Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! We have some fantastic little Valentine's Day goodies in store for your kids, you, and your partner in this month's BULLETIN BOARD. We've chosen some adorable, Valentine's Day books for kids (along with a favorite year-round classic) in the LIBRARY CORNER. For the MOVIE SCREEN, we fell in love with Chris Rock's new documentary (made in response to a question from his daughter), and we revisit to classic movies we hope you'll introduce to your children, if you haven't already. Our TIP OF THE MONTH is for picky eaters and fretting parenting alike. I also check in with Lauren and her Valentine's Day plans in THE BABY DIARIES. And, we're taking a little break from the BURNING QUESTIONS this month, but will be back with some new ideas in the next newsletter. I'll also catch up with you in my MEMOIRS!

On another note, I'm in quite a celebratory mood this month because on March 12th, ABC will be airing the 100th episode of SUPERNANNY! Mark your calendars and tune in, we have a great and exciting show for you! And, U.K. fans, I haven't forgotten about you! My new series, JO FROST: EXTREME PARENTAL GUIDANCE is now airing on channel 4! But everyone can learn about the series and get weekly recaps by going to the new JoFrost.com home page!

Have a wonderful, loving Valentine's weekend!

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Taking a little break

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LIBRARY CORNER

Alice Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Ages 9-12)

Everyone knows the story of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, but have they been through the looking-glass?

Helen Oxenbury's illustrations in ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, provide the tale with equal parts intimacy, warmth, and charm. Here again is Alice, dressed in her bright blue jumper and ready for adventure like any modern child. All it takes is a bit of curiosity about the room reversed in the mirror and suddenly Alice is in the Looking-Glass world with all manner of comical and magical characters -Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the lion and the unicorn, and a whole game board of chess pieces come to life. On page after page, Helen Oxenbury's incomparable line drawings, sepia illustrations, and full-color paintings give today's children their own utterly accessible view into Lewis Carroll's timeless nonsense.

Bloom! A Little Book About Finding Love by Maria van Lieshout (Ages 4-8)

Bloom isn't interested in playing in messy mud puddles with other pigs. She'd rather gallivant among pretty flowers. Bloom LOVES flowers and other pretty things. She also likes attention. And when a beautiful butterfly, a “flying flower” wafts by, she falls head over heels in love. But she soon learns that attraction is fleeting, and friendship brings a deeper, more satisfying love.

Maria Van Lieshout deftly, gently portrays the true meaning of love and friendship in story and pictures that are perfect for readers of all ages.

My Furry Valentine by Deborah Zemke (Ages 9-12)

Animals demonstrate different ways of saying, “Be my Valentine” in this small, gift-size offering. Die-cuts and flaps add an interactive dimension to gentle verse. Ladybugs “say it with spots,” in the shape of hearts; a pack of wolves says it by howling at the moon; and, behind a fence, two cows play banjo and tambourine, making “beautiful mooooosic.” Crocodiles say it “with smiles,” while a flock of birds flies “thousands of miles... to be home together.”

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Alice in Wonderland (Rated G)

To get in the mood for next month's release of the new Alice in Wonderland movie, why not revisit the animated Disney classic with your kids?

Imaginatively rendered but slightly chilly, this 1951 Disney adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic is also appropriately surreal. Alice (voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) has all the anticipated experiences: shrinking and growing, meeting the White Rabbit, having tea with the Mad Hatter, etc. Characterization is very strong, and the Disney team worked hard to bring screen personality to Carroll's eccentric creations. For a Disney film, however, it seems more the self-satisfied sum of its inventiveness than a truly engaging experience.

Good Hair (Rated PG-13)

We fell in love with Chris Rock's documentary, Good Hair. The film was made in response to a question his daughter asked him “Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?” Instead of blowing off the question or issuing a stock response, Rock picked up a camera and visited beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples, all to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community in this exposé of comic proportions that only he could pull off.

GOOD HAIR shows Chris Rock engaging in frank, funny conversations with hair-care professionals, beauty shop and barbershop patrons, and celebrities including Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Dr. Maya Angelou, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve and Reverend Al Sharpton – all while he struggles with the task of figuring out how to respond to his daughter's question.

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Not Rated)

"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz retired from the cartoonist's life early in 2000, and indeed left a few loose strings hanging among his chronically dissatisfied characters. He never did, for instance, cut Charlie Brown much slack in the romance department (or let him kick Lucy's football, for that matter). Sympathetic readers might have taken note of a story in the press just before Schulz said farewell, in which the inspiration for Charlie Brown's unrequited love interest--the never-seen, too-distant, "little red-haired girl"--was identified as a woman who turned down a marriage proposal from Schultz a half-century ago. That bit of biographical detail now adds poignancy to be My Valentine, Charlie Brown; a 1975 television special built upon years of Valentine's Day "Peanuts" strips. This half-hour show finds Charlie Brown suffering, typically, the ignominy of receiving no hearts-and-flowers greetings while the rest of the gang, including Snoopy; spend their day sorting through piles of love notes. Worse, Schulz's famous sad sack can't get up the nerve to approach his unapproachable angel, though there may be--just may be--a glimmer of hope this time around.

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You may be crafty or have some crafty kids, but sometimes, we all run out of ideas. We've discovered Kaboose.com, which has turned us on to some great crafts for kids of all ages, and helped inspire our Valentine's Day Bulletin Board! So get craft with your kids this V-Day weekend, whip up a family-friendly drink

Tissue Paper Flowers
This fun craft is easy to do and perfect for everything from Valentine's Day to birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day or anytime! Fill a vase with a dozen of these brightly-colored flowers to get your family through the winter. The best part is, they never wilt!

Paper Love Bug
Paper Love Bugs are the idea gift for slightly older kids (age 5 and up) to give to their siblings or relatives for Valentine's Day! The best part is, the wings double as a card, allowing kids to write message to the recipient on the front or back side.

Candy Rings
A sweet treat for your kids or any of their visiting friends, Candy Rings let everyone enjoy a little bit of candy without the massive sugar high.

While the kids craft, whip up a batch of these fun, fruity Valentine's Day drink!

Ginger Sweetheart – Serves 4

• 2 ½ cups of chilled Ginger Ale
• ¼ cup of fresh (or frozen) raspberries
• 1 large strawberry (sliced into four thin, heart-shaped slices) for garnish
• 4 plastic champagne glasses or other child-friendly cup

Blend ¼ cup of fresh or frozen raspberries in a blender or food processor until liquefied. Set aside.
Divide the chilled ginger ale evenly among the four cups. Taking a teaspoon, carefully empty a spoonful of the raspberry puree into the ginger ale. Garnish each cup with a heat-shaped slice of the strawberry.
While you might not be able to set up the romantic evening of your dreams with kids underfoot, consider just taking time to set up a little cheese boarding the kitchen for you and your partner while your kids craft nearby. This will give you both time to catch up, consume an adult beverage (spike your Ginger Sweetheart with some vodka for a lovely kick) and some food for a more complex palate, and enjoy a stolen moment with each other. We've consulted with our favorite cheese mongers at Murray's Cheese in New York on the perfect Valentine's Day cheese plate (complete with a few aphrodisiacs). These cheeses will turn you on, without turning off your nose.
Cheese is, of course, the anchor to a good cheese plate. It's always good to go with a hard cheese, a medium cheese and a soft or cream cheese. Cheeses should be served a room temperature for maximum taste. Shaving the harder cheeses allows for better tasting.
However, there are added elements that can help bring out flavor, add texture and a little bit of sex appeal.

The three cheeses of Valentine's Day:

Bachensteiner (From Gunzesreid, Germany) this cheese has a bit of acidity that balances out its milky sweetness It has a more ripe smell, but a very mild flavor, so don't get scared. This cow's milk cheese is similar to Munster, and most delicious when consumed with a dark beer.

Piave (Hailing from Veneto, Italy) is a hard cheese reminiscent of Parmigiano Reggiano, but with notes of citrus. A good, solid cow's milk cheese enjoyed by nearly every one.

Saint-Andre (France) This triple crème cheese is made from cow's milk and tastes like a whipped version of Brie. It has a very soft, buttery texture with a hint of sweetness. It's rich, so you only need a little bit to hit the spot. Saint-Andre is a pretty common cheese, but if you can't find it, any triple-crème will do.

Accompaniments:
Pair the Bachensteiner with pumpkin seeds. Not only do the seeds kick up testosterone, but they are also known to relieve anxiety and make you feel less inhibited.
For the Piave, dip in a little bit of honey. Honey is known to help temporarily boost both estrogen and testosterone levels.
You can't go wrong pairing Saint-Andre with a light red wine, which we all know boosts sex drive. But you can also try some dark chocolate, which induces relaxation and releases dopamine into your brain's pleasure center.

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TIP OF THE MONTH

If your child takes a sudden dislike to a particular food, don't pay much attention to their latest dislike. Young children go through food phases. Instead of forcing them to eat it, try reintroducing the rejected food again in a week or so, chances are they'll eat it without a second thought.

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Happy valentines day! This year we don't have any big plans for the " big" day. Joe has to work, so it will be a quiet day with just me and my girls. Maybe I'll have them help me bake something sweet for daddy!!!

This past month has been pretty busy for us. I had the girls evaluated for early intervention (which is just extra "help" in certain areas of development) and all 3 passed with flying colors! We are so proud of them.

The girls have recently started to "talk" a lot more, which has made it very interesting around here! And, we had a few fun playdates with their our friends children. All of which ended with their friends falling fast asleep --our girls wipe everyone out! It's always very interesting seeing the girls with other children, they really are not phased by them at all, but the other children are always very skeptical of them. I have found that even when put in an enviorment with other children, they tend to stay with one another and play.

They have a new favorite thing to play with and that's their baby dolls. They love to dress them, feed them and wrap them in their blankies. I even " caught" all 3 stuffing their baby in their play kitchens sink, I assume they were giving it a bath!

They also love to help me clean up around the house, and also pretend they are talking on the phone. I can say that they are true girly girls!

Hope you all have a great valentines!!!

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It's been a crazy busy month for me, but I'm very excited to be able to share some of what I've been up to in the 100th episode! It's amazing to be able to look back and see how many families I've worked with and how much this work has changed my life. To be able to make a difference in the lives of children and parents is always my goal, but it's so lovely to be able to say they've all contributed to making a difference in my life as well. Much love to you all and I hope you'll tune in on March 12th, 9p.m.!

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