Today, Katy shares 7 tips for coping with nighttime fears:

We're a little sensitive around the dark and night time at my house, and I've been looking for ways to deal with bedtime and late night anxiety. With all of our many sleep travails, we have a veritable library of advice books on sleep in general, including numerous chapters on fear of the dark and going to sleep when nighttime is scary; our own pediatrician has weighed in as well. Here's what we've taken away (and ignored!) from the legions on this topic:

Today, contributing writer Carole Arsenault (of Boston Baby Nurse) shares about the benefits of skin-to-skin contact.

You may have heard of the fourth trimester. It's the idea that the first 3 months of life are very much an extension of life in the womb for the baby. While you are adjusting both mentally and physically from pregnancy and birth, your baby is transitioning to life outside of the womb.

Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares ideas for managing screen time for kids: Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to effectively limit screen time for my toddler. We managed to keep his life screen-free for his first 12 months, but as he gets older, it's becoming increasingly difficult, especially now that he's more verbal about his wishes, strong-willed, and adept at manipulating electronic devices on his own (I'm not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed that he's mastered the Apple swipe!).

I haven't been in a rush to potty train Violet, partly because my brain has been consumed by other things and partly because in some ways, diapers are sooo easy. But once Vi started insisting on wearing Laurel's underpants over her diapers I figured, OK, it's time. And it's been shockingly easy. Like, basically done in a weekend! For those of you thinking about or ready to take the plunge, I wanted to share 8 tips for less stress, less mess potty training:

Friends, it's hard for me to believe that at this time a year ago I was preparing to travel to Ethiopia with ONE Moms. The journey impacted me in so many ways and today I want to announce a very special fundraiser that Asha and I have coordinated to benefit Women At Risk, an organization that helps Ethiopian women lift themselves out of prostitution by providing them with practical support, job training, and viable employment. (We met women who have benefited from this program during our site visit to the amazing fashionABLE...see photos below.)

Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares tips for welcoming tortoises as pets: Our problem: The kids were begging for a pet. We wanted them to have one, but I'm allergic to everything with fur and feathers. What were we do to? Our solution came in the form of a tortoise. According to a breeder I met, tortoises know their names. They respond when petted. They're curious and communicative. They're non-allergenic! My family recently added two young redfoot tortoises to our household, and we couldn't be happier.

Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares tips for coping with movie-related stress and bad behavior: Have you taken your kids to a summer blockbuster and later wished you hadn't? Welcome to the club. Movies are a fun treat, but they can cause stress--even those rated G and PG. I don't know about you, but I cringe when my kids see bad behavior on screen and cringe even more when they start acting out the bad behavior at home. Here are methods we've developed for coping with the aftermath of an otherwise fun family movie experience:

As I mentioned last week, I've been reflecting a lot on goals lately. Many people ask me how I get things done. Part of it is purely tactical and related to my work style; I just happen to be good at mapping out a workflow and powering through the steps needed to get from point A to B. But there are a lot of other things I've learned along the way that help me tackle goals (like a boss, in fact...). I wanted to share them with you today.

Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares ideas for fun activities grandparents and kids can enjoy together: Many of us have plans to bring our kids to visit their grandparents sometime during the summer. Sometimes it can be challenging to bridge the generation gap and figure out what to do together, particularly if the two generations haven't had much face time, whether due to distance or other factors. Here are 10 activities to help break the ice and help grandparents and kids enjoy quality time together and develop strong intergenerational bonds.

Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares tips for helping kids with the sadness of saying goodbye to a beloved teacher (also see this post on coping with end of year transitions): Do you remember your favorite teachers from when you were a kid? Were you sad to leave them at the end of the school year? The close of school is a bittersweet time because of goodbyes, but it's especially hard for kids to leave teachers they've grown to love. Here are techniques my family has developed to help our kids take those first steps out of the classroom and into summer even if they're feeling sad.

Despite what the Wall Street Journal might think (or rather, portray for the sake of a traffic spike), mommy blogger conferences like Mom 2.0 are not about sleeping in and draining the minibar. In fact, I slept very little and I'm not even sure whether our room had a minibar. Why? Because instead of sleeping and/or draining the minibar, I spent my time soaking in the incredibly talented and brilliant people who attended this conference. I left with a notebook full of professional (yes, Wall Street Journal, professional) ideas, and five life lessons I wanted to share with all of you; they're relevant for everyone.