Survival tips for moms ... by moms

By Samantha Critchell
Associated Press

The one completely unifying theme among mothers, according to Stacy DeBroff, president and founder of Mom Central, is "juggling a thousand different logistics at any time, all the time."

"A lot of parenting is organization, which is not visible if things are going well," says DeBroff, herself the mother of a 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

It's the reason she's written a book for parents that she lightly refers to as the "Cliff Notes of solutions" — survival suggestions from moms across the country.

Those tidbits, applying from newborns to tweens, are featured in "The Mom Book: 4,278 of Mom Central's Tips ... for Moms, from Moms" (The Free Press). After two years of research and talking to hundreds of mothers, DeBroff says she's acting as a "smart filter."

"Everything in it has passed the 'aha' test," she explains in a phone interview from her Chestnut Hill, Mass., home-office.

DeBroff, the former director of the Office of Public Interest Advising at Harvard Law School, left her full-time job at the university in 1998 to focus on her full-time job of motherhood. Soon after, DeBroff launched Mom Central, a Web site and newsletter that culls and shares suggestions from mothers across the country.

"We hand down recipes but not mom tips," observes DeBroff.

Some of the mom-suggested, family-approved ideas DeBroff declares as ingenious include: using a red washcloth to clean a minor cut to camouflage the blood, which might look dramatic and scary against a light color; disinfecting toothbrushes in the dishwasher; serving messy desserts during bath time in the tub; and slipping a Hershey's Kiss into the palm of a child to hold onto during the first day of school.

To get a fussy eater to eat vegetables, a mother might encourage a contest of "Who can crunch their carrots the loudest?" Another might dress up fruits and bite-size pieces with fancy cocktail toothpicks, and yet another mom might grate zucchini or squash into burgers, meatloaf or muffins.

For many households, the ultimate test is getting everyone out the door in the morning or "the morning launch," as DeBroff calls it. What works in her house is starting the routine the night before.

The steps include:

• Packing all the items needed for work, day care and school, and loading as much as possible into the car.
• Designate a shelf, basket or area for each family member to place what else needs to go out the door in the morning.
• Check the weather report to plan clothing and outerwear.

Decide what to serve for breakfast — and have your child commit to their choice.

In the morning, wake up a half-hour earlier than normal, which may mean going to bed earlier, to allow time for a cup of coffee, a shower and to get dressed before the children are awake. At least one person is now ready to go.