by Heather
The only thing missing from this idea is the description of how I’m blissfully catching a few minutes on the laptop or drinking a cocoa while this is all going on.
I love the toddler and preschooler games where I can sit in one place and still participate like if I’m the toll collector while the boys go around and around the living room with push cars. Or when Holden jumps off the yellow chair into pillows and my job is o catch the mid-air leap on camera. Or better yet, if my arched legs are the tunnel or my exhausted body is the “mountain”.
Check out this adorable way to keep the little ones active while you cheer them on: hopscotch indoors! You just need some tape. Thanks ohdeedoh!
by Heather
A fun suggestion from our friend and fellow rookie mom, Rosa, is to pack yourself up and head into the city for a museum outing. Assume you go to a cocktail party sometime soon. When someone asks what you do, instead of mumbling about maternity leave or bursting into tears when you think about how you can’t drink much because you have to nurse every 3 hours and wake up at 6 am, change the subject and say “Have you seen the Rothko show?”
Many museums waive admission fees on the first Tuesday of the month. Make that your big day.
Rosa reports that SFMoMa was a successful outing. “Both babies were intrigued by the colorful modernist paintings and sculptures,” she brags. “Mommies get to chat and enjoy the art too.”
For our Bay Area mommas, she suggests that you arrive late morning to San Francisco and use the Nordstrom mother’s lounge as home base. There is a great changing/nursing area for comfort and privacy. You can lunch in the mall’s basement food court, Sony Metreon or if the weather permits, eat outside in Yerba Buena Gardens.
Becky in Boston said that her baby Nick was a trooper at the Museum of Fine Arts. “He was patient. After lunch he nursed and went to sleep in the stroller, I pushed him around and looked at art, when he awoke, we looked at art together - I was amazed at what a great day we had together.”
I took Holden to the BAM/PFA here in Berkeley with some other mommy friends and he enjoyed it a lot (which means no screaming fits — yay!). We ate a nice lunch at the little cafe and negotiated tables, strollers, nursing, and crowds. Parking was kind of a pain. Seriously folks, what do you do when someone parks too close to your car and you have a bucket car seat baby with you?!
by Heather
First, my apologies to any pervy googlers. Next, the activity: At least for a little while each day, allow baby to have some time naked, unencumbered by the shackles of a diaper. Just think, this is how your kid lived inside you, just last month in fact.
You may want to put an underpad (chux from the hospital?) down to protect your carpet or the crib and bring along a blanket to keep baby warm and comfy.
by Whitney
I got this activity from Savvy Source, the web site that helps you find the right preschool for your child. Not only do they have all the info you need to know about preschool, the site also offers about two bazillion activities for 2-6 year olds. How do you pick one? Well you can browse them by category, but who doesn’t love a good quiz? Answer a bunch of questions about your preschool-aged child and get recommended activities.
The one I’m excited about today is “Fun with melting ice.”
- Take a small plastic toy, place in freezable container (I’ll be using a ziploc bag) and fill with water. You can use a dixie cup or something like that.
- Freeze the pouch of water.
- At bathtime, give treasure-filled ice blob to your child.
- Watch how long it takes for the ice to melt away so the child can get to the toy.
If your child finds this activity frustrating and you end up with a spastic, wet tantrum instead of a delightful science lesson, please don’t blame me. Let it be known that I will be trying this tonight and have not tried it yet.
