The key to better sleepWhen we meet new people, whether it be on public transportation or just randomly when we are out and about, there are three questions they ask about Elvie. First, they want to know how old she is. Once they know, they ask if she is walking. When that is answered in the negative, the next question is nearly always regarding if she is sleeping through the night. When I say no to that one, there are often heads shaken in dismay.

Frankly, sometimes I shake my own head in dismay when Elvie wakes yet again in the middle of the night, but I've finally figured out what needs to happen before she will sleep through the night, and I am accepting it and looking forward to the day when it becomes reality. It's silly, really, that it took me this long to figure out what she needs to do, but at least now I know.

Related: 8 ways to deal with baby-induced sleep deprivation

When we first took custody of Elvie in Ethiopia, she was waking every one to two hours to eat. Once she was home with us and

How will you tell your story?Writing your birth story can seem like a daunting task, especially if you're not someone who likes to write. As a mom of two, I can say that the birth stories of my girls, both carefully and thoughtfully written out, are two of my most cherished keepsakes. Whether you are the next Steinbeck or someone who cringes at the thought of writing, you can create a birth story that will be meaningful to you (and your child) for years to come.

1. Don't wait too long
Yes, it might not be possible to write your birth story the day or day after you give birth, but don't wait too long. You want your experience to be fresh in your mind. (I think I wrote both of mine roughly a week after.)

2. Take notes
With my first baby, I remembered every single thing about my birth experience. With my second, it was all a blur. Thankfully I took some notes during the process. My little bullet points, like "water broke at 8:30″ or "she had the cutest, tiniest sneeze right after she was born" came in handy when my

Harris, left, and Haney. Photo: WOOD-TVTeenage pregnancy is a fact of life. But it seems more and more high schools want to pretend it’s not when it comes to the pages of its yearbooks. First, a North Carolina school banned a photo of Caitlin Tiller and her infant. And now, a Michigan high school has edited out full-body shots of two pregnant students.

More on Shine: Teen Labeled 'Freak' in Yearbook Amounts to Bullying, Says Mom

“What’s the difference of letting me walk for graduation, letting me walk around the school? It’s the same thing,” Kimberly Haney told a local news station WOOD-TV after explaining that her pregnant belly wouldn’t be allowed to show in any of her White Cloud High School yearbook photos.

More on Yahoo!: A New Campaign Tries to Fight Teen Pregnancy

Superintendent Barry Seabrook admitted to the news station that he agreed there wasn’t a difference but wanted to keep parents from complaining. Allowing the photos to remain would also be “contrary to” the Michigan statewide mandate of abstinence-only based

Summer camp isn't only about outdoor activities. By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media contributor

Whenever I try making summer plans with my 9-year-old daughter, she balks at the idea of camps, telling me she just wants to "laze around." But because both my husband and I work at home during the summer, I need to find something to fill at least a few hours each day. And I finally found a camp that I know she'd love.

Unfortunately -- for nature-loving me -- it's a week-long Minecraft Camp.

Are your kids also obsessed with this ultra-popular, sandbox-style video game? Minecraft involves building structures with blocks ... and blowing them up with TNT. Personally, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, but she and her friends -- and my husband, truthfully -- can spend hours playing if I let them. And then more hours talking about the cool stuff they built and/or blew up.

To me, sitting around playing computer games in a business park doesn't sound like a summer camp -- especially because we live in Santa Cruz

The Bluths are back on May 26th! Fifteen new episodes of Arrested Development will be available to stream on Netflix all at once, so a sick day is in order, or, if you're home with the kids, you might have to hide with your laptop and a frozen banana daiquiri in the attic. (Just give the kids an air horn to blow if they're in need of help.) In preparation, I've been re-watching old episodes to see how they've held up. Arrested Development ran for three seasons on Fox from 2003 to 2006. I've always raved about it, but I wondered, now that time has passed, did I make a huge mistake? Come on! Of course not. Spending time with the Bluths is like hanging out with old friends. But can TV's most dysfunctional family impart any real wisdom about parenting? You'd be surprised...

-By Brian Gresko

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This past weekend, I stood under the Florida sun with my daughter and watched Disney induct its newest princess into its royal court. As Merida strode - arms swinging, curls bouncing - up the walkway to receive her crown, Emilia grabbed my arm and pulled me down to whisper in my ear. "Mommy," she breathed, "That's the real Merida. From the movie!"

And so she was. She was fierce and beautiful and every inch the girl who transformed from spirited young tomboy to independent young woman in the movie. And as her mother, Queen Elinor, told her how very proud she was of her, her beautiful, wonderful daughter, my heart clenched and I pulled Emilia close and leaned down to whisper my own words: "that is exactly the kind of princess that I want you to be."

And I meant it. And I mean it no less this week, as controversy has swirled around the alleged revamp of Merida by the Walt Disney Company (the company that, for the record, I work for). I mean it no less for two very important

Not to be forgotten in the month that celebrates moms, stepmothers can make quite a positive impact on the lives of their step-kids. We asked Shine readers to share the lessons they have learned from their stepmoms. Remember, the wicked stepmother in "Cinderella?" Well, these stepmoms certainly aren't anything like her. Turns out, stepmoms are kind, open, and can become a best friend for life.

More on Shine: The 9 worst mistakes stepparents make

"Moving on is not betrayal." -- R. Clark"Moving on is not betrayal. One of the reasons why we had a hard time accepting Sue was because to do so felt like a betrayal of our mother's memory. From Sue, we realized that moving on does not mean that we love the deceased person any less, it just means that we have decided to go on with living life. Our mother would have wanted that!" -- R. Clark

"She taught me that it is useless to lie, at least around her, because she will always find out the truth. In sixth grade, we did a fundraiser where we sold chocolate bars. To show their trust in