Today on sandhillsmommies.com, one of our members wondered about a doctor's visit.  Another members lamented about laundry.  One members is getting a cold and wondered what other moms do when they feel a cold coming on. 
We haven't even talked about kids yet today, which is unusual.  It seems that the moms want to get some stuff off their chest.
I'm lucky to be a member of a group that feels comfortable enough to share even the most minute details.
We're having a playdate tomorrow at the Kiwanis Children's Park in Sanford.  It starts at 9:30 and lasts until 11:30.  It's open, so anyone who wants to join us can! 

As a parent, I know that I am extremely cautious about the medications that are given to my children. Each day, parents struggle with the decision to medicate their children for all sorts of conditions including mental illness. On Tuesday, January 8th at 9 pm (check your TV Guide listing to confirm) PBS will air a Frontline Special called the Medicated Child. The program should be worth watching. At the very least, it raises questions about medication management and children.

Here are the specifics about the program from their press release:

www.pbs.org/frontline/medicatedchild

In recent years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of children being diagnosed with serious psychiatric disorders and prescribed medications that are just beginning to be tested in children. The drugs can cause serious side effects, and virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work."

In The Medicated Child, airing Tuesday, January 8, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria confronts psychiatrists, researchers and government regulators about the risks and benefits of prescription drugs for troubled children. The biggest current controversy surrounds the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Formerly called manic depression, bipolar disorder was long believed to exist only in adults, but, in the mid-1990s, bipolar in children began to be diagnosed at much higher rates, sometimes in kids as young as 4 years old. "The rates of bipolar diagnoses in children have increased markedly in many communities over the last five to seven years," says Dr. Steven Hyman, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health. "I think the real question is, are those diagnoses right? And in truth, I don't think we yet know the answer."

Like many of the 1 million children now diagnosed with bipolar, 5-year-old Jacob Solomon was initially believed to suffer from an attention deficit disorder. His parents reluctantly started him on Ritalin, but over the next five years, Jacob would be put on one drug after another. "It all started to feel out of control," Jacob's father, Ron, told FRONTLINE. "Nobody ever said we can work with this through therapy and things like that. Everywhere we looked it was, ‘Take meds, take meds, take meds.'"

Over the years, Jacob's multiple medications have helped improve his mood, but they've also left him with a severe tic in his neck which doctors are having trouble fully explaining. "We're dealing with developing minds and brains, and medications have a whole different impact in the young developing child than they do in an adult," says Dr. Marianne Wamboldt, the chief of psychiatry at Denver Children's Hospital. "We don't understand that impact very well. That's where we're still in the Dark Ages."

DJ Koontz was diagnosed with bipolar at 4 years old, after his temper tantrums became more frequent and explosive. He was recently prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs. "It is a little worrisome to me because he is so young," says DJ's mother, Christine. "If he didn't take it, though, I don't know if we could function as a family. It's almost a do-or-die situation over here." DJ's medicines seem to be helping him in the short run, but the longer-term outlook is still uncertain. "What's not really clear is whether many of the kids who are called bipolar have anything that's related to this very well-studied disorder in adults," says Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute for Mental Health. "It's not clear that people with that adult illness started with what we're now calling bipolar in children. Nor is it clear that the kids who have this disorder are going to grow up to have what we used to call manic-depressive illness in adulthood."

While some urge caution when it comes to bipolar in children, FRONTLINE talks with others who argue that we should intervene with drug treatments at even younger ages for children genetically predisposed to the disorder. "The theory is that if you get in early, before the first full mood episode, then perhaps we can delay the onset to full mania," says Dr. Kiki Chang of Stanford University. "And if that's the case, perhaps finding the right medication early on can protect a brain so that these children never do progress to full bipolar disorder."

FRONTLINE's 2001 documentary Medicating Kids can be watched online at www.pbs.org/frontline/shows/medicating

 

 

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My family is preparing to move to the Southern Pines area and are looking for daycare for our six month old son.  Any suggestions?

A mom knows stuff & can sense what is going on in the next room but what is good is when your kids figure that out & wonder...how?  This morning at 6:30 I hear something that sounds slightly suspicious so I peak in my boys bedroom to see they have taken the cushions from a small section of couch & are jumping from couch to cushion to cushion (they were just warned the other day about doing this).  This time they were VERY quiet so as not to give themselves away...only mom knew anyway.  When I crept around the corner & quietly said "put the cushions back" I got a shocked look from Eli's face & he said in the sweetest voice "How did you know?"  He seemed pleased with the response "God makes mommies able to hear EVERYTHING they need to."  The cushions went back, the light went off, & they left the room without another word.  That was the easiest something has been solved in quite a while!

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My youngest, now 4, has a spread on our bedroom floor each night so that he will sleep on that instead of edging us out of our king size bed.  I didn't realize how much I had missed cuddling with him until last night (I have always gotten the cuddly end...my husband gets the kicking end :)   ).  When I had a nightmare I couldn't shake early this morning I heard Ty rustling on the floor & thought "if he would come up here I know we would both sleep better"...then guess who comes over to say can I get in your bed for a little while??  Soon as he snuggled up against me we were out!  Maybe I'm just thinking about how fast they are growing up since they each just had their birthdays but I hope my boys still like to sit & cuddle with thier mommy as they get older :)  There is nothing like it! 

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Below is a list of some of my favorite eating spots for lunch in Moore County. They are in no particular order.

Please feel free to add to the list.

 

My Favorite Lunch Spots

Squire's Pub. I hate fast food. I refuse to eat it, unless there is absolutely no other alternative. When I'm in a hurry, I call ahead to Squire's Pub and ask for the loaded baked potato with steak and mushrooms. With tip, it's about $8, and I get a great meal faster than a trip around the Mickey D's drive through.

Panera Bread. They made it on my breakfast list, too. I like to get the half sandwich and cup of soup, especially the potato or french onion. The service is excellent, the food is good and fast. They also have a great grilled cheese sandwich for kids.

Corfu's. You've got to try their pan-seared grouper with lemon caper cream sauce. My mouth waters just typing the description. If the weather is nice, I like to sit outside and imagine I'm in some little Mediterranean seaside village. The funeral home across the street brings me back to reality, but the food is still awesome. I usually order water and come out for less than $10 with tip.

Caterino's. I am a Southerner. A good ol' boy redneck from South Carolina. I honestly did not know that people drank unsweet tea until I was in college. The very idea...Imagine the culture shock I received when I met real live Yankee restaurant owners here in Moore County. Nick Caterino is one of those guys. He is a little brazen, but underneath that tough exterior is one mighty fine baker and sandwich maker. His bread is baked fresh daily and the portions would choke a horse. Even I can't finish the meal. Sometimes. I just let them build me a sandwich. They're all good. The Philly is amazing. The Meatball sub comes in bread that has this impossibly thin layer of crunchy goodness that gives way to a chewy center. (He also makes some pretty good homemade wine.)

Eastwood Diner. Remember that part about being Southern? This is where I go to get back to my roots. Eastwood Diner is one of the few places in Moore County that I order tea. And I don't have to tell them sweet, either. Their buffet will make your tongue slap your forehead, trying to lick your lips. Fried chicken, collards, sweet potatoes, banana pudding (pronounced nanner puddin'). This is absolute paradise for only $8.

When Dan isn't stuffing his face, he sells real estate in the Moore County area with Fore Properties.

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Want to raise well-behaved children? Teach them a virtually fail-safe formula for success in school? Family psychologist, author and popular parenting speaker John K. Rosemond is coming to the Sandhills area Jan. 25 and 26 to present lectures on those topics and more. "Assuming the Power of Parenthood" is scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 25; "Bringing Out the Best in Your Child" is the topic at 10 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 26. Sandhills MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is sponsoring his appearances.

Rosemond, a nationally syndicated columnist in more than 175 newspapers, advocates a return to parent-centered families where children are raised to become responsible adults. He teaches logical, proven approaches for the most significant challenges parents face today.
 
Straightforward guidance covers issues such as self-esteem and discipline to television and chores.
Following each presentation, Rosemond will sign books, including his latest, Parenting by The Book, published in fall 2007. The author of over 10 best-selling books on parenting and family issues, he is writing several more, including "one that will liberate parents from the psychobabble surrounding toilet training, babble that has transformed something simple and straightforward into something unnecessarily stressful and complicated." Other books include A Family of Value, Because I Said So! and The NEW Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children.

The lecture series will be held at Pinecrest High School Auditorium, Southern Pines, NC. Rosemond, one of America's most in-demand public speakers, is the busiest by far in the parenting field. In a typical year, he gives more than 200 presentations to parent, teacher and helping-professional groups nationwide. His talks and workshops, which are filled with humor, factual information and practical advice, receive consistently superlative ratings.  Additionally, Moore County teachers will receive Continuing Education Units for attending.

In addition, Rosemond directs the Center for Affirmative Parenting, in Gastonia, NC, which provides "skillshops" and other educational presentations for parents and professions who work with children and families. The center also provides print and audio materials on parenting and child development.
"All that aside," Rosemond says, with a smile, "my real qualifications are that I have been married to the same wonderful woman, Willie, for 37 years-a rich marriage that has produced two children and seven well-behaved grandchildren."

On Friday, Jan. 25, Rosemond will speak on "Assuming the Power of Parenthood," his centerpiece presentation. After illustrating the differences between traditional and modern parenting styles and discussing the failures of the latter, Rosemond outlines an equally clear solution: Parents need but conform their behavior to each of the "Three Seasons of Child Rearing" as they naturally and logically unfold over the term of a child's dependency. Attendees regularly use such terms as "uplifting," "liberating" and "empowering" to describe this powerful yet immensely entertaining presentation.

Saturday, Jan. 26, he will speak about "Bringing Out the Best in Your Child." Rosemond advocates a return to a style of parenting which fosters the "Three R's: Respect for legitimate adult authority, a willingness to accept Responsibility and a Resourceful attitude toward challenge."

In that presentation, Rosemond shares the nuts and bolts of a traditional child-rearing formula with today's parents, empowering them to go home and empower their children for life-long achievement.
Advance tickets are $15 and are available online at the MOPS Web site www.sandhillsmops.com and at the Moore County Chamber of Commerce. Group sales are available. Tickets at the door will be $18.

Sponsors assisting MOPS in bringing Rosemond to the Sandhills include Lil Branch's Children's Shop, Drug-Free Moore County, Bill Smith Ford, First Health, Harris Teeter, SandhillsKids.com and Sandhills Sports Center.

ABOUT MOPS - Sandhills MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), a charter of MOPS International, exists to meet the needs of every mom in the North Carolina Sandhills area - moms from all different lifestyles who all share a similar desire to be the very best moms they can be!  MOPS' primary tools for encouragement are regular local meetings where moms of all ages and from all backgrounds gather to build friendships, share practical parenting strategies, and meet with mentors.
Sandhills MOPS is one of 4,000 MOPS groups that meet every month throughout the U.S. and in 29 other countries. More than 110,000 women are currently registered in MOPS groups.  For more information, please visit www.SandhillsMOPS.com or www.MOPS.org.

 

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First I learn that the Grinch from Chef Warren's Downtown tree has been stolen.  I am THRILLED that the person was caught.  Then I learn that someone grabbed the lights on the Ice Cream Parlor's downtown tree and broke a bunch of the light strands.  Today I arrive at work to learn that someone completely destroyed the tree that Scribner Associates Sponsored and my son's 2nd grade class decorated.  The kids worked so hard and were so proud of their tree.  The town employees found the tree lying on its side.  It was so mangled that they couldn't put it back up.  They brought it to us so we could salvage what we could.  It was very sad and depressing to see our beautiful tree lying on its side with the top 1/3 of it completely gone.  Yes, gone.  Most of the decorations had fallen off and broken but the town employees saved what they could.  Three strands of lights, 180 bulbs, were gone.   My mother-in-law said she hopes that someone who needed lights for their house because they couldn't afford them took them.  I guess I'm not in a very charitable mood because I doubt it.  I think whoever did it was just trying to be mean and spiteful.  An unhappy person who wants to make everyone else unhappy right along with them.

Right now I can't imagine wasting my time and money to decorate a tree next year knowing that people just randomly walk down the street and destroy what we have done.  Down town Southern Pines looked so beautiful this year.  It was definitely the best year since I have been here.  Why do people want to ruin that?

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It's official. My husband will be heading home in a few weeks. And although I don't actually have a date and probably won't find out when he's coming until the plane takes off (I once had 4 hours notice - not cool!), I have confirmed through a reliable source that the wheels are in motion for his safe passage home.

So, what does that mean for me? Well, if you're not a military spouse you probably think I'm on cloud nine swooning about the house dreaming of seeing the love of my life. While that is a wonderful thought, it's definitely not reality. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that he is finally coming home but I am also stressed out about the upcoming reunion.

His impending return means that my "To Do" list just got enormously long. You see, military spouses work incredibly hard to create the illusion of having everything under control while their husbands are away. I'm not saying we don't have it all together but we do run things a little bit differently when our men are across the ocean.

If fact, I think I run a pretty tight ship when he's gone. The bills get paid, the kids are fed and the house is still standing when he returns. In my book that is success. Granted we eat a lot more Mac-n-cheese when he's gone and the kids spend more time sleeping in my bed then their own, but who says that's a bad thing? Plus, I have complete and utter control of the most prized possession in the house - the remote control. Although, this may sound like the good life it is certainly better with him home. So, in the next two weeks I will graciously prepare to hand over the remote and welcome him home.

First and foremost on the list is shaving my legs. While I might appreciate the break from razors, it certainly won't be appreciated by him. Then I need to clean up the many little "gifts" the dog left in the backyard and fill in the holes from digging paws. Oh, and let's not forget the garage. God help me if he comes home and finds "his" garage in disarray. Especially since he "organized" it before he left. And did I mention the car? I still need to get the oil changed and the carpets cleaned before he sees what Libby did in the back seat!
 
Plus, he has no idea that I bought a new headboard for the bed and a matching quilt (It's from Pottery Barn!). Somehow I forgot to mention that. It's probably better if I explain that purchase when he gets home. So I definitely need to make sure the sheets are clean....and of course the check book needs to be balanced, the house dust busted, the towels washed, the frig stocked with his favorite food and a good twelve pack of beer. Oh, I better check his laundry basket to see if he left any dirty clothes when he left. That would be bad if they were still there when he returned. And the list goes on....

At this point you're wondering why anyone would create this much anxiety about having everything "perfect" and if my husband is some kind of control freak. Shouldn't he just be happy to see me? Well, as far as my husband is concerned he has only two requirements when he gets home - to see us and a goodnight's sleep. A cold beer is considered an added bonus. As far as the rest of it, that's all me. It's my gift to my husband. I want to make sure when he walk's through the door after spending 48 hours traveling home from some God forsaken location that everything is in order. Not to prove that I can do it alone but to assure him that he doesn't have to worry about us when he's gone. It's sort of my insurance policy for his safe return. My theory is simple, if he doesn't have to stress about his family falling apart while he is gone then he can focus all of his attention on his job and come home in one piece.

And so far, it's worked. Which means if you see me in the next few weeks talking to myself, neurotically checking my "To Do" list or just looking a little more frazzled than usually, remember it's all part of my re-deployment ritual. Feel free to offer me an adult beverage, I'll probably need one!

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Apparently the most exciting thing to happen to Southern Pines during the holidays was the disappearance of the Broad Street Grinch and I missed it! Luckily, a loyal SandhillsKids member forwarded the clip of our very own Chef Warren being interviewed by WRAL! If you haven't seen the video of the Grinch-nappers, it's worth a peak. ENJOY!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/12/25/owens.nc.grinch.stolen.wral?iref=videosearch