Blog Posts by Team Mom Staff

Don't catch colds from your kidsWhen kids go back to school, they bring home homework, artwork…and germs. And there is nothing worse than nursing a sick family while you're feeling under the weather. Dr. Nicole Nourmand talks with Away We Grow host Diane Mizota about keeping germs at bay.

Sometimes it can feel like children rebound much faster than adults when it comes to colds. Dr. Nourmand explains, "I think that women take care of everybody but themselves. And if we don't sleep, if we don't exercise, if we don't eat right, then we're run down. When you don't rest, your immune system isn't able to fight off viruses the way it normally would."

Related: 5 ways to boost your immune system naturally

Exercise can help boost your immune system in many cases. "High cortisol--or the high stress hormone--compromises your immune system. So if you're doing some cardiovascular activity, you're decreasing that stress hormone, and that's going to boost your immune system," says Dr. Nourmand. She adds, however, that depending

Plan a stress-free family road tripIt's the holiday season, and for many families, that means taking a lot of road trips. But how can you avoid the cries of "are we there yet?" The Travel Mom, Emily Kaufman, speaks with Easy Does It host Ereka Vetrini about how to hit the road with ease.

Kaufman notes that many times, families think that they'll "wake the kids up at the crack of dawn and put them in their PJs into the car, and they'll sleep the majority of the road trip. Well this never happens." Instead, when you're heading out on the road with small children, stick to familiar routines so the kids will know what's coming next without much disruption.

Related: 21 fun road trip games

As for a packing strategy, Kaufman says that before loading the car, start with an empty trunk. Then, she says, "Make sure the things you're not going to need accessible are down at the bottom." Kaufman advises packing a tub filled with such items as a soccer ball, a jump rope, or a football so you can take a break from driving and run

What to feed your picky eatersJenny Flake, author of Picky Palate, joins Away We Grow host Diane Mizota to discuss making weeknight dinners that work for even the pickiest eaters in your family.

Flake's book was inspired by her own personal experience with her two sons, who were picky eaters as toddlers. "They didn't want anything colorful. They didn't want any fruits and vegetables. It was more just the chicken, the bread, the things that were just that one color. I definitely wanted to help those families with similar issues that I had."

Related: 10 common misconceptions about kids who are picky eaters

Some parents may be inclined to make a separate meal for a picky eater, but Flake says that's not necessary. She says that what works well in her home is "the 'No, thank you' policy." She offers a range of options on the table, including things appealing to picky eaters like appetizers and sides, as well as fruits and vegetables. "But, if they don't love the main dinner, they have to at least try it once," she

We all have our own special -- and sometimes wacky -- tricks to keep the germs at bay, but do they really work? Away We Grow host Diane Mizota chats with pediatrician Nikki Nourmand, who de-bunks several myths about the common cold.

Not so, says Nourmand. Rest and fluids are essential to recouping from a cold. But high doses of vitamin C are "kind of a big waste of money" because it doesn't provide a huge boost to the immune system.

Related: The scoop on children's vitamins

Myth: Chicken soup will speed your recovery.

Says Nourmand: "So, I don't know if chicken soup will help you get better faster, but it's excellent for symptomatic care." You can count on the the broth to soothe a sore throat and make you feel cozy.

Myth: You shouldn't let your kids drink milk when they have a cold because it causes mucus.

You don't have to avoid dairy when you're sick with a

Chocolate truffles in a bowlIt's holiday season, which means lots of good food--and, of course, dessert. Chef Jill Davie joins Easy Does It host Ereka Vetrini for some sweet talk about easy-to-make no-bake desserts with only three ingredients.

Check out these three great recipes:

Grapefruit sorbet

Ingredients:
• Frozen grapefruits
• Orange blossom honey (or other high-quality honey)
• Fresh mint or basil

Let grapefruits thaw for an hour before cutting. Remove both sides of the grapefruit, then using the tip of your knife, work around the outside to remove the rind. Dice the grapefruit, working around the center of the fruit. Then take the fresh mint to make a chiffonade by rolling the leaves into a cigar shape and then drawing your knife to make little strips. Layer the grapefruit and the mint in a glass or bowl and drizzle honey on top.

Related: 8 easy desserts that anyone can make

Truffle bombs

Ingredients:
• Toasted nuts
• High-quality cocoa powder
• Agave nectar

Place the nuts in a food processor

Mom feeding baby with bottleFor some moms, nursing is second nature. For others it can be a struggle. Suzanne Barston, author of Bottled Up, joins Away We Go host Diane Mizota to discuss how the way babies are fed has come to define motherhood-and why she believes it shouldn't.

"There is so much more to being a mom than whether you feed a child from your breast or a bottle," says Barston. "It's really limiting to bring it down to a biological function." She shares that she had personal struggles with breastfeeding with her son. "I really wanted to breastfeed, but we sort of met with every single natural disaster with breastfeeding that we could meet with," she says.

Related: Formula feeding vs. breastfeeding: The pros and cons from a mom who's done both

"Ultimately when I switched to formula," says Barston, "I just felt a colossal failure. I felt like I'd done enough, but everything I read made me feel like there was more I could have done. And I just found that there was so little support for formula-feeding

Save money with flight-booking secretsWouldn't it be nice if someone would tell us the secrets to getting the good deals? On Easy Does It with Ereka Vetrini, CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg exposes flight-booking secrets the airlines don't want you to know about this holiday season.

Greenberg notes that everybody makes the same mistake when it comes to searching for deals-starting with an online search. "You go right to the Internet because you think all the available inventory is on the web. Guess what? Not even close," he explains. All the inventory that's on the web, Greenberg says, is the inventory that the travel providers have chosen to make available. Instead, he tells Vetrini, travelers should pick up the phone and speak directly to the airlines so that they can negotiate the best deal possible.

Related: The best time to book flights

As for the best time to make those calls? Greenberg says that's between midnight and 2:00 a.m. in the time zone in which your airline is based. And he says that once you are

Must-have apps every parent should downloadMost of us can't live without our smart devices or the apps that make a parent's life better, but which are worth downloading--and who has time to figure all this out? Away We Grow host Diane Mizota welcomes TechMama Beth Blecherman, who is here to help.

It can be overwhelming to sort through all of the parenting apps that exist. Blecherman says that it's essential for parents to plan ahead if they want to have everything at their fingertips. She suggests finding easy apps "and not just the trendy, cool apps-apps that fit within your lifestyle."

Related: Holidays in a snap with apps

Essential parenting apps that every mom should have

Blecherman recommends the following apps for busy moms:

AboutOne. This is a family-friendly toolkit that works as a full management system. "It's like having your home file cabinet with you," says Blecherman. House inventories, information from school, and even your kid's artwork can all be scanned in to become easily accessible within the app.