Introducing St. Baldrick’s Foundation - Shaving the Way to Help Conquer Kids’ Cancer. Here’s how you can help the cause (even if you don’t want to shave your own head). Plus, Step by Step Fundraising, Relay for Life, the American Heart Association Heart Walk and a list of charitable walks in your area. Watch the vidcast on Clever Parents TV.

TWINS !! TWINS !!

Whether they are boys or girls, or one of each, here are a few of the Notebook’s favorite baby shower gifts for the Mom expecting twins:

Skip Hop Duo Double Diaper Bag ($80) — This bag hangs on a side-by-side double stroller with ease. And looks great! Also a great carry on or travel bag. If the parents are using a front and back double stroller, go with the Skip Hop Duo bag ($54). It’s still large enough to carry all the essentials. The Moby Wrap. ($35) These wraps made of t-shirt-like material are soft, comfortable and roomy enough to carry twins (see the twins cradle hold) — a feat worth bragging about.

Graco Twins Pack and Play ($190) — The first pack and play we have seen with twin bassinets. We like it! Hanna Andersson outfits ($57-$59 for outfits above)– The Notebook’s favorite choice for outfits that don’t necessarily match, but look great in pairs. And great quality!

Sometimes a thing is remarkable more for what it isn’t than what it is; for it’s simplicity rather than it’s sophistication. Such is the case with GarageCo Toys Yo Baby practice board. The Yo Baby is a small plastic skateboard deck without wheels or trucks (axles for those not versed in skate lingo) that is designed to let little kids pretend they are skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, etc. While pretending on the Yo-Baby, they’re picking up balance and coordination skills. Read the rest »

Confucius said a lot of smart things in his day. But I’ll bet if he’d spent any time as a mother, he’d have also said: “A happy baby is a happy mommy.”

Look around any airport or mall, and you can see the relationship between what children eat and how they behave and learn. Chances are, the child dangling from the light fixture ate too many swizzle sticks and malt balls.

Studies show that the relationship between behavior and learning begins with the brain. A baby’s brain triples in size by the first birthday. Since the baby’s bloodstream feeds its nutrients first to the most vital organs, the brain gets the first helpings. Mozart might help, but a developing brain craves three types of foods:

Mood Foods

The brain uses 20% of the body’s carbohydrate supply. That affects behavior and learning. Foods that contain sugars (complex carbohydrates) released into the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace are:

Cereal and grains like oatmeal and brown rice.
Fresh fruits like apples and oranges (fruit juices don’t provide the necessary fiber needed to release sugar over a sustained period of time)
Veggies and Legumes, like sweet potato and lentils.
Dairy products, like milk or yogurt (but beware of the added sugar in many flavored yogurts) Read the rest »

There is no shortage of childrens t-shirts on the market these days. But in spite of the abundance, there isn’t much to like. It seems t-shirts come in one of several flavors: too commercialized, too cheesy, or too edgy for younger kids.

The challenge then is to find something that’s appropriate, but not turn them into a walking billboard for one of the media giants. After all, let’s face it, until they’re older, your children’s attire is your choosing and a reflection on your tastes. Read the rest »

There is a reason we have too much clutter. Simply stated, it is because we have too much. We bring more items into our homes than we take out of our homes. The challenge I am offering to you today is to focus on what you bring into your home that you don’t really need.

Where are you weak? What things do you consistently bring into the house that you know you don’t need yet justify their purchase? In what areas do you notice your willpower tested time and time again, and you lose more than you win? Here are a few ideas, but please think about your own individual circumstances. Read the rest »

Some days I feel like my blog reads more like a jar of frosting than real life. Yesterday afternoon I wanted to share the unedited truth about my day without pulling the, “ButThat’sOkLifeIsGoodAndI’mHappy,” drawstring to wrap it up tidily at the end. I wanted to leave things raw and real–to say, “I struggle. I yell. I work myself into knots of anxiety about things that I have no control over. I want to run out of my life for a few, or several, days.”

And here’s why:

Henry only napped for 45 minutes–not even enough time for me to shower, dress and apply make up–let alone make progress on the grant I’m supposed to be writing. It’s not just the lack of personal time that’s so bothersome about a short nap, it’s the inevitable whining and obstinance that ensues for the remainder of the afternoon–as it did yesterday. Add to that the fact that Henry also dumped half a bag of corn chips, mostly crumbs, onto the pantry floor. And that he found my mascara, (which I take full blame for, having left it in his reach, but bear in mind the difficulty of keeping every tool, gadget, toothbrush, bag of chips, cosmetic, glass, electronic device, marker, pen, CD, and chemical out of the reach of a very curious and determined toddler and you’ll understand the likelihood of one hazardous item being left exposed.) And with that mascara, he transformed himself into a tribal warrior. I know, he’s cute. And there is an element of sweetness to him wanting to do what I do, but by this point in the day all I could see it for was a mess of wasted mascara. Read the rest »