We put this little tip at the beginning of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook because as discussed earlier this week, it’s easy to put your love life on hold when you have explicit instructions from the doctor to do so.  But remember: Dr. Obgyn never said you couldn’t make out.

The Rookie Mom’s Handbook is available on Amazon.com.

Follow the hashtag #babeinamug on Instagram and you’ll quickly see that this is a Thing.

Thanks to the clever blogger MommyShorts, who composed the collage above, babies and mugs are being photographed with this perspective trickery — and shared on social media.

If you are able to capture such a shot and participate in this #babeinamug meme, please tag us, too, so we can see your cute babe in a mug! (@rookiemoms or #rookiemoms). Post your photos on twitter, Instagram, or on the Facebook page of MommyShorts.

Our friend Kelly posted this one today.

Since my kids are already at school (and much older) I had to use this paper doll of Scarlett, which means that my cleverness is hardly worth noting as she was already cup-sized!

Head over to Instagram and follow @MommyShorts or explore the tag #babeinamug!

The Berkeley YMCA used to have a post-partum hip hop aerobic dance classes where babies watch and participate. It is mesmerizing for babies who never knew mom could be so cool (or, in my case, so uncoordinated).

The class is best for pre-crawlers, but if you want to add some chasing to your dance moves, bring your crawling baby along.

Does your local gym have a similar class where you can get all pink-cheeked and crack your baby up?

Last year, Heather and I had the pleasure of teaming up with Baby Loves Disco, the providers of kid-friendly dance parties around the country. They had a 10-day mini-tour in the Bay Area and we hit two of the parties in partnership with our hyperlocal blog, 510families.com for East Bay parents.

When our first babes were about two, we went to the San Francisco execution of Baby Loves Disco and had a rockin’ good time. This outing is best for kids 0-6 whose parents miss their nightlife and want to dance. Kids who fear noise and crowds may be overwhelmed.

Here’s what to expect:

Your local night club or community center will be taken over by parents, toddlers, hula hoops, bubbles, and dancey dance music. Not only is there a live DJ on the stage, but two entertainers are engaging the crowd with interactive dance games. The perimeter of the room is filled with sponsors (like us) who are providing hands-on activities (hair color, mini-manicures, face painting) and product samples, ie snacks.

Also, non-walking humans are free.

Is this year’s tour coming to your city? Los Angeles, Philly, San Francisco, and Chicago moms, your dates are booked. Check the schedule >

Daytime dates are appealing because we are not tired. (Ok, if you have a baby who doesn’t sleep, you might always be tired, but at least at noon, your odds of being alert are better than at say 9 pm.)

I have been inspired by friends who had a sitter on Saturday afternoon so that they could go on a bike ride together, and by Heather and her husband who have treated themselves to a sit-down restaurant lunch during the work day while their kids are at daycare.

This week I admired a post by Natalie, a contributor to Messy Kids Modern Parents, who suggested an at-home naptime date. She breaks it down into the necessary ingredients: Special Touches, Savory Bites, Sweet Bites, and Adult Beverages.  I would add Dressing Up In Non Yoga Pants to her list, but other than that, I love the idea.

Could this be your Valentine’s Day plan? It falls on Thursday this year, but surely observing it on Saturday won’t hurt anyone.

Read more at MKMP >

We all know what jogging strollers were invented for, but that doesn’t mean we feel inspired to use one. Even if it’s outfitted with an insane attachment that promises to increase the efficiency of the workout.

(Love Handles run $99.)

Maybe it’s -2 degrees outside; maybe your toddler is sleeping; or maybe you simply cannot get motivated to pack your child up to go exercise. I don’t have any of these excuses myself, yet I still have a hard time getting myself out there.

My go-to indoor exercise method is low-tech. I pick a TV show that my husband doesn’t care about and I place a child’s step stool in front of the TV. I hold 5-lb weights in my hands and step up and down on the stool for the duration of the show. During commercials I do something more intense to get my heart-rate up, such as jumping jacks or push-ups.

But technology has brought us more options. Here are some of the ways I’ve experimented exercising indoors.

1. On-Demand Exercise TV. I have Comcast cable, and in the On Demand menus, there is a section called Fitness Workouts, which is found in the Sports & Fitness category. There are at least one hundred workouts to choose from, from 8-minute Cardio Dance sessions to 30-minute power workouts let by Kristi Yamaguchi.

2. Free You Tube workouts. No cable? That’s alright. Cafe Mom, among others, have posted complete exercise classes online. Just prop your laptop or tablet up and press play. Here’s one I did recently. Search YouTube for “30-minute workout” to find some choices.

3. Not-free stuff on iTunes. If you want a certain program, you’ll probably find it on iTunes. I have Apple TV, which means I can watch any iTunes content on my big screen, but even without that, watching on a mobile device works too. (Just note that there’s no need to buy the popular Jillian Michaels’ 30-Day Shred on iTunes because you can find it free on YouTube.) Most podcasts are free, actually, and there are some that coach you through a yoga session and other indoor activities. So search in both the TV Shows section and the podcast section of iTunes.

4. Virtual, but real, trainers. Navafit is a website where you can sign up and get four free classes to try out before paying a monthly subscription fee. The exercise classes are live online, and a Skype-like interface makes it so that you are literally in a class with other people and the trainer can see you. Register for the classes in advance and then log into the room when it starts. I had a couple of sessions with one of the trainers, Byron, where we talked about my fitness level and set goals. I loved the accountability it forced on me, but ultimately, I fell off the wagon.

I like having all these options at my fingertips because trying something new keeps me coming back. As many times as I have set the intention to do the 30-Day Shred for 30 days, I have never made it past four or five days. I always end up back in front of Beverly Hills 90210, stepping up and down with my hand weights.

As my kids have grown, we’ve been lucky to always have someone who was in need of the mattresses and bed frames they were leaving behind. (In fact, just last month, our old toddler beds were picked up by a couple who was adopting FIVE children!)  If that wasn’t the case, however, I think holding on to the crib mattress to use for a reading nook is a brilliant move.

The blogger behind small + friendly makes it look beyond adorable in the photo above, doesn’t she?

I gave Julian this Radio Flyer “bike” on the morning of his first birthday, because he had just started walking and it fulfilled my fantasy of the stylish, classic gifts I would be giving him throughout his childhood. Now he wants nothing but Pokemon cards and Webkinz, which was not in my dreamy vision of parenting a little boy, but I am still adjusting that vision on a daily basis.

We asked you guys on Facebook which ride-on toys you like for inside the house. It seemed a useful brainstorm as we head into the season of long indoor play sessions. A ride-on toy is sort of my favorite big gift for baby’s first Christmas — or second Christmas — depending on how young your baby is on Christmas.

Here are some of the picks from readers. I’m giving you the product name so you can look for it on Craig’s List, but I’m linking to Amazon for your shopping convenience.

The Pewi Ride On Toy and Walking Buddy by Ybike. Works on carpet as well as smooth floors.

Gobble and Go Hippo for riding, pushing, and putting blocks inside.

Cozy Coupe which also comes in a pastel color scheme and a third option which is hot pink with glitter, natch.

Fisher Price Tough Trike which comes in many flavors: Diego, Barbie, Dora, Harley-Davidson, as well as regular primary colors.

The Wheely Bug was named by several of you, and I happened to notice this adorable picture of Rebecca Woolf‘s twins on their bugs on Instagram this week.

The Scuttlebug comes in ladybug, bumble bee, and dragon-fly designs.

Svan Creativity Cruiser was suggested with the comment “Totally don’ t have to hide it when company comes.”

I personally think this is beautiful, but I’d love to hear a debate about whether this non-kidcentric aesthetic is sort of a middle finger to little kids or if perhaps the Dora Tough Trike is a middle finger to parents.

Which of these ride-on toys do you find most compelling?

Note: We are affiliates of Amazon.com

My very good friend, Crystal, lives in Chicago as a writer with her two sons, Harry and Max. She wrote about starting a Ladies Poker Club when Harry was an infant. 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 mis-education.

Poker is not very motherly. But that’s exactly what makes it so great. Every once in awhile, it feels good to stretch outside the current identity the world has assigned to you. All those people in the grocery store line who think they have you sized up after noting your messy ponytail, baby-weight-disguising clothing, tired eyes and wee little one in hand? They may think that screams MOM, but they don’t know your secrets

So here’s how to develop your sinful side even while watching the little one:

BEFORE POKER NIGHT:

• Find your gang. To get started, you will need a group of willing ladies (at least 5), a few decks of cards and some poker chips. Emphasize that babies and nursing moms are welcome.
• Learn the rules. Even if none of the members of your Ladies Poker Club has played before, you can get up to speed in no time. Start with Little Black Book Of Poker. The book walks you through different poker games step by step. So what if you read from the book the first few rounds? You’ll all be card sharks soon enough.
• Make it easy. Print out some small, easy cheat sheets that give quick definitions of a full house, a straight, a flush, etc.. List the hands in order to show the best hand you can have, followed by the second best hand, and so on. The list will make it easy for newbie poker players to quickly determine whether their royal flush beats two pair.
• Really easy. Make sure the cheat sheets include a quick rundown of what each poker chip represents. (For example, white chips equal 10 cents, red chips are 20 cents)
• Set up baby areas. Erect a pack-and-play if anyone may need to nap. Make sure the poker club is a nursing-friendly zone so the moms don’t have to disrupt play by leaving the room to nurse.
• Shop for drinks. Be sure to add fun non-alcoholic beverages to the menu. Not just water. Pregnant and nursing moms will appreciate having something special to drink like a sparkling limeade or sassy tea.

DURING POKER NIGHT:

• Pass the babies around. Spread out the love so the new moms get a little break from holding the baby, or maybe just from holding THEIR OWN baby.
• Betting doesn’t have to be big. This is not Vegas. Start with $20. After awhile of playing this way, a $2 bet seems like $2,000. And it’s easier to talk smack or practice bluffing with $2 at risk instead of $50.

Take turns hosting Ladies Poker Night to spread around the work. When it’s your turn to host, don’t be shy about ordering up some pizza. At each poker club, set the next meeting date while everyone is there. It cuts down on emails later.

Have fun and enjoy the time to bond with other females while being a little bit bad. I’ve been part of a poker group that has been together for three years. We’ve had three weddings, four babies and many other life events during those three years, and the poker club has been a great escape and lots of fun.

Thanks Crystal, wish I could join you!

Related Rookie Moms activities:
>> Host a Margarita Mommies Group
>> Paint a onesie to be this cute
>> Take your bambino to the casino

I’m gonna file this under preschooler, because Julian and I had a good time making this adorable paper flag banner for his room when he was about 3, but I’ll also tag it with prenatal, because I made a similar flag banner for Scarlett’s room before she was born. I made the one for Scarlett out of fabric, though.

The picture here is of the results you get if you use the kit sold by the Paper Source.

The ingredients for the kit are so basic, you can really just do it on your own. Then end result is a colorful string of flags that can be tacked up on a wall for a quick, festive decoration.

What you need:

1) enough scrapbooking paper, wrapping paper, or magazine pages from which to cut 15 flags.

2) enough string or ribbon to accommodate 15 hanging flags.

3) glue

Cut this shape out of your selected paper.

Bend over the top portion so that the sides line up with the sides of the bottom triangle. And please excuse my Photoshopping.

Apply glue to the touching parts of the paper.

Place the flap over your string and press together so that your flag is glued in place. If you are using thick paper, you may need to put your drying flags under a stack of books so that the flap stays folded over until secure. Repeat.

Fabric garland

I’m sure there are versions that look more fancy and finished, so I’ll describe this fabric banner as quick and dirty. The material is heavier than cotton meant for quilting. I guess it’s upholstery-weight fabric.

I cut triangles with pinking shears, half from one pattern, half from a different pattern in the same color palette.  Then I sewed one long stitch across the top. Ideally you’d have a long piece of complimentary-colored ribbon and use that to both secure the triangles and to tie to some nails in the wall.  But this method resulted in a banner that has held up for more than five years, and I think it took me about ten minutes to make. It helped me turn my gender neutral nursery into a baby girl’s room. (The crib used to be where that play kitchen now stands.)

This post is part of our Makin’ It series. Want to make something else? Check out the whole list of DIY projects for parents.

Today I must share my family secret: my kids collect Webkinz. We have 42. If you had told me this would happen, I never would have believed you. It’s a little obscene. This picture shows only a portion of them.

Webkinz are stuffed animals — though Scarlett and Julian will correct you if you use that term — that come with a code that you input in an online account that allows you to “play” with them online. Let me repeat, I did not think this would ever happen to me.

The Webkinz are everywhere. All over my house. Each has a unique birthday which gets acknowledged by our family. They play hide and seek frequently, and thus, it is a rare day that we can actually locate all 42 of them. Rather than accepting responsibility for losing a Webkinz, my children claim the (permanently) hidden ones are “on vacation.”

Even before Webkinz arrived in my life, small stuffed animals drove me crazy. The bright side is that my kids actually play with them. The dark side is that there’s no where to put them away. They don’t stack neatly.

I came upon a solution that might work for some of you if you are also drowning in stuffed animals.

I bought a shoe cubby at Target.

I instructed the kids that the Webkinz must be in their apartments every night before we go to sleep. This has been partially successful.

I’m filing this tip under “Making it” because it’s an inexpensive piece of furniture and assembly is very much required. I did break a sweat.

Those little buggers have a home now, so I am happy.

Is putting together a shoe cubby in your future? Need a different hands-on project? Check out our list of DIY activities for moms.

When I first became a mother of two, I was afraid to be left alone at home with my newborn and almost three-year old. Unfortunately, I was also afraid to take them both out of the house. I have come to believe that I’m-a-rookie-again anxiety is totally normal and that my fear of outings was not unfounded: I only have so many arms.

My second-baby-having local friends and I established an arsenal of fenced-in playgrounds that were our safe spaces. While fenced in, our older children could not wander off too far while we were stuck on a bench nursing the baby or changing a diaper.

Today, Stef from Ask A Nanny suggested another safe place for taking two kids: the library. I asked her for the hows and whys, and here’s what she said.

+++

As a longtime nanny, cavorting about on my own with two kids as a job is a no-brainer; I am ready for anything. I am professional, prepared and chipper! At home, however, when the kids are my own, it’s another story. I’m tired from working all week; I am annoyed that “sleeping in” is the same as my “getting up early”; and I lost my coffee somewhere in the house again – so we need to get OUT!

I love going to the library with my oldest. At four years old, he’s very curious about all sorts of things like rain-forests, sharks, dinosaurs, and poop. But today was my six month old’s first visit to the library. I couldn’t wait to see what on the board book shelf brought a grin to his face: a hungry caterpillar? A carrot that wouldn’t grow? Maybe some busy penguins? Nope, it was babies eating, of course!

Tips for going to the library with a baby and a big kid:

1. Find the best library. If there is a library near you with a totally separate children’s section, go there – your toddler will wander and climb things. In the kids’ section, you can blend in.
2. Go at lunchtime. When you have a baby with you, the fewer big kids there, the better. For us this meant it was safe enough for me to peel off my youngest and set him up on a blanket in the baby section. Then I could scout out some books for my oldest without worrying a 6-year old would come running by.
3. Bring a stroller. I, unfortunately, had forgotten to load it into the trunk, so it was a good thing I had the the Ergo (yes, along with the 2 tons of books and the diaper backpack, all somehow attached to me).
4. Drop off your returns outside (if you can) where you can be loud about it, because 2 tons of books being returned one by one by a 3 year old can a) take a while and b) get a bit noisy.
5. Limit the number of board books you check out. Those buggers are heavy!
6. Sit, read to your babies, and enjoy the powerfully calming atmosphere of the library.

I knew it was time for us to leave when more kids began to filter in, so I strapped the baby back onto my body and hauled our pile of what seemed like 40 lbs of books over to the self check out and patiently waited (i.e. bounced around the now unraveling 6 month old) for my oldest to scan each book. We then headed home, where amidst the drama of preschooler hunger pangs, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel: I find it – my coffee – in the microwave, right where I had left it.

Stef is the expert nanny behind the parenting advice website AskaNanny.com, where questions about your zero to three-year old get answered for free. She lives in San Francisco with her hardworking, loving, and very supportive husband (who is also her editor) and her two angelic children.