From the category archives:

Month 5

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Activity #365: Act like Julie from The Love Boat

April 24, 2011

It’s time to make your own fun. Plan out your week and write up the schedule. Pick an activity and a time and tell everyone who might be available that they are welcome to join you. Be brave and invite folks you hardly know. Or send out an email with your whole week to get [...]

Activity #39: Leave your neighborhood

April 11, 2011

Today’s challenge: Find a park you’ve never visited that has baby swings. In these pictures, Julian is four-and-a-half months old. Ask a veteran mom for a suggestion, or for you city gals, check out MomMaps, which is both a website and an iPhone app with kid-friendly destinations pinned on a map. I find it’s easy [...]

Activity #286: Start your own Breakfast Club

April 4, 2011

I love this idea that Thrifty Toddler shared as her favorite rookie year outing during our book-launch blog blast: Start a weekly Breakfast Club. She and her girlfriends take turns at each other’s houses serving breakfast and drinks and allowing the babies to play (or just roll near each other as the case may be). [...]

Activity #529: Cut up your baby announcements

December 15, 2009

When I saw this “first ornament” tutorial on Wedding Bee, I thought it meant for a baby’s first Christmas, but soon understood that it’s for a couple’s first married Christmas. Why was I reading WeddingBee.com? Who knows. I get easily lost in the Internets. Made from leftover wedding invites, it is a clever and subtle [...]

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