Have some parenting questions? Need some advice? Well, our wonderful Mops Mentor Mom is here for you. Laurie is currently raising 4 young men; two highschoolers, and two that are in college. She has seen and been through everything! Let's take advantage of her knowledge and parenting know-how!

Simply submit your questions to Vallyscheer@comcast.net, and we will post it, and Laurie's response (anonymously of course!), for all to see and receive help from.

Laurie Devalve

We have our first "Ask the Mentor Mom" question!

Who is the author of the book "A Mother's Heart"? (This was the book Laurie drew from during her talk).

The author of the book is Jean Fleming, Navpress, 1992, 12th printing. Navpress: 1-800-366-7788. I read this when I was pregnant with my first child, and it helped contribute to shaping my attitudes as a Mom. ~Laurie

What are some way's you made your child feel special on his birthday?

MOMS, When we celebrated my Son's birthdays when they were young (we still do) we would be sure to have a special meal and cake and gift on the real day even if the party was the weekend before or after. We have a "You are special today" plate that the birthday boy always is served on. For kids parties we tried to fashion games that were centered around the birthday boy. Like, indoor baseball with questions ( single, double, triple or home run) all about him. Let the birthday person help plan the party and the guest list. Only invite people your child wants to party with and ones they play nice with, and don't invite too many. I made the mistake on Caleb's third birthday of inviting My friends and their kids, which was a minor disaster. After that we waited to have "kids parties" untill they were older. For little ones take a family trip to the fire station or the fire museum or the park or the play ground or the petting farm or what ever your kids love, for a special birthday excursion. Record what you did for these birthdays in their baby book and read about then through out the years. Take pictures and just have a blast. Blessings, Laurie <3