Name: Jennifer Enlow

Originally from: Born in New York; grew up in Rogers, AR

Age/gender of children: Boy 5, Girl 2

What’s your favorite place to hang out with the kids? the backyard

What’s your best defense against stress? the gym

What’s your favorite chick flick? Pretty Woman

If you had one week at home by yourself, what would you do? That would never happen

Advice you wish someone had given you when you first became a mom? choose your battles wisely

If money were no object, where would you go on your dream vacation? any place with a great beach

What’s your most meaningful family heirloom? photo albums

If you were going to college in the fall, what would you study? medical school

If you could meet one influential woman, dead or alive, who would it be? Oprah Winfrey

What’s something you’ve been meaning to do but it never seems to be a good time? my revolving “to do” list

Parenting is … the best thing I’ve ever done

One phrase to sum me up: “What you see is what you get”

Dear Jennifer,

Lately my friend’s husband has been very flirty with me when my friend walks out of the room. I keep thinking that maybe it’s all in my head, but I definitely notice a change in the way he treats me. If I talk to her about it and I’m wrong about him, it’ll ruin our friendship. But if I’m right about him, it’ll still ruin the friendship. I feel trapped. What can I do?

Dear Trapped,

I’m a firm believer in trusting your intuition. Maybe he is just testing the waters, or maybe he is already fishing. Either way, take the first opportunity and speak directly to him. Say something like “Bill, I know you’d never want to make me uncomfortable because you know how important Diane’s friendship is to me. But lately your comments make me feel awkward. I’d like it if we could keep things the way they’ve always been. I’d really appreciate that.”

Make sure that for a period of time you’re not alone with this guy under any circumstances.

Dear Jennifer,

I’m the first-time mom of a 5-month-old son and neither one of us is getting much sleep at all. And I’m so sick of hearing about the “cry it out” method. I’ve tried it (a little) and I just can’t do it. It feels wrong to me. On the other hand, I’m desperate for sleep and don’t know what to do. When my friends and relatives talk about letting him “cry it out,” I feel so incompetent because I haven’t been able to get him “sleep trained.” What do I do about the sleep problems, and what can I say to get everybody off my back?

Dear Tired,

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem. You will not find answers by doing what feels wrong, and you will not find answers by trying any solution “a little.” You have to make some changes and stick with them. One possible change is to find a program for sleep training and follow it completely, wanting sleep for yourself and your son enough to see it through.

If that’s not for you, learn to nap when your baby does. One technique is to lay in a cool, quiet room, clear your mind and count backwards from 50 with each breath. Some moms learn to nap and get by with that little bit of extra sleep. Others never master the nap, often because the time when the baby is sleeping is the only time they have to themselves. Find a program that works for you, and follow it. Don’t worry about your relatives. When they sense you’ve made a choice and are committed to it, they’ll back off.

Bear in mind that these days will pass. Until they do, however, sleep deprivation can exhaust you and your immune system, creating a cycle of stress that becomes self-sustaining. You may want to talk to your doctor if you are feeling depressed, out of control or overwhelmed – all conditions that make it hard to make decisions and stick with them. Don’t let the lack of sleep affect your health or your marriage, and don’t underestimate how easily it can do both.

Jennifer Hansen is a syndicated columnist, mom of two, and one of those insightful friends who will tell you what you need to hear, regardless of whether or not it’s what you want to hear. She’s not a psychologist or licensed counselor, but she is one smart mama.

No matter how you feel about Neil Diamond’s music, you’ve got to hand it to the guy. He’s enjoyed one of the longest, most successful careers in music history. The legend mentored five finalists on American Idol Tuesday night when each singer performed two songs.

Jason Castro’s first song was “Forever in Blue Jeans.” It was okay, but just okay. Simon called it “forgettable.”

David Cook followed with “I’m Alive,” a lesser known song. Neil Diamond said it gave him goose bumps. Hard to get a much better review than that.

Brooke White sang “I’m a Believer,” and I didn’t love it. Simon called it a “nightmare.” It wasn’t that bad, but it definitely wasn’t great.

David Archuleta sang “Sweet Caroline.” Neil Diamond called him a prodigy. Randy called him “da bomb.”

Syesha wrapped up the first round of songs with “Hello Again.” Has anybody noticed how beautiful this girl’s teeth are? They’re perfect. Oh, and she can sing, too.

On to Round Two: Jason was back with “September Morn.” Here’s his problem. He’s so laid back that he almost seems a little bored. The judges were not impressed.

David Cook brings what Jason lacks – raw intensity. Cook sang “All I Really Need Is You,” and it sounded like something you’d hear on the radio today. Randy said he “rocked the house” and Simon called it “brilliant.” The big shocker came when Paula, who is typically very non-committal when it comes to predictions, said “I feel like I’m already looking at the American Idol.” Wow.

Brooke White redeemed herself with her piano version of “I Am I Said.” When she does what she does best, she really shines.

Boy wonder David Archuleta sang “America” for his second song, a choice that the judges said was very smart. (Nobody ever gets eliminated after singing a patriotic song. Ever notice that?)

Syesha closed the show with “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime.” She really seems to be hitting her stride these days and looks more comfortable on stage than ever. Randy said “You are finally realizing who you are, and you’re in the zone.”

Prediction: If voters go by performance and not popularity, Jason will go home. If it’s a popularity vote, Brooke and/or Syesha will be in the bottom two.

How many of you are familiar with celiac disease? Even if you’ve never heard of it, chances are you’ve noticed more and more “gluten-free” products popping up at local grocery stores and even on menus at restaurants like Outback Steakhouse and Bordino’s.

The glut of gluten-free products has people with celiac disease dancing in the aisles.

At the invitation of a friend, I recently checked out a meeting featuring some big players in the celiac disease arena: Alice Bast, founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, and Vanessa Maltin, director of programming and communications for the foundation and author of the cookbook “Beyond Rice Cakes.”

The two were in Northwest Arkansas to meet with Wal-Mart executives. I don’t have the disease, but the meeting room at Ozarks Electric Cooperative in Fayetteville was filled with people from across Northwest Arkansas who suffer from celiac, an autoimmune digestive disease that’s triggered by eating the protein called gluten which is found in wheat, barley and rye. Some were newly diagnosed and looking for information about living with the disease.

Alice shared with them that before she was diagnosed, her first baby was still-born, she suffered through multiple miscarriages and her oldest child was born at two pounds. Like so many others in the room, it took her many years to find a diagnosis. Alice said her mother died of pancreatic cancer at age 52 and she found out that undiagnosed celiac diseases can lead to that type of cancer.

But the meeting also had some fun mixed in with the facts: there were gluten-free food samples from Outback Steakhouse and Harp’s grocery store and Vanessa demonstrated cooking a few recipes from her cookbook. Her noodle soup was delicious and the chocolate chip cookies looked great, but I didn’t try them (I was kicking myself on the way out for that one).

Sherry Ponder-Roth, the “natural solutions manager” at Harp’s, said when she first started the job three years ago it occurred to her there was a need for a gluten-free section in the store.

“It was taking people so long to shop because they had to read the labels on everything,” she said. “So it made sense to pull it all together.”

Sherry said the disease is becoming more prevalent and even warehouse catalogs have started offering a gluten-free section for her to order from.

After looking at pamphlet from the foundation, I saw that some common symptoms of celiac disease are: digestive issues like diarrhea or constipation; discolored teeth or loss of enamel; fatigue; joint pain; significant unexplained weight loss; fractures or thin bones; canker sores; tingling or numbness in hands and feet; itchy skin rash; and missed menstrual periods. Alice told me there are specific blood tests that can tell a doctor whether that’s the problem. I left the meeting informed and newly aware of what “gluten-free” really means to many people trying to manage their celiac disease.

For those in Northwest Arkansas there’s a support group called ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids). It started out as a group for parents of children with the disease, but it has grown to include adults as well. There is also an online resource available — ArkansasROCK. For more information about either group, call Melanie Faught at 479-582-9232.