Peeps for Easter

I recently blogged about my favorite things about Easter, and one item on my list is so cute and sweet, I'm pretty sure everyone in the US will have it on their lists too. Yup, you guessed it: Peeps, peeps, peeps!

When I was growing up, we never had Peeps; I only discovered them as an adult, but I've quickly grown to love these cute marshmallow treats as much as my kids. They're so simple but they're so sweet, just like kids. My kids will eat Peeps right out of the box, but personally I prefer to use them to decorate my Easter treats -- so that everyone gets the pleasure of looking at something pretty before they enjoy the sweetness.


Here's a Peeps Easter basket that I did for our Easter Egg Hunt a couple of years ago. It's super easy to make: Just prepare some brownie mix, then pour a little bit (about 1/3 or 1/4 cup) into a waffle cup. Then put the waffle cup into the oven and bake the brownies as you normally would (or, you can bake the brownies first, then stuff them into the bottle of the waffle cup). Once the brownies have cooled, scoop some neapolitan ice cream on top and decorate with some edible Easter grass, chocolate eggs, and a marshmallow Peep. It's an easy-peasy dessert that was an instant hit with every child at our Easter Egg Hunt! I got major mom props for that one :)





The Pea's birthday is in April (it's today, as a matter of fact: Happy 10th Birthday, Pea!), so quite a few of her birthday parties have had an Easter theme (it's appropriate, and even better, if it falls just after Easter, all the Easter candies are on sale, so I can go all out with the Easter Eggs and Peeps!). For her birthday last year, I decorated her birthday cake with cute pink and yellow Bunny Peeps. She and her friends loved it, and they loved it even more when they saw that I had packed some more Bunny Peeps into their goody bags! I guess Peeps just bring a smile onto everyone's face, so they're the perfect way to celebrate!

Save on Peeps
Enjoy this exclusive offer from SocialMoms: You can save 20% off your purchase at the newly-opened PEEPSandCOMPANY.com online store! Not only can find all the Peeps you want, you can also get Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales and Peanut Chews products and more. Simply use this promo code at checkout - SMSPRING11 for 20% off all of your purchases until 5/4/11!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and PEEPS blogging contest, for a chance to get a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Switching it up and sparking it up

After ten years of marriage and three kids, it's all too easy for the romance between Alfie and me to get lost in all the carpools, doctors' appointments and grocery runs. And after a long day, it's all too easy to get stuck in a rut -- meaning, one of us ends up surfing the internet while the other one lounges on the couch and flips through the tv channels.

It takes a little bit of effort to get started, but once you make up your mind that you need to make some time for your spouse or partner, you'll be surprised at how even simple little switches in your everyday routines can put the spark back in your relationship! With that in mind, SocialMoms has teamed up with Cottonelle to show everyone how little switches can make all the difference in our lives and relationships. They want to know how you switch things up!

Here are some "switches" that can make all the difference:


1) Find me some Afternoon Delight -- no, not that kind! Tempting as that may sound, I'm talking about meeting Alfie at work and going out to lunch together.

2) Get Thee To A Movie -- Going to the cinema with your husband is an easy way, inexpensive way to grab some couple time, but even a Pay-Per-View movie at home can become a nice break from your everyday routine. What matters is that you can lose yourself in the story (and maybe get to hold your husband's hand).

3) A Little Red (or Black) Dress -- Most mornings I rush out of bed at the last second, throw on a tshirt and sweatpants, and rake a comb through my hair as I push the kids out of the door to school. So sometimes I make a little extra effort to put on something nice, swipe on some lip gloss and accessorize with necklaces and bracelets. Alfie never fails to ask me if I'm going on a date when he sees me all dolled up, and I can never resist the gleam in his eyes when I tell him I've got a rendezvous with my boyfriend after I drop the kids off from school. What actually happens when I get home and find Alfie in the kitchen, finishing off his breakfast, is for mine and Alfie's ears only.... :)

Disclosure: wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Keeping the family happy

Happiness is finding a pencil.
Sleeping in moon light.
Telling the time.
Happiness is learning to whistle.
Tying your shoe
For the very first time.
Happiness is playing the drum
In your own school band.
And happiness is walking hand in hand.

Happiness is two kinds of ice cream.
Knowing a secret.
Climbing a tree.
Happiness is five different crayons.
Catching a firefly.
Setting him free.
And happiness is being alone every now and then.
And happiness is coming home again.

Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That's loved by you.

Happiness is having a sister.
Sharing a sandwich.
Getting along.
Happiness is singing together
When day is through,
And happiness is those who sing with you.

Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That's loved by you.


I've always loved the Happiness song from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. It's easy to find happiness in the simple things, especially if you know where and how to look. We're a generally happy family -- fortunately, I happen to love everyone in my family so it's not too hard to be happy with them. Sure, we have our little spats now and then (or, in the case of The Pea and her brothers, every 5 minutes, or so it seems!) but if you asked any member of my family, I think they'd say they are happy.

Today, Farm Rich and Social Moms are asking the question, How Do You Keep Your Family Happy? Of course, family happiness is not my sole responsibility -- that's a family job -- and there's really no way I can force anyone to be happy, but there are certain things we parents can do to set the stage. Here are some things I try to do to make sure everything runs smoothly and everyone is happy:


1) Stick to a schedule
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, kids do best when there is structure in their lives. They like to know the boundaries of their world, what they can do, what they cannot do, when they can do it.

2) ... But don't overschedule
Having too many activities just makes everyone stressed out!

3) Make sure everyone gets enough sleep
There's nothing like lack of sleep to get us all sniping and snarling at each other.

4) Keep everyone well fed.
Again, it's easier to feel happy on a full stomach :) I try to provide filling, nutritious snacks and meals, not too high in salt and fat (so we don't feel bloated and lethargic) or too high in sugar (so we don't go off on sugar highs, only to come crashing down a couple of hours later).

5) Do things together.
Spending time as a family builds bonds and strengthens ties. Look for something fun to do that everyone can enjoy, like going to a movie or playing mini golf. It doesn't have to cost anything; even a picnic in the park or a Saturday night movie-and-popcorn-fest in the living room will do.

6) When momma ain't happy......
Forgive me, but I just had to get this in. Call me self-centered, but it's true! And I'm not just talking about myself, but about parents in general. If you're not happy as individuals, or as a couple, it affects the kids and the family. So make sure you take care of yourself -- find something you love to do, something that gives you a sense of self-accomplishment as an individual. And try to make time for you and your spouse to connect as a couple. And maybe schedule a pedicure or a girl's night out for yourself once in a while!


What do you do to stay happy as a family?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

My Favorite Things About Easter

Easter is almost here! This time of the year has always been a special one to me. Growing up in the Philippines, Eastertime holds quite a significance for the largely-Catholic population. Every year as a child, we would vacation in the small town that my father grew up in. We would spend 3 or 4 days lazing around on the beach, and on Good Friday we would always have dinner at our aunt's house. She lived right on the town's Main Street, and every year there would be a Good Friday procession that would go right down the street. We had the best vantage point, right outside my aunt's living room windows, looking right down on the procession. We would see all the floats pass by, depicting Jesus and Mary and the saints, as well as scenes of the events leading to Jesus' crucifixion. It was kind of a gory subject, now that I think of it, but as kids we were transixed with the beautiful floats and statues, and all the pomp and pageantry.

I haven't been to my dad's hometown in decades. As the years passed, the religious aspect of Easter dimmed for me. When I moved to the US, I started associating Easter with springtime and the end of the cold, dark winter rains. When I got together with Alfie, his English Easter traditions -- basically, Cadbury's Chocolate eggs! -- meshed with mine. Then The Pea was born on April 6, Easter took on a whole new meaning for me. I began to associate this time of year with her birthday and celebrating her life and seeing my little girl grow bigger, smarter and more beautiful with each passing year. Then, as she moved from babyhood to toddlerhood and as our family expanded to include 3Po and Jammy, Easter became a blur of parties and egg hunts and candies. The one constant has been the presence of family and friends during Easter time, which makes it one of my favorite times of the year.

Here are some of the things I love best about Easter:
1) The end of all those cold, dark nights.
2) Getting to eat dinner outdoors once again (because of the extra daylight and the weather!)
3) Seeing the sun shine on the beautiful, emerald-green hills that have been watered all winter.
4) Seeing the first flowers push up from the dirt.
5) Getting to wear white again.
6) Getting to dress your little girls in pastel dresses
7) Getting to wear cute, royal-family style hats (even if you never do wear them, at least you know you could!)
8) Planning picnics, hikes, and all kinds of outdoor activities.
9) Putting away the heavy raincoats and galoshes.
10) Planning your family's annual Easter Egg Hunt brunch.
11) Decorating the prettiest Easter Eggs ever.
12) Buying colorful plastic eggs and stuffing them with cute little treats.
13) Hiding the eggs around your garden and imagining the look on your child's face when he finds them.
14) Making up a special Easter basket and stuffing it with little treats and goodies for your child.
15) Stocking up on luscious chocolate Easter bunnies.
16) Stocking up on even more luscious Cadbury's Chocolate Easter Eggs.
17) Peeps, peeps, peeps!
18) Attending all the fun Easter events around the neighborhood, including Easter Egg hunts, storytimes, Easter Bunny visits, Easter Bunny photo opps and more.
19) Reading any book with Easter Eggs or bunnies in them.
20) Celebrating the rebirth of life and hope.
21) Getting together with friends and family.
22) Remembering the good times I had during Easter as a child
23) Sharing those Eastertime memories with my family.
24) Returning to my roots and traditions as a Filipino and a Catholic.
25) Did I mention all the chocolate?


So what does Easter mean to you? What are your favorite parts of Easter?

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Family Travel Deals

Our family does a lot of traveling. With both Alfie's and my parents living on opposite sides of the world, we have to take 10 and 14-hour plane rides just to visit! We usually alternate visits so that the kids can see their grandparents; one year we all go to the Philippines for Christmas, and the next year we all go to the UK for the summer. While we're there, we try to set up some side trips so that we get to see other places and experience new things.

Obviously, all of this doesn't come cheap for a family of five. Plane tickets alone, to such far-away destinations, can cost over $7000 in the high season! So we really have to watch our money and look for the best bargains we can for any of our side trips while we're in the Philippines or in the UK, or when we want to indulge in a short weekend getaway or other (comparatively minor) vacation. Here are some things we do to find family travel deals.

1) Plan, plan, plan
Knowledge is power! The more you know about a place, the more likely it will be that you can find inexpensive places to stay and inexpensive things to do. Search the web for articles on family travel to your destination -- they almost always include information on free or cheap things to do, like parks, museums, free festivals and the like.

2) Search for deals
Websites like Kayak.com, Expedia.com and Travelocity.com are always our first destination whenever we are thinking about taking a vacation that involves plane tickets. They are a great way to compare airline ticket prices to get the best deals. We are lucky that there are 3 major airports in the San Francisco Bay Area, which gives us the option to depart from the airport that shows the lowest fares.

3) Travel in the off-season or non-peak days
I know this isn't always possible (i.e. if you want to see your relatives during the holiday season, you have to travel during the holiday season), but if your schedule is at all flexible, plan to fly in the off-season. If your kids are still in the preschool stage, take your vacations when all the big kids are in school (i.e. September, October, November)! If you have school-aged kids, consider taking them out of school -- bear in mind that travel can be a really educational experience. (when we do take the kids out of school, I always give them workbooks to complete while we're traveling, and have them do a journal so they can do a presentation to their class when they get back). Again, sites like Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity as well as most major airline sites have features that let you compare fares to see which dates and periods the fares are lower.

4) Stay in lower-budget hotels
Don't be afraid of one or two star hotels. They're not all roach-infested dives -- some of them, especially in Europe, are clean, comfortable, small, family-owned establishments! Oftentimes the reason they are classified as one or two star accommodations is that they don't have the facilities of more luxurious hotels -- for example, many places in Amsterdam do not have elevators. Pay attention to reviews by travelers who have stayed in the place, rather than how many stars a hotel has.

5) BYOB -- Bring your own Breakfast
If we can, we take our own boxes of cereal with us so we can forego expensive hotel breakfasts. Of course, it may not be convenient (i.e. we usually only do it if we're driving to our destination and we know the hotel room has a fridge); in that case, we find a local diner or a supermarket where we can buy our own food.

6) Swap homes
Accommodations are one of the biggest cost items on any family travel budget, so consider signing up for a home or vacation swap. Basically, you find a family in the place you want to visit, who wants to visit the place were you live, and you live in each other's homes while you're on vacation. We've never done this, but I've heard that many families find it to be a rewarding experience and a great way to save money. Make sure you do your research beforehand!

7) Drive
For our family of five, the cost of five plane tickets plus the cost of renting a car at our destination can be prohibitive, so if the destination is within an 8 hour drive, we would rather take our car. Sure, it takes a while, but think about how much time it takes to get to an airport -- 2 hours before the flight -- then pick up your luggage and get from the airport to your destination.

8) Check out packaged tours
Sometimes packaged tours can cost less that pieceing together individual components of a vacation yourself.

9) Check out last-minute bargains
Airlines and hotels and cruise ships often have seats/rooms/cabins left unsold, so they offer deep last-minute discounts. If you don't mind the last-minute rush and aren't wedded to traveling to a particular place at a particular time, you could really snag some great bargains.

10) Set expectations
Finally -- and perhaps the most important -- set a budget that you can live with and work within that budget. Prioritize what you want out of the vacation (i.e. do we want to go to Hawaii to surf, or to lay on the beach, or trek into a volcano?) and be prepared to compromise (we can't do all 3, so let's forget the surfing and book a hotel across the street from the beach instead of a beachfront hotel -- we can still lay on the beach -- and use the savings to book a volcano trekking tour).


Good luck, and Bon Voyage!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Spreading happiness

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep spreading the love! One of my favorite chocolate companies, The Hershey Company, has just introduced little drops of happiness -- perfect for sharing -- Hershey’s Drops! They are a new bite-size way to enjoy and share the Hershey’s flavors you love. And to help spread the news (and happiness!) they have teamed up with Twitter Moms to ask bloggers like me how we share happiness with the people around.

Last December I participated in the Yahoo! Motherboard's Ripples of Kindness program, which encourages people to do random acts of kindness in the "pay-it-forward" spirit, and it was so amazing how people found ways to do good and spread happiness. It doesn't have to be a huge thing like donating a million dollars to a shelter, it can be something really small, like paying for someone's bridge toll or donating a warm coat to a shelter, or throwing a party at a homeless shelter, or even letting the car beside you on the highway go in front of you when you line up for your exit instead of angrily honking your horn and giving him the finger! We find ourselves so busy and wrapped up in our own lives, so we sometimes forget that making other people happy can make us happy too!

So, what are some of the ways you like to share a little happiness with people in your life? Here's how I do it:

1) Write little love notes and put them in my kids' lunch boxes.
2) Cut their sandwiches in heart shapes.
3) Text my husband with a little smiley face during the day.
4) Do something nice for someone in my family.
5) Make my husband a cup of tea.
6) Offer to babysit for a friend.
7) Give change to a homeless person.
8) Make dinner for a friend who just gave birth.
9) Turn off the computer and take an extra five minutes to read to my kids.
10) Organize a surprise birthday party (shhh, don't tell Alfie!)
11) Call my parents to say hi.
12) Email photos of the kids to my mother-in-law.
13) Tell a friend how great she looks.
14) Comment on someone's blog.
15) Retweet something you find particularly amusing or witty or profound.
16) Share a friend's blog post on Facebook.
17) Listen sympathetically to a friend's woes.
18) Pick up someone else's candy wrapper and throw it in the trash.
19) Plant a tree (hey, even mother nature needs some love!).
20) Put an extra squirt of hot fudge sauce on your child's ice cream sundae!

Here's to spreading love and happiness all around!

Disclosure: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hershey's blogging program, for a gift card worth $25 and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.” . The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

What makes a Great Family Getaway?

I love my family, and I love to travel, and nothing makes me happier than combining the two. Every year we enjoy some sort of family getaway, whether it's an overnight camping trip or a week at Disneyland. The trips we've enjoyed over the years have been very different, but there have always been some things in common. Here are five things that define our Ideal Family Getaways:


Local
As big a fan as I am of global travel, when I think of the term "Family Getaway", an international destination is not the first thing that comes to mind. To me, a getaway is a place that's fairly nearby and easy to get to, which pretty much rules out any other country except the US, Canada and Mexic. But the United States is a huge country, and there is so much to discover! There are so many interesting places within a 3-hour drive of our home, let alone a 3-hour flight, that I could think of for a Family Getaway: Hawaii, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, Yellowstone Park, Bryce Canyon... the list is almost endless.


Budget-friendly
When I say budget-friendly, I don't mean you have to stay in roach-infested motels and eat cereal for breakfast (although we have done that -- the cereal, I mean, not the roaches). I mean it has to be one that your family can afford. If your great-aunt Edna surprises you with an extra-generous holiday present, go ahead and splurge! If you've been saving up, enjoy! If you don't have a lot to spend, search out low-cost or free activities. I don't want to be paying for a vacation months or years after we've taken it; a Great Family Getaway should be one that leaves you with great memories, not bills.


Educational
I like getaways that have an educational component. I don't mean the kids have to learn math or science during our trips, but I want each trip to give them a new perspective on something in life. Whether that is realizing that not everyone speaks English, or getting them to see and enjoy the beauty of nature, I want everyone to come home from our getaway feeling that they have learned something new.


Downtime
I tend to be kind of a maniac when we take trips. If I had my way, we'd be on a schedule from 8AM to 8PM, but over the years I've learned that it just doesn't work. Someone always ends up cranky, tired or sick -- and then no-one has any fun. So now we always leave some time to chill out, relax and recharge. Sometimes the kids just like playing or watching TV in the hotel!


Something for everyone
A family getaway needs to be fun for everyone: my 9-year old daughter, my 7-year old twins, my husband and me. We have a wide range of ages and interests, and sometimes we have to compromise, but a Great Getaway should be one that has something that everyone can enjoy.



With that in mind, here are some Ideal Family Getaways that we've enjoyed:
* Lake Tahoe ski trip
* Napa Valley camping trip
* A week at the Grand Canyon

And here are some Ideal Family Getaways that we'd love to do!
* RV trip to Yellowstone National Park
* Road trip to San Diego and back
* A safari adventure at Safari West in Santa Rosa

Disclosure: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Simple changes in 2011

January is almost over, and I'll bet a lot of people have started slipping up on their New Years Resolutions! I'm proud to say that I'm not one of them, because this year I really tried to come up with some goals that are simple, measurable and maintanable. They're not revolutionary changes, but hey, sometimes the simplest of changes can make the biggest impact. Here are some of the simple changes I would like to make in my life this year, and how I've planned to make sure the changes actually stick:

1) Walk more.
The physical benefits to walking more are obvious, but did you know that studies have shown that walking for 45 minutes a day, 3 times a week, can help improve brain function? A recent Newsweek article about Building a Better Brain claims that studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that simple aerobic exercise improves episodic memory and executive-control functions by about 20 percent. Inspired by this little tidbit, I've resolved to walk the kids to school more often. We already walk to school every day, but when I pick them up in the afternoons, I delay until the last minute so I'm forced to drive to school. This year I've set a goal of walking to pick the kids up from school at least twice a week. It's a small, attainable goal and one that I haven't broken yet.

2) Run more.
I've been way too sedentary, so I've resolved to get back into running this year. To help me stay movitated, I've signed up for a couple of races in March and May, and I intend to sign up for more before the year is done. I figure one race every two months or so will keep me training without getting so sick of the whole thing that I stop running in between races and train like mad the week before the race.


3) Get back into dancing.
Another way I've decided to improve my fitness level is to put dancing back into my life. When I was in my teens and 20's, I attended a jazz dance class five days a week. It's not a coincidence that I could eat anything I wanted, and I was in the best shape of my life. Unfortunately I don't have the time to dance five days per week, and at my age, even if I did I would still not be able to eat anything I want, but putting some dance back into my life will certainly go a long way towards improving my cardio fitness level as well as my flexibility. I've signed up for a Zumba class, just once a week, but already I'm enjoying myself thoroughly and look forward to the classes!




How about you? Are you making any changes in your life? Remember, even simple changes can make a big impact!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

New aspirations, new possibilities.

Where has the time gone? I'm turning 39 in May, so 2011, my 40th year, is going to be something of a milestone in my life. I'm inspired by my friend Kimberly, who's a year ahead of me and created a "40x40" list of things she wants to accomplish by the time she celebrates her big Four-Oh. I'm not going to publish my actual list until my birthday, but I'm definitely thinking about it, thinking about what I've done, and what I'd still like to do.

On a smaller scale, with the New Year approaching, it's that time of the year when we all look back on what we've done over the year, and look ahead to the new year and think about what we want to accomplish. So the list of aspirations and possibilities in my head serve double-duty. Here are some of the things I'd love to do:

1) Go back to dance.
Dancing was such a big part of my life in my high school and college years. Now? Nothing. I don't take lessons, don't go to clubs, don't even dance in the bedroom. The closest that I've come to dancing in the last decade is driving my daughter to her dance class. Every time I watch "So You Think You Can Dance", my mind leaps and turns pirouettes and does fan kicks along with the dancers. I remember how it feels, and my mind thinks I can do it -- but my body can't keep up. I can barely do a split, let alone a bridge or a jete. I would really like to start up again, maybe take a dance class. Heck, even a Zumba exercise class would count!

2) Travel.
Going around England, France and the Netherlands this summer really brought out the wanderlust in me again. I recently took stock of the places I've been, and while it's nothing to sneeze at, there are so many places I still want to go! I've only been to 3 of the seven continents in the world -- okay, maybe I'll never travel to Antarctica, but that still leaves 3 continents unvisited. I have never been south of the Equator. And I have never been on a cruise (which is probably my fault because I'm terrified of being seasick the whole time, but I'm willing to load up on Dramamine and try it now!). Now that the kids are older, I feel like we can do a bit more traveling, but then again money, money money is always the constraint.

Let's hope 2011 (and my 40th year) brings lots of dance and travel into my life!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network blogging program, for a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Ten Tips for New Moms

Having a baby really does change everything! Your daily schedule, your sleep patterns, your social life, your eating habits, your mode of transportation, even your personal hygiene routines are all subject to being thrown out the window once your little bundle of joy arrives. One of the biggest areas (both literally and figuratively) to get a baby makeover is going to be the place you call home -- and I'm not talking about just decorating a nursery and installing some safety latches. When you look at your home through new-mama eyes, what was once a place of refuge, your kingdom, your castle, now becomes a haven for infection, diseases and accidents, with germs and sharp corners just waiting to attack your beloved child.

Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to prepare your home for your baby's arrival -- and you can do a lot of it even before the baby arrives, which means one less thing to worry about (and believe me, when you're getting next to no sleep, the less you have to worry about the better). Here are some tips for new moms who want to prepare their home for their new baby:

1) Wash all bedclothes, blankets and baby clothes separately from your other laundry. Use the hottest wash setting you're comfortable with to kill as many germs and bedbugs as possible.

2) Put an air purifier in the baby's room.

3) Wipe down all surfaces with disinfectant. If you're worried about harsh chemicals, there are plenty of safe, effective alternatives. You can even use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda!

4) Keep pets out of the nursery, at least until your little one has had a couple of months to develop his immune system.

5) Consider breastfeeding your baby for at least 6 months -- it's one of the best things you can do to build and strengthen his immune system.


Once the your baby has arrived, he or she is going to have lots of visitors, all eager to hold and touch and kiss the new arrival. Here are some suggestions to help keep your baby germ-free:

1) Ask visitors to wipe their hands before they hold the baby. If you're hesitant to do this, have sanitary wipes or disinfecting gel prominently on display, and make a big show out of wiping your own hands before holding your baby.

2) If a visitor has a cough or cold, ask them if they'd mind not holding the baby. Most people understand why you're asking them and are more than happy to oblige.

3) Ask children to kiss the baby's feet, not the baby's hands or face.

4) Swaddle your baby in a blanket when visitors arrive, to limit skin-to-skin contact.

5) You can have visitors tiptoe in to see the baby when he's sleeping. It's not likely to bother the baby, and it's a good excuse not ask them not to touch!



It's true that bringing a baby home means instituting some new tasks and precautions -- but as soon as you meet your new baby, you'll realize it's all worth it.

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Lysol® Wee Wisdom blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here . The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

How to turn Work into Play

It's never too young to teach children a sense of responsibility, or to let them know that a family is a team, and everyone pitches in to help. But it's difficult to know how to get young kids started on chores, or for that matter, any activity that looks like Plain Old Work. The secret is making these daily activities fun and interesting. In celebration of their launch, The Hub -- a new TV channel for kids and families -- and TwitterMoms have asked bloggers to share 10 ideas for incorporating fun and play into your child’s daily activities. Here are mine:


1) Hunt for treasure.
Cleaning out the garage can be tiresome, dusty, dirty work. Make it a game by providing a list of items that might be found amidst all the junk lying around. Then watch them scramble to fix things up!


2) Get out the cool tools.
My kids actually love mopping up the floor when they spill things because we have a neat spray mop that takes the drudgery out of mopping. The mop is lightweight, so kids can handle it, and I can fill the attached spray bottle with kid-safe cleaning products like soap and water, or just water, so I don't have to worry about nasty chemicals. They love spraying the solution on the floor and gliding the mop around!


3) Turn chores into a party.
I like giving out tea cakes, cookies, banana bread and brownies as presents to friends and teachers, but doing all that baking can be a drag, so I organize a holiday baking party with a few of my friends and their kids. As long as we supervise, the kids actually do a good job helping out (i.e. laying out baking cases, mixing, throwing out the trash), and we end up with enough baked goods for every family).


4) Use the star system
Remember that sticker chart you used when your little one was toilet training? It works equally well -- with a few adjustments to the incentives for the child's age, of course -- for chores!


5) Feel the beat
Get out that dusting cloth, turn on the stereo and dance your blues away! With some great dancing tunes, your little ones will be twisting and turning (and dusting and wiping) in no time.


6) I Spy..... a Radish
Even a trip to the grocery store can be interesting and fun if you give your kids something to look for. Point out interesting fruits and vegetables, or hand them a shopping list and ask them for help in finding everything.


7) Odd Man Out
In my opinion, finding sock pairs is one of the most tiresome things about laundry. But I've found that kids actually like fishing around a basket of socks to match pairs -- especially when I tell them I'm giving them any single socks left over for them to make into sock puppets.


8) Step on the Crack.....
When we walk to school, we always play games. Even something as simple as jumping over sidewalk cracks helps pass the time.


9) Starstruck
My kids love making their own home videos. So when the urge to put on a stuffed animal production strikes them, I remind them that their backdrop has to look really nice for the camera -- and that's usually all the incentive they need to clean up the mess in their room!


10) Get thee to a Good School
Going to school and getting on the path to learning is probably the most important work a child has to do. A great teacher and a great school can make the difference between an awful experience and a lifetime of loving to learn! So do your research a find a great preschool with a philosophy that matches your own, and a teaching style that fits in with how your child learns.


As Mary Poppins said, In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun.... and Snap! The job's a game! Hopefully, with these suggestions, you'll be well on your way to finding that spoonful of sugar that works for your own child's activities!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and The Hub blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

Planning a Unique Baby Shower

A baby shower is a fun and meaningful way to celebrate a new addition to the family. Incorporating personalized touches and unique ideas is a fabulous way to make the event a truly personal one. Here are 10 tips on planning a unique baby shower:

1) Decide on a theme. Your shower can have any baby related theme -- rubber duckies, storks, bottles, pacifiers, or diapers -- or a color theme if the baby's gender is known, a children's character like Elmo or Winnie the Pooh.

2) Invitations are your first chance to make a great impression on your guests, so take some time to create invitations that match your party theme. Tiny Prints is one of my favorite places for baby shower invitations -- you can add photos and customize text on any of their gorgeous designs.

3) Coordinate presents with other guests so that duplicate items are minimized. For example, you could assign each guest a time of day in advance, and ask them to bring gifts the mom or baby could use at that time. You can let them choose either am or pm, or assign them an am or pm time. Examples: 8 PM could be pajamas, 10 pm could be bubble bath, 8 am could be an outfit, and so on.

4) Instead of a plain old guest book, have an advice book where guests can write down their favorite piece of parenting advice.

5) Hang a clothesline in the party room and ask guests to bring baby clothes as presents. Hang all the baby clothes on a clothesline -- the presents will do double duty as decor!

6) Serve funny snacks like pickles and ice cream, spaghetti sauce on toast, marshmallows and pretzels, and other combinations that a pregnant woman might crave. Don't forget to include some "normal" snacks as well :)

7) Party games are a great way for your guests to mingle and have fun. Scratch off games, personalized advice cards, and guessing the size of the mom-to-be's belly are fun activities. Reward your guests with thoughtful game prizes and funny loser awards.

8) Baby showers tend to be pastel-hued, girly affairs; for your unique shower, why not include the dad-to-be as well? Have a couples birthday party to "mourn" the end of the parents-to-be's Kid Free Years.

9) Find photos of the mom and dad to be when they were children, "morph" them using photo editing software, and present the parents-to-be with a photo of what their new baby might look like.

10) Send you party guests home with party favors personalized with the baby's due date.


Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Tiny Prints blogging program, making me eligible to get a Tiny Prints gift code worth $50, plus 25 FREE Tiny Prints greeting cards—a total gift value of $149.75! For more information on how you can participate, click here. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Continue reading...

10 Money-Saving Tips for Back-to-School Shopping

August is Back to School month and the Yahoo! Motherboard is talking all things educational. For me, this year's Back to School is beginning to feel like Back to the Poorhouse; school is starting in just 2 weeks, and all of a sudden I feel like our bank account is draining away like a leaky boat. It seems like the kids need new lunch boxes, new jackets, new shoes, new everything! If you feel that way too, here are 10 simple things you can do to save some money when planning your Back-to-School Budget:


1) Figure out what you really need. Just because you see all those snazzy ads for cool backpacks doesn't mean you have to buy them. If your child is entering kindergarten or first grade, chances are all he'll really need is a lunchbox. You may even be able to reuse some of his supplies from last year!


2) Organize a neighborhood school swap for bikes, sports equipment, and musical instruments.


3) Buy used. Private school uniforms can cost an arm and a leg, so check to see if your school runs a used-clothing program.


4) Pack your kids' lunches. Not only are homemade lunches more nutritious than school lunches, they're usually cheaper as well.


5) Buy reusable lunch containers. You'll save in the long run on paper supplies, and you'll be doing your part to save the earth.


6) Stick to a budget. Talk to your kids beforehand about their back-to-school outfits, jackets, shoes, and other school clothing. Set a spending limit so that there are no surprises after you get back from the mall.


7) Clip coupons. There are tons of money-saving coupons out there for all kinds of school supplies. All you have to do is check your local newspaper or use Google to find coupons online. Why pay full price when you can hand the cashier a piece of paper and save anywhere from 5% to 20%?


8) Shop sales. Ditto on stores running Back To School specials -- a little research can go a long way.


9) Buy in bulk. You know you'll be needing ten rolls of sticky tape and three dozen glue sticks, so head to your local warehouse club and buy supersize packs of school supplies, lunchbox snacks, and things you'll be using throughout the schoolyear. You'll pay less per item!


10) You get what you pay for. Investing in good-quality backpacks and lunchboxes might take a chunk out of your back-to-school budget, but they'll last longer than the cheapie variety.


Click here for more Back to School posts on the Yahoo! Motherboard!


Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Continue reading...