Almost half of the men serving in the Military are fathers, and many of them have questions about how they can be involved in their children's lives even when they are deployed to other countries. Armin Brott, author of The Military Father, shared with Gretchen and Paige some of the challenges unique to military fathers and their families. Armin has authored seven best selling books and appeared on numerous television shows to share his insights as "America's Most Trusted Dad." This is a great show, and book, to share with your friends and family members who are serving in the military.

Monica Bishopp has a beautiful twenty month old son, Alexander, who was born with profound hearing loss. The Newborn hearing screening identified the loss and Monica and her husband decided to pursue hearing aids for amplification, along with therapy. The mommies visited with Monica about her son's recent cochlear hearing implant surgeries. You can follow Alexander's progress on his blog, and you can learn more here about cochlear implants.

We all know reading with our children is imperative to their development, and happily book stores and libraries are overflowing with choices. So Paige and Gretchen are checking in with Erica Perl, author and reading expert, to get her advice on how to pick great books to read with your 3-5 year old. Her ideas include looking for books that are concise and well written, have fun and engaging characters, and are visually interesting. Try to find books that you enjoy too, since you may well be reading them many, many times!

SwitchCraft HowTo

There’s a new (really new!) trend in crafting—techno crafting, and Paige is hooking us up with Alison Lewis, creator of www.iheartswitch.com, to show us how fun and easy it can be. Alison is an instructor at Parson’s school of design and has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show. Her fun and innovative projects combine technology and crafting to make super cool and unique items, like a lighted purse or “gadget gloves” that let you use your iphone without taking off your gloves. Yum! Check out her blog and book for easy, clear step by step instructions for making your own projects…like a light up snowflake ornament! Also watch a special HowTo video right here on MommyCast.com and learn how to make those neat light-up present boxes! Who doesn’t want that?

In our busy society we often feel like we need to "push through" when we're sick. That’s not the case when you're dealing with H1N1, commonly known as Swine Flu. Gretchen and Paige spoke with Nicole Lurie, MD and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services to get the facts about H1N1 symptoms, treatment, and vaccinations. They learned that one of the most important things we can do to stop the spread of Swine Flu is to keep our children at home until they are fever free for 24 hours. That can mean at least 5 to 7 days at home before your child can return to school. Talk about stir crazy! For more information, visit www.flu.gov.

There's a lot that goes into keeping your home safe for your family, some of it is obvious, but some of it... not so much. To help new families keep on top of everything, State Farm is sponsoring the series, "New Beginnings; Being There for Your New Family." Watch as Gretchen bravely opens her home for an evaluation by Rebecca Morley, the Executive Director of The National Center for Healthy Housing. Rebecca checks for the main elements of a healthy home: dry, clean, pest free, ventilated, contaminate free, and maintained and shares where to check for potential problems. For even more information, visit the NCHH healthy home checklist by clicking here.

As part of our MommyTech Series, sponsored by Microsoft, Paige spills her secrets for keeping her family organized with online calendaring. From weekly family meetings to setting alarms on her phone, she’ll share her passion for keeping a family of seven on the same calendar page! You can check out some of our favorite online calendars here and here.

Gretchen and Paige spoke with actor and producer, Mark Consuelos about his support of the Lever 2000 Making Every Touch Count campaign. Mark says that the silver lining to tough economic times is the American family's return to simple pleasures. Check out the show to get a sneak peak at Mark and his wife Kelly Ripa’s plans for their "classic" summer vaycay, and visit Lever 2000 to read the Lever 2000 Making Every Touch Count Study: A National Report on the Power of Touch & Family Closeness. You can also enter their Make Every Touch Count Photo Contest that helps to support the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Let's just say it right at the beginning, Mark Consuelos is SO cute! Paige and Gretchen were lucky enough to talk to the actor, father, producer, and television personality about his endorsement of the Lever 2000 "Make Every Touch Count" campaign. Mark explained that this campaign is a great way to celebrate the power of touch in our families, and it helps support the Boys and Girls Club of America. Visit www.makeeverytouchcount.com to see how you can enter to win some great prizes and also lend your support!