Header

Header

Monday, October 25, 2010

CCPOM Calendar of Events
















Mark your Calendars - there are a lot of fun events coming in the next couple of months:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OCTOBER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday, October 26
4pm - 9.30pm
Fundraiser Night
Skipolini's Pizza
1033 Diablo Street, Clayton
Phone: 672-1111

Mention CCPOM and 10% of your purchase will be donated to local charities. You can have food delivered, order food to go or eat in. If you haven't been to Skipolini's Pizza in Clayton before they have a play structure outside for kids and an arcade room insde for older kids. Food is great too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, October 30
10am - 12pm
Halloween Party

Grace Episcopal Church,
130 Muir Station Road, Martinez

Come do the Monster Mash with us! CCPOM is hosting another amazing Halloween party this year! Come in your costume and enjoy all the activities. Following are just of few things that will be at the party this year:

Bounce House
Halloween Games
Crafts
Pinata full of goodies
Yummy snacks and drinks

And best of all, it's FREE! Feel free to bring your lunch and eat outside in the picnic area. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CCPOM WEBSITE. We want to make sure we have enough goodies for everyone. Don't forget to bring your cameras. Happy Halloween!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, November 4 at 7pm
CCPOM Board Meeting

Details to follow.
Open to all members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, November 11 at 7.15pm
CCPOM Book Club

Shaadzee Bakery Bistro
60 Crescent Place Drive, 
Pleasant Hill

Our book for November is "That Old Cape Magic" by Richard Russo.

All welcome, even if you haven't read the book.
Contact Christine Klinghoffer for further details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, November 18 at 7pm
CCPOM General Meeting

Details to follow.
Open to all members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DECEMBER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, December 2 at 7pm
CCPOM Board Meeting

Details to follow.
Open to all members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday, December 4
Breakfast with Santa

Grace Episcopal Church, Martinez
Details to follow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday, December 16
Mom’s Holiday Dinner

Details to follow.
All members welcome, especially newer members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Log in to ccpom.net for more details on these great events. 

Monday, September 13, 2010

Presidential Welcome

Stacey and Chris Miller
Tracy Williamson and girls
















Hi folks!

We’re Tracy and Stacey, your co-Presidents for the club this year. Between the two of us, we have five kids: Tracy has two girls, age four, and Stacey has a boy and girl (adopted, not twins) both age five and a three year old girl.  Like all parents of multiples, we are busy!

This year we will be working on a few things to bring members together. First, we’d like to encourage you to attend the spring and/or fall conventions – what better way to learn more about raising multiples than from people who have been there and done that? Plus, conventions are a fantastic way to get to know club members and see the “bigger picture” of the club itself. Second, we will be coordinating a few events that are more age-specific, particularly for families with older kids. Look for upcoming posts for the “Kids Day Out”; if you are interested in coordinating one of these events, please let us know! Last, we encourage you to get involved! Attend a general meeting; become a Secret Pal; attend a New Mom’s Tea; or, coordinate a kids activity – we are here to help, support, and learn from each other, so let’s make it happen and have a great year in the process. 


Tracy Williamson and Stacey Miller
Co-Presidents ((log in to ccpom.net for our contact information)

2010-2011 CCPOM Board Members

Co-President: Stacey Miller
Co-President: Tracy Williamson
Vice-President: Laura Weber
Secretary: Amy Cocotis
Parliamentarian: Beth McKnight
Treasurer: Christine Klinghoffer
NCAMOTC Rep: Heidi Johnson
NOMOTC Rep: Stephanie Cline
Membership Administrator: Nicolle Hazlett
Blog Editor: Katrina Reed
Ways and Means: Louise Dyken
Philanthropic Chair: Kaye Cowen
Angel Mom Coordinator: Tami Zachary
Helping Hands Coordinator: Tami Zachary
Publicity Coordinator: Lori Adkins
Historian: Renee Hester
Club Express Coordinator: Tracy Williamson
Social Activities Coordinator: Open
Kids Day Out CoordinatorOpen

Thursday, September 2, 2010

CCPOM Book Club

What do you get when you have a group of twin moms and a bottle of wine at the Holiday Dinner?

The CCPOM Book Club!

Book Club started February 2010 after some of us at the holiday dinner thought it would be way to read the books we are always talking about reading but never do (and we just don't have enough to do being the moms of twins or more!) It's been great and we've read everything from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to Kitchen Confidential to The Help. It's also a way to "go green" by swapping books with other moms.

We are a pretty casual group and even if you don't get a chance to read the book we still are happy to have you join us. Think of it as a chance to get out of the house for a couple hours and spend time with moms who appreciate what it's like to raise multiples because in the end we always talk about our kids.

Eat Pray Love is our selection for September and we are going to try to get a group together to see the movie too. We would love to have more moms join us. We meet the second Thursday of the month at 7.15 pm at Shaadzee in Pleasant Hill. Also, don't forget there is a book club board on the CCPOM website. Add it as one of your interests and get all of the breaking book club information. We hope to see you there!

Christine Klinghoffer
(log in to ccpom.net for my contact information)

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sign up for the Secret Pal Program by August 29th


It's time to sign up to be a Secret Pal for 2010-2011. For those of you not familiar with our Secret Pal program, it is a fun program where we show other members of our group how special they are. When signing up, you will receive the name of someone in our group and you will acknowledge them at least 4 times during the next year by surprising them with gifts and notes. That also means someone else will be getting your name!

Please do not sign up unless you can meet the commitment of acknowledging you secret pal at least 4 times...you are welcome to do even more if you like. I recognize that sometime the unexpected happens during the year and you can't recognize your pal. If this happens, PLEASE contact me immediately. I don't want anyone to feel left out by their pal. This is very important!! It isn't fair to everyone participating to have someone who for whatever reason can only participate once or twice during the year.

We do ask that you acknowledge them in some way on Mother's Day, their birthday, their Anniversary and at year's end. Most Secret Pals also do a little something special for the Christmas holidays as well.

This is really fun and I hope that everyone will participate. If you have any questions, just let me know.

The sign up sheet is available on the CCPOM website or you can get one by attending the monthly meeting at Nibblers on August 19th. Just fill it out and mail it back to me. I will be at the August meeting and can collect forms there as well. I would like to have all forms no later than August 29th so that I can mail your the name and information on your Secret Pal by Sept 1st.

Sherry Thauberger
(log in to ccpom.net for my contact information)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Family Theater Festival WC - July 24th

Karaoke, Drumming, Music, Circus, Plays - you name it they have it.

Most events are free or $5.

For more details check here:
http://www.lesherartscenter.org/files/uploaded/CFTF_Program.pdf

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

General Meeting /Ice Cream Social - Thurs July 15th


Members - Join us for the Ice Cream Social this Thursday. The Club will be providing the ice cream. We will also have the Secret Pal Reveal at this event for those who participated.

Thursday, July 15th
Grace Episcopal Church, Martinez
7:00 pm - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

CCPOM Board Members

Log on to ccpom.net to see contact details:

President - Beth McKnight
Vice-President - Tracy Williamson
Treasurer/Financial - Liesl Lewis
Secretary - Stacey Miller
Parliamentarian - Stephanie Cline
NOMOTC Rep. - Renee Hester
NCAMOTC Rep. - Christine Klinghoffer
Membership Admin - Alison Padilla
Newsletter Editor - Heather Brockway
Ways and Means - Stacey Miller
Playgroup Coord. - Tami Zachary
Social Activities Coord. - Amy L Cocotis
Angel Mom Coord. - Stephanie Lathrop
Helping Hands - Laura H Weber
Publicity Coord. - Lori Adkins
ETC Sale Coord. - Amy De Lago
ETC Sale Coord. - Diana Llata
Historian - Christine Klinghoffer
Webmaster - Tracy Williamson

Vice Presidential Hello



Hello. I’m Tracy Williamson and I’m the Vice-President and Web Administrator for the Club. This is my third year serving on the board and I’ve enjoyed helping the club plan and organize each year and socializing with other mom’s on the board. The board is in the process of finding volunteers for next year’s term, which begins in August. If you would like to find out more about the positions available, send an email to parentsofmultiples@yahoo.com.

Part of my duties as Vice-President is to organize general meetings. The April general meeting was on Nutrition and Eating Habits and I thought I would share some notes on the topic. The basic rule that the speaker wanted us to leave with is to understand the division of responsibilities. The parents are responsible for providing healthy foods at appropriate intervals. The kids are responsible for choosing what to eat and how much to eat. Another important tip to remember is that a serving for a child is much less than a serving for an adult. You should compare the nutritious foods a child eats over a two-week period instead of analyzing each day. There was some discussion on Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious.” This book has recipes to hide the vegetables in foods like using cauliflower in mashed potatoes to sneak veggies into your kids diet. It was stressed in the discussion that you also need to serve the food in its natural form so kids get used to seeing it that way, too. Some of us in class had preschoolers who wouldn’t stay seated during mealtime. It was recommended to tell your child that if they leave the table, they are finished with dinner. You should save their meal for later when they say they are hungry. You could also use a timer and have the child sit at the dinner table for a few minutes and gradually increase the time they have to sit in their chair until they reach a time the parent is comfortable with. It is stressed that they have to sit at the table and not be forced to eat at the table. Lastly, she told us that anemia in kids is on the rise. One of the easiest ways to get iron in your kids is with 100% iron fortified cereals.

I hope my notes on the meeting help. The next general meeting will be at a restaurant in June and we can eat what we want! Thanks for reading this and I’ll see you at the next event.

CCPOM Board 2010/11 positions available

The following committee positions are still available for the coming year.
Position descriptions are available in the bylaws on the CCPOM website, under Documents
.
If you have any questions please contact Stephanie Cline, Parlimentarian, stephcline@yahoo.com

Newsletter/ Blog Editor
Ways and Means
Publicity
Activities Coordinator
Philanthropy
MOM's Angel
Historian
Helping Hands
ETC Sale
Playgroup
Membership Coordinator

Spotlight of Members: MaryJane and Charlie Huenergardt




We are MaryJane and Charlie Huenergardt, parents to Haley and Loula, born June 8, 2009. You'll recognize us immediately by our heights--Charlie is 6'7" and I'm 6'3". We met via MySpace in June 2006 and got married in February 2009. Charlie proposed to me on the Northeast bank of the American River near Auburn over Thanksgiving weekend 2008, and the next day I took a positive pregnancy test!


The wedding was held at the Presidio Officers' Club as both of our families live in the area. I was about 14 weeks pregnant and just starting to show, but my height and dress concealed the bump nicely. We were able to keep the news somewhat secret until the end of our honeymoon---a drive down the length of the Pacific Coastal US, which was cut short when I had what was thought to be a marginal placental abruption and was hospitalized for three nights in San Luis Obispo.


Upon returning to our apartment in Oakland (near Lake Merritt), I immediately started three months of bed rest. To help me get through, my mother-in-law would come over a couple times a week with 'Magnum PI' DVD's along with yarn for knitting baby stuff while we admired Tom Selleck's physique. At 28 weeks my "Braxton-Hicks" contractions became alarmingly regular, so I was admitted to continue bed resting at Alta Bates and ended up delivering at 30 weeks. The girls stayed in the NICU for a few weeks before coming home, and in September we moved to Moraga in search of a more family friendly community.


Charlie's a video game designer for Page 44 Games in SF, and I left my job as a Sales Analyst at Monster.com (also in SF) when the girls were born to be a full-time mom. I still knit and crochet whenever I can. Charlie plays video games and tinkers with new concepts in his spare time. We both enjoy walking in the area's open spaces, and any given weekday afternoon, weather permitting, one can typically find me pushing the Duoglider on the Lafayette-Moraga trail.


We absolutely love it here and plan to stay for a good, long time. CCPOM playgroups have been a great way to meet other moms, and I value the friends I've made. I'm pregnant again--due in mid-September--with a singleton. Three kids (and our two Abyssinian cats) will be just right for our family.


MJ

Spotlight on Members: John and Heather McCall



We are John and Heather McCall. We have been married 5 yrs, and have a three year old son, Blake, and identical twin girls, Shaelyn and Brynah.
My husband I both went to St. Marys college but did not meet till after graduation when we both worked at the same company. I saw him across the lobby and thought he looked very familiar. We ended up being paired up on the same team. We both were seeing other people at the time. We became friends and eventually more then friends!

We had an almost two year old son, Blake, when I went in for an ultrasound at week 6 on my pregnancy. I thought I was miscarrying so they had me come in. As soon as the image came up you could very distinctly see two sacs with two heart beats! My husband knew right away...I thought something was wrong because it didn't look like the ultrasound with my son. When the NP said it was twins I sat up in total shock and asked "HOW CAN THIS BE?" She said we are one of the lucky ones who it just happens too. I am a planner so this threw me for a loop. It took me about three days of thinking through EVERYTHING to wrap my head around it. After that we were just along for the ride!

Hobbies- John likes to golf. I like to cook. We both love travel. The kids like traveling too. These days we stay pretty close to home and enjoy hanging out around our neughborhood and eating out!

Activities- Blake is in preschool at Mary Janes in PH two days a week. He also takes gymnastics and soccer and will do swimming in the summer. The girls will do swimming this summer and gymboree classes. We love playing at the park, studio grow, pixiland, the oakland zoo, going to the library.

We are lucky to have lots of family in the area especially my parents to help.

Health Topics - Diabetes

Big thank you to Lenore Hernandez member and diabetes nurse who submitted the following info on all types of diabetes. Below is a very informative article on each common type of diabetes, symptons and coping mechanims. Thank you Lenore !

Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a common problem and complicates 2-5% of all pregnancies in the United States. You are more likely to develop gestational diabetes if you have a family history of Type 2 Diabetes, are of advanced maternal age (35 years old and greater), obese, expecting multiples and of non-white ethnicity.

Glucose testing is recommended for women in all high-risk groups and should be done as early as feasible. A fasting blood glucose of 105 and greater is associated with fetal death during the last 4-8 weeks of gestation. Gestational diabetes is also associated with an increase in hypertension disorders.

Classifications of Diabetes in Pregnancy
Class A Gestational Diabetes
Class B Onset at > or equal to 20 years of age and <10>20 years’ duration
Class F Diabetic Nephropathy (kidney disease related to diabetes)
Class R Proliferative Retinopathy (eye disease related to diabetes)
Class FR Nephropathy and proliferative retinopathy
Class H Coronary Artery Disease
Class T Renal Transplant


Monitoring a Pregnancy Complicated by Diabetes
Class A:
Daily self-monitoring of blood sugars (fasting and 1-2 hours after meals).
Serial ultrasound examinations in the third trimester
Nonstress test at 34-36 weeks then weekly
HgbA1C every 4-6 weeks (lab test for 3 month average on blood sugars)
Daily fetal movement counts

Class B and C:
Daily self-monitoring of blood sugars (5-7 times/day)
Ultrasound and fetal electrocardiogram at 20 weeks then follow-up every 4-6 weeks
HgbA1C every 4-6 weeks
Nonstress test at 32 weeks then weekly
Ophthamologic evaluation
24 hour urine collection initially and in each trimester
Daily fetal movement counts beginning at 28 weeks’ gestation

Classes D to FR
All of the above plus initial electrocardiogram
Check blood tests: uric acid, liver function, fibrinogen (assesses the ability of the body to fort clots), fibrin split products (may repeat in each trimester)


The main goal for management of pregnancies complicated by diabetes is to maintain healthy levels of blood sugars throughout the gestational period. The treatment involves medical nutrition therapy, exercise, insulin and frequent blood sugar checks. The goals of nutrition therapy are to provide adequate maternal and fetal nutrition, achieve appropriate gestational weight gain and control blood sugars. In Gestational Diabetes, it is generally accepted that carbohydrate intake should not exceed 40-45% of total calories.

Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to lower both before and after meal blood sugars. Several studies have indicated that upper extremity exercise for 20 minutes 3 times a week can significantly lower blood sugars. This has not shown to increase the risk of pregnancy complications.

Insulin is the only current medication used to treat diabetes during pregnancy. The goal of insulin therapy is to achieve blood glucose levels that are nearly identical to those observed in healthy pregnant women. Diabetes control is mainly monitored through checking blood sugars.
Recommended blood sugar levels for pregnancy are:
60-90 before breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime snack. Less then 120 1 hour after meals and 60-90 overnight (2 am – 6 am)

After delivery, blood sugars decrease due to the decrease in placental hormones. Women with type 1 diabetes may need very little insulin for up to 48 hours after the delivery. Women with type gestational diabetes may no longer require insulin after delivery. If blood sugars continue elevated after delivery, the mother will require medication/insulin to control her blood sugars. Women who breast feed are more likely to need less insulin than mothers who do not breast feed. Education on preventing low blood sugars should be provided. Additional blood sugar checking and snacks may be required before, during and after breast feeding.

For women with gestational diabetes, the goal is prevent type 2 diabetes. Because of the high risk of developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes, women should have their glycemic status retested at least 6 weeks after delivery. The risk of gestational diabetes occurring in subsequent pregnancies has been reported to be 60-90%.

Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes affects 90-95% of all people with diabetes. Because elevated blood sugars develop slowly over time, many people do not have symptoms and may have had diabetes for up to 10 years before diagnosis. Type 2 diabetes is most common in obese people who are older than 45 years of age. However, due to the increasing rate of obesity in the United States, we are seeing Type 2 diabetes in children as young as 10 years old.

If glucose is to be used or stored efficiently in the body, the pancreas must secrete sufficient insulin and that insulin needs to be used properly by the body. Type 2 diabetes often has three components, insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas, insulin resistance (the body not utilizing the insulin well) in the muscle, adipose cells and liver and an overproduction of glucose from the liver.
Modest weight loss (5-10% of weight) in overweight adults reduces the risk of developing diabetes. Weight loss and regular physical activity are primary treatment strategies with Type 2 Diabetes. Weight loss leads to a decreased need for medications and improvement in blood sugar control. Awareness of carbohydrate types and amounts are integral part of blood sugar control. Carbohydrates are important for a well balanced diet but excessive amounts, coupled with diabetes, leads to issues with blood sugar control.
Carbohydrates are:
Milk
Yogurt
Fruit
Bread
Rice
Noodles
Cereal
Tortillas
Beans
Peas
Corn
Winter squash
Concentrated sweets
Blood sugar goals for Type 2 Diabetes are 90-130 before meals/fasting and 160 or less 2 hours after meals/bedtime

There are many oral medications on the market that work in different ways to lower the blood sugar. It is not unusual for a person with type 2 diabetes to have several types of diabetes medications prescribed to them. It is also not unusual to have insulin prescribed in addition to oral medications. Type 2 diabetes is chronic and progressive – by the time a person is diagnosed with diabetes, their beta cell function (the cells in the pancreas that make insulin) is usually decreased by 50% - 6 years after diagnosis the Beta Cell function is decreased by 75%.

Complications Related to Uncontrolled Diabetes

Heart Disease: Blood Pressure should be controlled to 130/80 or less and low density lipoproteins less than 100 for heart attack and stroke prevention. Daily aspirin of 81 mg suggested as well.

Retinopathy: Retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in Americans aged 20-74 – up to 90% of diabetes related blindness is preventable. It is recommended that all Type 2 Diabetics have a yearly Retinal Screening to detect retinopathy.

Nephropathy: Approximately 20 million Americans have kidney disease. In 2000, there were nearly 400,000 people who had kidney failure that required dialysis or a kidney transplant. This figure is expected to double by this year (2010). Diabetes accounts for as much as 40% of all new cases of kidney failure.

Neuropathy: Peripheral neuropathy starts with numbness and tingling/pain in either/or hands and feet. Nerves can also be effected that control the movement of food through the intestines, urinary tract, sweat glands, cardiovascular system, eyes, and adrenal medulla.

Infections and amputations:
Diabetics are at much greater risk for infections, in particular infections in the lower extremities. Because of neuropathy, pain from a food injury may not be evident. Therefore, an infection may not be evident to the diabetic person until it has advanced. It is crucial for diabetics to inspect both the top and bottom of their feet every day and NEVER to go barefoot. Infections of the soft tissue can lead to infections in the bone and even possible amputations.
Peripheral vascular disease is also more prevalent within the diabetic population. This includes peripheral arterial disease (inadequate circulation to the lower extremities via the arteries), vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), venous thrombosis (clots), and disorders of the lymphatic system. Peripheral vascular disease limits the amount of oxygenation and circulation to the lower extremities which also contributes towards the risk for infection and/or amputations.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a complex multihormonal disease. Insulin is the primary treatment for type 1 diabetes. There are many insulin options and strategies allowing for more physiological (closer to natural) insulin replacement. Insulin delivery methods include syringes, pens, injectors and insulin pumps. To successfully manage type 1 diabetes individuals must integrate several diabetes treatment components into their lifestyle – including insulin action times (when the insulin starts to work and how long it works), food intake and physical activity. Type 1 diabetes is not preventable and can occur at any age – but primarily occurs in populations less than the age of 20. Type 1 diabetes is autoimmune (when the body attacks itself) and involves genetic predispositions and related to poorly defined environmental factors. People with type 1 diabetes are prone to other autoimmune disorders such as Graves disease (hyperthyroidism), Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (hypothyroidism), vitiligo (body attacks melanin producing cells resulting in hypopigmentation), pernicious anemia (body not absorbing B12 from the food – B12 is needed for the formation of red blood cells), multiple sclerosis and celiac disease (body not absorbing gluten).

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes:
Polyuria (increased urination)
Polyphagia (increased appetite)
Polydypsia (increased thirst)
Unexplained weight loss
In children, bedwetting
Yeast infections
Flushed skin
Fruity breath
Severe abdominal pain
Nausea and/or vomiting
Lethargy

Complications related to type 1 diabetes that is not well controlled are the same as type 2 diabetes with the addition of diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical emergency and occurs when the blood sugars are elevated due to insufficient insulin. Insulin allows the glucose to enter the cells of the body and provide energy. If insulin is insufficient, the body uses fat for energy. Fat is acidic and changes the PH of the body. The body works hard to regulate the PH back to normal – this puts a strain on the lungs, kidneys and heart. Individuals with type 1 are also at risk for low blood sugars. Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood sugar less than 50-60. It is estimated that most people with type 1 diabetes have at least 2 symptomatic episodes of hypoglycemia each week . Common symptoms are elevated heart rate, pallor, elevated blood pressure, cold sweat, and tremors. Low blood sugars are treated with a fast acting glucose source – glucose tablets (3), ½ can regular sweetened soda, 3-4 ounces of juice (apple, grape or orange), small box of raisins, 8 ounces of milk or 5 regular sweetened lifesavers.

Health Topics - heathly snacks

Thanks to everyone for the list of healthful snacks that recently appeared in emails - the list was so useful I thought I'd gather some of the suggestions received and add them to the blog. Here you go:
  • Waffles with ground flaxseed.
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Peanut butter and jelly on wheat
  • Canned green beans dipped in ranch dressing
  • Dried Cranberries
  • Mandarin Oranges
  • Hummus dip and pita bread, carrots, cucumber, red bell peppers
  • Sweet Potato Fries
  • yogurt with mashed bananas, honey or apple sauce
  • Apples cut up and /or baby carrots, my kids dip them into peanut butter
  • "Snack bowls": berries (either fresh or dried), pretzels, cheese chunks, mixed nuts, sesame sticks, small crackers, etc..
  • pinto beans- super easy, just cover whole beans with water, add some garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and I also use Knorr Chicken boullion powder and cook on the stove for 2-3 hours on meduim heat.
  • Edamame Soy beans
  • rice cakes
  • I make a vegetable soup with kidney beans, garbanzo beans, corn, stewed tomatoes, cabbage, squash, zucchini, carrots, peppers, and any other vegetable I can find. I season it with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and Knorr.
  • Mexican Pizza:
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can fat-free refried beans
2 teaspoons taco sauce or mild salsa
1 cup frozen corn kernels, unthawed
  • 8 ounces Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese
  • bean dip I make by mashing pinto beans with avocado and a little tomatillo salsa-good with cheese melted on top, too. Serve with a cheese quesadilla or some tortilla chips, carrots, pepper, other veggies to dip.
  • www.wholesometoddlerfood.com

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Presidential Hello from Beth McKnight


Happy New Year everyone!

I’m looking forward to another fun year of CCPOM activities. It’s also not too early to start thinking about the 2010-2011 Board, which takes office in August. Joining the Board is a great way to get involved and help other members! I myself have been on the Board four years, starting when my twins were just under a year and I was desperate to get out of the house and interact with adults!
For the last two years I have been both Co-President and President, and my term limit is up this year. As President I organize the monthly Board meetings and try to keep all the moving parts coordinated and functioning. If you have any interest in joining the Board or would like more information, please contact me at elisatall@aol.com.

Annual Couples Night Out - February 16th


Tuesday, February 16th, 7-9 pm

Pleasant Hill Wine Merchants
2685 Pleasant Hill Rd, Suite D
Wine Merchants of Pleasant Hill will be hosting an evening of wine tasting especially for CCPOM members. The cost will be $15 - $20 per person. (Your final cost will be determined by the level of participation, so the more participants we have, the better.) CCPOM will be providing hors d'oeuvres.
You will pay your tasting fees directly to Wine Merchants upon your arrival.

Individual moms and dads and guests are also welcome to attend.

So, get your babysitters lined up and RSVPas early as possible via email to my email amycocotis@yahoo.com.

If you can help by bringing an appetizer, let me know.

My husband Greg and I will look forward to seeing you there!
Amy Cocotis
CCPOM Activity Coordinator

NCAMOTC Rep. Welcome

Hi!

I’m Christine Klinghoffer and I am the CCPOM Representative to NCAMOTC;

Northern California Association of Mothers of Twins Clubs. By joining CCPOM you are automatically a member of NCA and can participate in NCA sponsored events. You can check them out at http://www.ncamotc.homestead.com/. They also have a Big Tent site that you are welcome to join, if you haven’t already.

NCA is a collection of 24 multiples clubs from reaching from the Gold Country to Santa Cruz. The purpose of NCA is to assist in forming new clubs, offer support and participate in research. They are best known for putting on weekend conventions twice a year! I would love to have you join me at the next convention April 16-18 in Santa Rosa. There is a little “business” to attend to but otherwise it’s a weekend of fun and relaxation.

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have about NCA.
Christine Klinghoffer - mailto:Klinghoffercambook@aol.com

CCPOM Sale April 9-10th 2010

CCPOM - Spring 2010 ETC Sale

St. Francis of Assisi Church
860 Oak Grove Road, Concord

Members Pre-Sale - Friday April 9, 2010

Public Sale - Saturday, April 10, 2010 7:30 am - 12:30 pm
Admission $1 per adult

More info to follow soon....

Mom Holiday Dinner photos



Great times were had by all at Zio Freddo's in Pleasant Hill. Thank you Tracy Williamson & Amy Cocotis for organizing.

Santa Breakfast photos





We had 37 families attend our Breakfast with Santa (!) with our fabulous Santa Kevin Slovik.
Jerry Thauberger, Joe Minkstein and Greg Cocotis were our volunteer cooking crew .

SIDS Research

Article on SIDS and some major research that has just been released. It is also a good reminder about the steps that have been recommended to prevent these terrible tragedies and how cases have plummeted since they have been implemented:

http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_infant_deaths.html

Pool Safety Resources

Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for kids 14 and younger. 77 percent of the children drowned had been seen 5 minutes or less before being missed and subsequently discovered in the pool. My family has a backyard pool and we did a lot of research before deciding upon a removal fence. Here are some of the websites we found:

http://www.poolsafety.gov/ (CPSC general pool safety site)
http://friendlyfencer.net/index.html (several members have used this company)
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/Pool.pdf (CPSC guidelines)
http://www.poolsafetycouncil.org/index.html (advocacy group)
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-testing/reviews-tests/appliances-electronics/best-pool-alarm-gate (some alarms and gates test results)

Pool Safety Article from CCPOM Member

The following is from a CCPOM member who had a frightening experience with his young twins who climbed their way into a neighbors garden. He hopes it will prevent any future accidents happening:

"I would like to take this opportunity to share a terrifying experience I had last week, involving my 2-year old twins and our neighbor’s pool.

We live in a single family home with a large yard. We have no pool, and the whole yard is surrounded by a solid six foot wooden fence and garden gates that are locked at all times. I also try to anticipate dangers so during the summer, I secured wood planks to the fence along the bottom border where it seemed like the kids might try to crawl under. I never thought much about our neighbor’s pool because of the precautions I had taken.

One morning I let them out as usual but then I noticed shortly after that it was too quiet. I went outside but could not find either our little boy or our little girl. Then, I heard their giggles coming from the other side of the fence. I peaked over the fence to find them crouching on the very edge of our neighbor’s pool splashing their hands in the water. I do not know how long they had been sitting there and there was no obvious hole or gap in the fence where they might have crawled through. As I was trying to understand how this could have happened, I jumped over the fence, grabbed them and saved them. A minute later and I may have lost them.

It turns out that two small panels of the fence had collapsed into our neighbor's yard leaving a gap large enough for our twins to pass through. Neither our neighbors nor I knew about this.

Since pools are so common in our neighborhood and pose such a great harm to our children, I hope my experience may keep parents and owners of swimming pools alert--even during the winter months when some people don't pay much attention to swimming pools. I hope it may prevent future accidents from happening. Matthias Mahnke"