Blog Posts by The_Stir

The Mouse left a comment on last week's column where she mentioned that her son's doctor and their province declared him "normal-enough." Which was not "enough" for her, and led her to pursue (and pay for) private occupational therapy for her child.

And I think I sprained something in my neck from nodding so hard at "normal-enough." That's so perfect. We've also been told that. And no, it's not enough for us, either.

Noah officially entered our country's Early Intervention program (EI) at 23 months old. By their third birthdays, children still receiving services through EI undergo transition testing to determine what they should continue to receive from the school district.

We did not undergo transition testing, as Noah was declared "normal-enough" just three months before his third birthday.

Normal-enough on the basis of speech only. Normal-enough in that his articulation and grammar acquisition were still technically delayed, but he seemed likely to "catch up on his

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Flickr photo by inocYou know a food trend is past its due when it stops being "trendy" and moves on to "tired." Not to sound melodramatic, but I want to hurl a plate at the next innocent server who suggests that I order one of the following eight items on our list:

1. Comfort food: Given the current economy, it's no surprise that meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken are popular items. And I'll be the first to admit that I love fried chicken as much as the next person -- probably even more so. But this trend is making is seriously difficult to stick to my healthy eating habits.
2. Heart attack food combos: Foods such as the Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburgers and the French Fry Encased Hot Dog make me want to vomit. Who eats this stuff and lives to tell the tale?
3. Bacon on everything: I admit the whole bacon + chocolate phenomenon made me drool, but bacon doesn't make everything better; it only makes you fatter. It's odd when I have to ask to "leave off the bacon" even if I'm

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Photo by Tracy OdellWhenever I'd tell someone I was having a home birth, their reaction would inevitably fall into one of three buckets:

1. "YAY! I wish I'd done that." (Or, "I have done that.")
2. "How? What? Why?" A million questions.
3. "Are you crazy? What if something bad happens?"

I understand the spectrum of responses because I've been there and there and there. Before I considered having a home birth, I thought it was a crazy idea for crazy people. Then I started learning more and became incredibly curious. And then finally, I had a home birth and now I want everyone else to have one too.

To get from three to one, I learned a lot and corrected a lot of my own misconceptions. Here's what I originally thought, then what I learned about home birth:

1. Home birth is risky for mom and baby.

Study after study have shown that a home birth is as safe (or safer) than a hospital birth for healthy women, with low risk pregnancies, using a certified professional midwife.

2. Home

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Years ago when my husband and I first decided to start trying to get pregnant, I went out and bought a pregnancy test. It felt like such a grown-up, life-changing purchase, and I couldn't stop thinking about it sitting there, unused under my bathroom sink.

Sure, it said to wait until two or three days after a missed period, but no one could possibly wait that long to know if they were growing an actual human being inside herself, right?

I think I peed on my first stick about two to three days after we first "tried," and I've done so literally hundreds of times since then through years of infertility and two pregnancies.

The adrenaline, the anticipation, planning what I would say when I showed those two magic lines to my husband. Peeing and waiting -- eyes glued to the stick wondering if I really saw something or forcing myself to leave the bathroom and not sneak a look before a full 10 minutes elapsed. Running with stick in hand to a window or even outside to see if maybe,

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Flickr Photo by dinnercraftMeatloaf, bread, fruit cup, "mystery" greens, milk.

Chili, carrots, fruit icee, day-glo colored cornbread muffin, milk.

These are just two of the many, many cafeteria school lunches an anonymous teacher, Mrs Q, is planning to eat every day this year. She's blogging about it on Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project. It's a like train wreck -- you don't want to read about the green beans in an unidentifiable "buttery" sauce, yet you can't look away...

Though, you've got to admire her courage. And, her iron stomach.

Plus, her motives are altruistic: She wants to educate people about what we are feeding our school children on a daily basis. This "insider" information is especially valuable now because Congress is reconsidering a re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which means we have a rare opportunity to improve food for our kids.

After eating cafeteria food for three + months, here's what Mrs Q says about how she would like to see school lunches

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Carey McNeal, a dad blogger for The Stir is answering questions from moms. This week's probing question:

I love my kids, but they've ruined my sex life. My husband and I used to do it all the time, but now I'm lucky if it's once a month. Will our sex ever go back to the way it was before kids?

I'll say this: I sure hope so.

Welcome to yet another of the joys of having children. Sex once a month? Really? I'm so jealous of you right now.

Much has already been written about how parents make time for sex, so I won't retread familiar ground with a list of tips (hopefully you discovered the joys of masturbation long ago).

Instead I'll just assure you that guys miss regular sex as much as women, and probably b---- about it even more.

Guys like my friend Willie, who told me his 3-year-old son had been having a lot of nightmares. I suggested he let the kid sleep with him and his wife for a few nights to get over it.

"F**k that s**t!" he waxed poetic. "The kid's enough of a c---

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Smoking kills, but teen girls don't care -- not if there's a cute pink camel trying to sell them some ciggies.

The cigarette companies may have stopped actively marketing to kids more then a decade ago, but a new study in the journal Pediatrics found Camel ads that were heavy on cotton candy pink were a hit with girls 12 through 16.

Coming from the same company that used to lure kids in with a cartoon critter, the ads were placed in adult magazines popular with teen girls -- Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Vogue -- and used a play on words that not so thinly veiled a reference to love potion number 9.

The "Camel No. 9" ads promised the cigarettes were "light and luscious" and sported both roses and pink camels. One look at a re-run of the ad on USA Today, and I thought a cotton candy factory exploded -- there's that much pink.

So how did it affect girls? Teens who reported a favorite cigarette ad at the first interview with the researchers were 50 percent more likely to

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Flickr: Photo by Mr. T in DCI don't make a habit of eating fried food too often, but if Tater Tots are on the menu -- watch out! They've been a favorite of mine since I was itty-bitty, and I can't get enough. There's a neighborhood restaurant here in Chicago that serves them in different varieties -- original, Ranch, and Cajun -- and I can never decide which flavor to order. Decisions!

Tater Tot Casserole is a family favorite around here. The traditional recipe usually calls for creamed soup and/or condensed milk, and all that creaminess can really add up in the calorie department. If you're looking for a easy dinner with a little less fat, check out this healthier, chili-style version.

As I learned from Taste of Home, adding classic chili ingredients (tomato soup and chili powder) to the traditional tater tot casserole really amps up the flavor while cutting down on the calories. I'd also substitute ground turkey for ground beef to make the dish a little lighter

Tater Tot Casserole With Chili

1

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