From the category archives:

Month 5

Activity #20: Narrate your day

April 16, 2013

Days at home alone with a baby can be soooo long. On the bright side, he’s a very captive audience and interested in all your innermost thoughts. Tell your baby about what you are doing to him when you change his diaper, lift him up, feed him. Narrate life’s little adventures when you clip your [...]

Read more →

Forget learning how to sew; make a fabric collage with glue

January 30, 2013

I have a huge plastic bin of fabric, but have not been interested at sitting at my sewing machine lately. I love all those beautiful colors and patterns that are folded and crumpled in my storage tub, and thought that this project, which I saw featured on MAKE, was an excellent use of them that [...]

Read more →

Why the bouncy seat makes me a better mom

May 31, 2012

Before having a baby, I had a very clear idea of what kind of mom I would be. Having read Babywise at the advice of a childless friend, I knew I would put my newborn on a schedule and fill my maternity leave with useful pursuits like crossing items off my to-do list and initiating [...]

Read more →

Eating my own dogfood, months 4 to 6

May 2, 2012

If you’ve visited RookieMoms.com before, you might know that we’re all about getting out of the house and having more fun with your baby in tow. We started this site as our own brainstorm of fun things to do and we just couldn’t stop. One could even argue that I had another baby just to [...]

Read more →

Activity #556: Chill out in the snow

December 20, 2011

After returning from a jaunt to Tahoe with his toddler, Ainslie, our friend Doug gave me tips on fun stuff to do in the snow. (That’s right old friends, I’m embarrassed to admit it but snow is something we visit out here — not endure. And we “jaunt”). For the baby set: Walk around with [...]

Read more →

Activity #232: Be a tourist in your own town

June 13, 2011

Today’s challenge is to strap on your fanny pack and be a tourist in your own town with your little sidekick. Ok, I’m kidding about the fanny pack. But how about you two go somewhere only the visitors ever enjoy? I call this first one “PhD in Paris” of Annie and her baby boy in [...]

Read more →

Activity #207: Play in another kind of nursery

May 30, 2011

Your weekly challenge is to enjoy the rainbow of colors at an outdoor plant nursery. Let her touch/listen to the wind chimes on display, tour the orchid hot-house, and watch the koi in the water garden pond (the bright-colored fish swarm up to greet kids because they expect food). A baby carrier is perfect to [...]

Read more →

Activity #417: Create cardboard cuties

May 26, 2011

Becky from Oakland, CA sent us this cute suggestion for a keepsake craft. She recently created cardboard crayon drawings of her two daughters on a rainy day. I cut open the box then laid down each girl (one at a time) then I traced them and then we colored them in wearing the outfits they [...]

Read more →

Activity #123: Talk about something besides sleep

May 23, 2011

We know there are those people whose infants start sleeping eleven or twelve hours a night around four months old. These so-called “babies” take three daily naps at 8, 12 and 4.30. And then there are the rest of us. At one point my moms group’s weekly discussion was so dominated by sleep that we [...]

Read more →

Activity #124: Go to a Farmers’ Market

May 16, 2011

Navigating the stroller through the market area is a challenge and there are so many things to look at for your baby, it’s worth the effort. Does this not sound like enough action for you? Believe me, it is. You will see other babies, musicians, and tasty food. Look around and choose a vegetable your [...]

Read more →

Invite someone dangerous to tea

May 9, 2011

I was driving down the street yesterday when a friend, Andrea, pulled out in front of me in her station wagon. I was only driving behind her for only a couple of blocks, but we rolled down our car windows to wave at each other and grin like goofballs at the simple coincidence of seeing [...]

Read more →

Check out the library

May 2, 2011

Your challenge this week is to seek out the tot story time your library and go there. Space out while someone else entertains your baby with a new voice and stories. Double check the time before you go. And, hey, be on time. If you’re 5 minutes late, you’ll miss half of it. This is [...]

Read more →