SacMomsClub.com

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1. Laugh-until-your-ribs-hurt advice
Want someone sharper, wittier and just plain weirder than ‘Dear Abby’ to write to for guidance? Well, just ask Jenny Lawson, also known as The Bloggess. She tags herself as ‘Even less qualified than Dr. Phil.’ She’ll answer your question and chances are you’ll laugh yourself sore, but are you brave enough to follow her advice? (Well, maybe brave isn’t the right word … )

2. Finding grace in today’s busy lifestyle
Taking a moment to find grace, it seems a simple premise. We have busy, noisy lives and there are so many things on the checklist: the kids need help with homework, baby needs a new diaper, dinner needs cooking, someone has to clean those bathrooms and then there are bills to be paid, work, social obligations and so much more. After being worn down to the nub, it can make a girl cranky, snappy and just plain out of patience.

So when do we take a moment to ourselves and reflect and find those pieces of our lives that are positive and filled with grace? Blogger Schmutzie has created a community called “Grace In Small Things.” She created it as “a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.”

I gave it a whirl and you know, focusing, even briefly, on that speck or glob of positivity in the morning really helps make a zenful start to the day.

3. Someone who’s kid has been there
We all have those moments where our kids blurt out something incredibly, but horribly, honest. Blogger MomoFali shares her nearly daily antics, and the many ‘honest’ moments, of raising her children. As a public service announcement: Don’t drink milk while you’re reading her posts. Your nose will thank me.

4. Good for baby or good marketing?
It seems dreamy, a new formula — Enfamil’s “Restfull” — was created to help babies sleep longer during the night. What sleep-deprived parent doesn’t wish for more ZZZs? I know during my rounds of nursing, supplementing and pumping while my daughter was first home I might have felt desperate enough to try this. However, with full faculties now, I find it repulsive in the vein of soylent green. It seems really wrong making a baby feel full longer artificially. If nature dictated babies should wake up at night, isn’t there a valid biological reason, like needed nutrition, for doing so?

It wasn’t until I read blogger Dr. Mama, of Peaceful Parenting, that I became alarmed. According to her post, babies who sleep deep—or good sleepers — have a higher risk of SIDS. Formula-fed babies in general may have 2-3 times higher risk of the feared syndrome. So the two combined? Ugh. You can read the details here.

5. Create a special needs community
In my experience, information about local services, providers, school districts, doctors and more related to special needs can be very difficult to obtain. It seems like much of the information is passed in person and there are few websites or online communities that are geared to regions. If you’re finding this to be an issue – it’s very, incredibly easy to create your own network and without hiring a developer. In fact, if you can send email you can create a site through Ning.com. What does that look like? Check out the one created for California’s Central Valley here.

Members can blog, share photos and videos, post events and participate in discussion groups. It’s a great way to get all that knowledge you have of your area and share it with others searching. And it’s also a fantastic way to get to know those in your special needs community better.