Yes, you need the Moses basket

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Zoe and her Moses Basket

Looking back at all the purchases we made (and things we registered for) as soon-to-be new parents, there were so many things we didn't need. But do you want to know one remnant from our earliest nursery-planning days that I am so glad I splurged on? The Moses basket. At the time, I wasn't buying it for any particular function or use, I just wanted every. single. thing that went with our nursery bedding set. Yes, I'll admit, a rather frivolous purchase at the time. But we've been enjoying … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, parenting

Mindbenders, mazes and monarchs

April 19, 2013 By 8 Comments
COSI spring 2013

You already know how awesome COSI is, right? There's a reason Parents magazine called it the #1 children's science center in the country. The normal, everyday exhibits and activities at COSI are so great, we often don't even make it to the big featured visiting attractions. Even when we're supposed to. Recently, we were invited to tour and review Mindbender Mansion and Amazing Mazes, a "wonderfully puzzling and utterly addictive experience" that combines "two exhibitions full of brainteasers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, Columbus rocks!, favorite places, giveaways, Ohio, parenting, reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Fitbit rocks for busy moms

February 11, 2013 By 3 Comments
Fitbit 2013

I started 2013 the same way I started 2012 - with a new year's resolution to move more and fit in more exercise. Both Januaries found me with a bulky, old school pedometer strapped to my side, keeping track of steps manually in my datebook and striving (with limited success) to do better from week to week. In 2013, I hoped to keep it going longer than the two months it took me to fizzle out in 2012. It's hard to keep something going when it's not all that fun, even if you know you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fitness, parenting, reviews, working moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Family fun tour of LA’s South Bay

February 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Playing in LA 2012

We spent a week with family in Los Angeles over Christmas. Each day, we all set out to explore a fun new spot so that Zoe (age almost three) and her cousins, ages two and four, could enjoy getting to know each other again. It had been a long time since their last visit - too long. My folks moved to LA in 1994 and I've enjoyed visiting them each year since. Our trips to LA used to look a lot different before Zoe. We would rent a car and cruise Pacific Coast Highway, dip through the 'hood … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, favorite places, parenting, travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Potty training update: we made it!

December 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
proud and diaperless!

Thanks in absolutely no part to anything her loving parents did or didn't do, our amazing little girl has decided she wants to put everything in the potty - both pee and poop - and no longer wears diapers. She is even reluctant about wearing a diaper at night, but experience tells us it does make sense to keep one on for sleep just in case. She wakes up dry about 6 days out of 7, but who wants to wake up in a pee puddle one morning a week? Hence, the diaper back-up plan. I want to share … [Read more...]

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Parenting “differently” for different results

September 28, 2012 By 2 Comments
Zoe & Zaina 9-12

You know, whenever attachment parenting gets into the mainstream media – as happened quite a bit this summer thanks to the controversial Time magazine breastfeeding cover – there are always critics who say “That level of intense parenting is not necessary. My parents let me cry it out and didn’t hug me all the time, and I survived just fine. You’re spoiling those babies and kids.” But then I look at articles like this one in the NYT, which notes that there are strong links … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Attachment parenting, babies and toddlers, parenting Tagged With: , , ,

Finding the support you need

September 17, 2012 By 3 Comments
Mamas & Babies

This post is part of the Attachment Parenting Month blog event, hosted by Attachment Parenting International. Learn more by visiting API Speaks, the blog of Attachment Parenting International. Becoming a first-time parent is so life-changing that you can find yourself needing support in ways you are not used to. Whether that's education during pregnancy to learn more about the kind of birth you want to have, breastfeeding support immediately after your baby comes, family and friends who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Attachment parenting, babies and toddlers, breastfeeding, motherhood, parenting, working moms Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A baby always knows

September 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Many faces of Mommy

I love that Zoe is old enough now to have actual conversations that truly let me see inside her amazing mind. One thing that has been boggling mine lately is that she can always recognize and name me in photos - no matter how old or outlandish the photo may be. Me at my fittest ever, during my '96-'97  incredibly motivated yet non-sustainable running days? "That's Mommy!" Me with big '80s hair, frosted "Lawn Guyland" blonde? "That's Mommy." Me in a business suit, looking uber … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, motherhood, parenting, Zoe said this Tagged With: , ,

Raising a non sugar monster

September 11, 2012 By 2 Comments
Zoebelle Eats

As you may have been able to tell from past posts, I've got a bit of a thing for sweets. It's been a lifelong battle. I know sugar is not good for me, and I try to indulge my vice in moderation, but I don't ever seem to be able to get rid of it altogether. At certain points in my life and with Herculean effort, I've been able to wean myself totally off sugar for short durations. Eventually though, I always come crawling back to it. It's a monkey on my back that I've learned to live … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, food, parenting Tagged With: , , , , ,

An ode to drive-throughs

September 4, 2012 By 2 Comments
Car naps. Not cute!

I'll be honest - before I had a kid, I considered drive-throughs to be the domain of lazy Americans. I grew up with Brit parents who wouldn't be caught dead at a drive-through (nor did we eat much fast food period, come to think of it. McDonald's was a rare treat on road trips). I scoffed at the people who line up in their cars and wait for the drive-through window rather than parking and walking in. After all, we know what Lethal Weapon 2 taught us about drive-throughs. Since having Zoe, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: babies and toddlers, food, parenting Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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