I have never been a girly-girl. I used to be a tomboy, and even now I’m drawn to plain shirts and comfortable jeans more than cute skirts and more feminine blouses.

With my daughter, however, it’s a totally different world. I dress her in pink - a lot of pink! - and at least half of her spring/summer wardrobe consists of dresses. She has as many skirts as she does shorts, and lace, ribbons, and frilly bows show up as often as I can make that happen.

My family doesn’t understand this at all. To tell the truth, sometimes I don’t understand it either. Why am I not drawn to dress her as I dress myself? It’s not some deep-seated need to live a girly life vicariously through her; my grandmother and mom would have been only too happy to dress me that way if it had ever been what I wanted! And it’s not that I think that dressing her the way I do is the only way to present her beautifully; she is beautiful no matter what she wears or whether there’s dirt on her face and yogurt in her hair.

I suppose it’s partly for practical reasons that my little girl wears so many dresses. In the summertime, it’s the coolest option other than letting her go naked, which might not go over so well at the mall or the grocery store.

I do dress her in pants or shorts and a shirt for playground trips and other places where she might do a lot of playing instead of just walking or riding, and I’ll respect her wishes if the time comes when she doesn’t want to dress like a pint-sized princess. For now, though, I’ll let her wear lacy dresses and big bows, and love every minute of it.

Let’s face it: There’s just something sweet about a happy little girl twirling around in a pretty dress.

Moms of girls, do you dress your young daughter(s) the same way you were dressed as a child? Do you dress her more/less girly based on her personality, or on other factors?

Posted by Sunshine.

Need help for your pelvic floor muscles? Perhaps you are like me - having children has wrecked havoc on my pelvic floor muscles. And I constantly forget to do my kegel exercises, only being reminded of this after a big sneeze. Well… wearing heels can help this! Good news it, you don’t have to wear stilettos! Apparently, having the feet at a 15% angle provides women with a good a posture as flat shoes while providing the best exercise for those special muscles. Do you think this is a valid survey, or just a bunch of men trying to convince us to wear sexier shoes? (btw - the shoes in the pic are Louboutins, my dream shoe! someday…)

Acupuncture can help those who are TTC. There are no scientific tests to this non-traditional practice, although they did run some tests with different groups of women undergoing fertility treatment and it seems as though acupuncture can help the chances of conceiving. It is one of those “It can’t hurt, it is relatively easy enough and inexpensive, so why not try it”

I had acupuncture treatments when my third child went overdue. It was amazing how fast and hard my contractions came when they put these needles in the webs of my hand and twisted them. She arrived the evening of the third daily treatment, but unfortunately I cannot say it was the treatment or the fact that she was 6 days overdue. It did put my mind at ease that I at least was doing something (short of castor oil) to get her out!

Genetics over environment for obesity. In researching twins, doctors have determined that genetics have a much greater impact on children’s weight than environmental factors. They weigh it at 77% genetics, 23% environment. This does not mean that some people are doomed from birth to be obese, but it can explain why some people have a harder time with their weight. And all that tempting fatty food surely does not help. “Genetics” should never be used as an excuse for bad lifestyle decisions. In the end, it is still the responsibility of the parent to instill good eating habits in their children to give them the best start at life, whatever their weight is.

Surrogacy going wrong? There is a British woman who is currently in her 9th surrogate pregnancy and doctors warn she is risking her life to carry her current triplet pregnancy to term. Carole Horlock is 41 years old and the triplets she is carrying would be children number 12, 13 and 14. Her first two children are her own, and she has so far delivered nine surrogate children. She is refusing to listen to doctors warnings, and already has plans for her next surrogacy. OK. I know there are some gals who love being pregnant. But does anyone besides me think that just maybe this woman has other issues? I think that surrogacy is a wonderful option for some couples, but I find it hard that someone would be willing to die just to give a stranger a biological child. And I wonder if there should be age/health limits to surrogate moms. I could only imagine the sadness (and lawsuits?) if this woman would die as a result.

Just in case you were wondering. The first New Years baby born in America was born in El Paso, Texas at 11 seconds after midnight. Her parents named her Leia. She joins her brothers Luke and Anakin. No, I am not joking.

And for no other reason than… the fact that some of these scientific studies really crack me up. Here goes. Studies show that male monkeys “pay” their females for sexual favors. Apparently, females that were “groomed” by their men had sex a lot more than those who didn’t. Personally, I would call that foreplay rather than payment. Hey, why not show your husband this article and try to hit him up for a trip to a swanky spa. It doesn’t sound like such a bad trade off. Maybe these lady monkeys are on to something…

Watch those temper tantrums. One of the joys of parenting - those temper tantrums. For the most part, this is a phase that children go through and tantrums are usually a sign that a child is tired, sick, hungry or overstimulated. But a parent should watch out of tantrums are too frequent or extreme.

If a child hurts itself or others or has too difficult a time calming themselves, parents may want to seek medical help. It can be a sign of something more serious, and could lead to depression.

Baby blessings - a new trend. Parents these days are looking to less-traditional ways to celebrate the birth of their child. Blessings, naming ceremonies, welcome ceremonies… there are many varieties to choose from. In these days with changing religious values, parents are finding this a nice alternative to traditional ceremonies. It is also good to keep those nagging parents/in-laws off your back. If you are tired of hearing “so WHEN are you going to have little Susie baptized…” this might be something you want to consider.

Christmas tree trivia. Did you know that the very first Christmas trees were not decorated at all? And that they were hung upside down from the ceilings? Legend has it that the triangular shape of the fir tree was to symbolize the holy trinity.

For those of you who have not yet put up your trees, I guess I don’t have to remind you that there are only three days until Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Celebrity pregnancy drama. Jamie Lynne Spears, Britney’s 16 year old sister, has just announced that she is 3 months pregnant. Baby-daddy is her live-in 19 year old boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. Jamie Lynn is best known as the star of the hit Nickelodeon’s kids show, Zoey 101. No word yet from Nickelodeon if the pregnancy will impact the show.

On a side note, Britney and Jamie Lynn’s mom was due to release a book in the spring about how to raise children in show business. The launch of this book is now delayed indefinitely. Gee, ya think?

Anyone feel like commenting?

More celebrity baby news! Chris O’Donnell and his wife Caroline have just welcomed their fifth child, a baby girl they have named Maeve Frances O’Donnell. I have to admit - I am still swooning over his appearance in Grey’s Anatomy! Congratulations!

A little bit of Christmas trivia… Ever wonder about the history of candy canes? Curiosity got the best of me while I was hanging them on my tree. Origins are in Europe during the 17th century, when they used to decorate their trees with food and candies. At the suggestion of the choirmaster of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, white stick sugar candies were shaped into a hook to resemble a shepherd’s crook, and these were given to the children to pacify them during Christmas mass. Soon they were found all throughout Europe. The color remained white until the 19th century. If you are interested to find out more about them, including how they got red stripes and how they came to America, continue reading here.

So I know I already posted this recipe here in our Domestic Divas forum, but if your house is anything like mine these days, a moment for indulgence is hard to come by.

Which is why if you’re going to do it, you should do it right.

Borrowed from Emeril (prepare your arteries) on the Food Network’s website, these hot buttered rum cocktails hit the spot in a way just perfect for the season.

Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002
Show: Emeril Live
Episode: Butter Is Better

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch salt
Bottle dark rum
Boiling water
In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Refrigerate until almost firm. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into 12 small mugs. Pour about 3 ounces of rum into each mug (filling about halfway). Top with boiling water (to fill the remaining half), stir well, and serve immediately.

For other tips on how to balance good living with good family life, visit the MomSquawk Domestic Divas forum!

Posted by mctex

Upper Southfork River Valley, Cody, Wyoming

Photo by our own Damon Cali

Posted by mctex

If you start singing this silly ditty to your little ones now, they’ll likely have it down in time to entertain their grandparents on Thanksgiving.

Plus it’s a nice way to mentally stave off the Christmas music that is already (annoyingly) popping up in stores, around here, at least.

The lyrics are sung to the melody of “My Darling Clementine.” (If you don’t know that tune, here’s a midi version.)

Albuquerque Turkey

Albuquerque is a turkey
and he’s feathered and he’s fine
And he wobbles and he gobbles
and he’s absolutely mine.
He’s the best pet that you can get yet
better than a dog or cat.
He’s my Albuquerque turkey
and I’m awfully glad of that.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Famous Pregnant People: Actress/singer/businesswoman Jennifer Lopez finally confirmed that the rumors about her and hubby Marc Antony are true:

“Marc and I are expecting a baby,” she said, adding: “This is a special time in our lives, and we waited until the last show to tell you.”

After his wife made her revelation, Anthony stroked her wife’s stomach, then leaned over and kissed her belly, before saying: “I didn’t know she was going to talk.”

In other Hollywood pregnancy news, Desperate Housewives actress Nicolette Sheridan is said to be pregnant. Ms. Sheridan, 43, is engaged to be married to singer Michael Bolton.

Reports suggest Sheridan gave castmates the big hint she was expecting when she started asking her co-stars, Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman all about motherhood and pregnancy.”

The source explains, “She kept asking Felicity and Marcia about how the pregnancy would change her appearance and if it would make her hair thinner.”

For what it’s worth, a few things I learned on our just-completed adventure flying across the country and back with our two little ones:

• Even if your two-year-old is religious about pooping once a day, he will find the resources to grant you a bonus once he notices he’s on an airplane. The severity of this surprise poop will be in proportion to how difficult it is at that moment to get to the airplane bathroom.
• It’s not smart to play Chad Vader in front of your preschooler, because he’ll pick up on the one or two salty phrases in it and debut them just when the the nice man sharing his row tries to engage him.
• It is smart to bring an extra pair of pants in case your three-year-old has an accident, but even smarter to bring an extra shirt too in case he has a mishap of a different variety and your husband is unable to procure a barf bag in time. Sadly, I am not smarter.
• Those folks who clean airplanes between flights are probably underpaid.
• If you let your three-year-old pick out a replacement T-shirt at an airport store during your layover, he may well insist on the one that says “Friends don’t let friends vote Democrat.”
• It won’t matter, though, because he’ll refuse to wear the shirt you just blew $15 on because it doesn’t say Red Sox.
• After enough legs of a plane journey, even M&Ms completely lose their bribery power.
• All inconveniences of plane travel with little kids are counterbalanced by the fabulous Travelmate by Go Go Babyz. I’ve said it before: Worth every penny.

Posted by MommaSteph.