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 Bjorn and congratulate yourself for being active.

Sharon reports:

We would have normally planned to go snow shoeing or skiing and planned a romantic dinner out. But we spent our time walking around the village, shopping a little, having a nice dinner, going for a long walk, and taking lots of pictures of Ainslie.

Our friends, Doug and Sharon, are total bad-asses. So, when they recommend to take it easy with your rookie baby, you should listen.

Last year, Whitney and I did their 22 mile charity bike ride and were proud to complete it. Sharon did the whole thing 6 months pregnant while Doug had a 30-pound toddler in the bike trailer.

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 2005:

Thanks to PhD in Parenting for this treasure

If you’ve never taken the time to see your hometown’s greatest hits, choose a destination and make a day of it. Can you plunk your baby at the foot of a famous statue or seek out the most famous landmark for a cute commemorative photo?

Baby J enjoys the view of the Golden Gate Bridge

This is your 24th challenge. Did you complete this challenge? Share your story and pictures.

• Comment below and spill the details.
• Share a picture with us on Facebook.

Related activity: Document your baby’s birthplace

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 navigate the tight corners.

In Berkeley, I like the East Bay Nursery for its rows and rows of colorful flowers and funny butterflies. Just watch out for the bees.

This is your 22nd challenge. Did you complete this challenge? Share your story.

• Comment below and spill the details.
• Share a picture with us on Facebook.

Is your baby too old to be worn around in a baby carrier while you describe the difference between perennials and annuals? Toddlers and preschoolers are ready to “help” plant their own favorite veggies in the backyard. Not your style? Choose a different challenge.

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 were wearing that day. We liked them so much, we put them in our attic to save forever and ever.

Maisy, age 2, is checking out her doppelganger

Baby Maren, 5 months old, looks a little like a pirate

Becky is a stay at home mom to 2 girls; Maisy will be 3 in June and Maren is 8 mos old and was born in the front seat of their 2000 VW Jetta. Whoa.

She chronicles the family adventures on her blog, Sea of Clouds and recently shared her favorite family-friendly destinations on our local site 510families.com.

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 were starting to get sick of each other, even though we needed each other so very badly, because no one else would be willing to listen to us talk with such hysteria about our child’s sleep habits.

Because it was a sensitive issue, I emailed the group ahead of time suggesting that at our next gathering, we would censor the subject unless it was a serious mental health situation that someone needed to address. I proposed a list of alternative topics that would help rejuvenate us and make us laugh during our meeting. We did this twice and it was tons of fun.

Our format was to go around in a circle and each answer the proposed alternative-to-how-is-your-baby-sleeping question. This is your 21st rookie mom challenge. Here are some conversation starters for you:

• What brought you to live here?
• Where did you go to college and what did you study?
• What were you going to name the baby if it was the opposite gender?
• Tell us about the relationship you had before you were with your partner.

These may sound basic, but when you’ve spent all of your bonding time discussing strollers and nipples, you may have left out some basic facts. Try it and let us know how it goes.

Not ready to make it through a day without talking about sleep? Pick another challenge.

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 baby hasn’t tried yet. Bring it home and steam and puree or mash with a fork.

Adeline and her mommy hit the market

Find a local farmers’ market and go! Baby Adeline (pictured) was enchanted by the musician. Baby Lucy hit her first Farmers’ Market at 3 days old. This tiny baby (see the foot!) (courtesy of cafemama) doesn’t look much older.

This is your twentieth challenge. Did you complete this challenge? Share your story.

• Comment below and spill the details. Last time I went to the Farmers’ Market, I was so hot, all I did was buy an ice cream and leave. Does that count?
• Share a picture with us on Facebook. Cute baby in stroller? Smashed sweet potato on face? One in a bjorn and one climbing on your shoulder? All good.

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 each other on the road.

Andrea Scher, co-creator of Mondo Beyondo (Google it!)

Andrea is one of the most thoughtful and inspiring women I’ve met, and though we’ve only hung out ten times or so over the past few years, some of the things she has said are the things that have stuck with me or changed my perspective in fantastic ways. Andrea was a rookie mom to baby Ben when she wrote this at her blog SuperheroJournal.com.

After my post about friendship, my friend Kalah shared something that I loved. She said,
“When you’re feeling most isolated, remember that you can always bring the party to YOU. Friends without children might not have an idea of your daily goings-on and may put off calling because they don’t want to be intrusive. Inviting them into your fold reassures them that you still appreciate their friendships and they feel like they’re saving you some time and energy when they make the effort to meet you where you are. It’s ok to let go of perfectionism when it comes to the state of your home when it comes to visitors–most people understand that you’re living the real, visceral life.”

In the spirit of bringing the party to me and my favorite SARKism “Invite Someone Dangerous to Tea,” I decided to invite the owner of Speesees, Rachel Pearson for tea. (We had only “met” via email after I ordered some goodies) She is pure color, creativity, fun and talent. I was SO inspired by our conversations about business and dreams and love. She made my day and reminded me that one of my greatest pleasures is connecting with other creative women/kindred spirits/people I admire.

It’s funny, since that event took place, I’ve had Andrea over several times, and by pure coincidence, met Rachel, who she dared herself to meet.

Can you invite someone dangerous to tea this week? This is your 19th rookie mom challenge. Take a chance on a person you don’t know well.  “Tea” is the perfect invitation for a mid-day meet up and can be at your breakfast table with tea and fruit or at a cafe where you don’t have to clean up anything.

Tell us, who do you have in mind? A mom you’ve met a few times at yoga? Your old boss who you miss? A friend of your mom’s who always tells funny stories?

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 your eighteenth challenge. Did you complete this challenge? Share your story.

• Comment below and spill the details. Library story time is not for everyone so be honest.
• Share a picture with us on Facebook. Nick, pictured above, was one of our earliest rookie baby readers.

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 your friends excited about how much fun you are about to have over the next seven days.

You are the cruise director. They’ll thank you later.

This is your seventeenth rookie mom challenge.

If your city has been explored by another rookie mom, you can cheat by picking something from our “A Week In (Your City)” series. If your city is not listed, send us your itinerary, so we can with our readers (at least the public events, not “Thursday at 4:00 in my backyard”!) Post it in comments or email us at moms at rookiemoms.com.

Need more inspiration? Browse the previous challenges.

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 to get stuck in a rut and go to the same places over and over again. While routines are comforting, conquering a new destination can be confidence-boosting!

Baby too young for swings? Choose a different outing for rookie moms.

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).

She’s enjoyed meeting women she might not otherwise have met and the babies get to grab and slurp on all new toys. They’ve been going strong for over a year now.

So, your fourteenth rookie mom challenge is to host a breakfast club at your house. Invite some mamas and babies over and eat.

It’s cheap, it’s social, and it’s breakfast — what’s not to love?!!

Related links:
>> Full story on Thrifty Toddler
>> Favorite pancakes on 101 Cookbooks
>> My favorite cheap mocha at home
>> Easy breakfast casserole

Did you complete this challenge? Love it or hate it, tell us how it went:

• Comment below and spill the details.
• Share a picture with us on Facebook.
• Name your destination on Twitter and use hashtag #rookiemoms.
• Or, link in the comments to your own blog post about this challenge.

Not ready for this yet? Meet your friends at a cafe instead. Baby too old for that? Find a kid-friendly coffee shop!

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 tribute to the event, and easy to adapt for what you guys are probably more interested in — a baby’s first ornament.

And if your baby’s first Christmas is also your first married Christmas, well then Mazel Tov! Make ornaments for both occassions.

Materials needed:
> clear fillable globe-style ornament
> 4-6 baby announcements
> straight edge for cutting against
> cutting tool
> glue or adhesive

Cut announcements into strips. Roll up tight. Secure the end of each strip. Insert into ornament.

Find fillable ornaments at a craft supply store for about $1.25. (A set of 12 is on Amazon for $15.99.) They snap apart and back together again.

More complete photo tutorial >