Blog Posts by HybridHer

The most trying times of day are often the transition times: mornings, drop off, pick up, bedtime… anytime you and your child are shifting gears into a new activity place or person.

How can you help your child (and yourself!) navigate the transition times in your day?

Remember that kids thrive on routine and structure and they like to know what's coming next in their day. They tend to find security in daily predictable patterns and routines. Providing a way for your child to gain an understanding of how his day will go will eliminate some of the undesirable byproducts (tantrums in younger ones, lack of listening and cooperation with the older ones) that tend to rear their ugly heads during transition times.

I have found that one effective way of helping your child to visualize what his day will look like is to create a picture chart that depicts the order of his day. Think of it as a child friendly Dayrunner. Small children are not as consumed with "clock time" as they

I've just hand-crafted gift bags for my son's first birthday party that will be in 2 weeks. I have placed mini-basketballs, candy, a custom made refrigerator magnet with his picture on it into orange bags and then tied them with blue curly ribbons...24 times. Three years ago I was a person who thought moms like me were crazy because one year old's won't remember their first birthday parties. One year ago, I didn't think that this birthday would ever come, period. Not because my child was sick, or because I was so infatuated with my newborn child that I couldn't take my eyes of him....quite the opposite. I was dealing with postpartum depression and felt like my life was at a tortuous stand-still that I would never be able to escape. Not quite the sentiment you were expecting? That makes two of us!

I am a nurse and I've worked in an ER for my entire career thus far. I consider myself relatively world-wise and book smart. I pride myself on the fact that doctors routinely asked me

Many of us plan thoughtfully for all kinds of life goals. Yet many of us spend impulsively, using our money on the moment rather than saving or investing it for the future. This last recession caused us to take a second look at where our dollars go. If you seem to be making adequate money and yet dollars still appear to be slipping away from you, maybe it is time to break some budgeting and spending habits.

1. First of all, have a budget. Many people live without one - and that includes many affluent people (and the government!). This exercise is starkly simple, but might be illuminating: make a two-column chart, with the left column listing your monthly income and the right column detailing your expenses. Detail them as best as you can, type and monthly amount. Include your credit card expenses. This little exercise shows you how much you are spending on essentials and how much of your income you are assigning to comparative frivolities. Perhaps you will find some dollars you

Stylish NurseryMoms seem to instinctively understand the importance of creating a special nursery space where they can bond and interact with their baby. According to a recent Playtex survey, an overwhelming majority of moms (87%) agree that it's important to put time into making the nursery a great area for their baby. Maybe that's because it's not all about baby: on an average day, about two thirds of moms (67%) spend (or expect to spend) three or more hours a day in the nursery. Since the nursery is a place where moms spend a great deal of time, ensuring the right care in preparing the nursery is essential.

Creating a nursery can be a daunting task, however, as moms strive to ensure that this special room provides style along with the necessary functionality. Mary Bauer, celebrity nursery designer and owner of Bratt Décor, offers simple tips on how to create the stylish, healthy, beautiful nursery of your dreams.

Ease up on Themes and Colors: Bright colors and busy patterns are loads of

The Vault

This is the friend who listens, and listens, and then listens some more. And who understands that his only role is essentially not to react to 98 percent of your utterances as you are processing all the impossible changes that are heading into your life, except with a full range of compassionate "Mmm-hmm"s, "I know"s and "I bet"s. He doesn't call you on some of the more outrageous or crazy or unstrung things you might say (and there are a lot of those thoughts in your mind). And she doesn't interject with her own opinions of Where Things Went Awry, as if she could have some omniscient insight into your marriage (She might, but she knows it's only likely to make you feel worse.) Instead, she merely nods, pours you another cup of coffee, and doesn't look at her watch until she is pretty much positive that she's supposed to be somewhere ten minutes ago. And more important still, is the simple fact that The Vault will never repeat a word of what you've laid bare. So it's

Style is ultimately about knowing yourself and expressing who you are. It's about being comfortable in your own skin. Despite the occasion or the event, the stylish woman seems to have that special charisma that commands attention. Confidence is the hallmark of having true style.

Women often ask me how they can begin to tap into their style persona. I advise them to ask themselves some honest questions: What do you like? What makes you feel good? Whose style do you admire and why? What image would you like to project? In addition to looking at these answers for inspiration, there are seven universal style personalities that you can use as a guide. If you begin to discover yourself in one or more of these personas, your next step is to start 'owning' it.

The Romantic:
The "Romantic" is the type of woman who is truly feminine at heart. She wants her clothing to be understated yet fun and girlie so that her beauty can really be the focal point. Her closet may be filled

Raising kids is tough. When they leave home it is met with bittersweet feelings of relief and sadness. Your job as a parent is over, or so we thought. Actually your job as the parent never ends, and it may actually grow tougher. What happens when your beloved child marries someone you don't like? How do you deal with this? What happens to the holidays, what happens to your family reunions? Are your feelings supported by your wife/husband, and other relatives? Or is it just you that sees something about this new daughter or son-in-law that makes you leery? These questions must be asked and you should ponder them with great thought. To be sure there are reasons not to like your child's spouse.

Here are a few of my own reasons I would have reservations with a new son or daughter-in-law:

1. Is your child's spouse demeaning to your child?

2. Is your child's spouse harsh with words or physical aggression toward your child?

3. Does your child's spouse talk badly about you,

I read a disturbing article in the Houston Chronicle recently, and I am hearing about it from other psychotherapists, psychologists and pediatricians. Girls are acting out, filming it and putting it up on YouTube. Oh yes, and it is getting a lot of attention.

The girls are punching, hitting, cursing, pinching, and slapping each other to the ground. The crowd is cheering them on. The crowd is mostly made up of teens, but there are also adults. The health care community understands these girls come from homes where they feel neglected, isolated, abused, and the treatment they receive in these brawls is most likely not any worse than what they receive at home.

According to Lashea Sowell, a probation officer in Beaumont, TX, parents are being urged to monitor their child's online postings since these brawls have become an epidemic of sorts. Sowell went on to say that the fights are the girls' way of getting someone to notice and love them and they don't care if it's