welcome.gif
Boston Mamas is a one-stop source for cool ideas & resources for families in Boston & beyond. Have a fab tip? E-mail us!

stayconnected.gif
1. Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive goodies and news.

2. Enter e-mail for daily updates:


3. Subscribe via

4. Fan us on Facebook!
facebook.bmp

5. Follow on Twitter!
twitter.jpg

categories.gif

monthlyarchives.gif divline_175.gif

surfing.gif

Site partners:
Alternadad
Celebrity Baby Clothes
Classy Mommy
Clever Parents
Coochicoos
Dear Dr. Moz
Kidoinfo
Mama Pop
MomFinds
Moms' Buzz
Mommies With Style
One Chic Mama
Swanky Moms
The Nest Baby
We Covet
Wicked Local Parents
TrueMomConfessions

See also:
Friends
Live Headlines
Links

Proudly affiliated with:
MarchofDimesMom.png
shoestringlogo2a.jpg

Parent Bloggers Network

BlogWithIntegrity.com

MC_Blog_Badge_small.gif
mombloggersclub.jpg
Proud member of Mom Blog Network

Directory of Parenting Blogs
Parenting Blogs - Blog Top Sites
 db_88x31.gif
MomFacts member
Add to Technorati Favorites
Blogarama

AFFILIATE SERVICES:

Save for College with Upromise.

Netflix, Inc.

Powered by
Movable Type 4.34-en

© Copyright Boston Mamas 2006-2010; a division of Christine Koh, LLC. All rights reserved. Terms & Privacy

Main

January 22, 2010

Mom 2.0 Bound

mom-2-summit.jpgIt’s been over a decade since I visited Houston and I’m thrilled to return to this city next month for the Mom 2.0 Summit. Last year I heard incredible things about this conference, which serves as a meeting grounds for moms and marketers and this year explores professional, product, and personal paths. My attendance, however, would not be possible were it not for the kind and generous sponsorship of Care.com.

Continue reading "Mom 2.0 Bound" »

November 4, 2009

Musical & Social Harmony

boston-childrens-chorus.jpgBack in high school, audition jitters aside, I adored being on the competitive orchestra circuit. The long rehearsals led to beautiful music and amazing friendships. And if you want to learn about a local arts group that creates music, friendships, and unity across cultural and social gaps, check out the Boston Children’s Chorus tomorrow, November 5 (6-7pm), at the Boston Public Library. The BCC -- which uses music to unify Boston’s diverse communities, inspire social change, and provide kids with music education and performance opportunities -- will preview a documentary about its recent tour to Jordan and celebrate the release of their This is the Sound of Harmony CD.

September 10, 2009

Gear Up With the Girl Scouts

girl-scouts.jpgMy tenure as a girl scout only lasted one year but as one of the few organized activities of my youth, I have a place in my heart for the adventure seeking, camaraderie building, cookie bearing troops. This Saturday, September 12, is Girl Scout Day in Eastern Massachusetts and to commemorate the day, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will host a series of registration and celebration events at eight area Simon Malls from noon – 3pm (see roster below). And in this era of pricey kids extracurricular fees, it's a pretty sweet deal that the membership fee for Girl Scouts is only $12 per year. Not to mention direct access to all of those awesome cookies.

Continue reading "Gear Up With the Girl Scouts" »

May 13, 2009

Hill House Backyard Dash

hill-house-backyard-dash.gifWeather being what it has been, I definitely find myself thinking about the weekend, well, not too long after the week starts. And this Sunday (May 17) our friends at Hill House will host their 3rd annual Backyard Dash at Fiedler Field on the Esplanade. The day will include races for grown-ups and kiddos (registration required), and a community picnic and kids festival. Also cool: on Monday the 18th, participating Charles Street businesses will offer special Day After the Dash deals and discounts for those wearing a Backyard Dash bracelet or medal.

Continue reading "Hill House Backyard Dash" »

March 26, 2009

Rally for Boston Public Schools

statehouse.jpgI’m an avid supporter of the public schools, and subsequently was interested to hear via Universal Hub about a rally for Boston public schools today. Boston Public School Parents will convene at the State House between 11:30am – 2pm to lobby for funding and legislation. Click here for information on how to support the effort.

Continue reading "Rally for Boston Public Schools" »

April 15, 2008

Sorting Out Summer

sun.jpgFor parents in the Greater Lowell area looking to sort out summer plans, tomorrow the Chelmsford Mothers’ Club is hosting a free Summer Activities Fair. From 7-9pm, reps from local schools, day camps, and community recreation programs will provide families with summer programming information geared towards kids 6 and under. Some information for older kids will also be available, as will refreshments and giveaways.

At the All Saints Episcopal Church, 10 Billerica Road (Rt. 129), Chelmsford

February 15, 2008

Refuel Your Tank

parentingwkshp.bmpAs joyful as it is to parent children as they become increasingly communicative and independent, those developments also can, at times, test even the most patient parents. For those who feel as if they’re running on fumes, head to Lynn Lyons and Christine Cook’s Refueling Your Parenting Tank workshop on March 9 at the JCC in Newton. Parents will learn how to work through button-pushing moments and difficult transitions with kids, and the buzz on this workshop – geared towards parents of 3-10 year olds – is that Lyons and Cook are talented educators who provide parents with the ideas and communicative tools needed to refuel and hit the ground running.

Want to win two registrations to this workshop (bring a partner or friend!)? Simply email contests@bostonmamas.com by Feb. 22 (with ‘Refuel’ in the subject).

June 20, 2007

Early Intervention

blocks.gif

Few things stress parents like having family, friends, or professionals raise their eyebrows when they hear that your babe hasn’t done X, Y, or Z by a specific age. I’ve already made clear my thoughts on statistical variability and individual differences (see Redshirting), and today we’re grateful to Kate for sharing her story and lead regarding Early Intervention:

Continue reading "Early Intervention" »

June 18, 2007

Chatterboxes

speech.gif

A local reader wrote in with a tip about Chatterboxes, a group of pediatric speech pathologists in Boston. She writes: “We had trouble with the hospitals as their waiting lists were long and our son couldn't be seen for 7 months. Chatterboxes is the only pediatric SLP private practice in Greater Boston…we were excited to find them. Chatterboxes came through and helped our son tremendously.”

Chatterboxes doesn’t yet have a live website; contact them at 617-723-TALK.

UPDATE (8/3/07): The reader who submitted this tip wrote in with a link to the Chatterboxes website. Much appreciated!

March 15, 2007

Harvard Bound

johnharvard.gif

It’s never too late to go to Harvard.

For parents interested in learning more about how babies and kids perceive musical features and other auditory materials, contact the Auditory Cognition and Development Lab at Harvard (director Erin Hannon is a new mama herself and a colleague from my days in the field). This lab conducts short studies for infants, toddlers, and elementary school aged children to learn about how the perception of melody, rhythm and other auditory stimuli develops over time. Parents will receive information about the goals of the study their child is participating in, as well as follow-up newsletters outlining the results. Parents also can request a DVD of their child participating in the study.

UPDATE 8/7/07: Erin Hannon has moved to the University of Nevada.

UPDATE 11/20/07: Rebecca from Medford wrote in regarding Harvard’s Laboratory for Developmental Studies (the arm in which the Hannon lab used to reside). She writes, “My older daughter participated in a couple of studies when she was a baby. They were simple activities where she was held on her dad's lap and shown pictures of adults with different emotional facial expressions. I think it is interesting work and I like being able to help with the research…My new baby is going to help by participating in a study next week. They are looking for infants that are 3-4 months old and they are having trouble finding enough young babies.”

To learn more about participating (infants, toddlers, and kids welcome), click here.

November 14, 2006

Web of Worry

chalkboard.jpg

It doesn’t take much to push a parent’s worry button, and the source often is another parent, either in an attempt to make conversation, or enlist you as an accomplice in their web of worry.

The other day during day care drop off another parent commented on Laurel’s maturity (a relative term, of course), looked at the birthday board, and said gravely, “Oh, you’re going to have the same problem as us.” The problem being that both of our kids were born in early September; we thus would just miss the typical cutoff date for kindergarten (August 31 or September 1 in many Mass. towns) and be relegated to an extra year in pre-school.

Continue reading "Web of Worry" »

July 24, 2006

On the Horizon

logo_brighthor.gif

Day cares – especially those that take infants – are tough to find, but Bright Horizons offers plenty of places to look. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Bright Horizons from several mama pals. Bright Horizons is massive; they operate more than 600 child-care centers and schools across the U.S., Canada and Europe. In Massachusetts, locations that are open to the community for application include Allston, Andover, Bedford, Beverly, Boston, Boxborough, Braintree, Cambridge, Charlestown, Foxboro, Framingham, Franklin, Hingham, Lexington, Marlborough, Milton, Natick, Needham, Newburyport, North Reading, Norwell, Pembroke, Pittsfield, Quincy, Randolph, Sudbury, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, and Wellesley. Click here to narrow your search by distance from your home; check specific locations for age limits.

July 18, 2006

For Mamas in Medford

daycare.jpg

A mama from Medford passed along recommendations for two local family day cares. Carol Ricker (5 Bussell Rd., Medford, 781-395-4212) takes babes from 3 months to 3 years old and comes highly recommended for infant care. Donna Swales (61 Paris Street, Medford, 781-395-5612) takes babes from 3 months to 5 years, and comes highly recommended for toddler/pre-schoolers (2.5 – 5 years).

Thanks Mama N. from Medford!

sponsors.gif

TLK_120x600_BostonMamas.jpg

HungryCaterpillar-120x600.jpg