BE: Mommy and Me Tweener Classes

I realized early this dewy morning that the days of Mommy and Me ballet classes are gone forever. Filled will longing for the easy, mindless hours of non-confrontational twirling and tutus I came up with a new idea: Mommy and Me Sex Ed! Why not continue the tradition, taking valuable lessons we've learned and pass on practical information to our girls in a fun way!

The lessons that came to mind immediately are the ones we all know, but that are sometimes hard to follow through on:
1) Set by example (which I take to mean a grown up version of "Show and Tell")
2) Communicate clearly and frequently

When you combine these two, a weekly sex ed class that you can share with your tween daughter becomes as easy as getting a full body wax.

Not one to sit on an idea for long, I immediately called Janice Nessorini at Bantam Books (if you don't know her you should, here's her number, 212-879-8890) and she is putting together a preliminary curriculum, book proposal and short documentary film for schools. Since this is not really my field of expertise (having only had sex, but not taught it to my daughter in any detailed fashion) I made a few topic suggestions that I hope she incorporates, ranging from how NOT to tell a boy NO and 5 easy steps to latex free orgasms. I hope you can join us! Schedule to follow.

DO: Socks for SOCCS

As you may know, I sit on the board of an organisation called SOCCS (Sisters of Owners of Canine Cancer Survivors). It is a wonderful organisation, dedicated to a little known group of women who are sisters of owners of canine cancer suvivors. Resources for these women are limited, to say the least. In addition to providing financial assistance, SOCCS works closely to meet these women's day to day emotional and social needs through a series of seminars, mentors, cocktail parties and hot stone therapy.

Our upcoming event was my very own brainchild: SOCKS for SOCCS. We will be auctioning socks donated by authentically stellar people (you know, stars). Although your socks are probably lovely, realistically they won't raise much money unless you can demonstrate that they've been worn by someone with a high twitter ranking (but thanks anyway). My friend, M (#2 on Twitter last week), has donated the pair pictured here, which have the added benefit of having been peed on, in a demonstration of territoriality or incontinence (we're not sure, but who really cares) by her very own sister's cancer suviving pooch Fred (isn't he adorable). The auction details are below:

Date: May 16, 2009

Place: DivaDogs Nightclub

Time: 9:00pm

Online Auction: http://www.soccs.org/

Please join us!

GET: Personal Lubricants To the Rescue

OK - now, here's a topic no one wants to talk about. Head lice. They're the most democratic of bugs and there is a great new way to get rid of them. I almost fell out of my chair when my children's pediatrician suggested it: Personal lubricants. That's right - this gigantic, booming market (lots of baby boomer women looking for a lube job) - has found a new expanding market in: lice eradication. If you think I'm joking, check this out: http://weeklyvolcano.typepad.com/spew/2009/01/wet-works.html. Now, I know that it's not glamourous, but IT WORKS!

MAKE: Being Prepared for April

April is a funny month. It's not really hot, not really cold. Somedays are just right for curling up in front of a fire with a good book, others for kite flying. I say, be ready for both. To that end I spent the last week with Kikuro Harami an world-reknown calligraphy kite master from Osaka. She showed me how to carefully transcribe my favorite texts onto kites. Each page of text takes about 2 hours to move onto a kite. But, think of the upside! An octagonal box kite can fit almost all of Anna Karenina if you use both sides of the fabric. I was so thrilled with our results. I sat all of Sunday with a cup of echinacea tea under a faux (or real!) cashmere throw reading my kite and then, when the sun came out, ran outside with the kids (who were quietly reading with me) and flew it. Our Make It Yourself instructions are easy to follow. And, as far and I know, these are the ONLY ones that Kikuro has made available. Happy Flyeading!

DO: Thoughts on Our Heated Planet

I've been very focused recently on global warming (WHO HASN'T!). In this day and age, it is essential that we all focus our inner and outer resources on areas that will have the most positive impact for the greater good. Usually this also means the most positive impact for own's own personal good, but not always. So, it makes sense to turn off the lights, unplug all unused electrical appliances and gadgets, not use airconditioners, and bicycle whenever possible - all things that would be good for our glorious, irreplaceable planet, but - for me personally that would all be bad. However, it's important to think about and hope that millions of other people (less focused on and actually financially capable of achieving both existential and physical comfort simultaneously) will do it. If you, dear reader, are one of those people, God Bless You.

DO: Feeding The Spirit and The Body

It's REALLY important to feed your kids. If you don't they might die. I know it seems obvious, but some people just don't realize how important it is. We looked into the importance of food to kids' growth and found incontrovertible evidence that it's essential. My own three children grow like weeds since I started feeding them 12 years ago. I learned from the start that not feeding them was not an option. For some people this is an overwhelming chore, but I know that if you stick with it, you will be happy in the long term.