Rookie Moms

You city mamas probably already know that it’s Pride Weekend season.  That is Gay Pride for those who are not familiar with this most fabulous event.  The family-friendly folks who march with their kids in San Francisco have invited us (anyone who wants) to join them, and I’m thinking it sounds like a good idea for my little dude. He knows what a parade is, and I’m thinking when I inform him that he can actually BE IN THE PARADE, he might go crazy with excitement.  And more, he can wear a funny hat and ride his tricycle if he wants.  And, more, it’s all about being proud of who you are, and my son is all about that. Proud that he pooped in the potty, proud of his sister for eating watermelon. He shares generous doses of pride with us all the time, so this seems like a good event for him.

I posted some of the details on East Bay SavvySource for my local peeps, but it’s Pride weekend in a few other cities, I think.

(photo of our friends Norrie and Angela courtesy of Mama Isobel)

Like they say on TV, membership has it’s privileges. Both of the Bay Area children’s museums that I have been to are part of this consortium of Children’s Museums that have reciprocal memberships. This means that if you get a one-year membership at Habitot in Berkeley, for example, you can go to the Discovery Museum in Sausalito for free anytime. Also, if you travel to a place with a Children’s Museum, you are totally in.

The point, however, is not the membership. The point is that these are destinations with rooms for crawlers. Usually they have mats on the floor or different textures and large scale shapes that crawlers and young walkers can put their grubby hands on, in and through. The Discovery Museum Tot Room, for example, has at least four waterbed-type areas for babies.

If you live near one of these places, and buy a membership, consider it a mommy meet market. Go there when you and baby are feeling lonely, let down your hair, and have a juice box or two.

Before I let Andrea tell you how much she liked taking her 18-month old twins to IKEA, I want to mention her new business, little uni. She is selling handmade baby clothes that are simple and sweet, with modern appliques. Her babies Mira and Will are modeling for us in these pictures.

Andrea lives in Chicago, where its been freezing and snowing for the past few months. Her kids just moved to one nap a day, so they are always looking for good morning activities. She writes:

My husband and I planned a trip Saturday morning to IKEA to buy a kid-sized table and chairs. I was not looking forward to a day in the suburbs at a crowded IKEA. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that if you get to IKEA early, it is not crowded at all.

We put each kid in one of their odd stroller/shopping bag holder contraptions. The kids loved being pushed around in them, and we loved not pushing a heavy double stroller or 2 cumbersome full-sized shopping carts.

The kids section is really amazing. Besides the unique, colorful toys, bedding and furniture, they have a play
area set up in a maze of child-sized, completely furnished rooms. I bought a great set of plastic, colored plates. We also let each kid pick out a stuffed animal. The kids loved riding the glass elevators, and saying “Hi” every time they heard the beep of the doors opening. Because it wasn’t crowded, we could really see and appreciate the well-designed room displays. The kids pointed out lights, doors, windows, balls, beds as we walked around.

Lunch in the café was excellent. The modern, white highchairs were neatly stacked and easy to find. There was plenty of space at the table for 2 toddlers and 2 adults. I set up the kids and my husband went to get the food. He got mac and cheese and Swedish meatballs from the kids menu, of course served on the wonderful plastic plates. I think the mac and cheese was $.99. The kids gobbled down every bite.

After a couple of awkward trips to the car carrying table parts and babies, we headed home just in time for their naps.

Shelly, the founder of My Spoiled Rotten Baby, wrote to me with her story, and it seemed appropriate for the Rookie Moms audience. After delivering her son via cesarean birth, she decided that moms needed a little more support than she received during her birth experience. She started teaching childbirth education at a prestigious hospital in her area, and spent a lot of time as a labor and postpartum doula.

Eventually, as her personal situation changed, she was no longer able to be in an on-call situation. The desire to stay in the ‘new Mom/ baby’ industry was strong enough for her to take the leap into running a small business full-time as a newly single-mother. Go, Shelly!

She says:

I wanted to take my passion, combine it with my experience as an educator and doula, and throw in a little fun. Thus, Spoiled Rotten Baby came to be. Spoiled Rotten Baby is an online luxury and baby gift company featuring some of the products that Moms would love to have, but won’t buy on their own. We have 100% organic Egyptian cotton clothing for baby, all-natural products for labor, postpartum, and breastfeeding, chenille and silk-edged blankets, Bumble Bag diaper bags, and more. What makes Spoiled Rotten Baby stand out is the fact that everything is beautifully hand-packaged in our signature gift boxes; complete with hand-tied bow, linen-textured tissue, and pretty little gift card. Luxury that is ready-to-give.

Shelly has other suggestions for new moms, and she’s compiled them into a one-week agenda of free entertainment. Even if you don’t live around Issaquah, the outings on this schedule might give you some ideas for new things to try with your baby. (PS If you think Shelly looks too hot to be a rookie mom, don’t worry, she’s had seven years to recover from pregnancy and birth. You’ll get there, too.)

Monday

Boehms Candies Factory Tour: The best way to start your week – with chocolate! The historic Boehms Factory is located in the heart of downtown Issaquah. Open daily, families are invited to check out the factory and retail shop for a free self-guided tour. The best time to come is between 9 am and 2 pm weekdays, when the candy makers are in production and you can actually see how candy is made. Guides tours are available during the summer. Free samples are available for both the self and guided tours. Open daily. (425) 392-6652
Self-guided tours: Free

Tuesday

KidzBounce: KidzBounce is the perfect place for moms to gather and visit while the little ones literally bounce off the walls. Featuring a room filled with giant bounce houses, this place is a favorite for regular drop-in visits as well as birthdays for kids (and adults!) of all ages. Parents will love it because it is a safe, clean indoor environment. Kids will love it for the various giant slides and obstacle courses. KidzBounce is just 6 minutes East of Issaquah. Drop-ins Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. (425) 222-5439
Parents and kids under 2: Free

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