Visit the Shaks

I am so serious when I say "please Britney get help"! It is such a shame to watch her life unfold this way. Here is the story according to AOL News today....

"LOS ANGELES (Jan. 31) - Britney Spears was taken from her home by ambulance early Thursday and escorted to the hospital by more than a dozen police officers in cars, on motorcycles and in helicopters.

A Los Angeles police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said the 26-year-old pop star was being taken to the hospital to "get help." The Los Angeles Times cited unidentified authorities who said Spears was being placed on a "mental evaluation hold."

"She went willingly. It was like something in her heart was telling her she should go. She knew something was wrong," told Britney confidant Sam Lutfi to PEOPLE." read more..

I remember back to the JT and Britney days and how happy she looked. It must be hard to be so successful at such a young age. So many child stars have grown up with such problems.

I truly hope that she comes out of this healthy and happy again.

Jeff at Atwood Zoo writes a post both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time:

But one day, I was the king of the “curb-sitters.” It was the day I hit a “retard” smack up in the face with a snowball. I scooped up a handful of the nasty gray snow, smashed it into an icy rock and fired it across the parking lot. I can still see it now, flying through the sky, almost as if it was in super slow motion.
[...]
Now fast-forward those 25 years, and while much in my life has changed, there is one thing that is eerily similar. Nearly every school day I still sit on the curb and wait for the “short bus” to pull up. Only now I’m not outside Pennwood Junior High School, I am outside the front door of my suburban home.

This really needs to be read in its entirety. Any parent of a disabled child will be able to relate, any parent in general will be touched.

Yes, attachment parenting mommies, you can spoil your children. Babies are less spoilable, but once they get to walking, it's time to start worrying about spoiling them. Fussypants has a fabulous post on how to spoil your kids. You know, in case you wanted to have children so irritating that everyone cringes when you show up with your kids in tow:

Five Handy Ways to Spoil Your Children

1) Spend more money than you make to give your children everything their hearts desire. Tell yourself that you do this because you want to give them a happy childhood. If all their friends have it, it would be wrong not to give them the same things. Even though the more you buy for them, the more they complain of boredom.

Head over to her place for  the rest. (it's hilarious)

Ten days ago my fifteen year old came home from the movies with 103 fever. He was shaking so bad and felt so awful. He ended up missing the entire week of school. It probably took him a good eight days to feel back to normal.

I took him to the urgent care because I just knew it was strep but I was wrong, it was influenza. My guilt started right away. You see every year I take all four of my kids in for a flu shot. This is such an ordeal because of my boys freaking out over needles that I blew it off.

Great news at Web MD for my family and yours about a new vaccine that requires no needle...

"Jan. 28, 2008 -- An international team of scientists reports promising results from testing an under-the-tongue, no-needle flu vaccine on mice.

   

The researchers dropped a little bit of the liquid vaccine under the mice's tongues and let the vaccine sink into that area; the vaccine wasn't swallowed. A few days later, those mice resisted a flu virus test.

   

Under-the-tongue vaccines don't affect the digestive system, liver, or nervous system, note the researchers."

I hate to admit it but I don't care for needles either. Every year when the kids get their flu shot I find a way to get out of getting mine. I figure that if everyone else in my family has the shot and are protected, then my chance of catching it go way down. LOL Shhh thats our secret!

I am wondering if I have had the stomach flu or food poisoning the past few days. I say stomach flu but the correct term is actually Viral Gastroenteritis.

I started feeling kind of gross with a stomach ache on Sunday afternoon. By the evening, I knew I had something more than just an upset stomach. On Monday, I was fairly pathetic. I had no energy, very painful stomach cramps and and yucky things coming out of me. To make things even more fun, I developed a headache by Monday night.

All day Tuesday, I had a really bad headache and my stomach still hurt a lot. I was a little bit better off than Monday at least. Today is Wednesday and although I am still a little better again, my stomach is STILL very unhappy! I tentatively tried some coffee this morning but realized quickly that was not acceptable to my stomach yet.

So far, I am the only one in my house to have this. That is why I am wondering if it was food poisoning and not a virus. I did have a burger from a fast food joint on Saturday so maybe that was the culprit? I guess in the end it does not really matter which one it was. Although, I am hoping it was food poisoning because then my family will not end up coming down with it in the next few days.

I cannot thank Whipup enough for their month of children's crafts. I've been finding lots of great ideas of crafts to do with my children, and then today's post blew me away.

My daughter has been begging me to sew on my big machine for the longest time. My big fear has been that she will sew over her finger, as I have nearly done that myself about a hundred times. I've also been concerned that she might get frustrated trying to sew a straight seam.

Then Whipup linked to Wendi's post and I breathed a sigh of relief. Her daughter is five, and is sewing, with some help from mama. One thing Wendi does that I think is absolute GENIUS is to draw lines for her daughter to sew on. Perfect, that has to make things so much easier.

She also has a solution for my fear about my daughter getting to sewing too fast and then sewing her finger. Head on over and check it all out. Thank you, Wendi, for this post!!

How many of you out there would like to do anything to make sure that your kids stay sober? I know that I would. According to Supernanny Rules that can happen by just sitting down for meals together. Read this....

 

"Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance abuse compared the drug and alcohol consumption patterns of teens that ate family dinners 5 or more times per week, with those that ate them 2 or less times per week, and the difference revealed is dramatic.

 

Families that don’t often eat together have teen children that are:

 

300% more likely to smoke marijuana

250% more likely to smoke cigarettes

150% more likely to drink alcohol"

 

Do you think this is true? I do know that when we sit down as a family for dinner we have great conversation. I think I learn more about my kids in that time than any other.

I am am skeptic when it comes to studies. It just seems that there is a new study every day and it always contradicts one that came out prior. If this is true then my kids will be less likely to get into trouble. I say less likely because we are not able to do this every night but we do try at least two or three times a week.

I don't think I'm the blogger the Drama Llama is writing about here, but I must say, I disagree with him. Here's what he has to say: (warning: link contains very strong language)

I am looking at rap lyrics today to prove a point to a blogger and they know who they are. I seem to find certain songs with very strong content and if we as a people let our children listen to these lyrics then they will think its ok to act out these songs or actions! Here is a few song lyrics from some famous rappers.
[...]
Now go ahead and tell me that rap music doesnt [sic] talk bad and that it cant [sic] influence our young people. These rappers talk about guns sex drugs and killing others. Back when I was growing up we listened to Madonna, soft cell, Men at work, Duran duran [sic] and many others that didnt [sic] talk about things that are sung about today! Rascist [sic] or not there is a need to watch what these so-called singers put out for our youth to buy or download!! enough said

Do I think music lyrics have no influence whatsoever on youth? No, I think there are influences there, but I think the media in general is an influence on youths. Madonna sang about sex a LOT. But there was sex constantly on Dallas, and Days of our Lives, and heck, even the books I read as a kid had plenty of sex in them. Did that cause me to run out and have sex with everyone in town? No. My parents and my religion were strong influences and I listened to them, a source I trusted, instead of Madonna, someone I didn't even know.

I don't think rap music is appropriate for a, say, 8 year old. However, my 13 year old and I listen to rap frequently. He's not out shooting people. He's never been in trouble with the law or even at school. He isn't having sex with "hos". He has no interest in using drugs. I know this, because I have a good relationship and he is always in supervised situations.

I think with the right parenting, teaching your kids about values and always being a good example of those values yourself, rap music is little more than an amusement. Rappers sing about what is already going on. People in dangerous, violent neighborhoods do not join gangs and go around shooting people because of the music. The violence was already there before rap music even existed. Rap music is a symptom, not a cause.

I have to ask the blogger at Drama Llama if reading all those lyrics caused him to run out and shoot anyone. Because, you know, they're so influencing.

I just got out of my daughter's IEP meeting and I'm irate. They're not going to allow her into the gifted program because she missed the criteria by, essentially, one point. She needed to get a broad spectrum IQ of 118, she scored a 117. I am so frustrated.

She's in first grade, and they tell me that next year she may do better, but what am I supposed to do this year when she's crying so hard she throws up because she doesn't want to go to school?

They're recommending I try to get her into the magnet school, once again. I tried in Kindergarten, but she missed out because they choose by lottery. I just don't know. I'm trying to give public school a chance, but I think I'm going to have to pull her out and homeschool her. I'm terrified to do that, though, because I'm afraid I'm not patient enough to teach her anything. Argh.

Advice, anyone?

Love Shak, Baby and Mason & Matisse have teamed up to bring you this awesome giveaway!

Mason & Matisse Giveaway

January 25-February 15^th

Mason & Matisse is offering their amazing Cubino Chair, a $99 value. Their description from the site:

The cubino - a kid's chair you won't need to hide when guests arrive. Our chair is made of thick and durable foam covered with a soft polyester canvas. This sturdy and comfortable chair has modern two-tone colour choices, a removable seat cushion, and completely removable and machine washable covers. Whether lounging during a cartoon, or reading books on their own, kids will love this cool chair. (recommended for ages 18 months to 7 years)

Here's how to enter to win. Click on over to the Mason & Matisse website and find your favorite item. Then come back to this post and leave a comment telling us what your favorite item is. If you have a blog, write a post about this giveaway and leave us a link to your post in the comments.

Be sure to check back at Love Shak Baby on the morning of February 15th to see who is the winner of the contest! The winner will be posted and emailed.

This is a sticky post and will remain at the top for the duration of the contest. Just scroll down for daily new content.

Let's share some favorite recipes! I tend to get stuck in a rut of making the same things over and over again. Maybe we can give each other some new ideas.

I don't make this dish very often but it is very delicious! These scalloped potatoes have been a side dish that I have made for the past two Christmas Eve dinners. Due to copyright restrictions, I cannot print the recipe here. If you want to check out this yummy scalloped potato recipe, just click this link. Enjoy!

I would love to hear some of your recipes too!

Elizabeth at Career and Kids writes:

I think if I had grown up with a father who brought work home on a regular basis, I would probably do so myself because I have to fight that tendency, so, my parents definitely influenced how I perceive work and life with kids.

How about you? Did your upbringing influence your thoughts on having a career and kids?

I think it definitely did, in my case. My dad, an accountant, has always brought his work home with him. My mom, a teacher, brought her work home with her. Now I work at home. Coincidence? I think not.

I received a phone call from a friend last evening. My oldest son answered the phone and then handed it off to me. The friend that called was very impressed with my son's phone manners.

She said "Wow, he has such nice phone manners. He is not shy at all and is so polite. He sounds like a little man rather than a child".

My mind quickly thought about all of those times that I had to remind him of the proper phone manners. I guess it did not go in one ear and out the other like I thought! Come to think of it, there have been two other people that have recently complimented his good manners.

As a mother, sometimes it feels like I could talk until I am blue in the face and still not get the desired results. This is a small victory in the overall scheme of things. Yet, it goes to show that what we say to our kids does sink in. They are listening. My next goal is for someone to comment "Wow, your son keeps such a clean room"! Hmmmm, maybe that is asking a little too much?

Have a history of sales? Like to work from your home? Love our site? Well then, Shakadoo may need you.

We are looking for experienced and motivated individuals to add to our sales staff. If you think you might be a good fit or know someone who who would be, email your resume to us here at  sales@shakadoo.com

Did you ever see the TV movie "I Know My First Name Is Steven"? I saw it several years ago on Lifetime and I still can't get images from that movie out of my head. Kenneth Parnell, the man who kidnapped Steven, died in prison yesterday. None too soon, if you ask me, the man had a long string of arrests dating back to 1952 for molesting children. Sorry, but why was this man ever allowed out of jail? Ugh.

Hit Strollerderby for more on this story.

We moved to our house almost two years ago. One of the factors in our decision to move here was the great reputation the schools have in this town. We have really liked the elementary school and it has lived up to its reputation.

Recently, the county's board of education has been going through new proposals for rezoning. They have built a new elementary school to relieve overcrowding. They have rejected the first eight proposals but have now accepted the ninth proposal. We are included in that last proposal as an area that would have to go to this new school.

I am very unhappy about this for several reasons. This new school is over 15 miles away! My sons would have to leave around 6:30 in the morning to go to school. The route to that school is a backarse winding country road. Also, I just love the school that he goes to now.

They are holding a public hearing in two weeks regarding this proposal. My husband and I plan to attend, but I am afraid that this is a done deal. They have already mapped out the bus routes for the changed areas. I am hoping that there is still a way to fight this.

While I recognize the need to relieve overcrowding, I wish they would not pick our area. Selfish? Probably, but there are zones closer to the new school that are not changing. It seems ridiculous to me to pick an area over 15 miles away from the school to  choose for relocation.

Currently, I only have one son that is in elementary school. It won't be long however until my younger boys are in school too. I am not sure if this will effect the middle school and high school that they will attend. This subject has not been mentioned and it will be a question I ask at the public hearing. Any advice?

According to reports published by TMZ, Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger (best known for Ennis in "Brokeback Mountain) was found dead this afternoon in his bed in Soho, NY.

Foul play is not suspected and prescription pills were found near his body.

Check out the full story here.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King day, and we had the day of school. Last week, however, Ginger's daughter's teacher did something so awesome I had tears in my eyes while reading Ginger's post:

Then the next day, her entire grade was divided into the blue people and the yellow people. One group was blue for the first part of the day, and then after lunch, they traded and became the yellow group so they could see both sides of the equation. Signs were put up at the restrooms, water fountains and cafeteria… “Yellow Only” so they could understand what it was like to feel excluded…just as it was only 45 years ago.

I'm not old enough to remember the "Whites Only" water fountains, but my mom is. She tells a story of how they took a trip to Atlanta when she was a kid (Mom's from Indiana) and she saw a sign that said "Colored Water". Naturally, she got really excited thinking she was going to get to drink some blue or possibly even pink or purple water. She broke away from her mother's hand and dashed over to the water fountain.

People around her gasped and my grandfather grabbed her hand and told her she wasn't to drink from that fountain. All day she pouted, until finally my grandmother asked her what the problem was. Mom explained that she didn't think it was fair that she couldn't drink the colored water. Who got to drink that colored water, and why wasn't she good enough for the colored water?

My grandmother took my mom into her lap and explained how "colored people", as they were called at the time, were treated unfairly by having to drink from separate water fountains and use separate, usually poorly maintained bathrooms. She explained how African American people had to go to separate and definitely unequal schools. This conversation stuck in my mom's mind forever.

I wish I could say my mom went on to become a freedom rider and marched for equality, but she did not. She grew up and became a teacher, and taught in inner city schools. She fought to teach kids who already had many disadvantages thrown at them- both black and white students. And she treated them all equally. And they learned.

I wish I could say all the students my mom taught in the inner city went on to become scientists and doctors and accountants, but they didn't. Some of her students grew up to become criminals and she read about them in the news with sadness. But some of them grew up to go to college and kept in contact with her. Some of them are making a big difference in the world. Some for good, some for bad.

All because of the "colored water" fountain?

As parents, we all might feel unappreciated at times. Children are not mature enough to realize everything that their parents do for them. Although it is completely normal, it could leave you wondering if anyone even notices you.

ImaNicePerson.com has a message to "To All the Mothers Who Are Building Cathedrals". I would like to include fathers too because they get their fair share of being taken for granted as well.

"I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.
As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could
ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing
to sacrifice to that degree."

That was just a very short part of a wonderful tribute to parents. I read the whole thing and it provides a great perspective on parenting.

My friend Heather has been having a hard few days. A good friend of hers was found dead by some train tracks, apparently hit by a train. The woman's 10 month old baby was found not far away, floating facedown in a creek. Here is the news story, if you would like more details.

The friends and family of this woman and many other people would like to know why this happened. Did she kill herself? Was there foul play? Was she pushed in front of the train? Was this an accident? Heather writes:

My heart isn’t letting me believe what is on the news and in the paper.  It doesn’t make any sense.

Someone tell me I wasn’t blind to a cry for help.

I think of your baby, cold, in last night’s rain.  You had hoped it would snow.

Did you know that we hear every train that roars by?

Were you frightened? Sad?

We are.

While Heather tries to make sense of it, JanetLee pops out a post that is so heartbreakingly fabulous that I have spent the last 20 minutes trying to figure out which part to quote:

So it is with pure speculation that I take this opportunity to address what is still a huge problem in our culture.

The perfect mother.

The perfect mother is always overjoyed 100% of the time with her child(ren). A perfect mother needs no assistance with her baby. A perfect mother never makes a parenting mistake. A perfect mother keeps her house sparkling clean, cooks delicious and nutritious meals, keeps her husband sexually satisfied. A perfect mother loses her pregnancy weight within weeks of giving birth.

You simply must go over to JanetLee's to read the rest. As for me, I pray for her friends and family who are trying to make sense of it. I pray that if there was foul play involved, the person who committed this crime is brought to justice.

But most of all, I pray that anyone who reads or hears about this story, who is feeling overwhelmed by their life, who feel they are a terrible mother, who feel like they need help, ask for help. Help is out there, and there are people who care about you, even if you feel like nobody cares. People do care. And there is nothing at all in life that cannot be overcome or fixed.

Finally, you do not have to be a perfect wife or mother. No matter what the media tells you. No matter that there are plenty of people who appear to be perfect and manage to appear to flit through their lives effortlessly. We all have issues. We all screw up. We all feel like bad parents at times.

One of the most famous daddy's of all is admitting that he made a mistake. On January 5th, Dr. Phil made a visit to Britney Spears while she was in the hospital. His visit was prompted by a request from her family to intervene.

The real controversy is the statement that Dr. Phil made to Entertainment Tonight. He told them that Britney is in "dire need of both medical and psychological intervention." This has landed Dr. Phil in a little bit of hot water According to MTV.com:

"A complaint was filed against McGraw earlier this week that accused him of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The complaint alleges Dr. Phil practiced clinical psychology without a license and further violated doctor-patient privilege by discussing the pop star's case with the media."

The Dr. Phil episode where he apologizes is scheduled to air today. He has concluded that his "visit was not helpful to the situation".

We all know the importance of monitoring our children on MySpace and other internet messaging.  I was watching my son last night chatting away to some friends and couldn't understand a thing that he wrote. Everything was in code. So I decided to do some some decoding myself and found exactly what I was looking for at MSNBC.

They have a whole list of abbreviations that teens use while messaging. Like POS means "parent over shoulder", I just love that one. PIR is "parent in room".... KOL is "kiss on lips"...TDTM is "talk dirty to me"

Every parent should have this list. I printed it and now I will know exactly what my son is talking about. He tells me that I'm old all of the time, but what he should know is that along with age comes wisdom.

Julie at Julie Pippert: Using My Words has written a post so near and dear to my heart, that when I read it, I wanted to jump up and hug her. Except, we're in cyberland and I couldn't exactly do that. So, my best way of jumping up and hugging her is to share this with you here. Here's the tiniest little bit about this long, but totally worth reading every word post:

"It's true," another friend chimed in, "Superbright kids shouldn't be bored."

I've heard this argument before. I think it's oversimplified. I believe every human being, regardless of intelligence level, has the potential to get bored. I think it's what comes next that we need to consider.

How do we each cope with boredom, when it happens to us?

Of course super bright kids get bored. And it's up to us, as parents and educators to keep them from being bored and keep stimulating their minds. I *could* jump up on my soapbox here, but I won't. Go read Julie's post instead. It's good.

Meet The Offended Blogger. No, not me. This is a lady who writes offensive posts in her blog daily. Do I want to be offended? By her, yes! She is hilarious!

Even her latest post has the offensive headline The "Guess My Offense" Offensive

"Now, I don't know about you, but some of my offenses were so great and so brilliant (and since the statute of limitations on most of them has recently passed) I feel that they are seriously overdue some well deserved recognition!

So I decided that the best way to do them justice is to turn them into a pre-Weekender Offender warm-up game that I am calling....

"Guess My Offense!""

Go ahead, guess her offense. You know you want to! (Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for any offense you might feel if you click over to The Offended Blogger. I might have provided the link but you chose to click!)

I am devestated by the reports that Mathew McConaughey is having a baby with his girlfriend Camilla Alves. I read this at Inside Fatherhood....

 

Matthew McConaughey announced on his website that he and girlfriend Camilla Alves are expecting a child together. The child will most likely surf and play bongos.

 

“My girlfriend Camila and I made a baby together. … It’s 3 months growin’ in her womb and all looks healthy and lively so far. We are stoked and wowed by this miracle of creation and gift from God …”

Honestly, I could care less that he is about to become a father, but I had dreams that it would be with Kate Hudson. I just love those two together. They just look like the perfect couple. I know...who am I to say. I just happen to LOVE the movie "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days". That is one of my all time favorites.