It’s summer - which you of course already know…but that’s besides the point.  For parents, summer means nights when it doesn’t get dark until after bedtime - that creates special challenges when it comes to putting your kids to sleep.

My kids have pretty set patterns for sleep - typically in bed before 8pm.  So, when it doesn’t get dark until 8:30 they tend to have a few problems getting down and staying down for the night.  We’ve tried everything - from putting them to bed earlier - nope that doesn’t work - they still don’t go to sleep right away and worse they are crankier when they wake up in the morning.  Putting them down later - that just leads to meltdowns of epic proportions.  Shutting the blinds - can’t do that because it covers the airconditioner and when it’s 100 degrees that’s just not a good idea.

You get the point.  So, I’m reaching out - what do you do to get your kids to sleep in the summer?  Is there anything to do or do you just bear with it and wait for fall?

I love to read.  As my mother tells the story - I used to spend a lot of time in my room and books were my only friends.  I think there might be some truth to that…but that’s a different story.  During this past 4th of July I was lucky enough to be able to visit my family on Martha’s Vineyard.  We’ve been there before - and while the island was gorgeous and getting to spend time with family was awesome - one of the key highlights was getting to talk to the owner of Riley Reads.

Riley Reads is a small children’s book store on the island.  Zoe - the owner is a former nanny and book lover who loves to find just the right book for everybody who walks through her doors.  The store is a fantasy land for book lovers. Bright colors with books everywhere.  Nooks and crannies where kids can curl up with a book, cushions and pillows scattered on the floor for the younger set to drop onto with a book of their choice.

I got to talk with Zoe while I was there and her enthusiasm for books was undeniable.  She was able to give me some good tips on books that I can share with my daughters over the next few years.  If you’re ever in the Martha’s Vineyard area - be sure to check out the store!

Although Zoe is an expert at finding the right books (just give her a call or shoot her a note (zoe@rileysreads.com) and ask her to create a gift basket for you and you’ll see what I mean) - she’s new to blogging.  So stop by her blog and give her some love - and while you’re at it - check out her Facebook page - because if you love to read - you’ll love Riley’s Reads!

If you’re ever in the Martha’s Vineyard area - be sure to check out the store!

Note:  This post was not compensated in any way - I simply love the store, loved talking with Zoe and love to read - so I wanted to be sure to share it with all of you!

Reposted with Permission from BucksMontMom.com

It took me a long time to have children so my husband and I had plenty of time to discuss the type of parents we hoped to be someday.  We philosophized based on what we saw from our friends (and their friends) with their children.  We knew it was not going to be easy to be a parent.  After all, when you are the only adults at a birthday party without kids of your own, you get to see different children and different styles of parenting.  As a researcher by nature, instead of a birthday party it became a brainstorming session.

When our son arrived, those plans all changed.  He was a few weeks premature so he came into this world as a tiny little being.  We spent hours upon hours awake at night feelings of endless frustration when he had colic.   They doctor said he had a milk allergy.  We removed dairy and life got a bit better.

As a toddler, we introduced foods the way most moms do with the jarred (organic) items, one at a time to see if there are any reactions.  There were no reactions, just a few items he refused to touch; a typical toddler.  When he could grab at the pieces of food himself he started gagging a bit too when he ate.  I told him to stop taking such big bites.

Since he was a preemie the doctors were not at all concerned about his being very low on the height and weight chart.  Just after his first birthday they told us he should start to catch up.  He didn’t.  He fell off the weight chart and our pediatrician ordered some tests.  In the meantime, he suggested that we do what we could to make our son eat more so he could put on the necessary weight.

Within a couple of months we learned that in addition to multiple food allergies (some potentially life-threatening) he has Asthma and a rare allergic disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (known as EE).

With EE, we learned that our son’s body cannot tolerate most foods.  In an instant I went from Casual Mom to the Extremely Overprotective Mom.  It was clearly not by choice.  I suddenly had to be that mom who oversees every tiny little detail of her child’s world.  It’s akin to living in a state of constant awareness and planning.  I am the parent that has to consistently connect and coordinate with daycare providers, teachers, counselors, school nurses and babysitters.  I try my best to strike a balance between advocating for my child and not being a royal pain in the butt.

It is a kick in the stomach to learn that your child is sick.   It’s a kick in the stomach to wonder how your child will deal with it as he gets older.  It’s a another kick in the stomach to wonder whether you should try to have more children for fear that they may have the same disease.  As odd as it may sound, it’s also a kick in the stomach to learn that your entire approach to parenting has to change.

Our son has his moments when it hurts him so much to be different; to be known as The Kid with the Allergies.  He struggles between wanting everyone to know (the more people who know, the more who can help keep him safe) and wanting to crawl into a hole when they stare at his plate and see a cheap imitation of the exciting, delicious foods they are eating.  Most days he has an incredibly positive attitude about it.  He understands that his brain has told his body that some foods are poison and hopefully one day there will be a medicine available to re-train his brain.  It’s the days when he breaks down that are the awful ones. It’s those moments when we know with certainty that we would cut off our own limbs if it meant that he could just eat a slice of pizza.

Our family spends every day hoping that one day there really will be a medicine available to re-train his brain.  In the meantime, I am going to continue to be a proud advocate for my child.  I hope that by doing so, he will grow up to become an advocate in his own right, whether he uses his voice for his disease or another cause.  I hope that he will not see this disease as a limitation, but rather a lifestyle.  I hope he will continue to care for his health and well being.  In the meantime, I am proud to be his Allergy Mom.

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For more information about Eosinophilic Esophagitis, please visit:

American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED): www.apfed.org

Campaign Urging a Cure for Eosinophilic Disorders (CURED): www.curedfoundation.org

Center for Pediatric Eosinopilic Disorders at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: www.chop.edu/service/center-for-pediatric-eosinophilic-disorders/home.html

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Jessica Cohen is the Publisher of BucksMontMom.com.

I don’t know about your family - but we don’t get many vacations around here.  Between my job and my husbands family business, we are both short on vacation time.  Well - technically, I have a lot of vacation time, but the ability to take it and feel like you’re not letting your team down…that’s a different discussion.

So, this past week - we took off on a trip.  We headed up to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.  If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it!  My brother, sister-in-law and parents were also with us and we had cousins visiting from Chicago, so we made it a family event!

I am personally, not much of a fan of the beach - something about sand in places it doesn’t belong and things like that.  However, just because I’m not a fan - doesn’t mean my kids shouldn’t enjoy it.  So, off we headed to the beach.

If you haven’t been to Martha’s Vineyard - I must say that the beaches are some of the best I’ve been to.  We spent most of our time at State Beach - which is difficult to park at - but definitely worth it if you have little children.  The depth of the beach is short, and the water is not very choppy - so kids can play and not be overcome by the waves.  And don’t worry - even if you recognize the scenery from “Jaws” I can assure you that I did not see any sharks!

While my kids were napping - I took off to Vineyard Haven - thanks to free babysitting from my parents!  I found some gorgeous stores - more to come on that in a different post…and had some fun doing some window shopping.

We hung out in Edgartown, saw the July 4th parade, barbecued and had a great time.  But, there is something about taking a vacation with family and kids that is very different from taking vacation with your significant other.

My kids were definitely off schedule - something that doesn’t work very well for my family.  That resulted in several meltdowns and a lot of crankiness, but it ended up ok.  It also is quite a trip to get to the island.  We went through 6 states, a car, bus and ferry - just to get to the island.  It took us about 6 hours including a short overnight nap - definitely not for the faint of heart.

All in all - it went well.  We plan on doing it again next year (cross your fingers) and hopefully as the kids get older - it will get easier.

How about you?  How are you spending your vacation time this summer?  Any plans for a family road trip?  What about your favorite vacation spot?