We're pretty new to the lunch packing thing at our house, just having survived our first week of kindergarten. But so far, my five-year-old eats her whole grain sandwich, her side of fresh fruits or veggies, and brings home the very small treat I've stuck in her lunchbox each day because she's "too full." All things parenting should be this easy.

But I know it won't always be so easy. The CDC's recent national Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that a whopping 80% of teens aren't meeting their fruits and vegetable goals for the day. Young children, I think, are easier to feed because the outside influence is kept to a minimum. But when they get older, there's potential for battles over snack foods, sodas, and the vending machines at school.

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A new, more natural c-section developed in the UK may soon be in clinical trials to see if it will improve the birth experience for mothers and better help newborns ease their way into the world. Researchers say that the traditional c-section procedure, currently focused on a speedy delivery, allows less room for family bonding. In an uncomplicated delivery, they say, speed is usually unnecessary.

The new "natural" procedure starts in the same way, making a cut and delivering the head of the baby. But then the area is cleaned and the curtains are taken down so that both parents can eventually watch the rest of the delivery. Instead of removing the infant right away, doctors stand back and let uterine contractions do their thing.

I'm all for any procedure that makes childbirth more warm and fuzzy and less cold and sterile. But yet, I'm not sure how I'd feel about watching my baby be delivered this way. I've never had a c-section, so moms out there who have, tell us this: Would it be weird to watch your baby emerge from your abdomen? Or would the overwhelming feelings that accompany childbirth outweigh the fact that you're in the middle of major surgery? Is a delivery a delivery no matter the method? Share your thoughts with us in comments.

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Telegraph has an interesting article about the length of a mom's work day. The average mom, according to a recent poll, has a "work day" of 15 hours, 5.5 of it working at their job and the rest spent grocery shopping, cooking, doing household chores, shuttling kids to school and activities, and caring for their children. Seventy five percent of women reported wishing they had more time to themselves. Don't we all.

The idea here, of course, is that working moms are doing far more than their share and are in desperate need of a break. Honestly, this is something I worry about when I think about going back to work full-time. As a SAHM, I've taken on the bulk of the household responsibilities. Will we be able to balance daily tasks in a healthy way when the time comes for me to go back to the 40-hour work week? I hope so, but I think it will take time.

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Traditions are an important part of family life. Traditions not only create positive feelings and a sense of belonging, they help parents pass their values on to their children. There's a good reason why, as parents, we often find ourselves repeating some of our favorite family traditions with our own children.

Today was my older daughter's first day of kindergarten, so we're just starting to form our own back-to-school traditions. Ours are pretty simple -- a shopping day spent just with Mom, a special breakfast that first morning, and a picture taken on our front porch, where all milestone pictures are staged. Then, we all walk to school together as a family. It's only our second year of school, but I particularly hope that we can keep that last one up.

Tip Junkie has collected an interesting list of back-to-school traditions from other parents, and Family Fun has some great ideas for celebrating that first day of school. Real Simple has tips for creating family traditions any time of year.

Of course, the best parenting tips usually come from other parents, so let's hear it: What do you do to make the first day of school special?

(Click the image above to see a larger version of the comic strip.)

When I was growing up, there was always a "For Better or For Worse" comic cut from the paper and stuck to our refrigerator. The Pattersons may have been an imaginary family, but Lynn Johnston, their creator, made them real by touching on issues both big and small that many families deal with. When I became a parent, I even cut out one or two and put them on my own refrigerator, relating easily to daughter-in-law Deanna's life as a busy mom of two young children.



The strip has looked a little different for the last several months. Lynn Johnston, seeing retirement on the horizon, has been running a series of flashbacks that allowed her to lighten her workload and revisit early moments in the Patterson's life. This Sunday, Lynn will give readers what every good story needs... an ending. The strip will be the endpoint of the Patterson's story, but it won't be the end of "For Better or For Worse."

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There are a lot of ways that we, as parents, put ourselves into groups. Breastfeeders vs. formula feeders, co-sleepers vs. cry-it-outers, stay at home moms vs. working moms. I think it's really unfortunate when these very personal issues divide us, because, really, what do variations in parenting technique have to do with adult friendships and relationships? I'm very committed to the way I choose to parent my children, but I'm not committed to making sure other parents parent their children the same way. That's just not my business.

Vaccinations are a different issue, however. Whether or not you vaccinate your kids can have an impact on other people's children. That's one of the biggest issues vaccinating parents have with parents who choose not to. When kids aren't vaccinated, parents fear, then the risk of their children contracting those illnesses increases. Says Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "One of doctors' biggest concerns is loss of 'herd immunity.' Because no vaccine is 100 percent effective, successfully fighting disease requires most children be vaccinated."

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School's a busy place these days. It's a long stretch between lunch and the day's last bell. School kids are hungry when they get home, and they need a snack to give them energy for extra-curricular activities, homework, and chores. If chips and cookies are what's in the cupboard, chances are that's what they'll reach for. But a healthy snack will not only satisfy their hunger, but give them the energy and nutrition they need.

Nutrition experts recommend that we all get at least 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. That's nearly impossible unless you incorporate these kinds of foods into every meal and snack. Sure, you may offer kids a cookie, but serve it up next to a heaping pile of blueberries or a sliced apple. That's just one tip I discovered in AOL Health's gallery about making the most of after-school snacks. Another tip: Skip the snack food altogether and serve a mini-meal instead.

My own kids love to help in the kitchen and are far more likely to eat something they've helped create. Since they were tiny, we've been baking sweet potato muffins, and they are now a favorite snack. But it's also easy to keep washed, fresh fruit or chopped veggies in a bowl on the bottom shelf of the fridge... perfect for self-serve.

What are your favorite healthy snack ideas?

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When a spouse cheats, it's the ultimate betrayal. For most, it's a highly personal, private matter dealt with behind closed doors. For John and Elizabeth Edwards, it's been a media circus. But that wasn't always the case. Both John and Elizabeth say that he confessed the affair to her in 2006, two years before the news was made public. On the liberal blog Daily Kos, Elizabeth explained, "This was a private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was, I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well."

But a handful of former followers aren't satisfied with that position. They're blaming Elizabeth alongside John in the cover-up of the affair, and say that she should have never agreed to stay silent when he began his run for Democratic nominee. "I think she's complicit," said Brad Crone, "Obviously, she knew. While she's the victim, she clearly didn't stand in the way of the cover-up."

It's hard to imagine being in Elizabeth Edward's shoes, and I'm think that Brad Crone is too busy pointing fingers to try and put himself there. In reality, none of us know what happened behind closed doors when John broke that particular piece of news to Elizabeth, a blow that had to be utterly devastating. Blaming Elizabeth for actions that were mostly out of her control takes the focus off John, who is the one that let his family and his supporters down, but more importantly off the important issues that these people, perfect or not, so fervently support. I, for one, would like to see Elizabeth return to working on those issues, but it's unlikely she'll be allowed to while her personal life is still making headlines.

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He's an actor, celebrity, philanthropist, father to some of the most famous offspring in the world. In his spare time, Brad Pitt also fancies himself a photographer, so much so that Angelina gave him a Littman 45 Single camera for a recent birthday gift. Now he's taking his hobby to the next level.

Rumor has it that Brad shot the cover for November's issue of W magazine, and it includes some pretty noteworthy subjects -- his family. Angelina, along will all six kids -- even newborn twins Knox and Vivienne -- will appear on the cover.

Back in 2005, Brad and Angelina appeared on a different, more notorious cover of W. In a spread called "Domestic Bliss," Brad and Angie appeared as husband and wife with undeniable chemistry, and pretty much blew the lid off any denials they were making about being "just friends." Jennifer Aniston, still married to Brad, was quoted as saying that shoot was evidence that Brad "had a sensitivity chip missing." She filed for divorce a few months later.

If that cover was a staged version of domestic bliss, what will appear in November by all reports will be the real thing -- a happy, content family in their prime.

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He may be embroiled in one of Hollywood's dirtiest custody battles (with ex-wife Denise Richards), but Charlie Sheen isn't going to let that stop him from moving on with his life. The actor announced today that his wife, Brooke Mueller, is pregnant with their first child.

"Brooke and I are thrilled," he said in a released statement. "She's the best step mom Sam, Lola, and Cassandra could every hope for. Seeing her love and affection for those three, I'll know she'll be an amazing mom." (Awwww. It's almost enough to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but yet....) Sheen is referring to his three daughters: He had Cassandra with ex-girlfriend Paula Profit in 1985, and daughters Sam, 3, and Lola, 4, with Richards.

Maybe this is a sign that Sheen really is moving forward with his life and is ready to let the healing begin between him and Richards. No word on what she thinks of the couple's exciting news, but if she's not happy about it, there's no doubt we'll be hearing about it before too long.

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