We’ve all heard of chicken pox parties, where parents bring their kids over to a friends house to make sure they catch the notorious illness. On the one hand, I can see the benefit of knowing in advance that your child will be sick. On the other, I can also understand why parents might feel twinges of a guilty conscience for essentially encouraging their children to catch an illness.

Many parents also argue that they actively want their little ones to get sick at day care and in class because they believe it will bolster their immune systems. What do you think? Do you believe that childhood illnesses will benefit your kids in the long run? Would you encourage them to get sick? You tell us!

I had one of my dreams come true the other day. I had the fortune of seeing Oprah in person at her annual O You! magazine seminar in San Francisco. The day turned out to be one of the best days of my life, surrounded by 4,000 people including 14 men, 1 of which was my husband and the rest women. Ms. Winfrey herself surprised the crowd by showing up at the end of the day. Besides being graced with her presence and her friends including Gayle King, Suze Orman, Martha Beck and Nate Berkus to name a few, the whole day taught me a lot, one thing of which I would like to share with you.

Speaking to the majority of women out there, she expressed our need to give to others relentlessly and not put ourselves as a priority. I wanted to relay the message for all of you mothers out there working hard to take care of your children, your husband and everyone else. Remember to be kind to yourself. Take some time to relax, spend time with friends and just be. Take it from me and Oprah!

Oxo Candela Tooli™ LED Rechargeable Lights from Bed, Bath and Beyond come in a set of two brightly hued rechargeable lights that are perfect for illuminating any room, especially for kids.

Send your kids to school with these cool, insulated lunch bags with cute drawings by the fun-loving brand, “Life is Good.”

Give them their own personalized note cards. For kids and teens and everyone in between, these stylish cards can be used as thank yous, or just to keep in touch with friends and family.

Being a new mom is hard without support from family, friends and even in some cases co-workers. My friend who recently had a baby said that her boss and co-workers came every day the first week after she gave birth to provide meals for her and her husband. Since not all of us are lucky enough to have that kind of support, here are a few other ways new moms can reach out to get advice, share their experiences and feel supported by other mothers out there.

1) Check out Meetup.com, an online network of local groups coming together to share their similar interests and hobbies. You can also do a search for social groups for moms in your area. Bay Area Moms of 2007/2008, for example, holds several get togethers for stay-at-home moms such as gabbing over coffee or taking the strollers out for a walk. Out & About Mamas in Union City offer playgroups for the kids and space for pregnant moms to get advice.

2) Moms Club is a support group for stay-at-home moms that has local chapters. The club does everything from helping children in the community to fun get togethers.

3) If you want to find other parents out there who you can connect with in your area, check out the online parenting network Raising Them.

An article entitled, “Support Groups for New Moms“ expresses the importance of networking explaining that research has shown that spending time with peers decreases the likelihood of getting postpartum depression. Getting support is not only vital but can be fun. There are a number of new support groups for parents and new moms sprouting out everywhere. Check out groups in your area.

Whether you’re planning your family vacation for this coming Labor Day or some other time in the near future, there are a variety of ways to ease your stress with online trip planners. Here is a list of websites that offer free and helpful ways to organize your trip with ease.

1) Tripit. I’m currently using Tripit to plan my honeymoon. You can add your itinerary to the program and share it with others. It’s a convenient way to organize all of your activities.

2) Tripcart is great for folks who are unsure of where they are going. You can click on the site’s maps to read interesting facts and information about various places to help you decide on a location. Then, you can create an itinerary.

3) TripWiser is an online travel community where you can network with other travelers, share photos and read about their vacation experiences. It also has a feature that allows you to create an itinerary. They even have a great section on Affordable Family Vacations.

4) One site I often frequent is TripAdvisor. Most of the time, user reviews of various hotels, activities and vacations are right on the mark.

HAPPY TRAVELING!

If you didn’t already figure it out, I am an all-time Disney fan. I have been to Disneyland too many times to count. In fact, I even planned my wedding around it. So when I heard about Adventures by Disney I was ecstatic! Here’s the 411 about traveling with Disney.

1) Adventures by Disney was created for families of all ages–that means young kids to older adults. Perfect for taking the whole family!

2) All their trips come with two Adventure Guides. Like your own personal concierges, they help with check-in and dinner reservations, and they help to direct you to a personalized and special vacation experience.

3) You can travel anywhere from Australia to Italy to Peru to South Africa, and if you want to stay in the states they also have a Hollywood Family Vacation.

4) Activities. Activities depend on where you go. For example, if you’re headed to South Africa, you get to do things like pastry making and guided safaris. In Italy, you’ll take a family gondola ride and take pasta-making classes. In China, there are tai chi and calligraphy lessons, and a VIP experience to the Hong Kong Disneyland Park.

If you get to go, let me know how it is! I’d almost exchange my upcoming honeymoon for a trip with Adventures with Disney!

Labor day is fast approaching. Got any plans for the long weekend? Though traditionally Labor Day has been celebrated as a signal of the end of summer, today it is perceived as a day of rest. And don’t we all need a little bit of that? So what are your plans this year? (Find about more about Labor Day at Wikipedia.)

Here are some fun ideas for a memorable holiday:

1)

Have a barbecue! Take advantage of the warm weather while it’s still here and invite everyone over for another barbecue.

2) If you don’t feel like cooking burgers and hot dogs, how about baking them? FamilyFun has another great recipe for cupcakes this one topped with hamburgers and hot dogs.

3) Check out what’s going on in your neighborhood and places outside of where you live. In Burlington, N.C. for example, you can listen to music and go camping, try fishing and go on horse-drawn wagon rides at the The Bass Mountain Bluegrass Festival.

4) Hire someone to plan the best vacation for you. Children’s Concierge creates personalized vacations for families in various cities around the world that can include going to a museum, afternoon tea, concerts and even more.

Sending your kids off in style and in a way that’s good for the environment isn’t too hard these days. Here are a few ways that’ll help you help the environment and get them ready for school.

This may be hard to believe, but this fancy journal is made out of recycled elephant waste fibers. Target sells them for $12.99 each. The Green Office features a variety of eco-friendly supplies, some of which are their Back to School Kits for various grades. They include recycled notebooks and pencils made from recycled newspapers.

Leed’s Eco-friendly backpack is made from 100% post-consumer recycled material, and you know what? It’s cool too! And this SIGG water bottle from REI is designer and great for teens and kids.

If you found out you’re having twins, you’re probably trying to look for the best set of twin names that will fit them. And, these days, having twins is common, especially among celebrities. But, are you thinking of giving them star names such as Hazel and Phinnaeus like Julia Roberts’s twins, or Emme and Max like Jennifer Lopez’s kids? Or how about Knox and Vivienne like Brangelina’s pair? Well, to help you decide on what to name your adorable duo, check out the top ten twin names of 2007 from About.com.

1. Jacob, Joshua
2. Matthew, Michael
3. Daniel, David
4. Isaac, Isaiah
5. Ella, Emma
6. Madison, Morgan
7. Taylor, Tyler
8. Landon, Logan
9. Brandon, Bryan
10. Christian, Christopher

Then show them off with these sweet announcements made just for multiples.

When researching fresh designs and cool styles for traveling, I discovered a lot of adorable travel gear for kids and new moms. Here are a few modern ones that will are sure to make traveling fun!

Photos from top: Kate Spade Classic Noel Henry baby bag, O Yikes Slingback Diaper Bag from Go-Baby, Pottery Barn Kids Personalized Terry Travel Bag, Sammie’s by Samsonite “Funny Face” Collection from Macy’s, Li’l Lewis Gorilla neck pillow and Maw Maw Panda luggage tag.