You know how sometimes you buy yummy *lavender* bubble bath and lotion for your baby, thinking you’re really going to get something that smells like lavender? And then you open it up and use it on your wee little babe only to realize it smells like, uh, any other lotion at the store? If it doesn’t happen to you, just pretend it does so this story will work. I’ve actually had that happen on more than one occasion and it’s…
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It’s time for back to school, and what to pack for lunch you might ask? Well here are some fun ideas to keep your kids healthy and well fed while at school. First, as you prepare their lunches, think “rainbow.” You want their lunch to be as colorful as a rainbow. Lots of fruits, veggies and good proteins. Protein is so important, because it is a brain food. and when they are tired and lunch comes around they need to…
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” A child of five would understand this. Send someone to fetch a child of five” *Groucho Marx* It was tricky getting you here baby C. It took nearly all I had, all you had, to get us both back. I’m so glad we made it. I love you more than words. You’re my moon, my sun, my stars. My light in the dark. Your sweetness is insatiable, your kindness and love contagious. Please be my baby until the stars…
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{photo via real simple} As you are no doubt bustling here and there gathering new clothes and school supplies for your kiddos, consider this: many women’s and children’s shelters need these same things this time of year. So, grab a couple of extra next time you are out and drop them off at your local shelter. Imagine the smile on a child’s face to pack up his own snazzy pencil case with new Number 2’s, glue sticks, and crayons. var…
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I feel like Summer just got started, yet it’s nearing an end all too soon and I have little to show for it. No exotic vacations. No beaches. No bucket-list trips down the California coast. Seems this year we squeezed the best out of summer in small ways: sailing boats, tending our first vegetable garden, swim lessons, day trips to national parks, homemade jam, visits with grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousins, small town parades, a cookout…
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During our last visit with Miss Kris of PAT, we learned that as my toddler approaches age 3, it’s important to expose him little by little to using the computer. It’s something I hadn’t really tackled, other than letting him click the mouse around the desktop, sans batteries. Thank goodness for toddler-friendly websites where we can explore computer based cause/effect, learn something new and have fun at the same time. I recently learned about the Scholastic website for families. You…
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For those of you with kids too young for school yet, look into your local chapter of the national Parents as Teachers program. Soon. We’ve been participating for nearly one year and have been really happy with our involvement. It’s so popular in my community there is a waiting list! In a nutshell, Parents as Teachers (PAT) is an educational resource for families with children ages birth to 5 years. A trained representative meets with parent and child on a…
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Little O has started eating solids, which is a great adventure. I didn’t know it could be this much fun. But something I’ve been procrastinating is finding the right high chair. For the first week or so, I’d just feed him in his Bumbo on the floor of the living room—until I realized how quickly apple sauce can spill and get all over the carpet. Here’s what Mike and I wanted in a high chair: 1) Not bulky. As compact…
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I received an email from a reader who’s about to become a first-time mom and has a barrage of questions, {of course! didn’t you have a million before your baby arrived?}. She doesn’t want to divulge her identity but needs some help, so I thought it’d be great to open up her questions to you, my seasoned veterans of motherhood. What do you think? Let’s be sisters in the motherhood and help *First Time Mommy* with our sage wisdom. What…
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