Before kids, I used to set aside money every week for a trip to Hawaii. After my weekly grocery store run, I’d put aside money saved from all the coupons I had used and kept a running tab of all my earnings on an index card affixed to the fridge. (Mind you, this was way before extreme couponing became a trend.) Any time I had a bad day, one look at that card told me I was that much closer to doing the hula while sipping some tropical concoction out of a coconut shell. Well, it’s nearly 8 years later and I’ve yet to make it to the Big Island, or any island for that matter. I’ve since traded in my coupon earnings for college [&hellip
Monthly Archive:: March 2012
What does your handbag say about you? If you’re a mom, the contents of your purse may reveal more about your day-to-day routine than you’d care to admit: a broken Crayon here, a stray Goldfish there. Let’s face it: As much as we love our kids, it’s nice (and important!) to look and feel like our former selves, right down to our accessories. It’s why we’re thinking the Bucket Bag, from the Bella Tunno Signature Collection Diaper Bags, will be a hit for new moms. Their fashion statement alone is enough to convince us we’re hiding under there, beneath those baby wipes and Cheerios. Besides being attractive, these bags are extremely versatile, featuring removable stroller straps, a wipe-clean exterior and interior and hidden changing pad. [&hellip
My 3-year-old is a little drill sergeant. She never lets her menagerie of stuffed animals get out of step. If they are not properly arranged on her bookshelf, she stops whatever she’s doing to straighten them out. A mother’s dream–or worst nightmare? Of course, it wasn’t always like this. Ordered chaos was fine by her when she was younger and just learning to play with her toys. When she stacked up her blocks in her earlier days, she’d quickly knock them down again and again, her chubby little hands toppling them over and clapping in sheer delight at her mastery of cause and effect. Fast forward to the present and this preschooler is all about order. People near and dear to me say her obsession [&hellip
Digital photos of my kids haunt me like a bad dream sometimes. While I dutifully snap away those milestone moments and (most times) remember to download them to my laptop, they often wind up taking permanent residence on my hard drive, never again to see the light of day–or the inside of a photo album. Now, busy parents don’t have to plagued by such guilt (forget to post your daughter’s first bath on Facebook? How dare you!). Thanks to the Safety 1st Baby Book App, you can have every precious moment chronicled and cataloged, right at your fingertips. Call it your personal scrapbooker, this amazing app lets you take new photos (or import existing ones) on your iPhone or iPod Touch and organize them all [&hellip
Earlier this week, The Talking Walnut reviewed the BabyZoo Sleep Trainer and knew we were on to something! Since our last post, another ingenious teaching device designed to keep kids in their beds past an ungodly hour has crossed our path…and this one offers a personal touch. The Zazoo Photo Clock features a variety of telltale images that you and your child can choose to distinguish daytime from nighttime. The choices range from basic sun and moon for preschoolers, to more entertaining options for older kids like robots and dinosaurs awake and asleep . Once you’ve selected your favorite day/night pairing and set your clock to the correct time, you’re good to go (to sleep, that is). At a simple glance, even the sleepiest of [&hellip
During bathtime the other night, my 7-year-old asked me what life was like before her little sister “hogged up all the tub toys.” Ah yes…I remember those days like they were yesterday. When my now-3-year-old was an infant, I had no choice but to lay her on a blanket just outside the bathroom door, while I washed her then-4-year-old big sister. As she became more mobile, my biggest dilemma was about how to keep her clean after being bathed and dressed for bed. That was when I had one of those lightbulb moments, realizing I could secure her in an entertaining spot and not have to worry about her running amok in our family room. That “safe spot” was none other than her Exersaucer. While [&hellip
Getting both kids to sleep in on weekend mornings is nothing short of a miracle. If one decides to stay in bed, the other must naturally bound out of her room with a bundle of energy. And no matter how many times we tell them to stay put, arming them with plenty of books/games/bargaining deals (“if you stay in bed until 8, you can watch SpongeBob in the morning), like so many parenting moments, our words appear to fall on deaf ears. Just in time for the return of Daylight Savings comes an adorably clever time-telling tool that just may do the trick. The BabyZoo Sleep Trainer is a smart clock that, at a quick glance, lets kids know whether or not it’s time to [&hellip
My husband is a former Boy Scout and doesn’t exactly have the fondest memories of scouting. It’s mostly due to the fact that every time there was a overnight camping trip, it rained. And we’re not just talking April showers…more like cats and dogs, if his memory serves him correctly. To this day, the mere thought of being outdoors in a tent gives him the willies. And taunt him with a sleeping bag and a lantern? Don’t even go there. For those campers who have never met a roasted marshmallow that they didn’t like, comes an entire line that doesn’t depend on Mother Nature to have a good time. Campfire Kids indoor camping gear contains everything you need to simulate an overnight in the great [&hellip
Happy (almost) Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Whose childhood hasn’t been enriched by the whimsical menagerie of characters that Theodor Geisel created over the years? From The Cat in the Hat, to Yertle the Turtle, we’ve been able to experience the charming stories of these unique individuals who we grew up and then, share them with our own families. Had the beloved author still been alive, he would have celebrated his 108th birthday on March 2, 2012. In honor of Dr. Seuss, PBS Kids will be broadcasting a 2-hour marathon of “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That” this Friday. The on-air festivities will feature two never-seen-before episodes entitled “Seasons–Spring and Summer/Fall and Winter” and “When I Grow Up/Doing It Differently.” The cat’s zany [&hellip
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