July 2011

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PEPS Newsletter

We invite you to enjoy the current, and past PEPS newsletters. Find tips on parenting, articles related on development and information on past and upcoming events. If you would like to submit an article to be published, contact Marion Mohrlok, Development Director at marionm@peps.org

PEPS Unplugged

By Laura Kussick, PEPS Executive Director

Whether you missed the opportunity to join a PEPS Newborn Group, or are looking for a way to connect, stay connected, reconnect or simply love to recommend PEPS to new parents, there are many other ways to get involved and stay involved with PEPS....

Creating a Village: Giving our Families a Feeling of Connection and Belonging

~ By Jenni Pertuset, API Seattle

The life of a parent can feel very isolated. Warm relationships with caring adults can sustain us when we're struggling, and help our children feel at ease when they're away from home. So how do we build the village we need to raise our children?

Don't Get Mad at Us with Older Kids - We Have Baby Amnesia

~ By Jolee Cano

How is it possible that the people in your life that blazed the trail before you now seem oblivious to your world? Unfortunately, this happens to the best of us. We develop baby amnesia...

Playful Parents - Celebrate Your New Family As An Occasion For Playful Learning

~ By Mary Alice Long

Parenting is a profound responsibility. Parents can maintain a balance between the challenges and joys of parenting by remembering that play is the essence of true learning. Read more and enjoy the many play opportunities that summer holds.

Great Info For Parents: Parenting Counts.org

Right from birth, your baby is learning from you and about you. The Talaris Institute, located in Seattle, has created a very useful site, www.parentingcounts.org. The site's main feature is a developmental timeline, which is loaded with videos and articles of varying lengths. The content is divided into four areas: Physical, Social and Emotional, Cognitive and Learning, and Language and Communication. Registration is free and easy.
You can watch a free Webcast with Dr. John Gottmann on emotions and his breakthrough concept Emotion Coaching by clicking here. (Scroll to the bottom of the page - there are links to watch on PCs as well as on iPhones or iPads.). You can also follow Talaris on Facebook.

Workshops and Lectures:

• The Resilient Child - Giving Your Child the Strength & Confidence to Succeed in Today's World
  A presentation by Cindy Leavitt, with time for Q&A
  Saturday, July 30, 8:30a-1p * North Seattle Community College * sliding scale $35-65 * Click here for more information and to register.
• Work-Life-Balance
  With Dr. Sue Swanson, aka Seattle MamaDoc
  Wednesday, September 23, 7 pm * Good Shepherd Center * free, but donation encouraged * Click here for more information and to register.

Volunteer With Your Baby ~ PEPS Parents and Babies Needed

• Roots of Empathy Program

If your baby will be between 2 and 4 months old in October, this is for you! You and your baby could be teaching a classroom full of students compassion and empathy with Roots of Empathy...

• Infant Massage Training at Cooper House

Cooper House is starting an infant massage group intervention for mothers suffering from Post Partum Depression. On July 29th, they are looking for a few mother-baby pairs to come to Cooper House for about an hour and a half in the afternoon to take part in an infant massage class. The class involves learning how to massage your baby, with their team leading the class and providing the instruction. There are two different afternoon sessions (1 to 2:30 PM and 3 to 4:30 PM). Babies ideally should be around 6 to 9 months in age. They're recruiting only 4 to 5 pairs for each of the two sessions. There is no compensation for participation but there's also no fee for the "class". Please respond to Beth McCaw at bmccaw@cooperhouse.org if you are interested.

A BIG THANK YOU to the 101 donors who participated in the Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG Campaign On June 23rd and selected PEPS as their cause!

Because of you, we've raised $4,406 to help PEPS reach more parents and support them at the onset of their parenting journey and provide scholarships when requested. Thank you so much. June 23 marked a historic day in King County, as The Seattle Foundation raised over $3.5 million for 900 local nonprofits!

Missed GiveBIG but want to support PEPS? Here are 2 ways how:

• You may be asked soon to make a decision regarding your Workplace Charitable Giving. Please consider designating your Workplace Giving/ United Way Campaign Contribution to PEPS.
• Sign up with Ideal Network and 25% of any purchase you make will be donated back to PEPS! And better yet: if you then refer a friend, IdealNetwork will give back $2.50 for each friend that signs up. 

Thank you, PEPS ANNUAL SPONSORS!