From the category archives:

Month 1-3

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Activity #476: Play poker with your baby

September 8, 2009

My very good friend, Crystal, lives in Chicago as a writer with her wee little son, Harry. Harry is a mere one day younger than Milo and sadly they’ve never met in person. We fully expect that one day they’ll be using Crystal’s instructions in poker for their own miseducation. Here’s what Crystal has to [...]

Camouflage your baby bangs with felt hair clips

September 5, 2009

You know how you start losing your hair from about 3 months to 6 months postpartum? Then they grow back in like teeny tiny doll hairs; those new mini hairs are your baby bangs. If you’re a baby-girl-mom, you might already be experimenting with hair accessories for the little one, but baby-boy-mamas, we deserve fun [...]

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Go easy on yourself

August 17, 2009

Heather Thomson and I have a lot in common: we are both working mothers of two children, age four and two; we are both named Heather; we both believe that new moms should find ways to do what makes them happy. That may be where the similarities end. I write with Whitney to encourage new [...]

Activity #593: Geocache with your baby (or while pregnant!)

August 3, 2009

If your regular walking routes are a little dull, here’s a suggestion from a rookie mom reader: Strap on your baby and go geocaching! Shylo tells me she started geocaching while pregnant, in her third trimester, as an excuse to get out walking (although some of the more adventurously placed caches proved too much for [...]

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Activity #586: Convert a t-shirt into a newborn gown

July 27, 2009

This naptime sewing project was brought to you by This Mama Makes Stuff. Carrie, who used to design clothing for Old Navy, provides this disclaimer: I got Cs in pattern-making class in college. Um, Carrie? Most of us did not even know pattern making was offered in college, so no need to apologize. We appreciate [...]

Activity #583: Tweak today

June 19, 2009

At a work-related meeting, I was recently made aware of a website called Tweak Today whose mission is “Do a new thing. Every day.” That’s so Rookie Moms, I couldn’t help but think. I love missions, scavenger hunts, and the Internets. Tweak Today brings them all together. Let’s pretend the task was to take a [...]

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Activity #101: Play an instrument

May 18, 2009

Do you play guitar, harmonica, or the plastic comb? If you’ve got ‘em, shake your maracas. If you want to learn a new instrument, baby is a good audience. Alec decided to get a little more serious about playing guitar once Holden was born. He started taking weekly lessons and would frequently practice his new [...]

Activity #574: Make your own organic baby wash

March 23, 2009

Toxic goo in the baby bubble bath? WTH?! It drives me CRAZY to learn that our baby body wash has bad stuff in it. Now crafty, cheapo, and organic moms can come together on this activity; it is easier than you think to make to make your own natural baby wash. Here’s a great little [...]

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Activity #355: Create an easy time capsule

March 18, 2009

Fellow parents of newborns, here’s a super easy way to make a time capsule that your child will love (some day): Buy disposable camera Take lots of pictures around hospital, home, baby, car, and your life as it is in general Write your name, address, phone, email, today’s date, and the words “Photo Time Capsule! [...]

Activity #167: Get calcium the fun way

February 24, 2009

First off, this is not the place to find out about counting pounds or calories… so, I can recommend the following tasty ways to get your calcium: mint chocolate chip ice cream in front of the TV cheese – fancy with red wine or the stick variety in the middle of the night a tall [...]

Getting used to having a new baby in the house takes time. Take some baby steps and build your confidence. Here are 25 great activities to try during maternity leave (not all at once, ok?)

Activity #284: Tweeze, dye and feel pretty

January 23, 2009

I’ve read in some well-meaning parenting magazines that the secret to looking fresh and awesome despite sleep-deprivation lies in a “quick” makeup routine that is five times more involved than what I would do before going to a party. Thanks but no thanks. I give you two images to consider. First, this is me immediately [...]

Activity #47: Think with your melons

January 5, 2009

You have a special super power in the first months of your baby’s life. Maybe this falls into the very large bucket of “nobody ever told me this was going to happen.” Your boobs might get all tingly for no apparent reason. For me, it could be triggered by hearing any baby cry having any [...]

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →