• The right age is two, or just a couple of months before or after. (By 2 ½ they love to say NO!) Start by getting a good potty book your child…

• Get a potty timer, a loud timer that you keep in the bathroom to set for 1 to 2 hours as a reminder for potty time. The timer, not you, is interrupting your child to announce that it is time for the potty.

• Buy really cool underwear or cloth training pants for your toddler. Getting wet is important physical feedback when your child starts to pee, so use diapers or pull ups only for naps and bedtime, never daytime.

• The bathroom is the happening place. No more changing table, bed or floor for changing wet or soiled clothes. Have your child sit on the potty while you get him cleaned up. Talk about how the pee got his clothes wet, and how he’ll stay nice and clean when the pee or poop goes in the potty.

• Praise, praise, praise and reward the effort each time he sits on the potty. Your child may pee in his pants just two minutes after potty time, but remember that this is a learned skill. It takes time to learn to relax those muscles on command. Accidents are a necessary part of the learning process.

• Be prepared. Try to spend more time at home the first week and keep any outings super short. Watch the clock (or keep the timer in your purse) and stop for bathroom breaks on schedule. Carry multiple changes of clean clothes and line the car seat with an absorbent pad, but DO NOT put your child in a diaper if you need to go out. You will be saying that it is OK to wet in your pants when it is not convenient to use a toilet.

• Keep the routine going. Once your child gets the idea, don’t assume he will tell you when he needs to use the bathroom. It will be important to keep potty breaks first thing in the morning, before and after every meal, nap, outing, etc.

Look to other moms for encouragement and keep a sense of humor about potty training. Soon you and your child will be celebrating your success!

Happiness is…no more diapers!

Gwyneth is involved with UNICEF’s new Born Free from HIV campaign, The Gift, so-called because HIV is a gift no mother wants to give her child, but a gift of medication (or funding for the medication) can help the situation. Right now, only one in five mothers receive the medication that will prevent HIV from being passed to her baby during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. These babies, once delivered, are unlikely to see their second birthday without proper treatment.

The thing that makes this unbearable is that it can be stopped. An effective treatment exists and costs less than $2.00. Seriously — there is an inexpensive treatment available that will keep 98% of mothers from passing HIV to their children.

To learn more about The Gift or to see how you can help, visit their website.

Photo courtesy of AskMen.com

Happiness is getting e-mailed an adorable picture of your nephew (and brother)!

Picture of Joel Smith with son Byrd Oliver.

In most cases we are all looking for the same thing however, not literally! We all wish for uniqueness, knee weakening frocks with dazzle and charmed to perfection. Why wouldn’t we? I mean our little princesses are exactly that… petite royal highnesses and must look the part for every photo opportunity.

When I think of posh and precious I think of a few special designers; today I will highlight one that has been one of my favorites since the early 2000′s. The designer is named Heidi Schwarck and the name of her company is Luna Luna of Copenhagen.

Luna Luna is comprised of not only stunning show-stopping dresses but gorgeous layette and accessories for newborn and infant girls. Each season Heidi designs a memory making dress for her clientele. Each year Luna Luna’s party dress is a retail success. It is historically the best selling dress in its category and by far the most unique. This combination is no easy feat, but for Heidi it was a consistent accomplishment. Heidi was a New York women’s designer for design houses such as Jones of New York, Bill Blass and Tahari. She then started a family and left the fashion industry until she had her third baby, a baby girl named Luna.

Luna was born and like most sweet baby girls, she had no hair. Heidi designed a whimsical baby hat with beauty and detail. It was important to her the hat projected femininity, as Luna was often mistaken for a boy. She received several comments and inquiries and the rest is as they say history. Heidi began Luna Luna in the early 2000′s and today her clothing line is represented in several specialty stores across the country. The best way to describe Heidi’s style is a Californian lifestyle meets elegant European flair. Luna Luna consists of two-piece sets, gorgeous take-me-home layette sets, diaper covers, hats and booties and the ever popular party dresses. This dress is worth more than each dollar you spend! The compliments and the smiles on your baby girl’s face will be worth more than the retail total of your purchase.

So, as you begin to ponder through all those catalogs you receive in the mail or wander through the same websites, take a moment and stroll through Luna Luna of Copenhagen.  You will be very happy you did!

The band dedicated the concert to Richie Sambora‘s father, who died of cancer just last year. To honor him, Richie opened with a solo. The show took place on February 12 and was already sold out about a week ahead of time, at which point it had already raised $1 million to fund two mobile hospice units for low-income New York neighborhoods. Stand Up For A Cure announced on its website that the two state of the art units will be named the “Adam and Joan Sambora Mobile Care Units.”

Other celebrities planning to perform for the cause are Jerry Seinfeld, Brian Wilson, and Andrea Bocelli. All performances will take place throughout the year in the New York City area as part of the inaugural Stand Up For A Cure concert series.

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

1. Stand up for yourself. Verbally express that you do not like what is happening. Using “I” statements are great, such as, “I feel ___ when you talk to me like that. Please don’t do it again.” Many young bullies will leave a child alone once he/she is stood up to by the child. Also, we as a society need to stand up to this poor behavior if it is to change. Far too many bullies have been allowed to hide, making the behavior seem acceptable. Encourage your child to come home from school and talk to you about it.

2. If it happens again, immediately have your child tell the teacher or a yard supervisor. Give an adult at school the opportunity to learn about the situation and make appropriate consequences. Again, encourage your child to tell you about it.

3. If the bullying behavior continues, set up an appointment to met with your child’s teacher. It is important that your child feel supported and safe throughout the process.

There is a wonderful make-up line called “tarte” that is so fashionable with its packaging, tempting colors and product selection, not to mention the remarkable vitamin-enriched formulas!

“Tarte” is the talk among Hollywood Stars and can make you feel as glamorous as a star! Not to mention, it’s affordable! Tarte is one of my TOP picks for adding to your everyday look to make you feel gorgeous and chic! Every fashion forward gal has the top fabulous beauty products in her make-up bag so here is one from “Tarte” to add to your bag!

I recommend the airplane friendly Cheekstains ($28), which has 8 shades to choose from so you are “tickled” pink everyday! I love using the color “flush” for a natural sun kissed or bashful blushed look. Perfect for a fresh, new look especially with spring and summer around the corner. With cheekstains there is an alternative for applying blush, which does not require a brush.

Putting Cheekstains on is a self explanatory, virtually effortless application process, especially for an on-the-go beauty!

Happiness is looking beautiful everyday from “tarte” to finish!

What I love the most about Holmes, though, is not her couture wardrobe, but the way that she incorporates her fashion magazine look into her everyday life as a wife and mother. And yes, it probably is easier to do this when your husband is Tom Cruise, but the idea that becoming a mom isn’t the end of being an It Girl is incredibly appealing.

Too often, women give birth and give up. We give ourselves over entirely to our children and their needs, and we forget to take care of ourselves. And then one day we look in the closet and realize that all we own are sweat pants and tee shirts with stains on them. To see Holmes toting her daughter while wearing an impeccably fitted little black dress is inspiring. If she can do it, why can’t we all?

While I realize that most of us can’t pull off Holmes’ look every day, I do think that she is fascinating because she exemplifies what we all hope is true: having a baby is not the end of being stylish. It is entirely possible to be a soccer mom AND be an It Girl. Every time I see Holmes in the news, I feel inspired to put on some eye liner and a great pair of sunglasses and feel a little less like the mommy and a little more like a style icon.

And that is why I love her.

Photo via InStyle.com.

Oprah has a new show premiering on March 2 called Big Give

They have to use the money to change the lives of others in the biggest possible way.

This is Oprah‘s way of allowing others to feel the high of giving, as well as show people across the nation how big a difference one person can make. Of course, because it’s a television show, it’s also a contest — it all comes down to who was able to be the biggest giver, and someone who doesn’t make the cut is eliminated each week.

Adding to the draw of this new show are the celebrity guests. Oprah‘s pals Jennifer Anniston, Andre Agassi, Jada Pinkett-Smith, John Travolta, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and more will show up along the way to lend a hand. From the previews, it looks like John Travolta flies somebody somewhere, and I know some of the folks will be judges, but other than that, I don’t know what roles the other famous faces will play. You’ll just have to watch and find out!

Oprah’s Big Give premieres March 2 at 9 EST on ABC.

Photo courtesy of biggeststars.com

Dutch Baby (or German Baby) is a large oven pancake. I clipped the recipe below many years ago from a Williams-Sonoma catalog. Their current website has only the Dutch Apple Pancake recipe shown in the photo. The apple version has less milk and more eggs, but try the plain one first; I love the less “eggy” version so much more.

So here it is…

Dutch Baby

This recipe for Dutch Baby has been a long-time favorite in my family and when my son’s friends come for a sleepover, it is always the most requested breakfast. Enjoy!

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