Although the school year is just starting to wind down for many families, for others, the summer months represent a major change: the final phase before kindergarten. Today, Heather shares ideas for easing the transition to kindergarten, useful for extroverts and “shy bunnies” alike. Please leave a comment if you have other great tips to share!Although the school year is just starting to wind down for many families, for others, the summer months represent a major change: the final phase before kindergarten. Today, Heather shares ideas for easing the transition to kindergarten, useful for extroverts and “shy bunnies” alike. Please leave a comment if you have other great tips to share!
I’m thrilled to announce a new component to the site: Boston Mamas Rock! We’ll be featuring interviews with fabulous local mamas, whether they be entrepreneurs, avid volunteers, stay at home moms who take care of a crazy number of kids, moms who have closet talents (e.g., community theatre, juggling, what have you…), authors, media professionals, politicians, professors, etc. Basically, folks with an interesting story to tell! So go ahead and nominate yourself or someone else! And I’m pleased to introduce our first featured mama: Susan Callahan, a “cookiepreneur” from Westford.
During a recent interview with About.com’s breastfeeding expert Melissa Nagin, I was excited to learn about the Playtex Embrace Double Pump - a hospital grade breast pump that retails around $170 (a relative bargain in the pump domain). Playtex was kind enough to provide the Embrace to our pregnancy and postpartum expert Carole Arsenault of Newborn Nurses for evaluation. Read on for Carole’s thoughts on the pump:
Today, Tracy offers ideas for timeless toy alternatives:
“My younger son just turned 4. In the weeks preceding his birthday, his grandparents called to ask about gift ideas, and as usual, I found it difficult to generate a list. I realized that part of my difficulty is that my kids don’t really play with toys. Gabriel enjoys sports, and likes to be very ‘real’ in his play (moving action figures around just doesn’t cut it for him). Caius likes pretend play and art (current pretend play favorites include being a waiter or groom; a little challenging to find those trimmings at your average toy store).
We’ve covered BPA in breast pumps and bottles previously, and this Thursday (May 29) at 3pm, you can attend and/or testify at a public hearing to examine the health risks posed by BPA to Boston residents, and potential action the City of Boston may take. The hearing will be held in the Iannella Chamber of Boston City Hall. Among the expected presenters are Dr. Michael Shannon of Children’s Hospital, Mia Davis of Clean Water Fund, and Dr. Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group. Click here for the public hearing notice.
Today, Suz shares a favorite toy search tool:
“Searching for the perfect gift for a differently-abled child? The easy to use Toys R Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids allows you to search for products that help children focus on developing a specific skill - such as language, fine motor, or self-esteem - all through typical play. My toddler and self-taught toy expert, Evan, particularly loves the Little People: Animal Sounds Farm. What better way to practice speech and language than through Old MacDonald and moo’s and baa’s? An added plus is seeing the beautiful photographs of differently-abled models featured in the guide.”
A local reader recently wrote in asking whether we could cover separation from the mom perspective. This mom is relocating across the country for work this summer, will be separated from her husband and child, and found little online in the way of tips for handling separation, particularly as a mom. I am grateful to my guest contributors who chimed in for collective editorial, offering tips to prepare for and handle separation.
We talk a lot about tea sets and tea parties in our house (what with all the repeated reads of A Bargain for Frances), and reader Cathleen recently wrote in about a chic eco-friendly toy line that includes a tea set that I plan on getting for Laurel. Cathleen writes: “I recently saw Green Toys products in a store in New Hampshire…They are made from recycled milk jugs, made in the USA, have no Bisphenol-A, and are SO cute to boot!” In addition to the tea set, Green Toys offers cookware and dining, indoor gardening, and sand play sets.
Today, Heather offers a cute and practical toddler safety option:
"When it comes to safety, we know all too well that toddlers do not always do as they are told. As parents and caregivers, it’s our responsibility to keep them safe while also encouraging exercise and teaching independence. It’s tricky to negotiate this balance with one busy toddler, and not surprisingly, even more so with my triplet toddlers.
Although guest contributor Sara Cabot of Little Lettice is one of our family food experts, today Sara – a mom of four children approaching or in their tween years - takes a diversion from nutritional content to provide a review of Pressured Parents, Stressed-out Kids. Read on for Sara’s review, as well as to learn how to be one of 5 winners to receive a copy of Pressured Parents!
Today, Jules offes a recipe to try over the weekend:
"With the arrival of spring and summer, I can’t get enough seafood. A light seafood entrée is the perfect dinner for me, and this recipe is a lovely, easy diversion from the typical banal salmon dish. The subtle fennel flavors come in the form of a light crunch similar to celery, and contrast surprisingly well with the brininess of the olives and sweetness of the oranges. Enjoy!
Are you ready to venture beyond typical toddler fare? Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking offers a review of The Toddler Café: Fast, Healthy, and Fun Ways to Feed Even the Pickiest Eater. Michelle also includes one of her family's favorite recipes from the cookbook - Treasure Triangles - which are sure to suit both sweet and savory cravings.
Today, 
Today, Kate shares a book pick that has proven a household fave:
“Buying gifts for loved ones is one of my pleasures. Buying gifts for my toddler daughter is one of my very great pleasures, particularly when I manage to hit it just right and find something that she adores, whether for a week, a month, or a year.
Before baking becomes seasonally obsolete, I wanted to share a project that Laurel and I have had tremendous fun with: thumbprint cookies. This project is great for parents because the cookie dough is really easy to make (especially if you have a standing mixer), the thumbprint and jelly filling steps are fun for kids (plus, think manual dexterity practice), and it’s nice that the end result – particularly in our world of super size – is a perfectly petite treat.
New mamahood sometimes seems akin to stepping into an amnesic vortex: you feel as if you’re spinning in a whirlwind of chaos and activity, but at the end of the day, you can’t recall how you spent your hours. Or rather, perhaps it’s just that the “little things” you’ve done all day don’t seem as noteworthy as your frantic working girl episodes. Never mind that many of those little things result in keeping another human being alive.
Looking to get back into the workforce, or figure out how to balance work and home? Next week (May 15) the Detours&OnRamps Forum hits the Boston area. This one-day event will cover issues facing working mothers and will provide resources for jumpstarting a job hunt, or ideas for making a career work for you and your family. I’ll be speaking on one of the panels so please feel free to stop by and say hi. And if you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time; mention 'BOSTONMAMA' on registration to receive $25 off the $125 fee.
Today, Jen reports on a recent eye opening green event in Boston:
"I recently had the pleasure of attending a vegan luncheon and book signing at the Four Seasons's Aujourdui in honor of Deirdre Imus's new book, Growing Up Green. Over a spectacular meal prepared by executive chef Brooke Vosika, Imus spoke passionately about environmental toxins and their effect on our children's health. I must confess that both the food and Imus's message surprised me. The vegan food was surprisingly elegant and Imus's message was surprisingly scary. Although in retrospect, given our host chef and the state of our environment, I should not have been so surprised.