Cervical Cancer & the HPV Vaccine
Today, PPLM Parent Education Program Manager Amy Cody shares tips for talking with your kids about the HPV vaccine:
One of the most important and challenging tasks parents face is communicating our values to our children (without them rolling their eyes) -- especially when talking about sex. But while these conversations can be difficult and awkward, research shows that positive and honest communication helps young people delay sexual activity and make healthier, safer decisions about sex.
Continue reading "Cervical Cancer & the HPV Vaccine" »
| Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Bath, Beauty & Health; Family Issues; Tweens & Teens
Share: Facebook
kirtsy
StumbleUpon
Delicious
My 
I'm part of the 
While I was en route to California this past weekend, I was so happy to have some quiet time to read through more of the 
As part of Momversation and Ragú®'s Mom's the Word on Dinner Program, I recently chatted with 
In May, I wrote about Laurel encouraging us to start up 
Whether or not extreme couponing is your thing, grocery budgeting is top of mind for most families. As part of Momversation and Ragú®'s Mom's the Word on Dinner Program, I recently chatted with 
Like many moms, my daily life is packed -- both with work projects and a seemingly endless stream of household minutia. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to increase my happiness factor by shifting the weight off the minutia (I even have a draft post titled "How to Do Less"), so it was bizarrely well timed when 
Through the 
As social an animal as I am, I have to admit that I get a little squirrely when faced with the prospect of the "first date" parental chit chat associated with Laurel's playdates with new friends. This week I shared thoughts about 
Today's 
Hello friends! Per usual, the web was replete with interesting tips and inspiration this week. Here are some links that I thought you'd find interesting -- enjoy!
I recently wrote about getting back to basics with 
In the last couple of years I have taken towards reflecting here on Jon and my anniversary -- about 
As a foodie and person who is hugely grateful that our family manages to convene for dinner almost every night, it's been fun to be part of the 
Today, 
It was a momentous week, and one that left me -- and many others -- with complicated emotions and reactions regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden. This week 
I met 
Simply put, I love having 
It's been fun to see the family and food dialogue that has transpired as part of Momversation and Ragú®'s Mom's the Word on Dinner Program. Today, my second video with the project just launched -- in it, Whitney Moss, Kim Tracy Prince, and I discuss 
One of the most positive mojo business pairings I know is Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann of 
I adore Heather and Whitney of 
Asha Dornfest of 
One thing is for sure: in this fast paced, instant gratification world of social media, being an online person who disappears for a few days apparently results in some digital hand wringing. When I finally turned my Blackberry back on following 
What a fantastic episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about 
I had a bit of a 
What a fun episode of Life.Style this week! I chatted about 
This week on Life.Style, I engaged in a second conversation on 
Well, my friends, here we are at another snow day. I don't know about you, but the first couple of snow days I was all happy that I could be that mom -- the one who could just shut everything else off, hang out with Laurel in my jammies, and goof off all day. But the last few snow days I've definitely been feeling the strain -- not just of dealing with the snow, but also with the whole default snow/sick day parent thing (ironically, I will be discussing this very topic tomorrow on 
This week on Life.Style, I engaged in the first of a two-part (at this point...the conversation could have continued for hours!) series on 
One cool thing about raising a growing reader is that we're now hitting material that: a) I remember loving as a young girl; and b) still captivates after all these years. Before the holidays, Laurel decided that she wanted to read 
It was so great to get back into the studio this week, and it was wonderful to kick off my 2011 programming talking about 
A few years ago, 
So fitting for the holiday season, 
Today, from 
Today, 
A few weeks ago I admittedly got pretty riled up when I heard about the Corn Refiners Association's (CRA) 
Today, 
Here are some links that caught my eye this week, and that I curated over at 
Today's 
Last September, in honor of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, contributing writer 
Today's 
For help with back to school transitions, consider these book recommendations from parent educator 
Hello friends! I hope you had a fantastic week while I was away. Other than dealing with a pesky head cold, I had a wonderful, reflective week off; I'm excited to be back sharing all sorts of useful and clever awesomeness with you, and I'm also feeling very happy about a new perspective I developed on parenting, work, and balance this past week. It only seems fitting to 
Now, the second of two 
Today I'll be fielding two 
Through my role here and as 
One of the things that is so sweet about Laurel is that she is so people focused. When she was a toddler, if a friend at day care was crying, she would toddle over and pat them on the back to try to make them feel better. On Sunday she 
During April vacation, I posted a series of ideas to help 
Laurel's 
Today, parent educator 
Last year I wrote a post titled 
When I'm hanging out with my mama friends, talk invariably turns to work -- whether it's current work, past work, or potential future work. And wherever you are on that spectrum, if you're in need of inspiration or some brainstorming help, consider investing a day exploring the options at the 
Today, parent educator 
This time last week I was at 
Between recently watching the PBS 
My friend 
Apologies for my reduced posting this week, but, save a couple of brief 
This past weekend I finally had a chance to view PBS’s program 
Today, from parent educator 
Today, 
Today, parent educator 
Today, 
A few weeks ago I experienced a rather 
Jennifer James is one of the first bloggers I met in real life, through the inaugural 
November is 
Today, parent educator 
Today, parent educator 
This week I had the pleasure chatting with 
Today, 
Finding age appropriate ways to have tough conversations with kids can be challenging, and if you need help addressing the topic of cancer with your child, 
Today, parent educator 
So much of parenting is about modeling behavior. And though Laurel is a ways away from having her own phone, I know she is well aware of my phone and my behavior with it. And this is what the 
Today, 
Today, 
I didn’t plan on this being sexual health education day, but it seemed only fitting to follow my 
This past summer I responded to an invitation to submit an idea for an episode of 
In light of September being National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, today, 
Laurel has always been a creature of habit. Her within-day care class transitions always were hard so I thought I was ready for a challenging transition to kindergarten. Turns out I wasn’t prepared for the impassioned sobbing of “I don’t want to go to kindergarten, I want to stay home with you!” (both awake and even in her sleep one night), the magnitude of her distress at drop off, or heart wrenching comments such as “Mommy, you’re so smart you could teach me everything I need to know. PLEASE let me stay home with you.” Not surprisingly, we’ve been scrambling to cope; I wanted to share tactics that have been effective for us this week, plus some great suggestions I received from folks via 
Today, parent educator 
Today, 
Today 
Today, 
Today, parent educator 
My writing has taken me down memory lane recently, and I wanted to share two external posts that are relevant for parents, regarding the lessons we learn and pass on to our kids. I guest posted today at the 
Today, 
I'm a tad remiss in reporting, but wanted to share some recent kind media mentions. A couple of weeks ago I was quoted in Joanna Weiss’s Boston Globe feature on 
In May I signed on as a 
Today, 
Today, 
Today, parent educator 
In response to an invitation to submit an idea for an episode of 
Today, 
In my 
This past Saturday was remarkable in that: a) Laurel happily attended a drop-off playgroup with a group of kids she largely was unfamiliar with (she tends to turn reticent around strangers, even little ones); and b) the playgroup essentially was organized and hosted by a 9-year-old (supervised, of course). This concept was fantastic for several reasons: it offered the families of the young guests a means for socialization and separation, it provided a way to teach an older kid about responsibility and earning money, and it gave me food for thought as I mull how we’ll handle the whole new ball game that will be kindergarten, with its vacation stretches and early school pick up days.
Nine years ago today, my hair was in a seemingly impossible up-do of loops and pearl pins, the sun was shining brightly and the ground had miraculously dried out after a huge rainstorm the previous night, and I was about an hour shy of getting married. Not surprisingly, I’m feeling a bit reflective today, so I thought I’d share some lessons (nine of them, actually) I have learned over the last nine years. I hope some of these are helpful to you; if you have other family or partner lessons to share, please feel free to comment in below.
I’ve palpably felt the heat of fireworks in the blogosphere lately, no doubt due at least in part to reactions to a certain family reality show, the tension that can come from stratifying moms via 
Last night I visited WGBH for a preview of 
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being in on an 
Today, 
Today, parent educator 
Growing up, people often commented (somewhat inappropriately it occurs to me...) that I didn’t look like either of my parents (in the way my six siblings distinctly do). But I’ve always definitely felt like my mother’s daughter, so I couldn’t resist participating in the 
Today, 
Once upon a time I was financially savvy. My checkbook was perfectly balanced, I paid off my school loans well in advance, and I did my own taxes. Then as the years passed and Laurel entered our lives, it was all about divide and conquer; I focused on domestic jobs and Jon took over the finances. And then one day I realized I was an independent businesswoman absurdly paralyzed by the prospect of dealing with my finances.
I’m thrilled to introduce new contributing writer 
Today, 
Today, parent educator 
Planning a homebirth? Today, 
Welcome to 
Let go of mom guilt with 
I've recently had the honor and pleasure of conducting some really lovely interviews, and last week I sat down for a one-on-two chat with 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto before they led a skating clinic at the Simoni Arena in Cambridge. Read on for my interview, in which I talk with this personable duo about everything from competitions, to shows, to tips for skating safely with kids, to important advice for parents who are enrolling their kids in any types of lessons, to why Boston ranks among Tanith’s favorite cities. (Visit 
Following my 
And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:
Today, 
After posting about