One of my newly discovered joys of this summer has been freezer pops. You know -- the ones you buy for a buck at the grocery store and get about 527 in a box. I remember them from my childhood, but it has been decades since I've had them. My three kids have enjoyed these cold treats as well, getting to pick from blue, purple, green, orange, pink, red, every color of the rainbow. When we've been playing outside in the heat, we turn to freezer pops to cool us off. They usually do, especially after the second one.

One of the many joys of being a parent is gaining permission to do things as an adult that are normally relegated to children. Being a parent allows me to act like a kid again -- make angels in the snow, swing on the swings at the neighborhood park, go on rides at the amusement park. I now count freezer pops among them.

My family and I spent three wonderful days in Minocqua last week with some friends of ours who have two girls and also a boat. I had never been to Minocqua before, and we discovered how serene the area is, especially when you're on the water. We spent two glorious afternoons boating, playing in the water, stopping off at restaurants on the lake and enjoying an early evening water ski show. We will definitely be returning! Wisconsin is a beautiful place, and we had fun discovering a new place with our friends.

While my family was on vacation recently, I made a point to make a date with my daughter.

As the middle child and the only girl, my 3-year-old deserves some extra attention.

She seems to thrive on it. On the days leading up to our luncheon she proudly told her brothers and dad repeatedly that we were going on a date and no boys were allowed.

I know all about the importance of spending one-on-one time with children, but pulling that off on a regular basis isn't always easy, especially since I don't count trips to the grocery store or running errands as the best way to bond or make a child feel special.

So while we were in Chicago the two of us, along with her doll, joined my cousin and her daughter for an outing at the American Girl cafe for an experience designed to make any girl feel like a princess. Dining in a room decorated top to bottom in fuchsia, white and black, we sipped our lemonades (pink, of course) as the kids helped their babies with their tea.

After our hourlong four-course, finger-food lunch filled with smiles and giggles all captured on camera, we left, vowing to do something like this again. And soon.

I look forward to "my time," which is 8-10 p.m. every night as the only time during the day that I get to do my own thing, whether it's reading a magazine or book, scrapbooking, beading, watching TV, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry or whatever. With my kids having a regular bedtime, I can rely on that time (usually) every night.

That isn't the case when you have really little ones. I remember when my firstborn was a month or so old and I told my husband that what I really wanted to do was watch a movie. So on a Friday night we put our son to bed, put in the movie and proceeded to stop it about 25 times when he would wake up, start crying and needed to be held until he fell asleep again. For a person who is very scheduled and likes routine, this stage was never easy on me.

His sleep improved at about 5 months, but I also got a lot of help from a book. "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This book shows parents how to put babies to sleep by recognizing the child's internal clock and by illustrating the importance of a nap schedule. It did wonders for me and for my three kids.

I got another sleep book at The Post-Crescent recently that's titled "Baby & Toddler Sleep Solutions for Dummies." Maybe other parents will find that one just as useful. Whatever works!

The first person who sends me their name and address can have the book. I can put it in the mail to you. Let me know if you want it.

After throwing together a dinner of food scrounged from the refrigerator -- chicken fajitas, cherry coffeecake, corn cut from the last remaining cob and some raspberries -- my husband told me I had graduated from the school of motherhood.

Lesson one, according to him, is learning to put together a last-minute meal of nothing but leftovers and still having it hit most of the major food groups.

Not bad for someone who couldn't even make Jell-O in college.

My proud moment got me thinking about other things I've accomplished since becoming a mom five years ago:

Learning to do everything with one hand. Since carrying a child in your arms doesn't allow you the freedom to use both hands, becoming adept at doing everything with one is essential.

Mastering the art of distraction. Child on the verge of melting down in the van? Saying, "Look! I think I see a dog!" works every time.

Remembering every verse to "Wheels on the Bus" and even making up a few of my own.

Turning ordinary objects into toys or something of interest. When you've been waiting too long in the doctor's office and there isn't anything to occupy them except for the contents of your purse, you learn quickly how to become a magician.Now if only I could remember to pack some small toys or books in my bag before we leave the house. I've still got a lot to learn.

Before our third child was born two years ago my husband and I sold our Mazda Protege and bought a van because the five of us simply can't fit in our other vehicle. Stuffing three full-size car seats in the back of the Honda CR-V was impossible. But now that my oldest child will be entering kindergarten in the fall, my husband, who drives the SUV, is going to be responsible for dropping off the children at their respective places in the morning instead of me doing drop-off and pick-up. Because of that, we are trying to find booster seats that will accommodate our children's sizes and allow enough room for my 2-year-old's seat. It hasn't been easy. Who knew that most booster seats are designed for kids weighing 40 pounds or more (that works for one of our kids but not the other) and don't come with adjustable arm rests. We aren't looking for anything fancy, just something that will fit and allow our children to buckle themselves in. The hunt is on.

Here is a link to a Web site that offers information about common car seat safety mistakes.

www.babycenter.com/refcap/64875.html?scid=pcbulletin:20070702:0:0:0

Navigating your way through the working world as a mom isn't always easy. When I returned to work when my firstborn was 4 months, I didn't know if I would ever get a handle on balancing work with family life. But three kids and five years later, I feel much better about things than I once did. It's always a work in progress, though.

If you are a working mom, a special Web site is designed to be an online resource for working moms. Mommy Track'd (www.mommytrackd.com) offers everything from tips to organizational aids. Its newsdesk feature (www.mommytrackd.com/hottopics_detail.php?id=20) distills the latest news, studies, book reviews and debates of particular interest to working moms. Some of the topics include:
- Multi-tasking effects on families
- "Gender Convergence" - Moms and dads wanting the same things more and more these days
- The importance of saying NO
- Myth of the "Perfect Mom"
- New "Mom Friendly" Employers
- Parents Make Better Managers
- Flex-time debate
- The Mommy Wars/Opting in vs. Opting out

I was nearing the end of my work week on Friday when I got a call from my daughter's day care teacher saying my 3-year-old had stuck a bead up her nose and no one could get it out. She was upset, of course, so I said I would come and get her, armed with a pair of tweezers from the office's safety kit.

I know this is the kind of thing that happens quite frequently to children (I remember going with my mom to the emergency room when I was little after my younger sister stuck a crayon up her nose, and it broke), but the thought of it made me panic. My pediatrician's nurse gave me some suggestions but told me to be careful because you don't want it to go down her nose and end up getting stuck in her lungs.

I was thinking the bead would be a somewhat small one, but I was surprised when I saw her that it was huge, making the side of her nose bulge out. Thankfully she calmed down after I gave her her favorite stuffed animal. I had her lie down in the van and stay still while I worked on getting the bead out. Finally, after what seemed like a really long time and as I was about to give up, I got the bugger out.

"Thank you, Mommy. I can breathe better now," she said.

So can I.

I admit that when it comes to children’s birthday parties, I like to put on my best Martha Stewart impersonation.
I will spend months on the planning - figuring out a theme for the party, making homemade invitations, designing food and a cake that follow the theme and picking games and door prizes for the kids that match.
Although it’s a lot of work, I enjoy hosting parties at our house for family and friends, and the kids always have a fantastic time.
So it was a severe blow to my pride when my 5-year-old son told me that he wants to have a birthday party with his pals at a bowling alley in September.
But what about my pirate idea with a treasure chest cake with candies and coins inside, an invitation that looks like a scroll, eye patches, bandannas and a treasure hunt? Or a "Let’s have a ball" soccer party with white and black food only, a game of balloon soccer in the backyard and a decorate-your-own jersey activity?
Instead, his party will feature pizza and packaged snacks.
Well …. maybe I can make bowling shirts, a cake in the shape of pins and trophies filled with treats. Now that’s up my alley.

Because September is a busy birthday month at my house I try to get an early start on planning. And because I like to throw elaborate themed parties with coordinated food, invitations, games and prizes, they can be pretty taxing on my creativity.
I have turned to a few Web sites over the years that have helped me out greatly with coming up with fun ideas.
Here are a couple that I have used and would suggest:
www.birthdaypartyideas.com
www.familyfun.com
www.amazingmoms.com/htm/partygames.htm

One of the worst feelings in the world is when you've lost track of a child -- even for a moment -- in a public place or in a crowd. A sickening, heart-racing feeling takes over your body, and panic sets in.

I once lost my son in a small store when I was looking at something on the shelves and turned and he was gone. I found him after the longest minute of my life running around a few aisles down, but the fear and fright I felt stayed with my all day.

It seems all moms have a story like that. My cousin was grocery shopping with her infant son, who was sleeping in his car seat on top of the cart, and turned to get a can of soup. When she went to put the soup in her cart, she realized that her baby, his car seat and her cart were all gone. She alerted one of the workers, who quickly put the store in lockdown mode, and she ran around the store looking for her son. She found him being pushed around by another woman in a different aisle. The woman, oblivious to the fact that she has inadvertently grabbed the wrong cart with a baby in it, burst into tears when she heard my frantic cousin say, "You have my baby."

After that scare, my cousin said she no longer takes her hand off her carts or her strollers. She learned a valuable lesson that day and thankfully her story has a happy ending.

Here is a Web site for the Center to Prevent Lost Children. It offers tips that parents might find helpful.

http://www.preventinglostchildren.org

Making sure your car seat is properly attached is a big deal, and it was an especially big deal with my first child. Before he was born we had our car seat installed by a professional and never moved that car seat until he was 1 year old and needed a booster that finally could face the front. But getting there was an interesting process. The woman who installed our seat had such a time getting it in tight enough that she had to put her entire body into it, kneeling on the seat and shaking it back and forth. When she was all done, she was sweaty and out of breath. When she stepped out of our SUV after nearly 30 minutes of hard work, she snapped a piece (I'd tell you the name of it, if I knew it) off the car. I ended up having to take it to the car dealership to have it fixed, but it was all worth it, knowing our baby was safe.

Free booster seat and car seat safety check

When: Wednesday, July 11

Where: Kohl's, W3226 County Hwy. KK, Darboy

Time: 3-6 p.m.

Sponsored by: Safe Kids Wisconsin

More info: www.safekids.org or www.chw.org/carseats

Hello, ladies. As the mother of three little ones, life can be absolutely crazy at times. Some of you might know me already from my column that appears Saturdays in Living Well (check it out at www.postcrescent.com). This blog will be an extension of that, with me talking about my family life and all the ups and downs that it entails. I'm also hoping to hear back from other moms who have been there, too. Let's get the conversation started.