I struggle with getting the kids involved in giving back. They see and hear that other children are not as lucky as them. But I worry that it becomes just noise.

When it comes to kids giving back, it's not about the amount of money raised, or what the projects are; it is the sense of satisfaction and they get from doing it which will hopefully drive them to make giving a part of their lives.

Sleep. It's the most elusive, fleeting, annoying, talked-about, and aggravating part of (early) parenthood.

With your first, no matter how much preparation you have had, there is absolutely no way that you are ready for the relentless attack on your sleep patterns. You will cry tears of exhaustion and bitterness. You will reach out to friends, strangers and professionals for answers.

But there are no answers on how to get your baby/toddler/preschooler to sleep. Nothing you will buy, read or pray to will prove to be the magic thing that does it. But looking back, there are a few things that helped me get through those sleepless nights and get my kids to sleep:

The world is divided into male and female. The toy stores want us to know it, the toy manufacturers want us to know it and, often, the comments here on this blog want me to know it.

But once in a while a kid will tiptoe over the line, sometimes with intent, with curiosity and sometimes just because sparkly, purple things are nice to look at.

Did you hear that shot through the momosphere? That was Anderson Cooper firing up a new round of mommy wars using the term "lazy" as his weapon.

*Disclaimer: I hate the term mommy wars. I think it has been created by the media to place women's choices into boxes that need public approval, but not reflective of women's lives or their relationships.

On a promo for an upcoming show, Cooper had a group of stay-at-home moms and working moms arguing over who was happier. On the Anderson Cooper website the episode was called: "Are Stay-at-Home Moms Lazy? Plus, Kathie-Lee and Hoda" (Kathie-Lee and Hoda and their giant glasses of wine are just a bonus.)

My daughter has the most hilarious school photo this year. She is wearing a black tank dress and a purple clip-on braid. She looks like a rocker and she is only five. I can't wait to use the photo in some future slideshow when she is older.

(And no I won't post it, sorry.)

Fat makes us uncomfortable; it also makes us unhealthy. Which is exactly what the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is hoping will come across with their new Strong4Life campaign that make the viewer look into the face of an obese kid with the tagline: "It is hard to be a little girl, when you aren't one."

But is it going to far? Is shame and humiliation the thing that is needed to get healthy food on the table and kids off the couch?

In case you missed it, Beyonce had her baby. Unless you have been hiding in seclusion with no access to any form of media or public contact, this is not news.

JayZ and Beyonce's little princess is named Blue Ivy Carter. The current theory is that Blue is after JayZ's album Blueprint and Ivy is a riff on the Roman numerals for four (IV), the name of Beyonce's current album and the couple's favourite number. Personally, I hate the use of everyday words as first names. Poor little Blue will have to live with the 'why so Blue?' jokes for the rest of her life. But I guess she can retaliate with, "an apple a day" joke to you-know-who.

If you knew you could save your child from a lifetime of pain you would.

If you could save your child from an early death you would certainly do that too.

What if while doing those things you could also pick their intelligence? Their height and their ability to run fast? Those things may also help them as they go through life, wouldn't they?

Some people discount extremists like the Human Barbie mom who gave her daughter a credit for liposuction for Christmas. But I am more apt to see those people as a sign of our cultural times.

I don't think it is normal to give a child a credit for a future plastic surgery, but the fact that the story is dominating our news cycle is a clue to what we hold dear in our society. It's gross, and yet we want to hear more.

It's the same with Toddlers and Tiaras. We love to hate it.

Remember how sanctimonious you were before you had kids?

I remember well being a young couple and watching parents with their kids and coming up with a long list of things that we would never do as parents.

Of course, we have broken almost all of them. Haven't you?

We swore we would never: