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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine

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• While You Were Out TLC  When my eldest daughter was little, she had the worst diaper rash I had ever seen. I tried a multitude of products and nothing seemed to help. I hadn't even heard of Boudreaux's Butt Paste back then.  I did buy some for my BFF's baby shower, I stuck it in the diaper cake. I have to admit, I mainly bought it because the name made me giggle. Now that her sweet little baby is here, my BFF says she loves the way the paste gives a nice even cover over her baby's bum bum. I wish I would have found this for my daughter, oh well, at least now I know if I have another.I know I have a lot of readers with little ones or little ones on the way.You can even try this great product for FREE HERE 

How to Help Your Child Conquer Shyness

I completely understand the effects of shyness on people in general and children specifically. I was very shy as a child and my timidity lasted well into my adulthood. I remember as a child wanting to participate in various activities, but did not because of fear. Although timidity is quite common place, it is imperative that it is kept in check, in order to ensure it is not hindering your child's social development. As a timid child, I often wish someone would recognize the issue and help me. Here are some tips to aid in assisting your Child in Conquering Shyness.

1. Compliment them: Reinforce the Positive

Most kids are shy as a result of negative thinking. They are thinking they are not good enough. They feel as everyone will laugh if they make a mistake. It is necessary to reinforce their positive attributes. Give them compliments as much as possible and be sincere.

2. Teach them: Communication is Key

Let them know it is okay to say "hello" to others. To ask "How are you doing?" Give practical advice such as showing sincerity and listening attentively. Even allow them to see you communicate with someone you do not know well. Let them know it is okay to inquire of other's interests.

3. Help them: Locate their interests

It is important to find out a timid child's interests. In some cases, some may need assistance in discovering their interests. Look for various activities in school and the community. Encourage your child to be a participant in them.

4. Notice them

Shy children have a tendency to endure unmet needs. Everyone wants to feel as if they are special, loved and that they belong. Set aside time each day to talk with your child. Discuss the day's events and their reactions/feelings toward them. It is extremely important that you make them feel valid and loved.

Timidity is very prevalent in our society. However, it is necessary to overcome in order to live a fulfilling life. It is even better if the issue of timidity is conquered at a young age.

Monique Willis invites parents to help their timid children become bold and active. Read "How to Help Your Child Overcome Shyness" and a wealth of other resources to aid in your child's social and academic development at http://www.tutorfi.com.
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Guest post from Author R.C. Ryan

I had five children in nine years. When my husband and I married young, we both wanted a big family. Once the babies started coming, we had to grow up quickly. I learned, after the birth of my first baby, that I'd had no idea how much work I would do until I quit work to stay home and raise a family.

Let's talk multi-tasking. Mothers are experts at doing laundry, folding towels while listening to a child's faltering words as he learns to read, watching the clock while dinner cooks and helping a cranky child figure out homework in those first semesters of algebra; drive a son to basketball practice, drop off another at Scouting, and a third child at dance class, while trying to figure out the decorations for a five-year old's birthday party the following weekend.

When I started writing, I began with an hour a day. That was all the time I could afford in my crazy schedule. When I finally sold my first book and had a contract for another, I started setting my alarm for 4:00 am, so that I could have two hours of uninterrupted work before starting my 'real day'. That gradually grew to another 2 hours at night after helping the kids with their homework, cleaning up the kitchen, packing lunches for the next school day, and tucking them all into bed.

My kids are grown now, and my days are somewhat easier. I can work in my home office 9 to 5, and still have energy left over to be a wife. But I'm thankful for the lessons I was forced to learn by being an overworked mother of five. These were grand life-lessons that will stay with me forever. We women rock. We rule. And we're the queens of organization.

R. C. Ryan

Visit her Blog Tour & 5 Book Giveaway on Mommy Reads too Much

A Hidden Cause of Obesity

By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD,
Co-Author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
I know it does no good to shout at a TV screen but I do it anyway. Watching advertisements for upcoming specials on "obesity in America" or "best diet tips" or "the best way to fight weight gain" provokes my on-going one-sided argument.

When I see doctors such as Dr. Oz or Dr. Gupta talk about weight-loss interventions and offer their support to individuals on their long journey to weight loss, I keep hoping they will at least occasionally focus on those individuals who gained weight from their medications. They never do. That is a real problem. For the 25% of the population whose use of antidepressants is causing them to gain weight, the doctors' wise and supportive words are irrelevant. Even the Queen of Weight-Loss Discussions, Oprah, has not addressed this serious issue and the silence from other media such as women's magazines is overwhelming. Yet it has been years since the SSRI's have been identified with weight gain and at least 40 years since drugs like lithium and the early group of antidepressants were known to be associated with obesity.

Discussions about antidepressants and weight gain are all over the Internet, from scholarly articles listing the many drugs that cause weight gain to blogs by those who are experiencing obesity from their use. Typical is one I came across on the website All Experts asking about the use of an amphetamine-like drug, phentermine, for weight loss. The female writer said she took phentermine and lost weight but stopped the drug because she needed to go on an antidepressant. She took Lexapro and gained 35 pounds, stopped that, started Prozac and gained another l0 pounds. Her desperation at gaining so much weight caused her to quit the antidepressants to go back on the amphetamine-like drug. She said her family is begging her to go back on her antidepressants and she wants to know if she can take phentermine along with her serotonin reuptake blocker, Prozac. According to the pharmacist-expert, she can't. The FDA prohibits combining an amphetamine-like drug such as phentermine with an SSRI because it might lead to serious illness or even death. The writer is clearly upset by the answer and it is possible she will still take the phentermine because losing weight is more critical than a possible lethal side effect. Her problem, which is so typical of many on similar drugs, is greeted by silence from media experts on obesity.

What is equally upsetting about our national discussions on obesity is the finger pointing at someone who is 100 or more pounds heavier than he or she should because of treatment with mood stabilizers or atypical antipsychotics. We see someone morbidly obese and immediately assume that the individual is obese because of bad food choices, eating too much and lack of exercise. We don't understand that the individual may have been thin before going on the medication, and may have always eaten healthily and exercised. Unless we are on similar medications ourselves, we would not know how it feels to have an antidepressant or mood stabilizer take away our control over eating and leave us so tired we cannot bring ourselves to exercise. Medication-generated weight gain is almost never acknowledged in the seemingly endless national discussions about the obesity epidemic, in the monthly magazine diets or the seasonal focus on weight-loss by television's medical experts.

The lack of attention paid to this problem in the media has led some, like the overweight blogger, to seek out solutions such as taking drugs that are potentially dangerous. Others may despair at following the diet advice given on television and in magazines because much of it doesn't work for people on antidepressants. And some, of course, will give up their medications because the emotional pain of being obese is worse than the emotional pain of depression.

Yet the solution to losing weight while on antidepressants is easy and simple. It simply requires knowing that brain serotonin does more than regulate mood. It also regulates appetite.

When enough serotonin is made, eating stops. Drugs such as the SSRI's may promote the activity of mood-enhancing serotonin but for reasons we do not understand the same drugs may prevent the activity of the class of serotonin that enhances satiety. Giving more drugs to shut off the appetite is not possible because there are no drugs right now that are safe and effective.

Decades ago, MIT researchers showed that consuming carbohydrates without protein triggers the production of serotonin. When this happens food intake slows down or stops. The solution to losing weight on antidepressants is to eat snacks or meals based on non-fruit carbohydrate like pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, cereal, and cornmeal. These foods, by eliciting normal insulin secretion, increase the amount of tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is an amino acid that goes into the production of serotonin. Once made, serotonin increases satiety and turns off the urge to eat anymore. We utilized this approach in a hospital-based weight-loss center whose patients had gained weight on antidepressants, mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotic medication. (This is described in our book, The Serotonin Power Diet.) Unlike phentermine or other drugs that may cause serious side effects, the only side effect from using carbohydrate as an appetite suppressant is weight loss.

© 2010 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
Author Bio
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies. She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

For more information, please visit www.SerotoninPowerDiet.com.

Remove Pesticides from Fruits and Vegetables

To remove pesticides, bacteria, and dirt form the surface of smooth skinned vegetables and fruits, mix one part lemon juice or white or distilled vinegar to three parts tap water. Apply with a spray bottle and let sit for one minute. Rinse with cool water and dry completely before storing.
Learn more tips like this from 101 Things I learned in Culinary School
3 Book Giveaway on Mommy Reads too Much.

“My Mini Moment” contest, what's yours?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dove Ice Cream. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I saw this contest I instantly thought This is what Taking Time for Mommy is all about. How moms need to take and cherish those little moments, our little moments, every chance we get! How do you take yours? I celebrate with a good book, chocolate, a glass of wine, playing in my garden... How about you?
DOVE® Ice Cream Miniatures has launched the “My Mini Moment” contest. DOVE® Ice Cream is asking women to share their favorite mini moment of escape and one lucky winner could win one of 3 sensational mini-grand prizes: a mini-getaway to Napa Valley, Spa services for a year or a mini-home makeover. Women need to submit a photo and short essay at DoveIceCream.com/myminimoment by June 7, 2010 (include attached photo of contest microsite)
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“Me-time” is important to the Dove consumers, so DOVE® Ice Cream Miniatures conducted a survey of over 400 mothers and an astonishing 70 percent of these ultimate multi-taskers are taking time for themselves each day. I for one, think that's how we keep our sanity! The "My Mini Moment" contest celebrates these cherished moments.
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Tips For Giving Meds to Kids

Sometimes a child needs to be administered some medicine, but often kids are unwilling to take it. The following is a list of tips for giving meds to kids:

Tip one: Don't tell them it is candy. If you do, you run the risk of your child overdosing on the medication, or wanting it when they are not feeling ill. Lying to your child is not a good idea, so make sure that you give them medication under no false pretenses. It is best to let them know that they are sick, and that it will help them to feel better.

Tip two: Make it easy to get in. One of the problems with medication is that it can be difficult for the child to take; a child is not easily able to swallow a pill. So, choosing chewable tablets, or liquid medication can really help. For infants younger than six months, a syringe or calibrated eyedropper does well. For older, choose a method that will work for them.

Tip three: Choose medicine that appeals to them. If your child does not like cherry flavoring, don't try and give them cherry medication. Most medicines come in a variety of flavors, from bubblegum to grape, and more.

Tip four: Give your child some control and choices. Most children do not like to be forced to do anything, especially not when it is something like taking medicine. If you give them a bit of a choice, there is a much better chance that they will take their medication. For example, you can say, "When do you want to take it? Now? Or, after lunch?" You can say things like, "Which color of medicine would you like?" This will give them a small choice to make, and help them feel more in control, and thus more willing to comply with what you want.

Tip five: Show them how to take medicine by example. Often a child fears taking medicine because it is unknown to them, so a better option is to let them see you taking medicine. You can simply take a multi-vitamin, or calcium chew; it does not have to be actual prescription or medicine, it just has to be something that your child can see you take so that they feel comfortable taking their medication as well.

When giving a child medicine it is important to make sure that they eat it, but to also follow the dosing and instructions. Make sure they take it with food if they need to. Make sure you do not open pills and mix it with food unless it says you can. Never try and trick your child into taking medication or they will think that it is something they don't want to do and that is why you have to trick them. Help them understand it, and make it as tasty and appealing as possible.

Beverly Frank is mom to two young kids and a writer. Visit http://www.surfnetparents.com for more parenting advice and ideas.
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Chocolate, Depression and PMS

By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD,
Co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
A research team from San Diego reported recently that people who are depressed eat more chocolate than non-depressed individuals. Although this news might surprise men, any woman who has experienced premenstrual syndrome takes this for granted. PMS and chocolate cravings go together like peanut butter and jelly or fireworks and the 4th of July. An editor of a woman's magazine told me years ago that she always knew when she was premenstrual because she was unable to walk by a gourmet chocolate shop next to her office without going in and buying a large chocolate bar. "The crankiness, fatigue, confusion and depression come later on," she told me. "The craving for chocolate is always there first. I remember once longing for a chocolate ice cream while sitting through a formal three-course dinner and after-dinner speaker. The food served at the meal did not tempt me at all but as soon as I could leave, I headed for the nearest ice cream shop. Sure enough, I was premenstrual."

The association between chocolate craving and premenstrual syndrome has been known for decades and theories promoted to explain this relationship tended toward the fanciful or bizarre: hysterical personality, malfunction of the reproductive organs or water on the brain. Moreover, because doctors noted that the women eating the chocolate were bad-tempered, depressed or confused, they concluded that the chocolate was making them that way. As recently as 10 to 15 years ago, chocolate-craving premenstrual women were told that eating chocolate, and indeed any sweet food, would make their moods worse and to eat only fruits, vegetables and lean protein. This advice can still be found in some women's health and fitness magazines. Not only is it wrong but any premenstrual women who follows it will gnash her teeth over being denied her chocolate.

There is a good reason why women with PMS go out in a blizzard to get chocolate or eat a dinner of melted chocolate on a chocolate brownie sitting on chocolate ice cream. The chocolate was making them feel better, not worse.

The improvement in mood is due to chocolate's substantial sugar content and, to a small extent, the caffeine-like ingredient is also contains. Because chocolate has a creamy texture, we are unaware of how much sugar it contains. But anybody who has accidentally mistaken baking chocolate for the eating kind knows the difference; baking chocolate is incredibly bitter. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate and when sugar of any carbohydrate, except that found in fruit, is eaten without protein, the body responds by making new serotonin in the brain. To be sure the flavor and mouth-feel of chocolate starts the eater on the road to a good mood. But the immediate sensations on the taste buds quickly disappear, whereas the relief from irritation, agitation and fatigue may last for a couple of hours.

Several years ago at the MIT clinical research center, we carried out some extremely complicated studies with premenstrual women to show scientifically that eating a brownie or even a bowl of starchy carbohydrate like cornflakes relieves that mood and eating disturbances of PMS. To begin with, we found that normal weight women may increase their calorie intake by more than 1100 calories a day when they are premenstrual compared to when they are in the first half of their menstrual cycle. And to no one's surprise, these calories came from sweet and starchy snacks and starchy meal food, and not from chicken, fish or cottage cheese. We also found the anger, confusion, depression, anxiety and cravings of PMS became more tolerable after women consumed a beverage containing a mixture of carbohydrates. When they drank a beverage containing protein, there was no improvement in how they felt. They did not know what they were drinking and the two beverages tasted exactly the same.

For reasons we still don't understand, hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle affect serotonin activity. This also may be true for women who are pre-menopausal. When our premenstrual volunteers ate carbohydrates, their brain cells made more serotonin and this chemical messenger brought the women back to feeling normal. An extra bonus was that they lost their intense cravings for carbohydrate so those who were trying to lose weight felt their appetite was under control.

Just to be sure that serotonin was the main actor in all this, we also carried out more studies with one of the antidepressant drugs that activated serotonin. We found that a short bout of treatment with the drug improved the moods of women who had severe PMS and this actually led to drug companies using some antidepressants for the extreme form of this disorder.

Obviously someone on a diet, or even not on a diet, cannot live on a meal plan consisting of chocolate Cheerios for breakfast, a chocolate bar between two slices of bread for dinner (they do eat this in Switzerland) and a bowl of hot fudge sauce for dinner when she has PMS.

But as long as portion control is monitored, fat is decreased as much as possible (for example, fat-free fudge sauce) and a vitamin pill is taken, no real nutritional harm will come from a once-a-month indulgence in this wonderful mood food. However, all carbohydrates except fructose (fruit sugar) will produce the same beneficial effect on premenstrual mood. If you find that your mood is bearable in the early part of the day but intolerable by afternoon eat your protein, vegetables and dairy products for breakfast and lunch and switch to carbohydrates from 3 pm on. This way your nutritional and emotional needs will be met. Rather than dreading PMS, think about chocolate and look forward to it.

© 2010 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain
Author Bio
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies. She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

For more information, please visit www.SerotoninPowerDiet.com.