• Monthly Archive:: April 2012

    This past Sunday was definitely a sun-day. My family and I were treated to a performance by none other than the former Sun resident himself, Gustafer Yellowgold. For those of you not familiar with the name…well, get out from under that rock ! He’s the original cartoon brought to life by the imaginative Morgan Taylor, an indie kid rocker whose lively songs and amusing animation make a multimedia marriage that audiences practically gobble up. We were witnesses to this phenomena ourselves when Taylor (and Gustafer) were on tour to promote the just-released Gustafer Yellowgold’s Year In The Day. Taylor’s comfortable, yet playful demeanor won over the younger crowd happily clutching their Gustafer dolls, while his inside jokes were a hit with the moms and dads [&hellip

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    Last weekend at church, I watched as a young baby dropped his rattle repeatedly, only to watch his doting grandpa bend over and pick it up again and again. Much to my and my fellow parishioners’ amusement, this game got pretty old pretty fast for Grandpa…but only continued to elicit giggles from the precocious little tot. Too bad this baby’s diaper bag hadn’t been packed with Loopy Gear, an inventive baby gadget that only a mother who’s been there, done that could have dreamed up. It works by attaching the larger loop to your baby’s wrist and the smaller loop around his rattle or small toy. Available in a variety of stylish cotton prints, Loopy Gear can also be attached to your child’s car seat, [&hellip

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    If your preschooler is forever calling dibs on your iPad, and you’re in search of a satisfying game that doesn’t give you mommy guilt, check out the latest reading app for the 5 and under crowd. Elmo’s Big Birthday Bash from Random House is packed with plenty of learning-based activities to keep your little party-goer in gaming heaven. With 30 pages of interactive entertainment, kids can celebrate Elmo’s special day as they play guessing games, expand their vocabularies and, best of all, have fun while doing it. There are plenty of surprises along the way, and not just for the birthday boy. Our favorite part? No after-party sugar shock to contend with. We like to think of it as a screen-time reward for anyone who [&hellip

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    Today I am recovering from Mohs surgery. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a dermatological procedure that removes cancerous skin cells. Having been blessed (or shall we say “cursed”?) with a Irish complexion, it’s my second time I’ve had this procedure in five years, and one I hope my own fair-skinned daughters will not have to experience. Sunscreen usage wasn’t nearly as prevalent when I was growing up as it is today; we spent our childhoods blissfully ignorant of the sun’s harmful rays. And while I remembering my mom slathering me with that infamous Coppertone scent, there were clearly times when we missed a spot or two, or endured a painful burn after failing to reapply lotion after a long day of sun [&hellip

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    During a recent walk on the boardwalk at our local beach, I happened to notice a woman sitting on a bench, her stroller parked nearby. A large blanket was draped across her upper body, which surprised me, given the warmth of the morning sun. But after doing a double-take and realizing that the stroller was empty, I then saw that it was her baby who was underneath that blanket and that she was simply breastfeeding her child…except it appeared anything but simple. She continued to shift her body weight and adjust herself and her baby as she nursed. Even while joggers, walkers and other passersby went about their business, it was clear that this woman did not want any onlookers (such as myself) to pay [&hellip

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    Psstt…wanna know a secret? If you happen to be a new mom, then you’ll really want to pay attention. The secret to surviving the first year of your baby’s life is…wait for it…not having to do laundry every day. Now you may think that’s not exactly classified information, but if someone had told me to keep an endless supply of bibs and onesies on hand–and not just stock up on diapers–I would have spent a lot less time with my washer/dryer and more time chilling out. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have wanted to have your baby looking her finest at all times (you never know when someone will drop by unannounced and bestow a new baby gift upon you). For those who can [&hellip

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    My 7-year-old told me she didn’t have to flush the toilet this week…in honor of Earth Day, that is. So, in the name of science, we’re doing our part to conserve energy and save the planet. Just don’t hold me to that type of bathroom etiquette! Instead, we’ve got our hands on 2 Birdie Banks, an all-in-one environmentally-friendly craft kit that gives more than it takes. It comes with 2 makeshift banks (fashioned from recycled paper) that kids can outfit with coin slots and lids before decorating them with colorful squares. Using the included sponge brush, kids can easily affix the paper tape with glaze and wait a while for their creation to dry (the kit is designed for ages 6 and up, so younger, [&hellip

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    There’s nothing worse than hearing your baby cry; to this day, I still can’t bear the sounds of my kids in distress. Maybe it’s the way my brain is wired, as I hear from other moms who complain that their husbands can successfully tune out the tears. No matter who jumps up first to tend to a inconsolable kid in the middle of the night, it only takes a short time as a parent to know that those sounds of distress are often the result of a fever. If you’re lucky enough to have a baby who takes her infant drops willing, then you’re lucky enough. We had one of those, and mistakenly thought that’s how all babies should be. Not the case with Kid [&hellip

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    Last week’s spring break ran a bit little too long for my sanity, so my ever-thoughtful husband offered to take our daughter  with him to work for the day. She’d been begging him since Easter, so you can imagine her excitement when his calendar opened up and she was able to trek with him into the Big City (to a 7-year-old, commuting never grows old). While I was never able to accompany my dad to his job (one that required security clearance), I later worked for the same company while on summer break as a college student and was able to ride with him to work. He always let me pick whatever radio station I wanted (a big deal in the pre-iPod-ear-buds-glued-to-your-head days), and we [&hellip

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    Does your kid give you a hard time about wearing his bike helmet? I can’t say I blame them. From the look of some of the helmets out there, I’m more in favor of the utilitarian models that ooze sturdiness over style (or lack thereof). Fortunately, with the new line of protective head gear from C-Preme, tweens won’t have to sacrifice fashion for function when biking around town. Designed for ages 10-12, KRASH helmets  are the coolest thing we’ve seen in bike gear. From punk-inspired, spiky-head numbers, to cutey confectionery caps, there are plenty of choices for the most temperamental tween. And because the KRASH line is made from a soft, rubber-based materials, they’re as safe as they are slick. So, if you know any [&hellip

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