About Our Experts

Diana

Sprout for Parents - Moderator

A former children’s book editor, Diana is a mother of three who coordinates a part time job and full time schedule for a family whose interests range from bug collecting to fairy princesses. While she helps Peter, Clara and Henry through the milestones of first steps, play dates, preschool and potty training, Diana is excited to also be fostering dialog between our expert bloggers and interested parents like you. We think you’ll agree she’s the perfect person to host a community of parents who are as inspired by their children as she is by hers!

Sprout Band of Bloggers

Aby Garvey

 Aby Garvey is an organizing expert who believes organizing can be creative and fun—the more you love an organizing solution the more likely you are to use it! She is the co-owner of www.simplify101.com, a professional organizing business that specializes in online organizing workshops. Aby is happily married to her business partner Jay. Aside from their collaboration on simplify 101; Jay and Aby are the proud parents of Collin, age 11, and Kailea, age 9. Visit www.simplify101.com to sign up for Aby’s complimentary organizing newsletter.

Angie

Angie (latte constantly in hand) raises her son, "Milo" (b. 2003), and her daughter, "Belle" (b. 2006), in Seattle with her lawyer husband. She is a writer, blogger and graphic designer who is egregiously tall and loves cookies with beer. She alternately struggles with existential angst and the fit of her jeans. Though she wearies easily of answering her son's constant questions and of negotiating with her daughter, she loves being present during their wonder years.

One of her biggest parenting challenges is navigating Milo's severe food allergies. If she's not baking 50 cupcakes from scratch, she is reading ingredient labels and tutoring Milo, ad nauseum, to say, "No milk, eggs, tree nuts or peanuts please." Angie likes using large, complicated words while speaking with her children and hoping they'll learn vocabulary by immersion. She is bad at remembering to wash her kids' faces and making them clean their rooms, but is good at helping with homework and reading stories. She thinks motherhood is the most intense, amazing, aggravating, heart-warming and heart-breaking journey on which she's ever embarked.

Angie writes a weekly column and product reviews for Momicillin 

Angie Knutson

Angie Knutson and her husband, Jeremy are the mom and dad behind My Four Monkeys. My Four Monkeys is a product review site for moms and dads, new parents, veteran parents, homeschooling families, Stay-at-home moms and dads, working moms and dads, families with pets, parents to one, parents to more, any and all. Here's a little bit about us: My husband works a full time job and I'm a SAHM. We are Christian, 30-something, parents to four fabulous kiddos, ranging in age from 8 years old to 9 months old. We have two girls and two boys.

Benita Black

Benita is the mother of three terrific kids: two daughters in elementary school and a four-year-old Sproutlet named Tijs. Born in Holland, Benita has been teaching preschool in the Philadelphia area for the last 6 years. You might find her helping out with birthday parties at a local kids' gym. And when she's not busy with all of that, you'll find her running, biking, cooking or looking through magazines for craft and game ideas she can add to her "Idea Book" for rainy days!

Betsy Oliphant

Director of Production

Betsy Oliphant is currently Director of Production at Sprout where she oversees production of several Sprout original series including The Good Night Show, The Sprout Sharing Show and the live Sunny Side Up Show. After working in international sports media for seven years with ESPN and two European media firms, she pursued her dream to make things that speak to kids the way her favorite childhood record "Free To Be you and Me" spoke to her.  Betsy holds a MA in Trans-Atlantic Political Science and Cultural Studies from La Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain and a BA in Communications from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is proud to reside in Center City Philadelphia and when not thinking about preschool TV she enjoys participating in community theater, salsa dancing and watching sports (Go Phils!). 

Beth Blair

 Beth Blair is a family travel expert whose experience stems from her years working in the airlines as a flight attendant. Today she still travels, only now as a freelance travel and aviation writer. Often tagging along are her husband, two young children and two teenage stepsons. Beth enjoys assisting parents in their travel planning by sharing her insider’s perspective and knowledge. She is co-founder of TheVacationGals.com blog where she offers valuable insight and tips for hitting the road (and skies).  You can learn more about Beth at http://bethblair.com.

Blake Newton

Blake Newton is an Extension Entomologist at the University of Kentucky.  His primary responsibilities include youth education and web design.  Blake is from Morehead, Kentucky, and received his Master's Degree from the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology.


Cheryl Dorschner

A former garden magazine editor, Cheryl is a mother of two sons, full-time writer and photographer for the University of Vermont College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and UVM Extension (which includes horticulture studies and Master Gardener program) and a home-and-garden writer for the state's largest newspaper "Burlington Free Press." Cheryl encourages her children's gardening interests - as she has their other pursuits. "My boys grew troll gardens, experimented with orchids, boned up on bonsai and harvested herbs, to name a few," she says. Now as "co-presidents" of Two Brothers' Eggs, the boys handle egg sales from five chickens, while the gardens benefit from bug patrol and composted manure. Cheryl has led many school garden projects and wrote the Parents Primer on http://www.kidsgardening.com/primer.asp

Cassie

Cassi is the founder of The Crafty Crow, a curated online collection of children’s crafts. She gathers the best ideas from the internet and organizes them into an extensive list of categories so you’ll be able to find just what you want at just the right time. With a background in early childhood education, her love of crafts, and the internet, it was only a matter of time before her three loves were combined.  She also has her own business designing crafts for books and magazines and shares her interests, inspirations, and many tutorials on her personal blog, Bella Dia. Cassi is a single mom to three wonderful children that she homeschools and they, along with a dozen pets, reside in the beautiful mountains of central Idaho.

Caitlin Murray Giles

Caitlin Murray Giles is freelance writer and blogger. She lives is Chicago with her three children and their handsome daddy. Thanks to them, she can’t even remember what it feels like to be bored. She chronicles their adventures at  A Hen and Two (now Three) Chicks and writes about the family-friendly side of her hometown at Wee Windy City. Learn more about Caitlin and her projects at www.caitlingiles.com.

Clarissa

Clarissa, also known as "mom chef," is the mother of four wonderful kids who love to help her cook--and they also love eating the food she makes! She came up with the idea of her website back in 2003 because she wanted to share recipes and encourage moms, dads, and kids to cook healthy, delicious meals that are quick and easy.

Many of the recipes on Easy Kids Recipes come from Clarissa’s own family recipes (some handed down her mom, her grandma, aunts, friends, and her husband who himself is a bit of a "dad chef").  Many of the great recipes on the site were contributed by kids and parents who visit the site.

Clarissa also provides timely information in the form of articles, newsletters, news items, as well as general commentary all revolving around the topics of helping parents prepare better meals for kids and helping kids to get involved in cooking as well.

Christy Matte

 Christy Matte is a Boston-area freelance writer and consultant as well as the work-at-home mom of two young kids. She struggles daily to balance work, playdates, doctor appointments, time with her husband and time to herself. An avid techie, Christy has been blogging since 2001 and currently maintains blogs at More Than Mommy and Quirky Fusion. She's also the Family Computing Guide at About.com. Christy loves all things gadgety, as well as all things crafty, and believes that crafting gadgets are the ultimate in toys for grown-ups. She's pretty sure her kids are following in her footsteps and will be launching their own tell-all blog as soon as they can spell.

Chelle Osborne

Site Administrator

Chelle is responsible for managing the team of Mommies Site Network Administrators who directly support and guide local Mommy Network sites. She is a single mom of twins: Jenna and Nathan. Chelle works full-time at the American Red Cross. She was a long time member and moderator on Charlotte Mommies (NC) community before joining the management team of Union County Mommies (NC) and later becoming the Site Administrator, a role she served for over a year.

Cory H. Schroeder

Director of Marketing & Development

Cory H. Schroeder, Director of Marketing & Development for Central Bucks Family YMCA, Doylestown, PA, is a former Girl Scout, as well as a camper and camp counselor for both day camps and overnight camps. As an adult, she has tent camped throughout the United States and into Canada, including an extended 7 week trip throughout the US and into Canada with a husband, a dog and a canvas wall tent in a Ford sedan. More recently, she and her husband and dogs have ‘camped on the water’ in their floating accommodations – a variety of boats.

“Some of my fondest memories are of my camping days and the remarkable experiences. My love of camping comes from my parents, especially my mom who created my first tent in the middle of the living room of our apartment. With camping background of their own, they knew it was important to share this joy.”

“At the YMCA, it is so exciting to see kids grow and learn so many things from their camp experience – lasting friendships, wonderful life skills, self-esteem. Many of our campers come year after year, taking on counselor roles as they grow up. Here, we say ‘every child deserves the Y’, and make it possible through financial assistance for even those parents who cannot afford the fees.”

Anyone wishing information about the YMCA may go to the Y website, www.cbfymca.org, or contact Cory at cschroeder@cbfymca.org.

Daisy the Groundskeeper

Daisy is an ageless wife, mother of two, elementary teacher, avid gardener, reader, blogger, and coffee drinker! Her first garden was a few tomato plants behind a rented duplex. When she bought her first home, room for the garden was a high priority. From there it took off! She adds something new each season. This year, it’s the rain barrel.

D'Arcy Lyness, PhD

Behavioral Health Editor, KidsHealth

D'Arcy Lyness, PhD, is a licensed child and adolescent psychologist, and behavioral health editor at KidsHealth. She is responsible for the accuracy and clarity of the behavioral health content, and participates in a variety of KidsHealth projects.

Dr. Lyness is a volume editor of Charles Scribner's Sons Human Diseases and Conditions: Behavioral Health, a mental health encyclopedia written for middle- and high-school students. She has written a number of book chapters on health and psychology topics for young readers and for professionals, and has contributed to the development of several health education videos for parents. She is co-creator of "Not So Scary Things," a board game that helps young children and their parents playfully explore and master common childhood fears. Dr. Lyness is a frequent contributor to radio interviews on a variety of emotional, behavioral, and parenting issues.

An experienced educator and clinician, Dr. Lyness has taught child development and psychology to college students, medical students and physicians, parents, teachers, and psychologists. She has worked with children and families in medical, community, and private practice settings for over 20 years. She has provided patient care, directed clinical services, created hospital-based health education workshops and community outreach programs, and developed physician education programs. Before joining KidsHealth, she held faculty positions in two hospital-based residency training programs in pediatrics and in family medicine, and has been honored with teaching awards for her work with medical students and pediatric residents.

Dr. Lyness received her BA from the University of Delaware; she received a master's degree (MCAT) from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, and her PhD from Temple University in Philadelphia.

David Mozer

David Mozer is the founder and director of the International Bicycle Fund, an independent, non-profit organization located in Seattle, WA dedicated to promoting bicycle transportation.  Most IBF projects and activities fall into one of four categories: planning and engineering, safety education, economic development assistance and promoting international understanding. IBF's objective is to create a sustainable, people-friendly environment by creating opportunities of the highest practicable quality for bicycle transportation. IBF is funded by private donation.

David Wayne

David is a member of the Executive Committee of the PAWS Chicago Professional Board. This group, dedicated to implementing solutions to save the lives of homeless pets, finds new homes for more than 3,000 pets a year! He spends his days working as a Partner in the Arnstein & Lehr‘s Litigation Group in Chicago.  He lives with his wife, Jessica his two daughters, and one much-loved dog!

Debra Muccio

Debra is a wife and mother to an 18 month old little girl.  She traded in high-powered suits and high-heeled shoes for a new role as mommy – crayon enthusiast, storyteller, and kisser of boo-boo’s.

With a new role as a stay at home mom came the loss of two-thirds of the household income.  Although expenses were increasing, Debra was determined to cut the family’s budget to ensure that she could stay home as long as possible.  She was able to do just that and more.

 In the summer of 2008, it became clear that the economy was in trouble and families were hurting.  Seeing a need within her own community, Debra set out to educate others about what she had learned of budgeting and cutting grocery costs significantly. She created a successful blog, A Frugal Friend which was designed to help families reduce their expenses through grocery deals, coupons, rebates and by receiving free products from reputable companies.

 Debra lives with her husband and daughter in North Texas.

Dyani Hugo

Kids U Manager/Instructor

Dyani graduated from Arcadia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design and from Drexel University with a Masters in Creative Arts Therapy.  Dyani worked as an Art Therapist for a few years before coming to Kids U Horsham.  She has worked with children in several settings, including day camps, overnight camps, art centers and a school.

Graig Galef

 Graig Galef is a Certified Financial Planner ® and Insurance Advisor at Strategies for Wealth and Park Avenue Securities. Graig lives and works in Westchester County, N.Y. where his office is decorated with original artwork by his 5 and 7 year old children.  Most of his clients are parents with young kids and Graig takes great pleasure helping them develop a financial plan so that they can sleep better at night - if their kids let them sleep! 

Elizabeth Donovan

Elizabeth Donovan, M.A., founder of ParentingPink.com, is a former adolescent psychotherapist and mental health supervisor with over a decade of experience in the field. She has three daughters and resides just outside of Washington D.C.

Forrest Harding

Producer of The Sunny Side Up Show

Forrest is the Producer of The Sunny Side Up Show on Sprout.  Before producing SSU, Forrest was one of the original puppeteers to perform the part of Chica.  He was, in fact, the on-air Chica for the very first Sunny Side Up Show way back on September 26, 2007.  He also performs the characters of Reginald Rabbit, Otis Owl and Sharon Pig on The Sprout Sharing Show.  He is a married father of two, ages 9 & 5, and was an avid co-watcher of Sprout before working there.  He has been working in television for 17 years, both in front of and behind the camera.  He is currently learning to play the ukulele.  

Faten Abdullah

 Faten Abdallah is a "Jill of All Trades". Abdallah is a freelance writer, the mother of a first grader, and proud aunt. She also teaches an education course at a university, and is the owner of Connecting Women and also co-hosts Connecting Women Radio. 

Elizabeth Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards is an author, publisher, and “head chef”. She's married to her high school sweetheart Chris, and they have three children--Ryan, age 12, Nathan, age 9, and Kaitlyn, age 3. They live in Michigan, where Elizabeth works as a professional blogger, product reviewer, and freelance writer.

As someone who is always online and terrible at organization, Elizabeth started MomCooks as a way to have her favorite recipes available at a glance, and to be able to share them with others looking for easy family recipes. She's not a gourmet, just a Mom who puts dinner on the table most nights a week and likes recipes that are easy and quick and delicious!

Evergreen Moms

Evergreen Moms is the brainchild of two Pacific Northwest moms who found themselves constantly swapping product recommendations with friends. It didn't take long before they realized that what was fun to do in person would be even more fun to do online.

Every weekday, Lori and Heather bring you the latest in eco-friendly and unique toys, clothing and gear for families, with an eye for innovation and good design. They love the creativity they see all around them in the Pacific Northwest. Evergreen Moms is their spot to share a bit of their beloved region with you.

Hit Entertainment

HIT creates entertaining content and rich characters that are a springboard for a child's imagination. HIT's characters are great friends for life's early lessons and help children grow through new adventures. 

Jeanne Muchnick

Jeanne Muchnick describes herself as your typical rushing-to-meet-a-deadline/throw-in-a-load-of-laundry-multi-tasking mom/travel writer. The best part of her job? Combining her personal life with her professional experience. Jeanne loves to travel -- especially with her family. Her work has appeared in Parents, Parenting, Pregnancy, Endless Vacation, The Boston Globe, The New York Daily News, In Town Westchester Magazine and more. She currently serves as the family travel expert at ClubMom.com. She also blogs about the working mom's balancing act at http://solittletime.lohudblogs.com. 

Jennifer Case

Founder

In September 2005, Jennifer Case, with the help of her three young children, held a multi-family tag sale in which all proceeds went to assist children who were victims of Katrina. The event was called  “Kids 4 Kids” and at that time, Jennifer realized she wanted to take this effort to a much bigger level, not only to help disadvantaged children but to also teach her children, and those in her community, the rewards of helping others.  With this in mind, Jennifer was introduced through a good friend to Lynn Margherio at Cradles to Crayons, visited their Boston office and made the decision to bring this successful organization to Philadelphia.

In September 2005, Jennifer Case, with the help of her three young children, held a multi-family tag sale in which all proceeds went to assist children who were victims of Katrina. The event was called  “Kids 4 Kids” and at that time, Jennifer realized she wanted to take this effort to a much bigger level, not only to help disadvantaged children but to also teach her children, and those in her community, the rewards of helping others.  With this in mind, Jennifer was introduced through a good friend to Lynn Margherio at Cradles to Crayons, visited their Boston office and made the decision to bring this successful organization to Philadelphia.

Jennifer, who received her B.A. from Middlebury in 1985, brings 11 years of business experience to Cradles to Crayons. She spent over two years at Bankers Trust and then returned to New England to get her MBA from The Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth. After graduating in 1989, she went to work at Time-Warner in their Magazine Division, holding various positions in marketing and business development at FORTUNE magazine and then, Sports Illustrated For Kids. In addition to developing new product revenues for SI for Kids, Jennifer managed a not-for-profit program that provided 250,000 copies of the magazine to 3rd and 4th graders at schools selected in low-income areas throughout the US.. These magazines were distributed with a teachers guide, which provided fun and interactive lessons in math, reading, literature and science based off the magazine’s articles and related sports information. The program was a huge success in engaging these sometimes hard-to-motivate students into reading and learning activities.

Jennifer’s passion to help disadvantaged children continues as she launches the first chapter of Cradles to Crayons in Philadelphia. 

Jennifer Hunter

Professional Organizer

Jennifer Hunter  is a professional organizer in the Boston area. 
Once a writer and editor, with four books to her credit, she decided to make a career out of what she did for fun on her writing breaks. She specializes in 
helping creative people learn that being creative does not have to mean being disorganized. 
Jen understands that most of her clients do not necessarily share her zeal for sorting and labeling; for them, being organized is not an end in itself, but a means to a goal of a smoother, more satisfying life. Jen is also a collage artist, using mostly pictures from
castoff magazines, and has exhibited in several shows. She lives in
Medford, Massachusetts with her housemates, eight-year-old daughter, and a matching ginger cat and dog. Find out more about professional organizing at www.jenniferhunter.com

Jennifer Remeta

Jennifer Remeta is a 30-something stay at home mom and freelance writer.  She’s a former veterinary technician, current medical transcription student and in the half second of spare time she finds per day, she also writes for her own website, Toddler Tactics.  She lives a wonderful life with a loving husband who always knows just how to make her laugh, a precocious preschooler who channels “Captain Caillou”, a tenacious toddler who believes messes and giggles should be shared equally, an arthritic dog who loves them to pieces and a persnickety cat who simply tolerates the whole crazy lot.  In her own words, she’s perpetually exhausted, consistently sarcastic, and loving every minute of it.  Jennifer’s relationship with her own loving dog, Abigail, can also be found in the Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers’ Soul series.  

Jennifer Waller

Jennifer is a stay at home mom of 4 kids (9, 7, 6 and 3) who has just recently started teaching 2 year old preschoolers. She hopes readers can use her blog, The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman, as a resource to find fun activities to do with their children. Some ideas are new, while others have been around a while. This is a place where she can store all her activities without having to actually have to store them in her attic!

Jill Spivak and Jennifer Waldburger

Sleep Consultants

Jennifer Waldburger, LCSW, began her professional career as a writer and editor living in New York City, working for such publications as Town & Country magazine and Redbook.  After earning her master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jennifer joined Childsleep as co-owner.  As co-founder of Sleepy Planet, Jennifer now provides sleep consultations, leads mother-infant groups for new moms, lectures throughout Los Angeles on sleep and a variety of topics, and continues to work in private practice as a psychotherapist. She also does healing and energy work with families and young children.

Jill Spivack, LCSW, completed her graduate studies at University of Southern California and worked as a psychotherapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  Jill developed a specialty in pediatric sleep disorders and parenting while working in NYC after experiencing sleep problems with her first child.  In 1999, upon returning to Los Angeles, Jill co-founded Childsleep.  Currently a co-owner of Sleepy Planet, Jill provides sleep consultations, leads groups for first- and second-time mothers and lectures on sleep and other parenting topics.  Jill is also a contributor to momlogic.com. She is the mother of two children.

Jill, Jennifer and The Sleepeasy Solution have been featured in a variety of media including: Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, The Chicago Tribune, Parenting, Fit Pregnancy, and The Tyra Banks Show. They are the sleep experts on ModernMom.com and conduct lectures on children’s sleep for doctors and medical professionals at UCLA and at pediatric practices.
 

Jodi Glaser Taub

Jodi resides in Brooklyn Heights, NY with her husband, eight year-old son, and Maltese puppy.  A seasoned book publicist, Jodi has worked at ABC-TV, Simon and Schuster, and Greenwillow Books.  For several years, she was a staff member, teaching in the 3’s and 4’s classroom at Grace Church School.  A talented singer and actress, Jodi has been seen in many NYC theatres and cabaret clubs, and has directed children’s theatre programs in upstate New York.  Her most recent venture is her own tutoring and educational consulting company, where she offers such services as ERB and gift test preparation, phonics and mathematics tutoring, private school and collegiate essay consultation, and assistance navigating the daunting New York City preschool and private school admissions process.  Jodi’s most favorite job, however, is being a hockey mom to her fabulous son, Blake.   

Kara Gehman

Kara spends her days in a state of controlled chaos as a full-time wife and mother, part-time Jazzercise instructor, and aspiring author.  She has been happily married to Joel, the love of her life, for eleven years.  Parenting six-year-old Noah and three-year-old Lucy has been both the greatest joy and biggest challenge of her life.  When she is not driving the kids to activities, playing referee or folding laundry, Kara steals time to write about her adventures in motherhood.  Kara began a technology recruiting career in Silicon Valley, lived in the Philadelphia area for eight years and recently moved back to State College, PA, where her husband is pursuing a doctoral degree at her alma mater, Penn State.   During football season, she can be found in Beaver Stadium, cheering on her beloved Nittany Lions. 

Kate Cronan, MD

Medical Editor, KidsHealth

Dr. Kate Cronan is the Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and a medical editor for KidsHealth.org. She graduated from Temple University School of Medicine and did her internship, residency, and fellowship training at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Currently, Dr. Cronan is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College. She has served as chair of Delaware's Emergency Medical Services for Children Coalition for 7 years and is co-chair of the Child Death Review Panel for New Castle County, Delaware. She is board certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She's a fellow on the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and a member of the American College of Physician Executives. She has been voted a Top Doc for Kids in Philadelphia Magazine and Delaware Today magazine.

Dr. Cronan has written a number of articles and book chapters in the field of pediatric emergency medicine. She co-authored First Aid Tips for Parents from Sandvik Publishing, is co-editor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine Secrets from Hanley and Belfus Medical Publications, and served as medical consultant for I'm a Mom! Now What? from DK Publishing. She authored several chapters on childhood health and safety in two leading middle-school textbooks.

Dr. Cronan lectures regionally and nationally. Her specialty is visual diagnosis in pediatric emergency care. The media frequently call on Dr. Cronan for her expertise. She has appeared on dozens of local and national TV shows and magazines, and writes a monthly column for The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware.

Kit Bennett

Founder

Kit Bennett is the founder of  Amazingmoms.com and an early childhood education specialist with over twenty  five years experience teaching music, art and self-esteem to children in both classroom and seminar environments.  She owned and operated Music Movement and Me in San Francisco, CA and the children's entertainment business, Party Sensations in Portland Oregon, until "bitten" by the computer bug in 1998. With the Amazingmoms' community, Ms. Bennett has created a "dream come true"; an innovative way help moms keep life fun and festive!

“My goal is to bring families together through a blend of exceptional content, useful resources and "whack-on-the-side-of-the-head" ideas. Whether it’s breakfast, bedtime, birthdays or holidays, with a little inspiration – all moms can be amazing!”

Kit’s inspiration comes from her four fabulous kids, granddaughter, several nieces and nephews and her wonderfully supportive husband. She lives with her family in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York.
 

Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner

Co-Founders & Editors, Cool Mom Picks

Kristen Chase currently resides in Atlanta. By way of Philly. By way of Mississippi. In her former life she was a published textbook author, musician, college professor and designer shoe glutton, all of which she’s traded for a satisfying new position as military wife and stay-at-home-parent. What she has not given up, however, is excellent taste, a sense of humor and her fondness for a perfect martini. Kristen tries to stay as cool as possible (in all senses of word) while parenting her daughter, Quinlan and her son, Drew, with a third on the way.

 Liz Gumbinner is a born and bred New Yorker but without the accent. She’s had a successful career as a creative director in the Prada-mandatory world of advertising, has helped found a grassroots organization that assists Bosnian refugee children, writes some parenting columns here and there, and is the co-author of Booty Food (Bloomsbury USA), a humorous relationship guide and cookbook. Liz is equally at home in the boutiques of Fifth Avenue and the aisles of Target, but can most often be spotted around her Brooklyn neighborhood with the love of her life and their two daughters, trying to coax their stubborn English Bulldog across the street.

Linda Robins

Linda Robins and her husband are the franchise owners of the Young Chefs Academy in Montgomeryville, Pa. Before opening their Academy, Linda was a kindergarten teacher at St. Alphonsus School where she loved caring and nurturing young minds and spirits.  She is now combining her passion for education with her love of cooking and healthy eating.  Linda is also raising four active children with her husband.  Linda has a B.S. in Psychology and Business from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters in Education from Villanova University. For more information about the Young Chefs Academy, click here. 

Lynn Bode

Lynn Bode is a certified personal trainer specializing in Internet-based fitness programs. She founded Workouts For You, which provides affordable online exercise programs that are custom designed for each individual. Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com  for more of her tips.

Lisa H. Corman, MS, RD, LD

Lisa H. Corman, MS, RD, LD, is a registered dietitian at the University of New Hampshire.  Lisa describes herself as a wife, mother, blogger, and most recently, a runner.  Lisa is running the Boston Marathon in 2010 as a charity runner for GoKids Boston, a group that’s mission is to improve the health, wellness, and ov erall outlook for adolescents, pre-teens and teens. Follow her trials and tribulations as a working mom, parent and runner at http://irunlikeamother.blogspot.com/.

Lisa Ruth

Lisa Ruth is a mother of three with an M.Ed. from Lehigh University.  She is a craft expert, illustrator, and kid's creativity specialist who has designed crafts and children's activities for Crayola, Michael's  Crafts, Pepsi-Frito Lay and Sprout! She is currently at work writing two recipe books: The first features recipes you can make an freeze ahead for "grab and go" meals, and the second is about how to plan and pack healthy school lunch

Magda Pecsenye

Magda writes AskMoxie.org, an internet advice column for parents that helps people be the parents they want to be. The tagline "You're the
 best parent for your child" expresses her philosophy that you know
your own child best, so you should trust your own instincts and do
 what's right for your own family. 
With a new Q&A every day, the website explores everything from potty
-training to sleep deprivation to grade school politics to post-baby
sex. A loyal and generous community of readers helps each other work 
through the rewarding but crazy-making journey of parenting.

Magda's pretty much your average mom: She's been a married SAHM and
 WAHM, a divorcing WOHM, and now a divorced WAHM. She lives with her 
two sons and two cats in a decrepit apartment in New York City, but
 dreams of greener places.

Mary L. Gavin, MD

Medical Editor, KidsHealth

Mary L. Gavin, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and a medical editor at KidsHealth.org. Dr. Gavin is responsible for ensuring the medical accuracy of health information created for the KidsHealth website and other media produced by the Nemours Center for Children's Health Media. She is the lead author of Fit Kids: A practical guide to raising healthy and active children — from birth to teens from DK Publishing. Dr. Gavin is regularly interviewed by the media on a wide array of topics affecting children's health. She has done more than 200 interviews with print, radio, online, and TV outlets, including a 13-city media tour to promote the release of Fit Kids.

Dr. Gavin currently practices at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children's Weight Management Clinic in Wilmington, Delaware. She received her BA from Vassar College and her MD from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Dr. Gavin was selected from a national search to receive the Nemours Center for Children's Health Media Fellowship, which she completed in April 2004.

Mama Joss

I blog at My iRISH Twins about our daily life. The messy, the funny, the challenges, the celebrations, the illnesses, well…you get the idea. It’s all here!

I also like to share with you reviews on products that I come across as a Mom. These range from toys to clothing and accessories to household goods and everything in between. I love to be able to provide my readers with giveaways too — that’s so much fun for me. I have my BA in Visual Art from Rutgers University, New Brunswick and Mason Gross School of the Arts. I concentrated in Printmaking and also in Infant and Childhood development and how it relates with art therapy. I was a pre-school teacher with the Goddard School and also worked for a popular Philadelphia Area Advertising agency prior to becoming a Mom. Children and Art have always been a dual passion.

Meredith Halpern-Ranzer

Creative Director

Meredith Halpern-Ranzer is currently the Creative Director at Sprout where she is totally committed to cardboard!  She learned the answer to the burning question of her childhood when she found out how to get, how to get, to Sesame Street in 1998 and worked there as a producer and editor for 8 years.  Originally from Philadelphia, she moved back in 2005 to join Sprout and follow her passion for creating children's media. She now has a permanent focus group at home in her 5 month old son, Elias!

Michelle Jones

Editor

Happily married to the love of her life for 23 years with four very active children, Michelle Jones was a full-time stay-at-home mom for over 10 years before she founded the online publishing company Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc., in 2001.  She knows firsthand what it takes to raise a family on a tight budget!  

During the early years of caring for her family on an extremely tight budget, Michelle quickly became known by family and friends as a "coupon queen" and savvy bargain shopper.  Having been raised in a single-parent home with frugality being a necessity for most of her life she instinctively knew just what to do.  She also made a point to share her saving secrets with anyone who needed to learn more about saving money or living on a budget, which eventually led to the start up of BetterBudgeting.com.  

For many years Michelle successfully fed her family on a frugal grocery budget of only $30 per week (good home cooked meals--not just macaroni and cheese or beans and rice every day) which resulted in the publishing of her first cookbook Frugal Family Recipes: From Our Home to Yours, and of course, her grocery tip site at GrocerySavingTips.com.

After the birth of her fourth and last child, Michelle's desire to encourage other families who are struggling to make ends meet greatly increased.  She began writing her family finance column online, Living a Better Life™, sharing her free money-saving tips with consumers of every financial background.

She also founded the free Web sites BetterBudgeting.com and monthly Ezine; named after her column and the website features GrocerySavingTips.com, where she regularly shares her best tips for saving money on groceries, with and without coupons!

Life is full of challenges...and Michelle regularly encourages her readers to "Make the most of life, no matter what your circumstances are, or how much money you have or do not have in the bank!"  A cancer survivor (Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 19), she is, without a doubt, earnestly dedicated to sharing her passion for Living a Better Life™.

Neil Izenberg, MD

Founder, Chief Executive, and Editor-in-Chief, KidsHealth

Neil Izenberg, MD, is founder and chief executive of The Nemours Center for Children's Health Media. Dr. Izenberg has had a career-long focus developing media to positively influence families' knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors about children's health issues. In 1992, Dr. Izenberg founded the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, which creates online, print, and video media aimed at parents, kids, and teens, and in 1995 founded the KidsHealth website, KidsHealth.org.

Dr. Izenberg is editor-in-chief of KidsHealth.org; editor-in-chief (along with Dr. Steven Dowshen) of Charles Scribner's Sons Human Diseases and Conditions, a multivolume encyclopedia for middle- and high-school students; co-author of Fit Kids: A practical guide to raising healthy and active children — from birth to teens from DK Publishing and KidsHealth Guide for Parents: Pregnancy to Age 5 from McGraw-Hill; author of several books, chapters, and articles on health topics pertaining to children; and co-creator of "Not So Scary Things," a board game for children ages 4 to 8 years. Dr. Izenberg's organization has produced more than 25 nationally distributed, award-winning programs for both children and parents on a variety of health issues.

Dr Izenberg is a board-certified pediatrician at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and a professor of pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He is also a member of the advisory board for Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life, an initiative of the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and a recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics Education Award for educational projects for the general public

Dr. Izenberg received his BA from Columbia University in New York; his MD from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey; pediatric training at Schneider Children's Hospital in New York; and fellowship training in pediatric diabetes/endocrinology and adolescent medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Niri

 Niri is mother to two beautiful girls. She has been trying to find her footing ever since she had them. In her past life she was a software engineer for 12 years, but she chose to give up the rat race in exchange for her rug rats. Knowing that she wanted to have a very hands-on approach in the upbringing of her children has also meant letting go of her highly independent streak. She started blogging as a dare and was surprised to find out people actually read (and better still some even liked) what she wrote!

Patsy Kreitman

Patsy Kreitman is a wife and working mom of two young boys who loves spending time creating recipes and helping her boys .  She uses her time in the kitchen for stress relief as well as teaching her boys to love cooking as much as she does.  Creating in the kitchen is a passion she enjoys sharing with friends and family.  A good meal is something that brings family and friends together as you will see when reading her blog, Family, Friends and Food.

Renee Cherow O’Leary

President of Education for the 21st Century

Dr. Renee Cherow-O'Leary is President of Education for the 21st Century, a consulting firm in New York City that develops curriculum for educational media in all forms--print, television and online. Her work involves the design of educational frameworks and materials that reach children, parents, and teachers. She is also a professor of teacher education at Teachers College, Columbia University and regularly presents at educational conferences on issues of media, child development, literacy and education.

Renee is the former Director of Research for the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Workshop) Magazine Group and was the National Coordinator of Creating Critical Viewers, a collaboration of educators and broadcasters sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She currently hosts an online educational talk show called Peer Review and is working on a book on the changing nature of childhood and schooling in the 21st century.

Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D.

Vice President of Education & Research at Sesame Workshop

Rosemarie T. Truglio is the Vice President of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop (formerly Children’s Television Workshop).  Dr. Truglio is responsible for the development of the interdisciplinary curriculum on which “Sesame Street” is based, and oversees all educational research pertaining to the development of Sesame Street content. The results of basic and applied research studies inform both the production and creative decisions for how to enhance both the entertaining and educational components of Sesame Street.  Dr. Truglio also develops and reviews the content across all Sesame Street products and programs (e.g. publishing, interactive, home videos, and outreach).

Roy Scribner

Roy Scribner is a manager of business development for a defense aerospace firm in Silicon Valley. He started writing about family camping topics in 2007 and created his first Blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends in Oregon. CampingBlogger may have been born out of necessity, but the mission is to promote family camping and outdoor recreation, with an eye towards getting the kids out of the house and into the backcountry. 

Sesame Place

Sesame Place is the nation's only theme park based entirely on Sesame Street. Sesame Place is located just 30 minutes north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes south of New York City. You don’t need anyone to tell you how to have fun, but whether you’re planning a family visit or considering job opportunities, the people at Sesame Place are available to answer all your questions. Peace of mind is at your fingertips, from times and locations to ticket prices. And if you have any special concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us directly. For more information, call 1-866-GO-4-ELMO or visit www.sesameplace.com

Shannon Hutton

Shannon Hutton, M.Ed., M.P.A., believes the key to living a happy life is balance. On good days, she gets work done and plays with her four girls! She likes to do fun activities with her daughters to create happy childhood memories and writes about these activities at Playsational.com. During the summer, she runs "Camp Mommy," which starts with a morning meeting to unveil the day's activities. What started as a silly answer to "What camp are we going to this summer?" has become an annual tradition. Shannon also provides free coloring pages and giveaways for parents at Playsational.com.

Smart Television Alliance

The Smart Television Alliance is a coalition of national nonprofit organizations united by a shared commitment to improving what our nation’s children watch on television. Our mission is to help parents and caregivers use technology, online tools, and program recommendations from trusted children’s media experts to make smart television viewing choices. By promoting the viewing of educational and informational programming, Smart Television Alliance will build a market for more high quality children’s TV shows.  We are proud to partner with PBS KIDS Sprout and support their outstanding educational and entertaining television programming for preschoolers.  The Smart Television Alliance is also delighted to have Sandy Wax, President of PBS KIDS Sprout, as a member of our National Advisory Board.  Click here to for more information and to receive, a free twice monthly newsletter.

Stephanie Dunkle

Stephanie Dunkle, self proclaimed “problem solvin’ mom”, is a vehicle safety engineer working to advance her career while focusing on her family.  Mother to an 18 month old daughter and step-mom to an 18 year old young man she has the age range pretty well covered when it comes to kids at home!  Stephanie strives to keep her family eating healthy by involving them in the kitchen, teaching them that cooking can be fun, and sneaking in a bit of math and science along the way.  She blogs about family, frugality, healthy lifestyle choices and work life balance at www.problemsolvinmom.blogspot.com.

Steven Dowshen, MD

Chief Medical Editor, KidsHealth

Steven Dowshen, MD, is chief medical editor of The Nemours Center for Children's Health Media, where he oversees the medical review process and the creation of medical content for the KidsHealth website. Dr. Dowshen is editor-in-chief (along with Dr. Neil Izenberg) of Charles Scribner's Sons Human Diseases and Conditions, a multivolume encyclopedia for middle- and high-school students; lead author of KidsHealth Guide for Parents: Pregnancy to Age 5 from McGraw-Hill, and co-author of Fit Kids: A practical guide to raising healthy and active children — from birth to teens from DK Publishing; and editor/author of several books, chapters, and articles on health topics pertaining to children. Dr. Dowshen directs the KidsHealth Media Fellowship program, a unique program within the Center that provides fellowships for teaching advanced communication skills to pediatricians.

Dr. Dowshen is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist in the Department of Pediatrics at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. He chairs the advisory board of Kids Count in Delaware, which collects, analyzes, and publishes data relevant to the health and welfare of Delaware's children. Dr. Dowshen is also an officer of the Delaware Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of several other regional committees and organizations focused on improving the health of children.

Dr. Dowshen received his BS from Pennsylvania State University in State College and his MD from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He completed his residency in pediatrics and fellowship training in pediatric endocrinology and metabolism at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

T.J. Dunn, DVM

As a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Dunn originally created ThePetCenter.com website to provide a personal touch to online information about dog and cat health care.  The site is set up just like a real animal hospital; it's divided it into separate areas such as Surgery, Exam Room, Radiology, etc. and even has hundreds of pet photos sent in by viewers.  At ThePetCenter.com the doors are open 24 hours a day so you can visit at your leisure!  There is an email function at the bottom of each page so you can email other animal lovers to let them know about the site. Come back often and learn more about how we can help our pets live long,healthy, and enjoyable lives. Dr. Dunn is a member of a number of veterinary organizations.

The Wiggles

Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, announced today that it will be the new exclusive U.S. television home to the most beloved family entertainers in the world, The Wiggles.  On Monday, August 24, 2009, The Wiggles will debut on Sprout as hosts of a new three-hour morning show block to be aired from 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. ET each morning.  In addition to this brand new, original programming that will be filmed at The Wiggles studio in Australia next month, Sprout will be airing existing Wiggles episodes throughout the day when they launch on the network in August. 


TipNut

TipNut.com isn’t anything fancy. It’s simply my way of putting together all the cool tricks I’ve accumulated over the years into a simple, searchable, online filing box–this website. Some of them I’ve tried, some of them I don’t know if I’ll ever try. But I do know they’ll be here if I need them–and I’m happy to freely share everything with you too! Tipnut started out with just one reader: Me! It’s grown over time in both readership and content style.

I live in Canada, work part time outside the home (so no, I’m not a professional blogger or webmaster), married for over 20 years to a wonderful husband (who has patiently lived with my curiosity and interest in many things) and I’m a very proud mom to one child (who’s now legally an adult, yikes!). I’m a bit private so I prefer not using my name here or a picture of myself. Besides, Tipnut.com is about sharing helpful & creative information and ideas-–it’s not about me.

Tracy Mooney

McAfee's Cyber Security Mom Blogger

Tracy, a mother of three and real estate agent from a Chicago, Illinois suburb, blogs about family Internet safety issues as McAfee’s Cyber Security Mom Blogger.

With two online-surfing teens in the house dabbling in social media and file sharing, Tracy tries to stay on top of the latest threats and protect herself—and her family—against them. Tracy is no stranger to cybercrime, her family's computer fell victim to a virus just before Christmas, and their home PC crashed. Writing as a parent for parents, Tracy provides easy to understand information and advice to concerned mothers via her Web page at www.mcafee.com/mom, her “Mom’s Against Cybercrime” Facebook page, in her weekly blog at www.mcafee.com/momblog and by email at cybermom@mcafee.com. She also meets with other moms and leads government and industry bodies on the subject of online safety in schools and communities.

“Through my own experience as the mother of three children, ages 17, 12 and 4 1/2 who are incredibly active online, I know how easy it is for your kids to get into danger online,” said Mooney. “Last year, I found out my son was receiving threatening messages.  That experience started me on a path to learn more about all the things I need to do as a parent to keep my kids safe from harm.”

Trish

 My life has always been filled with children. As the oldest of six I have had experience with children it seems like forever. I went on to have five children of my own, receive a degree in Early Childhood, teach three year olds for twenty years and run a preschool. You can find my blog at PreschoolPlaybook.com.

SSU