Author Archives: Teresa McEntire

About Teresa McEntire

Teresa McEntire grew up in Utah the oldest of four children. She currently lives in Kuna, Idaho, near Boise. She and her husband Gene have been married for almost ten years. She has three children Tyler, age six, Alysta, four, and Kelsey, two. She is a stay-at-home mom who loves to scrapbook, read, and of course write. Spending time with her family, including extended family, is a priority. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and currently works with the young women. Teresa has a degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University and taught 6th grade before her son was born. She also ran an own in-home daycare for three years. She currently writes educational materials as well as blogs for Families.com. Although her formal education consisted of a variety of child development classes she has found that nothing teaches you better than the real thing. She is constantly learning as her children grow and enjoys sharing that knowledge with her readers.

Women Can Receive A Donated Uterus

Imagine that you were a woman who had to have her uterus removed because of cancer or other complications. As a result you know that you will never be able to have children. You will never experience the joy and trial of pregnancy and the ensuing birth. Yet now doctors at a New York hospital are saying that they will begin offering uterus transplants. This will allow women who would previously been unable to have children to bear their own child. The uterus will be donated just like any other organ. When families donate their loved ones remains they will … Continue reading →

Take Care Of Yourself

As parents and especially mothers it seems like we are constantly giving. From the time that our first children are born out lives are devoted to caring for our children. But sometimes we need to take care of ourselves first. One of the ten things that you will find the parents doing in a happy family is making sure that they are taking care of themselves. I was talking to my sister who commented that her baby recently started waking up more frequently during the night. My sister of course was getting less sleep and as a result was much … Continue reading →

A Messy Nature

Why is it that some children are just messier than others? Is it some genetic trait that they are just born with? Do some children just naturally leave a trail of messes wherever they go? The answer of course is YES! Some children truly are born with that inquisitive and messy gene. They are curious about everything. As a result they get into everything. My youngest is one of those naturally curious children. Before she could even walk she was off and exploring. She would get into everything that was at her level. Starting when she was about eight months … Continue reading →

Formula Mixed With Fluoride Water May Discolor Teeth

I recently read an article that I want to share with any bottle-feeding mothers out there. It is concerning fluoride in the local water supply. Babies that are fed formula mixed with water that contains fluoride may receive too much fluoride. In November the American Dental Association released a statement stating their concern about the amount of fluoride that infants and toddlers are receiving in their bottles. The State Department of Health and Human Services is asking the FDA to look into the matter. Instead of helping teeth grow stronger too much fluoride is actually damaging. It causes teeth that … Continue reading →

Playing In The Kitchen

If you are like me you spend plenty of time in the kitchen. This includes making meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks. Then there is the clean up time, washing down the cupboards and stove, and putting the dishes in the dishwasher. (I love my dishwasher! My parents didn’t get a dishwasher until my sister and I were both out of the house in fact it was just a week after my sister got married. My dad’s reasoning: “Why buy a dishwasher when you already have two?” So I grew up doing my fair share of dishes by hand.) … Continue reading →

Parenting Advice Column?

Recently Heather and Sherry asked readers if they would like to see an advice column in the Marriage blog. I am going to borrow their idea and ask the parents at Families.com if they would like to see an advice column in Parenting. Of course advice is just that, advice. None of us here at Families.com have all of the answers and would freely admit that we are not perfect parents. But we are definitely trying and have learned a lot from reading and personal experience. We are also more than happy to do some research on your topic if … Continue reading →

Talk About Television

The television is a wonderful source of information but it also contains a lot of information that is misleading and inappropriate for children. So as parents it is important that we talk about T.V. with our children. The publication “Five Core Concepts” helps gives parents guidelines and suggestions they can use when discussing television. The author J. Francis Davis outlines five important points. We do not need to believe and do everything that we see on television. Children need to realize that they are smarter than their T.V. Parents can help their children realize this by making connections between television … Continue reading →

Housework – The Bane Of My Existance

Housework is the bane of my existence. I would much rather be writing, reading, scrap booking, or playing with my kids. I even prefer doing laundry and cooking to the mundane tasks of cleaning my bathrooms, doing the dishes, and sweeping or vacuuming the floors. Yet housework is a necessary evil. I like having a clean house. I just don’t like cleaning it. Someday when I’m rich (if that day ever comes) I will hire someone to clean my house. Then I get the rewards without the work. But for now I am the official housekeeper. When I finally do … Continue reading →

5 New Year’s Resolutions Parents Dream About

Every year there are certain resolutions that I would really like to make but then reality hits and I realize that they would be impossible to keep. So here are my top five New Year’s resolutions that I will only achieve in my dreams. 1. My house will always be clean. Let’s face it if you have kids your house will at some point look like a tornado swept through, unless of course you are really lucky. My kids are still at the dump and grab stage – dump the whole toy box then grab what you want. Even if … Continue reading →

Germs and Family Get Togethers

Why is it that when families get together germs seem to multiply and spread like wildfire. As a child I remember that at our annual Thanksgiving get together at my grandparents inevitably someone would get sick. One year on the way home we stopped multiple times for my mom and brother to throw up. This year our family get together was no exception. For starters I was planning on driving back with my parents after Christmas and then my husband was going to join us on the weekend. But my youngest got sick so we sent my son back with … Continue reading →