Today, Hillary of Mass Audubon shares tips for attracting hummingbirds to your yard:

Come late spring and throughout the summer, there's a common scene that replays over and over in our house. We will be sitting at the dinner table, coaxing our 4-year-old to eat her food, and one of us will shout: HUMMINGBIRD! You'd think we saw a dinosaur by our reaction, but no -- just this tiny, remarkable bird that dashes from flower to flower in front of our window before zipping off way too soon. Hummingbirds have to be one of the coolest birds, sure to impress all kids. Here are some fun facts + tips on how to attract hummingbirds to your yard:

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Posted by Christine Koh on 15 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Eco Living; Home

Happy Monday everyone -- I hope you had a lovely weekend! As I mentioned last week, my brother-in-law is in town from California. His visits are always so fun and also inspire me to make lots of yummy food -- the weekend was replete with Korean barbeque and from-scratch sticky buns (I think I probably should post this recipe for you all...oh my goodness). Added bonus: I managed to get out and pick up new running shoes yesterday, which I'm quite excited about! Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic week ahead of you -- here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

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Posted by Christine Koh on 14 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends an upcoming yoga camp for kids:

Last summer my 8-year-old daughter Grace attended Tara Rachel Jones's week-long yoga camp at the Arlington Center and absolutely loved it. She was, and continues to be, at an age where doing a camp or activity without a friend takes some cajoling. After the first day of yoga camp, though, she bounced home happily and eagerly back every other day. She absolutely loved yoga camp with Tara.

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Posted by Christine Koh on 12 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Beauty, Fitness & Wellness; Childcare & Education; Local

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend planned. We don't tend to do anything major for Mother's Day but I do hope to get out and replace my tired old running shoes with some new kicks and would love to shoot some family photos. Also, my wonderful brother-in-law is in town from California, which always feels celebratory! Anyway, whether or not you choose to celebrate Mother's Day formally, I hope you have a great weekend; here are 15 picks for your consideration:

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Posted by Christine Koh on 11 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Today, Kate shares an art center I'm itching to try with Laurel:

My daughter has always loved art. From her early daycare days of finger-painting and messing around with sand, through coloring and cutting, and now up to learning how to sew and knit and make complex collages, she is drawn to create using color and materials and shapes. And while she always makes a beeline for the art table at school and we have collected boxes full of art supplies at home, there are still limits on what we're able to do ourselves. For this reason, I was thrilled to discover Maud Morgan Arts, a wonderful art center and school discreetly hidden on Sacramento Street in Cambridge.

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Posted by Christine Koh on 10 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Creative Services; Fun Indoors; Local

Whitney Johnson impresses me in so many ways. She is smart. She is kind. She makes stuff happen. She wears fabulous jackets. And she's probably the only person I have ever talked to who ends conversations with, "So, what can I do for you?" Last year, unbeknownst to me, Whitney played a pivotal role in moving my book dream forward. And now, I'm just beyond thrilled that her book Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream has launched. It was such an honor to help Whitney kick off her book launch last night at Pivot Boston. Read on for some thoughts about this book and what I have realized about my life dreams, as well as to enter to win one of two copies of this awesome book.

Continue reading "Dare, Dream, Do" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 9 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; Family Issues; For Grownups; Mama in the Workplace

Back when Asha and I announced our Minimalist Parenting book deal, I mentioned that we wanted to ultimately integrate our communities into the process. Why? Because you are awesome. And smart. And funny. And such an integral part of why this book is even happening. And now, the time has come -- we want to add your brilliance to our completed chapters! Over the coming weeks we will ask specific questions on various topics over at the Minimalist Parenting blog; our first question is about money. Come on over and share your brilliant budgeting tools and strategies!

Posted by Christine Koh on 9 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Web (Admin)

My friends Sheri and Eli Gurock of Magic Beans appear to not sleep. Which, while probably a little inconvenient for them, results in impressive things like the Drool Baby Expo happening next week (May 15) at the Cyclorama in Boston. Geared towards anyone who wishes to check out stylish, functional baby gear up close and personal, attendees will also have the chance to win cool prizes, enjoy refreshments, and walk away with a killer gift bag. And how cool is this? My peeps at Magic Beans are offering up a pair of VIP tickets to one of you awesome readers. Here's how to enter to win:

Continue reading "The Good Kind of Drool" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 8 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Gear; Local; Pre & Postnatal Services; Retail

Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares ideas for handling emotional challenges around Mother's Day:

Mother's Day seems easy, celebrating what our moms do for us. But it's not easy for every child. My children, for instance, are adopted. They don't remember their birthmother, but they do miss their foster mother from time to time. They have several friends for whom Mother's Day is sometimes challenging as well. Some have two mothers, one has two fathers, and a few have parents who divorced and remarried. Creative, loving intervention can help everyone enjoy the day. Here are some suggestions to handle Mother's Day challenges.

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Posted by Christine Koh on 8 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Development & Behavior; Family Issues; Holidays; Spring

Happy Monday everyone -- I hope you had a great weekend and are gearing up for a fantastic week! The major (and somewhat terrifying) excitement at home is that Violet has discovered how fun it is to scamper up the stairs. And among my professional commitments this week, I'm super excited about Pivot tomorrow. It's going to be an amazing event, during which my incredible colleague Whitney Johnson will help attendees hone in on their dreams and figure out how to execute them. We're currently sold out (!) but I recommend hopping on the waitlist if you want to attend since we'll probably get some last minute cancellations. I hope to see you there! Meanwhile, here are some handy/fun ideas to consider in this week's Weekly Blueprint:

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Posted by Christine Koh on 7 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local

Today, Jennifer shares 7 tips for navigating the juice jungle:

My son recently outed me as a neurotic non-juice parent at a birthday party. And during his "WE. DON'T. DRINK. JUICE!" meltdown, and while my daughter stood perplexed in front of this foreign combo of drink pouch + straw, I started to wonder whether I had been wrong in depriving my kids of this common beverage. Here are some ideas for navigating the juice jungle, culled from my own experiences, and tips from Ayla Withee (a registered dietitian at Boston's SportsClubLA and nutrition blogger for Boston Magazine) and Boston Mamas editor Christine Koh.

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Posted by Christine Koh on 5 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (4) | Filed in Development & Behavior; Feeding & Nursing

Given the persistent server migration issues nagging the site last week, I was a little bummed to later learn that many people weren't able to access the colossal weekend roundup I assembled last Friday. Water under the bridge, though! This weekend there's plenty to enjoy in and around town, spanning arts, culture, fitness, food, craft, critters, performances, celebrations, and nature inspired activities. Browse the options, minimize the weekend household minutia, and have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Continue reading "25 Fun Weekend Picks" »

Posted by Christine Koh on 4 May 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local