July 26, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

When I was about 4 or 5 years old and on my annual visit to Queens, New York to see my mom's family (we were living in Montreal, Canada at the time) my cousin Janet came over to my grandmother's house with a special gift for me. Cousin Janet was my mother's cousin and a Savvy Auntie to me. (At Savvy Auntie, we call cousins who are like aunts, Cousin Aunties.)

Janet was truly beautiful. She has fine features that stood out in our family of round faces. Her long brunette hair rivaled any of Charlie's Angels' and her gorgeous hands and long, perfectly manicured fingers were always the marvel of the little girls and grown women around her.

The special gift? It was a a Barbie Doll and a special pink Barbie Doll carrying case for my collection. I can still feel the vinyl and recall the dividers where each of my Barbies would bunk for the night. Janet also gave me a gun smoke metallic chain purse that I wore on very special occasions, mostly pretend - but I always had the perfect accessory for my imagination.

Janet always made me feel like big girl which, when you're a little girl, is really all you want to be.

Years later, I came home from college to see my mother in tears. There had been a fire in Janet's apartment building in New York City. Janet had tried to leave the building but the smoke got the best of her. Janet had died. She was in her 40s, not too much older than I am now.

I couldn't believe it. This beautiful woman who hadn't found love..... hadn't had any children of her own... how could this happen? Besides her mother, sister and brother, Janet had nieces and nephews (and now a great niece) she left behind. She had little cousins like me who missed her. It was just so tragic.

She would have loved what we do here at SavvyAuntie.com. She was the epitome of a Savvy Auntie.

I think about Janet often, now that I live in an apartment building in New York City and have nieces and nephews...  I thought of Janet when I bought my niece her first Barbie Doll. I thought of her when firetrucks came roaring by to extinguish fires in the building attached to mine. I thought of her on Auntie's Day. I think of her often. Because when I was a little girl, Janet always thought of me.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Want more Savvy Auntie? Come join us on Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie! There's more there!

July 19, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The reason I don't have children is that I have not yet found the right man to have a baby with. It's that simple. So when an article says that women over age 35 are "delaying" having children, it concerns me that there's a common belief that most women are not have children on purpose.

And I'm right to be concerned; turns out I'm not the only one waiting for love. The other day I came across a 2007 study led by Amy Pienta, a sociologist at University of Michigan, who studied 6000 women to find out if one's level of happiness changes in midlife depending on whether or not they'd had children.

The findings were surprising, and the conclusion even more interesting.

A woman's level of happiness at midlife depends on when a she had her first child: 'early' (before age 19), 'on time' (between 19-24) or 'late' (25 or later).

Pienta found that women who had babies earlier in life were least happy at midlife while the 'on time' and  'late' were most happy. The later the first child, the more likely the mother was married, which Pienta believes is a root-cause of their happiness.

"In mid-life, being married or having a partner has a greater impact on a woman's well-being than whether or not she has children," Pienta said.

So women who wait for love before having children, or have waited until a point where their fertility health is compromised, or end up falling in love with someone who doesn't want more children, seem to be making the right choice to ensure happiness for themselves in midlife. They'll be happy either way.

Of course, every woman is different, and many women choose not to wait for love and have a child on their own and are very happy. But if you've chosen to wait for love and are concerned about you'll never have a baby of your own, take heed: You're not alone. And when you do find love, you won't be any less happy for your choices.

Now that's a relief!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS Auntie's Day is this Sunday, July 25th!

July 12, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I finally saw Sex and the City 2 the movie over the weekend. I know, I know, you would think I would have seen it the weekend it came out! After all, Carrie Bradshaw is an emblematic Savvy Auntie to Miranda's Brady and Charlotte's Lilly and Rose!

Carrie and John (aka Big) have decided that having children wasn't for them. They enjoy the freedom life affords them (and they can well afford) and are very happy being 'just us two.'

Without giving away the story (I know some of you haven't seen the movie yet either) there's a scene where a woman and her husband are disappointed in Carrie and Big for not having a child. They believe a child adds to your life as a couple. Without children, you're just the two of you. Forever. Carrie and John are taken aback, immediately pointing to Carrie's new book as point in case that she's got a full and bust life.

Oh the pity we see from those who have children who expect us to only find happiness their way -  whether we want children or not. Those who are child free by choice have a list of snappy replies, fearlessly standing up for their choices. But those who always wanted children but can't, whether they are biologically infertile or circumstantially infertile because they haven't met the right guy yet, don't like the pity. For them, it's heartbreaking.

We didn't get a peek into the discussion Carrie and Big have when they decide not to have children. And in her early to mid 40's, Carrie may have chosen not to go through procedures she may have needed to conceive. (Her alter-ego Sarah Jessica Parker had twin girls through surrogacy last year). Because we know at 38 she wondered if she should talk to her then boyfriend about whether or not he'd have more children (The Catch 38), we know she considered having children not too long ago.

I'm 41 and still want children, although I have worked very hard since I was 38 at being more than OK not being a mother and enjoying the fruits of my life - topping the list with my nephew and nieces of course. Not being a mother is one of the biggest disappointments of my life. But I will not let it define my life. I don't live my life in the negative. And I certainly don't want anyone's pity. After all, I'm happy. Legitimately happy.

Carrie doesn't want the pity either. After all, those shoes won't take themselves out to enjoy life. We can all take a lesson from that. Don't save your life for a rainy day. Even if you just bought the cutest Hunter rainboots.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS Auntie's Day is Sunday, July 25th!

July 6, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

It's hot out there in most of the country with temperatures flirting with 100 degrees! 

If you are caring for your nieces and nephews, please make sure to keep them hydrated. How much should they be drinking? Well experts say to multiply their body weight by 0.08. If your niece or nephew weighs 50 lbs, for instance, they should drink 4 glasses of water a day.

Of course, we know that not all nieces and nephews want to drink water, but do your best to make sure they aren't consuming sugary drinks that will actually make them even more thirsty. And look for non-caffeinated drinks as caffeine can be a diuretic.

For more tips on playing it safe during the heatwave, read this article by Dr. Leigh Vinocur: Playing it Safe: Heat.

Keep cool, Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin,
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Don't forget! Auntie's Day(TM) is Sunday, July 25th!  http://AuntiesDay.com

June 28, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

They grow up so fast, don't they. They are certainly growing up faster than we did. This generation of tweens and teens have more access to sexual imagery and sex talk than we did. They are texting and sexting (texting very flirtatiously) with friends. They can access sexual information on the web. Sex is everywhere. So it's natural that before you know it, they'll be asking about it.

If you're 'lucky,' they'll come to you - their Savvy Auntie.

That's why we went to Anne Mai Bertesman, a mom and Savvy Auntie to 15 nieces and nephews with a lot of experience giving the "sex talk."  Here are her very helpful tips for talking about this delicate topic.

Please add your tips in the Comments section below her article. Being a Savvy Auntie is an art, not a science, so we'd love to hear your experience! We learn from each other.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin,
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Don't forget! Auntie's Day(TM) is Sunday, July 25th! Visit AuntiesDay.com for more information!

June 20, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Sunday, July 25th is the Second Annual Auntie's Day!  Auntie's Day is like Mother's Day or Father's Day for Aunts by Relation and Aunts by Choice! And it's sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com!

Here's a link to some savvy ideas to help you celebrate - and be celebrated! http://AuntiesDay.com

And we'll have more surprises as we get closer to the day!

XOXO,

Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

June 14, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I always loved and admired my big brother. While only two and a half years older than me, he seemed so much more worldly as we were growing up. He knew every note on every "The Beatles" album ever made (they were still called albums back then) and he collected important things like stamps, coins and comic books (as opposed to my sorry collection of plush mice).

But I was envious of him too. He was older and a boy so he constantly got to do things I could only dream of. He got to ride his bike alone after dark. He got to go downtown with friends to a hockey game (We grew up in Montreal. That's what kids do there). He got to try everything before I did like go to high school and get a computer.

He also got married before me (I'm still waiting). And he had a child before I did. And baby siblings followed. And a house. Two cars. A white picket fence.

We live different lives, he a suburban, married dad to beautiful children and I'm a big city single gal, no kids. They could probably use more help on Sundays when the kids are home from school, but I'm busy on the weekends writing a book on deadline (that ironically includes ways to help support your siblings). I'd love an hour alone with my brother, but he'd probably like an hour alone too.

I'm a little too old to whine to my father about why my brother gets to do all that stuff and I don't!  Of course, I could have all that. I choose to wait for the best man. So for now, I'll sit by the window and watch as my big brother gets on his bike and rides off into the sunset with his wife, a pack of kids in helmets and training wheels, and the life I always dreamed up...

But now I don't feel the envy I used to. Instead, I smile and wish him a very, very happy Father's Day. After all, I got to become an Auntie before he became an uncle. And he has no idea how good it feels.

I love you, J. Happy Father's Day!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Hey Savvy Aunties - you have your day coming up too! Auntie's Day(TM), sponsored by SavvyAunie.com, is July 25th!

June 7, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

While for some of you it feels like summer all year round, for most Savvy Aunties, the season is the fleeting time of year we all look forward to enjoying again when we feel that cool fall chill in the air come late September. The city streets are packed and the suburban parks are full of people. Even when it rains, it feels like the sun is always shining.

Summer is a magical thing, for some many reasons.

Studies show that children who are exposed to nature develop better. In his award-winning book: "Last Child in the Woods," Richard Louv shares a growing body of evidence linking the lack of nature in children's lives to the rise of obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Whenever you can, please take the time this summer to take your nieces and nephews outside. Whether it's to a national park, on a nature hike, or even for some fun in their own backyard, making nature a part of their summer routine will serve them well.

And you too, Auntie.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Auntie's Day is July 25th! Mark your calendars!

May 31, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The unofficial start of summer has started! It's time to enjoy the weather, especially those of you in the northern parts of the country with less summertime weather all year long. And nothing says summer like nieces and nephews! In fact, I think that spending time with kids can make us feel so good, it's like three scoops of ice cream on a hot summer day!

For those of you who are LDAs (Long Distance Aunties), summer may not mean spending more time with our nieces and nephews by relation, but you can still get your Savvy Auntie on with kids nearby! Offer to take your local distant cousins for a day at the beach or amusement park. You new best friend's kids might love some fun at the park, even after work for the older kids. Even spending time with the neighbors' kids running through sprinklers in their own backyard can lift your spirits.

For those with nieces and nephews nearby, take them on a road trip to pick berries or the waterpark. Kids need outdoor play to grow and develop, and from what we hear, the sunshine will do their bodies well too.

So whether or not you're able to spend time with your nieces and nephews, make sure to surround yourself with kids this summer. There's nothing like the sound of a child laughing in the sunshine to warm our hearts.

Happy Summer 2010!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

May 24, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Last week, I announced the second annual Auntie's Day, sponsored by SavvyAuntie.com. Like a Mother's Day for aunts, I hope that Auntie's Day will become an annual tradition of celebrating the Aunties By Relation, Aunties By Choice, Godmothers and all the women who love a child not their own.

You can learn more about Auntie's Day at AuntiesDay.com

Speaking of celebrating 'your other mother,' we were fortunate enough to have interviewed Robert Raible, the VP of Integrated Marketing at Sears. The weeks leading up to Mother's Day, Sears aired a commercial that recognized a child's number one, their mom, and also their cool aunts and Mom's best friend on Mother's Day. We asked Robert why Sears chose to go in this direction.

Savvy Aunties are being appreciated for the love we offer a child not-our-own. We celebrate you, Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

For more, follow me on Twitter!

May 17, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I'm usually the kind of person who lets things go pretty easily.  Years ago I read Steven Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and in Habit 1, Covey explain the Circle of Concern. Sure you can be concerned about something but if there's little you can do about, move on to the things you can control. Worrying about things you cannot change is ineffective. I've learned to move on.

But last week, after Elena Kagan was nominated to Supreme Court Justice by President Obama, something began trickling into the media wires that I should could not stop thinking about. Some said that Ms. Kagan is not a good choice because she is not a mother. And how could a woman who was not a mother know what every day Americans are concerned with?

Sure, there are mothers who have done spectacular things with their careers. But even Hillary Clinton waited for her daughter to be grown to run for Senate. If Elena Kagan were a mother, to what degree would she have been able to spend time with her small children? Would the significant balls she'd be juggling give her time to focus on any of them well? It's 2010: Are we still believing that women should be able to be full time moms and full time careerists? Something's got to give. No one can be in two places at once. If she's at work, she's not home with her kids. If she's at home with her kids, she's not at work. (We know there are many moms who work from home while taking care of the kids but we all know that comes with struggles too.)

Certainly there are plenty of Super Moms out there. And we honor them. But we all know that the myth of being able to have it all, all at the same time, is just that, a myth. And too many moms are made to feel inadequate because they are not rising to levels in their careers as the non-moms do after taking time off to stay home with their kids.

So beyond the fact that I was annoyed (let's be mild here) that some would accuse Ms Kagan of not being the right choice for the Supreme Court because she's not a mother, I'm concerned that no matter what a woman does with her life, she's still not 'good enough' if she isn't a mother. (Of course some moms feel they're not 'good enough' if they don't have the careers that were expected of them.) 

We don't know a lot about Ms. Kagan's personal life, although we do know that she's a traditional Jewish woman who was bat-mitzvahed at a modern orthodox synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Presumably, she has traditional family values. We've also discovered that she is known to welcome colleagues into her home just like a "Jewish Mother."  And while we don't know if she's a Savvy Auntie, chances are she's had the pleasure of the love of children in her life. For all we know, she's 'another mother' to one of them.

Either way, the idea that if a woman has no children it makes her incapable of empathy for the needs of American families, or as one critic would see it, because she's presumably never told a toddler not to eat an entire package of hotdogs she's incapable of good judgment, is simply put, ignorant.

It concerns me that some would actually believe that. After all, the mission of Savvy Auntie is help make us, the nearly 50% of American who not are moms (yet) more savvy about how to help support the American Family Village. And really? An aunt can't tell a toddler he can't eat an entire package of hotdogs?

Well at least she's not being contested because she's a woman. Or a Jew. She's just being contested for not 'having it all,' as some believe is the amalgam of having a great career and children simultaneously.

As long as Elena Kagan is living her life to its fullest potential, she has it all. And whether or not she has children should not be a concern. Motherhood may not have been part of her journey, but it doesn't mean she's never been down that road.

To read more on Elena Kagan and the 'Non-Mom Myth," read this fantastic story by our new Associate Editor, Melanie Linn Gutowski.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

May 10, 2010,

Dear Savvy Aunties,

50 years ago, The Pill received FDA approval and women were able to enjoy having sex without the worry of getting pregnant if they weren't prepared to have (another) child. Margaret Sanger, an activist who saw her own mother die for having 18 pregnancies. She became determined to enable women to choose their birthrate fates.

(As a side note, in 1951, Sanger met a Harvard scientist named Gregory Pincus, the man who would develop the The Pill behind Sanger's activism and fundraising. Gregory Pincus was my Great Uncle by marriage. Uncle Goodie, as he was known, was married to my Savvy Auntie Lizzie, an eccentric type who made the most delicious hamburgers. My mother was convinced she must have added wine to them. Auntie Lizzie took that secret to grave years ago...)

While my Great Uncle developed the science that would enable women to stop ovulating on a monthly basis, it was Sanger who gave us our freedom to choose by advocating that The Pill be accessible to all women, married or single. This by the way, didn't mean single women were still not prescribed The Pill by stodgy male doctors or judged for their sexual dalliances. The secret truth was that about 50% of American women were having sex outside of marriage. The Pill just enabled them to get pregnant from it.

If it were not for Margaret Sanger, would many more of the nearly 50% of American women who don't have kids be mothers today? Would there be many more moms than PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids)? Possibly. Sure there are other ways of ensuring not getting pregnant including the use of condoms (which women not in an exclusive relationship with a man with no STDs should be using anyway.) And since abortion is legal in the US, along with the 'morning after pill," there a ways to reverse an early pregnancy.

Or does The Pill enable us the freedom to explore a number of relationships over a decade or two (or three) before settling into life with the right choice. But then it may be too late to conceive. But chances are, our relationships are stronger.

So it begs the question. Are you childless by choice (meaning you choose not to have kids) or childless because you had the choice (not to get pregnant with the wrong man.)

Whatever the case, thanks to Margaret Sanger (and my Uncle Goodie), women can choose the fate of their own birthrate (assuming they don't have a natural fertility issue). Women getting pregnant naturally 18 times is a TV show, not a reality for most. Girls getting pregnant at 17, while it happens too often, is preventable. For those reasons alone, The Pill is a very good thing.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Don't forget to check out some of the new summer Gift ideas in our Gifts section!

May 3, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

There was an interesting article in The New York Times Styles section this weekend about how tweens and teens are communicating with their friends through social networks like Facebook and through texting. While some parents interviewed said that these non-face-to-face encounters enable shyer kids to engage and make friends, even socially adept kids were spending more time communicating electronically than in person.

It makes me wonder how new technologies are changing our relationships with our nieces and nephews. Does texting make it easier to stay in touch?  Does being Friends on Facebook enable us to see what they're up to when before we would have to rely on a report on the phone? Or does all this mean that more intimate one-on-one relationships are out the door? Or that spending time just hanging out is fraught with anxiety over missed texts and Facebook notifications? (We mean the kids, Auntie, not you).

We're finding out big news on Facebook, like when our teen nephews are "In a Relationship" or our tween nieces are "having the best sleepover ever!"  There's no question that the way kids are communicating is changing. And we're learning about their lives just as everyone else is.

It's more important than ever to give your nieces and nephews real world love. Nothing replaces a hug from Auntie. In the meantime, there's texting.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Connect with Savvy Auntie on Facebook at Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie

April 26, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

As you may know by now, I'm writing a book called The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life (William Morrow / HarperCollins). It's like a "parenting guide" for Savvy Aunties that you'll want to get for yourself, a new Mom may give to her child's Auntie, or Aunties may give to another Auntie about to join the Savvy Auntie club.

Of course, it's not just about the Savvy Auntie's relationship with her nieces and nephews, it's about her lifestyle. And since so many Savvy Aunties do not have children of their own (we've dubbed these Aunties PANKs: Professional Aunts No Kids) we'll be highlighting how she copes with society's collective myth that happiness equals motherhood. Which isn't to say that motherhood can't bring happiness to so many women (I've always wanted children, but haven't found their father-to-be yet). But motherhood isn't the only way to a happy lifestyle.

Unless we buy into the myth.

In doing my research, I came across a number of books about women who don't have kids and not only are titles downers, the book covers remind me of sympathy cards. Now there's some good information in these resources and so I don't want to put them down entirely. I'm just tired of describing women without children in a barren negativity that serves no one any good. Titles include: Without Child, The Childless Revolution, Baby Not On Board (to be fair, the latter is for those who are child-free by choice and loving it but still, out of context, the title is a little jarring.)

These titles focus on what we're not. Who describes themselves in the negative? "I'm not a married woman." "I'm not an accountant."  "I'm not a brunette." (Instead, she'd say she's a single, blond fashion designer.)

That's why I call us Savvy Aunties. That's why our look and feel is full of life, color and playfulness. That's why I focus on all the positive things we do - even when the situations we deal with aren't easy.

Maybe I'm just a 'glass half full' kind of woman. Or maybe I'm just tired of drinking the "You-wont-know-happiness/love-until-you-have-kids" Kool Aid either way. Childless women are not all sad, heartbroken women. Our lives are not a waste because we haven't given life (or adopted a child). We are not selfish for not having kids (everything an Auntie gives to a child not her own, including her time and love, is a gift.)

Childless, child-free, without child, no no no.... We're Savvy Aunties. Everything we do for the children in our lives is wrapped in magic. And we are happy to do it.

We should no longer describe ourselves by what we're not, but rather stand proudly for all that we are.

We're nearly 50% of American women. We love the children in our lives. We're Savvy Aunties. And we're happy.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

(I know we can't be happy 100% of the time. And it's normal to be sad at times for not having the children you've always dreamed of - if that's what you've always dreamed of. It just doesn't take over your life. Childlessness is not your identity. It's not you.)

April 19, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Sometimes it's amazing where life takes you. Through a series of events and personal connections, I met Jill Zarin, co-star of Bravo's Real Housewives of New York as her book Secrets of a Jewish Mother, co-authored by her sister Lisa Wexler and mother Gloria Kamen, was coming out. I'm a fan of the show (we all have a guilty pleasure!) but somehow meeting Jill was more like finally seeing an old friend.

Jill sent me a copy of the book soon after we connected and I read it in about a day, hardly putting it down. It made me laugh out loud at how the sisters and Gloria interacted throughout the pages with their sage advice, as well as choke up at the tender points of life. I immediately wanted to interview Jill, Lisa and Gloria when I read about how the aunts in the family have been so influential with their own wisdom and love.

Mothers, aunts..... we're all part of the family - and the greater American Family Village. And now, I feel like I'm part of Jill's family (Gloria insists I come visit her and her husband Sol in Boca this fall). Aunt Cooky (Gloria's sister who is referenced throughout the book) gave me her number to call her anytime. And Sol warmed up to me like I was his niece within seconds of meeting him..

Perhaps the best secret of a Jewish mother is that you don't have to be 'family' to be mishpacha (Yiddish for family).

Here are my video interviews shot in Jill Zarin's apartment. You'll see the warmth shining through. I hope you enjoy the interview and the book as much as I did.

XOXO
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

April 12, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Back in November 2008, Savvy Auntie was fortunate to have been featured in Gay.com. As a result, we received enormous support from gay men and lesbians. In fact, many gay men concluded they were more of a Savvy Auntie than even some straight women they knew.

We know.

So it is no surprise that we connected with Bill Horn and Scout Masterson. Bill and Scout make up The Guncles (gay uncles) on Oxygen's Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. This loving couple are not only among Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott's closeest friends (they call themselves family), they are also Guncles to Liam and Stella, Tori and Dean's kids.

I met Tori and Dean last week at the Oxygen HQ here in New York City and when I asked about The Guncles, Tori got very emotional. She said that she doesn't know what she would do without them. And on Friday, I got to interview The Guncles and get their side of the story. No doubt these reality show stars are among the most committed Savvy Guncles we've ever met. To quote them: "Liam and Stella light up our lives every day we see them."

So here's to the Guncle - these Guncles and all the Guncles, for showing that we're all part of the Family Village, gay or straight, famous or not. As Bill said: "Even celebrity kids poop."

Here's our interview with the Savvy Guncles.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

April 5, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I have to admit that I had a tough time coming up with a topic for this week's Editor's Letter. Usually I know exactly what I want to say each week, but this week I was stumped. So I asked you. Well some of you - those of you on Twitter - since I needed an answer quickly. I got a number of responses (but public and private) immediately and I realized something.

I don't ask for your thoughts often enough.

We have lots of ways for you all to connect with Savvy Auntie when you need some Savvy Auntie advice:

Our Savvy Auntie Forums are a fantastic way to get feedback from the Savvy Auntie Community.

Our Dear Savvy Auntie column enables you to submit a question and get an answer from our Experts.

Some of you have Tweeted your questions on Twitter to me Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie.

I've seen wonderful responses to those who've posed questions on Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie.

And now I suggest you email Editor@SavvyAuntie.com if you have suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered on our Website. I read all my emails.

Yes, it's OUR Website. We're in this together, Aunties. We're in this together.

Thank you.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

March 29, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I'm busy writing The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life (HarperCollins  / Harper Studio) and from time to time, I'll be asking for your comments and ideas. After all, this book is just an extension of the Savvy Auntie community and I want you to be a part of it.

Right now I'm thinking about different Auntie-Types. I know you're all Savvy Aunties, but aunts are as diverse as any other group.  How would you define your Auntie-Type? From Aunties by Relation (ABR) to Aunties by Choice (ABC) to Mommy Aunties (aunts who are also moms) to Aunties-In-Law (married to their uncle), Long Distance Aunties (LDA), Gay Aunties (lesbian aunties and gay uncles),  Auntie Mame types, Eco-Aunties, etc... It begs the question:

WHAT TYPE OF AUNTIE ARE YOU?

Please visit The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life website to share your thoughts. We already have some great new Auntie-Types revealed and I can't wait to hear yours. They may be included in the book!

Visit http://melanienotkin.com/2010/03/auntie-types to add yours!

Thank you and whatever type of Auntie you are, know you are appreciated for all that you do.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

March 21, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

As a female entrepreneur, I have found myself on the most amazing journey of my life.
Women who have started their own companies and are recognized as determined and hard workers are not only supported by other female entrepreneurs, they are empowered to keep moving forward with their business and their dreams through the sisterhood we form naturally. We feed off of each other’s success in a way I rarely witnessed in corporate America.

This week I had the unbelievable experience of taking part in a promotional photoshoot for Amy Palmer’s Power Women TV (launching  in the coming months). Some of the women who were part of the shoot I had met over the last year, some more recently, and some I had heard so much about I couldn’t wait to finally connect! After the shoot, we had trouble leaving each other, thanking each other for feeling empowered by our collective energy. Each woman was sincerely grateful for every woman in the room and the women in the decades before us who worked so hard so that we could have the audacity to do what we do.

Here’s a photo we took after the shoot (I can’t show you the actual final photo yet) that we took because we wanted a way to keep the memory and energy going.  I’m the petite one in the white dress, fourth from the left.

 Now that’s a powerful group of women!

Earlier in the week, I was interviewed for a book by the founders of In Good Company, a shared workspace company. Amy Abrams and Adelaide Lancaster thrilled me by coming to my home to interview me. I felt so honored that they felt that Savvy Auntie had come far enough to be included in their book. What an amazing team of female entrepreneurs who are making it easier for other women entrepreneurs to connect through a wonderful work space.

Being a woman entrepreneur is one of the best decisions I ever made with my career. It’s all about good karma. We’re all helping each other, empowering each other.

What a gift. What a life. I’m so happy you’re here to share it with me.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

March 14, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Tomorrow, Monday, March 15th, I turn 41 years old.  Even as a I type it, I can't believe it. I'm 20 years past legal age. I'm officially 'over 40.' And I'm not living the life I expected when I was a little girl.

I'm single. I don't have any children. I always expected I would have been married and a mom by now. I wish I was married and in love. I wish I had been pregnant and had a baby or three.

And yet, I have not one regret. I've been hedging that love will come in time for me to still have all I envisioned. I have not settled.

But as I write my book for HarperCollins Harper Studio: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life, and spend time learning about what moms-to-be go through when pregnant and what new moms can expect once that baby comes, I can't help but feel a little sad for what I'm missing out on.

And sometimes, when I see a beautiful baby, or a pregnant woman, or the night before a birthday, I feel a tinge of longing for what I've never had.

I've learned that the type of grief women like me who don't have children because we don't have a partner go through is called: disenfranchised grief.  Our Savvy Expert Stephanie Baffone shared that with me.

But then I quickly remember all that I do have and all that I am. I am an aunt to six amazing nephew and nieces. I am the founder of a movement of modern Savvy Aunties. I am happy. And I am proud of every choice I make. Or at least, I don't regret them.

So happy birthday to me. And maybe next year, my story will be different. In the meantime, tonight, this is my truth.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: If you'd like to share your story of disenfranchised grief over not having children, please send it to Book@SavvyAuntie.com. We may quote you in the The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life. Please let us know if we can use your initials, age and state.

March 8, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I love books. They live neatly in my bookcase, they are piled up on my coffee table and night stand, and they are shelved on walls as decor. One of the books among a pile of white covered books stacked against a dark gray hallway wall is Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman. I've owned it since it was published in 1994, only five years after my mother had passed away. It's a nonfiction book that takes a sociological look at women who lost their mothers at childbirth to old age. I lost mine at 19.

And now it's been 21 years since she's been gone. She missed me graduating from adolescence to adulthood, she wasn't there to wave goodbye as I took some belongings, my cat and my first and only car on a one way trip to New York City. She wasn't there when my nephew was born. Or when his sisters were born. It's been a very long time since she was here.

When my mother's mother passed away, my mom held me and cried: "Thank God I have you," she said. "A mother needs a daughter as much as she needs her mother."

Today, I have the memory of my mother and only a dream of a daughter - drifting as I approach my 41st birthday next week. I think I'll call this the "sandwich ungeneration." 

Sometimes, it's lonely in the middle.

When I meet women over 35 who do not have kids, for whatever reason, they want to talk about what that means for them. Whether by choice, by circumstance, or by nature, there is always something a childless (or childfree) woman wants to share.

I am proud to give us a platform to share our grief for what some of us may have lost, for what may never be, and in the same breath, celebrate all that we are.

To life!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Please support our sponsors who support us. Visit Tropicana.com and enroll in the Juicy Rewards program. Tropicana has reached out to Savvy Auntie specifically in an effort to share this rewards program with you, for all that you do, Auntie.

March 1, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

When is comes to our youngest nieces and nephews, newborn through pre-school, we want to help encourage their learning and development. The good news is that it's easier to do than you might think. In fact, you're probably already doing it.

Early childhood educators say that doing what babies and small children do best, play, is what helps them develop into intellectual and social beings.

Everything a child experiences during quality time with Auntie can be a teaching moment. That board book is a great time to help increase their vocabulary through language. Bath time? Well that's science when you talk about how some things float and others sink in the tub. Blocks are filled with engineering! If you put the bigger blocks on top of the little blocks, your castle will fall down! And that tea party helps little girls develop their imaginations, which is very important to have as they become more autonomous and begin to solve their own problems.

Our guest Savvy Expert, Marie Owens, MEd, shares more in her article: Help Your Nieces And Nephews Learn As They Grow.

So go play with your nieces and nephews! And be conscious of all the wonderful things they are learning as you do. That is very savvy, Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Have you seen our Activities section? Take play to a new level with fun things to do!

February 21, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

One of the goals with creating Savvy Auntie was to showcase how aunts are part of the American Family Village - that not being a mother didn't mean we don't love children or want to nurture them, but rather that we love and nurture lots of children.

The challenge at the beginning was helping marketers realize that there were other women aside from moms who they should be focusing their messaging to. So far, many household-name brands have done so, and we're so proud of our sponsors, which include brands like Hasbro / Playskool, Sprout, Scholastic, TNT, Disney, and many others!

The newest sponsor to really understand the influence of aunts in the family is PepsiCo's Tropicana. Tropicana recently launched its Juicy Rewards program and came to me to help them let aunts know about it. They are letting moms know too - but really see how aunts are an important part of the family as well. I have to say, I am so appreciative of how sponsors as amazing as Tropicana value us. We're making headway! Marketers are listening!

Tropicana was so honest about wanting to include us, that the team flew me out to Chicago to meet them and shoot this little video about the Juicy Rewards program:



It means so much to me that Tropicana wants to reward aunts for all that we do for the children in our lives. It makes me so happy that you are being recognized, Auntie!

Cheers to you - and to brands like Tropicana who support us!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Are you following me on Twitter? Or a Facebook Fan? There's more Savvy Auntie there!

February 14, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This week, the Winter Olympics are taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The best athletes in the world have gathered to compete for the Gold. They live together in the Olympic Village, friends and competitors at the same time. They train together, travel together, compete together.

It made me think.... we cheer on our nieces and nephews at their soccer games, at their gymnastics competitions, as their cheer on their teams... We want them to win! Get that goal! Complete that routine! Make that home run!

But perhaps the Olympics remind us that it takes a village of athletes to make the children better at their game - better athletes. Next time we watch them play, let's cheer on all the kids. They make our nieces and nephews better.

And that's exactly how they get the Gold.

Here are some fun ideas to share the magic of the Olympics with your nieces and nephews, Auntie.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Happy Presidents Day and Happy Chinese New Year, Auntie!

February 7, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Is there anything more amazing than the first time your little niece or nephew tells you they love you?

While Valentine's Day is typically celebrated by lovers (and grade school kids too young to know what that means), why not use this February 14th to remind your nieces and nephews about how much you appreciate their love.

Of course, we've put together list of Savvy "I Love You" Gift ideas for nieces and nephews. But there other ways to show your love on Sunday.

Why not make a special effort to tell your nieces and nephews what you love about them. Is it their giggle? How nice they are to their younger sibling? Perhaps it's how hard they try on the soccer field or in math class. Maybe it's simply because your love is unconditional. There's nothing wrong with a little reminder of that, now is there?

And to YOU, Auntie, I send my love for all that you do to inspire the lives of the children in the Family Village. You are a hero to these children. To some you are their 'other mother' or at the very least a  warm hug, a soft heart, a bended ear.

Happy Valentine's Day, Auntie! May your day be filled with love.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Don't forget to vote for the Cutest Holiday Snapshots! It's our first photo contest and it's sponsored by SnapHaven.com

January 31, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The following is excerpted from my interview with Elizabeth Gilbert....

Things tend to come full circle in life, even when you don’t know the cycle has begun. In the summer of 2007, I was 38, single and I did not have children. (All except the age are still true.) I was also unemployed and looking for a career that I would love. I decided to start my own company, investing in a journey I hoped would bring me immense life satisfaction and happiness. (It has.)

It was also the summer I stumbled upon Elizabeth Gilbert’s runaway best seller: Eat, Pray Love. (When I say “stumbled upon” I mean I couldn’t help but discover it, with umpteen friends recommending it and Barnes and Noble seemingly decorating its Upper West Side store with it.)  And it was by reading Eat, Pray, Love, which I tended to savor at the end of the day as I lay in bed, that I would go to sleep inspired.  I was saddened when it ended, and until recently, I left the book on my nightstand as a reminder that the best stuff was ahead of me.  It was that summer that I started the work behind SavvyAuntie.com, to give aunts, godmothers and childless women who love, adore and nurture the children in their lives a destination to learn, share and connect. I set off  to offer them a badge of honor, a place to call home.

So it’s not surprising that I anticipated (along with millions of others) Gilbert’s next book: Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, the next ‘chapter’ in Elizabeth’s life.  And, I could see the circle closing as Gilbert takes special care to talk about her life as “Auntie Liz” for many pages of the book, and refers anecdotally to her nephew and niece throughout.
And then came the day that sealed the circle: Elizabeth agreed to an interview. She’d heard about Savvy Auntie, in fact she had discovered it when researching her book, and was thrilled to talk to me.  (Her exact words were: “I love your website!”) And here we are full-circle: Eat, Pray, Aunt:

Elizabeth Gilbert and the "Auntie Brigade"

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS : Don't forget to enter your niece or nephew in the Cutest Holiday Snapshots Photo Contest! Or, vote for your favorites!

January 24, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

As you may have heard, we have a book in the works. With a working title of The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life, I've teamed up with HarperCollins Harper Studio imprint to write a guide book companion to SavvyAuntie.com. The writing is in full swing!

Over the course of the next months, I may ask various questions of you here and on our Facebook page. I want to give as many of you a voice in the book as I can. You are all savvy in many aspects of being "Auntie," and you all have valid and diverse points of view. It wouldn't be the best book it could be without you.

If you are not already there, please join the conversation at Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie as well. And please don't be shy. This is your platform to share and learn from others who are devoted to being the savviest Aunties they can be. Myself included.

Thank you in advance!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Have you  voted in the Cutest Holiday Snapshots photo contest yet? It's sponsored by Snaphaven.com.

January 17, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This past week, Haiti and the world suffered a great loss. Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in 40 seconds.

40 seconds.

The time it takes to order a latte. Boot up your computer. Text your best friend.

This week mark's Martin Lutther King day... a day of service to our nation and to mankind. A day to remember that the Earth is color blind. And when it shakes and crumbles, whoever bears witness is hurt.

This week, take 40 seconds to do some good for your community and of course to Haiti. Donate to the Red Cross or Doctors without Boarders.

Take 40 seconds to text Haiti to 90999.

Then give your nieces and nephews a lesson in giving back.

And spend 40 seconds remembering how lucky you are that they rock your world they only way it should be moved. With love.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

On a lighter note - If you think your niece or nephew is the cutest, enter their Cutest Holiday Snapshot in our photo contest!

January 10, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the widely popular Eat, Pray, Love, is now out with her long anticipated sequel: Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, where she shares what happens next in her life.

I'll let you enjoy the book for yourself, but I wanted to point out a very relevant part you should know about. Towards the end of the book, Elizabeth talks about how she is childless by choice (as some of you are) and how fulfilling her role as Auntie Liz is... in fact she lives near her nieces and nephews for that very reason. Elizabeth spends about five pages talking about the importance of aunts in children's lives, even referring to us as the "Auntie Brigade."

The author pulls from history (and The Complete Book of Aunts) proof points on how aunts have raised, developed and nurtured some amazing people like Tolstoy and Copote, not to mention Coco Chanel and many others. And now, by helping to bring the influence of aunts to her large audience, we can add Elizabeth Gilbert to the list of Power Aunties. (I don't quiet have that list finalized yet, but it's something I'm working on!)

Auntie Liz also refers to the statistics we've been pointing out as well that show how PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids - our term, not hers) make up 50% of American women, and women in the Western world in general. She's also researched how women without children don't grow old any less happy or unhappy than women who do have children.

Cheers to Auntie Liz for featuring the significance of aunts in her book and showing again how influential Savvy Aunties are in the American Family Village, and family villages around the world!  Day by day, step by step, aunts are beginning to get the respect and acknowledgment we deserve.

Thanks, Auntie Liz!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Now you can be Savvy anywhere, Auntie! If you have an iPhone of iPhone Touch, you can download the new, free Savvy Auntie App! Tap on the Savvy Auntie icon to find the latest from Expertise, Activities, Gifts, my Editor's Letters, Forum Posts, my Blog and my Twitter Feed! You can also go directly to the SavvyAuntie.com website straight from there!

January 3, 2010

Dear Savvy Aunties,

With reruns of Glee, I found a new show on TV. I watch very little TV, so what I do watch - guilty pleasure or not - should at least intrigue me. ABC's Modern Family does just that.

If you haven't seen it, it's the story of a man, his new wife (the same age as his own two grown children) and her son, his daughter and her husband and kids, his gay son who is married to a gay man and their adopted little Asian baby. It's a modern family.

While the show is at times funny, at times a little poignant, it does bring to light how the American family has changed over the last few generations. And therefore, so has the profile of aunts in the family village.

Some aunts are the same age as their nieces and nephews. Some are lesbians living more openly than gay women a generation back. Some aunts celebrate a different religion than her nieces and nephews, or come from a different ethnic background. Some are 'step' aunts, for example, the sister of a man married to a women with kids from a previous relationship.

Whatever your profile, it's a challenge to speak to all your concerns, issues, and joys. I try to look at Savvy Auntie as a place where the most modern of family members - and friends - can feel at home. I hope I somewhat succeed.

If there is a topic you'd like to see covered, please email us at Editor@SavvyAuntie.com and we'll consider how we can support your needs. It make take time, but we'll do our best.

In the meantime, Happy New Year again... may it bring you many new modern ideas for this modern world we live in.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS You can also reach us at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie!

December 27, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

As 2010 begins, so does our mission to contribute to the love, nurturing and development of the children in our lives. As Aunts by Relation, Aunts by Choice, Godmothers and all women who love the children in our lives, especially those of us without children of our own, we are beginning to get noticed in the media and by marketers!

We are a valuable part of the American Family Village. And I will continue to help us get the information and resources we need and yes - the acknowledgment we deserve - to keep forging ahead and becoming the savviest Aunties we can be.

Cheers to you this New Year's! May you continue to focus on your relationships with your nieces and nephews -and with yourself. May you continue to find a community of women just like whom you can learn from and with whom you can share your greatest moments...and your most challenging times as an aunt. And may you have love, joy, health and success all year through.

Here's to you. Here's to Savvy Aunties! Here's to 2010!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

December 20, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Joy is one of my favorite words. And there's something about the Holiday season that brings me much of it. It didn't always....

The Holidays are also a time when we often feel our loneliest  if we have yet to find love. We feel our motherhoodlessness if we are yet to children, or cannot have children. If we have chosen not to have kids, it's still a time when families take center stage.

But when I stopped searching for happiness... or waiting for it to come to me, I realized that happiness was a choice.

Instead of focusing on NOT being in love, I focused on loving myself. Instead of focusing on NOT being a mom, I focused on what I am - an aunt (and a good one too, I might add).

The Christmas season, even for those of us who do not celebrate it directly, still seasons our lives with the light and spirit that appears all around us.

We hope you have everything you want this Holiday season, Auntie. And if you can't get what you want... we hope you have all that you need.

Wishing you, your nieces and nephews and all the children in your life, a healthy, happy and joyous Holiday season.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: As I wrote this, I found a piece of paper snow in my sleeve. It's a souvenir from Cirque Du Soleil's Wintuk that's performing right now at Madison Square Garden in New York City. If you and your nieces and nephews are in the City this season, try to catch this magical show. Because they are a sponsor, MSG is offering us a Kids Go Free Special Offer. Use Code 50MAGIC on select shows. Here's the link. Enjoy!

December 13, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This week marks the Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah as most call it. Or is it Chanukah? It seems no one has decided on the 'correct' spelling and so we use both here on SavvyAuntie.com. After all, the whole point of the Holidays is to be inclusive! We've also got some Christmas content (I know it's not Kristmas!) and are working on some Kwanzaa related content as well!

Whichever holidays you are celebrating this season, we know that if you are not spending it with the children you love, or with loved ones, or with a special loved one, it can be lonely. We hope you'll come back to visit us here at Savvy Auntie and share your highs and your sighs with us. That's what we're here for. When you don't have a built-in family unit, you have us!

On a personal note, I'm thinking about my Great Auntie Sarah today. She passed away exactly a year ago and she was one of the inspirations for Savvy Auntie. Not only was she the matriarch of my maternal family, she was an Auntie extraordinaire! She never forgot to call me at the holidays (always catching me before I could call her!) to make sure I wasn't missing anyone or anything in my life (she was very good at letting me know she cared without making me feel less-than or pressure to have a family of my own before it could come naturally my way). And of course, this holiday season, I am missing her more than ever.

Happy Chanukah, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Christmakkah or whatever you celebrate. And if the Holidays just aren't your thing, that's ok too. I just wish for you happiness, love, joy and peace. And a hug from a niece or nephew.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Still looking for a cool gift idea this season? Check out our Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award winners! http://savvyauntie.com/CoolestToyAwards

December 5, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I've been offered a book deal by Harper Studio, an imprint of HarperCollins! This means there is a Savvy Auntie book in the future!

The book is called: The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life!

Like this Community, The Savvy Auntie Guide to Life will include content that you'd expect in order to live the Savvy Auntie Lifestyle - plus a whole lot more. I've learned so much from our Savvy Experts - as I am sure you have - and I plan to go back to them for more in depth content as well as include new expertise in areas we haven't yet touched on here. The book will at times be serious, at times be a lot of fun, and always dedicated to you, Auntie.

From time to time, I may ask you what you'd like to see covered in the book - as you are a fabulous representation of the women who will want to read it. Some Savvy Auntie members may even be cited in the book!

Earlier today, I published a blog post  on the book deal with Harper Studio. There's more information there.

In the meantime, I just couldn't wait to share the exciting news with you here. You are the inspiration for this Website, the book, and everything I do here at Savvy Auntie HQ. Thank you so much!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Are you a member of SavvyAuntie.com? It's free to join and once you're a member, you can join the conversation throughout the site! Just go to the homepage and click Register to join!

November 29, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Did you survive Black Friday? I'm writing this on the eve of Cyber Monday as the season of deals continues. Time and time again I get asked what the 'coolest' toys of the season are. After all, Savvy Aunties have to keep up their 'cool' status - and what's the point it getting the wrong gifts?!

We've put together our list of hottest picks - aka the toys the children in your life covet - and gave them awards! Our first annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards was designed to help Aunties like you make the best choices this holiday season. After all, we're here to help make you savvy at the holidays, Auntie!

Plus, Margaret Bristol put together list of shopping tips for you too! Shop Savvy, Auntie!

And our sponsor FashionPlaytes.com is offer you $10 off a $25 or more Gift Card with promo code SAVVY10.

And if you're reading this over Cyber Monday, please check out the deals I found at JCP.com!

Oh and the big news? We're giving away two of the Coolest Toys this season! Yep - LEGO Star Wars and Zhu Zhu Pets! Enter here for a chance to win!

Of course our Gifts section is filled with over 900 gift ideas if you still can't find the right gift idea for your nieces and nephews! Just use our Savvy Search function to filter down to the perfect choice!

Get shopping, Auntie!  And Happy Holidays!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Are you are Fan of Savvy Auntie? Join our Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/SavvyAuntie. It's active with plenty of tips and comments! We'd love to see you there!

November 22, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of year when we reflect on what we're grateful for.... and while I must put my nephew and nieces at the top of the list - for making me feel so loved and appreciated - and just for being as amazing as they are... you are all a close second.

Just over a year ago, I launched SavvyAuntie.com... and since that day, you have all been there to support and contribute, visit and share. You have made my mission of giving aunts, godmothers, and all women who love kids, a place to connect and find new and useful information - and community.

So I thank you, whether you've been here since day one, or this is your very first time. Thank you for sharing in this fantastic dream of mine.

And thanks to all the uncles, moms, dads, grandparents, in-laws, cousins, siblings, friends and neighbors, who have recognized and appreciated our value in the Family Village.

Thanks to all the Savvy Experts who contribute their talent to help make us all more savvy.

Thanks to our Sponsors, who literally found us on day one... and continue to support SavvyAuntie.com and reach this most amazing and powerful audience.

And finally, thanks to my aunts...my Great Auntie Sarah, who passed away earlier this year, my Auntie Ethel, Auntie Marilyn, and all the women in my life who continue to inspire me.

Happy Thanksgiving, Auntie.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: There are many people who have helped contribute to the success of this Community. While I may not have thanked you directly in this letter, you know who are. And you are very much appreciated.

November 15, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Many of our nieces are little fashionistas. They just have a passion for fashion. Older ones may watch TV shows like Project Runway, dreaming of attending FIT one day, while little ones style their fashion dolls like they are about to walk the runway.

This year, there was an abundance of new fashion dolls and toys that encourage design and creativity. In fact, four different fashion dolls made our first annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards, along with Harumika, crafty playsets that enables girls to use - and reuse - swatches of fabric and ribbon to create their own designs.

Barbie(R) launched Barbie Fashionistas, a very stylin' set of six Barbie dolls (sold separately), each with her own personality. MGAE launched two new fashion dolls: Moxie Girlz and BFC Ink Dolls. The Moxie Girlz are meant to encouarge confidence in girls, while the BFC Ink dolls are designed to inspire a difference in opinion and respect for others. These three doll brands received Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Honorable Mentions.

Ultimately, we chose the new Spinmaster brand Liv Dolls as the winner of the fashion doll craze this season. Daniela, Katie, Sophie and Alexis each have a backstory that encourages girls to go out and achieve their goals, even if the Liv girls are not perfect. They also come with two wigs so girls have plenty of hair to style, a brush, beautiful glass eyes and 14 points of articulation. As far as we know, that's more movement that any fashion doll on the market.

If your nieces loves fashion dolls, any of these Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awardees will be a welcome holiday gift. We just think of that the Liv Dolls were the most innovative of the bunch this year.

If you were planning a higher-priced gift this year, the new Barbie 3-story Dream Townhouse was honored in the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards Lux category. We asked a question on our Facebook Fan Page last month about the one toy Savvy Aunties regret never receiving as little girls, and so many of you said you always wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse.  So we thought this fashionable home was the perfect lux gift for modern fashionista niece.

And this week, in keeping with the fashionista theme, we welcome FashionPlaytes.com as our latest sponsor. Fashion Playtes enables girls ages 5 plus to go online and design their own clothes! The clothes even include the girl's own label and can be purchased to wear once designed! Fashion Playtes contacted Savvy Auntie so that we could help them let you know about this gift idea for the holiday season. And to help keep you on budget, they are offering $10 off a $25 Fashion Playtes Gift Certificate. Just use code SAVVY10 at checkout.

So there you have it Savvy Auntie - the lo-down on some of the most fashionable gifts of the season. We hope it helps keep you in style with the designer wanna-bes you love so much.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: For a list of all the Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Award Winners, click here.

November 8, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Well, I'm not the only one who turned 40 this year. The venerable Sesame Street celebrates 40 years with the same charm and values as it always has, with new features to boot. It has a new show open, a new block format, an entirely new nature curriculum (kicked off by First Lady Michelle Obama in the first episode!) and my personal favorite, a first-ever CGI-animated segment called: Abby Cadabby's Flying Fairy School.

To help all you Savvy Aunties get the savvy on Sesame, the lovely people behind the scenes invited me (!) to visit the Sesame Street set in Astoria, Queens, NY, and show me how the furry half lives. I got to meet Abby Cadabby (a certain Savvy Niece's favorite character) and sit in Big Bird's nest. I also got to see how the Sesame Street Muppets(TM) are repaired and maintained, as well as see a new scene being shot. The good people at The Sesame Workshop also showed me new innovations to the Sesame Street web destination for kids and I got to meet some of the famous Muppeteers.

The thing about Sesame Street's anniversary isn't so much that it turns 40 this week, but that it turns 40 with integrity. Sure, it's dealt with controversary (Cookie Monster eats cookies. Cookies are not vegetables. uh oh.... and there are those who think Ernie and Bert might be more than just roommates), but throughout its history, Sesame Street has maintained its focus on joy and education, while constantly modernizing. It's also dealt with tough issues like dealing with grief - and Mr. Hooper's death (it happened simultaenously when the actor Will Lee suddenly passed away). Big Bird's photo of Mr. Hooper that I noticed by his nest is a testiment to their relationship. But over all, it's kept up with the times by integrating fun pop culture themes into its shows...ones even Savvy Aunties can appreciate.

In the 40th season, Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie in Sex and the City, shows up on Sesame Street "Looking for Something Big." Of course, it's no surprise she's looking for Big Bird. And Sesame Streets parodies of Mad Men and the iPod commercials are brilliantly executed to teach young ones, while care takers can equally enjoy.

We were lucky, those of us who great up with Sesame Street, to have received such positive educational programming. And our nieces and nephews are equally as fortunate to able about to tune into the show, plus they have access to SesameStreet.org, and all the DVDs and other educational Sesame Street products now on the market (that we love to give them.)

Of course, not many are as fortunate as I to be able to have actually gone to Sesame Street.... walked on history... taken photos with furry celebrities.... See the magic behind the curtain. I am lucky indeed. It's an experience I will never forget.

By the way - to answer your question re: how do you get to Sesame Street? I took a shuttle bus with a very small number of other family-themed website founders and bloggers. And yes to your second question; they did serve cookies.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: We found out 40 Things Every Savvy Auntie Needs to Know About Sesame Street. Find them here!

Thanks to Ken Leonardo and the entire team at PBS Sprout for inviting me to Sesame Street.

All modern Sesame Street photos credits: Richard Termine.
Sesame Street season 1, 1969: Sesame Workshop.
Photo of me, Abby Cadabby and Elmo are courtesy my visit to Sesame Street in October 2009.

November 1, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Today is the New York City Marathon. Some run to reach a goal, some run to keep in shape, some run for the experience, some run to raise money for others... For some it's about reaching the finish line, for some, it's about bettering a previous time, and for some it's a race against others.

A marathon is a great metaphor for life. Are you living with a purpose, with a goal? Are you enjoying the experience of life, taking in the scenery, remembering to breathe during the uphill battles? Are you on this journey to get to the end, feeling good for having made? Are you always trying to improve on your previous accomplishments? Are you inspired by others? Or do others make you feel competitive?

Or do you feel like you're in the wrong race? Living an inauthentic life?

November means the Holidays are coming... time for family, for some a time for spirituality, and for all, a finish line on December 31st.

Start thinking now about the marathon you're running... who's standing cheering you on? What are hoping to accomplish?

Then, when 2010 rings in, you can start fresh... focused on your life's goals. Having myself felt like I was running the wrong marathon just a couple of years ago, I turned my life around. I no longer care about others' expectations for me on marriage-hood or motherhood. And I started the company of my dreams.

You have it in you. I know you do.

Ready...Set.... GO!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

Our sponsor, Scholastic, is publishing the 6th The 39 Clues book on November 3rd! It's called "In Too Deep" by Jude Watson. Here's more information on this highly anticipated next book in the acclaimed The 39 Clues series!

PS: November also means it's time to start holiday shopping for your nieces and nephews! Check out our first annual Savvy Auntie Coolest Toy Awards for our favorite picks of the season!

October 25, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Last week I was pretty vocal about my thoughts on The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything, for neglecting to have a focus on women who are not mothers - about 50% of American women today. It was a lofty and ambitious attempt to bring forward issues facing women today - but ended up being a treatise on motherhood and mothers who work.

I wasn't the only one who, while supporting the report in theory, had objections to the content or slant of the findings.

Bella DePaulo, an advocate for singles - men and women - shared her take on the Report in Psychology Today. It's an indepth look at how The Report neglects the millions of single women in America and the issues they face. I first connected with Bella when I launched Savvy Auntie and she has been a welcome and supportive advocate for aunts - she being a loving one herself.

Joanne Lippman took another point of view. In her New York Times Op Ed piece today, she writes about The Mismeasure of Woman and how attitudes toward women in the workforce has plateaued and until women are given the respect we deserve, we can't call more women in the workforce "progress."

And I heard from many moms who don't want their womanhood to be defined as motherhood. There's more to them - and more to what they contribute to society - than motherhood, they say.

What The Shriver Report has done is open the conversation for women to express their points of view - whether single, professionals, or not (yet) mothers. I was Twittering to @MariaShriver and @iVIllage (the NBCU site that was promoting 'conversation' about The Shriver Report on Twitter), and tagging each relevant tweet to #Womensnation so that those behind The Report might ask me to join the conversation by actually conversing back.

But alas, my Tweets fell silent - except for the hoorays from other Savvy Aunties - and moms - like you.

As aunts, we play an important role in society. As professionals (most of us), we play an influential role in the economy. As women - we deserve to be heard and share the platform with all women.

That's what a "Women's Nation" is, after all. And if we were finally included in the conversation - that would indeed change everything.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Please help me welcome our sponsor, Yoplait Delights. You Deserve a Delightful Treat with only 100 Calories, Auntie! You can find Yoplait Delights at www.yoplaitdelights.com.

October 18, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The Shriver Report: A Study by Maria Shriver and the Center for America Progress was released today with the slogan: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything.

It might as well have been called: A Mother's Nation Changes Everything. The study, meant to change the way government policy and businesses modernize with the new standing of women in the economy - a change I completely support - interchanges the word "woman" with "mother" so often it's as if all women are mothers.

Nearly 50% of American women are actually not mothers. Which does not mean they never will be. But today, 45.1% of American women through the age 44 do not have children. This US Census data does not account for the women 45 and over, so we estimate that nearly 50% of women are not moms.

As you may have heard, I've dubbed this influential segment of our nation's women PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids.

I agree that drastic changes need to be made as women account for 50% of the US workforce. And I applaud Maria Shriver, the Center for American Progress, and NBCU - the media platform that will be sharing the findings with the nation this week - for finally bringing to light the new face of the American economy.

And I agree that the American family has changed and support all efforts that enable moms and dads to work and raise their children without having to sacrifice as much as they do today.

But when speaking of the nation's women and the economy, women without children who love, nurture and support the children in their lives should be part of the conversation. The women who have discretionary income and time that they spend in our economy should have a voice.

Otherwise, we really haven't come a long way, have we?

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Please help me welcome our newest sponsor, Yoplait Delights. You Deserve a Delightful Treat with only 100 Calories, Auntie! You can find Yoplait Delights at www.yoplaitdelights.com.

October 11, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

"You're just an aunt," they told Savvy Auntie member 'aidensaunt' when she was seeking grief support after she lost her two-day old nephew. She wasn't allowed into the group.

Just an aunt?

Before I launched SavvyAuntie.com in the summer of 2008, I asked aunts from around the country what made them a Savvy Auntie. A 26 year old aunt from New York replied:

People always tell mothers that having children will change their lives but nobody tells the aunts that their lives will change too. I would do ANYTHING for my 3 nephews and niece. I love them more than I thought I could love anything or anyone.

We're not their mom - and we don't claim to be. But that doesn't mean that from the minute they're born we're not madly in love and committed to doing whatever we can to nurture, support, develop and engage our nieces and nephews.

We're not their mom - but we're guardians, secret-keepers, mentors, joy-givers, and loving members of the family. Even when we're not blood-related - we're family.

Just an aunt? That's like saying, they're 'just nieces and nephews.'

Nearly 50% of American women don't have children of their own. But we have nieces, nephews, godchildren, little cousins, neighbors, etc, whom we love and adore. While we could not find a support group for grieving aunts, we were able to offer AidensAunt support via our Community. You can learn more about AidensAunt, as well as BKearney who lost her baby neice Abby, as they gather support from other aunts in our Forums.  We have each other to lean on.

And that's what makes you a Savvy Auntie.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: For more information about aunts in grief, here's wonderful article by our resident grief expert, Stephanie Baffone.

On a much lighter note, please welcome Savvy Auntie's newest sponsor - Scholastic! They've just published the latest book in the classic Clifford series called: Clifford the Champion. Thanks to Scholastic for recognizing aunts as part of the family.

October 4, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I am so excited about the toys and gifts that I've been seeing, testing and experiencing this year. This Holiday gift season is going to be a lot of fun, especially since there are great ideas at every price point.

We're working on the first annualSavvy Auntie Coolest Gift Awards program, getting the last details in our on favorites. There are parenting awards and other very presigious toy awards that do a great job helping gift-givers decide what to get for the Holidays. But the Savvy Auntie Coolest Gift Awards program is designed for you - so you know you are giving the coolest -and most appropriate gifts- to all the important children in your life. Our job is to help you maintain that Cool Aunt status of yours!

Here's a list of some of just some of the brands and characters that are currently in the running to make the list of Coolest Gifts for Nieces and Nephews!

Bakugan, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,  Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lego, Barbie, Liv Dolls, Moxie, Princess And The Frog, Crayola, Leapfrog, Vtech, Tonka, Matchbox, Zhu Zhu Pets, EyeClops, I Can Do That Games, Nerf, Printies, Dora Links, Playskool, Nickelodeon and many, many more. In fact, our biggest challenge? Deciding on which we love the most!

We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, check out our Gifts section for close to 900 of our favorite gift ideas!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Enter to win one of two Toshiba Laptops! Simply take the Weblings Poll here to enter!

September 27, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

"Being an aunt is the best! All you do is play with them and then leave when things get messy!"

Well, sometimes that's true. But most often, being a Savvy Auntie means a whole lot more. Many aunts take on the role of guardian when mom and dad can't take care of their child, or become the legal guardian if something happens to mom and dad. If you are thinking about becoming the legal guardian of your nieces and nephews, even if you are not biologically related, Darlynn Morgan has The Legal Scoop.

Keeping our nieces and nephews safe is also always on our mind. There are things we can do to help prepare our nieces and nephews in case they find themselves in questionable circumstances. How to Help Prevent Child Abduction is a good start.

Of course, we love the fun stuff too. That's why were in the midst of preparing our Holiday Gift Lists for you. The Savvy Auntie always knows the coolest gifts for kids! In the meantime, visits our Gifts section for literally hundreds of gift ideas to indulge them with.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Enter to win one of two Toshiba Laptops! Simply take the Weblings Poll here to enter!

September 21, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

A new research study by Wharton professors Betsey Stevenson and  Justin Wolfers suggests that women today are less happy than they were 35 years ago. With all the choices that the feminist movement has afforded our generation, it seems counter-intuitive. In fact, Marcus Buckingham, in his new blog column in the Huffington Post, points out that "wherever researchers have been able to collect reliable data on happiness, the finding is always the same: greater educational, political, and employment opportunities have corresponded to decreases in life happiness for women, as compared to men."

What's most interesting is that moms are less happy than women without children. New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, interviewed both Buckingham and Stevenson for her Opinion column this past Sunday. "Across the happiness data, the only thing in life that will make you less happy is having children," Stevenson says. "It's true whether you're wealthy or poor, if you have kids late or early."

So as PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids), are we happier than moms, despite some of us still wanting children, or regretting not having children, or unable to have children? It seems we are. But still, what mother wouldn't sacrifice her own happiness for her children?

When I was 38, I was unhappy. Single, no kids, and searching for the career of my dreams, I truly believed that finding love, marriage and children would make me happy. At 40, I still don't have that, but my career (having founded Savvy Auntie for women like us) truly makes me happy.

I wouldn't have expected it. But I woke up one day and decided to rewrite what happiness means to me. I'm a PANK.

So thanks to our moms for carving a path so that  I could own my own business and be taken seriously (something I might not have been able to do so easily the year I was born). And thanks to all the moms out there who have sacrificed a little bit of their happiness to make me and all PANKs aunts and godmothers.

Want to learn more about PANKs? Here are some statistics that shows how influential we are.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter. There's more there!

September 13, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,



It's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week here in the Big Apple. Fashionistas are zooming in and out of the Tents and taxis....uptown, downtown and midtown, at the runways all around town! I'm there too, catching a peek at some of the shows, watching intently as the girls walk down the runway with clothes that make me envious and intoxicated all at once.

I love fashion! I love the clothes, the shoes, the accessories and the entire Gestalt that makes some of us giddy for a new season to start. And the reigning king of crowns, my friend, celebrity hair stylist, Ted Gibson is showing messy pulled back hair, in buns and in pony tails... something clean and sexy all at once.

Fashion Week is the Fashionista's Back to School season. It raises our  heart rate with nerves and excitement. What would the next season behold? The possiblities this spring of tropical colors, ocean blues, berry pinks, citrus greens and oranges... with sprinkles of fairy dust silver and gold.

The good news, Aunties, is that black is the new black this fall, which means as long as the fit is right, you're in style in your favorite basic for fall. Add a thin, long scarf in a metallic gray, or a few long gold chains for flair. Or if you're like me, add a little flower on your sweater dress to give it a little life.

After all... we can start now to dream of spring... when color comes back in waves.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: If you really love fashion like I do, and are on a tight budget this year (who isn't!) check out our sponsor - Beyondtherack.com!

BeyondTheRack.com is a by-invitation-only online shopping club that provides its members with exclusive access to private sales of coveted designer apparel and accessory brands at prices up to 70% off retail! Sign-up for your FREE membership today! Plus, receive a $10 credit just for being a Savvy Auntie when you sign up!

September 6, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

One thing that's far different from when we were kids is texting. Today, kids text each other when they're in the same room! Forget passing notes in class, they're texting their secrets too!

Not that we can blame them. We're not always the most well-behaved when it comes to texting either, are we Auntie? Ever keep your Blackberry on the dinner table ready to receive a BBM? Ever mute your iPhone hoping to catch it vibrate when that text comes in?

Stacie Krajchir has written a wonderful article begging Aunties to PLEASE put down their PDAs while with our nieces and nephews!  And our resident Aunt Steph reminds us that Chivalry is Not Text!

Oh and that last one isn't just for our nephews and nieces, Auntie. A text is not a call... so if you're dating and he's texting, maybe think twice before responding?

Look, our nieces and nephews pick up clues from us. So if we text in their presence or accept texting as chivalry, we're not showing them the best lessons.

And it is back-to-school season after all. Which reminds me to call my nephew and nieces on their first day of school. They don't yet have texting plan, after all.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - If you're looking for gifts for nieces or gifts for nephews, don't forget to visit our Gifts section for a new crop of savvy gift ideas!

August 30, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Well it's that time again... the Sunday night blues turning into Monday morning school bells. Our nieces and nephews are going back to school!

And once we get over the shock of what grade they are entering (kindergarten! 5th grade! highschool!) it's time to buckle up and get ready for the ride. Homework, competition, peer pressure, bullying, gossip, texting and yes, even sexting...it's all happening to kids all over America and what else can we do but be there for them as best we can.

Of course there's good stuff too! There's that incredible day when you realize that they can read! Add! Multiply! And understand things you never really quite understood in school. They're learning languages you never knew! They're playing sports you never tried! They're showing talents you never knew they had.

We here to cheer them on! We're here at every milestone (or at least we try!). We're here.... and they know we are. And that's something they don't need to learn in school.

Here's to the Class of 2010, Auntie. And here's to you for the best lesson on love and family!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS Are you on Facebook? If you are, make sure to Friend you nieces and nephews so you can keep a healthy eye on them. And don't forget to become a Fan of Savvy Auntie! There's more there! http://facebook.com/savvyauntie

August 23, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Wow! That was fast. Summer is closing and our nieces and nephews are getting ready to go back to school. I'll be on NBC's The 10! Show in Philadelphia on Tuesday with some of my favorite gift ideas for getting kids excited about getting back to the books. I'll update this column after the show so you can see the gifts Savvy Auntie Loves!

While we know that school is mainly to teach and develop kids' knowledge and skills, often an aunt can help develop and nurture their social skills and self-esteem. We all hear about the peer pressure and bullying that can go on even as early as kindergarten. And  their well-being throughout all this ranks high on our list of concerns.

That's why I can't be more proud to introduce Marlene Wallach as an Expert on SavvyAuntie.com. Not only is Marlene the President and Owner of Wilhelmina Kids and Teens- the modeling agency, (you may have caught her on an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey) she's also the founder of JustAskMarlene.com and the author of several books on beauty, self-esteem, fashion & style and health & fitness for girls.

Marlene noticed that even the most beautiful girls, like the ones she meets at her modeling agency, have issues with self-esteem. She wants to help give girls the tools they need to stand up straight and feel fabulous.

Marlene is a Savvy Auntie herself, and is all-too-familiar with giving all she can to her family.

You can find Marlene's premier article here: 10 Back-to-School Tips: Words of Wisdom!

There are other Back-To-School articles as well, including a way to celebrate with our nieces and nephews, one on how to help get them organized, as well as get them ready for college!

We wish your nieces and nephews the very best on their return to school. May they learn, love and laugh!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Do you have your own tips for back-to-school, Auntie? Why not start a Forum or post your best tips to the Auntiepedia! We'd love to hear your Savvy, Aunie!

August 16, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Let them play, says Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at Berkeley and the author of “The Philosophical Baby" in today's New York Times.  Babies are smarter that we give them credit for, she says. And after examining numerous studies on the subject, she concludes that "...what children observe most closely, explore most obsessively and imagine most vividly are the people around them. There are no perfect toys; there is no magic formula. Parents and other caregivers teach young children by paying attention and interacting with them naturally and, most of all, by just allowing them to play."

You mean all those developmental toys and DVDs I buy them aren't bad for them, but just maybe unnecessary?

You mean I can just be me and let my baby niece or nephew observe me doing whatever it is I do when I'm around them and pick stuff up naturally?

You mean babies use their imaginations to develop their brains?

Well, you've come a long way, baby. Or perhaps we have, Auntie.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Do you agree with Alison Gopnik? Disagree? Join this Savvy Auntie Forum conversation on the subject.

August 9, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I turned 40 this year, which is a pretty significant birthday for any woman. For a woman without children who always wanted children, it's a particularly significant year. The count-down is on, as they say.

And yet, I'm happy. Frankly, I'm happier than I have ever been.

For women in America, there's a race that begins at age 35 to get married and have children by the time the clock strikes 40. When you reveal your age during those five years, people immediately calculate your fertile years in their heads and often respond to a question never asked: "You can still have a child on your own!" And that's often followed by the name of someone's neighbor's cousin who is happily enjoying her new baby with seemingly no challenges.

Thanks. But I'm happy.

Which isn't to say I have given up or am carefree about it all.

I'm happy. I realized after 'losing' the race and wasn't sad that perhaps it wasn't my race to win, after all. Finding myself living to my potential despite what I had planned for myself since my Barbie met Ken, made me understand that happiness is internal. Happiness isn't created by resisting a path you have chosen - even if you have 'no idea' how you got there. Happiness happens when you surrender to the life before you. And by surrender I don't mean give up. I mean by being aware of it. By embracing it. Loving it. Living it.

By spending even a moment regretting choices I have made, or not made, that may have put me in a position to be a wife and mother, would be a waste of time. Clearly I chose to wait for a love. The right love.

Clearly I chose the path I am on right now. I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am proud of being an aunt who loves her nephew and nieces -as you can all imagine - the way only an Auntie can. I am proud of Savvy Auntie. I am proud of the friends I have chosen to be in my life. I am proud of myself.

And that.... all of that... make me happy.

I hope that whatever path you choose, Auntie, gives you the happiness you deserve. And if you are not sure if you are happy... then take one step today to bring you closer to living life to your potential. Happiness is within. It's your own happiness. Discover it.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Watch my interview with Ariane de Bonvoisin and First30Days.com for how launching my company helped me find my own happiness. Video - in three parts.

 

August 2, 2009

Dear Savvy Auntie,

In Peggy Ornstein's latest column in The New York Times Magazine, entited "Wonder Girl," she debates her six year old daugher's desire for a  Wonder Woman costume for her birthday. Peggy Ornstein has never been a big fan of the "Princess" culture and decides that a superhero is a much better fantasy for a little girl than Sleeping Beauty - despite the sexy overtures of Wonder Woman.

It got me thinking: Do we empower our nieces with the ability to save others? Or do we let them engage in the fantasy that our "prince" will save us one day? Is there a reason why there are so many more male superheroes than female? And many more princesses than princes?

When I was six, I wanted to be Veronica. Actually, I wanted to be Betty, but as a brunette, I didnt think I had much of a choice. And now, Archie is about to propose to Veronica. The princess gets her prince. So why does it dissapoint me? Is Archie her true love? Or is he Betty's?

I watched superhero cartoons as a child. I went to see my share of Disney Princess movies. I read The Archie Comics. And frankly, I played with Barbies. All. The. Time.

And here I am. The CEO of a company I founded. I have not yet found my Superman, but I know he's out there. And I'm not unhappy to be single. I am proud of my life and my accomplishments. And the only thing worse than being alone, is wishing you were.

And so I realize that the most effective rolemodel I can be is a Wonder Auntie to my nieces. I'll do my best to catch them if they call and find ways to inspire them to live their best lives and make fulfilling choices.

I'm an Aunt. And I wear my crown proudly.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS For insight into me and my company, read my blog at Blog.SavvyAuntie.com

July 27, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Sunday, July 26th, was Savvy Auntie's Day - the first day of it's kind to celebrate all the cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love the children (and adult children) in their lives.

It was just this past spring that we decided to develop the "Day" and we couldn't believe the response from you and from our sponsors. Our sponsors provided us with the means to reach more aunts and the people who love them. And for that, they deserve a "Thank you."

1-800-FLOWERS
BareNecessities.com
pingg.com
Vivre.com
WendyCulpepper.com
Sabra

I spent Savvy Auntie's Day with my nephew and nieces and when one niece handed me a flower to wear in my hair, I knew I was about to have the best first Savvy Auntie's Day ever. I'm very fortunate to be loved and appreciated by my family and friends. I hope you have the same experience.

Here's to next year's Savvy Auntie's Day. In 2010 it will be bigger and better than ever. That I know for sure.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS There are active conversations on our Facebook Page! Join us at http://Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie

July 19, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The day is almost here! Sunday, July 26th is Savvy Auntie's Day!

We're planning on a number of fabulous things to help you celebrate!  First, we've got an entire section of SavvyAuntie.com dedicated to information on the day.

Next, we're planing on some fantastic giveaways taking place exclusively at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie. There will be a few surprises on our Facebook Page as well!

And we keep adding your Savvy Auntie's Day blog posts to our list of favorites!

Plus, I'll be appearing on NBC's The 10! Show in Philadelphia with fabulous gift ideas to help spoil the Savvy Auntie on Tuesday, July 21 at 11AM. (We'll be sure to share the ideas with you after the show!)

So what will YOU be doing to celebrate, Savvy Auntie? Even if you can't see your nieces or nephews or godchildren on Savvy Auntie's Day, be sure to take some time to appreciate everything do and everything you are to the children in your life. You deserve it Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Have you see the Savvy Auntie's Day video yet? Watch it here! http://youtube.com/SavvyAuntie

And more! We love our Savvy Auntie's Day sponsors! Check them out here!

July 12, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

As you know, July 26th is Savvy Auntie's Day! And we're asking you to help us celebrate - and yes, spread the word!!

If you're a Savvy Auntie (or love one), please blog about what Savvy Auntie's Day means to you, and we'll link back to your post from SavvyAuntie.com! That's right, we'll create a page full of our member and visitors' blog posts and link back to your blog or website!

Tell us how you plan to celebrate the day! Or what the Savvy Auntie in your life - or your child's life - means to you! And don't forget to link back here so that all your readers can learn about and celebrate Savvy Auntie's Day too!

All you have to do is let us know at Editor@SavvyAuntie.com before July 26th! And remember to link back here!

Who knows? Your blog post may end up on the SavvyAuntie.com homepage!

Want to know more about Savvy Auntie's Day? Here you go! There's plenty of inspiration there for your blog post too!

And don't forget to get the party going, Savvy Auntie! Savvy Auntie's Day is July 26th - and YOU deserve it!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - There's always lots going on our Facebook Page - Become a Fan and join the conversation at Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie!

July 5, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

SavvyAuntie.com celebrates its first anniversary on Thursday, July 9th!  I can't believe a year has passed since the day this fabulous community came into being!

I'd like to take this time to thank all the people who have given me advice, time, and support - as well as all our sponsors and partners.

I'd also like to thank all the friends, parents and nieces and nephews who have referred the Savvy Auntie in their lives to visit us here. And to you -Savvy Aunties - thank you for sharing your savvy with the rest of us.

On Sunday, July 26th, we will celebrate the first -ever Savvy Auntie's Day. Finally - a day for all the cool aunts, great aunts, godmothers and all women who love the kids in their lives. This day, this online community, and this dream.... are all my gift to you.

I salute you - Savvy Aunties! And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

For more information on how I started this company, read my blog - blog.savvyauntie.com.

June 28, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I am excited to announce that July 26th is Savvy Auntie's Day.  Since I launched SavvyAuntie.com, I had been approached by many aunts - and the people who love them - to launch a national day for aunts. Around Mother's Day this past May, the requests were coming in faster than I could respond. Moms wanted a day to honor their sisters. Aunts wanted a day to feel acknowledged for their efforts.

We did some research, and it seems there is a little history of an aunts and uncles day on July 26th in years past. Since this year it comes out on a Sunday, we decided July 26th was the perfect day for Savvy Auntie's Day.

So what is Savvy Auntie's Day? Well, like Mother's Day and Father's Day, it's a day to honor Aunts and Godmother's for all they do. It's also a day for a Savvy Auntie to treat herself well and acknowledge herself for all that she does for the kids in her live.

We've create an entirely new section for Savvy Auntie's Day, with a number of ways to celebrate. You can also find that content directly at http://SavvyAuntiesDay.com. We've even designed badges you can publish on your website or blog.

Over the next month, we'll keep adding content and some prizes and other savvy ideas. So stay tuned!  Some activities will take place exclusively at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie on our on Facebook Fan Page http://facebook.com/SavvyAuntie, so be sure to Follow and Join us there!

Finally - there' a day to celebrate YOU. Congratulations, Savvy Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Det. Grace Hanadarko is a Savvy Auntie! She's the lead character played by Academy Award winner Holly Hunter in TNT's Saving Grace on Tuesday nights, 10/9c. Be sure to join the conversation with Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie this Tuesday night at 10 EDT - live during the show!  It's sponsored by TNT - and we're giving away prizes during our live-Tweeting event!

June 21, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

You've heard about Twitter by now, if you're not already Twittering. I've been a member (and fan!) of Twitter since August 20, 2007 - and I can't believe how it's helped me connect with other Savvy Aunties, moms, dads... and people who are able to help move SavvyAuntie.com forward.

Currently, I am coming up on 10,000 Followers on Twitter. That means that 10,000 people are able to connect with me as I share my thoughts on Savvy Auntie and other relevant topics and ideas. And I connect with many of my Followers, learning and discovering, daily. Twitter is truly like a window on the world.

Last week, I attended the 140 Characters Conference in New York City. 140 characters is the character limit in each Tweet - and the conference attracted Twitter "characters" that are familiar to many both on and offline. Presenters at the conference included Ann Curry, Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, Jeffrey Hayzlett, the CMO of Kodak, Wayclef Jean and Diane Birch - musicians, and many others. They all value Twitter to connect with their consumers, fans and the general public.

As you can see, people from all walks of life connect on Twitter. It's inspiring to see how CEOs and consumers connect, how news anchors reach new audiences and how musicians can share their music with fans, in an instant.

Twitter has been a wonderful experience for me too. For example, on the day I launched Savvy Auntie nearly a year ago (July 9, 2008), Savvy Auntie was the most Tweeted word. The support was so inspiring, and continues to be. I have the greatest community of Followers and friends on Twitter!

I'm not the only one who appreciates my Following. TNT asked me to live-Tweet Saving Grace, the hour-long drama starring Holly Hunter, to reach like-minded women who watch the show. Live-Tweeting means to tweet during the show, about the show. TNT thought it was a good match since Det. Grace Hanadarko is Savvy Auntie who does her best to be a good aunt to her nephew, Clay. We started the conversation, sponsored by TNT, last Tuesday and will continue through all eight episodes this season on Tuesdays at 10PM EDT. If you plan to join the conversation, please end each Tweet with #SavingGrace. That way, we know you're there!

So, if you're already on Twitter, please follow me at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie. Be sure to tweet a hello and tell me you're a Savvy Auntie too! If you're not on Twitter, please consider joining. It's free and once you get going and connect with like-minded people, you'll become a fan just like me.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - We're on Facebook too! Join us at  Facebook.com/SavvyAuntie!

June 14, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

On Sunday, June 21, we'll celebrate Father's Day. For many families, it's a wondrerful day for dads to spend with their kids...BBQs and baseball in the backyard.

Divorced and separated dads can usually claim this day to spend with their kids, even when it may be an 'off' weekend. That's good news for their sisters, the kids' Savvy Auntie, who can help her brother celebrate with a little extra help and support.

As I was working on the development of SavvyAuntie.com, I'd meet and speak with many aunts, each one with a very special story. When I asked one to tell me more about her toddler niece, she revealed that she didn't get to see her much since her brother and her niece's mom were going through a bitter divorce. Every minute her brother had with her niece, he wanted to spend it alone with her.

While the aunt understood her brother's wish to spend valuable time bonding with his daughter, the aunt couldn't help but feel shut out and sad, missing the niece she had loved from the moment she met her. Of course, this aunt is not alone. There are many aunts to kids with divorced parents. Situations where the dad has shorter-term custody can impede on the aunt's time spent with the children.

So to all you Savvy Aunties out there who will be celebrating Father's Day with a divorced brother and his kids - your nieces and nephews  - we salute your devotion to and love for your family. And we understand it can't be easy not to see them as often as you'd like.

We wish your brother a Happy Father's Day and we hope you get to see your nieces and nephews on that special family day.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: We hope your brother will have the kids celebrate with you on YOUR day, Savvy Auntie! Savvy Auntie's Day is July 26th! More details to come soon!

June 7, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

On June 12, 2008, I woke up an "auntrepreneur." It was exactly two years ago this week that I was inspired to design the first online community for aunts, godmothers and all women who loves kids. At the time, I couldn't find any modern resources for the cosmopolitan aunt. So, I set out to create a resource and community for us.

Just about a year later, on July 9, 2008, SavvyAuntie.com launched. I chronicalled the story of how I started my company in my blog - Blog.SavvyAuntie.com. You can find the very first post, where I talk about the day I decided to start this company, here.

I can't thank you and the hundreds of thousands of Savvy Aunties who have visited SavvyAuntie.com enough for encouraging and supporting this community. I'd also like to acknowledge our incredible sponsors since we launched, including Hasbro, Warner Brothers, Disney, Yoplait Kids, and our latest sponsor, Turner Networks.

Do you have a company you are thinking about starting? Does this recession have you rethinking your career? It's never to late to begin living life to your fullest potential. Take it from one who did.

Exactly two years ago this week.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Save the Date! Savvy Auntie's Day is July 26th! More details to come!

May 31, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I am the first one to say that I want children. I'm 40 and single and frankly no where near having a child with anyone any time soon. But I want children. I always have.

Still, I don't measure myself and my worth by whether or not I am a mom. I try to be a Savvy Auntie and give all my discretionary love and more to my nephew and nieces and all the children in my life.

In today's Parade Magazine, Cameron Diaz is featured on the cover and in an interview inside. Because of her age (36), the article seems to put her on the defensive about her non-mother status. In turn, she reflects about her pride as an aunt.

On July 26, 2009, we will all celebrate Savvy Auntie's Day - the first day of it's kind to celebrate not only you and your aunts, but the idea that aunt-hood should be celebrated. It's a day for women without children, for any reason, including by choice, to celebrate themselves and all they contribute to raising the children in our collective villages.

So here's to you, Auntie Cameron. We celebrate you! We stand with you. And if one day you are caught showing a Hollywood baby-bump, we'll cheer you on again then too.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Details for Savvy Auntie's Day are coming soon! In the meantime, please share what you'd like to see happen on that day in the Auntiepedia section!

May 24, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I am writing this during Memorial Day Weekend.... a time to think about those who sacrificed their lives for our country.... many of them nephews or nieces to an aunt who loved them dearly.

Memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer for many, with family BBQs, beach houses and lazy walks by the river. It's about ice cream and popsicles, the fresh catch and fresh veggies.

For many of us, it means longer days and more time to spend with our nieces and nephews. We've published our favorite beach reads for kids, along with some safety tips for the pool to help you start the season off right!  We know you're a responsible Savvy Auntie and we want to help you keep developing and nurturing your nieces and nephews, as well as keep them out of danger.

But summer is also about fun and activities! We invite you to share your favorite summer activities with us. Simply Register or Log In as a member, go to the Savvy Auntie Activities section, and click on the pink SUBMIT YOUR ACTIVITY button. It's easy to add your favorite activity ideas! We may even post yours on the Savvy Auntie homepage in the coming weeks!

Have fun this summer, Auntie! And help us all out by sharing your savviest ideas with us!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Save the Date! Savvy Aunties Day is July 26th! Tell us what YOU want to have happen on that day, and we'll add it to our action plan!

May 17, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I can’t believe the amount of emails and tweets I received over the last month, from nieces, nephews, moms, dads, aunts and uncles, for there to be an Aunts Day.  And they were all looking for me to establish it. 

Well a few Google results later, and it seems Aunt's Day is July 26th… but it hasn’t really been heralded with any great tradition or promotion.

Until now!

Let’s decree July 26, 2009, Savvy Auntie Day! That’s right, we have a day!

So what’s Savvy Auntie Day? Let’s decide together! 

I’ve started an Auntiepedia topic called Savvy Auntie Day. Simple put all your ideas of what should happen on that day there, and in two weeks, on June 1st, I’ll put all the ideas together as the plan of action!

Is Savvy Auntie Day like Mother’s Day for Aunts? Should we plan to spend time with our nieces and nephews on that day? Will you spend it with your favorite Savvy Auntie? Is it a day for others to recognize our contributions to the family? Will you write a special blog that day? Tweet a Happy Savvy Auntie Day to your aunt? Your aunt friends?

What would YOU like to see on Savvy Auntie Day?

We want to know!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, Savvy Auntie.com

PS - Please use the Auntiepedia section for areas of Auntie expertise we're missing! Start a topic of your choice if you're really an expert at something! Are you savvy about Hannah Montana? Are you a Trekkie? Is soccer your sport? Share what you know so that we can all be Savvy Aunties!

May 10, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

When I first developed Savvy Auntie, it was primarily for women like me - PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids. Nearly 50% of women do not have children, and yet we all have a child in our life whom we love and adore, whether it be a niece or nephew by relation, by choice, a godchild, a little cousin, a neighbor, etc.

But when I was doing informal research for my company and since I launched SavvyAuntie.com exactly 10 months ago, I have come across many women whom I call Mommy-Aunties.

Mommy-Aunties are Savvy Aunties, and also moms. One category of Mommy-Aunties are women who had children and then became aunts as well and have a special relationship with those kids. But there is also a segment of women who have been aunts for years, sometimes over a decade, and then became moms too. Because their nieces and nephews were so instrumental in their lives for so long, even the advent of their own child can't dilute the love they have for their "first" kids.

After all, our nieces and nephews often prepare us for what it might be like to be a mom. For some aunts, it's the first time they've held an infant, taught the ABCs, or soothed a child bullied at school. For others, it's much closer to motherhood. Parents divorce, and the dad's sister becomes like a second mom to her niece or nephew. Or parents are together, but irresponsible and Auntie is there to pick up the pieces. And I've heard a few stories of an aunt becoming a mom when her sister goes into jail and leaves her children behind, sadly.

I've had letters sent to me from grown men and woman who have praised their aunt for 'saving their life.' Some aunts are more like moms then aunts to their nieces and nephews, even when they have moms.

I honor all the moms out there who share the love of their children with their sisters, sisters-in-law, friends, cousins, neighboors, etc. And I specifically honor all the Mommy-Aunties out there - many of whom share their love with their children and others' children. And to the aunts out there who are considered 'moms' to their nieces and nephews, sometimes now even grown, I salute you.

It takes a village to raise a child. And women, moms, aunts, and Mommy-Aunties are all honoroed today, Mother's Day. And every day.

Do you have an aunt who was like a mom to you? Share her story in Aunthology - the Savvy Auntie member-submitted collection of stories about aunt-hood.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

May 3, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I need a date. I mean I don't "need" a date. But I'd like a date. A date with a guy I actually want to be on a date with. A good date. A datey date. A date with a great guy and a nice glass of wine.

Is that so crazy?  Ok, it's not crazy.

But then why haven't I had a date in months? And by months I mean MONTHS!  Six months!

And it's not like I couldn't have had a date. I have had offers. And I've said no.

I've said NO!

So what's wrong with me?

Being an "auntrepreneur," I am more selective now in how I spend my time. Do I really want to go on a blind date that really doesn't sound appealing just to say I've been on a date? No. Do I want to go out with someone I've met but see no possibilities with? No.

Some say: "You never know!" But I know. And it's no.

Maybe it's not me. Maybe it's the economy.

Perhaps dating in New York has fallen victim to the recession. The Wall Street guys I used to meet... where are they? Hibernating until their bad press is done? Until they get another job? Until they lose the 10lbs they gained in their own recession depression?

Or maybe it is me. Maybe at 40, I've learned that every minute is valuable. Every hour precious. And I don't want to waste it on a mediocre date.

Or maybe, I just haven't met anyone I've really wanted to go on a date with.

Am I picky? Yep. As I once told my nieces when they inquired why I don't have a husband: "Whomever I marry will be your uncle, so he's got to be very special!"

Ironically, I've never been happier, looked better or felt better.  And maybe that's why I don't bother going on dates with men I don't think feel the same about themselves.

But I know that great date... he's coming. He's around the corner. He's on his way....

Better go get ready.  Hmmm what should I wear?

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Are you in a dating recession too? Start or join a Savvy Auntie Forum and share your stories or advice. You're not the only one!

April 26, 2009

Dear Savvy Auntie,

April showers take on a whole new meaning when speaking of Baby Showers. Sure, getting together to celebrate the soon-to-be-motherhood of your sister, sister in law, cousin, best friend or close friend can be a joyous occasion.

The first time.

But after what seems like the hundredth baby shower you've been too in the last year, it can get tiresome, expensive, and for some, depressing.

This week, we feature some great Savvy Auntie style baby shower ideas if you're the one throwing the next one. And of course, there's nothing you wouldn't do to celebrate the upcoming birth of your first, second or umpteenth niece or nephew (maybe it's twins!)  And our Gifts section has great gift ideas "Just for Baby." (Go to Savvy Search > Category > Just for Baby)

But what if attending a baby shower is the last thing you want to do on a sunny Sunday in May? And that's not only because your honey wants to take you on a bike trip down by the river. What if you don't want to attend another baby shower because of the economy? Or you have no idea when you're going to be able to have your own baby and being at a baby shower makes you sad?

It doesn't mean you're a baby shower scrooge. Or not a good friend. It just means you have valid budget concerns or feelings. If you really feel like you cannot attend a baby shower due to finances (after all, the point of a baby shower is to 'shower' the mom-to-be with gifts for the baby's arrival), then share that with the mom-to-be or the organizers. Perhaps there is a group-gift you can give a very small portion to. Or, consider making a homemade gift, like an album of photos of you and the mom-to-be from when you were kids for the baby to have. Finally, you can offer to be the shower videographer and give the 'movie-version' of the shower to the mom-to-be as your gift to her.

If you cannot attend due to personal feelings, then depending on how close you are to the mom-to-be, you can share that with her privately, or share it with the organizers. True friends will understand. Still, your presence will be missed, so try to at least show up for a short while and consider giving yourself a reward for having the courage to do so.

The baby shower blues are more common that we think. But the joy of a new niece or nephew is one of the most powerful and most joyful feelings of all.

To you, dear Savvy Auntie, I shower my wishes for love from all your nieces and nephews - and those soon-to-be.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: SavvyAuntie.com is nominated for a Webby Award for Best Family/Parenting Website! We're in the same category as Disney's Family.com, WebMD/Parenting and more!  The Webbys honor the best of the best on the web, and we're proud to be in such great company!

Savvy Auntie fans can vote in the People's Voice portion of the Webby Awards by registering here: http://pv.webbyawards.com/   Then choose the "Website" category and scroll down to the "Living" category and then finally "Family/Parenting" and vote! The People's Voice portion of The Webby Awards ends on Thursday, April 30th, so vote today! Thank you!

SavvyAuntie.com is proud to welcome its latest sponsor, Yoplait Kids.

April 19, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Last week, I received really exciting news! We've been nominated for a Webby Award - the highest honor in the internet industry! We're up for best Family/Parenting site, along with Disney's Family.com, WebMD/Parenting, Kaboose and Momversations.

First, for the Webby Awards to honor SavvyAuntie.com among the best in the industry, is remarkable. But the fact that this community of Savvy Aunties is also recognized as part of the "family," to such a degree that is in the same class as the best 'parenting' sites on the internet, is really amazing.

Savvy Aunties - you've made it! You're getting the support and respect you so deserve as an important part of the family and a wonderful influence on the lives of your nieces, nephews, godchildren and friends' kids.

So congratulations! At nearly 50% of the American population of women, PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids, are getting noticed and getting honored!

The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein. And we'll find out on May 5th if we've won!

In the meantime, you can show your pride by voting in the People's Voice portion of the Webby Awards. Go to http://savvyauntie.com/l/webby to register with The Webby Awards, and then go to Websites > Living > Family/Parenting (sorry, there is no direct link) and vote for us! You have until April 30th, so please vote today!

You can also show your support by joining our Facebook Group for the nomination excitement! When you join the Group, your friends will see it and perhaps you'll inspire them to vote for us too!

Here's to you, Savvy Auntie! Congratulations! We're officially part of the family!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

April 12, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I developed SavvyAuntie.com for the other 50% of American women who are not moms. There's so much focus and attention, not to mention advice and support for moms... but until now, there's been very little designed for the rest of us who love the children in out lives. (By the way, Mommy Aunties are more than welcome! We value your point of view and  this is an inclusionary community of course!)

Some Savvy Aunties choose not to have kids. Some are unable. And some just aren't there yet. But more and more, I hear of PANKs (Professional Aunts No Kids) who do want children, and as they get older without a mate, are finding themselves with tough questions and tougher choices to make.

That's why this week, we are launching a new column entitled: "I Want My Own Kids." There, Savvy Aunties will find useful information about fertility. I always envisioned Savvy Auntie to be a safe place for women who want children, may not yet have a mate, and are thinking about their fertility in their 30s and 40s and want answers and support.

So please go ahead and read our very first article by Fertilityties.com fertility expert, Dr. Rudy Quintero. You may also like to start or participate in a Savvy Auntie Forum on the topic.

Please remember, there is no judgment here. It's about loving the children in our lives: our nieces and nephews, our friends' children, and our own kids, present and the possibility for one day...

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - I wrote about my own concerns with not yet having children in the New York Times. You may be interested in my post there, which seems to have struck a chord.

April 5, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

April is Autism Awareness Month. While I personally do not have nieces, nephews or close friends' kids with autism, I do know many aunts who are in that situation.

When I was developing SavvyAuntie.com, I knew that we needed a category in the Expertise section for aunts of children with Special Needs,  within which falls autism. There are many resources available for parents, even grandparents, on how to cope as well as support and develop children with autism. But I never found anything for aunts.

I am proud that we continually address ways for aunts to connect better with their autistic nieces and nephews by relation and by choice, as well as their parents who greatly need our support. We even have a way to filter Gifts for kids with Special Needs. (Go to Gifts. In the Savvy Search filter, choose Category > Toys > Special Needs) That way, we are giving them the very best gifts for their development.

This month, we're beefing up our Special Needs content as it relates to autism, so that there is a consistent presence on the homepage to help bring more awareness to the cause of autism. Aunts of these Special Needs are well-aware of autism. But I am determined to increase awareness around the support aunts need when coping with autism in the children they love. Aunts are an important and vital part of their development. And we honor and support you.

I am aware. And I appreciate you. We all do.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Are you an Aunt of an autistic child? Would you like to be a Guest Expert on SavvyAuntie.com? Email me at Editor@savvyauntie.com. Alternatively, start a Forum post. We want to hear from you!

March 29, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The spring holidays are around the corner and that means time to help your young nieces and nephews enjoy all the holidays have to offer. Sure, that often means we'll give them a chocolate bunny or Passover candy, or perhaps even a plush rabbit or 'afikoman' present when your Jewish nieces or nephews find the hidden matzah at the end of the Passover seder. But often enough, it's not that easy. Especially when your point of view on religion is different from other family members.

For families who are more traditional, the holidays are often a time to talk about religion, culture, and history. Non-religious families find time to spend together eating recipes brought down generation to generation. Often, at the very least, there's a phone call where the kids share what they learned in school about the holidays, or what they plan to do to celebrate.

But what happens when you are not as comfortable with the traditions and the religious aspects of the holidays as the parents of your nieces and nephews are? Or what if you are more observant, but the parents do little to instill tradition in their children?  When you're an LDA (Long Distance Auntie), it might be easier to swallow. But when you are together for the holidays, how do you cope?

The holidays should be a time when family and friends come together to celebrate what binds us. If there are things that pull us apart, we should do our best to avoid those situations. When the children are older and have questions, they'll know to come to us. In the meantime, try to go along for the ride.

Sometimes it's harder to hide our feelings than an Easter Egg or a Passover Matzah. Still, making sure there is peace in home, especially over the holidays, is probably what's best. And if that doesn't work, crack open a chocolate bunny. Or bite into a Passover jelly. After all, that's what seems to make the kids happy. And in the end, that's what's important. IMHO.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - We've put together a list of our 5 favorite books for Passover! They're right here!

March 22, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Have you heard about the great 'princess' debate? Perhaps you've indulged your little niece in a little princess fairy dust (e.g. costumes, books, dolls, etc) and her mom has balked, saying that she didn't want her little girl to aspire to be a princess? Or that fairytales are not reality? Or perhaps you feel that way yourself and refuse to partake in any princess rituals, no matter how much your niece tries to convince you of it's royal enjoyment.

Then along came Nancy. Fancy Nancy that is. If you have a niece ages 4-8, you've probably heard about Fancy Nancy, her Posh Puppy and her Bonjour Butterfly - all based on a wildly popular books series by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (And if you haven't heard about Fancy Nancy, there's no better time like the present to introduce her to your niece!)

Nancy is a little girl who just loves being fancy. Her favorite color is fushia (which is a fancy name for purple). And she loves dressing up all fancy, even to go to the local fast food place for dinner with her patient family. Naturally, Nancy sees some obstacles in being fancy all the time....and little girls learn lessons in putting the most important things first.

Little girls love participating in the Fancy Nancy brand by getting dressed up to read the books, or getting together for a Fancy Nancy party. (We've published some Fancy Nancy party ideas here). I've even learned that calling a box of ribbons and shiny papers a "Fancy Nancy" box of arts and crafts supplies, seems to make crafting a whole lot more fun for my nieces.

So if there's a kibosh on princess, perhaps try fancy. Or play with both ideas. After all, in the end, it should just always about imaginative play, reading together and having fun. But remember, it's always the parents' choice.

Big Fancy News! The long-awaited fourth Fancy Nancy book in the series is coming out on March 31st! It's called Explorer Extraordinaire. You can find it here!


XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

By the way, I personally wanted to be a princess when I was a little girl. I also wanted to be in advertising a very young age. I believe I knew how to separate reality from fantasy, although I admit I might still be looking for my Prince Charming.

March 16, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Spring means going green!

This week is St. Patrick's Day and we've put together a selection of party activities and books to share with your young nieces and nephews!

We've also put together 10 Great Spring Activities so you can begin to shed those coats and enjoy the weather with your nieces and nephews!

And since it's getting warmer out, you may want to take that first bike ride. Be sure to remember it's Brain Trauma Awareness Month, and what that means to biking safely with your nieces and nephews of any age.Read more here.

Finally, the economy is shaking up how we look to spend our green - money that is. Some Savvy Aunties are investing the economy by greening-up their homes. Here are some finance tips for spending or saving this season.

How ever you decide to go green this month, be sure to share your ideas with us too. Add a comment to the articles, or post a Forum to share your tips!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

March 8, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

In most parts of the country, we turned the clocks ahead one hour this weekend, a sure sign that spring is on it's way. And over here at Savvy Auntie HQ, we're gearing up with Expertise content, Activities and Gift ideas that will help you be the Savvy Aunties you want to be around St Patrick's Day, Easter, Passover, Earth Day and Autism Awareness Month in April.

Meanwhile, the article I wrote in nytimes.com received enormous support from readers, Savvy Aunties and others who, aside from commenting directly below the article, sent in letters and Tweeted appreciation via Twitter. Even my book agent was excited by the response and we are thinking about a compilation of stories on Aunt-hood that we call Aunthology.

The Aunthology section in SavvyAuntie.com is meant for you to share your stories about being an aunt, your aunt, a woman who is not your mother who has had a great impact on your life, or just a day-in-the-life of being a Savvy Auntie. As the collection of stories grows, we'll begin to look into options for this book! Imagine - a book for aunts and about aunts just like us and those who inspire us.

In the meantime, the weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and it's time to get ready for spring. Thanks for being here as the seasons change and our journey as Savvy Aunties continues...

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Our Facebook Savvy Auntie Fan Page is all new! Check it out and join us there!

March 1, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This was a big week for me. I was asked by Lisa Belkin, contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she writes frequently about family life, to guest post on her The Motherlode blog on nytimes.com. Not only was it a huge honor for me that she shared her platform, but that she also gave me reign over what to say. Lisa 's blog post is entitled: It Takes An Aunt To Raise a Child and my sub-title is: With Love From The Aunt.

The full post can be found here: http://www.savvyauntie.com/l/NYT0226

The best part about the entire process for me has been the comments left by readers, the Tweets sent to me by those on Twitter.com, the comments on Facebook, and the letters that have poured in to my inbox. Remarkably, all were very positive.

I encourage you to read the post and add your comments there if you like. Or, start or join a Forum here on SavvyAuntie.com if you have more that you want to say, share and get feedback on.

I opened the discussion... I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

February 22, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This past week was Toy Fair 2009 at Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Hundreds of large and small toy companies gathered to showcase their hottest selection of toys for 2009. And we got the behind-the-scenes scoop to share with you!

Some toys are so hush hush, we're not allowed to show them to you yet!  And some are already on the shelves! Others are coming down the pike and will be here before you know it. But whenever the toys make their first appearances, we couldn't help but notice that the 2009 toy line up had some common themes.

First of all , it's a celebratory year, as brands we know and love are celebrating milestone anniversaries, like SpongeBob's 10th, The Simpson's 20th, Grease's 30th, Nerf's 40th and Barbie's 50th. Old favorites are back; get ready for the return of Disney's Snow White. And princesses are in waiting - Look out for The Princess and the Frog move premiere this holiday season.

Toys are going organic, getting online, and all are coming down in price to keep in line with the recession. Oversized toys have shrunk down to fit our wallets and many brands have gone back to basics, bringing back classic toys that are no risk fun.

Over the year, we'll keep 'stocking' our Gifts section with the hottest, latest and most exciting toys for 2009. Please don't forget to login and rate and comment on each toy if you are considering or have already purchased them.

My goal is to help keep you as cool as ever, Auntie. And over the next few days and weeks, as we review the hundreds of toys we've seen at Toy Fair, we'll share our favorites with you. Let the fun begin!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Know other Savvy Aunties who can use a few gift ideas? Tell them about our Savvy Auntie Community! It's yours to share.

February 15, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

This past week was Social Media Week in New York City, and it was a good reminder for me to share ways for you as Savvy Aunties to connect with each other and with your nieces and nephews on social networks like this one.

First of all, there are fantastic family social networks like Wee-Web.com and LilGrams.com that enable aunts and the rest of the family to connect and share what the babies and little kids are up to in a way that is safe, private and secure.  For the older kids, Facebook is a great way to stay in touch. Hopefully they have accepted or will accept your Friendship request and allow you to see what they are up to.

Of course, SavvyAuntie.com is the best way to connect and share with other Savvy Aunties just like you. We encourage you to Find Friends, Post Forums, Join Groups, Comment on articles and much more as described here.

However, there are many other ways to connect with Savvy Aunties and with me! I encourage you to join our Facebook Fan Page where we have new content and promotions specific to our Fans. And if you want a little more insight into me as Founder, please Follow me on Twitter - Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie.

In the coming months, we'll announce new ways you can connect with Savvy Auntie. In the meantime, we hope you'll keep connecting with each other here, on SavvyAuntie.com.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Have nieces and nephews already on Facebook? Answer our Savvy Auntie Poll on the homepage!

February 8, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I admit it. I'm the kind of aunt that gets pretty gushy over my nephews and nieces. I think I must say "I love you" about once every 10 minutes to each child every time I am with them. Granted, they're small and don't yet get embarrassed by their wildly affectionate Auntie. And yet I realize that with each "I love you" and hug and kiss, I know I am getting closer to the day they begin to say "Stop it, Auntie!"

But so far, so good. They don't seem to mind. In fact, they seem to love being loved. They run to me to say hello. And they run to me to say goodbye. "Watch me!" "Look what I did!" "Hold my hand!" "Come with me, I want to show you something..." and of course, my favorite: "Auntie Melanie, I love you."

Do they have any idea what telling me they love me does for me? Do they have any idea how much it means to me? Do they have any idea how much I adore them?

They probably won't until they have their own nieces and nephews one day. And then they'll realize that every day with their nieces and nephews is like Valentine's Day.

I hope this Valentine's Day, and every day, you find ways to share love with your nieces and nephews - even if you're not gushy about it like I am.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Thinking of ways to share the love this Valentine's Day? Check out these Children's Charities We Love.

Thanks to Sarah McLachlin and her song "Ice Cream" for my title.

February 1, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Sometimes, as Editor (and Founder) of SavvyAuntie.com, I get invited to some fun press events. Most of the invitations have an ulterior motive of course; there's a new product launch or new service that may be relevant to my readers, and by attending the event I'm more likely to tell you about it.

And sometimes, I'm invited to things that are completely irrelevant to you. The products and services are VERY mom-centric and really the whole point of Savvy Auntie has clearly been lost on the messenger.

And I'll be honest, when I received a media-alert from Fisher-Price announcing their new baby gear product line called Precious Planet, I was ready for it to be focused on how to 'make my life easier as a mom.' But it wasn't that at all. Sure, there are products in the line that are clearly things a parent is more likely to purchase, but many of the products are gifts a Savvy Auntie would be proud to give a new baby niece or nephew.

Moreover, the press event was attracting mainstream press - not only moms who blog about babygear. It was to be held at New York's Central Park Zoo, with a guest appearance by actor Maggie Gyllenhaal who would be there to help Fisher-Price donate $250,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The clincher - the PR team tried to get me an interview with Maggie (I wanted to know if Jake Gyllenhaal was a Savvy Uncle to Maggie's daughter Rowena!). Even though we were unsuccessful (that's just the way these things go), it wasn't because the Fisher-Price PR people didn't sincerely try.

When I got the zoo last Monday, it was a media circus. In a good way. Photographers and cameramen/women were lined up behind a rope to shoot photos and video of Maggie and it felt great. The flashbulbs went crazy with calls of: "Over here Maggie!" "To your left Maggie!" "Look to your right Maggie!" and our own Savvy Auntie TV producer from Ambush.TV was right there with them on our behalf!  And as I stood there smiling, I felt an emormous sense of pride, like it was our own coming-out event. Aunts are finally being recognized and communicated to by the leading toy and baby gear brands in America. We've made it, Aunties!

Here's a photo of Maggie taken by Tim Kress-Spatz from Ambush.TV. She's handing the $250,000 check to the Wildlife Conservation Society via Fisher-Price.



So cheers to you, my Auntie friends!  And cheers to you, Fisher-Price.Thanks for recognizing aunts as an important and influential segment of consumers for your products.

See some of Savvy Auntie's favorite Fisher-Price Precious Planet(TM) products in our Gifts section. Type in key word: Precious.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Savvy Auntie TV is launching soon. It's the first online streaming video designed just for Savvy Aunties and delivered straight to you. Stay tuned!

January 25, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a photo of a gorgeous young man in fatigues, a rifle over his shoulder and his head down, looking tired.  It was a BBC photojournalist's shot of an Israeli soldier in Gaza. Turns out, it was a photo of her nephew.

"What's an aunt supposed to do," my friend asked as she IMed me the link to his photo online. "How does an aunt deal with seeing her nephew in danger, and yet reconcile that with her pride as he is fighting terrorism?" It's one thing to know your 20 year old nephew is at war. It's quite another to see him in action.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, a Savvy Auntie member sent in a Dear Savvy Auntie question. Her nephew, an American soldier, was just shipped to Guantanamo, Cuba. What was she to do? How could she show her pride about her soldier nephew as an aunt? The same member also started a Forum thread, receiving informative and supportive posts from other Savvy Aunties.

From the time they are born, aunts want to help keep their nieces and nephews safe.  They hold their tiny hands as they cross the street. They buy them floaties for the pool.  They get them helmets for their first bike lesson, and smile with pride as a child finally pedals on her own. They help them park their new car in front of her house after just receiving their driving permit, praying that they remember to put on their seat belt when they leave.

As they grow up, it gets harder and harder for aunts to keep their nieces and nephews safe. Some young men and women are called up to service. And while not a parent, aunts are still madly in love with their now grown nieces and nephews in uniform and want no harm to come their way.

How is an aunt supposed to feel when she sees her nephew or niece at war?

I didn't know how to respond to my friend then. And I still don't.

But I did tear up when I saw his photo. Because I know he's a brother. A son. A nephew. A friend's nephew. And I want no harm to come his way.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

If you have a nephew or niece serving in our armed forces, we honor them and we honor you. We invite you to start a Savvy Auntie Group to share your experiences until they all return home, safely.

January 18, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

During the election process, there was lots of talk about "Family" and "Hockey Moms" and
"Soccer Moms" and I applaud and support all efforts to reach out and include what parents believe to be priorities for their families and for the families of this nation. These moms and dads are our nieces' and nephews' parents and we respect their decisions to keep their families safe and well.

But sometimes in America, we talk about Family as if there are no other people in this country other than those with children. The statistics say something else. The 2006 US Census Bureau Fertility Report shows that 45.1% of American women do not have children. And because these women are not included in the American vernacular of "Family"  they are sometimes left out of the national conversation altogether.

I have dubbed this segment of American women, "PANKs" - Professional Aunts No Kids.

Here's a blog post I wrote back in August when the 2006 US Census Bureau Fertility Report was published. It will give you a better sense as to the data and why it's important that we begin to be included in the national conversation when it comes to issues that concern us, like the economy, wages, health, and yes - even education. After all, we contribute a lot to the US economy. There aren't very many "Stay at Home Aunties," so the money we earn often goes straight back into the economy. Just like moms, we're buying cars, homes and electronics. And we're also investing in our nieces' and nephews' 529 college funds, and yes, buying them gifts. And we're traveling to see them and taking vacations that parents may not be able to afford because of both time and money.

PANKs contribute a lot to the US economy. And we are often the unsung heroes of the American Family as we lend a hand with our time and discretionary income - and love.

We have a voice. And I hope President-Elect Obama can hear us. I believe he will. I believe he does. I believe he can.

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want more Savvy Auntie? Become a member of our Fan Page on Facebook!

January 11, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

My baby is growing up - my company that is. I launched SavvyAuntie.com six months ago this week and I can't believe how far we've come.

Now if you know my story, you know how much it means to me to be able to offer the other 50% of American women who don't have kids, a place where we can all become Savvy Aunties. Of course Mommy-Aunties are a welcome part of the Savvy Auntie Community - we rely on your perspective as moms.

In just six months, SavvyAuntie.com has become the premier destination for ABRs (Aunts by Relation) ABCs (Aunts by Choice), godmothers, great aunts, and all women who love kids. I am overwhelmed by the response from Savvy Aunties and the media. In fact, we were recently named in Springwise.com's Top 10 List of Lifestyle and Leisure Ideas (not just websites!) for 2008!

We've got some pretty exciting things coming up for Savvy Auntie for our second "6 months" and I cannot wait to share them with you soon.

In the meantime, if you want to get to know me better, read my blog -where I share the story of how I started the company of my dreams, and watch me on FoxNews.com/StrategyRoom - an online streaming news show - where you can often find me as part of the panel from 12-1PM EST.

Thanks for all your support so far and here's to the next 6 months!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - We're celebrating our first 6 months with fun stuff on our Facebook Fan Page! Join us there!

January 4, 2009

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The new year is often filled with promise and optimism. This is the year we'll get in shape. Find love. Have a child. Change our career.

But this year, with all the negativity around the economy, it's tougher for some to get the boost they need to start the year off right.

How can you lose weight when you can't afford a gym membership? Or how can you find love when you can't afford the online dating site memberships or single's events. Or a cute new dress to make you feel good about yourself when you do get that date. Having a child on your own? Impossible when your job is on the line. And the luxury of changing your career this year? Not even an option. You just feel happy to have the job you have. After all, a couple of your friends are out of work, so who are you to compromise your job?

To all that I say, enough!  Sure, don't spend money that doesn't need to be spent. Don't buy a latte when you can brew coffee at home. Don't spend money on lunch when you can brown bag it. Don't put money on a credit card you can't pay off at the end of the month.

But do have hope. Do forge ahead. Do make plans. Can't afford the gym? Park 10 blocks away from the office and walk the rest of the way. Ask friends to set you up and wear what you feel good in, even if it's from a couple of years ago. Changes are, he's looking at your winning smile, not your dress. Thinking about having a child on your own? Put all the pieces in place. It will take more than a year and we all expect the economy to look better at that point. If you want to change your career, start planning that now. By the time you get there, your friends will have found a new job and you'll all be happy.

Don't let the negativity of the economy get you down. Create your own energy to establish your own happiness. Find the beauty in saving instead of spending. Take the time to plan ahead.  A slower economy gives you time to slow down and think about what you really want... and the time to plan out how to get it.

This is a new year.  A new time. Will it change you, or will you change with it?

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, Savvyauntie.com

PS - If you're on Twitter, follow me at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie.
 

December 28, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

The holidays are a time to spend with family - and to reflect on those who are no longer with us. Many of us have or have had women in our lives, whether by relation or by friendship, whom we have called Aunt or Auntie. Many of these women have taught us lessons, given us love and support, or have just been someone we have idolized over time.

My Great Auntie Sarah passed away this week. She was the matriarch of my maternal family. While younger than my late grandmother, her sister, Auntie (pronounced the British way - Awntie) was always the leader. The family and community gathered at her home, and after her husband passed away, in her apartment, to eat, laugh and enjoy.

She was a straight shooter, but sensitive. Recently, she scolded me for being too thin. But never made me feel badly for not yet being married. She also never made me feel badly for not visiting often enough, and always sent a card for my birthday. And most touchingly, she always remembered to call me on my late mother's birthday to remind me I wasn't the only one thinking of her.

If I show my nephew and nieces half the love my Auntie Sarah showed me, they are very lucky.

"I have two Aunties," my niece said when she was just four. "I have an Auntie Melanie and an Auntie Sarah."

Now she has just the one "Awntie." I can't possibly replace the other one. But I will continue to share her story with all the children.

While we are Aunties ourselves, the women whom we call or called "Auntie" deserve their story told. Please take the time to submit your Auntie's story to our Aunthology column. The Aunthology is a collection of stories about Aunt-hood. Please share your stories about your aunts, your great aunts, and all the women in your lives who aren't your mom.

It's their turn in the spotlight.

To my Auntie Sarah, thank you for being such an inspiration.

And to all of you, thank you for the best year of my life. And here's to an even better 2009!

Happy New Year!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - You don't need to be an expert writer to share your story. And it need not be long. We just want you to have a place to share your stories about your Savvy Auntie so that we are all inspired to be better. Thank you.

December 21, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I wish you all a happy holiday season and a new year filled with love, hope, peace and happiness. If you are spending the holidays with your nieces and nephews, I am counting on the fact that they do something so incredibly cute that you can't wait to share it with the rest of us. Even if they're teenagers now.

And for those of you not spending the holidays with your nieces and nephews this season, I hope you are spending time with someone you love.

In the meantime, we've wrapped up all out favorite Christmas articles for those of you who celebate it, and you'll find Chanukah (or Hanukkah) and Kwanzaa articles on SavvyAuntie.com as well.

We wish the very best for the holiday season! Savvy Holidays!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Still looking for the perfect holiday gift? Search our Savvy Holidays Gift Ideas guide for gift ideas Savvy Auntie loves!

December 15, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Here are my Top 10 Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas for this season. It's meant for you last minute Savvy Aunties who have been waiting  for prices to drop (they have!) and for someone to tell you what will put a smile on those niece and nephew faces this season. 

These gifts are in no particular order, other than age-range. I have listed the prices next to the Gift Ideas, but prices keep rising and falling like gas prices!  And some Gift Ideas are selling out fast. I had to modify this list a few times to make sure I was offering a list of Gift Ideas that were still available.  We are doing our best to keep the Gift Ideas and pricing current.

6 months - 24 months

'Round the Farm by Alex Jr: $27.00


One of the more stunning plush baby toys we've seen. And the animal sounds are ridiculously cute.

Toddler and Pre-School

Kota the Triceratops by Playskool: $99.00



Kota is just about the most perfect Savvy Auntie gift you can find for your toddler niece or nephew! He's the closest thing your little one can get to having their very own dinosaur as a pet! Kota is full of surprises - not the least of which is how life-like he is! Even we were amazed! Seriously. Amazed.  And the price went down from $299 to $99 just this weekend!

Elmo Live by Fisher-Price: $59.99


Elmo Live! by Fisher-Price is the most life-like Elmo yet. Elmo Live says "I love you" and blows kisses too! Your little niece or nephew will be amazed at what their new little friend Elmo can do. And so will you!

Girls

Bonjour Butterfly Fancy Nancy Doll by Madame Alexander: $50.00


Are you a Fancy Auntie? Then you've already read: Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly with your fancy niece. She'll love how the story comes alive with her very own Bonjour Butterfly Fancy Nancy Doll by none other than Madame Alexander.

Karito Kids Travel Charmers: $20.00



We love Karito Kids, and now your little nieces can travel with them - literally and figuratively! Five Karito Kid Travel Charmers, five different travel adventures!

Boys

Rah the Destroyer by RobotGalaxy: $29.99


RobotGalaxy let's kids build their own robots! Or, Aunties can buy them one ready-made, like RobotGalaxy's most popular Robot, Rah the Destroyer. Your nephew can then play with other Robots in a safe environment on RobotGalaxy.com. Cool!

Myachi: $7.00




The hottest game for boys ages 5-13 is Myachi. This little hand sack keeps them busy - and off their little butts - for hours!

Boys and Girls (of all ages)

Tedde Rourke: $135.00



Tedde Bears are hand-crafted bears that are the opposite of mass-produced. Rourke looks like you could have knit him, Auntie. You know, if you knit.

Big Kids

Apple iPod nano 8 GB Blue (4th Generation): $167.97

The latest Apple iPod nano is the perfect gift for the teen who loves to listen. To music.

Special Needs Kids

Toobeez: $34.99



Wow! What great new gift idea for boys - and girls! Even Aunties can join the Toobeez fun. Plus - Toobeez are a great idea for Special Needs kids for occupational therapy, concentration, motor skills, coordination and more. It's a very savvy gift idea. It comes in various set sizes.


XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS: Want to know my Savvy Holiday Gift of the Day every weekday? Follow me on Twitter! It's that easy!

December 7, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

In the New York Times Sunday Styles section this weekend, there is a question asked to the Social Q's columnist, Philip Galanes, from an aunt who is in a legal dispute with her siblings. Aunt Daria wants to send her nephews gifts for Christmas and wants to know whether or not she should.

Mr. Galanes says that she should, as her nephews shouldn't suffer from the parents' dispute. (I agree, by the way.)

While it's not good news to read about an aunt working through family issues that have risen to a very serious level as to require attorneys, it is comforting to see Aunt Daria on the front page of the Times Styles section. As we say, life as an Auntie is not always "hokey-pokey." There are often familial challeges to face and until now, we've often been facing them alone.

One of the very first things I decided we Savvy Aunties needed when I was developing SavvyAuntie.com, was our own Dear Savvy Auntie column. Natalie Robinson Garfield, a psychotherapist, answers most of your questions, as do other Savvy Experts, like Rhonda Davis, a speech and language pathologist, when the questions require a specific expertise.

This week, Auntie Black Sheep, is feeling like her sister, brother-in-law and even her nieces are not being very nice to her. Natalie answers her question with sound advice.

I am very proud that we are here to help. Please submit your questions to Dear Savvy Auntie and we'll work as quickly as possible to help you! Of course, your questions don't have to be a serious family issue. We've got dozens of Savvy Experts who can lend their advice on many topics.

If you have an Auntie problem, we'll do our best to help you resolve it. This way, we can all learn how to overcome our challenges together - as a community. Because whether it's the Holidays, or any day, Savvy Aunties deserve to be happy.

Here's to Happy Holidays, Auntie!

XOXO,
Melanie Notkin
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Want to learn more about how I started this company? Check out my blog at Blog.SavvyAuntie.com. See you there!

December 1, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

One of the purest joys of being an ABR (Aunt By Relation), ABC (Aunt by Choice), godmother or any other woman who loves a child not-her-own, is the joy of gift giving.

It's about seeing the smile on a child's face when he or she knows you've got something for them.... The zealousness with which they unwrap a gift..... The jumping for joy when it's exactly what they wanted - or even better - something they never dreamed of having.

But this year, of all years, it's a little harder to give for some of us. Do we spend less? Do we spend the same but cut back on other gifts? Or cut back on giving to ourselves? Perhaps we're doing fine, but the child's parents aren't and the last thing we want to do is show them up. Or perhaps it's exactly our responsibility to save Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa and give even more this year.

Whatever the case, most of us are able to do something, even if it's not what we usually do. That's why from now until the Holidays, Savvy Auntie will highlight some of our favorite Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas at specific price ranges.

This week, we've Round Up some of the hottest toys between $20-$50. Next week, we'll Round Up the best gifts $20 or less. And so on.

If you want to keep track of the Savvy Holiday Gifts Ideas since we add new ones all the time, download our Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas Widget to your personal webpage or blog, or subscribe to our RSS Feed for Gifts.

Auntie - whatever you do this season will be appreciated by all those around you - especially the children. The joy, the unwrapping, the giggles and the jumping up and down will never go away. Because after all - Auntie - you are the greatest gift of them all.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

PS - Take our Savvy Auntie Poll! It's on the homepage. Tell us how you are planning on saving money this Holiday season!

November 23, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

You don't know me very well. But if you did, you would know how grateful I am for your visit to SavvyAuntie.com. This first online community for Aunts - Aunts by Relation, Aunts by Choice, Godmothers and all women who love kids - launched just a few months ago on July 9, 2008. Since then, hundreds of thousands of you have stopped by to see what this was all about. Many of you have come back multiple times. And many of you have become members and connected more actively with the Community.

When my nephew was born, I wanted him to know that I wasn't just a grown-up playmate. I wanted him to understand that I was his family so I coached him on that from the day he was born. Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart because it was Thanksgiving just a few years ago when, for the first time ever, he turned to me out of the blue and exclaimed: "Auntie Melanie! We're family!"

Realizing later  that night that there were no modern resources for the cosmopolitan Aunt - women who I have since dubbed PANKs - Professional Aunts No Kids - I embarked on creating a sophisticated environment where we could celebrate the best parts of Aunt-hood - a place just for us. And Thanksgiving - a time when family often gets together - also reminds us that Aunt-hood isn't always "hokey pokey."  Sometimes, there are challenges to navigate. Sometimes we need the support of people just like us.

There are a plethora of Mommy sites and Parenting sites out there. But what about the non-parent? How are we supposed to learn about kids?

I called this Community "Savvy Auntie" because I felt that no one Aunt is savvy in every way. Some are the best gift buyers; they just find that perfect present every time. Some are fantastic teachers. Some Aunties are giggle makers. Some are great to talk to when kids have their own issues. Some are the unsung heroes of her family. And some are the best friend any mom or dad could ever need as they rear their kids. And so I believed if there was a place where we could all share our "savvy" we could all become the Savvy Aunties we want to be. Or at least move toward that goal.

Our Auntiepedia section is a great way to help inspire and teach other Aunts about your area of expertise. Know more about Webkinz than any grown woman should? Start an Auntiepedia topic on Webkinz. Think you know how talk to teenage kids about sex? Start an Auntiepedia topic on How to Talk to Teens about Sex. Think you have great ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving with your nieces and nephews, please add your thoughts to this Auntiepedia right now. We need your help!

You don't know me very well. But I'm just like you. I adore being an Auntie. It's filled my life with more smiles than I thought possible. But I am by no means the Savviest Auntie. So thanks in advance for giving me - and all of us - your great advice.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsor this month, Playskool. Playskool found Savvy Auntie literally within the first minutes that we launched this website in July. And they've been so encouraging and supportive ever since. I really feel like they are a true partner. They didn't sponsor our Featured Gift on the homepage this week - Kota the Triceratops. But Kota is one of my favorite Playskool toys of the season, so I wanted to let you all know about him - while letting that be my gift to Playskool this Thanksgiving.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that you are spending it with your nieces and nephews. We want to hear about it all. Please share!

Thank you. Truly. Thank you.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want to learn more about how I started this company and why? Read my blog. It's all in there.

November 16, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Back in August, when SavvyAuntie.com was just a month old, I was invited to meet with Jenny Stewart, who is the director of content at PlanetOut.com and Gay.com.  Jenny had fallen in love with SavvyAuntie.com, stating that it does something not many other online communities can do; it brings together straights and gays who have one common interest - their love for their nieces and nephews. Her exact word to describe it was: "powerful."

Now, as Jenny puts it, I'm about as straight as they come. And while I have had gay friends over the years, and worked in industries that introduced me to a number of gay colleagues, I don't have any close gay family members and have never had to cope with familial issues or had the opportunity to celebrate with a gay relative.

That's why I was so happy that Jenny wanted to publish an article about me and SavvyAuntie.com to share the site with the members of the gay community who frequent Gay.com. I am hoping that we can learn a lot from the gay community when it comes to family and aunt-hood.

I am sure everyone has a lot of questions:  When do you tell your nieces and nephews you're gay? Do you tell them at all? How do you talk to your niece or nephew if they come out to you before their parents? How do you answer your nieces' and nephews' questions about your lifestyle? Is a gay uncle more of a Savvy Auntie than a lesbian aunt? If your gay sister breaks up with her girlfriend, what happens to your relationship with their kids - your nieces and nephews? Especially if they are biologically the ex-girlfriend's? I am sure the questions can go on and on.

Gay Aunts and Uncles are part of the fabric of the family, and it touches you whether you are the gay or straight relative.

The article in Gay.com debuted last week, and I am proud that so many of its members have joined our Community because of it. Even better? Some of our own gay members sent me emails and Tweets saying how proud they were to be a member of SavvyAuntie.com because of our sincere openness to gay Savvy Aunties (and Uncles!) in our Community. One even seemed to have outed herself for the first time publically because she feels that Savvy Auntie is a safe and welcoming Community.

Let me state this clearly: gay Savvy Aunties - and Savvy "Aunties" are always welcome here. Because whether or not we have the same views on everything, we all love our nieces, nephews and wonderful children in our lives.  We all want what's best for them. And that's all that matters.

And as Thanksgiving approaches, let me say thanks (in advance) to all the members and readers of SavvyAuntie.com, for (hopefully) sharing our welcome and openness to Savvy Aunties of all backgrounds - not just straight or gay. Savvy Aunties come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, ethnicities, political positions, religions, ages, and levels of experience. The reason why I called this Community "Savvy Auntie" is so that we can all help each other become more savvy. And - hopefully more open to our experiences as aunts.

We're building a really powerful community here, sharing our voices, supporting one another, and establishing the first online Community for Aunts.

Now that's powerful.

So thanks to you, Jenny. You were right.

And to all the new Savvy Auntie members who joined last week - welcome. And thank you. I'm looking forward to your voice.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

If you're not already, please follow me on Twitter. There's always more there!  And if your looking for Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas for your nieces and nephews, you're in the right place!

November 9, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and it's time to begin thinking about our good fortune and gratitude. Sure, times are tough economically, and so we may be focused on what we don' t have this year. And with the Holidays coming up, we might have to scale back on indulging our nieces and nephews and all the other people in our lives. Perhaps we'll stay home and not travel. Perhaps we'll buy one special gift per child instead of the bundle of presents we normally choose. Perhaps just our holiday time family visit will have to suffice.

Well however we decide to cope with the current economical landscape, giving thanks is a wonderful way to remember everything that we do have in our lives - including wonderful, beautiful nieces and nephews and other children in our lives. And a great way to give thanks is to give back.

Over the course of the last few months, we've assembled a list of dozens of wonderful children's charities that we love. Most are national, many are international, but what they all have in common is caring and compassion for children.

We invite you to take a look at the list and think about where you might want to give thanks - and give back - this season. If your favorite 501c3 is not listed, please post it in our Savvy Forum and we'll consider it for inclusion.

Now giving back is a great lesson for the boys and girls in your life too. That's why we've always included Good Deeds as options for Activity ideas. Have a great idea for a Good Deeds Activity? Submit your idea for everyone to share!

In thinking ahead to the Holidays, you can teach your nieces and nephews a valuable lesson in giving back by helping them choose a charity they love and donating funds together. You can also establish a family gift exchange where the kids create an art project or perhaps write a story that they can give as a gift to a lucky family member - instead of just receiving gifts this year. That's why we love our new Holiday Season Partner, Elfster.com. Elfster enables families and friends to create gift exchanges that are fun and meaningful for everyone involved. And if you're the one organizing it, Auntie, Elfster will walk you through organizing the gift exchange in simple steps. What a fantastic idea!

So this year, try not to think as much about what you aren't getting, but about giving thanks for everything you do have by giving back to children in need.

Whatever you are planning for Thanksgiving and the Holiday season, please remember to Give. Thanks.

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

You can still win a prize from Sephora! Just add a profile picture, and you're automatically entered to win! Click here for details.

November 2, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

When I first thought to launch an online community for Aunts by Relation, Aunts by Choice, Godmothers and all women who love kids, it was going to be a platform to celebrate aunt-hood. But I quickly realized that being an Auntie isn't always easy and we needed a way to share and cope within the Auntie community.

For instance, there are often family issues to navigate, and coping with distance when all you want is to be close. There are sick kids. And kids who need extra special care.

And then there's tragedy. The unimaginable. Sometimes, there's the loss of a niece or nephew.

Last week, Jennifer Hudson, the actress and singer, lost her nephew, Julian King, to violent crime. She also lost her mother and brother who were shot dead in the home she grew up in. Her 7 year old nephew was found a couple of days later in the back of an SUV, also shot. Aunt Jennifer, People magazine reports, was the one to bravely identify her nephew's body.

Jennifer Hudson, who by all press accounts was very close with her nephew, suffered a tremendous loss.  While I don't know Jennifer, I do know that she probably needs as much support as she can get.

That's why, within hours of hearing about little Julian's death, we created a virtual card for Jennifer, and let the Hudson family know about it. We also let you know about the Hudson-King Foundation for the Families of Victims of Violent Crimes which Jennifer set up to helping other grieving families.

Unfortunately, Jennifer is not the only Auntie to lose a niece or nephew, to violent crime or otherwise. But her tragedy did help shed light on the fact that Aunts suffer greatly when a child is lost. That's why I created a Group on SavvyAuntie.com called Dealing With Grief.  I hope that members will connect there and support each other if ever, God forbid, they are dealing and coping with loss.

I hope we continue to support each other, in the good times, and in the worst of times.

For now, we send Aunt Jennifer and the entire Hudson and King families, our deepest sympathies for the losses they have suffered. We are here for you.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - On a happier note, please help me welcome Playskool, the newest sponsor at SavvyAuntie.com. Playskool brings a lot of joy to our toddler and pre-school nieces and nephews. And at times like these, we can use a few little smiles. Thanks, Playskool.

October 26, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

It's Halloween season and our nieces and nephews are beside themselves, getting ready to dress up as their favorite and most beloved characters.  Little SpongeBobs and Tinker Bells will grace the streets of America's neighborhoods and another Halloween will come and go like the leaves changing color.

And for many Aunties, it will be exciting to drive up to our nieces' and nephews' homes to pick them up for Trick or Treating.  Or perhaps some of us will enjoy the post Halloween bounty together with the kids. Some of us may even be the ones sewing and gluing and painting our littles ones into the Halloween costumes only their Savvy Auntie can create.

And yet for many Savvy Aunties, it's a tough night. They live no where near the kids to see them sparkle and spookle in person. If they're lucky, mom and dad will remember to take a few photos and email them over. But it's not the same. It's just not the same.

There's something very special about caring for their boos boos - the way they look to you with tears forming in their eyes and their lips all pouty waiting for Auntie's kiss to make it all better.  Or- maybe it's just being there when they cry for very serious reasons like their sibling took a toy.... or Auntie is leaving again for a very long time...

Halloween, like all holidays and special occasions, are particularly tough on the Long Distance Auntie - the LDA. It's not easy to be far away from their smiles... even if far away means being at the office until their bedtime and not just living in a different time zone.

So to you - LDAs - we are thinking of you. We hope that Halloween with the nieces and nephews will happen next year if not this year. We hope that you can be there as often as possible for the Boos, the Boo Boos and the Boo Hoos. And when you can't be there, be here. We understand...

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

PS - Having an LDA experience you want to share? Start a Forum post or Create a Group. You're not alone!

October 19, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

It's those interviews in a journalist's career when she just knows she's 'made it,' you know? For some, it's an interview with a powerful politician or Hollywood celebrity. For me, it was my interview with Elmo. Yes "the" Elmo - not some guy dressed up in an Elmo costume. Not me talking to a "fake" Elmo muppet with any old muppeteer behind him. I got to meet the real Elmo. And when you get to meet and interview the most famous 3 1/2 year old furry toddler, what do you possibly ask?

Well of course, I asked about his Auntie! And  I asked Elmo why Aunties are important to little boys and girls.

And he was delighted to tell me!

So here's what Elmo said: "Aunties are special to little boys and girls because they can teach different things than those little boys and girls' mommies and daddies can. Little boys and girls can learn a lot from their Aunties. Like my Auntie takes me fishing and teaches me how to fish!  We also make apple pie together, my favorite! And my Auntie puts raisins in it. And sour cream on top. And sometimes she makes me laugh because we get the flour all over the place. She's very funny. I love my Auntie very much."

So there you have it! Elmo loves his Auntie!

To thank Elmo for his time, I've chosen his likeness - the new Fisher-Price Elmo Live! - as the Featured Gift this week.  The reason why I met Elmo in the first place was because I was invited to a special event at the ToysRUs flagship store in New York City's Times Square  to experience the new Elmo Live! And I have to say - he's adorable! He's the most life-like Elmo yet. I can't wait to give him to a lucky little 3 year old little girl in my life.

Obviously, this Editor's Letter was written with a little tongue-and-cheek. But I do admit, talking to Elmo - even though I could see that his muppeteer was right beneath him - truly felt like I was really speaking with little cute red furry monster. And since our toddler and pre-school nieces and nephews love him, and since he brings so much simple joy to them, it felt special.

In a way, Elmo is a little bit like an Auntie. We all do our best to bring joy to children's lives while teaching them a few nice lessons along the way.  And we all like giving hugs.

So here's to our little friend Elmo, for making me - and all our little nieces and nephews - feel special. Even for just a few moments.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

By the way - I'm announcing a Savvy Holiday Gift Idea of the Day on Twitter, every weekday. Follow me at twitter.com/savvyauntie.

October 13, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

One of my favorite shows of all time is not surprisingly Sex and the City. And while I loved the fashion and the beautiful shots of my fair city, and I laughed and cried with the rest of the fans, the true reason I loved the show was a little different than one might think. Or perhaps, it wasn't.

When we first meet the women, they are single. None have children. Then Miranda makes the big decision to have Brady. This happens while Charlotte tries desperately to have a child. She ends up adopting a little girl, named Lily, with husband Harry.

In the meantime, there was an episode called "Catch 38" where Carrie is wondering when it's appropriate to ask a boyfriend if he wants (more) kids. Too soon, and it could be too aggressive. Too late, and she could be left having to choose between having children or the man she loves. She was 38, and that was her 'catch 38.'

Samantha was never one to want children. And in fact, in one memorable episode, uses her ummm, feminine toy, to calm baby Brady down. She is happy to preform her Savvy Auntie duties, even if she's not terribly comfortable with it.

Spoiler alert!

And then we're back with Carrie. In Sex and the City The Movie, Carrie is seen including her niece (Charlotte's daughter) in her bridal party. And she reads to her in her bedroom. She runs to the hospital to meet the new baby and is almost as in love as the new parents.

I love Sex and the City because it demonstrates that women who just didn't find the right love at the right time can still love and adore the children in their lives. Carrie is a true ABC (Auntie by Choice). You believe there is little she would not do for Brady, Lily and the new baby. It's the first series and movie where I felt like I was represented as a woman who loves children, even if they are not my own.

And we're back!

One of the reasons I started this company was because when my girlfriends and I would get together for Sunday morning brunch, just like the four women on Sex and the City, we wouldn't talk about sex - like non-New Yorkers and married folks assumed we did. We talked about being Aunts - and the joys and challenges there-in. We were Aunts and the City. I thought to myself that it can't just be my girlfriends... there must be many others. And sure enough, I discovered that close to 50% of American women don't have kids.

When you visit the rest of the site, you'll notice Sex and the City The Movie ads appearing. Warner Bros. is promoting the fact that you can download the movie and looked to SavvyAuntie.com to help them do that. I'd like to thank Warner Bros. for being our first major ad partner. But I'd also like to acknowledge how poignant it is that Sex and the City The Movie is the ad.

Sex and the City is the first to recognize Aunts and the City. Let's hope it's the first of many more to come.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

I'm announcing Savvy Holiday Gift Idea of the Day on Twitter, every weekday. Follow me at twitter.com/savvyauntie.

October 6, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Believe it or not, the Holiday season is approaching... and with that often comes great anxiety over which gifts to give your nieces and nephews.

Since many Savvy Aunties don't have kids of their own, it's tough to know what boys and girls are excited about these days. That's why we've launched the Savvy Auntie "Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas" Gift Guide this week - so that you start early to get savvy about all the latest and hottest gifts for your nieces and nephews.

How do we do it? We've teamed up with toy experts, retailers and manufacturers to bring you the best gift ideas so you know you've got the best choices at your finger tips. Each Savvy Holiday Gift Idea is marked with a special savvy snowflake icon, so they are easy to find, even when you're not in the Holiday Gift Guide section.

Now, there's no need to ask a mom or dad what your favorite kids want for the Holidays. With this Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas Guide, you can get savvy about what the kids are craving just like a real Savvy Auntie!

And throughout the weeks to the season, we'll keep adding great gift ideas as the trends grow, so keep coming back for the latest and greatest! Plus, we'll round up some of the best gifts for specific kids, like princess nieces and rescue hero nephews, so you're always on top of trends. And we need your help; please continue to rate and comment on the gifts you think are the best (or not the best.) That way, we all get savvy this Holiday season.

And don't forget, you don't have to be a Savvy Auntie to use the Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas Guide. Savvy Uncles, Grandparents, Cousins and Friends are all welcome to the Guide. Even moms and dads can use this Guide to gauge their own gift lists!

If you're a Savvy Auntie member, don't forget to use your Gift List to bookmark your favorites! That way, when the time comes, you can easily find the gifts you love! (Membership is free, so join now!)

We want you to have a very Savvy Auntie Holiday season. And it all starts right here. Right now. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

For more Savvy Holiday Gift Ideas, follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/savvyauntie.  You never know what I might say!

September 29, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

We often hear that it's great to be an aunt - making it sound like aunt-hood is never fraught with its own issues. They say: we have fun with the kids, and then we leave when things get messy; we shower them with gifts, but don't have to deal with tears when the toy breaks; we share their giggles and laughs, but not their dirty diapers or school expenses.

And yes, some of that is true. But there is more to aunt-hood than all the 'easy fun' stuff. Being an Auntie - even an ABC (Auntie by Choice) or an LDA (Long Distance Auntie) - means being part of a family. And sometimes, families are difficult to navigate. We fight. We misunderstand. We don't communicate.

We get hurt.

They get hurt.

Life isn't always "hokey pokey" as we say.

Even in the most perfect of situations.

The good thing is that there is always the opportunity for forgiveness. Since it's the Jewish High Holiday season, and a time for atonement, I thought to recommend this site - Project Forgiveness - as a great tool to post your anonymous requests for forgiveness from your family and friends.

Of course, you're also welcome to use our Forums to seek advice and support. And don't forget about the Dear Savvy Auntie column, with therapists on call to help!

The thing is, you're not perfect. Life's not perfect. The important thing to do is forgive, be forgiven, and get on with enjoying and caring for those nieces and nephews with all your heart.

Hmmm maybe it IS easy after all.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

If you're on Twitter, follow me at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie for more contest details as they come!

September 22, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Fall is upon us. For most of us around the country, the air is getting crisper and the leaves are beginning to turn.  Our attention is turning from flip flops to boots and from tank tops to turtle necks. The days are getting shorter and the nights longer.

So does that change our activity level with our nieces and nephews?

Does the coolness of fall invite us to cuddle up with our sweet kids? Or does the weather make a less likely to invite ourselves over, now that there are no day-trips to the beach, pool parties and ice cream parlor visits?

Well the cooler weather can mean time to snuggle up with a good video with the nieces and nephews. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! A Tale of Tails was released yesterday and has been anxiously anticipated by pre-schoolers everywhere.  Wubbzy is relatively new on the scene, so a lot of Aunties are not yet Savvy about him. Still, a mention of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy to small children should get them excited.

Wubbzy is a cute little yellow character with a bendy-like tail from the NickJr Family of characters. Wubbzy lives in Wuzzleburg along with his friends Widget ( a pink rabbit) and Walden (a purple bear). Widget likes to fix things and Walden likes to find the answers. Wubbzy is known for saying Wow! Wow! Wow! a lot and they all seem to entertain the toddler and pre-school set.

Wubbzy and his friends are good about exploring open-mindedness, honestly and friendship through their adventures of trying to solve problems together. There is always a great lesson for children in each episode, so we give Wow! Wow! Wubbzy our stamp of approval.

In fact, we love this DVD so much that we launched a little contest so that Savvy Aunties can have a chance to win the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! A Tale of Tails DVD!  We's also added a Coloring Page and a Connect the Dots activity page from the good people in Wuzzleburg. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie

If you're on Twitter, follow me at Twitter.com/SavvyAuntie for more contest details as they come!

September 15th, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

A male friend of mine called me recently in a bit of a panic. He was visiting friends in Florida and was scheduled to be there for dinner in 45 minutes. In the meantime, he had forgotten to pick up a gift for his friends' little girl and was walking up and down the aisles of a mega-discount retailer sweating as the clock was ticking, with little idea of what she might like. I need to add that he wasn't even sure of her age - somewhere between 2 and 4, he thought.

"What should I get her?" he asked with out-of-breath stress in his voice. The answer, without knowing the child, or her age, was simple. A baby doll. And if he didn't know her favorite color, one wearing pink pajamas would help narrow it down. "And try to find one with a plastic baby bottle and a teddy bear or something," I added.

"Where do I find a baby doll in here?" he asked as if I were there, three hours away by air, wearing a bright blue vest and a too-happy smile. "Um I am sure there is a whole aisle-full of them," I responded with the assuredness he needed at that moment.

"I found it!" he said with amazing belief as he turned the corner. "A whole aisle full of baby-dolls. How did you know?"

"I'm a Savvy Auntie," I answered. (And it was a good guess).

Needless to say, the little girl (she's 3 we now know) loved her baby-doll and it quickly became her new favorite. Uncle by Choice Jeff was very grateful for the idea. And there was a happy ending for everyone involved.

Which is why I was so excited to hear that Wild Planet has launched Water Babies. Water  Babies are the most life-like baby dolls on the market because when you fill them up with warm water, they FEEL like real babies.

Water Babies were born of an idea from, believe it or not, a Midwestern banker named Dan Lauer.  Dan was inspired by the water balloon dolls his sisters would make back in the 1960's. It took years - and lots of determination - but Dan finally fathered Water Babies.  Aunties simply fill the babies with a specially designed funnel (it's easy and there's no messy spill) and voila, a niece's new favorite baby doll is ready to be held and taken care of. 

And since the Water Babies are as realistic to feel as a newborn baby brother or sister, this is the perfect gift for a new big sister. We also love that Water Babies come in three ethnicities: Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic. They also come in two sizes, and range in price from about $15-$40.

So next time you're in a panic about what to get a big sister (or little mommy) niece, try a Wild Planet Water Baby. It's sure to become her favorite baby doll ever. Or at least until the next present Auntie buys her.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want more? Read my Blog - Blog.SavvyAuntie.com

September 7, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Beyoncé is an Aunt by Relation (ABR) to her nephew. Jessica Simpson is about to become one when her sister, Ashlee, gives birth next month. Kathy Griffin is an ABR and often refers to her niece and nephew on her show The D List.  Jennifer Aniston is an Aunt By Choice (ABC) and Godmother to Courteney Cox Arquette's little girl, Coco. Julie Roberts is a Mommy-Auntie to her niece Julia (Mommy-Aunties are mommies too). And then there are the fictitious ABRs and ABC's, like Carrie Bradshaw to Miranda Hobbs' and Charlotte York's kids in Sex and the City. And the list goes on and on....

At Savvy Auntie,  we classify this group as Celeb-Aunties. While it’s fun to watch all of Hollywood’s “baby bumps,” all the Aunties out there in Hollywood deserve a little attention too. After all, if you think Hollywood Mommies spoil their children, wait until a Celeb-Auntie steps in!

And Celeb-Aunties are just like us. They love their nieces and nephews, by relation and by choice, with all their adoring hearts.

That’s why I am excited to welcome Laura Rich, our new Celeb-Auntie expert, to report on the goings-on in the world of Hollywood’s most glamorous Aunts. Every week, you’ll get the scoop on Celeb-Auntie-Hood and learn about how Celeb-Aunties are loving, indulging and taking care of the most important children in their lives.

Here’s Laura’s first report. Looks like Auntie Jamie Lynn is becoming an ABC to co-teen mom (to-be) Bristol Palin.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want more? Read my Blog - Blog.SavvyAuntie.com

September 1, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I love the beginning of fall.  Mostly because, in New York City, fall means fashion.

Vogue, Harpar's Bazar, Lucky, InStyle, Marie Claire, Elle, Glamour.... all the top mags are bloated with pages of the hottest fashions and trends. Boutique window fronts are dressed with boots, sweaters and dresses in colors like aubergine, tobacco, and royal blue velvet - colors that go best with a stubbornly gray and rainy fall day. And then there's the perennially triumphant New York Fashion Week, held in 'tents' that are more luxurious than most attendees' apartments. New York Fashion Week squeezes dozens of designers, their clothing, hope and dreams, into seven days of illuminated runways and flash bulbs.

And it's all for me. Well, for me and the millions of women (and men) who love fashion. And especially for Savvy Aunties who are Fashionistas - Savvy Aunties who know that keeping up with the latest fashion trends for kids is just as important as it is for ourselves!

And that's why Audrey McCelland has joined our team of Experts and is launching her first Kid Couture column today - an article entitled: Back to School In Style!  And we’ve got plenty of  top fashion reviews and tips in store for you, so you'll learn about the latest designers, brands and styles that your nieces and nephews will be craving. And you'll be able to introduce it all to them, first!

Of course, there's a lot of wonderful kiddie couture out there. If you're a Savvy Fashionista Auntie, why not contribute your favorite boutiques and designers in our Auntiepedia section so we can learn from you? We've got a whole section on Fashion and Style waiting for your contributions.  Who are your favorite kid designers? What brands are your nieces and nephews wearing? What are the latest trends? Colors? You tell US so we can all be Savvy Fashionista Aunties like you!

In the meantime, don’t forget about our “Show Us Your Pretty Face” contest sponsored by Sephora. Click here for more details on how you can WIN!

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want more? Read my blog for a behind-the-scenes look at SavvyAuntie.com.

August 25, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I was having breakfast the other morning with a girlfriend who is a powerful entrepreneur having launched one company successfully, and now launching a new one in September. She's also a mom.  Over eggs and iced coffee on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, she mentioned that her son is starting school this week. Normally, that would not be surprising. But her son is only 8 months old.

Sure, it's not really "school." It's daycare - with a focus on development and education. Her little boy will be learning something new everyday, even if at minimum, how to socialize with other babies.

It seems that just about everything has an educational spin these days, helping kids get a leg up on the skills they need to do well in school. I have no problem with that, of course. But until recently, there was little advice for Aunts on how we can help our nieces and nephews learn. Everything was designed for parents.

Well, I am proud to say that I am the first non-mom to be invited to be part of the VTech Demo Team. VTech is a world leader of age-appropriate learning toys - from birth to preteen. As a member of the team, I get to be among the first to try new, cutting-edge products. I plan to share my favorite VTech learning toys with you as I learn about them, like KidiJamz - a kid's very own music studio! I have to admit, I couldn't stop playing with it myself.

I am also a big fan of Leapfrog. They've been sending me great educational electronics to test out as well. My favorite is the Tag Reading System. It's a pen-like tool that reads words on a page!  The Tag comes with its own library of books made from special paper that the Tag Reader is able to interpret. Your niece or nephew can use the Tag to help them read the tougher words, or play games that help develop their reading comprehension.

VTech and Leapfrog both invest a lot of time and effort into developing learning toys for kids that are more fun and more technologically advanced than ever before. And now, they are focusing more attention on bringing these products to Savvy Aunties so that WE can help parents develop their kids. They understand that we want to help our nieces and nephews learn. For that, both companies get an A+ from me!

To find more great Back to School gift ideas, or to help your niece or nephew develop their skills all year round, check out the Savvy Auntie Gifts section, and  use the Savvy Search functionality to filter by Auntie's Personality: Professor Auntie. We've found some of the best gifts for your nieces and nephews  - including over 50 books and toys for babies in their first year... now that they're old enough for 'school' and all.

XOXO,
Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Want more? Read my blog for a behind-the-scenes look at SavvyAuntie.com: Blog.SavvyAuntie.com.

August 15, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

I have never met Lisa Steen Proctor or Laura Rangel, but I admire them greatly. The two partnered together in 2005 to found KidsGive, a not-for-profit that enables kids to better understand global humanitarian needs and encourages them to give back to kids around the world.  The idea was that KidsGive would design products that would help kids best understand and sympathize with other kids- kids and ethnicities they may otherwise never have the opportunity to discover. And what they might discover, is that kids around the world are different in some ways, but in many other ways, are just like them. And that’s how Karito Kids were born.

Karito Kids World Collection of dolls and accompanying story books star a group of multi-ethic friends including Gia from Florence, Italy, Zoe from New York, USA, LuLu from Nairobi, Kenya, Puta from Mexico City, Mexico, and Wan Ling from Shanghai, China. The latest doll to join the group is Piper, an 11 year old surfer-girl from Sydney, Australia who volunteers as a junior lifeguard. You can read more about Piper, and each Karito Kid, through a story book that is included with the dolls.

Karito Kids help kids understand giving back by inviting kids to donate a portion of their doll’s retail price to one of four causes: growing up healthy, learning, habitat and livelihood at www.karitokids.com. While there, kids can enter a special code that comes with their Karito Kids doll. This enables them to play games and rack up "World Change" points for charity.  Kids who don't own a doll can still raise money. What's also great is that the kids can choose where their points go - something Savvy Aunties can help them do.

But it's not just the kids who are giving. Lisa and Laura’s company donates 3% of the sale price of each product it sells to Plan USA , a decades-old  charity dedicated to well-being, rights and interests of kids world-wide. It’s no wonder that Karito Kids has received a number of awards, including the Family Fun #1 Toy of The Year (T.O.Y.) Award 2007, the National Parenting Center’s 2007 Seal of Approval, iParenting Media Outstanding Product, 2007 NAPPA Award and the Creative Child Magazine’s Preferred Choice Award.

Aunties have a reputation for indulging the children in their lives. With toys that give back, like Karito Kids, Aunties can spoil their nieces with a sense of charitable giving and adventure. Meant for girls ages 6 and up, Piper and her friends can help teach girls about the importance of a greater world view and philanthropy. By introducing their nieces to Karito Kids, Aunties can teach a lesson in accepting differences while making a difference with their nieces.

So thanks, Lisa and Laura, for making a difference yourselves. You are helping Aunts and their nieces become more savvy. I completely approve.

I loved this product so much, I added Piper to our Gift Catalog. Enjoy!

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Follow me on Twitter.com/savvyauntie

August 8, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Tomorrow, SavvyAuntie.com will be a just month old, and we’re already doing a great job showing big brands our clout. Major toy and beauty companies have approached us. Those brands are a natural fit and we’re excited to welcome them to the SavvyAuntie.com Community.

But then late last week I received an email from Ford. Yes Ford, the car company.  They know that the majority of car purchases are made by women. They also know that women without kids are more likely to purchase a luxury vehicle because they are less concerned about juice box spill messes. Besides, Savvy Aunties often have more discretionary income to spend on luxury items – like the Lincoln MKX I fell in love with in Detroit earlier this week. I accepted an invitation from Ford to test drive a number of their 2009 models, and to invite a few other Savvy Aunties along with me.

The news that in just a few weeks after launch, a company as large as Ford is interested in reaching our demographic , is pretty powerful. While I love that there are a number of “Mommy Aunties” on the site, the feedback I have received from the majority of us who are not (yet) moms is incredibly gratifying.  Many of you have written expressing thanks for the first online Community designed just for women like you.

My invitation to Ford Headquarters in Dearborn, MI is most likely the first of many from big brands looking to reach you. My hope is that one day, TV and print ads geared to women wont star “Mommy.” Instead, the female ‘star’ will be a fabulous Savvy Auntie like you!

We’ve only just begun and we’re already making waves! Savvy Aunties – we have a real opportunity to let our voices and our perspectives be heard by marketers. Ford no longer talks about “family cars.” Families are wonderful, and I personally hope to have my own one day. In the meantime, I just want a luxury  - and dare I say sexy  - outing in a Lincoln MKX.

Who wants to ride ‘shot gun?’

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Follow me on Twitter.com/savvyauntie

August 1, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

If you are new to SavvyAuntie.com, which you probably are since we launched just three weeks ago, you will notice a little "Beta" bubble next to our logo up there at the top left of the page. Beta means that we're not quite "there" yet. There are a lot of things we're still working on to perfect your user and member experiences.

We've done a lot of work already. We had a team of Beta Tester Savvy Aunties review the site in the days after we launched and their feedback has really improved the service we are providing you. We have also championed our first few hundred members as Charter Members and the are also great at providing feedback.

Our Profiles and Groups are about to get a number of great updates, enabling Savvy Auntie members to connect better. Establishing the first-ever Community for Aunts deserves the best possible experience - and we are committed to providing it to you.

In the meantime, if you have any technical issues with the site, feel free to email them over to use at help@savvyauntie.com. We'll look into everything.

On another note, I'd like to acknowledge a number of websites, blogs and newsletters that have given SavvyAuntie.com great reviews and, I might add, tremendous traffic referrals. You can find just a sampling of the great press here. Thank you all so very much for covering our story!

Please continue to visit us every day to see the improvements to your user and member experience!

Finally, please tell a few Savvy Aunties about this first Community designed just for us.

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Follow me on Twitter.com/savvyauntie

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Let’s Introduce ourselves! One of our esteemed Charter Members, JanePorricelli, started a Forum post that week that has everyone talking. Simply named: “Let’s Introduce Ourselves,” Aunt Jane quickly got members connecting and learning about each other. And that of course, is where Community begins.

So thanks, Jane. Thanks for getting the conversation going. And thanks to all the other Aunties who started their own Forum posts. From what to get a grown nephew for graduation to what to buy a newborn baby, Aunts want your advice on the best gifts. There are posts about What to Call Myself and What to Call my Boyfriend (Uncle?) There’s even a post about Weird Al Yankovic. Obviously, there's something for everyone in this 2-week old Community.

Let keep the conversation going. Please begin by introducing yourselves here. And start or find other Forums here. We’re all Savvy Aunties – just not all savvy about the same things. If you want to learn more, the Savvy Auntie Forums are a great place to start.

I’m looking forward to meeting you all online, and engaging in some serious Savvy Aunt-hood!

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

Dear Savvy Aunties,

SavvyAuntie.com launched less than two weeks ago, and has already touched the lives of Aunts across America. Letters and notes are coming in thanking us for finally recognizing Aunts as playing a very important role in our family and friends' lives.

As Founder, and Editor, I cannot believe the overwhelming support we have received! Aunts have a voice, and we can hear you!

Aunts love their nieces and nephews, and love being Aunts. However until now, there were no options to connect and share with other Aunts for advice, ideas and community.

But now there is. In the Savvy Auntie Community.

While so much of the content on SavvyAuntie.com is open and free to everyone, we ask that you join as members so that you can comment and rate articles, create and join Forums and Groups, as well as start your own Blog, or participate in the Aunthology.

The idea for Savvy Auntie is that everyone can become a Savvy Auntie and share their own expertise with the other Savvy Auntie members.

Savvy Auntie Registration is free. All that we require is a little basic information and that you confirm you are over the age of 13. Then, you are welcome to share as much or as little about yourself as you like with the rest of the Savvy Auntie Community as you complete the rest of your Profile.

So come and join the hundreds of Savvy Aunties who have already become members of  SavvyAuntie.com and are sharing their thoughts in the Community.

We look forward to seeing you there.

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com

July 9, 2008

Dear Savvy Aunties,

Finally!  Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids – we finally have an online community designed just for us!

SavvyAuntie.com is the first online community for Aunts. It’s called Savvy Auntie because not only do we think you’re a savvy bunch of loving and amazing women, but because this community will enable you to become even more savvy about your nieces, nephews and other children in your lives.

You’ll notice that little “Beta” icon next to the logo. That means we may still be working out the kinks based on our testers’ feedback. We're also still adding some elements to the site that you will see in the coming weeks. If you have any difficulty or suggestions, please email them over to: info@savvyauntie.com.

What’s here?

In Savvy Auntie, you’ll get lots of great information in our Expertise section. Plus, there’s an Auntiepedia where you can add your own Savvy Expertise. You’ll discover fun things to do in our Activities section (and local stuff powered by Nickelodeon’s goCityKids/PC Local). You’ll also find the perfect gifts in our Gifts section and find new Auntie Friends in our Community. That’s where you can create your own Blog, participate in Forums and join Groups!  There’s also the Aunthology, where you can submit your stories about Aunt-hood from any aspect you choose!

Sounds great, right?

To take advantage of everything SavvyAuntie.com has to offer, simply join and we’ll take you through how to become a Savvy Auntie.

Wondering if you qualify to be a Savvy Auntie if you’re not an ABR (Aunt by Relation)? Are you an ABC (Aunt by Choice) of a friend’s child? Are you a Great Aunt? Are you a Godmother? A woman who simply has a special child in her life? Then you qualify! And if you are a Mommy Auntie – an Aunt who has children of her own – you are also welcome! After all, we don’t stop being dedicated and adoring Aunts just because we have our own kids.

How this all began...

In case you're curious, I am the founder of Savvy Auntie. My name is Melanie Notkin and I am an ABR and an ABC! With my first nephew, I realized that there was no greater love than what I felt for him the minute he was born. This little itty, bitty baby changed my life enormously. For the better. And he continues to make life happy just by his existence.

Soon after he was born, I began to share my experiences as an Auntie, and I realized that I wasn't the only one who had a life changing experience becoming an Aunt. My girlfriends were also cherishing Aunt-hood. As were their girlfriends. And when I did the research, I saw that there were tens of millions of Aunts around the country who were feeling the same way. In fact, an estimated 50% of American women are not-moms.

And yet, I couldn’t help but notice that there were no modern resources for cosmopolitan Aunties like us. We all know that parents have zillions of books and online guides, and until now, we had nothing. Zero. Not one resource for learning how to be the best Aunties we could be. So most of us had to resort to asking a mom about what gifts to buy, what activities to do, and what kids truly need. In every other aspect of lives, we're as savvy as we can be. But when it came to the most precious young people in our lives, we were not very savvy at all.

That didn't sit well with me. How could such adoring women be left out in the cold? We needed a place to connect and share everything there is to celebrate about Aunt-hood - and a place to go for support when life isn't so "Hokey Pokey." So I decided to create an online resource and Community for all of us Aunts, godmothers, etc, that would be abundant, not only because of the content provided by the site and our team of experts, but by all of you Savvy Aunties as well! And voila – I present to you: SavvyAuntie.com.

Need more?

If you’d like to know more about SavvyAuntie.com and how this company got started, please visit my blog. There, you’ll get the inside-scoop about Savvy Auntie going forward, and my journey as an “Auntrepreneur.”

So welcome! And please make yourselves at home. Make new Savvy Auntie Friends. Enjoy what the site – and the other Savvy Aunties – have to offer.  This community is designed for you. And it’s meant to grow with you. And grow with your nieces and nephews.

Finally. A Community just for us. Now that's savvy!

XOXO,

Auntie Melanie
Founder, SavvyAuntie.com