My mom did not want to be called “Grandma” when her first grandchild was born several years ago (she also doesn’t anyone knowing how long ago she got that first grandchild). It’s not that she really minded the fact that she had become a grandmother. It’s just that name; it can be so … oh, I don’t know … old.

So she opted for “Mom” for my niece, which was never confusing to us but was a bit odd to outsiders. So when Kate was born, it brought up the dilemma again. For reasons that remain clear only to her, she latched onto the name “Ema,” which she happily answers to today.

When that day of picking a “Grandma” name comes for me – in the VERY, VERY distant – future, I have it pretty easy. Steve’s mom was simply “Gram,” a play on the Graham name. I’m planning to go with that. If I didn’t have a good option (because I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be down with “Grandma” either), then I might consult The New Grandparents Name Book: A lighthearted guide to picking the perfect grandparent name ($9.99, ArtStone Press). The book hits shelves today, so if you’ve got a grandmother who might prefer to be a “Grangran” or a “Nonny,” you might want to consult this handy little tome.

It offers more than 700 names, and of course, includes a section for the “Granbears” and “Pepos,” too.

We all can easily admit it: We spend way too much time in the car. According to survey at MotherProof.com, moms spent, on average, 405 hours in their cars in 2008. That’s more than two weeks! 

In honor of the New Year – and to make those 405 hours a little more fun and a bit safer – MotherProof.com also offered the following New Year’s resolution suggestions for those of us schlepping to soccer, school and work on a regular basis:

1. Pull over to make and take phone calls: 71 percent of moms admitted to making calls or texting in the car.  While hands-free headsets seem to  be a good option, studies have shown that even those create a distraction  that makes driving less safe. Vow to set a good example for little ones  (monkey see, monkey do) and pull over to make/take calls. 
2. Ditch the drive-through: 85 percent of moms resort to eating in  their cars, and 47 percent eat at a restaurant drive-through one to three times per week. Vow to eat healthier, save money on takeout and keep the car cleaner by packing healthy and car-friendly snacks before a day of driving. 
3. Go green: Use recyclable and reusable water/juice bottles and coffee mugs in the car to help cut down on trash. 
4. Get organized: An organized environment leads to an organized mind. Clean out your car! MotherProof.com’s survey found that 50 percent of moms clean their car only every few months, or when the car “needs” cleaning. Use tote bags to store your car’s necessities and to transport daily stuff all in one load to and from the house. Vow to take your car to the hand wash at  least every other month. Five bucks gets you an industrial-strength vacuum and a good rinse. If you’re able, invest in a thorough detailing. It’s almost like getting a brand-new car … almost. 
5. Get smart with audiobooks: Use car time for healthy brain activities. Just over a third of moms already read in the car. Download audiobooks from the internet or your local library to build up your brain cells while driving and waiting in the carpool lane. Books for the kids are great, but don’t forget about yourself. Download your latest book club selection and show up next time ready to actually participate in the discussion at hand. 

Is it ever too early to start thinking about baseball? Not if you have little Dodger fans racing through your home field.

Kids will have a ball with the new Jr. Dodgers program, which is free and open to fans ages 14 and younger. Members receive their own newsletter and have a chance to participate in some of the team’s most over-the-top experiences, such as taking the field with their favorite Boys in Blue or serving as a guest reporter for the newsletter. They also get VIP access to select Kids Run the Bases events and have the chance to announce “It’s Time for Dodgers Baseball” to kick off a home game. They also have access to some of the cool gift packs.

You can sign up at the Dodgers Web site. Or for more information call 323-224-1507 (Monday through Friday) or e-mail jrdodgers@ladodgers.com.

Rodent movies have been all the rage lately, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the new animated movie The Tale of Despereaux, which hits theaters Dec. 19. In honor of the release and to promote this tale of a big-eared yet brave little mouse, Universal is offering a little prize package for faithful “I Don’t Have Time for This” readers.

Click here to enter to win (include your name, address and telephone number in the e-mail) this special prize pack valued at $100 that includes:

• Adult shirt
• Adult hat
• Picture frame magnet
• Croc shoe decoration
• Mini poster

The deadline is Dec. 29, so do it quickly!

Here’s the fine print: 

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Your entry must be received no later than 12:00 pm (PST), December 29, 2008. Odds of winning are based on the number of entries. One (1) winner will receive the prize noted above. Winners are chosen at random from all eligible submissions and will be notified by email. If the winner cannot be reached, then a new winner will be chosen. You may request the name of the winner by contactingmarketing@parenthood.com. The retail value of the prize is as is noted above. This prizes are not redeemable for cash. Dominion Enterprises is not responsible for and does not warrant the safety or quality of the prize, and is not liable for any injury, damage or death related to the prize or its use. 

Eligibility: You must be age 18 or older to enter. Only residents of the state of California are eligible to enter this contest. Residents of Florida, New York and all other states are NOT eligible to enter. Employees of Dominion Enterprises and their immediate families may not enter. All applicable laws apply and this contest is void where prohibited By participating in this promotion, you become a Parenthood.com site member. Parenthood.com intends to send regular email updates and occasional promotional offers that may be of interest to you. You may opt-out of these mailings at any time upon receipt.

Kate has a lot of homework this year. That means that the managing, planning, writing, scheduling, ciphering and cajoling that I do at the office doesn’t end when I walk in the front door at home.

There’s often a battle raging inside my head while I’m battling with Kate outside my head. Do I try to constantly keep reminding her to get this stuff done? Do I give up dinner making/laundry doing/clutter pick-upping/soccer-practice driving in order to sit down and help her through every minute of it? Do I let her “forget” or just decide that she’d rather do something else and suffer the consequences?

And while I’m sitting there watching her work on her times tables and sentence structure, I can’t help but think, “Hey, I already did this stuff. I paid my dues.” (Of course, I didn’t have that quantity of homework till I was in at least the ninth grade.) 

Of course, none of that type of thinking is productive. And for her part, Kate is really working hard at it. But through this turbulent first semester of third grade, I’ve managed to learn and discover some new techniques to help us both get through it with minimal glasses of wine (on my part) and fewer eyeball rolls and hands-to-the-sky gestures.

Tip Number One: Let the girl relax for a minute. Go kick the ball, dance to some horrible Jonas Brothers song, have a quick tennis match on the Wii. 

Tip Number Two: Feed her. She’s going to lap my diminutive stature in a matter of one good growth spurt, and she’s feeding that growing body like each meal is her last. A snack will keep her brain on her homophones instead of her hunger.

Tip Number Three: Give her a dry-erase board. This is quite possibly the best little brainstorm I’ve had since the “truth bed” (the end-of-day kid-confessional) and naming vegetables after icky monster parts. She sketches out her weekly plan, carefully erasing each day as she completes the tasks that she sets for herself based on the week’s due dates. The drawback is that Kate likes to linger in the creativity of the task (yesterday, she painstakingly made each letter a different color), but she got the work done. Which is kind of our goal here.

So there you go. And by all means, please leave comments with your suggestions for homework help!

The other day, a friend of mine and I were talking about how much we love jigsaw puzzles. My brain makes a contented little sigh when I snap together interlocking pieces of cardboard to create calm – and a picture of kitties – from jumbled chaos. But my brain doesn’t like having to stare at those same pieces of colorful cardboard scattered all over my dining table when the lasagna comes out of the oven and it’s time to set the table.

Thank goodness for our homegrown J Paul Getty Museum, which recently relaunched its GettyGames site. Unlike many electronic jigsaw puzzles on other kid sites, this little artsy corner of the Web takes cool art from its collections and shatters it into up to 144 pieces.

Of course, jigsaw puzzles aren’t the only draw. The site has a nice collection of other cool brainy games that are reminiscent of some favorite puzzles of my youth. In Detail Detective, you determine which smidgeon of art belongs to the full-sized painting. All of the games are a subtle and interactive way to expose kids to different paintings, sculptures and ceramics by artists that range from Van Gogh to Jacob van Hulsdonck (a Dutch painter who created Still Life With Lemons, Oranges and a Pomegranate, in case you’re wondering).

The site also includes some cool little downloadable art projects. And, like the Getty itself, the games are free and free of advertising.

Like so many other students out there, Kate, my third grader, is required as part of her homework to read at least 20 minutes per day. But tracking that time can be a real challenge for a young reader, who might get sucked into a book for an hour or only have time for a short literary break.

I can recommend this cool product to help: Mark-My-Time digital bookmark, which helps track reading time. Kate figured out how to set it pretty quickly and now keeps it stuffed into the pages of her current book or slides it into her backpack. No more hunting down a timer or watching the clock. And best of all, it’s quelled my nagging: “Did you read 20 minutes? I don’t think that was long enough!”

The bookmark can be set to count down or track cumulative time and is made from durable plastic. It comes in neon blue, green or purple and retails for $8.95 at various bookstores and at the Mark-My-Time Web site.

For parents out there who miss their old night-club days, it’s time to grab your sequined diaper bag and hit the dance floor with Baby Loves Disco, a parent-hosted dance party that’s become quite a hit in the Southland.

Last weekend L.A. Parent’s graphic designer Terresa Burgess took her 14-month-old daughter Teagan to an event, which was held at Cinespace in Hollywood, a restaurant and club normally reserved for the young and usually childless crowd of L.A. hipsters.

While toddlers find their groove, grownups can enjoy adult beverages and relive a little of their ’80s dancing days. The little ones like the bubble machine and hula-hoops, and there’s also a play area and snacks. A real DJ spins the hits (decibel levels are made for young ears, although Terresa thought the volume might’ve been a little loud, especially after being there for a while). Parents can raise concerns about volume or other issues to their parent hosts, which are stationed at every event.

The baby dance craze was born out of the Baby Loves Music indie label, which makes music CDs, books and other products geared for toddling music lovers. Events are held throughout the U.S. and even in the United Kingdom. Tickets are $15; stayed tuned to the Baby Loves Disco site for future L.A.-area dates.

Here’s Teagan rocking out solo, with her dad Sean and mom Terresa:

I guess I just have dogs on the brain these days (see Pet Project), but this looks like a fun outing: Catch a family screening of the new Disney dog movie Bolt and have breakfast, too.

The Bolt and breakfast event is for the 10:30 a.m. screening this Saturday, Nov. 22 only, at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks. Tickets cost $21.50 for adults and $17.50 for kids 12 and younger. Breakfast includes scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, French toast and a morning beverage (just keep the kids away from the coffee or you’ll be calling them “Bolt”). 

Sometimes we just don’t know what’s going to happen when he head out to shoot a cover for L.A. Parent. Cranky models, bizarre weather, fires that force us to make a last-minute location change. One time we even had a snake slither through a shoot.

But when we shot the November cover late last summer at Danny’s Farm in Altadena, everything came together. Sure, a hungry goat kept trying to eat our props. And our cover model (and Shooting Stars Cover Kids Contest winner) Tommy John-Douglas Tucker had come down with a bug the night before. But the serenity and calm that presides over this little oasis tucked into a quiet neighborhood made it all worthwhile.

But this place isn’t just a cute spot for a photo shoot. It’s a refuge for both people and animals who might otherwise be having a bit of trouble finding their footing in the outside world. Amid the lazy cats lounging near the stables, the chickens perching and pecking about, the horse and the therapy dog and several other critters, owner Cathy Gott has created a safe haven where kids and adults with disabilities (or not) can feel accepted and loved unconditionally.

In short, everyone is welcome at Danny’s Farm. Check out this short video about the farm from msnbc.com.