Kids can get a bad rap; presumed to be whiny or on the brink of tantrum, and I was reminded yesterday during a meeting with the folks over at Daily Grommet (an in depth look at them is forthcoming on this site) of how appreciative I am when people: a) trust my judgment about my kid, and b) welcome children without the aforementioned presumptions.Kids can get a bad rap; presumed to be whiny or on the brink of tantrum, and I was reminded yesterday during a meeting with the folks over at Daily Grommet (an in depth look at them is forthcoming on this site) of how appreciative I am when people: a) trust my judgment about my kid, and b) welcome children without the aforementioned presumptions.
Opportunities can emerge in unexpected ways, and shortly after reporting about Care.com last year, they approached me about freelancing. I’ve written a lot of nuts and bolts family care articles for them, and more recently have written about some very interesting child development and child care topics. Check out my column on understanding why children lie and how to work through this normal part of childhood development.
Welcome to Boston Mamas Rock! – where we’re giving a voice to fabulous local mamas from all walks of life. Read on for today’s interview with Sharon Chase, mother of two and professional vocalist and party-throwing princess. Then go ahead and nominate yourself or a friend!
After 10 years of academic conferences, it’s probably no surprise that this past weekend’s BlogHer Boston conference felt revolutionary. Fun, energizing, and replete with interesting content, people, good food, and an affirming obsession with Twitter (I'm @bostonmamas...), I highly recommend that anyone interested or experienced in blogging attend this conference in the future. Here’s my wrap up of the event:
Today, Heather shares tips on handling biting behavior:
“Adie, my sweet 17-month-old daughter, has been tagged with a new nickname: Piranha! To our dismay, she is a biter and we all have fallen victim to her chompers. In an effort to nip this problem in the bud, I have sought the advice of teachers, childcare providers, child behavior specialists, and fellow moms of biters. Here are some tips for handling biting behavior:
Teaching Laurel empathy has always been very important to us, not only to help curb age appropriate but hurtful behaviors such as biting and hitting, but also simply to help her learn how to be a good friend and family member. And while she has embraced these lessons since toddlerhood (in daycare she always was quick to give a hug or rub a friend’s back if they were sad), we know we’ll need to revisit these themes through her young life. And for parents of tweens, here’s an interesting way to help teach compassion to kids: Generation Cures.
Today, Carole Arsenault of Newborn Nurses offers tips on managing breastfeeding when returning to work:
“For a new mom, returning to work can be stressful, and the thought of continuing breastfeeding can seem like an overwhelming task. But with advanced planning and the support of your family and workplace, it’s possible to combine breastfeeding and working, and it will benefit all parties in several ways.
Today, Kristin recommends craniosacral therapy for kiddie constipation relief:
“If you told me 20 years ago - in my riot girl days of bartending, dancing for two companies, traveling through Europe, etc., etc. that one of the main conversations in my life would be about poop, I would have laughed hysterically in your face. And now, here I am, deeply entrenched in poop (or lack thereof) talk.
Today, Suz shares information about a funding program for individuals and families with developmental disabilities:
"Raising a child with a developmental disability can be both challenging and empowering. The MDDC’s Consumer Empowerment Funds Program is a hidden gem that grants up to $500 towards the cost of attending meaningful conferences and events within the state that benefit your efforts of living with a developmental disability. The goal of this program is to promote the empowerment of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families by assisting them in their efforts to achieve independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion.
Sometimes I wonder how being raised by a pair of psychologists impacts Laurel. Jon and I definitely have had moments where we stop and listen to ourselves speak, and wonder whether we’re just flat out being too verbose with her. But a couple of new books from Free Spirit Publishing make it clear that others are talking a similar talk, and to saner effect. Today, I’m reviewing these titles - Ready for Bed! and Ready for the Day! - in conjunction with the Parent Bloggers Network.
This past weekend we hosted Laurel’s 4th birthday party, and while it differed significantly from her previous parties in size (6 instead of 20 kids), it shared the same sense of themed imagination as in past years. Year 2 was an “everything yellow party” (all food and decorations were yellow), year 3 was a “rainbow color party” (tie dye), and this year was a “nature fairy party.”
In my unofficial role as green parenting guru, I was pleased to provide a guest column on Teaching Green to Preschoolers, over at The Savvy Source, a site that focuses on raising preschoolers. Most of the ideas actually are applicable to kids of all ages. Enjoy!
I love body products - the delicious smells, the pretty packaging, the pampered feeling. And there’s a cool new collection on the block in Honeydew, a paraben, preservative, dye, and fragrance free line packed with natural goodness and formulated especially for expecting and new moms. Creamy in composition and yummy in natural scent, my top picks are the Balmy Mommy belly balm, which offers on the go itch relief via its glide on applicator, and the C-Scar Therapy cream, which helps reduce the appearance of surgical scars, partially thanks to - of all things - onion extract.
On a regular basis, I begrudge the absurd amount of time and energy we spend on grocery shopping. To get everything we need, we typically hit 3-4 stores, and I have talked to countless moms who share this inefficient routine. So when Stop & Shop invited me to learn more about their quantitative and qualitative overhaul, I was more than ready for a centralized shopping solution.
Following PPLM Parent Education Program Manager Amy Cody’s post about engaging GLBTQ kids in conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity, we received a comment from reader Jen, asking about guidelines on having these conversations with straight kids. I am grateful to Amy for kindly providing follow up material on this topic:
We love local mamapreneurs, and thus were thrilled to receive this tip from Aimee of Arlington: “I just checked out the new Twinkle Star baby boutique in Ball Square, Somerville. It’s a cute shop and great play space for kids. I also met with Salina of Diaper Lab (she rents space at Twinkle Star) for cloth diaper ideas for my new little guy. She has a supply and sample of every cloth diaper available - what a great resource!”
Today, Carole Arsenault of Newborn Nurses offers tips to stay cool during summer pregnancy:
During pregnancy a woman’s body temperature increases, making her much more intolerant of the hot summer weather. And it doesn’t have to be a 90-degree heat wave for a pregnant woman to become uncomfortable.
Today, Kate reports on an indoor spot for kids to stretch their legs:
“For those of us raising kids in the city, we all know that space – space to play, space to spread out, space just to run – is precious. Playgrounds and parks are great, but are often crowded, and the weather doesn't always cooperate. For those days when you need an alternative, check out IMAJINEthat in Lawrence.