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 This week’s Featured Mama of the Week is Barb Hoyer, blogger at A Life in Balance and mom to five kids! She has four sons, ages 15, 7, 5, and 3 and one daughter, age 4. Her kids love to play with Legos and most days you’ll find their basement floor covered in those little bricks. Barb loves to see the creative side come out of her kids and she encourages them to express themselves in creativity and through play. Her oldest son has developed into a wonderful writer and she is encouraging him to explore his talents in high school. Barb herself has always needed a creative outlet, whether it be writing, photography, drawing, painting or knitting.
Family meetings held weekly are a great way to connect with the family!
Being the parent of five and running a household of seven people takes a lot of organization and comes with challenges. Managing all of those people in one house, with all of the noise and mess, is difficult. Barb mentioned that during this school year she plans to implement some changes at home to make life go more smoothly, especially with all of the activities the school year brings. Barb and her husband are planning to hold weekly family meetings during their Sunday night dinners when they know the family will all be together. This is such a great idea for any size family!
Barb is currently a stay at home mom (SAHM) although she was also a working mom for a while in the past. She said, “I’m a SAHM, though I did spend a year working on a Shaklee business. I became a SAHM when my oldest was about 4, and we decided I would homeschool him. When I was working, I worked in the fundraising offices of several nonprofits. My last gig was an Office Manager/Special Events Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania Library Development Office, my favorite job. My boss was fabulous and being a dad himself, very flexible about my working from home at times. I love being a SAHM because my skills in running an office have translated to the home though it’s taken me awhile and 5 children to realize this.”
Barb’s blog, A Life in Balance is all about how she is working to keep balance in her and her family’s life. She mentioned regarding her blog, “No one has exactly the same situation as me, but they can identify with the issues I deal with whether it’s replacing an appliance or feeding a family while watching the grocery prices continue to rise and rise. I also want to discuss as a mom how to have a healthy balance in our lives and what that looks like. I want my readers to take what they like and leave the rest.” Barb is an avid gardener too, and shares a great deal about gardening on her blog. Barb shared her favorite family recipe with Mama’s Little Helper readers too: Chicken Parmesan.
Social media has become a resourceful tool for Barb, especially when talking on the phone can be challenging with five kids interrupting! “I use Facebook and Twitter a lot for my blogging, and Facebook for connecting with my family and my husband’s family. I love both as social media tools and yet, I am mindful that they are tools. I think face time is just as important, and I also like to pick up the phone to chat with distant relatives from time to time. I tend to rely more on Facebook and Twitter right now because my kids have phone radar and always want my attention when I’m on the phone. I usually have to retreat into the bathroom (my Gibbs-style office) to have a conversation. Interruptions from the kids are not interruptions when I’m using social media.”
Teaching respect in a family of seven is very important, especially in regards to other’s toys, possessions and space. With four kids sharing a bedroom, Barb found that using a combination of boundary setting with locking cabinets and gates, along with reinforcement of rules repeatedly helps. She mentioned that one of the first topics to be covered during family meetings will be formulating a written list of rules for the family and posting them publicly.
Having five kids means Barb’s received lots of tips and advice from others over the years regarding parenting. She said “the best piece of advice was to pay attention to what might be affecting my kids when they misbehave. I can tell when they’re tired, and I will often suggest that they spend a little time by themselves until they’re ready to be with us again. For the really young ones, I make sure that they get the much needed nap to be their happy, bright selves again. Barb’s advice to a new parent is “a baby can never be held too much. I used a Bjorn to carry my four young ones, and my oldest spent a lot of time in car seats or strollers. I think that level of touching between a mom and baby has made a huge difference in my children’s lives. If I could raise my oldest again, I would carry him a lot, have a family bed, and breastfeed him.”
Barb likes to spend her “alone time” walking. She used to be a longer distance runner before being a parent and loved to run five miles at a time. Currently her best walks are up to an hour long. Pounding the pavement really helps her walk out things and de-stress. She uses her cell phone and sends herself emails while walking if she thinks of things to do, that way she doesn’t risk forgetting a thought before she gets home. Then she can move on to the nest issue. What a great way to wind down!
 Barb Hoyer from A Life in Balance Thank you Barb, for being a featured mama of the week on Mama’s Little Helper!
This author of Spit That Out! loves raising her family in Philadelphia
This week’s featured Mama of the week is Paige Wolf, mother of one cute two year old son and owner of Paige Wolf Media & Public Relations, which she has had for 10 years. Paige said, ”in the past few years I have been fortunate enough to work with green and sustainable clientele. Paige Wolf Media & Public Relations offers communications services to clients who contribute to a sustainable world and positive change. My clients range from national green beauty companies to local nonprofits to large community events. In addition to that, I am the author of Spit That Out: The Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt and I blog at www.spitthatoutthebook.com about making green living more practical, manageable, and affordable.”
Paige utilizes social media. She said, “I am addicted to Facebook and Twitter. Someone once said, “Facebook is about who you know and Twitter is about who you want to know.” I think that’s very true and why both mediums are equally important.”
Regarding childcare, Paige shared that her son is now in preschool five days a week, which he loves. He started at 14 months going 3 days a week. Prior to that he was cared for by a part time nanny. Paige said that her husband is able to work from home some days as well, so they’ve managed to balance their time!
Paige’s son, Sam, loves to play outside in their tiny city garden, color, and generally make a mess. She said she views her son as “a little mini version of yourself and your spouse that you created and how funny, smart, and adorable they are!” Her current challenge as a parent is dealing with the terrible twos. She said that she relies on other moms for advice and tries whatever works! Paige and her family live in Philadelphia and love their neighborhood. She said, “love having Seger Playground across the street! Also right by Whole Foods and my son’s preschool – it’s a regular loop around the neighborhood filled with familiar faces and wonderful city scenery mixed with plenty of green spaces! We love the park, going to festivals and outdoor activities – there is always something to do in the city and it’s usually walking distance!”
In regards to feeding her family Paige mentioned “we get a CSA (community shared agriculture) share from a local farm delivered to the city. I love that it challenges us to try new and healthy things, and finding ways to incorporate all these fruits and veggies into our meals! Sometimes we do get stuck with something we hate – like beets – so we share them with the neighbors!”
Paige’s book, Spit That Out: The Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt, covers a wide range of parenting tips. To sum it up, Paige’s advice to new parents is that just because your feel you can’t do everything does not mean that you should do nothing. This applies not just to green living but various aspects of parenting including activities, quality time and so on.
Thank you, Paige for sharing a bit of your life with Mama’s Little Helper readers!
 Paige Wolf, author of Spit That Out! If you know a mom who you would like to see featured here, please email Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org.
This week’s featured Mama of the week is Amy Benninger. Amy is the owner of the website Lehigh Valley Little Ones/Lehigh Valley Family Fun, a great resource website for parents of kids in the Lehigh Valley Area. Her website has an activities calendar, information about area parks, a community bulletin board, birthday party ideas, and seasonal activities, just to name a few. Not only is it a great resource for families living in the Lehigh Valley, but it’s also a good place for Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia families to research ideas for day trips to the Lehigh Valley.
Family comes first to this Lehigh Valley Mama!
Besides authoring and managing her website, Amy is the mom to two kids, ages 7 and 4. Her children love to swim and “just be kids!” Amy enjoys being there for her kids accomplishments and supporting them when they fall. One of her parenting challenges is staying focused and remaining calm. She feels that she is “still a work in progress, but learning every day not to stress the small stuff in life.” She focuses on remembering to prioritize what is important now and moving on from there. A favorite place to pass the time is hanging out in the back yard watching her kids on the swing set. Amy works hard at teaching her kids to respect the Golden Rule She said, “we speak often about the “Golden Rule” Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you don’t want some to do it to you…don’t do it to them. I have them repeat it all the time.”
Family time is very important to Amy. Her advice to new parents is to put the computer and phone away during times with your kids. She said, “I, myself, forget this rule all of the time. And my youngest reminds me frequently. They are so impressionable and they notice everything. Now is the time to show them you listen, care, understand.” She also mentioned that the best parenting advice she ever received was to listen to other people’s advice and then do what you want!
Amy is a stay at home mom (SAHM) and has been since the winter of 2005. She mentioned that she left her full time job because she couldn’t handle leaving her daughter at daycare anymore and she knew she wanted to be with her full time. ”Prior to having children I was an Account Manager in the Direct Mail Industry. I am now the owner of a website resource – Lehigh Valley Little Ones.com. It is a FREE website resource for Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers or WHOMEVER to find stuff for their kids to do in the Lehigh Valley, PA & surrounding areas.”
Amy founded her website because in 2008 she was trying to sign her daughter up for ballet lessons and having trouble. She said, “after being frustrated, I realized how awesome it would be if there was a centralized location of kids information for the Lehigh Valley area. That is how Lehigh Valley Little Ones came into being. I love being my own boss and I love spreading the word about great programs for our LV kids! There are tons of great things out in the Lehigh Valley…I just want to help spread the word.”
Social Media helps Amy stay connected to her audience.
When asked about her use of social media, Amy replied that using social media has been a huge benefit for her website. She said, “we have begun holding contests on our site – featuring prizes from local, Lehigh Valley companies. Without social media, we would rely heavily on search engines. But social media has allowed us to talk to our Viewers and get their feedback. We have found that Facebook & Twitter have been our best outlets.” You can find Lehigh Valley Little Ones on Facebook and Twitter, where parents can stay up to date with the weekly events and activities occurring in the Lehigh Valley.
So if you live in the Lehigh Valley area or are planning a visit, be sure to check out Lehigh Valley Little Ones and Lehigh Valley Family Fun!
 Amy Benninger from Lehigh Valley Little Ones Thank you Amy for being a Featured Mama of the Week on Mama’s Little Helper!
If you would like to nominate a mom to be featured here, please email Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org!
Chevrolet Launches Military Salute Program in Pennsylvania
Chevrolet to honor and thank servicemen and women in Pennsylvania by celebrating their time at home
WHAT:
As part of its longstanding commitment to the military, Chevrolet is proud to announce the Chevrolet Military Salute in Pennsylvania – a program that encourages people to nominate active duty Pennsylvania military servicemen and women who they’d like to honor, for the chance to win a Chevy-style celebration in their hometown.
Nominations will be accepted from August 22 to September 23 on the General Motors’ GMNortheast blog, www.drivingthenortheast.com. Five finalists will be selected from the entries received and profiled on the blog. People will then be able to show support for their favorite finalist by casting their votes online. In October, the Chevrolet team will roll into the chosen serviceman or woman’s hometown for a celebration they’ll never forget. For your chance to nominate a loved one or vote visit, www.drivingthenortheast.com.
WHEN:
Nomination Period: August 22, 2011 – September 23, 2011
Judging/Selection: September 26, 2011 – October 4, 2011
Winner Chosen: Week of October 2
WHERE:
Pennsylvania
WHY:
Chevrolet’s commitment to the U.S. military runs deep.
Its relationship with the military began in April 1940 when Chevrolet negotiated their first military contact building explosive shells. By the end of 1941, military trucks and aircraft engines were also being produced in Chevrolet plants. Seven Chevrolet plants across the country were awarded the Army-Navy “E” for excellence, in recognition of their contributions to wartime production.
Chevrolet Military Salute was launched to recognize and honor the sacrifices of men and women for their country, extending the brand’s support of the military. This support includes other programs such as Chevrolet’s military discount, ongoing collections for Cell Phones for Soldiers, and partnerships with military organizations like the Achilles Freedom Team and the Travis Manion Foundation.
CONTACT:
For more information you can contact:
Lauren Fitapelli Natalie Neyer
212-418-6214 717-231-5331
Lauren.Fitapelli@gm.com nneyer@tierneyagency.com
About Chevrolet
Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly” solutions, such as Chevrolet Cruze Eco with an EPA-estimated 42 miles per gallon highway, and the Chevrolet Volt offering 35 miles of electric driving and an additional 344 miles of extended gasoline range, according to EPA estimates. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models, fuel solutions and OnStar availability can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
This weekend’s weather forecast is sounding more ominous every minute! The threat of hurricane Irene, due to arrive to the Philadelphia, Bucks County, Montgomery County and New Jersey regions Sunday morning, means lots of cancellations and evacuations. While everyone hopes that this storm is being hyped more serious than it really will be, it is so important to be safer than sorry. I can’t help but think of those tragic news stories that followed hurricane Katrina, when people were not as prepared as they could have been. There are many resources online that provide helpful information on how to prepare for a storm. Here are a few resources for Mama’s Little Helper readers:
Be prepared for during and after Hurricane Irene!
If your area has not been evacuated, there are a few things you can do to help your family shelter at home during and after the storm, when power outages are possible. While this list is not inclusive, here are a few tips I learned about from reading various places online to help deal with this storm:
- Have a good supply of drinking water on hand. Approximately one gallon per person for at least three days, up to seven.
- Set your refrigerators and freezers to the coldest setting in case of a power failure.
- Freeze extra ice packs or even bottles of water to use to help keep your freezer contents cold in case of a power outage.
- Be sure to have a good supply of any prescriptions you need on hand.
- Have some extra cash on hand. If there is a power failure in the area, ATMs will not work.
- Fill your gas tanks of your car and generator if you have one.
- Keep non perishable foods on hand, such as peanut butter and jelly, bread, snack bars, fruit, and your kids’ favorite snacks!
- If there are babies at home, be sure to have diapers, food, milk/formula supplies for them.
- Have flashlights with batteries on hand, as they are safer than candles.
- Keep a box of activities that can be used to entertain your kids during a power outage. Games, crayons and coloring books, and even something new to be a nice surprise for the kids during this stressful time.
- Clear your yard and decks/porches of potential hazards…store lawn furniture, bird feeders, toys indoors if possible.
Natural disasters are scary for adults and confusing for children. It is important to teach your kids about how to be safe without frightening them. It’s good for the adults to have a plan for evacuation from the home if necessary and share as much as that plan as is appropriate for your children based upon their age. Watching the news with kids can provoke anxiety for some kids. Share with your kids just enough information about what is going on with out going in to too much detail to curb anxiety. Some kids won’t care, but there are lots of kids who will be scared. Plan to have a little fun while you are stuck inside during the storm. It might help relieve everyone’s anxiety or stir-craziness!
Be safe during the storm! I hope that everyone who has been evacuated from the Jersey shore is able to return home safely soon.
Mama Diane
This week’s featured mama of the week is Teresa H. Berger, author of the book Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide and mother to one awesome five year old girl. She also blogs at Life. Suburban. Simple. where she shares tips regarding being green and more earth friendly.
Teresa is currently a SAHM and has always worked in some capacity since becoming a mother. She has worked as a part-time freelance marketing consultant, full-time marketing director, and most recently full-time SAHM. She is also a certified group fitness instructor and has taught pre/post natal fitness classes for women for about four years. Teresa said, “I am a firm believer in maintaining a sense of self-worth when becoming a mother. I have struggled with that the last couple of years because I’ve worked less and less. I do enjoy being with my daughter and creating memories I could never have had the opportunity to had I been consistently working full-time. But at the same time, I’ve learned I need to allow myself “me” time to develop my skills, interests and passions. That is one reason I got certified as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer, and why I’m currently training to run a 1/2 marathon in September.”
Parenting presents challenges, and Teresa shared some of the things that she deals with, including time management, which is an issue for her. She said, “even with one child, I’m still learning how to adjust and build in buffer time to account for her wardrobe changes or the random morning tantrum. As kids go from baby to toddler to elementary age and beyond, they still need you, their needs just change.” She also mentioned that she has a hard time dealing with when she sees her daughter’s feelings get hurt at school or on the play ground. Teresa mentioned that she is “learning that it is just a part of life but it gets me in the gut to see her hurting (or any child hurting because they’ve been called a name or treated poorly.)”
This Montgomery County mom & author helps fund raise for The National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation
Teresa’s book, Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide was written to celebrate her mother’s life, which was loss at the young age of 53 to LeioMyoSarcoma*, a rare form of cancer. The book honors her memory of her mother and includes many family activities and recipes that kids can help make. A portion of the proceeds for the book goes to The National LeioMyoSarcoma Foundation. The book can be purchased through CreateSpace or via Amazon. Teresa is also involved in fundraising efforts for LeioMyoSarcoma through a local walk. She said, “the first Sunset Stroll for LMS was held in October 2010 in conjunction with the books efforts to raise awareness and funding for the NLMSF. We are planning a second Sunset Stroll for LMS in October 2012 (hoping to eventually make it an annual event.)”
*Leiomyosarcoma is a rare form of cancer, which affects about four people in every million. It spreads through the blood stream and can affect the lungs, liver, blood vessels or any other soft tissue in the body. Presently there is no cure, only remission if it can be attained, and this rare cancer can reappear anywhere and at any time. Because of its rarity, few doctors know how to treat it and it attracts little research. From http://www.nlmsf.org/
A great recipe from Mom’s Recipe and Activity Guide:
Teresa shared one of her favorite cookie recipes from her book, Rainy Day Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. They are an easy recipe kids can absolutely help with making.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (optional—omit if anyone at home has a peanut allergy or if you are sharing with friends/classmates)
• ½ cup flaxseed (good source of vitamin B, protein, and zinc)
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Combine the baking soda, salt, flour, peanut butter and flax seed and stir into creamed mixture. Add oats and chocolate chips and stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Makes about 24.
Teresa uses social media to build and maintain relationships and to stay in touch with family from afar. She said, “I try not to spend too much time on it, because I don’t want to get carried away from my first priority – family. Social media has helped me grow professional relationships and friendships. It’s also afforded me the opportunity to stay on top of what’s going on in the world.” You can find Teresa on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with her book and her latest project, her second book! She is also pursuing options to make her current book into an e-reader format!
Teresa takes advantage of living in a great part of Montgomery County that has a wonderful park, Alverthorpe Park. She said, “it’s got something for families with kids of all ages and because it’s a township park it has summer camps for kids throughout the season. My daughter just took a week-long golf basics camp there and it was so fun.”
Thanks Teresa, for sharing a bit about your life with Mama’s Little Helper’s readers!
Comfort Food sells locally produced whole foods for take home or catered events!
This week’s featured Mama of the week is Kimberly Quay, blogger and chef/owner of Comfort Food, a shop that sells take out whole foods and a caterers. Comfort Food is located at 437 Alden Avenue in Morrisville, PA and has been open for over a year now. Prior to Comfort Food, Kimberly studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked at some great Philly area restaurants, including Striped Bass, White Dog Cafe, and Jake’s in Manayunk. According to her blog, she has been in the food industry for 20 years now, starting out making cookie dough! Along the way she has learned a lot and now focuses her energy on her business, Comfort Food. ”Our storefront sells healthy, prepared foods to go, made from the bounty of Bucks County’s local farms. We also do catering, from small dinner parties to weddings, barbecues, graduation parties, communions…you name it, we can cater it.”
Kimberly is a single mom to two kids, ages 9 and 11. She said that her son plays travel baseball, “so we are all consumed by his baseball schedule. When I’m not working, you can usually find my daughter and I watching one of her brother’s games(she is a tortured baseball sister!)” She describes her daughter as “a wonderful artist, with an incredible talent for drawing and cartooning.” With respects to parenting, Kimberly said “I enjoy knowing that I’m teaching my kids to grow up to be kind, caring, funny young adults who are capable of making good decisions. I love seeing them blossom as they get older, watching their personalities really develop.” Parenting presents many challenges, and for a single mom who works full time at her own business, there is the added challenge of being away from her kids for extensive amounts of time (she works a 70-80 hour week!!) Kimberly is able to rely upon a very supportive network of help who care for her kids while she works, including her parents, friends and a team of babysitters. It helps that she really enjoys her work!
Teaching her kids strong values is important to Kimberly. She said she focuses upon “the usual-honesty, compassion, being a good friend, doing the right thing. I think all these things are taught on a daily basis, by me being a good role model. I have very high expectations for myself as a human being, and my kids see that every day.” When asked about how she teaches her kids about respect, she relied, “we often talk about what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes. I think having perspective in any situation is difficult, especially for kids. We have a lot of conversations that begin with,”Well, how do you think that makes him/her feel? How would that feel if that was you?”
Kimberly mentioned that she does not cook at home usually, but brings home food from her shop for her family. She said, “the most cooking I do is when we BBQ on Sunday nights if I’m not working. I pour a mean bowl of cereal in the morning.” Kimberly lives close to her shop, in Yardley. She said her favorite place to be in her neighborhood is to be is on her back deck with her partner, her dog and her kids playing in the yard. She enjoys going to the pool with her kids so that they can have fun with their friends and leave this busy mama alone for a bit to relax!
Social media is a great way to interact with customers and share Comfort Food’s menus!
Kimberly is involved in social media as a means to promote her business. On her blog, comfortfoodlive.blogspot.com, she posts photos of the daily changing chalkboard menu from her shop. She also regularly updates the shop’s Facebook page and interacts with customers there. She said, “I use Facebook and the blog to keep people updated on what we’re making, special menu items and pictures from events that we’re doing. Since our menus change so quickly, it’s great to be able to instantly get the word out that new items are ready. I once posted that we had crabcakes at the shop, early Saturday morning. By 3pm we had completely sold out and people were still coming in and asking for them! It’s amazing how many people really keep a close eye on Facebook.”
Stop by Comfort Food sometime to pick up some great food, say hello to Kimberly and tell her that Mama sent you! You can find Comfort Food in Bucks County at 437 Alden Ave., Morrisville, Pa 19067, 215-847-5707. Email: Comfortfood1@yahoo.com
 Kimberly Quay at Comfort Food in Morrisville, photo courtesy of buckslifemag.com Thanks to Kimberly for sharing information about her parenting style and business information with Mama’s Little Helper!
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