Blog Posts by Charlene Prince Birkeland, Shine staff

April 23 is "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day." Now in its 17th year, the day allows kids to get a first-hand glimpse of what their parents do at work as companies throughout the U.S. welcome kids to the office.

If you're planning on having your kid join you at work, we have some tips to help make sure you all enjoy the day.

• Do make sure your company is actually participating in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. If they aren't, ask your manager for permission to bring your kid to the office so that he or she can shadow you for the day.

• According to the Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day Foundation, kids who are between of 8 and 18 years old are considered "age appropriate" to visit your office. Do check with your company about age limits because you might find out that their rules for the day are different. (Some offices will allow younger kids to participate.)

• If you have more than one kid, do decide how many kids you want to bring with you to the office

Photo Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesActor Jim Carrey jumped into the blogosphere to write about the link between vaccines and autism. Or rather, how the media is covering recent news about autism and vaccines.

Carrey took CNN reporter, Campbell Brown, to task for her reporting on a February ruling by a "special vaccine court"--the Office of Special Masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims--that the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine didn't cause autism in three cases.

According to Carrey, Brown "and others in the media began making assertions that the judgment was in, and vaccines had been proven safe." He asserts this is far from the truth.

Carrey doesn't recommend that parents not vaccine their kids. He wants more the vaccines to be spaced out over longer periods of time, and that more research be conducted to determine which vaccines are ruly necessary.

"We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesWe've all heard and read about the positive impact and health benefits of breastfeeding babies. But now a new study says that breastfeeding can protect moms later in life from some serious medical issues: heart disease and stroke.

The study was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and included 139,681 post-menopausal women.

Women who breastfed for more than one year reduced their risk for heart disease by more than 10 percent. Women who breastfed for at least a month had lower blood pressure, better cholesterol and less frequent diabetes. The study will appear in the May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women. The risk of developing heart disease increases after menopause. The thought that breastfeeding, even for a short time, could reduce that risk is important.

I do wish that data would come out to support non-breastfeeding moms, though. Because aren't they already catching enough heat (and rather unfairly, too)?

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesWhile parents are looking for ways to cut costs while still having fun with their kids, I've noticed something really neat happening: new traditions are being created. And it's one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of the Family Night In concept. You're saving money, but you're also finding creative ways to spend more time together with your children.

Here's an idea to expand on the idea of family game night. Before sitting down for a few hours of Life or Monopoly, start of the evening by making dinner together:

• Choose a dinner theme and plan the menu. I always recommend making pizza dough (you can try my recipe) and letting the kids pick out all the toppings. It's always fun to use cooking gear made for kids, like the Head Chef utensil line. And even the youngest chef needs an apron. If you're in a rush, you can always pick up pre-made dough at your grocery store. I use Mom's Pizza Dough because it's organic and locallyproduced by my pal, but I have heard good things about the Trader

When my husband was a documentary producer working on this HBO movie, I remember listening to a bunch of young guys talking about taking spills on their BMX dirt bikes how their injuries and scars were badges of honor. As a parent, my badges of honor are a little different: stretch marks; being vomited on by my kid in the emergency room; and the scar on my foot after spraining my ankle a few months ago on my way to pick up my preschooler, to name a few.

I recently learned of a company called mama merit badges (yes, all lower case). They sell patches akin to the ones that Girl Scouts earn upon completing projects and activities. They include the "Eating Out" patch for mamas who "have picked up pasta from a filthy floor, created a game with empty creamers, straws and sugar packets," and generally survived eating out with a young child. There is the "Shopping" patch, for those of us with insane tales after daring to take our kids to Target or the grocery store with us. And one of my

Sure, every day should be Earth Day. But the "official" day we celebrate Mother Earth is April 22. And if you're looking for some easy, fun and budget-friendly activities to teach your kids about Earth Day, we've got you covered.

Check out the slide show for ideas on how to get your kids involved in Earth Day. You'll find that many of the ideas involve being outside in different ways so that you can appreciate nature. Because once you're outdoors, hopefully you'll be inspired to find even more ways that you and your family can help protect and preserve our environment.

photo credit: momadvice.comThe sun is starting to show itself more regularly in my hood, with blue skies being the norm versus gray, overcast skies. (And we'll just pretend that windstorm this week was a bad movie. It dropped a boat on a local bridge!)

So good weather means coming up with fun drinks for backyard parties and my boys' play dates. Besides making simple fruit drinks (agua frescas) by blending strawberries and other fruits with ice and water, I dig the idea of a little retro fun by whipping up homemade slushies.

Over at The Mother Load, Amy Clark posted her recipe for what she dubs The World's Greatest Homemade Slushies. If you're down on using fruit-flavored drink mixes, you can try using fresh or frozen fruit. But you won't get that true slushie taste or look.

Recipe here.

[via Craftzine]

photo credit: dollarstorecrafts.comBrilliant mom craftiness continues to amaze me. Over at Dollar Store Crafts, Heather Mann creates things based on, well, stuff she buys at the dollar store. She recently made a pair of baby/toddler shorts out of a preppy-colored dishtowel. And they shorts are super cute. This project could challenge my sewing skills, but if you're want to try, check out her tutorial.


But a bandana skirt for a little girl? Oh. for. cute. Now this I could make. Simple lines and lots of straight seams. Check it out.

Have you seen any repurposed things turned into kids clothes?

[via Craftzine]