-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

I feel very fortunate that I have a fair amount of control over my work schedule (just one of the perks of owning my own business!). I decided that at 37 weeks pregnant I would slow my schedule down and stop teaching my regularly scheduled prenatal and postnatal classes. This has been a very hard decision since I enjoy my work and also feel the pressure and responsibility to stay involved. I consider myself one of the lucky ones to even have a say in this matter. For many women, choosing their work schedule is not an option, and the majority of students that come through the PYC work right up until they give birth. This common occurrence in our work-driven culture often leaves women fatigued and stressed right before the grand act of giving birth.

Why is this a problem?
If the body is in a state of stress and sustained fatigue, adrenaline levels will be high, therefore not allowing for the natural, uninhibited flow of oxytocin – the hormone responsible for creating uterine contractions. This can result in inadequate contractions leading to a longer labor. Starting labor feeling stressed and fatigued also puts the mother at a disadvantage since laboring and delivering a baby takes a lot of energy and hard work. For those moms that are just finishing a tough day and hoping for a good night sleep (and let’s face it – at the end of the 3rd trimester, is there really such a thing as a good night’s sleep?), you may be slightly unhappy to learn that the most common time for labor to start is in the middle of the night. This is when the mother is most relaxed, in a place where she feels safe and comfortable, and oxytocin levels are at their peak.

What to do if you don’t have a choice with work schedule?
If your schedule is not flexible towards the end of your pregnancy and does not allow for time off, here are a few ideas that will only take a short amount of time, but can still offer you the benefit of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.

• Take a prenatal yoga class, which promotes relaxation. Prenatal yoga classes typically include an active section as well as restorative poses that can help you relax. If prenatal yoga classes are not available in your area, online videos or dvds can be a good option. (The PYC site has 3 free videos you can watch!)
• Schedule down time. Even if that means just a 20 min bath or getting a relaxing massage or pedicure.
• Try meditating or deep breathing relaxation. Meditation is different than just “relaxing” in that it focuses more specifically on training the mind into stillness through contemplation, concentration, and mindfulness. This “stilling” of the mind can help the meditator step away from the nagging thoughts and “to-do” lists that accumulate in our minds.

Deep-belly breathing promotes the function of the parasympathetic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is divided into two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (the fight-or-flight response), and the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest-and-relax response). The body responds to the parasympathetic nervous system by slowing the heart rate, decreasing blood pressure while increasing the release of endorphins, which cultivates relaxation and strength.

• Plan about 10-20 minutes a day to reconnect with your partner. During this time you can work on relaxation techniques or visualizations that you may want to use in labor. Or, simply spend this time just cuddling or lying down together. It’s unlikely that you’ll have this kind of time after the baby is born.
• Step away from the computer and phone at night so you are well rested.
• Enjoy activities that release oxytocin. Oxytocin eases stress and anxiety. The oxytocin response can also prime the brain to react more calmly to future stress just by thinking of those we love, scientists say. According to researcher Phil Shaver of the University of California-Davis, the chemical release in the brain that this simple action causes acts as a stress buffer before it even occurs.

So make plans to hang out with friends or your partner. Don’t forget, oxytocin is also known as the “love hormone” since it is at a very high level during orgasm.

Hopefully this list of ideas for how to bring some relaxation into your days leading up to the birth of your child has at least one option that is doable. My personal theory is, I better get some rest before the baby comes, because it is unlikely that I will get much rest afterwards.

Sources
Encyclopedia of Stress, Volume 3 by Academic Press
Varney’s Midwifery 4th Edition by Helen Varney, Jan M Kriebs, Carolyn L Gegor
http://oxytocincentral.com/2011/03/oxytocin-eases-stress-and-anxiety/#more-913

By Debra Flashenberg, CD(DONA), LCCE and CitiScoop’s Support Doula and Prenatal Yoga Expert

There are so many options when it comes to giving your children allowance and some ways may work for one family but not for another. The key is to find what works best for you and your family. Aaron Goldschmidt, Citibabes’ Head Teacher and CitiCamp Director, shares some tips for setting up allowance guidelines with your children.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

There is a lot of discourse as to when to start allowance with children. As an educator, I believe that as soon as a child is old enough to start asking for things at the store, they are old enough to earn an allowance and begin to lean about money management.

There are two different schools of thought on allowance. The first is that children earn a base amount that is handed over each week, on time, no questions asked. It says that you should not make allowance behavior based or use it as a reward or punishment. This school of thought suggests that in addition to the base allowance, each job or chore asked of the child has a price attached to it and this gets accumulated and paid out on a set schedule.

The other side believes that money earned by a child is based on the completion of daily household responsibilities and the maintaining of an appropriate attitude. Allowance is or is not paid out each week based on completion of set rules and responsibilities as denoted on a responsibility calendar.

The system I have created for families is somewhere in between and I believe meshes with the lifestyle and family dynamics of our community. It consists of a Monday through Friday based allowance schedule where the children will earn money each day as if being paid out on a job. The job is based on a combination of household responsibilities and general expectations of behavior and attitude.

It can be up to individual families how much each child should earn per day or week. One suggestion is to give them an amount in dollars per week that equals their age. Each evening before bed it will be noted with a sticker on a responsibility calendar whether or not the child, ultimately based on the decision of the parents, earned their daily allowance. Of course, this can be discussed if the children disagree. Constructive dialogue is encouraged but it cannot be fought. If the children do not receive allowance, the reason will be noted on their calendar in lieu of a sticker.

Responsibilities are expected to be completed every day of the week, including the weekends as determined by parents. On weekends, certain expectations can be slightly different than those of the school week. The same goes for vacation although it is important to make understood that certain rules and responsibilities apply everywhere, all the time. If there was particularly positive or negative behavior over the weekend, it should be noted on the calendar and will affect long-term rewards and consequences.

It is important to note that allowance doesn’t mean you can’t buy things for your children. It also doesn’t mean they can’t earn extra money for specialty jobs asked of them. As children start to want big ticket items or become more motivated by money, it is ok to use it as an incentive to take on additional responsibilities. If they earn extra money from a job, that can be noted on the calendar and paid out in addition to allowance on payday.

But in order for this to work it is crucial that you hand over a thoughtful, realistic list of things for which you will no longer be paying and what you expect your child to pay for. Additionally, it is very important to pay on time every week. By not paying on time, you teach your children that we can be late paying our bills. In order to teach them to value and be responsible with money, you must do the same. I suggest tallying up the daily stickers and paying every Friday before bed or Saturday before you leave the house for the day.

In this system, I encourage families to set-up three banks: one for spending, one for saving, and one for giving (charity). Usually 10-20% of their allowance should be contributed to saving (for items more expensive than their weekly allowance) and another 10-20% for giving. I believe that children must contribute money to charity whether they earned $25, $5, or no money over the week. A helpful website that can help you keep track of these three bank balances is threejars.com. Once the monetary amount of what is in the charity bank is significant, each child can help to determine how it gets used with the help of an adult.

Remember to gently remind children about a rule if it is being broken or a responsibility that isn’t being fulfilled, but don’t threaten with allowance money or what they will or won’t get.  Children are children and forgetfulness, emotional outbursts, and disagreements will happen. It is our job to teach them to be open to discussing things in a mature and proactive manner. We must lead by example.

By Aaron Goldschmidt, Head Teacher & CitiCamp Director, Citibabes

As Jacoba Urist, Esq., Citibabes member and “The Happiest Parent” explains, you can start with something as small as being aware that your spending is setting an example for your children. Follow some of the tips from last week’s CitiScoop article “Saving Green by Going Green,” and explain to your children how the things you buy can affect your environment as well as your bank account. You can also work on explaining the difference between “needing” and “wanting” something. This is also a good practice for you as a parent to work on. Do you really “need” that afternoon cup of coffee or do you simply “want” it?

Remember that the topic of money and finances doesn’t have to be verboten in your family. Sharing stories and simple age-appropriate information with your children are some of the best ways to teach your little ones about money.  

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

Well here we are, on the other side of all the holiday fun and festivities, and it’s back to life as normal. Or is it? For many of us January is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start – and what better time than right now, to start really teaching your children the value of a saving for the future, especially in today’s topsy-turvy climate.

Know how children will quickly mimic any slightly off-color word or funny phrase that slips out of your mouth? Well, the way you handle your finances makes an equally strong impression on them too, and it’s never too early to start raising your child to be a financially fluent, healthy and well-balanced teenager and young adult.

1. Spend Like You’re Setting An Example

Because, you are.

Your children may inherit your eyes, your laugh, even your fondness for techno music – but they’ll also get a lot of the hang-ups and unresolved issues you may have about money if you don’t get a handle on your spending now.

Every time you place too much emotional weight on something you pick up at a department store or order online, you’re teaching them how to be a happy person – and that a material good can fill an internal void. If you “have to have” a new dress for every wedding or event you attend, or constantly need the latest gadget every time something new hits the market or generally spend a lot of your energy and resources “redoing” and “upgrading,” they’ll get the message. Actions speak way louder than words, so show your children what a responsible relationship with money looks every time you whip out that wallet or talk about something you absolutely need.

Speaking of, if you want to raise a financially healthy and happy child you have to make sure they start understanding the difference between want and need, as soon as possible. Adults who have the most spending problems often have tremendous trouble separating the two, and no parent would ever want their grown-up son or daughter to be buried under credit card debt.

We have a toddler, Wilson, and we’ve already started drawing the distinction in concrete, real-time applications whenever we can. For example, last week on vacation, we explained that you might like an ice cream cone, Wilson, but we need to stop and fill up the tank right now or we will run out of gas.

2. Tell Good Stories

As soon as your children get a little older, I recommend telling meaningful stories about working and saving – the funnier or more detailed the better. Stay away from life lesson-type lectures about the value of a dollar (I even remember tuning out as soon as my mom or dad employed a certain tone about something). What did make a lasting impression: the stories my dad told us about arriving at his Yale dorm with only a small duffle while so many other students had cars full of new stuff, and how he no money for any of his required textbooks. He’d stay at the library until the last possible minute to use their copies for his reading – and all he wanted for his four children was the luxury of “fresh books” as he called them, so we could highlight with reckless abandon.

I won’t be able to tell Wilson the same stories (my father did provide each of us with “fresh books” and then some), but I can tell him about my numerous part-time jobs (or his father’s at Taco Bell and one super hot summer on the back of a Coca-Cola truck). We were both expected to earn a decent chunk of our “spending money” – a lesson that taught me what it really means to save up for something.  And stories about what a bad barista I was (I could never keep the decaf and caf straight!) or how many orders my husband messed up at the drive-thru are much more powerful ways to teach Wilson about money than periodic, formal sit-downs about what it means to work towards a financial goal.

3. Break the Big Taboo

Last but not least, don’t make money a taboo subject in your family. Talk about how much things cost. If you think a toy or a restaurant or a ski trip is too expensive, it’s okay to say so. Engage your children about money in a practical, honest, and age-appropriate way. We often have Wilson count out dollar bills or change with us to pay for small items when we’re out doing errands together. Money truly is a fact of life and the sooner a child develops an understanding of it in their daily routine, the more on track he or she will be for a healthy long-term relationship with their finances.

By Jacoba Urist, Esq., Citibabes Member, and “The Happiest Parent”

One resolution that can be shared with the whole family is striving to be more “green.” Amanda Moore, eco-friendly interior designer at Baby Green, shares a few ways to help you get started and shows that being green is not only better for the environment but better for your bank account as well.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

Sure, some eco-friendly choices still carry a premium (e.g.: a can of zero VOC paint has a slightly higher price tag than its conventional latex counterpart), but there is also a growing list of green choices that us parents can make daily that actually save money. As a mom and green living advocate, here are my trusted top 5 penny savers, proving that ecological and economical can go hand-in-hand.

Reusable Snack Bags

If I used a Ziploc baggie every time I packed up a snack for an outing or my son’s school lunch, I estimate that I’d be using 400+ bags per year. A 50-count box of Ziploc bags goes for around $3 and that adds up fast! Itzy Ritzy’s zippered cloth snack bags come in adorable patterns, are washable and cost $9.99 each, affording years of reuse (not to mention the plastic waste they keep out of landfills). (Note: we also use a lot of lidded glass containers for lunch and snacks which last longer than their plastic counterparts but tend to cost more upfront.)

Refillable Water Bottles

Since I make my son’s lunch and afternoon snack every day, it’s tempting to rely on the convenience of juice boxes. But when I considered that those clever boxes were costing me as much as 5¢ more per ounce, I quickly realized the advantage of using bottles like those in SIGG’s kid collection. I pack one with water in the lunch box and one with juice for snack time, saving at least a dollar a day!

Filtered Water vs. Bottled Water

Drinking filtered water over tap water is undoubtedly the healthier choice, but some households opt for the ease of bottled water which carries a pricey premium (on your wallet and the on planet’s resources). Using drinking glasses and refillable bottles with a filtration pitcher like Shaklee’s Get Clean Water system saves hundreds! (If a 24 pack of 16.9 fl oz bottles costs $15.99, one $22.35 filter would purify $399 worth of bottled water!)

Ban Wrapping Paper

One of the most wasteful traditions out there, beautiful papers adorn thoughtful gifts and get ripped off in seconds by the recipient, going right into the trash. In my household, we save the craft paper bunched up in our monthly vitamin shipment, magazines, newspapers, and anything that can be colored, stamped, glittered, or painted and we make our own wrapping paper for all gifts. I haven’t bought wrapping paper in years so I don’t even know what it costs or what I’m saving, but I’m sure it’s a pretty penny (pun intended!). If you can’t fathom the DIY route, there are many beautiful recycled wrapping paper options out there, although they won’t save you as much money. Either way, if you have a paper shredder, old wrappings can be transformed into box packing materials in an instant which keeps them out of landfills for a little longer and saves on the expense of other less desirable shipping materials.

Reduce

The keystone of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra, we all know that reduction is certainly a powerful money saver. And it all starts in our everyday lives: driving less, turning electronics off when not in use, running dish and laundry loads only when full, shorter showers and turning faucets off while brushing teeth are all easy way to save on utility and transportation bills every year.

By Amanda Moore, Eco-friendly Interior Designer, Baby Green

Amanda Moore has been an eco-friendly interior designer since opening the doors of her own Manhattan studio in 2001, working with celebrities and private clients from coast to coast, helping clients achieve their own innate style in spaces that are as harmonious with nature as possible. When her own son was born in 2005, she renewed her desire to specialize in healthy spaces for families and continues with this specialty through Baby Green, based in Long Beach, NY.  Moore is also a writer and professional home organizer.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

BOOK:  Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barette

AGES: 2+ years

MATERIALS:

• Book
• Objects that represent things to be thankful for (fall leaves, school items, musical instruments, toys, etc.)
• Variety of art supplies for drawing activity

DESCRIPTION: From fall leaves and school to turkey and pie, there is so much to appreciate during Thanksgiving. Take a journey with the children of this book as they explore all they are thankful for – especially family.

BEFORE YOU READ:  Set the stage for this story by displaying a variety of items that represent something to be thankful for. This can include fall leaves, a picture of your family, school items like books or pencils, musical instruments, and even toys.

PROCEDURE: Engage your child in a discussion surrounding the items you displayed. Pose questions like:

• What are each of these items?
• How can they be used?
• How do they relate to Thanksgiving?
• Do you think the children in the story are thankful for some of these items as well? Let’s read to find out more!

DURING THE READING:

• Present the cover of the book to your children. Point to the title of the story and read it aloud as your finger follows the print. Do the same with the author and illustrator.  Explain that the author writes the words in a book and the illustrator draws the pictures.  In this case, the author is a girl (Julie) and so is the illustrator (Doris).
• Ask your children to look at the illustrations/pictures on the cover. What do they think the story might be about? Allow them to make several predictions and ask them why they think that. Use positive reinforcement techniques by saying: “Yes, I like how you use the title, Thanks for Thanksgiving, and the picture on the cover to guess that this book might be about what happens on Thanksgiving.” This develops children’s awareness that titles and illustrations are important cues to note when trying to comprehend a story.
• Begin reading the story to your children. Pause at appropriate points in the story and engage them in the illustrations or what they think might happen next. Ask them questions that might help them relate to how the characters are feeling or if they have experienced similar things in their own lives. Making these personal connections as they listen and read stories is very important in developing a life-long love of reading!
• As you read, your children may recall additional experiences they have had on Thanksgiving or share things they are thankful for.

AFTER YOU READ:  

• Ask your children to recall who the characters (people or animals in the story) were.
• Ask your children to retell what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
• Review the experiences shared by the children before and during the reading of the story.
• Engage your children in drawing pictures of what they are most thankful for and invite them to share their reason for drawing a specific image. Encourage them to keep their drawings for Thanksgiving and share them with your entire family!

By Sarah Rinaldi, Citibabes CitiSchool Teacher

Thankfully there are people like Allison O’Neill, children’s wear expert and owner of Bundle and Bundle@Citibabes, to help us with our search for perfect children’s clothing. With her knack for spotting trends, a talent for being the perfect gifting concierge, plus the ability to identify the necessities of a newborn’s registry, she’s the ultimate resource for everything fashionable and fun for the little ones in our lives. Here are her must-haves for the little ones this season.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

The Knit Blazer

I was so excited to see this blazer when I was buying for the season. It looks so polished, with its classic lines and herringbone detail, but it feels like a sweatshirt. Parents tell me on a daily basis how their little boys just won’t wear anything that isn’t soft. This blazer is the answer to your dress-him-up needs, while keeping him happy.

The Comfy Play Pant

Go Gently proved with these pants that sweat pants can be edgy! The asymmetrical pocket detail and raw seem cuffs on these pants are so cool and they’re so comfy, he will want to wear them every.single.day. You’ll get your money’s worth on these!

The Perfect Party Dress

There are a lot of party dresses out there, but so many are stuffy and I’m not one for lots of frills. I do love a dress that makes an impact and that will photograph well. The vivid colors of Tea’s Pinata Party Dress are so much fun and it says holiday without screaming it.

The Skinny Cargo

How cool are these? Neige does muted earth tones better than any brand out there, and these prove it. They also combine the ruggedness of a cargo pant with the fit and seaming of a riding pant, making them truly unique.

The Cashmere Dress Coat

I fell in love with this coat when designer Tina Salibello brought it to my store for our Velvet & Tweed trunk show last Spring. Made of cashmere, it’s as soft and warm as it is beautiful. And with a very limited production made, you can be assured you won’t be seeing this coat all over the place.

By Allison O’Neill, Owner of Bundle and Bundle@Citibabes

Do you want Allison’s help in finding the most perfect outfits for your children? Or do you need assistance with that growing Christmas/Hanukkah list? No problem, personal shopping is her favorite past time. To purchase any of the items above or to schedule your personal shopping appointment, email stylebabe@bundlenyc.com or visit www.bundlenyc.com.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

First off, give yourself a nice, big pat on the back. You’ve picked the person you’d like to raise your child if something happens to you and your spouse. No small feat, and one of the main reasons so many parents avoid writing their will in the first place. But now you’ve got to pop the question and officially ask the person to accept the position.

And yes, before you even think about it: you absolutely must have the talk with your prospective guardian before you finalize your family’s most important legal document. Forget everything you’ve seen in the movies. (“What?” The lawyer frowns at the best friend or beer buddy across the dining room table. “They didn’t discuss their plans with you?”) This is just one of those conversations you must have, face-to-face, when you and your partner have a quiet moment with the friend or the relative you’ve chosen.

Don’t worry. Most folks are honored to be named, and accept with open arms. In fact, a sibling or godparent may have been waiting for the sit-down all along. But some people do have legitimate concerns that you’d rather address today, when you can still clarify any issues for them or consider someone else for the job.

And keep in mind that a little back and forth can be a sign that your guardian takes the role seriously. I felt more confident about our decision when our first choice pried a little about our savings.  Had we put money aside for college yet? Did we buy a life insurance policy? It showed us that he was putting real thought into what caring for our child would actually entail, and that he took our son’s future seriously.

So what kinds of things should you anticipate, and how do you know when it’s time to pass and go on to the next candidate?

1.  Finances are fair game.

Like it or not, raising an additional child can create economic strain on anyone. It is well within a potential guardian’s right to inquire about your family’s general financial health, so he or she can assess whether they’re comfortable with the situation.

But it’s not okay for someone to demand your credit score or get judgmental about your spending habits. And if the person isn’t satisfied (either with your level of detail or with your family’s finances), you may want to rethink your choice and consider the next person on the list.

2. Moving can be a deal breaker.

A lot of people are worried about every-day, practical logistics. Do you envision your guardian moving into your house or apartment, making room for your child in their home, or some other living arrangement?

If you do expect them to live in your existing home, somebody with a settled career or family in another state might not be the best option. If you pictured your child moving in with your guardian, consider whether they could reasonably accommodate someone else, or whether you’ve left enough resources for them to move into a larger space. And make sure, they’d be okay relocating.

3. Be upfront about religious differences.

If you’ve chosen an individual or couple who practices a religion different from yours (or doesn’t identify with a particular faith), they may want to clarify where you stand on your child’s upbringing. A guardian may ask if, say, you’d be alright with a Christmas tree if you’re Jewish, or if you’d want them to incorporate some of your family’s traditions into their own holiday customs.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Just be clear about your expectations, and give your guardian a real chance to share their thoughts with you.

By Jacoba Urist, Esq., Citibabes Member, and “The Happiest Parent”

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO & Co-founder, Citibabes

Bullying is an issue that can affect everyone from preschool aged children to young adults. While most of the recent news focuses on teens and cyber bullying, it is important to understand that problems with bullying can begin as early as daycare and preschool. Your child’s preschool years are instrumental in setting a foundation for education, socialization, and structure among other things. At the same time, the presence of bullying during these formative years can adversely affect a child’s confidence and self-esteem.

Surprisingly, bullying among preschoolers is more common than you may realize. Since so much of the media focuses on bullying amongst pre-teens and teenagers, emergent bullying behavior in younger children tends to be overlooked. There is a difference between “play, which builds imagination, develops coordination, and teaches children about rules and responsibility, and bullying, which is chronic, frequent behavior that has, at its core, the intention to harm and intimidate.”¹

When bullying in preschool is detected, children must know they are loved and feel supported – both at home and where the bullying is occurring. If you believe your child is a victim of bullying, “don’t tell him to ‘toughen up’ and leave him to handle the problem on his own.”² A child must also know that action will be taken to prevent bullying in the future.³ It is important to take the appropriate measures to protect your child by not only communicating with the teachers and the school, but also with your child. By understanding how your child feels when he is bullied, you can work together to come up with tools they can use to avoid bullying.

The way you as a parent deal with bullying incidents (whether your child is a bully or being bullied) can have long term effects. This is not meant to scare you, rather it is meant to stress the importance of dealing with bullying at a young age. Long-term effects of bullying can include depression, low self-esteem, an increased rate in school absences, eating disorders, substance abuse, and even suicide. “It may take a great deal of time and effort on your part to prevent preschool children from growing into school-aged bullies, but it is worth it.”⁴ By focusing on respect, friendship, play, and the importance of community among our children during their preschool years, we can work toward ending bullying in our schools.

For more information about bullying, a useful website to visit is StopBullying.gov. There you can obtain information for kids, teens, and young adults as you learn to recognize the warning signs of bullying and things you can do to stop it. In addition, a few books that may be helpful for your preschool age children are:

Bully Blockers Club

by Teresa Bateman

On her first day of school, Lotty Racoon meets Grant Grizzly, the class bully, who teases her and other students relentlessly. To stop the bullying, Lotty organizes a club where the members stick up for one another and stand up to Grant together.

One

by Kathryn Otoshi

One shares the story of the color blue and other colors who are intimidated by a bully – the color red – who constantly taunts them. Then One appears and stands up to red, inspiring the other colors to stand up too. One teaches that when it comes to dealing with bullies, “Sometimes it just takes One.”

The Grouchy Ladybug

by Eric Carle

First published in 1977, The Grouchy Ladybug’s title character is a bully who tries to fight everyone it meets. As the Grouchy Ladybug tries to pick on animals that are much larger, its actions appear more and more ridiculous until it finally meets its match and becomes a more polite and well-mannered bug.

The Anti-Bullying and Teasing Book: For Preschool Classrooms

by Barbara Sprung, Merle Froschl, and Blythe Hinitz

Using activities, the classroom environment, and family involvement, this book aims to develop empathy in children and help foster a sense of respect in the classroom. Activities focus on managing teasing and bullying by promoting the importance of friendship, community, and positive feelings.

Sources:

¹ Kondor, Karen. “It May Come as a Shock to Many Parents to Learn that Bullying Happens in Preschool.” Retrieved October 9, 2011 from OvercomeBullying.org.

² Stewart, Charlina. “Bullying in Preschool: What Parents Need to Know.” Retrieved October 8th, 2011 from Education.com.

³ Raising Children Network. “Bullying at school: helping your child.” (2009). Retrieved October 9, 2011 from RaisingChildren.net.

⁴ Kondor, Karen. “It May Come as a Shock to Many Parents to Learn that Bullying Happens in Preschool.” Retrieved October 9, 2011 from OvercomeBullying.org.

By Roxanne Taylor, M.Ed. School Counseling, Head Counselor, Diocese of Tucson Coordinated Health

I have been lucky in many respects, especially because the Citibabes community allows me to meet and interact with so many small business owners and mom-preneurs. One of those amazing moms I have had the privilege to work with is Bahar Kural, founder of Blueleo, an online platform where parents in New York can post and search for classified listings. Here, Bahar was kind enough to answer a few questions about starting her own business and share advice she learned along the way.

-Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

1. Why did you want to become an entrepreneur?  Why did you choose an online venture?

I like the satisfaction of creating a valuable and unique product and I like the challenge of creating a company from scratch. Before becoming an entrepreneur, I had a successful career in finance for 8 years. After Columbia Business School, I became a venture capital investor for The Carlyle Group in London, where I was responsible for making early stage investments in the European internet fund. My close interaction with early stage companies and entrepreneurs while I was at Carlyle inspired me to pursue my lifelong passion for starting my own business.

Why an online venture? As a mother of two young children, I saw the need to create a central Classifieds & Deals site that would bring all NYC parents together on a single site. NYC parents tend to utilize local email groups to communicate with each other, refer babysitters, pass deal recommendations and buy second hand items.  However not all neighborhoods have built-in mommy networks, and locating second-hand items in email list serves can be a very tedious process. So I created Blueleo to make it very easy for parents to buy and sell secondhand children’s items, find babysitter and nanny recommendations and identify deals, events and free trial classes in their communities.

 2. What were the challenges you faced as a mom? What were the challenges you faced as a business woman starting up?

I have a 9 year-old son and a 4 year-old daughter, and I launched Blueleo a year after my second child was born. I was working during the free time I had when I was not nursing my baby, driving my son to tennis tournaments, or helping with his homework. Blueleo became my third child. As an entrepreneur, you don’t have the infrastructure and the resources of a “brand-name” firm behind you, which an office-job sometimes provides. So, the challenge for me was to raise this third child through infancy with limited resources.

3.     Do you have any advice for moms striving for a work/life balance?

If you love what you do, then working does not become a chore, and it’s easier to raise kids when you are a happy mom. So work on something you love doing.

4.      What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Keeping things simple. When Blueleo first launched, we had way too many features than was necessary: social networking, event management, school calendars, classifieds, resource guide and groups. Refocusing the site on a core functionality, classified and deal offerings, hugely improved traction and grew my business.

5.      What plans do you have for expansion?

Next month, we are planning to launch our group buying site, Blueleo Finds, which will provide our members with great deals on local kid and mom friendly services and products.

6.      What outsiders have been most important to your business success?

The most important support for an entrepreneur comes from his or her immediate family. I couldn’t do what I am doing without the support of my husband, parents, or children.

7.      What is the best and worst business advice you have ever received?

The best business advice I ever got was to “follow your instincts.” You can be very analytical in approaching a business prospect and create all kinds of financial models to assess the potential, but all that work is less important than having a general gut feeling about the business. The worst business advice I ever got was that it was not OK to be “emotional” in business – which a lot of businessmen wrongly criticize women of being. I find that when a female business owner screams at her supplier for not delivering on time, she is deemed to be “emotional” about the situation, whereas when a male business owner screams at his supplier for not delivering on time, he is praised for being a tough business guy.

8.   What is the best and worst parenting advice you have ever received?

Quality of time you spend with your children is more important than quantity – this is the best parenting advice I ever received, so I try to make every minute count with my children. The worst parenting advice was that time-outs are the magical solution to all your parenting problems. My poor son had his share of time-outs and I don’t think they ever worked. My daughter hasn’t had any time outs yet and she is doing fine.

From Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes

Now, we are excited to announce our next venture into the e-world universe: the publication of a blogger e-book anthology.

When entering the e-world of blogger e-book anthologies, there is no one better to partner with than Sarah Byden-Brown of Blogstar. Her first e-book, Stories I’ve Only Told My Mom, has been a huge success. Described by Sarah as “an eclectic package of funny, smart and emotionally-charged writing by women who understand how real women think,” the e-book reached #1 on Amazon (Kindle) and #8 Amazon (books) under the category of Motherhood. With stories ranging from the loss of a child to an unexpected pregnancy, best mom advice, and coming of age, it is a surprise package that does not disappoint.

Why the new journey into blogger e-book anthologies? One of the goals of Citibabes has always been to provide information for modern parents. With a number of bloggers writing on a set topic (some controversial), a reader is able to see different points of views and form their own opinion. Also, as Sarah explained, “The authors are bloggers, who have dedicated fans on their blogs, and know exactly what their readers want. Reading a Blogstar e-book anthology is like having all your best friends share their stories one after another while you do nothing but turn the page!”

Sarah also added that, “Bloggers have so many stories to share and being able to read all your favorite bloggers on the one topic in the one place, which you can simply download to your computer or Kindle from Amazon, seemed like a great service to provide because it meant readers can connect easily when they want to without needing to click through all their regular blog reads. Plus you can discover new bloggers, too.”

Citibabes then joined forces with Giggle – two perfect partners for Blogstar because, as Sarah emphasized, “They understand moms!” Blogstar represents over 200 mom bloggers for publishing ebook anthologies and blogging programs. Sarah went on to describe mom bloggers as “a powerful group who are always on the lookout for the best of anything. Citibabes and Giggle represent the best in their categories and I experienced firsthand just how excited the bloggers were to hear of the partnership – and it’s hard to get a mom blogger excited because they see it all!”

So with Citibabes’ and Giggle’s proud support, Blogstar’s newest e-book is now available! Welcome to My World shares stories of stay at home moms vs. working moms with 13 bloggers sharing their stories. Download it now and then decide – who has it easier?

By Tracey Frost Rensky, CEO and Co-founder, Citibabes