-The article “Vicks VapoRub can harm children under 2” has caused some alarm to parents this week. Primarily, the article is sharing how it can cause respiratory distress in children under 2 when applied directly under the nose though (which you’re not supposed to do anyway!).

-A recent episode of Momversations asks, “Wife or Mother: What’s Harder?” Personally, I enjoy both roles. If I had to choose though, “mother” is harder to me – the “job” takes up much more time, energy and money!

-Blogging moms will enjoy this great post called “Simple Tips For Getting Sponsorships” at Adventures in Babywearing. Stephanie Precourt, who wrote the post, has already been fully sponsored for this year’s BlogHer conference.

Great Causes
-Cool Mom Picks created this page as a source of information, resources and breaking news regarding the new Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. (They are trying to help protect the handmade toys and clothing industry.)

-Liz of This Full House is trying to Blog Out Hunger. She convinced Stop & Shop to donate $1 per visitor comment (up to $300) to the New Jersey Food Bank. So, please stop by this post and leave a comment. (It’s a quick, easy way to help those in need!)

Giveaways
-You can enter momlogic’s giveaway for a chance to win a $500 JCPenney Gift Card here.

NYC Moms
-I almost fell off my seat when I read this post on Mommy Poppins. Basically, the NYC Department of Education has (once again!) made some changes regarding Kindergarten admissions. The part that bothers me the most is that if a family (say, mines – who is planning on moving in the summer in order to get their son into a better school district) moves into a zone after March 2nd, they will not get priority for their zoned school if there is a waitlist. Oh well…Michael may be getting homeschooled for kindergarten (yikes!)

Bloggers
-As a minimalist by nature, I really enjoyed reading this guest post on Problogger by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.

-Motherhood Uncensored is hosting a “2009 – The Year of the Mom” contest where bloggers write posts on their blogs about how they’re going to take better care of themselves in 2009. One of five $100 Spa finder Gift Cards are the prizes for winners along with a free one-year membership to Sitter City. This contest ends at midnight on January 31, 2009.

I can’t believe that the summer is practically over and that school starts next week. (Is it just me or did this summer FLY by?!) For some last-minute “back to school” ideas/picks/etc., you can see some of the great guides below:

1. CityMama ”: “(Back-to-School) Things I Love”

2. Cool Mom Picks: “2008 Back to School Shopping Guide”

3. Etsy: “Back to School: Fashion Showcase”

4. Mamanista: “Back to School Guide”

5. Mama Speaks: “Last Minute Back to School Guide”

6. Mommies United: “Back to School – It’s a family affair”

7. Mommy Poppins: “NYC Back to School Guide”

8. MomViews.net: “Some Back-To-School Help”

9. ParentDish: “Back to school guide”

10. The PoshMom Life: “BACK-TO-SCHOOL CHEAT SHEET”

(To see other “Wordless Wednesdays” around the web, visit here or here.)

As I run across information that I find useful in preparing for my son to go to pre-school, I’ll be sharing it with you. This week’s focus is “getting ready for pre-k” books.

-I read a really great article in the August Time Out New York Kids magazine, called “Favorite back-to-school books“. In the article, NYC librarians share some of the best school-themed books that will help kids get excited about going to school. You can find the article online here. (I’ve put some of the books on hold at my local library and I will be checking local bookstores to see what they have in stock.)

And

-I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a “flash card mama”. I prefer to teach my kids in a more natural way. At the same time though, I want to make sure that my son is set up to win in preschool. The workbook that we’re using to make sure that the general bases are covered is Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills, Preschool. It’s pretty thick (almost 550) pages but very user-friendly. The four sections are: Basic Concepts and Skills; Writing Readiness; Reading Readiness and Mathematics Readiness. The writing sections are the ones that I find particularly helpful (those are the most challenging for my “want to get everything right the first time” left-handed boy). As an incentive, we give my son Michael a “check” every time that he completes a page. When every page has a check, he gets to pick out a special prize. (He’s already claimed his victor’s prize – a Wall.E. video game.)

The BIG Book

(To see what other moms around the web are “tackling” today visit Tackle it Tuesday).

Following are a few guides that you might like:

-In Cool Mom Picks’ second annual Back to School Shopping Guide, there are several great items (and discount codes!).

-In Mamanista’s Back to School Guide for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners, a variety of clothing and supplies are highlighted. The site also has several related contests.

AND

Martha Stewart has an informative Back-to-School Guide (14 pages) that gives tips regarding lunches, organizing and more. The q&a regarding starting kindergarten (the same principles can be applied to preschool) is especially helpful.
(I learned about this guide at Organized Home.)

I was so honored when Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife asked me to do a guest post on her site while she was on vacation. You can catch a glimpse into my spiritual life here.

-Recently, Congress agreed on an act to restrict phthalates from toys and children’s products. This ban (if not vetoed by the White House) would take effect in six months. Read about it in this msnbc article.

-There always seems to be some controversy or another in the parenting area. Recently, a BabyTalk article, Breastfeeding Controversy: Milk Sharing, is creating quite a stir. The question posed was “Would you nurse another mom’s baby?” Then real moms and “experts” shared their opinions. I say “to each their own (within reason)”. As for me personally, I say “No thanks. That’s not my cup of tea!”

-If you are looking for more online reading pleasure, view this Top 100 Parenting and Child Rearing Blogs list that was compiled by X-Ray Technician Schools. (I have NO idea what the link is between x-ray technician schools and parenting, but I like a lot of the blogs on the list.)

I don’t have a blogroll (a list of my favorite blogs) on this site for several reasons (my “favorites” are constantly changing; I like to keep the sidebar as streamlined as possible, etc.). Rather, I try to highlight things of interest from the blogs that I read/bloggers that I meet within the posts that I write.

If you were to peek into my bloglines account, these are a few of the blogs that I follow…

-5 Minutes For Mom: Founded by identical twin sisters Janice and Susan, this popular site is all about bringing moms together. I especially like how they support other mom-owned stores and sites. The twins also run two online stores themselves – http://www.PedalCarsAndRetro.com and http://www.A-Rocking-Horse-To-Love.com. (When do they find the time to sleep?!)

-The Big Idea Blog: My regular readers know that I LOVE The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. This blog shares insights about show visitors, web extras and such. So far the only thing that I haven’t liked by Donny Deutsch is his book (too much cursing/”loose” words for my taste).

-Celebrity Baby Blog: Founded by Danielle Friedland, this is a great site that covers celebrity babies and their parents. I like that it is informative yet respectful of boundaries/not mean-spirited.

(I’ll be sharing a few blogs on my bloglines account each month…)