Blog Posts by Charlene Prince Birkeland, Shine staff

A cute strategy to find MIA socks.At Home and Work + Money Editor Dory Devlin and I were having a little instant message moment as we contemplated the Great Mystery of Lost Socks. How is it possible that one can buy a new pack of white athletic socks, toss them into the washer and dryer (connected so they don't separate), and poof, one has vanished?

Multiply this occurrence by four people living in one home and you have a large laundry bag full of single, lonely socks that've lost their partners. It's tragic.

Dory and I have concluded that "The Littles" must truly exist and that one day, we'll find those random socks in cracks and crevices throughout our homes. Not really, but our kids' imaginations are getting to us.

But I really do hate losing socks. I'm teaching my kids to pair their socks before they put them in the laundry basket so we don't find them under the bed, behind a toy shelf, IN the toy shelf, or in the dog's "secret stash of all things stolen from humans."

I loved this idea for a Lost Socks

photo credit: radaronline.comIf octuplet mom Nadya Suleman wants to set us straight about her rationale for having 14 kids and her ability to parent them all, why, why, oh dear God, why, does she continue to put herself in the view of video cameras that film her behavior?

The latest catastrophe comes from an interview Suleman and her mother, Angela, conducted for Radaronline.com. In the video, Grandma Suleman calls her daughter "sneaky" (Nadya told her mom that she had a tumor in her stomach, not babies) and "obsessive compulsive," and says that she's "worried about the future" of her daughter caring for a brood of kids.

Nadya Suleman, however, continues her riff about how she has enough love for all of her kids, how she plans to finish school, and how she someday wants write a book about parenting a child with autism.

But forget the words. Pay attention to the body language. Suleman rolls her eyes at her mom like a punky, defiant teenager. The dirty looks are incredible. And it's all caught on camera.

A single-tasking guide for your day. I'm always looking for ways to better hone a zoom-focus during my workday. The Anti 9-to-5 Guide by Michelle Goodman has a ton of good tips and I highly recommend reading it. One of my favorite tips is to check your email once during the day or only a few times during the week, and to include an auto-response message that indicates exactly when you'll be doing so.

I love this chart that Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake posted on her blog. It is a productivity guide that focuses on single tasking and quality over quantity. I call it my "little productivity goddess" because it's definitely something to strive to achieve.

You can easily take this model and apply it to your day. I know it helps me stay on track.

(p.s. I'd love to post a photo credit for this snapshot but neither Caterina nor I have any idea where it came from!)

photo credit: bakerella.blogspot.comIt's no secret that I love to bake. I have a particular fondness for baking cookies and cakes that are kid-inspired because the end result is usually something that can be used for a future birthday party (either at home or at school) or family event that includes kids.

Plus? When I test out recipes, I can report back on ideas that work (or others, not so much).

If you have a kid that loves Hello Kitty, you must behold the goodness that is the Hello Kitty cake pop, courtesy of baking goddess Bakerella. The tutorial makes this project look easy peasy. And guess what? I am trying it this weekend (but since my boys are not Hello Kitty fans, I'm coming up with a twist.)

Two reasons I love this idea: one, it's CUTE and two, the kids can easily get involved.

Count on a full report from the crazedparent test kitchen next week (plus a review of Batter Blaster).

More birthday party inspiration (and wackiness):
"Star Wars" birthday party 101
Birthday party inspiration: DIY Curious George

photo credit: David Livingston/Getty ImagesIf there's any question about the impact that motherhood continues to have on celeb Nicole Richie, look no further than her new baby bump. She and boyfriend Joel Madden are expecting baby number two.

The couple have one-year-old daughter, Harlow. Richie told Harper's Bazaar magazine last year that having Harlow saved her life.

We love that Madden took to the Good Charlotte blog to announce the baby news. Go peek; the photo of the family is beautiful, although we don't know what's up with Nicole's headwear.

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesI once asked Shine readers if they all feel that kids really, truly need cell phones. And if so, at what age? Your comments varied, from: "I think a kid as young as 11 should have one, but the kid kind" to "I hate cell phones. Only people who travel a lot or need them for work should be owning them."

A small survey conducted by the Personal Finance Education Group in the U.K. says that the average age for kids to get their first cell phone is eight years old.

The survey was conducted online in January and 1,435 people responded, including 546 children from seven to 15 years of age, 676 parents and 759 grandparents.

I've already voiced my old-school opinions on kids and cell phones. In fact, I sometimes dream about a world without people talking on their cell phones in the coffee shop, at the grocery store, the bus stop, and in public restrooms (seriously, folks, y'all need to stop that nasty habit). Rest assured, my kid is seven and he will most certainly not be getting a cell phone

Photo Credit: Getty ImagesI loved a post I read over the weekend by blogger Green Jello. As this strong, multi-tasking working mama ponders the many things she juggles in her life, she assigns herself a grade as a mother: 78.5 percent.

In "Giving 78.5%," Green Jello writes, "I'm learning to accept the fact that if I want to do all of these things, then I have to do them half-assed, or 78.5%, which is still a passing grade. I will never be one of those moms that make this look effortless."

But her most important discovery (and admission) is in this line: "I think it's o.k. to give up on perfection so you can enjoy your kids."

Amen, sister. Thanks for sharing your moment.

I'm glad parents don't receive grades (even though we all probably give ourselves some sort of mental score every now and then). There are days we feel like we're at the top of the grading scale, when everything just flows. And there are those days when we're barely getting by.

Perfection is overrated. I'll take 78.5 percent any day.

What

Dear Benefit: I want to quit you but I can't.I was at Sephora stocking up on my makeup when I realized I was sticking to one aisle of Benefit Cosmetics. I paid for my products (ouch) and as I walked out of the store, I came to the conclusion that I am a makeup monogamist. If I find a brand that works, I stick with it until it breaks my heart.

In the case of Benefit, I know I'm paying a premium because of the packaging. Yet I can't resist it. The gloss is so sweet and smooth. The shadows, perfect. The concealers? Simply awesome.

And yes, yes, okay, fine: I am a sucker for the girly packaging. I love the little kits that I can easily pop into my purse.

Are you a makeup monogamist? Or do you mix and match?