CampEasy, a new online service developed by a local working mom, was designed to help parents navigate the process. The site says its goal is simple, “present a platform 1) where parents discover and plan camps for their kids in one place, and 2) where camps are seen by parents – at the visibility of their choosing — during this decision-making process.” This site is definitely worth a gander.

The Washington Parent Summer Camp Guide also is good place to look. It offers a pretty expansive list of camps across the DC area, including the Bach 2 Rock music camp in Bethesda and the CommuniKids Immersion Summer Camp in Tenleytown–both offering a something a little different than you typical summer sports camp.

Do you have any tips for the summer camp planning process or a favorite place?

The Uncommon Moms is offering a chance to win a Facial Sweepstakes. All you have to do is LIKE us Facebook page and sign up under the Weekend Valentine’s Day Giveaway tab! The contest closes today at 3 PM

The winner will be picked at random and announced today. Good luck!

Contest Details

We understand that life as a busy mom can involve holding together a marriage, kids, school activities, early mornings, runny noses, date nights, girls night’s out, etc., and sometimes a quiet pampering is needed just to keep the  balance.  We’re offering you a chance to take advantage of a complimentary facial treatment from local WASHINGTONIAN Top Doctor Dr. Jules A. Feledy, Jr. of Belmont Plastic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery in Chevy Chase, MD.

VISIA™ SKIN DIGITAL IMAGING AND ANALYSIS
Great skin care starts with great skin analysis. VISIA™ Digital Skin Analysis is an exciting technological innovation that uses a multi-spectral imaging system to identify problem areas of your complexion, allowing for a customized skin treatment program.
Our VISIA™ Complexion Analysis will reveal and record damage on and beneath the surface of your skin that is not detectable by visual examination alone.
VISIA™ imaging allows our expert skin care specialists to evaluate your skins’ health and appearance based on six criteria that affect your complexion:
Wrinkles
Spots
Pores Size
Evenness (skin tone color variation),
Porphyrins (evidence of bacteria)
UV spots caused by overexposure to the sun

BELMONT MINI FACIAL
Beauty may only be skin deep, but your skin is unique to you. After a visual analysis of your skin, our experienced esthetician will select products to accommodate you and your goals. Your experience will include a custom cleansing, steam and a moisturizing treatment. Special Powerboosts* may be recommended by our esthetician to better target a specific focus such as: an oxygen boost, anti-aging treatment or rejuvenation from a weekend in the sun, your custom blended facial will be made to order each and every time.

• Stained Glass Heart Craft

This is a favorite because it is a crafty and resourceful idea made of melted crayons. I like this one because it provides a use for those miscellaneous broken and single crayons found around the house.

• Valentine’s Pop-up Heart Card

I came across this one while watching a Sprout TV show in the morning. Pop-up cards are always fun to look out: this is an easy way to make your own.

• Bookmark This!

Nothing makes a better gift than one that is useful. This bookmark creation is a good craft to make, especially for early readers and interested in books. It makes use of something we would usually just toss out—an old calendar.

• Sweetheart Lunch

This one is a gift from you to them. Pull out those cookie cutters and make a special V-Day lunch. Rather than just a simple heart-shaped sandwich, this site offers 28 different Valentines Day-themed recipes for kids.

• Sticker/Tattoo V-Day cards

Candy alternative! No need to add candy to these Valentine’s cards. I found these tattoo and sticker clad V-Day cards at Target, but they are also available many other local stores.

The decision to do either is definitely a personal one, but when people are vehemently against one or the other is where the real problem is. And in this economy many women have no choice but to work full time.  The thought that one woman could feel so strongly about how another woman runs her household is beyond me, especially when the common goal is to raise healthy, productive citizens.

And adding fuel to the fire are those annual reports that calculate how much the salary of stay-at-home would be; the 2011 Salary.com report says full-time moms are worth $115,000 per year. Another recent report by the American Psychological Association indicated that working moms have better overall health and fewer symptoms of depression than those who stay at home. The point of views and study findings are endless.

Melton’s point of view on the issue is an admirable one in that no matter what a woman decides, she is teaching girls that they have a choice and is to be commended for the hard work and commitment put into either decision. She says, “I’m not necessarily trying to raise an executive or a mommy. I’m trying to raise a woman. And there are as many different right ways to be a woman as there are women.”

Is there a happy medium here where women would not have to choose between being a full-time working mom and a full-time stay-at-home mom, and still have a financially secure household?

In a nutshell, the Parents Television Council and a South Pasadena, Calif.- based student organization called,  the No Cussing Club, rallied together to protest airing the episode because the two-year-old character, Lily, dropped the f-bomb a few times. According to ABC execs, in reality, the child actress actually said the word, fudge, but it was bleeped out and blurred to create the illusion of the real f-bomb and to help with the naughtiness effect. And each time she said the word, the adults laughed, pretty hard—well, because it was funny.

The episode raises the question of what is the appropriate response to a child’s first innocent use of an explicative.  It’s innocent because they really have no idea it’s not nice to use such words until we tell them, but they’re extremely impressionable and clearly heard the word used correctly by an adult at some point, and seem to know just the right time to use it— during Grandma’s visit, at the grocery store, while being the flower girl at a wedding.

Newsday said the episode was “brilliant,” adding, “there was nothing remotely offensive about it, and the message was pretty clear: Watch what you say around toddlers, and certainly don’t laugh if they say something they shouldn’t have said.”

What is the best response to an innocent no-no?

A recent article about increase in rentals on DC Urban Turf caught my eye.

For all those on the fence buyers waiting for the shoe to drop, please read. You can own for less than you can rent and bank some bucks along the way.

This kind of demand keeps our housing market strong.

We’re waking up to a beautiful January day today in DC. The high is expected to reach 61—amazing. It’s a perfect day to visit the long-awaited Martin Luther King Memorial on the Tidal Basin. This year’s celebration is particularly special because it marks the first MLK holiday where we can visit the actual memorial since its official dedication. While today is ideal for a pre-celebratory visit to the monument because of the warm weather, the DC area has many commemorative events planned this year for families.  On Jan. 16, the National Cathedral will hold a special service with a concert and day of community service. Visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item or a new children’s book to benefit D.C. charities. The Anacostia Community Museum is planning a commemoration on Jan. 13, where Harry Johnson, president of the King Memorial Foundation, will discuss the history of the national memorial honoring Dr. King–definitely a good place for the kiddos to learn about the importance and significance of the memorial. Afterwards, you can take part in National Day of Service by participating in an event serving your local communities and neighbors; the website has a handy search tool so you can find an activity in or near your own community. And, the National Children’s Museum Launch Zone is hosting service events at the National Harbor especially for kids on the 16th. There are so many options in coming weeks, but today the best option is to get out and visit the Memorial. What is your family going to do to honor MLK?

SOME, Sasha Bruce Youth Network and Toys for Tots are just a few of some of the great local places to donate items.