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Daddy’s Little Girl
Just in time for Father’s Day!
Want to know who your daughters will end up marrying? Well, if they have a good relationship with their father, it may very well be someone who closely resembles the most important man in their lives.
A new study has just announced that women who were “daddy’s girls” most likely would be attracted to men who really do look like their father! Yes, this was a real scientific study. And a very interesting one at that. The scientists actually asked women about their relationships with their own fathers. Then showed them photos of men who looked like dear old dad and those who didn’t. The women with strong, positive ties to their dads, stated that they found the similar looking men more attractive.
This may be the ultimate tribute to our fathers 
U.S. Lags Way Behind In Family/Work Policies
It’s hard to believe that this country is so far behind others when it comes to taking care of its employees with families! For any of you working moms out there, you know what I’m talking about.
The majority of “wealthy” countries provide guaranteed policies that the US has yet to adopt. Especially when it comes to paternity leave. Dad’s are not guaranteed any time off when their kids are born, it all depends on your company. You could actually lose your job for taking such time off!
There are also no laws ensuring time for a woman to breast feed her baby while she’s at work. You would think with all of the working moms in the US, we would be able to offer fairly good benefits when it comes to families and the people that take care of them.
According to this study, new legislation may be on its way, it just amazes me that it’s taken so long. There are definitely some tips this country can pick up on from others around the world.
How Hip Are You?
I’ll file this under “what will they think of next?”
I’m sure most of us have iPods these day (who doesn’t?). Honestly, if I hadn’t been given one, I probably wouldn’t myself, I still call it my “walkman”. How sad is that?
But, how hip are your babies?? Do you have the new iCrib? That’s right, now you can upload all of your baby’s favorite tunes and play them right there in the crib! Our kids are most likely never going to know what life was like without all of this tech. Yes, it’s great in many ways, but I’m sure some of us would really miss that cute mobile that plays lousy music (but usually works to get the kids to sleep!).
If you’re interested, here’s a brief review of the new device that just hooks up to the crib with a space for your own iPod.
Just beware when the kid gets old enough to figure the thing out and starts blasting Van Halen in the middle of the night .
Oh Really, Not Enough Sleep For Moms?
Find someone else to cook dinner, clean the house, go to work, feed the kids, get them ready for bed. I doubt most moms would want to give up all that - well maybe the cleaning part
I guess for now we’ll just have to on as we have been and try to squeeze in a cat nap every once in a while (literally, my cat sleeps about 20 hours a day! - if only)
Thu Oct 19, 6:27 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Half of U.S. mothers are not getting enough sleep and they believe getting more rest would make them better parents, according to a U.S. study.
A nationwide survey of 500 mothers by research firm Braun Research found 54 percent of respondents said they were not getting enough sleep.
Full-time working mothers were suffering the most with 59 percent saying they were not getting enough sleep. Half of the working mothers said they were getting six or fewer hours sleep a night.
Stay-at-home moms fared better with 48 percent saying they were sleep deficient.
The Banning of Tag
Hard to believe growing up without playing tag. Seem to remember spending lots of time running around chasing my friends (and no one ever got hurt). If they keep cutting back on ways to for kids to have fun and get some exercise, the childhood obesity problem may get even worse.
ATTLEBORO, Mass. - Tag, you’re out! Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they’ll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is “a time when accidents can happen,” said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.
While there is no districtwide ban on contact sports during recess, local rules have been cropping up. Several school administrators around Attleboro, a city of about 45,000 residents, took aim at dodgeball a few years ago, saying it was exclusionary and dangerous.
Best Companies for Moms (to work for)
It’a an important decision for many, and not even a thought for others. But these days there are plenty of working moms out there. Might as well pick a company to work for that is “mommy friendly”.
Below is the recent list of companies that get high ratings from their mom employees.
By VINNEE TONG, AP Business Writer Mon Sep 25, 4:47 PM ET
NEW YORK - Working Mother magazine released its annual list of the top 100 places to work, with its chief executive touting an improvement in mother-friendly benefits in corporate America.
Working Mother CEO Carol Evans, who authored the book “This Is How We Do It: The Working Mothers’ Manifesto,” said that in order to retain female employees, a growing number of companies are offering customized schedules.
“There are some very, very creative ideas, and this is all related to what we saw in the past, with women dropping off the edge of a cliff, when they said it’s either working full time or not at all,” Evans said.
Hope For “Caspers’” Like Me
OK, first things first. It’s kind of sad to see how much time, money and research go into giving people a tan. Of course, many of us believe it makes us look “healthier” and spend way too much time in the sun. I unfortunately learned this lesson a little too late in life, as my crows feet grow deeper and deeper.
But I’ll assume this article relates to research that will help prevent skin cancer, a big problem for a lot of people (all because we want that deep, dark tan). So, it gives people like me hope, the chance to look healthy and to ward off cancer - what more could you ask for? Let’s just hope it smells better than what we have to choose from these days
Tanning cream may ward off skin cancer: study
By Jason Szep Wed Sep 20, 1:17 PM ET
BOSTON (Reuters) - Scientists say they have discovered a cream that may ward off skin cancer by tanning skin a golden bronze without exposure to the sun.
Tests so far have been confined to mice, but researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital in Boston say the findings would mark a seismic shift in the biology of tanning if the cream was determined to be safe for humans.
Unlike sunless tanning lotions that color the skin, the cream alters skin pigmentation much like a suntan. The more days it was applied, the darker the skin became. A heavy application over more than a week left some mice nearly black.
BabyTV?
Announcements, Children's Health, Parenting • 
comment on this post
Talk about a really lousy idea. Do parents need more of an excuse to plop their kids in front of the tube?
With obesity rates as high as they are in this country, it seems to me that starting kids (as young as 6 months) on this sedentary habit is not gonig to help any. Kids will most likely grow up and want to watch something on TV, it’s up to us as parents to limit that time. Whatever happened to going outside and running around, of course, now that can be scary in itself! But, getting babies hooked at such a young age sound dangerous too.
Heed the pediatricians (at least when it comes to this)!
TV channel for babies? Pediatricians say turn it off
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff WriterMonday, September 11, 2006
In an era of increasing niche programming on TV, women have the Oxygen network, men have Spike TV and some pets are even agog at Animal Planet.
Now, infants can pull up a bouncy chair, grab a bottle and have round-the-clock access to the nation’s first channel for babies, BabyFirstTV, featuring three-minute segments designed for babies as young as 6 months.
Potrero Hill Library: September News
LIBRARY NEWS
September 2006
From Jensa Woo
Potrero Branch Library Manager
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY COMES ALIVE!
Back by popular demand: Peter Linenthal and Abigail Johnston, co-authors of SAN FRANCISCO’S POTRERO HILL, return to the library on Saturday, September 9 at 4:00 P.M. to present a slide show history of Potrero Hill. Please come and join us! Copies of their book also will be available for purchase and signing by the authors.
AND SPEAKING OF HISTORY…
If you’re curious to learn more about the Hill, hundreds of photos from the Potrero Hill Archives Project are available for browsing in the library. Recent additions to our photo collection on display in the library: “Calegari’s Bay View Grocery, 18th and Arkansas, circa 1910” (where Chatz Café is now located) and “1906 Earthquake and Fire” (as residents watch from near 19th and Arkansas). We also have videotaped recordings of the annual “Potrero Hill History Night” programs, as well as interviews on audiotape. Stop by the library and check it out.
CHANGES, CHANGES
Earlier this summer, we said “so long” to staff member Lisa Franks, who for many years worked at our branch library as “her other job.” Working here was a labor of love on her part, and she now is freed up to give of her time and energy in other ways. We are grateful for who Lisa is and have sent her off with our best wishes!
KIDS READ!
Each year, the library’s Summer Reading Club is designed to encourage children to keep reading during the summer. This year’s program, with its theme of “Don’t Bug Me…I’m Reading,” was very well received by children and their families. Over two hundred fifteen children registered at the Potrero Branch, and of that group, over one hundred children did eight or more hours of reading! Each of these children received a grand prize and also got to post their names on our bulletin board. Stop by and take at look at our colorful wall of names.
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN IN SEPTEMBER
Return engagement: Susan Pena and Miguel Govea bring “Bilingual Songs From Mexico and Other Parts of Latin America” on Thursday, September 21 at 10:30 A.M. This program is a tie-in to San Francisco Public Library’s Latino-Hispanic Heritage Celebration Month, made possible by funding from the Friends of the Library. For children of all ages. Come and join us!
There are also other programs for children throughout the month:
Infant/toddler lapsit, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes on Thursdays, September 7, 14, and 28 at 10:30 A.M. For children newborn through age 3.
Evening storytime on Tuesdays, September 5, 19, and 26 at 7:00 P.M. For ages 3 to 7 years old.
Evening films on Tuesday, September 12 at 7:00 P.M.: “Curious George Goes to the Hospital” and “The Three Little Pigs.” For ages 3 and older.
Please note: All library programs are free. Meeting room is not accessible by elevator. Groups, please call in advance for reservations.
Back To School Part II
Here is some great back to school advice from an expert!
Back to School: 2 Essentials for a Smooth Transition
Posted by Robert Needlman, M.D.If you have children heading back to school in the next two weeks, it’s time to get ready. And I’m not talking about ring-binders and lined paper. I’m talking about sleep and reading.
1. Sleep
Sleep is the big one. If you’re like most parents, you let bedtimes slide a bit over the summer. Or, you let them slide a lot. Way back in medical school, I learned that people’s normal biorhythms run on cycles of slightly more than 24 hours. If you put someone in a room without a window, and keep him there for a few days, he’ll start to go to bed a little later every night, and wake up a little later every morning. Eventually he ends up awake at night and asleep during the day. Sound familiar?
Parenting Regulations
(08-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento — Parents will have to strap their kids into backseat car booster seats until they are 8 years old or reach a certain height if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill the Legislature sent to him Thursday.
Another bill that appears headed to the governor’s desk attempts to protect children’s health by making it illegal for adults to smoke in a car with young passengers.
California law now requires children younger than 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds to use booster seats — and sit in the backseat.
“Traffic accidents are the highest cause of fatality for children ages 6 and 7,” said the bill’s author, Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa. “This is a serious, serious issue.
Storytime in Starr King Openspace
Stars, Sky, and the Setting Sun
NEW DATE!!!
— A storytime outdoors in Potrero Hill’s natural area openspace.
Readings of stories about Native Americans by Jensa Woo, SFPL Children’s Librarian at the Potrero Branch
Artifacts and coyote pelt petting shared by Margaret Goodale, Randall Children’s Museum
Native drum and flute music.
Please join us for an unusual evening that we would like to make an annual event!
-
DATE: Wednesday evening September 27
TIME: 6:30 pm.
Starr King Openspace is located on the 1200 block of Carolina St south of 23rd across from Starr King School. Please call for info. 415 810-4900, ask for Susanne
Parents should dress kids warmly, bring insect repellent, and blankets to sit on. Sippy cups and snacks are ok but will have to be packed out.
Kids and their Parents Diets
Announcements, Food, Children's Health, Parenting • comment on this post
I will have to admit here that I think this had some effect on me as a kid, well, more like as a teenager. I remember wanting to try all of my moms diets, and even participating sometimes. Needless to say, I was always a pretty scrawny kid, that didn’t last and I think the whole body image thing can start affecting us at a very young age.
Not that I would ever blame my mother, I’m sure she was doing what she thought was best for me at the time, as always.
ALBANY, N.Y. - Mom’s dieting habits can have a bad influence on the children. Some research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn.
“It’s like trying on Mom’s high heels. They’re trying on their diets, too,” said Carolyn Costin, spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorder Association.
As obesity rates climb among children, health officials are warning parents about the dangers of junk food and lack of exercise. Yet few speak about parents who meticulously count every calorie that crosses their lips.
Potrero Hill Library: August News
Potrero Branch
San Francisco Public Library
1616 – 20th Street (near Connecticut)
(415) 355-2822
www.sfpl.org
Hours: Tue 10-8, Wed 12-8, Thu 10-6, Fri & Sat 1-6, closed Sun & Mon.
LIBRARY NEWS
August 2006
THAT’S QUITE A STORY…
Judy Stone, local author and former film critic for the S.F. Chronicle, will talk about her latest book, Not Quite a Memoir: Of Films, Books, the World, which features interviews with international filmmakers and authors. Please join us for this special event on Saturday, August 5, 3:00 p.m.
BRANCH RENOVATION UPDATE
At the June 28 hearing before the San Francisco Planning Department’s Zoning Administrator, consent was given on the library’s variance application to enlarge the branch by extending the second floor over the library’s existing first floor. Plans continue to move forward as we look towards a Spring 2007 closure for branch renovation. If you haven’t seen the latest design yet, stop by the library today to get a close-up look. You can also check the library’s website at http://sfpl.org/news/blip/potrerosurvey.htm and click on “Design Plans”. For further information about the Branch Library Improvement Program, please call 415/557-4354.
SUMMER READING CLUB FOR CHILDREN
For children up through age 13, there’s still time: this year’s “Don’t Bug Me…I’m Reading” Summer Reading Club runs through August 12. For those who signed up already, please bring in your reading logs to claim your reading prizes. Stop by the library for more details.
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN IN AUGUST
In addition to the reading club, we have special programs for children throughout the month, thanks to funding from the Friends of the Library:
Thursday, August 3 at 10:30 a.m. Join us as we welcome Singer Bonnie Lockhart, who returns to Potrero Library with songs and music games from around the world. For children of all ages.
Wednesday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m. “California Wild, Up Close and Personal,” presented by Wildlife Associates. Scheduled to come to the library are a grey fox, porcupine, possum, and hawk. For children ages 5 and older.
There are also other programs for children throughout the month:
Infant/toddler lapsit, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes on Thursdays, August 17, 24, and 31. For children newborn through age 3.
Evening storytime on Tuesdays, August 1, 22 and 29 at 7 P.M. For ages 3 to 7 years old.
Evening films on Tuesday, August 15 at 7 P.M.: “Madeline”, “Wings”, and “Goodnight, Gorilla”. For ages 3 and older.
Please note: All library programs are free. Meeting room is not accessible by elevator. Groups, please call in advance for reservations.
Jensa Woo
Potrero Branch Library Manager
You try shopping without putting the kid in the cart
You may have seen this in today’s Chronicle. I personally have never witnessed a child falling out of a shopping cart or tipping one over. Of course I probably didn’t pay too much attention to such things before becoming a parent.
I’m sure it does happen, and kids get hurt, but honestly, the other option is pretty much hiring a sitter while you go grocery shopping!
Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, August 7, 2006
The nation’s pediatricians are warning parents today against putting children in shopping carts.
“Parents are strongly encouraged to seek alternatives,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics, which reports that shopping carts were involved in injuries to more than 24,000 children last year, mostly when a child fell out or a cart tipped over.
But parents who have tried to pick up a couple things at the store while keeping their children from toppling the displays or playing hide-and-seek in the clothing racks may find the warning hard to accommodate.