Try it, you'll like it. 2007 is here!

La,our webmaster,greeted 2007 as a Parentopia Pirate. I suppose we could let her know it's not an eye patch.




















Hell no! Why ruin her fun? There needs to be more fun.

When we are having fun, we feel better physically as well as emotionally. So while we generally abhor New Year's resolutions because they usually bring on even more guilt, we do support resolutions to have as much fun as possible. Fun doesn't have to be expensive, and with quite a few holidays under our collective belt, many of us could use some cheap thrills.

Here is a list of 10 things you can try in order to incorporate more fun into your life without spending a dime:

1. Smile

2. Tickle someone.

3. Turn up some music and dance. (Devra's favorite place to dance is in the kitchen while preparing meals with her family.)

4. Stomp in rain puddles. With or without your kids!

5. Play dress Up and go public. See if anyone else notices you are sporting a look such as Madonna, John Travolta, MC Hammer, Ben Franklin... The choices are endless!

6. Midday phone sex with your special someone.

7. Sing in the car (Aviva is a pro when it comes to doing this and she gets a kick out of seeing the expressions on the faces of other drivers as she belts out Broadway.)

8. Pick up a hobby, it can be something old or something new. Hell, it can even be borrowed or blue. Why limit yourself? Just try something!

9. Incorporate "Life is uncertain Eat Dessert First" night. Serve a meal in reverse order without warning.

10. Bust thru bedtime once in a while. Stay up late, make popcorn, drink Mountain Dew then sleep in. Schedule? You don't need no stinkin' schedule!


What are you going to do for cheap thrills in 2007?

Time Magazine Person of the Year

Well, technically it includes us, but it's actually "You". Time Magazine has named anyone who is using the web or creating content on the web as their "Person of the Year".

So what better Time to announce the availability of Parentopia Gear, something new we have created on the web.

Props to Izzy and Becky for the great slogan!

And Now Hear Us

Aviva moderated this panel discussion and Devra served as a member of the faculty. This is a 90 minute program geared toward those who are providing services to military families with children ages Zero To Three. However, there are also suggestions which may benefit anyone who is in contact with a family dealing with the cycle of military deployment and other aspects of military family life. Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard issues are addressed. Listen up...and that's an order!
For more information pertaining to military families, please visit Zero To Three Military Projects Program.



Another spot to visit in order to hear an interview with us is Natural Mom's Talk Radio. Where we visited with Carrie about our book and our perspective on enjoying parenting as much as possible.

Happy Birthday Aviva!

Today is Aviva's birthday! I am positive Aviva is reading this post and is floored I remembered it is her birthday. She is stunned because she knows I called her yesterday and we had our annual chat which goes like this:

Devra: Hi Vi. Your birthday isn't today, is it?

Aviva: No, Dev. It's tomorrow.

Devra: How about having your birthday on the third because that's when I usually think it is anyway.

Aviva: Okay. But you are assuming that when you call me on the third I will remember it's supposed to be my birthday and know why you are calling me.

Devra: True. I'll call you tomorrow. But if I forget, happy birthday!

And what always happens is December 2nd rolls around. I forget to call Aviva and end up calling her on the third like I do every year to wish her happy birthday and sing off key.

Does she get upset? Do I? Nah. Let me take you back in time.

Shortly after we became moms, Aviva and I realized our brains had begun to leak. They leaked a lot. We discovered that in addition to forgetting birthdays, we forgot anniversaries, forgot to mail out gifts for major holidays, forgot to send cards to each other's kids for their birthdays. You name it, we forgot it. If we did happen to remember an event, it was usually right before the event was going to repeat anyway. Pathetic.

We had the best of intentions to remember these momentous occasions, however our lives had become busy. Our brains were taking a long and winding walk.

We came up with a solution. After more than 30 years of friendship, Aviva and I have figured out how to feel good about bein' bad.

The Annual Box


This is how The Annual Box Works.

1. We each pick out a box. We do not consult on the size of the box. Since the size of the boxes vary, we don't worry about it. Some years I send the big box, other years she does. It ends up being all fair and square.

2. Over the course of the year we each buy a few items we would like to give to a member of the other's family and we toss em in The Box. Gone are the days of thinking "Oh, that would be a great for Aviva's daughter. Oh wait, her birthday isn't' until June and it's now July." Or the other scenario which would be stumbling across a size 6 sweater when the kid now wears a 12 because when I forgot that I bought it and squirreled it away for later. With The Box, later is now!

3. When The Box is full, it gets mailed to the other's family.

Our kids love The Box because they never know when it will arrive . Aviva and I love The Box because we have no pressure to find gifts during the mad rush of the holiday season and we can also make out like bandits at the post holiday sales.

The Annual Box is a tradition! Cue Tevye and the Orchestra!