Julian is a supermodelLook at my son. Sigh. This photo was taken almost five years ago at a photoshoot for my former employer who had a last minute need for a baby model.

Although I am usually opposed to studio photography, there is something about it that’s easy to look at. I guess that’s why our parents took us to Kmart for portraits all those years.

Your assignment: Take advantage of the free 8×10 portrait offered by the Picture People company on their website. Their style of photography is a step up from the Kmart photos we grew up with. Cheesy or adorable – there is a fine line. And when it comes to your own baby, I’m guessing you’ll side with “adorable”. These Picture People stores are found in malls (high class, I know) and you’ll have to use their store locator to find out if this is a feasible spur of the moment outing.

My professional advice (and yes, having done casting for catalogs, I am actually qualified to give this) is to have your baby wear something timeless such as a solid colored onesie and jeans or overalls. The more skin you show, the better. Bare feet and bare arms make baby photography even more irresistable. Jeans + Bare Feet = One Cute Picture. And don’t forget to take a couple of pictures with you in it, even if you think you have bad hair, are fat or unworthy. You are her mother, and you are beautiful. She will definitely want the photos later in life, when she’s done hating you.

Make a deal with yourself that you will not buy more of the pictures than the free one. You might be embarassed to leave the place with only your single enormous free picture, but that’s the only way we can keep this activity in the free/cheap category.

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Spend a week in Dublin (with tots in tow)

by RookieMom Heather on March 17, 2010

in A Week in..., Europe

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. Celebrate by wearing green, drinking a pint or so of Guinness and enjoying this guest post from Kate Moran.

Kate is an American girl living in Ireland with her two small children. She founded MummyMaps.com, the stylish guide for Irish parents, and shares these insider tips for living in Dublin or traveling to Ireland with little ones.

Kate Moran with family

Ireland is famous for gorgeous landscapes, charming villages and relaxing family time. Here is the perfect week in Ireland with kids (including best restaurants with changing tables and highchairs and advice for beating the weather):

Monday: City walk
The country’s capital and cultural heart, Dublin has lots for families to enjoy. Wander through Trinity College’s cobblestone paths, up the main shopping street, Grafton Street and to St. Stephen’s Green, where the kids can spend some time at the playground. Entry into most museums is free, so they are great to pop into to get out of the rain. In fact, the National Gallery of Ireland has a fantastic gift shop to buy gifts for home as well as a reliable cafe.

Tuesday: Guinness tour
The Guinness Storehouse is a requisite stop for many adults – and we can report that it’s pretty family-friendly. The displays (like the massive waterfall in the front hall) can engage most children for a while and the Gravity Bar is bright and lively. There are baby changing facilities and well, there is something strangely gratifying about taking your baby’s picture next to a pint of Guinness.

babyandguiness

Finally, for older children, visit Kilmainham Goal for a tour of the famous jail where the leaders of the 1916 uprising were jailed and executed. Just across the road from Kilmainham is the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). It hosts an eclectic variety of exhibitions to suit every taste.

After strolling the lengthy corridors, head to the café Itsa-at-Imma. Wholesome hot meals, salads, (including coeliac options) and a full kid’s bagel menu is available. Just off the main café is a family room with little tables, highchairs, play mats, a microwave and lots of wooden toys and colouring and chalk boards to keep the monkeys amused while you enjoy that long awaited coffee. And to top it off…the ladies loos would put the Ritz to shame – you could fit at least four buggies in the baby change area! (Ah, it’s the little things…) If the weather is bearable, let the wild ones run freely in the wide open spaces or shout it all out in the formal gardens where an art installation in the form of a volcanic metallic fountain is a little treat for tiny ones with big imaginations.
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Activity #376: Meet your friends out for errands

March 15, 2010

Go on, it’s semi-social, you can bring your baby or toddler, and you can Get Things Done.
Many times, Whitney and I meet with the boys to do some Target shopping and wonder if it counts as an outing… I say “yes”.
Yesterday, I met my (child-free) pal, Olivia, and we wandered the aisles at Whole Foods [...]

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Brace yourself: The zero to ten scale

March 12, 2010

The best advice Ryan and I got during our first days with Julian came from a source that I can no longer remember, perhaps the pediatrician who made rounds in the hospital.  It was this:
Babies need to go from 0 to 10 on a daily basis. A sleeping baby is at 0 and may spend [...]

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Committed outdoorsman: A rookie dad sleeps on the porch

March 11, 2010

An exciting email recently circulated amongst my extended family. My second cousin Emily and her husband Will were going to be on Oprah. “Set your DVRs!” read the email. I’ve met Emily once and never met Will, by the way. (Our grandmothers were sisters.)
If you watch Oprah, and apparently bazillions of women do, you may [...]

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Spend a week in Salt Lake City (with kids)

March 10, 2010

If you’re in Utah and looking for some destinations that are just as fun for mom as they are for your kids (toddlers to tweens), Vanessa from INeverGrewUp.net and UtahsNaturalKids.com has got you covered with whole week’s worth — and then some.
{Still in your rookie year with a baby? Check out Vanessa’s favorite baby [...]

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Activity #560: Do It Yourself: the easiest ever baby shower gift

March 9, 2010

My friend Deb is due to have a baby next month. It’s her first; she will be a rookie mom.
Since the gender of the baby is a surprise, shopping was more challenging than I had imagined. I settled on a Bumbo Baby Seat because I think it’s a clever invention, and because I appreciate that [...]

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Activity #173: Chase the garbage truck

March 8, 2010

My friend Mike used to take his toddler Miles out for Garbage Truck Friday each week without fail. They did it for years. Their routine included picking up muffins from the local bakery and following the garbage truck all over Oakland for an hour or so. It was something that they both looked forward to.
I [...]

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Calling all single moms

March 5, 2010

When I was a kid and my mom was single, she had a whole posse of single moms she hung out with. There were no online communities back then, so I’m really glad for her that she found nearby friends with whom she could swap dating stories and childcare.
Now that I’m a mom, I have [...]

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Parenting trends: hot + cool colors

March 4, 2010

When I walked into the studio for speesees organic baby clothing last month, I was instantly enchanted by the color combos of the apparel on display. The proprietress, Rachel, was wearing a striking palette herself – a hot red sweater paired with a cool turquoise shirt. Over the next few weeks, I found this [...]

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Activity #571: Make an easy swaddling blanket

March 3, 2010

DIY mamas-to-be and wannabes: This is one easy project that will give you bang for your $5.

When shopping for receiving blankets, it seems that there are 3 kinds of totally WRONG kinds of blankets: cute but stretchy, too small, or not square. Uggh! For a true Harvey-Karp-style swaddle, you need a biggish piece of flannel [...]

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Rookie Moms nostalgia: a look at February

March 2, 2010

Hey, if we haven’t thanked you enough lately, please know that Heather and I truly appreciate you guys reading our site.
Here are our most popular posts this month:

Make some easy kids pants
Newborn Shopping List: What to register for and what to buy
Go to a theater where crying is allowed
Decorate baby clothes with fabric paint
5 tips [...]

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