Tomorrow I head to Laguna Niguel for Mom 2.0 Summit and I'm excited for many reasons. First, it's always so powerful and energizing to connect in person with the blogging community. Second, this will be the first time I've seen Asha since Minimalist Parenting launched (no need to tote my Flat Asha cardboard cut out!). And third, Asha and I are leading a session called "Minimalize" Your Workflow: Practical Steps for Enjoying Your Blogging More By Doing Less and also doing a book signing for Minimalist Parenting at the conference. Yay!Tomorrow I head to Laguna Niguel for Mom 2.0 Summit and I'm excited for many reasons. First, it's always so powerful and energizing to connect in person with the blogging community. Second, this will be the first time I've seen Asha since Minimalist Parenting launched (no need to tote my Flat Asha cardboard cut out!). And third, Asha and I are leading a session called "Minimalize" Your Workflow: Practical Steps for Enjoying Your Blogging More By Doing Less and also doing a book signing for Minimalist Parenting at the conference. Yay!
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 12 great gift ideas for new moms:
These days it seems that baby announcements from friends roll in about one per week and I spend my weekends cuddling squishy newborn after squishy newborn (no complaints here!). I've realized that often we focus on gifts for the new baby and sometimes forget the person who has been through the most -- the new mama! Here are my favorite gift ideas for new moms.
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 8 tips for making mom friends:
As a new working mom, one thing I struggled with was meeting other local moms with kids my son's age. I either had local friends who weren't moms or mom friends who weren't local. I felt it was important that my little guy form childhood friendships and that I connect with local moms who shared similar interests. Unfortunately, my work schedule made it impossible for me to participate in weekday, daytime mommy & me classes and local playgroups. Over time, I found ways to forge friendships; here are 8 ways to make mom friends:
There are many challenges that come with parenting, but today I have been most challenged by my overwhelming urge to weep (in response both to the week's tragic, chaotic events and stories of bravery and compassion, such as this incredible story of fortitude) and the need to maintain a sense of calm and stability for Laurel and Violet. It has been a day of dissonance on so many levels, most acutely punctuated by:
Every time tragedy strikes nationally or around the world, my heart tightens and my eyes leak. But there is something different and deeply painful when crisis culminates in your backyard. I'm not being dramatic when I say that Boston runs through my blood. I was born here (at Brigham and Women's, when it used to be the Boston Lying-In Hospital). I have spent the better part of my 39 years here. My babies were born here. Boston is my home. When the explosions erupted at the Boston Marathon yesterday, I was a flood of emotions.
I dig ChopChop Magazine (yay for cooking with kids!) and New Balance (I just ran in a pair this morning!), so when I heard the two were pairing up for a Run the Rainbow, Eat the Rainbow campaign, I was like, yes, cool -- I am all over getting my kids out and running around and eating a well-balanced plate (especially important to me since Laurel is a vegetarian and Violet has dairy and gluten allergies). I have three things I wanted to share today in relation to this campaign:
Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares five tips for coping when your partner works long hours:
I'm not a single parent, but I often feel like one because I'm married to a hospital physician. My spouse works long, irregular weekday hours + one weekend a month, and he's seldom able to predict when he's coming home. Like any new parent, when we first adopted our kids I had trouble adapting to this challenging schedule. However, we recently celebrated our six-year adoption anniversary, and I realized I've learned to cope, even thrive. Here's some advice I wish I'd had starting out as a sometimes-single parent:
Today, Jane (also of see jane blog) shares 10 tips for talking to kids about difficult topics:
This past fall I had to tell my kids that I had thyroid cancer. We've had grandparents pass in the past few years. Sad events have taken place in the U.S. In short, I have had many opportunities to figure out how to talk to my kids about difficult topics. Today, I wanted to share 10 recommendations for having these conversations with your kids:
One of the most beautiful things about the online space is how incredibly nimble people can be to make awesome things happen. In October when I traveled to Ethiopia as part of the ONE Moms delegation, our team created such an online stir about fashionABLE that they were able to create three new jobs. This past winter, fellow Ethiopia companion and dear friend Gabrielle Blair, of Design Mom and Alt Summit, worked with ONE and fashionABLE to challenge the Alt community to design an exclusive ONE/fashionABLE Mother's Day scarf. And today the beautiful Genet scarf is available for purchase (with free shipping today and tomorrow).
I'm thrilled to announce a new blog post series that I've crafted with lovely (and long-time!) contributor Jules. Jules is a mother of two with credentials in social work, personal training, and catering; here's the gist of the Meals Made Easy series: Meals Made Easy recipes represent what all busy moms need: quick and easy dinner solutions that don't require a special trip to the store at 5:30pm on a weekday with two tired kids who both need to go potty. Awesome, no? Today, Jules shares a simple and delicious recipe for roasted shrimp with veggies:
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares a handy resource for organic cleaning:
It's that time of year again! The birds are chirping. The snow is melting. The flowers are starting to poke out of the ground. And the sunshine can't get through the grime on my windows -- eep! Time for some spring cleaning. A few years ago, I decided to try to cut down on the chemicals we were using in our house. My husband is a bit of a cleaning supply addict and we had amassed a collection of sprays, powders, liquids, bleaches and wipes -- all with their very own cleanliness claims but none that I wanted gracing the surfaces of our home.
Today, Jennifer shares six things to consider when deciding whether or not to keep twins (or triplets, or more!) together in school:
As a parent of multiples there comes a time when you are faced with the difficult decision of classroom placement. Should you separate or keep your kids together? We were faced with this dilemma last spring as our twins neared the end of kindergarten. We had always believed in keeping them together and had done so for pre-K and kindergarten. However, as we watched our twins develop during kindergarten we decided to place them in different classes for first grade. Today I wanted to share recommendations on how to negotiate this process:
Today, Lindsey (also of A Design So Vast) recommends a captivating game for the whole family:
My children love board games. I'm always looking for games that meet a few simple criteria: interesting enough that the parents don't want to poke their eyes out, simple enough that my 8 and 10 year old can follow and enjoy, and long enough that I don't have to play five times but short enough that it doesn't take all night to finish one round (ahem, Monopoly). A recent discovery hit it out of the park on all dimensions.
Today, Judy (also of Talking Thirty) shares 9 tips for reducing anxiety around doctor visits:
Visits to the pediatrician have become a nightmare since our little one has entered toddlerhood, a stage in which he's old enough to remember past experiences (particularly painful ones like shots) yet still too young to comprehend everything and be reasoned with. From the moment we enter the waiting area until we leave the building, he is in hysterics, occasionally resulting in an incomplete exam. Anxiety over visiting the doctor is common for kids, but can become stressful and troublesome when it is so severe that it interferes with the doctor doing his/her job. Here are 9 ways we've been working with our toddler on reducing anxiety around these visits:
I meant to post the last of my four-part spring style lift series (see also, necklaces, scarves, studs!) last week. However, time ran away from me and I also couldn't fathom sharing spring shoe recommendations when the sidewalks were obscured by snow and ice! But the snow is melting, next week is April, and I didn't wear socks the whole time I was in Dallas this past weekend! Here are 8 flats recommendations for you, in an array of colors across the rainbow; perfect for adding pop to an outfit, while still being kid-chasing-friendly!
As in, it's the official publication day for Minimalist Parenting, not "I'm celebrating St. Patrick's Day a couple of days late" day! Asha and I are so grateful for the amazing reception the book has received, and in general, I'm overwhelmed by abundant feelings given that yesterday was Violet's 2nd birthday and since I'll soon head to BlissDom (where the idea for the book was born). I wanted to express my gratitude to you all for being part of this journey and also share some updates:
My friend Jess kindly has called me queen of the statement necklace. It's true; I do love accessories for pop, particularly as an easy (and overall more affordable) way to elevate an outfit while sticking to neutrals with clothing. In my third spring style lift post (see also, scarves + studs), I wanted to share 8 statement necklaces. If you've been wary of trying bold jewelry, I say go for it. Or borrow a friend's necklace and give it a go and see how it feels. You'll be amazed by how quickly a bold necklace can finish an outfit and draw admiring looks!
Spring is almost here -- ready to feel the burn? Today, Jules shares 7 of her favorite kettlebell exercises:
As a personal trainer, I'm constantly trying to bring my clients innovative and dynamic exercises. The kettlebell looks like a bowling ball with a looped handle. Using a kettlebell is efficient in improving core strength and all-over muscle building because of its off-center weight. Combining standard exercises you would do with dumbbells with multiple explosive movements will provide an ideal total body workout. Here are seven of my favorite kettlebell moves.