tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-119333652010-03-12T11:37:23.142-05:00co-authors of the award winning book -- Mommy GuiltDevrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-10578990093955616852010-03-11T09:56:00.000-05:002010-03-11T09:56:34.225-05:00

Last month when I was at Mom 2.0, a small group of women (and one who did so after the fact) sat together at the CheeseburgHer party and had a deep conversation about faith, death, children and parenting.  Little did we realize that right at that moment, on the sofa, one of us had conceived... an idea.   What if we all shared a little bit about how our religious views intersect with how we

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-87872743986352931982010-03-02T14:01:00.000-05:002010-03-02T14:01:36.127-05:00

When I opened my email inbox this morning, a letter from Dr. Andrea O'Reilly popped up. Aviva and I have supported ARM since it's inception in 1998, we have participated in their conferences, our book Mommy Guilt and many others have been reviewed in The Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering .  We think the closing of ARM is a lowdown dirty shame.  Maybe someone out there can give

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-32963222936144912412010-03-01T09:39:00.002-05:002010-03-01T10:09:52.798-05:00

Shortly before departing for Mom 2.0 I had received a new laptop as an early birthday gift from my mother.  Sure it took some getting used to as this was my first foray into the Land of Mac.  As an only child, I don't have any siblings to turn to for advice, so I am so grateful my cyber sisters answered my questions, gave me wonderful suggestions, provided tutorial via Facebook chat and even

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-92185068049843804782010-02-16T09:46:00.001-05:002010-02-16T09:49:58.488-05:00

I haven't been back to New Orleans since 2006 to celebrate Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina.  As you watch the video, I'm the shorter crawfish the taller one is Mom's minivan. I can only imagine the spirit of the city this Mardi Gras must be similar. This year Mardi Gras has been renamed "Lombardi Gras" recognizing the first time the Saints have ever been to a Super Bowl game, winning the game

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-78813946453510430132010-02-12T14:53:00.001-05:002010-02-12T15:04:28.198-05:00

As a kid I made Valentine's Day cards for my parents. I remember one year I created two giant hearts made out of red posterboard and using a mixture of pink, red and white sprinkles I outlined each of them.  I'm confident my father was somewhat surprised, and probably amused, when he read the message I had written in the middle of the heart I had made for him,"World's Best Mechanic!" My dad

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-48818786822484752712010-01-14T09:45:00.055-05:002010-01-14T12:19:53.906-05:00

A few years ago we had a devestating hurricane in the Southern United States. Things are still bad there.  Families are still displaced and living in FEMA trailors due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Now we have an international disaster in Haiti.  Also displacing families, destroying lives, homes and businesses.  Why not consider matching your donation to Haitian relief with a

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-73213576570158324592010-01-07T11:57:00.000-05:002010-01-07T11:57:18.158-05:00

Last weekend our family went to see The Blind Side. The film is about an African American teen from a rough part of Memphis. I'm not reviewing the movie, so no spoilers, I'll just sum it up quickly that the boy winds up living with another family, graduates from highschool, earns his college degree and eventually becomes the football player Raven's fans know as Michael Oher.  The film, not

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-51663175776004565482010-01-04T22:12:00.003-05:002010-01-04T22:22:27.723-05:00

Last week my younger son was going through a bin of old photos. You probably have a similar box or bin, it's the one filled with the pictures you swear you will some day label and organize.  Every time I see the bin I feel like crap. I've even gone so far as to hide the bin way in the back of a closet so I can purposefully keep it out of sight and out of mind.  I hated being reminded of what I

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-45997692299687639462009-12-22T13:55:00.014-05:002009-12-22T15:52:01.597-05:00

We had a blizzard in the DC area. The government shut down so this meant my husband didn't have to go into work. Given his Colorado roots, he actually enjoys shoveling snow. If there is a lot of snow, he will make it an all day shovelfest. He loves the crisp air, the gleam of white making everything look fresh and clean. So when I looked out the front window and saw that an entire chunk of our

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-28308055784494496952009-12-20T21:47:00.004-05:002009-12-20T22:12:15.098-05:00

Last December when our son turned thirteen I asked him if he would like to open his very own Facebook account. He told me he wasn't interested. Life went on. A few months later we visited friends who lived in a land far far away Kansas. When we returned from the trip my son told me he would like to take me up on my offer and he wanted to start using Facebook. During our sojourn to the Wild Wild

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-77841731866489966392009-12-16T09:19:00.007-05:002009-12-16T09:57:30.556-05:00

As part of my job as a Contributing Editor at BlogHer.com I write about Digital Parenting. While many parents have ventured into the land of social media and making connections online, the idea of having kids doing the same makes a lot of folks nervous. It doesn't help when we've got a majority of mainstream media focusing on fear mongering and shaming their readership.Seriously, it is

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-20047440195749132792009-12-13T12:04:00.004-05:002009-12-13T13:20:17.977-05:00

During Thanksgiving the kids mentioned eating our celebratory dinner at the kitchen table didn't feel very festive to them. After Thanksgiving, I thought some more about what they had expressed and in light of their comment, my home office needs some serious overhaulin'. When we moved to the DC area I converted our formal dining room into my home office. Knowing the migratory nature of our

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-63255016061019754872009-12-09T16:21:00.007-05:002009-12-09T16:29:13.103-05:00

This post I wrote for BlogHer ran earlier in the week. Enjoy!How she sneaked into the plastic surgeon's office avoiding the paparazzi is any one's guess, but recently the Sun-Maid Raisin girl let her guard down -- she was caught on video as she cavorted among the grape vines somewhere near Fresno. Lo and behold, we come to discover this isn't the first time she's had some work done. From what

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-82653680228087971952009-12-07T09:54:00.013-05:002009-12-07T11:58:25.401-05:00

When I was trying to figure out whether or not I should get my 13 year old son "Call of Duty" I went and looked up what experts, parents and even kids had to say about the game. Yes, I realize I am an "expert" but that doesn't mean I don't have to make my own parenting decisions. Having penned a parenting book does not mean I am any less immune to the pressure my 14 and 9 year old apply when they

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-81570489894227857022009-11-25T08:53:00.023-05:002009-11-25T13:00:36.866-05:00

A week or so ago my husband and I joined our younger son at his elementary school for a Thanksgiving lunch in the school cafeteria. We've had two children attend this elementary school and the Thanksgiving lunch is something we've done in years past. Only this year it was different. As the three of us arrived at our table and sat down one of my son's classmates burst into tears. He was seated

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-55057179160792713852009-10-29T22:18:00.015-04:002009-11-02T16:24:23.286-05:00

The New York Times article For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking ran last week in the print version as well as on-line. That very day, we began receiving numerous emails from parents in search of alternatives to raising their voices. When we were both interviewed for the New York Time's piece, we expected the Times article would include a "what to do" component in their coverage. As we

Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09483277094831651887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-28873068837804939522009-10-24T10:29:00.010-04:002009-10-24T19:25:27.080-04:00

If you happened to be in the audience on a rainy cold November 9,2005 when we were speaking at the Stamford Jewish Community Center's Sara Walker Nursery School you would have heard us tell a group of over 120 parents, "Einstein did not have Baby Einstein videos and he seemed to have turned out okay." Now the makers of the video are facing that reality and finally 'fessing up that their videos

Devra and Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04167160322107716854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-7902017949877803102009-10-22T15:51:00.006-04:002009-10-23T08:24:11.497-04:00

Update! I will be part of a panel discussion today at 12:30 EST on MSNBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman Show. As I said on Twitter and Facebook, I am trying not to worry about a wardrobe malfunction. Although MochaMomma urged me to "PLEASE have a wardrobe malfunction, a planned one." Gotta admit, it's tempting. Too bad I don't have extra pasties from BlogHer '06. I hope you'll tune in and send me "

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-2958355260211954592009-10-20T09:42:00.004-04:002009-10-20T17:24:06.905-04:00

Is this Good Morning America interview for real? Little 4 year old Eden sits sleepily on her mom's lap while Gloria Allred insults and berates the 2 of them. Just as my blood was beginning to boil at the thought of this conversation taking place in front of Eden, one of the GMA anchors informed us Eden could not hear the argument going on between the adults. OK, I'll give GMA a bit of credit for

Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09483277094831651887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-59269510484041859932009-10-07T09:08:00.020-04:002009-10-16T12:33:04.763-04:00

Whenever we are invited to tour companies, try a product or speak at an event, we have a meeting and discuss who is inviting us, what will be our purpose for being there, what (if any) is the expectation on the other end of that invite (overt and covert), who else benefits (if there is no benefit for the greater good, we pass on the invite), does it merit our time and attention, and do both of us

Devra and Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04167160322107716854noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-62121075638283009852009-10-06T11:46:00.010-04:002009-10-06T13:26:04.278-04:00

Please give a hearty Parentopia welcome to Tracy Thompson, a friend, a colleague and an incredibly kick-ass writer. Tracy is a former Washington Post reporter and the author of two emotionally riveting and empowering books I have read and highly recommend. She is currently working on her third book and despite the fact I can't stand historical books, I'll read hers because she'll make it readable

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-37757917613671070862009-10-05T09:52:00.009-04:002009-10-05T11:27:03.070-04:00

Saturday Night Live recently began their new season. First, let me say when it was announced this is the show's 35th year, the realization I am 7 years older than than SNL made me drop the F-bomb in my own head. As a 7 year old, I sometimes watched the show with my father. Oh go ahead, tell me what a terrible parent he was, tell me that I should have been in bed. Lecture me on how inappropriate

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-11843487687449107522009-09-15T08:53:00.009-04:002009-09-15T12:57:23.590-04:00

Last week my son's elementary school principal sent home a note to all of the parents informing us the president's speech to children will be shown in a couple of days. The note stated it was being sent home in response to several parental inquiries regarding the showing of President Obama's speech to school children in Arlington. It included information for parents who may wish to request an "

Devrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10264076539570620156Devra@Parentopia.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-31787924521226345962009-09-14T14:33:00.003-04:002009-09-14T14:59:17.749-04:00

Aviva is discussing how it is actually possible to teach understanding of religion in public schools without teaching religion in public schools.Devra sons faulted Serena Williams for her temper tantrum at the US Open.Mark your Calendar: Wednesday September 16 at 1:00PM EST Devra and Aviva will both be guests on the Voice America Internet radio program "Real Parents. Real Solutions" with host

Devra and Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04167160322107716854noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11933365.post-71721913772767604992009-09-06T00:25:00.004-04:002009-09-06T01:02:53.101-04:00

This weekend I'm spending 3 days having some incredible mother-daughter time. Not with my daughters, with my mother. For the first time in over 40 years (just barely over) my mom and I went on a weekend retreat. During the beautiful drive to Peaceful Valley Ranch we realized this was our first event like this... ever.It's strange, my mom and I never really had a close relationship. Don't get me

Avivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09483277094831651887noreply@blogger.com5