Now that kiddo is no longer a toddler, she carries her stuff in her own backpack. Her Godmother, Skip gave her a super cute backpack (see below) and it’s awesome because my purse is no longer stuffed Kiddo’s duck, boogie wipes, hair clips, socks, bunny fruit snacks and sippy cup. Continue reading
Category Archives: Mama Tips
The Story About My Childhood Globe
I vividly remember when my parents brought home a globe. We drove to Service Merchandise (do you remember this place?), picked it out, and waited for it to come off a conveyor belt. At the time, I thought, big whoop. It’s a globe. Whatever. But then, once my dad put it together, I was fascinated. Its texture showed how high Mount Everest was. The U.S.S.R. was really big compared to Iceland! I pretended that my finger was an airplane and I “flew” from Chicago to Bali to Auckland to Tehran… then I would try to imagine what it would be like to actually see those places. Continue reading
Why Not Try A Circular Swap?
I love personal care products. LOVE them. But obviously, there are plenty out there that don’t work for my skin/hair/age/etc. I enjoy samples for that reason. I previously mentioned sampling programs, such as Birchbox. It’s a great way to try before you buy. But what do you do with the samples that don’t work for you? Continue reading
Why Not Swap Christmas Wrap With A Friend?
Even though I don’t like buying wrapping paper, we own some. Christmas packages are a lot more fun with the holiday paper. I was doing some wrapping the other day and realized that we had the same rolls of paper for three years. It’s getting boring! And with Kiddo getting excited about Santa, AND being very detail oriented, I almost considered buying more wrapping paper. Almost. But I could not go through with it.
Later that day, I chatted with a girlfriend. It turned out she was in the same boat. So… we’re trading a few rolls of paper with each other. Crazy, huh? But why not? Now the Santa presents will not look suspiciously similar to the ones from Mom and Dad. My friend and I are meeting up for coffee later this week to chat and trade wrapping paper. 
Winning!
No Wrapping Paper? No Problem!
I hate buying wrapping paper. When I think about the effort it takes me to go out, buy the paper, wrap a gift and make it pretty… then when I give a gift, the pretty paper is eventually thrown away. If wrapping paper were free, I would go all out and make the presents the most gorgeous things in the world. But I don’t have the means. Here’s a solution that works for me. Continue reading
Why Not Make A Rubber Band Ball?
Kiddo and I are making our own rubber band ball. So far, it looks like this:
Last year, the rubber bands cluttered up a few drawers, so we collected what we could and put the ball together. Our Family receives the local paper each week, bundled with a rubber band. Thus, we are guaranteed to add to the ball on a regular basis.
Kiddo is in charge of adding the new bands (and she’s working on her fine motor skills in the process.) The ball is extra bouncy too! Perhaps this would be a fun rainy day activity at your house?
Tips For Traveling Solo With Infants and Toddlers
Kiddo and I fly from MSP to ORD at least twice a year without Mr. J. I usually plan these trips when he is also traveling for work during an extended amount of time, and visit my parents while he is away. This way, I have a little help from mom and dad and Kiddo has quality time with her grandparents. Although the flight is pretty short, traveling without my partner in crime is a bit difficult. Here are some things that have helped:
Too Much Halloween Candy At Your House?
Thank goodness, our Kiddo’s ‘haul’ was just enough to amuse, but not too much to give her a stomach ache. But it got me thinking about the future, and what we would do if she got a ton of sweets. More importantly, what would we do with the sweets that no one would eat in our household?
Our First Reader Mail! Corral The Kid’s School Papers
We received our first e-mail recently:
…So, I have a question – what does one do with all the stuff that little kids bring home from school? Every day mine comes home with worksheets with smiley faces, drawings, teacher communication, etc. Any tips on how to lasso this stuff up front so we keep what matters and can efficiently (and sometimes quietly) discard the rest? (Ours tends to accumulate in backpack or in a big pile at home that then requires major triage. Sometimes a few stray pieces wind up in the car, too.)
Thanks!
~Susannah Continue reading
Easy Playdates
School is not in session during the third Thursday and Friday of October because of MEA. This includes early childhood development programs, elementary school, and even college. It’s the second-highest travel period in Minnesota, behind Thanksgiving weekend. After many weeks of having a weekly routine, the two days without activities throws me for a loop. I hosted a playdate for one of those days off for the last three years.
