francisco * New York * Houston * Boston * Chicago * Miami * Philidelphia * Seattle * Charlotte, NC * Boulder * San Diego * Nashville

Ribbit, Ribbit - did someone say bathtime?

Tired of the plastic toys all over the tub? Especially if you have an older kid who shares the tub with your 3 year old. I'm sure your preteen would really appreciate not stepping on that squirty duck toy each morning. Why not try this oh so cute (and functional we might add) Frog Pod. You can scoop, rinse, and store your kids bath toys in this cute little froggy. They've thought of everything - you can even store your shampoo and bodywash in the little compartment on the back. Ribbit Ribbit! We found it for $21 at Amazon.com --- so don't pay $39 at Walmart for this little guy!

HELP! Potty Training! AHHH!

Ok...so the time has come...the dreaded potty training...SIGH

Should you skip the toddler potty and go straight to using the adult toilet? And if you do use a toddler potty - where do you find one and which one should you get? Ahhh, the joys of motherhood or fatherhood for this matter! We certainly don't have the answers....but if you do decide to use a toddler potty - we've got a couple in mind.

All of these can be found at Target.

Peter L. Stavinoha, Ph.D., is a Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Center for Pediatric Psychiatry at Children's Medical Center of Dallas and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Stavinoha completed a residency in Clinical Neuropsychology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Stavinoha was named a University of Notre Dame Scholar and was awarded a University of Texas Fellowship. He was named Distinguished Psychologist for 2005 by the Dallas Psychological Association. Dr. Stavinoha specializes in the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury in children. He is also an expert in general parenting, and is a regular guest on WFAA-TV's Good Morning Texas where he gives parenting advice about common issues facing children and families. He has recently written a book called, Stress Free Potty Training.
For more information on this new book ~ check out this website, http://www.stressfreepottytraining.com/

Here is a snipet from his recent appearance on Good Morning Texas where he discussed his view on Stress Free Potty Training

Potty training is one of many developmental tasks through which we as parents must guide our children. Successful potty training means more than just no more diapers – it is a developmental milestone for a child and an important accomplishment for parents. Potty training is a time when many parents first begin to realize that their children are their own person and do not necessarily share their parents’ desires or agenda. How parents approach this important parenting task can set the stage for how parents will deal with their children regarding many rites of passage throughout childhood. Parents who are in the midst of potty training their toddler soon learn, if they don’t already know, that their child has a mind of his/her own. Parents also quickly learn that they cannot really “control” their child’s potty training. This can be a frustrating and even stressful realization as parents look forward to the next 18 (or more!) years of their child’s development. However, if parents learn to approach potty training in a thoughtful manner and recognize that parents influence, but do not control, child development, then parents and child alike will be able to tackle this developmental challenge in a manner that sets the stage for effective and successful parent guidance throughout their child’s development.

When considering how to best influence the process of potty training, it is important to recognize that every child is unique and individual, and there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. This is an important lesson for parents to learn early on, as it applies to practically every aspect of parenting. One of the things that makes our children unique is their budding personality. Even during the earliest stages of childhood, children show characteristics of temperament and developing personality that are important to consider when making decisions about any parenting issue, including potty training.

Regardless of temperament, parents are setting up a no-win situation if they try to start the process of potty training before the child is ready. Readiness can be broken down into physical readiness (i.e., the child has the fine and gross motor skill necessary to use the potty), cognitive readiness (i.e., the child understands the sequence and concepts involved in using the potty), and emotional readiness (i.e., the child has the desire and confidence to try). Even when a child is ready, parents need to remember that readiness is not the same as willingness – when it comes to potty training, parents cannot do all the work – the child has to participate! Stress Free Potty Training discusses ways to facilitate the process of potty training for your individual child to make it as easy and stress free as possible.

In Stress-Free Potty Training, parents are introduced to five temperament types – The Goal Directed Child, The Sensory-Oriented Child, The Internalizer, the Impulsive Child, and The Strong Willed Child. If a parent determines that their child seems ready for potty training, then awareness of that child’s temperament helps guide the process. Regardless of temperament there are a number of strategies that are useful with any child who is nearing potty training – we call these Universal Strategies. These include strategies such as role modeling potty behavior, practice time on the potty, and time spent without clothes (a strategy we call Nakedtime) to demystify the process of elimination. After the Universal Strategies, a menu of temperament-specific strategies is provided that take advantage of specific characteristics to enhance the potty training process. Stress-Free Potty Training also provides guidance in terms of strategies to avoid with certain temperament types.

Recognizing that there is no cookbook or step-by-step parenting approach that will be successful with every child, Stress-Free Potty Training provides parents with more than just guidance to help their child learn to use the toilet. It provides a model for thoughtful parenting to help children through the many developmental challenges that they will face throughout childhood.

The Trendy Mommy Launch Party 2008

Hi Everyone -We’ve got some exciting news! Due to the growth and popularity of The Trendy Mommy Blog over the past year we've decided to launch a true website, TheTrendyMommy.com!

We're busy working on the website…It is proving to be a rather large task - finding great new products to feature, photos of nurseries and big kid rooms, researching great activities, and a whole lot more - but progress is being made and we're so excited about it!

We plan to launch the site in mid-September - we'll let you know the actual date in a few weeks ---- but boy oh boy is it going to be fun.

We have a mega Launch Party scheduled and are going to be giving away TONS of great stuff! So get ready, tell your friends and anticipate all that is to come!

In the meantime, we'll continue on here with business as normal with our daily posts Mon-Weds and The Weekend Edition on Thursday (for Dallas only - sorry other cities - your day is coming - we promise!!!). Your feedback is appreciated - after all, the goal for thetrendymommy.com is to be a valuable source of information and a timesaver to all you Trendy Mommies out there who want the best information fast without having to search for it!

We're also looking for a few talented Trendy Mommies to write The Weekend Edition for the following cities:

1. Atlanta

2. Austin

3. San Francisco

4. New York

5. Houston

6. Boston

7. Chicago

8. Miami

9. Philidelphia

10. Seattle

11. Charlotte, NC

12. Boulder

13. San Diego

14. Nashville

So if you can write {well} and are always in the know about what's going on in your city for the kidos - shoot us an email at jobs@thetrendymommy.com, let us know where you live and we'll get you more information on this opportunity to become one of our city editors! Please note that pay will be VERY limited in the beginning - but on the flip side the time requirement will also be limited --- email us if you're interested.

Thanks so much and stay tuned for details about the Launch Party and the mega giveaways!

The Weekend Edition: Dallas Trendy Moms

What: Target First Saturday ~ head to the Nasher Sculpture Center for some family fun. This family event includes family tours, scavenger hunts, and more.

Where: The Nasher Sculpture Center
2001 Flora St.

When: Saturday, August 2, 2008 {10am - 2pm}

Cost: Free

Need More Info: 214-242-5100 www.nashersculpturecenter.org

Rockin' Retro Boys & Girls T's

I was kind of surprised when strolling by the windows of my local GapKids the other day to see the following retro T's - it just struck me as odd as I can't recall a time before when The Gap has sold a product like this...The shirts are really fun...They have TONS to choose from and they are quite reasonable @ $22.50.

They've got Snoopy, Batman, Little Miss Characters, Strawberry Shortcake, StarWars, The Beatles, and my personal favorite Go Go Speed Racer ---- and they are all retro and worn looking. Check 'em out :)

GIVEAWAY: Boutique Bedding and A Whole Lot More!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Ever wonder where your friend of a friend's coworker got that AMAZING bedding for her nursery? We found an awesome online boutique, The Frog and The Princess, where you can find all things luxurious for your precious little one ~ from unique and beautiful bedding to car seat covers, and even hand painted toy chests. This store ROCKS!

For the Princesses we especially love their Magic Garden Toy Chest & if you really want to spoil that little princess in your life their Just Too Cute Teaset is a must see!

And for the little Frogs we love the Barn Dandy Teepee & the Monkeying Around Canvas Growth Chart.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This boutique has such a wide variety of great items - and the prices range so vastly that any budget is sure to find something they must have here...so take a look and see what you'd use a $50 gift certificate towards if you're chosen as the winner of our next fabulous giveaway!

To enter: Visit The Frog and The Princess - take a look around and leave us a comment letting us know what your favorite item is and we'll enter you for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to The Frog and The Princess. Good Luck! Contest ends at midnight on Monday, August 11th.

The winner of the Bags & Buggies Giveaway is: Ginny who said, "I love your Activities Galore category! Love to see more in that :) "

Is My Kid Ready for Kindergarten?

Information provided by the U.S. Dept of Education

Teachers were asked to complete a survey ranking the most important qualities a child needs to possess to make entry into Kindergarten a success.

The top three qualities public school kindergarten teachers consider essential for school readiness are that a child be:

1) physically healthy, rested and well-nourished;

2) be able to communicate needs, wants, and thoughts verbally;

3) and be enthusiastic and curious in approaching new activities.

More than half the teachers also place significant importance on the ability to follow directions (60 percent), not being disruptive in class (60 percent), being sensitive to other children's feelings (58 percent) and the ability to take turns and share (56 percent).

Of less importance are knowing English (42 percent), the ability to sit still and pay attention (42 percent), and finishing tasks (40 percent).

Of least importance according to kindergarten teachers are good problem-solving skills (24 percent), the ability to identify primary colors and basic shapes (24 percent), the ability to use pencils and paint brushes (21 percent), knowledge of the alphabet ( 10 percent), and the ability to count to 20 (7 percent).

AND Don't forget today is the last day to enter the BAGS AND BUGGIES 3 pairs of BabyLegs contest! {See above for links to all active contests}

The Weekend Edition: Dallas Trendy Moms

What: YEEEEHAAW, grab those little cowpokes and head to the Mesquite Rodeo

Where: 1818 Rodeo DriveMesquite, Texas 75149

When: Check their calendar - many dates to choose from http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/calendar/

Need More Info: http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/

Giveaway: Unique Bible Verse Name

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Our next feature is such a great gift giving option. Ashley owner of Jesus Name Designs, creates these wonderful HANDWRITTEN names out of Bible verses. That's right ~ Ashley will take verse and write it in the form of the letters in your child's name.

The pictures just do not do this one justice...we've seen them in person and they are so sweet and special. Definitely something a mother or sister or friend would cherish forever if you gave them one with their newly born child's name and a favorite scripture.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Take a look for yourself....and to all those who visit Jesus Name Designs and leave a comment here - you will be entered in a giveaway for a free Bible verse name. If you're the lucky winner Ashley will whip one up for you with the name and verse you provider her with. Giveaway ends midnight August 5th. Very cool!

The Weekend Edition: Dallas Trendy Moms

What: Movies in the Square

When: Every Saturday nite @ 9:00 PM beginning June 7 through July 26

Where: Frisco Square, movie screen will be located on City Hall Plaza

Cost: FREE

Need More Info: These are showings of family-oriented movies. Refreshments such as snow cones, popcorn and nuts are available. Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the outdoor movies in comfort.

Movie Schedule: June 7 Wizard of Oz; June 14 Madagascar; June 21 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; June 28 Dreamer; July 5 Spiderman; July 12 Superman Returns; July 19 Bee Movie; July 26 Flipper

Crafty Kids

Wake up the kids, get their creative juices flowing and get them working on a craft project this summer. Oriental Trading has so many to choose from and most are quite reasonable - you can even invite a few of your kids friends over for the fun!

Say Goodbye to JunkMail

We get so much junk mail at our house and it drives me absolutely insane. I used to like going to the mailbox - but the increase in the trash received on a daily basis has turned this once fun excercise into something I dread. The piles that I create all around the house - on the entry way table, on the kitchen counter, on the stairs - JUNK JUNK JUNK! So what can we do about all this unwanted trash we receive daily?

Check out GreenDimes - they promise to reduce your postal junk mail by up to 90%....and they have two ways to do it - they will give you the tools/tips and you can do it yourself for free - or they will do it all for you for $20. I'm seriously considering the $20 option- wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with all that extra trash??

The Weekend Edition: Kids Eat Free!

Sometimes there's a budget crunch - but you just don't want to stay in...Cut the cost of dining out by being smart --- take advantage of Kids Eat Free at several local restaurants!

We found this great site that lists major restaurants by day of the week and the specials they offer --- DEFINITELY worth checking out http://www.coupondivas.com/kids-eat-free/.

We found this other site that lets you search by location (may pick up some of those restaurants that are not widespread like on the coupondivas site) - http://www.mykidseatfree.com/ - where you can search by state and then city and find out which area restaurants offer free kids food and on what day. We did the search for Dallas (and surrounding cities), Texas and these are a few of what we found. ENJOY!

1) Central Market Cafe320 Coit Road Plano, TX469-241-8300Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays with purchase of Adult Entree Nights: Tues Click to visit us On-line

2) Dickey's Barbecue Pit1441-A Coit Road Plano, TX972-867-2901Kids Eat Free every Sunday at all Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Nights: Sat Click to visit us On-line

3) The Black-eyed Pea 1905 Preston Road Plano, TX972-248-6096Bring the Family any Tuesday Night after 5. For each paying adult entree purchased, any kids meal on the kids menu is FREE. Kids through age 12Nights: Tues Click to visit us On-line

4) Bennigan’s305 Central Expressway N.Allen, TX972-747-9627Kids eat free Tues night between 4 and 8 p.m.Nights: Tues

Giveaway Winners & a chance to win some Baby Legs!

We have some winners to announce today --- and a NEW GIVEAWAY!

Drum roll please....and the winners of the $25 MonkeeMoos gift certificate and the Paisley Baby Wet Bag are......as selected by the random number generator....

MonkeeMoos - Lynn who said, "We would definitely have to have the gator loafers, too cute! Also love the 'sky romper' by tea...precious. I love our slings, so maybe another?! Good stuff! "

Paisley Baby - Jennifer who said, "I would pick the Safari pattern. Thanks for the chance to win! "

New Giveaway!!!!! Enter today!

sponsored by Bags & Buggies

3 pairs of Baby Legs!

How exciting is this??

To enter leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite post has been on The Trendy Mommy OR tell us what you'd like to see more of on The Trendy Mommy. It's that easy!

Good luck - contest ends at midnight on July 28th! Winner will be posted here the following day.

Also, don't forget to take a look at the top of our page - a discount code for 15% off at Bags & Buggies has been added!

Roll Away Baby - not a problem anymore!

We absolutely love this next product review - The Manhattan Momma Patemm Pad Diaper Bag. This item is extremely practical and oh so very compact {measuring 8x8x2 when folded - making it easy to toss in any bag}. We think the design of this not so ordinary changing pad is ingenious! - We all know that changing a baby on the go is always a little stressful and you are having to constantly worry about little babycakes rolling to one side or the other and off your changing pad and onto who knows what....and that's why we love this changing pad!

We found this changing pad at Bags and Buggies which carries all kinds of hip designer diaper bags, brand name strollers, innovative changing pads, baby slings and carriers. They also offer FREE SHIPPING on all US orders - gotta love that! We love this site - and all the products they offer - like their oh so trendy Baby Shower Favors --- seriously these are not your ordinary favors - these are fun so take a look!

And their adorable Baby Gift Sets - what a precious gift to give to an expecting mom. We love the 5 Little Monkeys Gift Set ~ but there are soooooooo many others that are just as cute!

The Weekend Edition: Dallas Trendy Moms

Fireworks Baby!

The metroplex has so many great firework displays this weekend. Here are just a few:

Star Spangled 4th July4th, 10 a.m.-midnight. Enjoy crafts, live music and entertainment, art, car and motorcycle shows, parade, and fireworks at the Firewheel Town Center in Garland.

Dallas Booms! at Fair Park July 4th, 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Live music, free museum admission after 4 p.m., and food available at Fair Park. Fireworks after dark. No coolers, lawn chairs and a picnic blanket are allowed.

Addison Kaboom Town July 3rd, 5 p.m.-midnight. Fireworks can be seen from anywhere in Addison, so you don't have to actually go into Addison Circle Park. However if you want food, music, rock climbing wall, giant slide, and warplane fly-bys from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum these will be at Addison Circle Park, 4970 Addison Circle Drive in Addison.

Lone Stars and Stripes Fireworks Celebration July 3rd and 4th, 3 p.m.-11 p.m. Pony rides, bounce houses, a petting zoo, clowns, and other fun stuff during the races, and fireworks after the last race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie.

City of Bedford 4thFest July 4th, noon-11 p.m. Concert, food, family activities, a parade, and fireworks will be at the Bedford Boys Ranch at 2801 Forest Ridge Drive in Bedford. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers. No alcohol. Admission is free, but there is no parking at the Bedford Boys Ranch, except for those with handicap signs or plates. Park at Pennington Field at 1501 Central Drive in Bedford and catch the shuttle for $3 per person.

Quad Cities Family 4th July 4th, 9:30 p.m. Twenty minutes of fireworks will take off at the North Richland Hills Village Center, 6351 Boulevard 26 in Richland Hills at the intersection of Highway 26 and Highway 183 inside Loop 820.

Patriotic Concert and Fireworks Celebration July 4th, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. The Irving Symphony Orchestra will put on a concert starting at 8:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be available. No coolers or alcohol permitted. Admission is free. The concert and fireworks will be at Williams Square Plaza (5215 North O'Connor Boulevard) in Las Colinas in Irving.

All-America Fourth Fireworks in Plano July 4th, 9:30 p.m. The city of Plano will have a fireworks show at the Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve at 2801 Spring Creek Parkway. Some food and beverages will be available for purchase. Free parking will be at Collin County Community College and First United Methodist Church of Plano. Radio station KLAK 97.5 will have a simulcast during the fireworks show.

Frisco will have a fireworks display after the FC Dallas and Rough Riders game on the 4th.