I had the unusual opportunity of growing up in a three-generation household where, one by one, as circumstance dictated, my parents took in each of their parents (not to mention other periodic immigrating family members along the way). Most modern families, however, can’t sustain this arrangement, whether it’s due to logistical, emotional, or medical constraints. For this reason especially, I was extremely impressed when I learned about Care.com.
I had the unusual opportunity of growing up in a three-generation household where, one by one, as circumstance dictated, my parents took in each of their parents (not to mention other periodic immigrating family members along the way). Most modern families, however, can’t sustain this arrangement, whether it’s due to logistical, emotional, or medical constraints. For this reason especially, I was extremely impressed when I learned about Care.com.
If your babe is old enough to sit at the dining table sans safety straps, check out this clever chair booster. Kaboost allows kids to sit in a real chair with the rest of the family via a boost from the bottom. The spring-loaded attachments fit most four-legged chairs and stay gripped when you lift the chair; otherwise, the chair stays put via rubberized feet. You can change the chair height depending on which direction you flip the attachment.
Little Lettice’s Sara Cabot and I are well aligned in our food philosophies, and our families similarly share a passion for popsicles. Today, Sara shares information on sugar content in commercial popsicles as well as tips for homemade popsicles. I add comments at the end of her feature regarding popsicle molds and homemade chocolate pops:
I’m grateful for all of Tracy’s excellent ideas and resources regarding allergies (see her previous posts on hosting and attending parties when allergies are a concern). Today, Tracy shares a cookbook (and a couple of fab excerpted recipes) that has proven critical in offering recipes that accommodate her son’s milk, egg, and peanut allergies, and is great for the vegetarians/vegans out there:
Given Laurel’s “hybrid” state, I’m especially committed to finding books or toys that show diversity. To give your babe a global perspective, check out Global Babies
, from Boston-area publisher Charlesbridge Books. This board book features 17 babies from around the world, diverse in dress and skin color, but aligned in innocence and beauty of expression.
When I was pregnant with Laurel I carried a bag of trail mix wherever I went, lest the hungry beast emerge (my mom warned Jon before we got married to never, ever let me get to a state of hungry delirium). Today, our resident foodie Jules offers a snack recipe to suit both sweet and savory cravings:
Good shoes are important for little feet (listen to me grumble about my bunions – induced by a childhood of ill fitting shoes - and you’ll understand why…), and today 
Some mamas have a very firm sense of how many children they want (present company not included…). Reader Erica from Northampton wrote in with a recommendation for parents who are set on one child: “There are precious few resources out there for those of us considering the single child route. Parenting an Only Child: The Joys and Challenges of Raising Your One and Only
, by psychologist Susan Newman, addresses and disputes a lot of the cultural myths of only children (spoiled, antisocial, etc.) while offering practical strategies to prevent the myths from becoming reality.”
As an adolescent, my parents never discussed anything human body-related; I subsequently got all of my (somewhat sketchy) information about sex, periods, etc. from my older siblings and friends. I’m thus determined to keep the communication channels open with Laurel (and she’s already been testing me here…). Today, Amy Cody offers ideas to help frame your conversations about sex and sexuality with your child:
Preparing for life with 2+ kids obviously involves more than, say, the practicalities of unearthing your layette and transitioning your toddler to a big bed to free up the crib. A cognitive shift in perspective helped clinical psychologist Tracy relieve herself of the guilt stemming from not doing exactly for her second as she did for her first:
“For parents of two or more children, life can sometimes feel like an episode from The Cat in the Hat
. Life does eventually settle down after “Thing 2” comes along, but those early days of adjustment can make you feel like the fish, balancing atop a precarious pile of obligations, chores, and well, your children.
I have this thing about patterned grosgrain ribbon (I’m like a kid in a candy store in the J. Crew flip flops section), so it’s likely no surprise that I'm crazy about Ribbies Clippies.
Created by two sisters who have collected a fresh, stylish, and eye popping collection of grosgrain, these ribbon clips fit babies to big girls, slide easily into place (no snapping involved), and stay put via a thin, color coordinated foam grip inside the clip. Available in a host of shapes and color families, I especially love the bullseye collection (shown), and Laurel loves them all. We have the Kim Squares, Chloe Dots, and Ashton Bullseye clips, and in the morning, when I ask Laurel which ones she wants to wear, she replies, “Today I want color dots…can I have color squares tomorrow? And more color dots the next day?”
As often happens with women, I was optimally dedicated to self-care when I was pregnant. I fueled my body with good food, swam laps several times a week up until the day before Laurel was born (the lifeguards always looked terrified when they saw me waddling up to the lanes), and calmed my mind with plenty of stretching and breathing.
Even so, it wasn’t until the last few years – during which I faced the major life stressors of becoming a parent, losing loved ones, and experiencing the mother of all professional upheavals – where I really started thinking about mind-body connection practices, largely thanks to the therapist Jon and I started seeing after Laurel was born, and from what I have learned via Jon’s dedication to mindfulness practices.
There’s nothing like parenthood to force you to operate in “good enough” (vs. perfectionist) mode. In that vein, today Jules encourages women to shift their fitness mindset from an all-or-nothing to an all-you-can-do approach, offering tips to get you on the road to strength and good health, and exercises you can do in as little as 10-15 minutes:
“Earlier I posted on how to shape your back, but in hindsight, today’s post really should have come first. The simple basics of getting moving are more important than focusing on any specific body part.
We love products that give parents great bang for their buck, and our latest favorite is the versatile Fortamajig, a new piece of play gear that can inspire countless hours of creative play in a variety of settings.
The Fortamajig basically is an 8’ x 8’ water resistant, machine washable ripstop nylon tarp, but with seams, openings, and Velcro loop attachments smartly crafted to make fort building a breeze (just attach the loops to chairs, doorknobs, trees, etc.). It’s available in a cheery selection of colors, either as a lightweight single color layer, or as a two color reversible model, and folds up compactly to fit inside a matching travel tote.
If you’ve ever felt trapped or tempted by emphatic declarations that your kid will become a genius if you buy product X, Y, or Z, you’re not alone. Check out this lead from Kate: Business Week’s recent review of Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds
. Written by investigative reporter and mother of two Susan Gregory Thomas, the book will take you inside the marketing blitz aimed at kids.
During my last trimester with Laurel, I often couldn't believe that my belly had ever been flat. And I have moments now when I see pregnant women and am amazed that I ever carried that giant, fantastic belly. It makes me wish that I had captured tangible, tactile evidence of my pregnant self.
If we go the baby road again, I plan on molding my form with the Belly Imprint Spa Treatment & Sculpting Kit by Belly Vita. A beautifully packaged go-to gift for expecting moms, this kit offers a multimodal means to indulge the senses, calm the mind, create an extraordinary keepsake, and connect with your partner before the chaos begins. The process takes about 30 minutes and involves massaging soothing oil onto the belly, prepping then wrapping the sculpting fabric on the belly and chest, and relaxing while the sculpting fabric sets. (Note: This is the perfect time to solicit a hand and foot rub.) Once dry, your belly mold can continue to evolve into a work of art with simple paint, pretty paper decoupage accents, and/or ribbon or other embellishments.
Since becoming a parent, whenever I feel overwhelmed by stress, household minutia, and/or the seeming inability to pee or shower in private, I repeat the airline mantra, “Secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” Moms are notoriously challenged in tending to their own needs; today, Tracy offers thoughts on how to work towards better self-care (and she’s a doctor, so listen up!):
We have visitors in this weekend so I’ve been browsing my recipe binders (yes, I have binders for my clippings) for simple, yummy food to prepare. I was reminded of Martha's panzanella; easy to knock together and great for summer (especially when the stores or your garden get overrun with tomatoes and basil).
A few comments: 1. The recipe has a typo - the amount of garlic you need is one clove. 2. Toasting the bread works fine if you don’t want/know how to grill or broil. 3. If you want to tone down the onions a bit, slice then soak them in a bowl of cold water (pat dry before including in recipe). The oil and vinegar also will take the edge off a bit.